Boating knowledge worth keeping.

Short, practical writing on the decisions that actually keep people safe on the water — written by the same team that builds our state-approved courses.

Weathered marina gas dock with a hand-painted GAS DOCK and NO FISHING sign

Seamanship · 6 min read

Fueling up without the fireworks: a gas dock playbook

Sniff test, blower on, no-smoking radius, and the two-minute checklist that keeps a routine fill-up from becoming the loudest moment of your season.

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A father and young daughter wearing life jackets on a boat in bright sunlight

Family Boating · 7 min

Boating with kids: rules that hold up when the wake gets choppy

How to size a child's life jacket, where small passengers should sit underway, and the family overboard drill every captain should run before leaving the slip.

A boater in a striped shirt and captain's hat looking through an orange life ring

Rules of the Road · 8 min

So you're the captain now: responsibilities every operator should know

From the float plan you file before leaving the dock to the call you make when something goes sideways — the legal and human side of being the person in charge.

Two small motorboats approaching each other on open water seen from a third boat's bow

Rules of the Road · 7 min

Who gives way: the navigation rules in plain English

Meeting, crossing, and overtaking, plus what to do when the other operator clearly has no idea the rules exist.

Dark storm clouds building over a lake with a small boat running back toward shore

Weather · 6 min

Reading weather before you launch — and knowing when to turn back

The forecast numbers that actually matter to a small boat, the sky signs worth trusting, and how to run home when a squall builds behind you.

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