Captain Bill Jennings has spent decades educating boaters. We're lucky to have him on our editorial team. His collection of work is invaluable to every boater, and if you're not reading it, you're missing out.
Bill has written over 1,500 boating tests and articles and been published in countless magazines. With BoatBlurb, he's written hundreds of tips and tricks, educational content, and told some of the most incredible stories from a lifetime of boating. If you don't know Bill's backstory, he raced in Sportscraft, River, and Offshore divisions, and he's a World Championship title holder. He's also been a certified race referee, a NASBLA award winner, and a Hall of Fame inductee.
Even cooler, he's been a boat stunt driver for several movies. He's also the current CEO of the Power Boating Academy, and last but not least, he's a certified captain.
We say all that to say -- you should really read his work. It's excellent, and it'll make you a better boater.
Here are Captain Bill's Top 5 tips from 2024:
1) What is AIS and How Does it Work?
AIS is short for Automatic Information System, and it transmits your vessel information to other AIS receivers in your area. At the same time, it also receives similar information from other vessels. But what benefits does it offer the casual boater? Far more than you might think. It's not only a navigational aid, it can save your life. Read more.
2) Serious Boat Driving Statistics & the Value of Formal Training
Bill dove into the latest statistics published by the Coast Guard, and the numbers will shock you. In 2022, 74.3% of boat driver deaths, were drivers with no formal boat driving education. For boat drivers who have taken a state certification course, the percentage of deaths drops to 13.3%. So what does that all mean? It means that taking some formal training won't just make your day on the lake easier, it might even save your life. Boating doesn't have the same training requirements as driving a car or truck, but it's about time boaters considered taking some formal training before leaving the dock. Read more.
3) What You Need to Know About Pontoon Boats
Bill has written about the pros and cons of nearly every type of vessel there is, so when we asked him for the lowdown on pontoon boats he was happy to oblige. This all came about after Bill bought himself a pontoon boat, which we thought was a little out of character, but it turned out to be incredibly informative for us both. There's more to the science of the pontoon than meets the eye. Read more.
4) The Great Life Jacket Debate
Nothing gets the boating community more riled up than the debate surrounding life jackets. Should they be mandatory? What should the regulations state regarding their usage? Several countries are currently debating making their use mandatory across recreational boating, which means you'll have to have it on from the moment you leave the dock until you return. Captain Bill looked into what the statistics say about such an idea, and the answers will surprise you. Read more.
5) Do You Need An Attitude Adjustment?
In this article, Bill does a deep dive into VACS - Vessel Attitude Control Systems. Before you sneer at the science, consider this: VACS will be central to the future of automated technology, which boating is adopting at an incredible pace. Things like autonomous docking, autopilot, GPS-based navigation, and more all use various forms of VACS to keep a boat on its safest heading. That safe heading also involves setting the boat at the correct 'attitude' with respect to roll, pitch, and yaw. Bill is here to tell you that maybe you should consider an attitude adjustment the next time you go boating. Read more.
6) BONUS - Serious Mistakes Made By Beginner Boaters
Sure, Captain Bill published this in late 2023, but who are we to deprive you of such valuable content. This article is a great preface to #2 above, and it discusses the three most common mistakes made by rookie boaters. Those three mistakes account for the vast, vast majority of issues that inevitably tie up launch ramps, scatter people at the dock, and lead to damaged boats and bruised egos. Read more.
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