Boat Radio

A look ahead to the St Louis Boat and Sport Show with boat show manager Becca Doyle. Plus, Wanda Kenton Smith – the MRAA Darlene Briggs Marine Woman of the Year.

Also this week, the Asian Carp invasion and efforts to get more families out on the water for a day’s fishing.

Bob’s No Wake Zone is the world’s very best boating radio show. It comes to you every week from Osage Beach on the shore of Missouri’s magnificent Lake of the...

When is ‘doing it yourself’ the best option? Carolyn Shearlock and husband Dave are a pretty handy pair, wielding everything from paintbrushes to a monkey wrench. But that doesn’t mean they’re expert boat mechanics and it certainly doesn’t mean they’re as quick as the pros when it comes to fixing a problem. Added to that, there are some jobs that even the most gifted amateur should leave to the experts. However, often the good prof...

Bob hits the road and heads to Kansas City for the Boat and Sport Show where show manager Becca Doyle gives him the star treatment.

Boat Radio’s own Sarah O’Kelly joins Bob from Florida to chat about her terrific review and recommendation website, designed especially for boaters and sailors - Skipper’s Review.

Also this week: BOBO ladders and spider netting?

What are they? To find out, download this latest edition of the extr...

Should you simply offer 20% below the asking price and hope the seller bites your arm off? Or is there a more complex calculation to make? Is there a rule of thumb at all?

Carolyn Shearlock has been buying and selling boats for decades. This week, she talks about the factors you’ll need to consider before making that crucial first offer.

The Boat Galley website is the Number One online resource for the cruising community worldw...

Hear how Regina, Alan and their three children survived the most terrifying night of their lives in the grip of a tropical storm.

 “I wasn’t sure whether I was going to actually get to save everybody”.

Dashed repeatedly against a reef and then slammed down onto a sandy beach.

“We had Anna, who was two, and going into the water in those conditions, even in a life jacket, her chances of survival were small”

This is horrifying...

Hear how Regina, Alan and their three children survived the most terrifying night of their lives in the grip of a tropical storm.

 “I wasn’t sure whether I was going to actually get to save everybody”.

Dashed repeatedly against a reef and then slammed down onto a sandy beach.

“We had Anna, who was two, and going into the water in those conditions, even in a life jacket, her chances of survival were small”

This is horrifying...

Today we revisit the first episode in John Herlig’s wonderful series, Postcards From Sea.

For those of you not familiar with the story: Three years ago, in a boatyard in Reedville, Virginia, John stumbled across a tatty old sailboat called Ave del Mar. On the surface, she was in pretty poor shape but her bones were good and John saw great potential.

Slowly, painstakingly, John brought Ave back to life and now they have embarked...

Should you turn and run or can you ride out a hurricane? What insurance do you need? How much difference does it make if you own your boat outright? Where’s the best place to find accurate weather information? Carolyn Shearlock has the answers, learned over many years living aboard boats in the Caribbean and the Sea of Cortez. Carolyn is the creator of The Boat Galley – the most comprehensive list of cruising knowledge anywhere ...

NMMA Show Manager Becca Doyle joins Bob to chat about the Kansas City Boat and Sport Show – the first boat show on the 2018 calendar. Marine Max general manager, Thad Jameson, has big news, plus you can hear all about the Lake of the Ozarks New Year’s Eve Boat Drop. Bob’s No Wake Zone is the best boating radio show available anywhere in the world. It comes to you every week from Osage Beach on the shore of Missouri’s wonderful La...

Abby Barrows is a marine research scientist based in Maine on the east coast of the United States. It’s more accurate to say, she’s based on an island off the coast of the United States, just shy of the Canadian border. Abby runs the microplastics lab for an organisation you may have heard of called Adventure Scientists. In this podcast, she talks to Boat Radio’s Mike McDowall about her work and about life on a small island. To f...

In this final edition of Matt Rutherford’s podcast, he falls down a hole on a Bahamanian island and lands right on top of a garbage bag filled with marijuana. He then rides out a tropical storm at anchor before heading out into open ocean with a ruined engine. And that’s when he’s becalmed and finds himself bobbing along, riding the Gulf Stream for two weeks, heading north. He also talks a little more about Jennifer Appel and Tasha...

What do you do if your new-to-you boat comes with a huge stack of paperwork in various binders and folders, all muddled up and stored in more than one locker? Well, as usual Carolyn Shearlock has suffered exactly this problem and has nailed a solution. Carolyn has many years of experience living on board boats and her tips are sure to save you time and money. Her website, The Boat Galley, is the most comprehensive list of cruisin...

KC Cloke talks about Eagle Days at the Lake of the Ozarks. Plus, Bob learns all about French skipper François Gabart’s extraordinary, world record breaking, 42-day circumnavigation. Also this week, One Source Services Alex McDonald and Paul Shifferdecker from Marine Max on Boston Whalers and Boat Shows. Bob’s No Wake Zone is the world’s number one boating radio show. It comes to you every week from the town of Osage Beach on the ...

Author Michael John finds for treasures along the foreshore of the River Thames with renowned mudlark Nicola White. Mudlarks are urban beachcombers who scavenge for items of interest or value in the muddy banks of tidal rivers. In London, when the waters withdraw, vast expanses of silty, rocky, rubbish-strewn sludge are exposed along the length of the Thames, and that’s when Nicola goes to work. Over the years, she has amassed a...

Facing fears, overcoming nervousness and trying new experiences. This week, Carolyn advocates enriching your life by saying ‘yes’ to things you’d ordinarily avoid. The Boat Galley website is the Number One online resource for the cruising community worldwide. You’ll find hundreds of tips and tricks for making your boat life better with real life examples drawn from Carolyn Shearlock’s many years of experience living aboard boats....

Rochelle Pennington joins Bob to talk about the extraordinary history of Chicago’s Christmas Tree Ship and its legendary skipper, Captain Santa. Mike Kenagy – executive director the Lake of the Ozarks Marine Dealers Association – looks ahead to the boat shows coming up in 2018, starting January 4th. Plus, David Dickerson of the NMMA talks about the new wakeboarding rules. Bob’s No Wake Zone is the world’s number one boating radio...

Rick Page and Jasna Tuta have spent much of the past eight years sailing to some of the most remote islands of the Pacific Ocean. Boat Radio spoke to Rick and Jasna in summer 2016 and we thought it would be great to find out what they’ve been up to since then. To our surprise, they’re anchored just off the world’s newest royal yacht club, in a location even they describe as isolated. Sarah O’Kelly is the creator and owner of Skip...

Epic jam sessions, seasickness and how best to resolve conflicts with your shipmates. In this latest edition of Postcards From Sea, John Herlig discusses these and other pressing issues with his good friend and fellow traveller Albi the German Lad. The pair also try to figure out at what stage it’s reasonable to start calling yourself a ‘sailor’.

Four years ago, in a boatyard in Reedville, Virginia, John Herlig stumbled a...

Don’t just turn up at a foreign chandlery and hope they know what you’re talking about. If you need a replacement part for your boat, take the old part with you. That way you’re not going to end up buying something that doesn’t fit. Carolyn Shearlock has many years of experience living on board boats and her tips are sure to save you time and money. Carolyn’s website, The Boat Galley, is the most comprehensive list of cruising k...