Safely helping you create memories that will last a lifetime.
I joined the USCG in 1978 and was sent to the Presidential Honor Guard. In 1981, I transferred to Cape Cod Canal Station where I qualified on the 41' UTB and the 44' MLB as coxswain. I learned a great deal about operating in current, heavy weather, and how to tow. 1985: USCGC Cape Henlopen - 1987: USCG Station Menemsha, Martha's Vineyard Ma 1991: USCGC Towline, Bristol RI 1994: USCGC Bittersweet, Woods Hole MA 1997: USCG Group Long Island Sound, New Haven CT 1998: Retired from the U.S.C.G. and grabbed my 100-ton Master Ocean Operator's License on my way out and have remained current for the past 25 years. Currently, I am a Deputy for our local Sheriff's Office, and my post assignment is as a boat Captain in our Marine Unit. I operate a 31' Safe Boat which is a fast response unit to an active shooter aboard one of the multiple ferries that operate in Vineyard Sound and Nantucket Sound.
I love this captain! He is the best on here hands down. This is who I want to learn from! This man's experience and knowledge of boating can not only enhance your boating skills and knowledge but can give you valuable information that can save your life. I can still hear his voice!
Your video on how to handle a person overboard had a lot of great advice. Mark the place on your GPS. One person should point to the person in the water so that the captain can maneuver the boat for a rescue. Your video showed the proper way to point so that the captain can see where he is pointing. Problem: he wasn't wearing a life jacket.
Can anyone tell me why my boat icon is leaving a wide track line in my chart screen? Lowrance hds live 7… I’ve tried so many things to fix w/ no avail… Think it something in overlay settings.. any help would be appreciated
Thanks!! Great video!! I am having a problem with my garmin chartplotter. When going north I am noticing that the buoy is not where it is supposed to be. In that described case is like 15’ to the right, when according with my chartplotter I should be colliding with it. I guess i should correct o recalibrate the chartplotter or change some setting, but i cant find a way to do it. Have you any ideas? Thanks in advance!!!
The most overused mind space in boating is the ridiculous mid cleat spring,,, It’s the most underused line I’ve ever used and will continue to be.,. Just teach spring line and get away from that mid cleat. 50 years of watching boaters who have been at the helm for a lifetime and still stuck on that line….
I'm a new member and I like what I see. I have crewed on a 60' Gulf Star and love sailing. I'm like a sponge, ready to soak it all in. Lets do it. Thank you.
My wife and I have 7 years of boating so far and 5 boats..18 and 22 Trophy walk around, two 27 ft express cruisers and nor a Monterey 23' cuddy.. studied youtube boating the whole time, read books, articles, but can never get enough. Hoping to benefit fron your exp.. Found your #2 cleat video priceless, took all the othwr info ive compiles amd experimented with and summed it up completely.. will be implementing #2 most of the time now! Looking forward to kearning more!
A boater for over 40 years. Of all the Boat tutorials, these cover important subjects missed by others. These are the most practical, straightforward, understandable videos I have found. Please keep them coming! As a pilot, totally understand and appreciate the value of the “What if’s”!
The first thing to do in case of a fire is to secure ventilation! Unless it’s a very small fire don’t waste time with fire extinguishers getting the fire hoses out is and charging the fire mains should be your first priority. All boats should have at least one SCBA and fire suit regardless of if the CG requires you to carry them one not. Metal fires should not be dismissed. Many turbochargers are made of magnesium including the ones on EMDs. While the chances of one catching fire are slim it should be considered. It needs to be mentioned that whatever you do NEVER take a fire hose to a magnesium fire! I consider a magnesium fire to be an abandoned ship event on my boat as we have no way to fight such a fire and several thousand pounds of burning magnesium is one of those situations where all is lost. Fire prevention and fire drills are the most important things to practice. While recreational boats aren’t required to log drills and crews aren’t required to take firefighting training like us merchant mariners are it isn’t a bad idea to do monthly fire drills. Just exercising your fire fighting equipment one a month is important to keep it working. Fire pumps can seize up if they sit unused, fire hoses and nozzles deteriorate, valves seize up, pipes rust out, ect. Doing regular drills keep all this equipment in working order and allows you to find problems like leaking fire hoses, or inoperable nozzles. This is just my two cents, I’m certainly not an expert.
click bate statement .. but I get you point.. I have to unteach so many novice boaters about that cleat because it's also the most over used Cleat when novice boaters should be not be using it first. especially when you get into the tonnage range of 40 - 100+. I don't have much experience on tonnage over the 200 range so and I the lighter stuff since you can basically pull about to the dock with man power yah Midas well just mid cleat because even if there's a better choice to be made it won't matter much anyway ... you just need any line tied. I really enjoy your channel and can see you at the head of the class teaching at a boating safety course. I wish I knew what you've forgotten about being on the water,,, I'm always learning
Hi sir, I just found your channel and I’m excited to learn from you. We are new boaters, about four years in. Just upgraded to a new Chaparral in the fall. Surprised to hear you talk about Lake of the Ozarks! We are in Southwest Missouri, and even though Lake of the Ozarks has a lot of fun going on, we boat on more family friendly lakes -Table Rock or mainly Stockton. This is a very windy lake at times, and is very popular for fishing tournaments. We try to steer clear of the fisherman, and try to load and unload as quickly as possible. I usually drop my husband off then trailer the boat myself. I’ve found myself in a pickle a few times, just want to be the bad a$$ wife who knows how to handle the boat. Also want to learn skills to protect our new investment.
