Boat blog

Reflecting on 2023

Ben Brown

We performed pre-purchase, Insurance, and Damage Surveys for individuals and companies from 27 States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. The types of boats were varied as our customer’s location and included many pleasure boats and commercial vessels ranging in size from 15′-90’ that included runabouts, center consoles, pontoons, houseboats, motor yachts, commercial fishing, parasail boats, and even an Airboat.

Overall, it was a successful 2023 for my little business, even though the market slowed somewhat after the Covid madness. Dealer lots are starting to fill up with new boats, and time tell how all this will affect the market. Election years have historically been weaker for business, and this one is shaping up to be a doozy.

I am thankful for all the support from customers, friends, and peers alike, and like everyone else, I hope for a safe, healthy, and prosperous 2024 for all!

Ben

Have hammer will travel!

www.longbaymarine.com

Try this recreational boating quiz

Ben Brown

I recently renewed my 100 Ton Master Captain’s License which got me reflecting on all the hours I invested in changing my career from one that was automotive focused to one that centers on boats and marine surveys.  I’ve landed in a job that I truly love and you can’t beat the office and view! 

This shift to marine surveyor required hundreds of hours of classes (often away from my wife and dog children in dorm rooms like I was a 20-something college kid), studying online, practicing in the field alongside mentors, exams, exams and more exams.  I studied with some prestigious organizations like the American Boat and Yacht Council and Chapman School of Seamanship.  I learned a ton with damage & claims survey certifications, through electrical, technical and infrared thermography accreditations, and getting endorsements in radar, towing and radio operation.  The list goes on (you can see the whole thing here) and it’s these classes that have given me such a solid foundation for conducting marine surveys.

I ran across a recreational boating quiz the other day that is made up mostly of information from the United States Coast Guard.  The USCG site gives lots of information about boater education, boating regulations and boating accident statistics. 

While the quiz is more fun than academic study, the questions made me think about how important it is to be educated if you love passing time on the water.

The USCG site says ‘human error remains the leading cause of boating accidents.’ So it makes sense to learn the rules of the water, how to safely operate your vessel, and what your responsibilities are.

Many boaters usually carry a signal flag to let other boaters know if they are in distress. This flag is approxmately 3 ft by 3 ft and has the following attributes:

  • solid red or orange
  • red with a diagonal white stripe
  • white with a red triangle
  • orange with a black square and circle

Take the quiz here

Happy to report that I scored a 100% 😊.  They say the average score for the quiz is 70%.  How do you measure up? 

Vendée Globe – are you guys keeping track of this insane race??

Ben Brown

The Vendée Globe is the “greatest sailing race around the world, solo, non-stop and without assistance”.  Called the Everest of the Sea, this race is full of drama and trauma, requires so much grit and guts, takes technical and mechanical know-how, and is absolutlely fascinating.

The online tracking map shows the routes these brave sailors have taken through the oceans of the world and around the three capes: Good Hope, Leeuwin and Horn.

The eight Vendee Globe races have seen 167 contenders take on this crazy race. Only 89 of them have managed to cross the finish line. Only one skipper has won it twice : Michel Desjoyeaux, in 2001 and 2009.

This 9thVendée Globe started on Sunday November,8 2020. So just a little farther to go! Keep up here.