Here are a few excerpts to give you an idea of what this E-Book is about:

  • "First, there is no road to pull off of. Second, nearly all recreational boaters are out there to enjoy themselves and, believe me, they are not concerned about you, your family or your disabled boat. Unless you are in their way."
  • "There is another factor which also seems unavoidable. It is a gender issue. Not what you are probably thinking of, guys. It's you. Women don't have testosterone issues. With men, it is a matter of pride and ego which prevents them from acknowledging "that funny noise" when the lady aboard first mentions it. Then, when it becomes apparent, even to him, his ego forces him to try to fix it."
  • "The primary advantage that chart users have over GPS-only users is that land (you know, that lumpy stuff at the water's edge) shows up clearly on a chart, so you pretty much know that you ought to try to avoid running over it."
  • "Tides have been going in and out for some time now. Whether it is physics or coincidence, the depth of the water in a certain spot has always seemed to increase on an incoming tide and to decrease when it is outgoing. Just an observation on my part."
  • "Further, (you'll like this one) they don't allow boats to be beached on their beaches. Even if they are ship-wrecked."
  • "Investment of time to learn the basics should be as great as any investment in cash. One, without the other is a formula for disaster."
  • "Boo-boo" is usually an understated screw-up. Otherwise unclassified boo-boos may range in severity from a mildly innocuous mistake on one end of the scale to "Holy S…" on the other end."
  • "The prudent mariner (definitely an oxymoron in the context of this handbook) knows enough to avoid these clusters of rudder and propeller magnets. (rumor has it that these buoys have been know to swim after slow moving boats and lodge themselves in and around rudders and drive line parts)"
  • "In a small boat, weather can kill you quicker than anything you can buy in a drugstore."
  • "Just after he jumped in, a wave came over the back and, despite Kim's efforts, it swamped the boat & drove it up on shore. Now instead of having one boat on the beach, we have two."
  • "With nobody on the boat with me, I was unable to haul in the line and maneuver the boat adequately. Consequently, I got my towline caught in one of my propellers. Not cool."