Tackling the Classic U.S. Boating Debate of North Versus South. A couple weeks ago, I attended a yacht club dinner at the invitation of a friend and had a fine time, in spite of the fact that I’m about as yachty as an aluminum canoe. Toward the shank of the evening, as coffee and other […]
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Tips on what to do when a boat-shopping friend asks, “Whataya think about this one?” Tips on what to do when a boat-shopping friend asks, “Whataya think about this one?” Illustration: Kent Barton Boat buyers come in many shapes, sizes and types, but here, on this particular page—as a public service—I’m going to deal exclusively […]
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A Florida heat wave can deliver sweat buckets of discomfort. It can also test the true mettle of the hopeful owner of a new boat. Illustration: Kent Barton Thanks to his unbridled enthusiasm and a little Gatorade, a potential boat owner gets the thumbs-up during last summer’s heat wave. It was mid-July and “scorcher” was […]
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Capt. Bill Pike long imagined “semi-retirement,” would free him up to do nothing but boat. But life sometimes intervenes. Capt. Bill Pike long imagined “semi-retirement,” would free him up to do nothing but boat. But life sometimes intervenes. Ahhhhh, retirement. Or, in my case, semi-retirement. During most of my working life, I saw it—even romanticized […]
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No matter how much you know—or think you know—about boating, there’s always more to learn. I recently accompanied two true seafaring professionals—Capt. Peter Liverzani and Capt. Felix Carcano (Pete’s trusty mate)—on a Florida-bound boat delivery. And hey, the trip turned out to be both fun and instructive, largely thanks to the asides Liverzani contributed along […]
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How to turn a lubberly, reticent canine into a salty, bona fide, boat-lovin’ sea dog. You’d expect, I suppose, that just about any adolescent golden retriever would literally jump at the chance to get aboard a sweet little trawler like the Betty Jane II. He’d spot her from afar—let’s say, from the backseat of a […]
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If you tend to make mountains out of marinized molehills, Capt. Bill Pike has a suggestion: why not engage in a little hopeful, optimistic investigation first? Ever have a little project that “just growed,” as we say in the sunny South? The kind that starts out as a weekend thing and, before you know it, […]
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