ABC-Pamlico Annual Meeting and Change of Watch Press Release - March 10, 2024
March 24 - see the full article: Change of Watch Elections
Do believe that a gunwale is an aquatic mammal or a large fish? Do you know the difference between a beeam and a keel? How about a nun and a can? If not, you need to take America's Boating Course.
February 2024 - see the full article: Basic Boating Safety
If you are like me, you are planning the items you need to accompllish on the boat before the upcoming boating season. Here is a checklist of key areas I have on my list.
January 2024 - see the full article: Peparing your boat for the Season
As we approach the holidays and plan for activities with friends and family on or lnear estuarial waters, a very popular undertaking if you're lucky enouth to own one, is to decorate your boat for the holidays. Learn how to safely decorate your boat along with a list of nearby holiday flotillas and boat parades.
November 2023 - see the full article: Deck the Hulls!
The Great Loop is an adventure in cruising that is on many cruisers bucket list. The Loop Cruise Route is a continuous waterway that recretional mariners can travel that includes part of the Atlantic, Golf Intercoastal Waterways, the Great Lakes, Canadian Heritage Canals and the inland rivers of America's Heartland.
October 2023 - see the full article: America's Great Loop
For boating safety and everyone on boards safety, I highly recommend investing in knowledge transfer to a spouse, partner or significant other. Knowledge of boating skills, how to start, operate, getting the boat to a dock and the use of of the radio is critical.
September 2023 - see the full article: Second in Command
Do you have a VHF marine radio on your boat when you go out? You definitely should! The primary purpose of a VHF marine radio is safety, your safety plus the other people on board, other boaters and mariansa nearby.
August 2023 - see the full article: Use of VHF Recreational Marine Radio
Sharing my experience and recommendation on an extended cruise to the Chesapeake. We spent 21 days on this trip and what an experience it was. The area has so much to offer.
July 2023 - see the full article: The Cheaspeake...a great area to Cruise!
Having recently returned from a lengthy road trip across the US, it is worth reflecting on all the planning that made the trip possible. When traveling on the water, planning your cruise is event more critical for your safety and enjoyment.
June 2023 - see the full article: Cruising....Plan Ahead!
Sever weather has always been and continues to be one of the greatest and most persistent threats to safe boating. Despite many advances in technology and modern weather forecasting.
May 22, 2023 - see the full article: On the Water...Be Weather Aware!
Mayor Donald Sadler signed a Proclamation declaring May 20 to 26, 2023 as Safe Boating Week in Washington/Beaufort County to coordinate with the National Safe Boating Council's Campaign in raising the public's awareness of boating safety and in particular wearing your lifejackets.
May 9, 2023 - see the full article: Proclamation signing by Mayor Sadler
Why take a Boating Course? The State of North Carolina requires an approved National Association of State Boating Law Administration (NASBLA) boating course to operate a boat.
April 10, 2023 - see the full article: Why take a Boating Course
Cruising season is upon us. I have many happy memories of years spent cruising the Chesapeake Bay and the challenges of cooking aboard. For a checklist of what to consider, read the full article.
March 15, 2023 - see the full article: Cruisin' & Cookin' Checklist
America's Boating Club of the Pamlico held it's Annual Meeting and Change of Watch on Saturday, February 11th at the Washington Yacht & Country Club.
February 12, 2023 - see the full Press Release
If you connect your boat to shore power be aware that you need to protect your boat from damaging effects of galvanic corrosion between your boat, your neighbor's boat and the marina. You need some method of "isolating" your boat from stray current.
February 5, 2023 - see full article: Stray Current and Your Boat
In my last article, I talked about Aqua Maps Routes. This article is about some of the advanced features that Aqua Map offers.
January 5, 2023 - see full article: Aqua Maps Advanced Features
Marine Navigation Routes, in this article, I'm sharing information about routes for safe navigation using Aqua Maps. To create a route, you use waypoints and by connecting them you create a safe route to your destination.
November 20, 2022 - see full article: Aqua Map Routes for Navigation
Boating Navigation is critical for safe boating. Understanding where you are wand what is around you while on the water is essential. Boating nagigation hels you to know where you are and what you will encounter along the way.