Ok, this video has scared me into wanting to do further homework and outfit my 19’ boat with multiple ABC extinguishers. I didn’t know to ventilate/purge fumes from my internal tank and I’m not sure how that works. Thank goodness we didn’t experience an explosion this summer! Is that a possible topic for a future video? Loved the info about the extreme danger of the smoke. I could see myself in the panic of the situation being more focused on the flames than the smoke. Having a wife and two kids who are just as new to boating as I am, I’m soaking up all this info and will share with my family. Our boat can be replaced, out family is priceless. Thank you, sir!
Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge in these videos! I live on Cape Cod also with my wife and kids and we bought our first boat (Key West Sportsman 1900) in August this year. It was an exciting and stressful time because my family wanted to GO and I wanted to Learn…EVERYTHING…first. You can guess who won…not me. 😂 We had some great times and we also showed our true colors as first time boaters a few times. I plan to spend this winter watching all your videos and consuming as much boating content as I can so I’m more prepared for a safe and fun 2024 on the water! Any in person boating courses you’d recommend here on the Cape? Thanks again!
Great info. I sailed in the Corpus Christi area for years. High wind on the beam docking is the norm. Would appreciate a detailed vid on this scenario. It can get ugly fast!
Shawn, another great video and comments from followers that every boater must understand. The only point I would add is that IF you decide fighting the fire is your best or only option keep in mind that the size of the fire extinguishers required by the CG are minimum requirements and may only provide 10 seconds of operating time, if fully charged. In the frantic first moments of fighting a fire some of those seconds will likely be wasted. If you need more fire extinguishers, evaluate, is plan A the best option. Fires on board are no joke. Always be ready to execute plan B while you are executing plan A. The life and safety of you and your passengers will depend on your first decisions.
Excellent comment Mike, I like the way you think! Every emergency is different and you must keep an eye on the big picture. Having these conversations and thinking things through before the emergency happens is vitally important. As always, thank you so much for your comments!
Another good one! Fire preparation is one of those things you do once and then forget about. It's good practice and it pays to review things often. This is a good reminder of that, thanks.
Just watched this, and whilst I don't disagree with anything you say, I have to say that I think you miss out some important steps that should be a priority on finding a fire, before you try to actually put the fire out. I basis this on the fire training I used to deliver to underground train drivers. So, first off you should be planning how to deal with a fire or similar event in terms of both training and equipment before you make any journey with your boat. That includes getting a fire extinguisher and making sure everyone on the boat knows where it is an how to use it, but it also includes having equipment like a life jackets, grab-bag, life-raft, vhf radio (preferably a portable one with the grab-bag, as well a DSR one on your boat). beacons, flares and even survival suits as appropriate. All crew should be trained in how to use them and on their locations. Secondly, on finding a fire your first step should not be to try and fight the fire, but rather to raise the alarm and see that everyone is evacuated, so that there is no chance of them being trapped inside the boat by the fire which may spread extremely rapidly in a GRP boat. If you have a crew or passengers, one of them can then take charge of the evacuation. If possible a Mayday using the boat's VHF should be sent out, this is a life threatening situation and you can always cancel it if you do get the fire out. The crew and passengers should should get hold of the grab bag, put on their life jackets and move to the life-raft,. Unless the fire is small and you are absolutely confident of putting it out, they should consider actually launching and embarking in the life-raft and moving far enough away from the boat to avoid any danger of the fire spreading to the life raft - otherwise they should prepare to do so at the first signs of the fire spreading. If you are alone, make sure the grab-bag is by the exit ready to go, put on your life jacket, if you have a DSR radio, hit the distress button before you turn to thinking about putting out the fire. Only with these underway should you even consider tackling the fire. Though we trained crews in using fire extinguishers, we actively discouraged them from using them except when the alarm had already been raised, the fire brigade had been called, and they were extremely confident they could do so without being trapped or burned. Of course, the situation on a boat can be rather different, particularity if you are in blue water and can not be sure of rescue if you do evacuate into a life raft. That does tip the balance in favour of fighting the fire, but you should still ensure you tackle the fire from a place of safety, ensuring especially that you have a clear exit at all times. What you say about the the nature of the fires and of fighting them is essentially correct. The only three points I would add about actually fighting the fire are: 1) That fire blankets are better than fire extinguishers when it comes to most galley fires involving burning oil You should have one by your galley so that if there is chip pan fire or similar you can rapidly cover the pan and smother it before it has a chance to spread (this is about the one time I would deal with the fire before raising the alarm. Remember not to try to put out burning hot oil with water as that will make the oil explode out, covering you with burning oil and potentially spreading the fire rapidly. 