Friday Five - Items that caught our eye this week

[Tollycraft Boating Club Forum]

Start your weekend with these five items that caught our eye this week: 

1. Invasive Green Crabs Found In Drayton Harbor

The rich waters of the Pacific Northwest are home to abundant marine life, but the whole ecosystem can be thrown into chaos by one invasive species. One species with the potential to do just that, the European green crab, has been detected in large numbers in Drayton Harbor and may have established a breeding population. Traps captured a total of 17 green crabs over a two-day time period. READ MORE

2. 10 Things for Better Cruising in Chilly Weather

Ever since we announced that we’re planning to leave the Florida Keys and head north on the ICW starting in late December, I’ve been getting questions about how we’re preparing for the cold. I’ve also been getting some questions about whether we’re crazy!

We have cruised in cool weather before: cruising in Alaska in 1999 and in 2001 while helping a friend take his boat from the Bahamas to Rhode Island one spring, and we learned quite a bit from both of those. And we’ve done a lot of near- and below-freezing tent camping over the years. READ MORE

3. 7 super fun boat games

When it’s chilly on deck, there’s nothing more fun than hunkering down in a cozy cabin with a good boat game. Here are our 7 all-time favorite indoor boat games.  READ MORE

4. "Sunsetting" Traditional Paper Charts: What It Really Means

Many of Captain's customers and clients have contacted us about NOAA's recent announcement that they plan to "Sunset" or discontinue traditional paper charts. 

Here's the short version: don't worry. NOAA is discontinuing one of two digital formats they provide chart data in. Print-On-Demand charts will still be available, using the other digital format, from Captain's and from other providers of NOAA charts. READ MORE

5. Ask The Experts: Pump-Out Systems

For boaters with a holding tank, the ritual of pumping out is usually embraced with emotions ranging from mild annoyance to hyperbolic disgust to joy (if there’s an overflowing blackwater tank that’s steeped for a week aboard). READ MORE