How was your boating year, 2016?

Wifey B: Was it like A+ perfect. These grades aren't how much did you boat, but are did you boat the right amount and right places for you. And, if not, what are you doing to rectify the problem for 2017.

A means it was just right for you, perfect in every way.

B means it was very good but could be slightly better

C means it was so-so, a good bit of room for improvement but could have been worse too.

D means looking back I'm disappointed. Just didn't boat like I would have hoped.

F means it sucked big time. I just didn't boat much and didn't enjoy it. Maybe boat on the hard all year or nothing but work on it.

A+++ (French Riviera, Italy, San Francisco Bay & Delta).

We had a very good year, but then our daughter broke her leg and needed assistance with basic daily activities, so our cruise got cut short. But we still had a great time.

Wifey B: Mine was perfect. Just the right amount. Up to and including today. We got to enjoy a lot of time with people who mean very much to us. Our world was filled with happiness.

A couple of major cruises. Early in the year around the Bahamas and to the Eastern Caribbean, and as far south as St. Martin/St. Maarten and St. Barts. Got to see the Virgin Islands and the name always makes me giggle. All new areas to me. Then we looped. First time starting with the Erie Canal and all the Great Lakes, both US and Canadian sides and then down to the TN River. All the areas were first time for us to visit.

Then the short cruises just to Miami or West Palm or Bimini and worked the Florida loop in and Nassau and St. Augustine and Key West.

We explored areas new to us and saw a different world in each. Best of everything we did it all by water, the only way to go. Plus we enjoyed and enjoyed watching others with us enjoy. Seeing the world through the eyes of others is nice, especially 20 year old girls.

We know we're so very lucky in every way. We hope we do our share to make others lives a little better, but to boat as we do is more than any dreams we ever had come true. Less than five years ago boating to me was on a lake in NC, fairly large as lakes go, but leads nowhere. Our dream was maybe retire one day to the TN River and cruise it. If we were still on the lake I'd still be giving it an A as I know we'd be enjoying boating there. I didn't even know about the world of boating we're in now.

twistedtree said:

We had a very good year, but then our daughter broke her leg and needed assistance with basic daily activities, so our cruise got cut short. But we still had a great time.

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Wifey B: Well, tell her no broken legs for 2017. Has it healed and back to normal? Glad you were there for her.

Wifey B: And for 2017, our goals are more of the Eastern Caribbean, then the TN and Cumberland Rivers. I look forward to each new place on the water and to seeing the old places again. Guess I'll never outgrow the thrill of hopping in a boat and taking off to Miami for lunch. I didn't grow up boating, guess whatever hubby had was contagious.

Great year. Covered some new ground in Alaska, added about 650 hours to the engine, and had more than 20 friends and family spend at least one night on board (a lot more for day trips). Not done yet, either...in Friday Harbor now and heading to BC tomorrow if the weather cooperates.

Retriever said:

Great year. Covered some new ground in Alaska, added about 650 hours to the engine, and had more than 20 friends and family spend at least one night on board (a lot more for day trips). Not done yet, either...in Friday Harbor now and heading to BC tomorrow if the weather cooperates.

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Wifey B: Today was like a record crowd for us. 22 to just cruise around and go to West Palm for lunch. I don't know how many we had to spend a night but 20 sounds great. It's so fun to share with those close to you.

B for us.

Plus. Found the perfect boat for us. Plenty of weekends out. Shrimp Festival in Fernandina. Long weekend in St Augustine. Nice long 9 day trip to Hilton Head, Savannah and St Simon's in the summer. Really started to get under the covers in the ER and understand her systems.

Negative: didn't get her back from the yard until April. Blew the thruster motor and discovered that the Glendinnings were under powered during lighted boat parade.

Looking forward: now retired, need to get the thruster motor and Glendinnings fixed, add rear and ER camera before heading to the Exumas March through May.

Well,
It certainly was exciting but in terms of boat use I'm giving 2016 a D...
My wife got a new titanium shoulder this April so I used that as the impetus to switch from sail to power!
We had a blast looking at boats, discussing options and ordering the new boat.
Then I proceeded to stress fracture my foot jumping from the sailboat to the dock and spent the next 6 weeks getting that healed...
We essentially got what felt like zero boat hours in this year!
In actuality we had a couple of week long trips at Block Island but we missed so much of what we normally do.
We will make up for that moving forward though. New boat has about 10 or so weeks left before it is finished...
Looking forward to 2017!
Bruce

Awesome trip up the inside passage with good friends, and several from the forum! Now we're getting Pairadice ready for the Alaska trip starting end of March thru October. Hope to see a few more of you this trip.

I have to give this year a C. On the plus side, our good old boat is getting better all the time. Fixed lotsa stuff and getting systems sorted and learning the boat. We took her for a real 200 mile cruise (the first time this boat has been anywhere in over 10 years). Took friends out for lots of day cruises during the early summer. Negatives, I had a detached retina in august and have had to have surgery to repair that and the cataract caused by that. My vision is still not back completely but seems to be getting better. This has caused me not to be out on the water at night so we haven't anchored out yet as I want to be able to see better before I try with this boat. The highlight of the year was sailing with friends from Isla Mujeres back to League City this past spring. I loved being out in the middle of the Gulf of Mexico, catching Mahi Mahi, seeing whales and the cobalt blue water. We had good weather until we got close to Texas but even that was a great part of the experience.

