05/23/2026
Every week as a Charter boat owner / Captain is filled with ups and downs. It takes a team of people behind the scenes to keep the train on the track. From your bait man to your mechanic and all the folks in between….Now that we are operating multiple boats, the odds of issues to overcome has increased substantially. This week we had both of the big boats booked for both days of the Blue Angels air show in Annapolis. Tuesday was our first day and once we had our meet and greet at the dock we got everyone settled on the boats and headed south. I led us on the Rowe Boat and Captain Ben followed aboard the Beautiful Swimmer. The sun was out, the music was playing and the people were happy. I was especially happy because this was the first day with both boats underway and it had taken a lot of work to get to this point. Well, as a wise Captain in Rock Hall once told me, “Just when you think you is, you ain’t”. Our smooth 15knt cruise was abruptly interrupted with a high temperature alarm and a cloud of black smoke exhaust trail. I quickly brought the boat to idle to assess the issue. Once I got everyone moved to the back of the boat, I was able to open the engine hatch and inspect the compartment in hopes of a quick fix and easy repair. I quickly found water pouring from the water pump housing. At the same time I am making the call to my mechanic, I’m working out the logistics in my head of getting the boat fixed or towed and how to get these folks to the air show. Captain Ben called me and made a quick decision that we could put everyone on the Beautiful Swimmer and that he would stay with the Rowe Boat and wait for the tow back to the dock while I take the group to the air show. At the same time we were discussing our options, I was on the phone with the mechanic and he said he would order the possible parts immediately that we may need for the repair and that he would coordinate with Captain Ben once the boat was back in the slip to get her fixed up. There was concerns of a cracked manifold but we wouldn’t know how much damage we had to deal with until the mechanic put his eyes on everything. My next call was to another Captain for a tow. I called Captain Richard Manley from the Intimidater because I had noticed he was at the dock working on his boat as we left the harbor. Richard did not hesitate and said “no problem at all, I’ll head out to get her now” I told him how much I appreciated the help and he said “that’s what we do for each other”. Once we did the math to figure out if we could legally put everyone on the other boat it turned out to be perfect. I updated both groups of the situation and asked them if they were ok with combining the trip. Turns out the groups knew each other and were happy to make the adjustment. We safely transferred my group onto the big boat, Captain Ben and I switched boats and off we went. During the organized chaos we had several fellow boaters and Captains call us to make sure we were safe and offer assistance with the boat and transporting our customers if needed. We made it over to the air show and everyone had a great day. By the time we got back to Rock Hall the Rowe Boat was all fixed up and ready to go to work for the next morning. We are blessed to have such a great network of people in our community to keep the wheels moving. Big thanks to Captain Ben, Captain Richard Manley and my mechanic Benji!
One other part of the story…. I have owned and operated boats for the last 30+ years and been on the water my entire life. This was only the second time I have been towed on the water and the first time was on the exact same day in 2019. Very ironic!