October 13, 2022 - see full article: Aqua Map Navigation
Press Release - Cypress Landing Yacht Club Community Fund announces recipients of its inaugural grants for the year 2022. they include Pamlico Sail & Power Squadron.
October 8, 2022 Washington Daily News - see the full article
Although most people tend to associate boating with long summer days in and around the water, pulling towables, cruising and basking in the summer sun, autumn is my personal favorite season for boating.
September 18, 2022 - see the full article: Fall Boating Tips
Today, in additiion to traditional water skis, boaters can tow an array of recreational watersport devices behind their boats. Because of their popularity and variety, towables require extra care and attention in order to be operated safely.
August 14, 2022 - see the full article: Watersports Towing Safety Tips
On the Water, what is a Safe Operating Speed? It Depends! The tragedy of loss of life can be avoided by simple adherence to basic boating safety, maritime regulations and plain old common sense. Three main factors help determine the speeds at which it is safe to operate.
July 12, 2022 - see the full article: On the Water, what is a Safe Operating Speed
It's important to stay updated on boating safety standards for ourselves and should you be boarded by NC Wildlife or the Coast Guard. The US Coast Guard has recently issued new fire extinguisher regulations for motorized recretional boats that went into effect April 20, 2022.
June 6, 2022 - see the full article: New Fire Extinguisher Regulations
Washington Mayor Donald Sadler signs a Proclamation declaring May 21 to 27, 2022 as Safe Boating Week in Washington to coordinate with National Safe Boating Council's Campaign in raising the public awareness of boating safety and education.
May 10, 2022 - see the full article: 2022 Safe Boating Campaign
A follow-up to the previous article on navigaional apps, this article explores the popular and useful apps available for social awareness on and around water for boaters.
April 2022 - see the full article: Social Apps for Boaters
How to Navigate on a Budget: Boating apps for iPhone or Android devices. Gone are the days when boaters had to spend hundreds and often thousands of dollars on gear to navigate safely on nearby waters.
March 2022 - see the full article: How to Navigate on a Budget
America's Boating Club of the Pamlico held it's Annual Meeting and Change of Watch on Saturday, February 19th at the Washington Yacht & Country Club. The event included Elections for the 2022 Watch Year.
February 2022 - see the full Article: America's Boating Club Change of Watch
We are fortunate to live in an area that allows boating throughout the year. However, winter and early spring requires caution relating to changing weather condition. Rain and fog may restrict visibility on the water.
February 2022 - see the full Article: Boating in Restricted Visibility
While many boaters choose to store their boats over the winter, there's still plenty of boating in winter to enjoy...especially in climates like ours.
January 2022 - see the full Article: Winter Boating Tips
On April 1, 2021 a new federal law went into effect that requires the operator of any powerboat with an “installed” ECOS (Engine Cut-off Devices) to wear the ECOS link.
June 2021 - See the full Article: Engine Switch Cut Off Requirement
Recreational boating activity has increased throughout our local waterways and also increased the desire for a return to in-person Vessel Safety Inspections. Vessel Safety Checks are key to a safe boating season.
April 2021 - See the full article: Get your 2021 Vessel Safety Check
The Pamlico Sail & Power Squadron (PSPS) held it's Annual Meeting and Change of Watch on Thursday, April 15, 2021 in a virtual conference meeting.
See the full article - Washington Daily News Press Release
Boaters should develop a well-thought-out tropical storm and hurricane plan as Hurricane season begins. Forecasters perdict an active, possibly record-breaking season.
August 2020 - See the full article - Weather the Forecasted Storm
Mistakes at a boating launch - a hazard whenever cars, trucks and trailers operate in close quarters - can result in serious injuries and property damage. Prepare your boat either to one side of the drive or in the trailer parking lot.
June 2020 - See the full article - How to Launch Your Boat Safely
Do you have the Stay-at-Home blues? If you have kindergarten through college-age children, they are deeply involved in online learning. So why aren't you? Be prepared for the boating season by refreshing your boating knowledge and skills through online courses, webinars, and videos.
April 2020 - See the full article - Prepare for the Boating Season while Staying-at-Home
Living Aboard - To live aboard a boat, whether for months or years, is a complicated and challenging decision. For answers, I interviewed two couples. Each couple's perspective and suggestions were pretty consistent.