Kevin

B.
New to power boats entirely this year and we used her a lot. We actually were able to get more time on the water this year than in any year prior, but that is simply because I was able to take 2 consecutive weeks of vacation for the first time ever. If I didn't have to work, we could have hit an "A" I am sure.

Gonna give myself a C, maybe a D. Confused all year trying to sell the boat, then deciding we didn't want to sell it. Still did a little local cruising with friends, watched the Cubs win the LCS out on anchor which was cool, and took my dad on a multiple-day cruise up to Clear Lake which was the highlight of my boating year.

Also got some boat projects done!

B-
Pro: new GC bank and new magnum inverter. Engine and boat have been great. Crossed Lake O and down to FTL

Cons: genny has passed for the last time. New Honda gen for now. RIB has belched it's last leak.

A- for us. We both retired and spent almost 3 months cruising the Broughtons in BC. Met Crusty Chief and Alaskan Sea-Duction. Minus because the weather wasn't very good. But still, any day on the boat is a good day.

porman said:

A- for us. We both retired and spent almost 3 months cruising the Broughtons in BC. Met Crusty Chief and Alaskan Sea-Duction. Minus because the weather wasn't very good. But still, any day on the boat is a good day.

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That sounds great. I honestly don't mind bad weather while on the boat. The problem with "vacation time" is that we put all our stock into that 1 or 2 weeks and hope it perfect since it is the only time we have for the year. I would have been disappointed if the week in Desolation Sound had been rainy and cold. However I will be out this weekend and it will be rainy and cold and it doesn't bother me a bit. It is just another weekend.

A "C" for 2016. I spent way too much time in doctor's offices and at the hospital. A cancer diagnosis basically ate half my season. I only managed 42 days on the sailboat and 68 on the powerboat out of 160 days the boats were in the water. In a normal year I use one boat or the other every day and get 180 days in. Also the farthest I got from my home base was about 15 miles. Most of my outings were for 3 hours or less.

I hardly think you can fault yourself for a cancer diagnosis. Tough crowd!

TDunn-- hope all is well.

It was my first boatind year so for me it is a AAA. It started by going in a 170nm adventure with my first boat ever without much experience accross rideau canal and Ottawa river which was for me very exciting and stressful. Continued with many weekend at anchor, an assistance to a boat in distress. Ended with a fabulous 3 days at anchor among migrating birds. Learned so much, enjoyed so much about boat handling, boat life, boat maintenance and repair etc.
This was a great and plan the next even greater with some renovation before a 1 month cruise from our slip to lake Huron and back.
Cannot wait to get back on water!

C for us as well, but not for as serious a reason as TDunn. Hope your 2017 is much better!!!!!!!

Our daughter is in high school and has started coaching gymnastics on the weekends on top of training 4 nights during the week. She's also started judging this year, so that trumps boating for now. BIG life lessons being learned, especially how her pay keeps increasing when she takes courses to reach a higher level of certification and takes on more responsibilities.

Our big summer trip this year also got changed because a friend of hers was moving across country, so we went on a couple week long trips with her instead.

It's all good. Retirement is about 4-ish years away, daughter graduates high school in 3 years, and the coast is just sitting out there waiting for us

Retired last June and now spend 5 days each week on the boat and 2 at home. many short cruises on the Chesapeake and Delaware bays. hopefully will spend this april in Aruba (sick mother in law may change that). Looking forward to this coming season.
John

B this year. Managed to get 2 trips to Florida from Maryland in, but not enough cruising on Chesapeake Bay (too hot ). Better year planned for 2017.

Ted

A - very happy to have a new to me boat as of thanksgiving. In the process of transitioning from RV nomad to boat nomad.

BandB said:

Wifey B: Well, tell her no broken legs for 2017. Has it healed and back to normal? Glad you were there for her.

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She went skiing today, so it's getting there. Still sore after a workout like that, but improving.

F for the trawler.

She was on the hard all year. I did enjoy finishing the massive electrical upgrade, but it was a poor trade for being on the water.

A for the skiff.

Had two great weeks of fishing at Kiawah, SC.

B for us. I got all the electrical issues repaired that were a result of our runaway starter motor in 9/15. All new gauges at boat helms, new wiring looms between engines and both helms, new batteries, new chargers, and a ton of other stuff, to the tune of about 35 boat bucks.


We had a pretty good year of cruising on Beachcomber and did a couple of long (25-35 miles) trips on the Whaler. We also towed the Whaler for the first time and that went very well.


All things considered, it was a solid B and we're hoping next year is better.

angus99 said:

F for the trawler.

She was on the hard all year. I did enjoy finishing the massive electrical upgrade, but it was a poor trade for being on the water.

A for the skiff.

Had two great weeks of fishing at Kiawah, SC.

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I wish I could have catched something half of that size!!!

the unfortunate bad year. I sold an old boat in the spring and I found the following counter when the best time over. On the other hand when I found him, it was a neat adventure to bring him alone over the Baltic Sea about 600 nautical miles in three days, this then sets I knew she's my girl! Now look forward to next spring, and I expect it to be great.

Litle bit Baltic sea, sun go down and long way home

Call it a C for us.

The good news is that we got in two longish (3 weeks) cruises. The bad news is we only got in two. But, we're getting the boat ready to spend most of 2017 cruising the Tennessee and Cumberland Rivers, so we're enjoying that and looking forward to an A+ 2017.