Episode One:
The Water. The only time he felt at peace was when he was watching the light glint off of the surface of the ocean, each flash appearing and disappearing seemingly at its own discretion. As a young boy growing up in the poor district of Registro, Sao Paulo, Marcelo Ronaldo often wished he was light on the surface of the sea. No focus, only movement, appearance and disappearance. It was his love of water, and of family that brought him to a place that gave him a bad feeling; a feeling of shear terror, although he was not clear on what it was he feared.
Welcome to the inaugural issue of Inland Boater Magazine, a quarterly publication devoted to exploring the lifestyle and culture of boaters on America’s inland waterways.
The launch of Inland Boater and the online community at http://www.inlandboater.com represents the beginning of a journey to highlight the best destinations – the best hotels, eating establishments, shopping and cultural events – and the latest trends and industry developments that reflect the inland boating way of life.
This issue’s cover story looks at the post-Katrina rejuvenation of New Orleans’ recreational boating community, featuring photographs by National Geographic photographer Tyrone Turner. Turner is from New Orleans and his familiarity is evident in his ability to capture those special moments and views that others may not know exist.
Closer to home in the Chesapeake Bay area, the magazine features the historic town of St. Michaels, a popular port of call for boaters on Maryland’s Eastern Shore, with its marinas, inns, shops and restaurants. Another high point is the story of one woman’s initial experience at the helm of the family’s new 41-foot Maxum.
As we start this journey as a boating lifestyle magazine and online community, we look forward to fulfilling our mission of exploring the culture and class of a unique, exacting and progressive mix of readers who travel the nation’s waterways. We hope Inland Boater helps to make the 2008 boating season more pleasurable.
And we hope to see you on the water.
Jeff Hardy
PROTECT YOUR FIBERGLASS FINISH: Your boat should be waxed at least twice during the season. Pre spring launch is a great time to give your boat a good coat of wax to help protect its finish all season long.
CANVAS AND STAINLESS STEEL: While you’re washing and waxing, don’t forget your canvas and stainless steel. Clean canvas yourself with mild soap or canvas cleaner. Be sure to treat it with scotch guard or another waterproofing stain treatment. For your stainless steel, apply a good metal polish and wax afterward to give it a season-long shine.
By Gene Edgecombe
Cruising south to avoid the harsh northeast winters has been on my to-do list for many years. My wife and I call the Chesapeake Bay home, and typically enjoy a sweater-to-sweater boating season. It starts around mid-April and wraps up in early November. We wanted to get out of the winterizing routine and run south with the rest of the snowbirds, but that was more of a trip than we were comfortable making in our former boat, a 1986 34-foot Silverton convertible.
The door to adventure opened when we purchased a 50-foot Viking Sportfish. This battlewagon fit the bill, weighing about 60,000 pounds fueled, she has a wide beam and a hull designed to knock down waves off shore. We were heading to Bohicket Marina on Seabrook Island, SC. We own a condo slip at the marina, which is only about five minutes from the house we purchased on neighboring Kiawah Island.
E-Dock & Friends Summer Splash at Algonac Harbor Club
Sailing, eating and shopping in the “Town that fooled the British”
It’s time to spring forward. We’re going from St. Michaels, Md. to the Gulf of Mexico with a few stops in between.
Under fair skies and calm seas, it’s sad to leave the smooth surface of the Chesapeake Bay behind. But when you’re docking at a place like St. Michaels, leaving the water for land is well worth the separation anxiety.
Waterfront Golf Means Never Leaving the Bay
The Chesapeake Bay area offers inland boaters abundant opportunities to integrate their love of the water and their passion for golf. From Havre de Grace, MD, where the Susquehanna River empties into the northern end of the bay, 200 miles south to where the bay meets the Atlantic Ocean in the Hampton Roads area of Virginia, some of the best views in the region exist where the bay or one of its many tributaries border a golf course.
A visit to tourist meccas like Tokyo and Osaka, on Japan’s main island, doesn’t mean you’ll be confined to land during your stay.
While Japan is an island chain with few navigable rivers, we found a couple of great opportunities for fun on the water.
Both the Sumida river in Tokyo and the Okawa river in Osaka will provide a welcome respite from the neon, crowds and excitement of urban tourist attractions and shopping districts.
Three years ago, the boating community in New Orleans was set adrift by hurricanes Katrina and Rita.
As with much of the city, questions are still being raised about what recreational boating will ultimately look like on the other end of the recovery. Will the devastation and displacement of significant numbers of boaters lead to a renaissance and return of the shore’s original charm and character, or will developers ad bureaucrats turn this segment of a unique city into another venture with the same big-box retailers, boutiques, bookstores and restaurants that exist in malls everywhere? Amid all of the questions and conflagration over the city’s future, life goes on. Signs of progress are evident in many parts of the city. The restaurants and professional sports teams are back. Spending by tourists is better than before, and members of the local boating community want everybody to know it is now business as usual in New Orleans.
