If I Had A Boat...I'd Rather Be Boating!

Introduction by William L. Gills aka Bos'n Bill

Have you ever been in that place where you wager, if I could be anywhere else, do anything else other than what I'm doing right now I'd give anything to be there?  I know I have and that place is usually on the water in a boat.

They say a picture is worth a thousand words. I think music can speak another thousand and when you combine music with pictures you have the next best thing to fully experiencing in real time what the words and pictures express. Linda Brown has given us a gift of both in her video gallery of sailboats on Puget Sound/Washington combined with Lyle Lovett's, "If I had a Boat".

Take some time out from you busy day to indulge yourself in one of your favorite pastimes. Thank you Linda Brown for sharing your love of boating in this way.

William L. Gills aka Bos'n Bill, webmaster of this site, is the author of the book Lubber's log, published by Llumina Press; a boating journal and adventure story of the author's first time experiences in the preparation, maintenance and piloting of a new, unfamiliar boat. You can visit his website here.

Why Are You A Boater?

by William L. Gills aka Bos'n Bill


Why did you buy a boat in the first place and why did you feel the urge to “move up” to a bigger boat?  This topic intrigues me as in my life I have met those that don’t care a gulls cry about boating, don’t like the water, hate the sun, have a fear of drowning in the water with creatures unseen. I’ve heard landlubbers snigger, “Why would I want to go out on a boat, are you kidding? I’d rather do pushups.” These people are everywhere; you may know a few of them.

I have been boating on lakes, rivers and the ocean since I was five with a few years of inactivity in between, with heavy wooden rowboats, lateen and sloop rigged sailboats, a 17 foot runabout and a few years back a 26 foot cruiser we treated  like a small house, a cottage on the water. We filled it with everything we thought we'd need given any special circumstance that might arise no matter how inconsequential.

At first, I have to admit, we didn't know what we might need so we prepared ourselves with everything; inverter, inflator/deflator for our dinghy, outboard motor, dinghy gas, tools, extra lines, shore power cord, fan, TV, grill, rafts, noodles, coolers, extra food, beverages, you get the picture. A lot of these "necessities" found a place in the aft cabin and we were constantly shuffling and pealing away to find whatever wasn't on top.


To ameliorate this affliction, this "overabundant superfluity", we bought a bigger boat.  We've found a way to fill that up too, but at least we have a bit more breathing room. I don't blame my wife as many husbands will do, I contribute to the problem as well, but I'm more aware of what this can lead to, I'm usually the one driving the boat, which really digs in when we throttle up.


In spite of the fact that I was the one in the family who decided we needed to immerse ourselves in this recreational money sump, I could never have done it without my wife.   I’m curious though.  What happened to you?  Why are you a boater anyway?

William L. Gills aka Bos'n Bill is the author of the book, Lubber's Log published by Llumina Press; a boating primer and adventure story about a couples experiences in moving up to a bigger boat.  You can visit his website here.

A Boating Video For All Ages

I’ve asked myself why I love boating so much?  I can answer that with words, but can do better with images and music.  We all have a lifetime full of memories, some better than others; some of my fondest were in a boat. Discover Boating has put together a video which portrays how most of us who call ourselves boaters feel about our pastime.  Try and explain this to a landlubber.

Introduction by William L. Gills aka Bos'n Bill

William L. Gills aka Bos'n Bill is the author of the book, Lubber's Log published by Llumina Press; a boating primer and adventure story about a couples experiences in moving up to a bigger boat.  You can visit his website here.

Do You Love Your Boat?

by William L. Gills aka Bos'n Bill

Do you love your boat?  Stupid question, right?   Everyone chooses the particular boat they own for a good reason.  I’m sure your current boat meets your sense of marine purpose whether it’s fishing, cruising, water skiing, day tripping, camping, living.  And while it may not be your dream boat, it probably if not surely meets your budget.  The dream boat is usually somewhere in the future unless you already own it.  I have a future dream boat, but I love the one I have. Giving it up would cause separation anxiety and rueful malaise.   It fulfills all our needs quite well for now and I have to say quite unequivocally and unabashedly that… I love it in spite of some shortcomings.  Shortcomings, yes that’s it, the boat is too short.  I could use another six feet.

Every boat I’ve owned got the utmost care.  I kept everyone of them spit and polished, everything put away right where I found it, everything working and running like it should so we’d be ready for the next voyage without delay.  Didn’t always work out, I don’t have to tell you how temperamental boats can be and you already know why they’re referred to as “She”.

But, I’ve loved my girls, every one of them.  I took care of them because I knew how fragile they can be and I wanted to bring in the highest recreation and repose factor they could provide at each level of our boating lives.  They take on an air of being almost human, don’t they?  You want to be with them and care for them because they give back, don’t they?  They put you in your favorite body of water and massage your daily cares away, don’t they?  So, what’s not to love?

William L. Gills aka Bos'n Bill is the author of the book, Lubber's Log published by Llumina Press; a boating primer and adventure story about a couples experiences in moving up to a bigger boat.  You can visit his website here.