Being a boat owner I have felt the excitement and exhilaration of having other people come visit my boat. But I have also found the best part of the visit is when they are gone!

As I was sitting on my boat the other day, I watched a couple approach a neighbor's boat at our marina. They had been invited to spend the day and possibly night aboard the Boat. Both were wearing hard, leather-soled shoes. The woman arrived carrying a large, hard-sided suitcase and a hard-sided make-up bag. The man was carrying another large suitcase and a hanging bag. It looked more like a portion of the roadie crew from a rock band than someone spending the night. The icing on the cake was when they then announced that more stuff was in the car.

The boat's owners were gracious and helped them aboard, even getting a cart from the marina to bring down their “necessities”. However, when talking with the boat owners later, the skipper admitted that he had considered “shooting” the couple with a flare gun at the time.

As a boat owner and host myself, it occurs to me that perhaps, an article is in order. If you are a boat owner, whom should you consider inviting aboard for a weekend cruise? If you are an invited guest aboard someone else's boat, what type of luggage and amount of things you should bring along?

In case you are an owner, try to keep in mind that the couple who were the life of the party last New Year's Eve may not be ideal boat guests. I have seen red wine spilled on white upholstery. I even heard of a guest with an upset stomach left an offering of previously consumed alcohol in an ice chest. I’ve even seen a guest that went into the head and somehow started a fire by throwing a towel on a lit candle.

I think the best idea is to try a day cruise with new people to see how that works out before asking them to stay overnight on your vessel. Always explain to new, potential guests that some factors that apply to boating are different from anywhere else.

For example, the marine head needs to be explained to most people. - Lets face it no one will come out and ask you, “How does this thing flush?” So, in order to avoid potentially unpleasant consequences take some time to give your guests an overview of the head’s operation. While you are at it let them know what can and can’t go into a marine head. I also let them know that if at all possible try to avoid using the commode for any human waste items of the solid or semi solid type (boy am I tap dancing around this one). I realize that there are emergencies, but the marina has facilities and they are only a short walk away in most cases. If they insist on using your marine head for that purpose, make them hold the vacuum line next time you pump out the head. That should convince them to plan accordingly and avoid going “number two” on your boat in the future.

I also wanted to write some notes to potential guests. Here are some things you can do as a guest on someone's boat. Abide by these and you should be invited back:
● Do not use hard-sided or framed luggage. It bangs up the boat and there is no place to store it. Use a bag that can be easily stowed when not in use.
● Do not bring too many clothes. Old salts claim that if you bring more clothes that you can put on at one time, you've brought too much! It's not quite that bad, but bear in mind that you're going boating, not auditioning for America’s next top model.
● Do not expect five-course meals. Although Vickie Earle on Hidin Out can whip up some incredible meals, most Galleys have their limitations.
● Wear a good pair of deck shoes. Proper footwear will make moving about the boat much safer for you, not to mention preventing the skipper from going mad watching his deck and cockpit being scraped and marred by the wrong shoes.
● Volunteer to help out, but make sure the skipper knows what your level of expertise is. Don’t pretend to be more experienced than you are. I had one guest on my boat say, “I’ll get the lines” as we were leaving the dock. I looked down from the bridge to see all my lines not just slipped off the cleats, but also untied from the slip itself. I had spent some time getting all those lines adjusted to accommodate my boat perfectly.
● Bring your own large beach towel to put down on chairs, bunks or sun-pads, if you need to oil yourself up with sunscreen. This will impede the leaving of greasy mementos all over the boat.
● Ask the skipper where the life jackets are located. Finding out where the fire extinguishers and first aid kit are kept is not a bad idea either.
● Final bit of advice: The operation of a boat is not a democracy. The skipper is responsible for everything that happens onboard. No matter what your relationship might be ashore, on the boat the captain's word is final!

Following these few suggestions will go a long way towards getting you invited back aboard for another cruise. In the meantime learn how to tie a bowline or a cleat hitch. Do this you might graduate from guest to “regular”. Of course as a regular that means you will have to make your own drinks.

Boating’s still good,
Barry