February 2020 - See the full article: Living Aboard
Whether your boat is in the water or not, now is the time to give it a thorough inspection before the temperature turns colder. Winter is also a good time to schedule repairs enabling you to get back on the water quickly and effortlessly in the spring.
December 2019 - See the full article: Winter -- Inspect, Repair, Replace
My first real experience with fog along with radar was on a friend's boat crossing Lake Ontario to Toronto Canada. Two other boats followed because neither had radar. I had the helm of my friend's boat
November 2019 - See the full article: Underway in a Fog
Stuff happens particularly on a boat. It moves, tosses and turns not always in a regular pattern. All too frequently people are injured, sometimes seriously. Put yourself in the position of an injured person on another person's boat. What would you expect? What level of care?
October 2019 - See the full article: Boaters Basic First Aid
Marine electrical systems may be as simple or as complex as you want to make it or the person who originally wired your boat. Even when the area behind the power distribution panel looks like a bowl of spaghetti, if properly labeled most people can make sense of it.
September 2019 - See the full article: Your Boat's Electrical Systems
Even with today's reliability of electronic charting, any serious cruising boater employs paper charts as backup. Here are a few helpful tips I learned about using paper charts.
August 2019 - See the full article: Benefits of Paper Charts when Boating
Is your boat out of the water or being pulled and is it's bottom clean? Does it need bottom paint refreshed? A clean bottom improves running, handling and efficiency plus a painted bottom contributes to a "clean" bottom.
July 2019 - See the full article: Cleaning and Painting your Boat's Bottom
Students at Northeast Elementary School in Pinetown, NC received their awards from their participation in the 2019 America's Boating Club Youth Poster Contest organized by the Pamlico Sail & Power Squadron.
June 2019 - See the full article: Poster Contest Winners
With so many drownings at our beaches this early in the year, this article about recognizing drowning is highly important and timely.
June 2019 - See the full article: Drowning Doesn't Look Like Drowning
Washington Daily News - Press Release supporting National Safe Boating Week May 18 to May 24 raising the public's awareness of boating safety and our role in boaters education.
May 2019 - See the full article: 2019 Safe Boating Campaign
For everyone's safety, invest in teaching your spouse, your partner or significant other a few basic boating skills. Primarily how to use the radio along with how to operate the boat.
April 2019 - See the full article: Partner in Command-No Yelling
Washington Daily News - Press Release regarding Pamlico Sail & Power Squadron's annual meeting and Change of Watch.
February 2019 - See the full article: Pamlico Sail & Power Squardron Change of Watch
We've all come to rely heavily on electronics, possibly too much. What do you do when the GPS/Chart Plotter fails, loses signal or worse batteries die.
February 2019 - See the full article: Navigation without Electronics
Be warm and safe when cold weather boating. The key is to layer, internal temperature rises with increased activity.
January 2019 - See the full article: Cold Weather Boating.
Decades ago, a tug pushing a barge at night ran over a fishing boat killing those on board. The fishing boat was drift fishing in a commerical channel with no lights and no one was assigned to be "on watch".
December 2018 - See the full article: Critical Importance of Running Lights
Wake Boarding/Wave Boarding/Wave Surfing is very popular with both young and old. Old water skiers find wake and wave boarding as much fun yet easier on their body.
November 1, 2018 - See full article: Safe Wake Boarding
The top reason to take a boating couse is that your life and the lives of your family and friends could depend on it. Every 2.5 minutes someone loses his or her life in a boating accident.
October 7, 2018 - See full article: Why is taking a Boating Course so Important?
WITN covers the West Marine Boating Safety awareness and included PSPS in that effort.
September 1, 2018 - See full article: Be Prepared before Stepping off the Dock
Stand Up Paddle Boarding or SUP is all the rage, combining a surfboard style board with an oar or pole. Paddle boards serve as a platform for exploring out of the way places.
August 10, 2018 - Read the full article: Stand Up Paddle Boarding (SUP)
Washington Daily News reports - Over the next two weeks, local boaters will have the opportunity to learn or revisit safety precautions for when they are on the water. the North Carolina Estuarium in Washington has partnered with the Pamlico Sail & Power Squadron to host a series of exhibitions and provide prochures on the topic.
