Soundings is the news and feature publication for recreational boaters. Award-winning coverage of the people, issues, events -- and the fun -- of recreational boating. Check out our generous boats-for-sale section and our gunkholing destinations.
We’ve been asking the readers of Soundings to share their stories about the people who introduced them to boating, and we continue to receive great responses. Recently, Scott Eidman told us about his early experiences on the water. “My love of boating was inspired by my father, Roy,” says Scott. “He had polio as a child, and as a result of his disability he was never able to drive a car. So, when he started dating my mother, Norma, they bought a rowboat, even though they didn’t know how to swim. How my grandparents allowed this is beyond me.” Later, the couple upgraded to a new Chris-Craft runabout, which they kept at a marina near their home in Brooklyn, New York. Neither Roy nor Norma had a driver’s license at…
How many people could you save from a sinking boat using a Lyle gun? In the late 19th century, members of the U.S. Coast Guard would stand on shore and fire the line-throwing gun invented by a military man named David Lyle. The basic act of firing the gunpowder-packed gun could knock it back 6 feet and send waterproof, braided line nearly the length of six football fields. That line would sail toward (and, hopefully, onto) the vessel in distress. A “life car” would then be sent out on the line, to collect people and bring them ashore. “The specificity that the Coast Guard has to locate you by GPS, put a helicopter over your boat and pluck you off the deck—that’s certainly hard to do, but it’s a lot…
The July Fourth weekend is a favorite holiday for many boaters, particularly for those in the Northeast. Summertime is well underway, the boat is finally running and, for many of us, fun is in full swing with cruising, overnighting on the hook, sandbar rendezvous, fishing and water sports. The long weekend gives us a chance to relax and reflect on how great it can be to spend time with the family on the water. In the excitement to get out there, though, it’s important to remember you will not be alone. Far from it. Especially during the July Fourth holiday weekend, you’ll be sharing the waterways with leagues of other recreational and commercial vessels. This means your skills and boating manners need to be in top form, not only to…
1. INTERNATIONAL RULES: Lights on a vessel shall be ON from: A. One half hour before sunset B. Sunrise to sunset C. One hour after sunrise D. Sunset to sunrise 2. INLAND RULES: In addition to sidelights and sternlight, a pilot vessel underway shall exhibit, when engaged in pilotage duty: A. Red over white lights B. Green over white lights C. White over red lights D. Red over white over red lights 3. INLAND RULES: When there is doubt as to whether the situation is an overtaking or not: A. Sound the danger or doubt signal B. Assume an overtaking situation and act accordingly C. Change course to forward of the beam of the other vessel to make sure of the situation D. All of the above 4. NAVIGATION: One…
Capt. Greg Thornton has been delivering yachts for more than 10 years. Along the way, he’s encountered virtually every type of electronic navigation equipment, which is why he keeps the Navionics app on a tablet in his gear bag. “You’re jumping on a boat blindly, and rather than having to get a specific map or program, Navionics caters to that diversity,” said Thornton. Recently, he had to move a 100-foot Swan sailing yacht from Sint Maarten to Rybovich Marina in West Palm Beach, Florida. The radar was the only functioning technology on the vessel. “If I didn’t have Navionics on my tablet, I would have been dealing with old-school navigation, looking at the Ritchie compass and having to plot,” he says. Thornton, who is the founder of Norseman International, which…
One day shortly after my tenth birthday, I woke just after dawn to the sound of rain pitter-pattering on the thin glass windows of our little yellow Cape house. As I came to, I realized it was Sunday morning. My dad’s store was closed, so he’d be home. I jumped out of bed and yanked on my Wranglers from a tangled heap on the floor. Rummaging through my dresser, I found my favorite rainbow sweatshirt and raced out of my room, skidding into the kitchen, Topsiders in hand. Dad looked up from his coffee and smiled, muffin crumbs caught in the new beard he was growing. His eyes, heavy-lidded at half mast, twinkled at my excitement. “There’s some wind and waves this morning,” he said with a grin. “Yes!” I…