2) That if you use a CO2 extinguisher, remember not to hold it by the nozzle as it can get extremely cold if it is metal and your hand may freeze onto it. 3) Many boats now have Lithium Ion, Nicad or similar batteries. These pose very particular fire risks. Phones and similar items should only be left charging in positions where they will not set anything else alight, ideally on a metal or ceramic surface. Large cells used to power equipment on the boat should be properly maintained along with everything connected to them. If you have a battery bank of such batteries you should consider having specialist fire extinguishers stored by them such as Lithex AVD filled extinguishers. They can burn extremely hot and be especially hard to put out. Also, do not overlook having smoke or other fire detectors on your boad and ensuring they are regularly tested and serviced. Finally, don't forget about the importance of a head count, when people come onto the boat so you know how many crew and passengers you have, when you are evacuating them so you know everyone has been alerted, on the life-raft so you know every one has got off and again either when the fire is over or after rescue so you know if anyone is still missing.. PS, two final thoughts: 1) Remember that a lot of modern clothing is based on synthetic cloths that pose a very particular danger in fires - that of melting in the heat, and potentially catching fire as the hot, molten fabric adheres to your skin giving you severe burns. This was a particular cause of injury on British boats that burned during the Falklands war and caused some really bad burns. Do bear this in mind if you decide to fight the fire and make sure you do not get so close to the fire your clothes or lifejacket start to melt. 2) Remember smoke inhalation causes more deaths from fire than the flames, and can cause injuries to the lungs that will kill you even after you have escaped the smoke. This is a particularly acute problem in boats due to a combination of the small, enclosed spaces and many synthetic materials. Remember, you life is worth more than the boat and do not go into a smoke filled space to fight the fire if you value your life.
Michael, absolutely sage advice and thank you so much for sharing! It was my hope from the beginning that other boaters would share their knowledge and experience to help others boaters and you have certainly done that. Excellent points and thank you again!
Great info! I do have one question that I seem to find conflicting information online about - what is the correct way to read GPS coordinates over the radio when communicating with the CG? I’ve heard all different variations from boaters and it even seems there are slight differences from the CG at times while listening on Erie. Any help on this is greatly appreciated!
Drake, thank you so much for your comment! I'm not sure I understand your question exactly but I'll give you this and if I missed the mark, please let me know. I checked my "Watch Officer's Guide" book by James Stavridis, USN retired, and couldn't find anything I could reference for you so I'm going to spitball it a little. Before GPS we would transmit our coordinates in Degrees, Minutes, and Seconds. Then charts started coming out in Degrees, Minutes, and Tenths. Sometimes we would send our position in Loran C lines. Having said all this, I would fall back on basic training where we would transmit entire messages via the radio. It is almost its own language using the phonetic alphabet and reading figures clearly and concisely. I'm not sure I've answered your question but let me know!
Keep them coming Captain. Our Sea Scout Ship operates a 39’ boat with twin 6V53 Detroits in the Sacramento Delta and SF Bay. I like your content and it’s presented straight up and backed by your training and experience. We need to deal with tides and river currents, as well as 20+ knt gusty winds. Ship handling in bad seas, docking, and aids to navigation light getting lost in on shore lights are common things our scouts need to learn to handle.
Stephen, thank you so much for your comments. We have a chapter of Sea Scout out here too and my "Sea Dad" runs it (Al Beale) retired W-4 Warrant who has forgotten more about this stuff than I know. Thank you for training all of those young sailor's to be! I hope our paths cross one day!
I am loving your videos. I have been boating out of Chatham for more than 50 years but your videos offer some more formal style training than my old man, seat of the pants seamanship. Within a couple years I will have finished my Bertram 25 restoration project and I will be making more extensive trips in the region. Your lessons will come in handy to keep me and my family safe. Maybe we'll hook up and I'll give you a ride in my Bertram! Subscribed.
Thank you so much for your comments and my humble apologies for my tarty reply. I appreciate your kind words and I truly love Chatham. I never got the pleasure of serving at the small boat station there but I have several friends who did tours there. I also love Bertrams! One of my buddies at Mashpee PD has one and another friend on one of the Elizabeth Islands has one too. I would definitely like a ride in your Bertram!
When kids are little, I tell them I should be able to pick you up and shake you by the neck of the jacket and your jacket won't come off. But I never do it.
