Ask the Captain Categories

Weather Patterns Written by Peter Teuten It seems a long way off, but before we even think about unwrapping the new windlass that Santa so thoughtfully left under the tree, it’s time to think about the trek north to savor the joys of boating in the Northeast during the summer. If the next thing you Read More

Marinalife Insurance Services has had an exciting start, and we really appreciate the amazing response from the Marinalife community over the past year and a half. It has been a pleasure to get to know many of you, and we are looking forward to a bright future! We are also looking forward to another hurricane Read More

Written by ACE Recreational Marine Insurance With the hurricane season upon us, climate experts at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) advise of a “near-normal or below-normal” number of storms in the Atlantic this year, largely due to the increasing chance of an El Niño weather pattern. NOAA scientists predict a 70 percent chance Read More

Cruising Safely There is an often quoted statistic stating: “Most boating accidents occur within three miles of your home port.” In studying accident records, I identified four reasons for this: A boater left port with the problem on board and pending Accidents caused by fatigue after a long day underway Inherent risk of ocean inlets Read More

Written by Captain David Cannon Mariners and weather enthusiasts alike are no doubt familiar with a waterspout. Similarly, mariners know (or at least should know) these weather dangers are to be avoided at all costs, but what exactly is a waterspout? Is it simply a tornado over the water? Or is it something more than Read More

Written by Captain Juan Watson Spring is here! Along with the potential that we can expect to encounter fog. I am not a big advocate of departing into the fog but as a former captain at times I have ventured into “pea soup”. Granted, I had great training, experience and wonderful navigational but you cannot Read More

Learning to deal with bad weather and rough water Written by Captain Bob Figular from Mariners Learning System While operating your boat there will be times when you will need to either exit or enter a port in rough and challenging conditions. Although certain inlets and rivers have extreme conditions much more often than others, Read More

In 2011 statistic produced by the United States Coast Guards (USCG) annual report show that recreational boating safety was pretty lousy. There were 4,588 accidents resulting in 758 recorded deaths in the US, a 14.8% increase representing 6.2 deaths per 100,000 registered vessels. 70% of all fatal boating accident victims drowned, and out of those a Read More