Boat handling tips

Five Great Boat Handling Tips From a Photo-Boat Driver

 Five seamanship skills learned while driving on the edge to get the shot.

By Rick Honish

My longtime photographer-friend and mentor, Mike Fuller, is leaning out over the photo boat’s bow rail 12 feet in front of me, gesticulating with his hands and flashing a big grin to the driver and passenger of the boat that’s running 25 mph just inches off my port side. My eyes are on Fuller for only a second, but my concern for his well-being is at an all-time high. My peripheral vision keeps tabs on his footing and his stance while my primary focus shifts to the proximity of the riverbank streaking by. My eyes pan back to the small jet boat now tucked a mere inch or two under the spread of our bow. I’m locked in. One wrong move by me and we all could be in for a very bad day.

For me, it’s just another day at the office. I am a photo-boat captain. My clients consist of boat builders, engine manufacturers and various outdoor product lines. The demands of the photographers, clients and environments in which I operate have chiseled me into a paranoid boater. The slightest errors can result in lost shots and lost time. Bigger errors can cost thousands of dollars and garner the attention of insurance companies. Success comes from proper training, years of experience and a good dose of telepathy. The lessons are not always learned the easy way. The following is a checklist of five that matter most and will make you a better boater.

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These are only 5 Boat Handling Tips There are many more.