Offshore Captain Services

06/23/2026

Nobody wants to be the story that gets told at the yacht club bar. But somebody's got to be, and it's usually the first-timer who wore the wrong shoes.

Somebody invited you out on their boat. That's a compliment, and it comes with a quiet hope attached: please don't make us regret it.

The good news is the rules are simple, and nobody ever tells you them until you've already broken one. Non-marking soles, so you don't tap-dance scuff marks across a deck someone waxed by hand. Sit where the captain points and hold on. Hands off the wheel, the throttle, and the radio. Bring something to share, and for the love of all that's holy, leave the glass bottle at home. And learn how the marine head works before you need it, not during the emergency.

Do all that and you graduate from "guest" to "the guy we actually want back."I wrote the whole list down over on From the Helm. Two minutes before your first cruise this summer could save you a lifetime of being that story.

Article link in the first comment.

06/22/2026

There's a stretch of the morning, before the wind comes up and the weekend traffic finds the water, when the Detroit River is about as good as boating gets. Flat, quiet, a freighter working its way up the channel, and the whole day still ahead of you.

This is why I get people out early on coaching days. The water's forgiving, there's room to make a mistake and learn from it, and you get the version of boating that made you want a boat in the first place.

06/18/2026

Flag day was this past weekend. Did you know, there's a right way to fly the colors on a boat? A lot of people get it wrong without knowing it. A few things worth getting right:

- The flag never touches the ground or the water.
- Keep it in good shape, and retire it when it gets ragged. A worn-out flag does the opposite of honoring it.
- The ensign flies at the stern, and it should be the highest flag on the boat.
- Displayed flat, the blue field always goes in the upper left.
- If it's up at night, it should be lit so it stays visible.

Small things, but flying the flag right is one of those quiet marks of a boater who knows what they're doing.

06/16/2026

Here's a habit that costs you two minutes and is worth it every single time. Before you leave the dock, tell somebody on shore where you're going and when you expect to be back. That's a float plan. It doesn't have to be a form. A text to your wife that says "heading up to the flats off the Detroit River, back by 4" is a float plan. If something goes sideways out there, the single most useful thing for the people trying to help you is knowing roughly where to start looking. Nobody plans to need it. The ones who file it anyway are the ones I'd want on the water next to me.

06/15/2026

Quick one that saves a lot of confusion out there. When two boats are crossing and you're not sure who gives way, the boat on your right has it. Think of it like a four-way stop where the guy on your starboard side goes first. You're the one that slows, turns behind him, and makes your intentions obvious early.

The mistake I see most is people holding course and speed and assuming the other guy will figure it out. Don't make him guess. A clear, early move tells everyone on the water exactly what you're doing, and that's most of what keeps a crossing from turning into a near miss.

Read More:
https://www.captainoffshore.com/from-the-helm/vhf-radio-etiquette

06/09/2026

Nobody docks well in June. You spent all winter not touching the controls and now there's a crosswind pushing you off the finger.

Here's the one thing that fixes most of it: the stern drives the boat, not the bow.

Stop steering like it's a car. Use short bursts of throttle and let the stern walk you in. And get your spring line on first. A midship spring line will hold the boat against the dock while you sort out the rest at your own pace instead of everybody on deck panicking at once. Slow is smooth.

The guy who looks calm coming in isn't talented, he's just not in a hurry.

06/04/2026

Most breakdowns I get called about didn't start on the water. They started at the dock, with a check that nobody did.

Before you pull out this weekend, give yourself five minutes in the engine room. Look for fluid levels where they should be. Look for anything wet that shouldn't be wet. Check your raw water strainers for weeds and zebra mussels, run the blowers before you crank a gas engine, and put a hand near the belts and hoses. You're not looking to fix anything. You're looking for the one thing that's different from last time out.

The boaters who never seem to have a bad day aren't lucky. They just looked before they left.

Five-module USCG-licensed captain coaching program covering docking, boat handling, anchoring, trip planning, and captain's log. On your boat, in your waters — from Lake Erie to Lake Huron.

06/01/2026

Before any longer run this summer, somebody on board should know where you're going and when you're due back. That's a float plan, and it's the cheapest safety gear you own because it's free.

It doesn't have to be formal. Who's aboard, the boat's description, your route, your departure and expected return time, and who to call if you're overdue. Leave it with someone ashore who'll actually notice if you don't check in. If something goes wrong, it's the difference between searchers knowing where to look and starting from nothing.

I wrote up a simple template for this, built from the First Mate's seat, if you want a starting point.

How to file a float plan, what goes on it, and the First Mate's role in making sure the right person ashore is holding it before the lines come off.

05/30/2026

A fair number of people bought a bigger boat over the winter. Now it's May, the boat's in, and the slip suddenly feels a lot tighter than it did on the broker's lot.

That's the right time to call me. Captain's Coaching is built for exactly this: docking and departures, running the boat, anchoring, reading conditions, all on your boat, in your home water, at your pace. No judgment, no white knuckles. Just the reps that turn a new boat into your boat.

If you moved up this year and want a few hours with a captain before the busy weekends hit, send me a message or give me a call.

05/29/2026

Season's open. There's a particular quiet to the first morning back on the water, before the marina wakes up and the wakes pick up. Coffee, a clear river, and a list of the season's runs in my head.

Out of Grosse Ile, from Lake Erie up to Lake Huron, this is the stretch I get to call an office. Whatever's on your calendar this year, a delivery, a coaching session, or just getting comfortable on a new boat, I hope your first morning out felt like this one.