July 16, 2018 - Read the full WDN Article: Estuarium, Pamlico Sail & Power Squadron Host Exhibit
Why do we drive on the right side of the road: Because ships pass port to port on each vessel's left. Before roads and cars, waterway was our main transportation mode so rules of navigation were actually adapted to today's roadways.
July 9, 2018 - Read the full article: Water and Rules of the Road
Be prepared to abandon ship anywhere and anytime. When in doubt, goet off the boat and have your ditch bag tailored to your boat and boating area.
June 15, 2018 - Read the full article: Items to Aid your Survival in an Abandon Ship
Preventing rigging failure is key to a sailor. Sailors, particularly those keeping boats in salt water,must be extra viligent in checking their boat's rigging. Boat US and other insurers pay tens of thousands of dollars in claims of rigging failure, masts falling, injuries and even deaths.
May 31, 2018 - Read the full article: Preventing Rigging Failure
May 25, 2018 - PS&PS Boating Safety Week News Article on WITN - See the full Video here.
Washington Mayor Mac Hodge signs a Proclamation declaring May 19 to 25, 2018 as Safe Boating Week in Washington to coordinate with the National Safe Boating Council's Campaign in raising the public's awareness of boating safety.
May 15, 2018 - Read the full Press Relase
Fire prevention is far, far better than firefighting. No two boating fires are the same. A fuel fire is most prevalent followed by electrical then cooking fire.
April 2018 - Read the full Article: Firefighting on your Boat
Are fewer people becoming boaters? Young adults, especially those with children just haven't caught the boating fever of their parents or grandparents.
March 2018 - Read the full article: Fun in Boating and on the Water
The Pamlico Sail & Power Squadron held its Annual Meeting and Change of Watch on Saturday, February 10, 2018
February 11, 2018 - Read the full Press Release
Many boaters are comfortable cruising close to home or to Ocracoke or Oriental, but are you ready venture further away from home?
February 2018 - Read the full article: Cruise Beyond Your Home Waters
Press Release regarding Pamlico Sail & Power Squadron's Youth Poster Contest winners from the Northeast Elementry School. January 2018 Read the full article
Wayne & Janet Estabrooks' adventure on their cruise to Ocracoke, Hurricane and Engine Trouble in September 2017. Read the full article
This is the time of the year that boaters dislike, winter lay up. To guarantee your boat's safety and preparedness for next spring, invest the time now on winter preparation.
November 2017 - Read the full article: Winter Lay Up
Boating emergencies come in all forms; illness, accident, fire, taking on water or maan overboard. Who runs the boat when the captain is incapacitated, injured or worse? Who runs the boat when the captain is deeply involved in an emergency such as man over board or taking on water?
October 2017 - Read the full articlle: Can Anyone Aboard Save the Captain
The primary purpose of a VHF marine is safety, your safety plus people on board, other boaters and boats near you. I strongly recommend learning all you can about the almost endless capabilities of your VHF recreational marine radio. These radio features, when used, save time plus dramatically improve communication and safety.
September 2017 - Read the full article: Proper Use of VHF Recreational Marine Radio Channels
It’s speculative just when marine electronics began evolving. Today you can buy side scan sonar, 3D bottom cartography, ERIB integrated with DCS and GPS. Displays are monitoring of engine and running systems employing color screens with touchpad technology.
August 2017 - Read the full article: Marine Electronic Evolution Buy or Upgrade Now or Wait
The definition of a dinghy is a small boat used for recreation, transporting people and cargo, typically an inflatable rubber boat. It may function as a life raft, powered by an out board motor, sail or oars. Selecting the correct inflatable is important.
July 2017 - Read the full article: Choosing the Correct Inflatable Dingy Made Easy
A summer raft up is a gathering of boats, usually a social event built around boaters on their boats. I believe the world record raft up was more than 200 boats though ours here locally are more like 5 to 20 boats. Summer days are perfect for a gathering of boaters.
June 2017 - Read the full article: Summer on the Water & Rafting Up
Kayaking, canoeing along with stand up paddle boarding are boating activities growing in popularity on our sounds and rivers. These introduce people to boating, getting them on the water where adventure, healthy activities, relaxation and fun await.