There’s no doubt that some of the most interesting boating adventures come about through meticulous preparation. Take the run to Alaska that’s featured in this issue.
Deputy Editor Pim Van Hemmen writes about his time aboard a 47-foot trawler skippered by Sam Devlin, a boat designer and builder who helped lead a flotilla from Anacortes, Washington, to Southeast Alaska. Pim’s reporting makes it clear that trip planning required a serious level of detail. There was the preparation of the boat itself, logistics around crew recruitment, and navigation particulars to work out in advance, among other things. And once the flotilla was under way, there was the daily work of retrieving weather reports, making repairs and ensuring provisions were sufficient—that included coffee, and it seems there was a hot cup for all onboard, everyday. Thanks to Devlin’s forethought and organization, Pim’s leg of the journey was sweet, a “joyride,” as he called it.
Gary Caputi is no stranger to diligent planning. As you’ll read in his Boat Handling column, his desire to tow his 27-foot fishing boat some 1,200 miles from a dealer in Florida to his home in New Jersey required strategy and creative thinking. But with the help of a conscientious copilot (his wife, Ginger), the couple got the rig back north, and launched it just as the fishing season was heating up.
Up in Rhode Island, Soundings Contributor Mike Garretson earns his living working on boats at the facility he owns in Wakefield. In this issue, he shares his knowledge about lithium batteries and how to install this alternative power source. Every element of the system he designed was selected to ensure safety and avoid failure. The intricacy of his work is impressive, and the upshot for a boat owner is savings in long-term operating costs and less weight in the boat.
I was thinking about the benefits of thorough planning a few nights ago, when two friends called with an impromptu invitation to join them on their boat. To “plan” for the excursion, I threw a towel and sunglasses in a bag, pulled a good bottle of cold white wine out of the fridge and headed to the marina. There, I stepped aboard the couple’s sturdy old Grady-White center console. He started the single Yamaha that powers their delightfully simple boat. We powered out of the marina and past the wall of sticky humidity that had been clinging to shore for days. We felt a light breeze just a mile or two from the dock, where we picked up a mooring in a pretty cove and settled in for a spectacular sunset.
The couple pulled a cold meal from a portable cooler and plates and utensils from a boat bag. We ate on cushions snapped onto the foredeck (no galley or table here). The meal came together as easily as the conversation flowed. It was one of those just-right nights. We didn’t have to work hard to feel good. Sometimes, boating can be like that, too.
This article was originally published in the September 2024 issue.
