Recent content by Medic

Whoops. Not my fault, but was my responsibility The Portage Canal Lift Bridge between Hancock, Michigan, and Houghton, Michigan is lifted by request. It is a cut on Lake Superior that makes going around a large peninsula unnecessary. I had gone under the Lift Bridge when raised a number of...

PFDs On both of the trawlers I've owned the command rule was anytime outside of the pilothouse or salon you wore a PFD. Four inflatable PFDs were kept on hooks at the salon door and two at each of the two pilothouse doors. Additional orange PFDs were kept in compartments with bold decals nearby...

Explosion Well, had I been aboard the ship in an actual wartime scenario I would be happy to know that survival in a near-miss would have been tested. The "big elephant" in the room is, I guess, what would have been the outcome had the explosion been from a direct hit. As usual, when I think...

My estate Like C Lectric, next month I will turn 73. Although I am at the moment "boatless" (as of yesterday), I am already considering my next boat, but I will likely be 75 when that happens. I will only pay cash for a boat because that philosophy is what is keeping me from bankruptcy right...

My life story Earned my way through a bachelor's degree and then a master's degree by being an "ambulance driver". Worked full time about one semester out of every three, and 48 hours straight every weekend the rest of the semesters. Got drafted in 1972 just because I thought I would take a...

Insurance My insurance allows for the boat being under the command of a professional crew and captain for, I think, 30 days per year. They are automatically covered if they have the captain's license. You are almost undoubtedly on the hook for the deductible. I bet the sailboat had more...

Jones Act Everyone way back then forgot just one teeny thing: The Law of Unintended Consequences. And that is why the USA does not compete well in yacht and shipbuilding. Needs to Go!

"Who wants to leave their boat in AK come fall, if the rules change? Who knows what AK might announce in the coming months?" How about travel 24/7 from Alaska to Washington? That's at least an important part about what trawlers are all about.

On Mimi's Oasis I have two complete sets of 4 children's and 4 adult PFD's. One set is stored aft, in a compartment just inside the door to the salon. Another set is stored forward, in a watertight bag hanging in the anchor locker. Both are within easy reach of children and adults. My fear has...

Publix is THE major grocer in the southeast. I don't know about the northeast.

Sunchaser...As I read your full post I realized you were not saying what I first thought you were saying. My bad. Apologies.

Crossings Don't assume that boats at the islands you mentioned could make ocean crossings simply by adding fuel capacity.

Being aboard a Nordhavn in rough Atlantic, Pacific, Caribbean, or Gulf of St. Lawrence seas I can tell you that the feeling is one of security, knowing that you will survive the experience. That said, you pay dearly for the redundancy of systems, including propulsion. During the 98% of the time...

Survey Absolutely agree with Soo Valley and Art. The engine surveyor MUST see the engines while they are chugging away on the sea trial. If not it would be like a doctor trying to check a patient's heart under stress not on a treadmill but while the patient was sitting comfortably in his or her...

Congrats on the boat, and I hope you have the trip of a lifetime on der Loop. I have not had a boat that really fits the "Loop" requirements, but have enjoyed seeing the cameraderie of Loopers when in the same marinas along the Mississippi. Actually, in Grand Rivers, Kentucky. With a boat the...