Bayliner Rendezvous - Bayliner Boats

Hi gang, Rick and Cathy here from Bayliner Boats where were all about providing you information, news and views about the most popular boat sold worldwide, BAYLINER BOATS.

An interesting article was brought to our attention recently. Richard and Ann Mazzei live part time on Marco Island and part time in Ocean County, N.J.

Of course, they have a boat in each place. Their New Jersey boat is a 45-foot SeaRay Sundancer; their Marco boat, a Bayliner Rendezvous 28.
"I would bring the SeaRay down here in the winter, but I can't get under the Winterbury Bridge," Richard Mazzei said.

But despite his desire to be able to cruise here, he also recognized that the deck boat is better for the waters in the Marco area.

"When we purchased this boat, we tried to have the best of two worlds," he said. "We wanted a boat that would go outside with a reasonable degree of seaworthiness, but we wanted something with a shallow draft because we wanted to go inside."

The Bayliner has served that purpose well. When they first moved here 10 years ago, they lived in Port of the Islands, so they began to learn how to navigate the inside waters.

"We trained ourselves so that we can basically go from Goodland down to Everglades City inside in the unmarked uncharted backwaters. That's something a lot of people can't do" he said. "You gotta have half tide or better to do that. We would go kinda slow."

They often boat to Naples or Everglades City for lunch, but they really would like to cruise a wider area of the South Florida waters. They do a lot of cruising with Marine Max Getaway Cruises from Rhode Island to the Chesapeake Bay in the northeastern summer.

Richard described one Getaway cruise that was not in any way typical, nor one they want to repeat, a cruise to Block Island. Oh, they enjoyed Block Island. It was the trip home that was scary. They left New York harbor in fairly thick fog that lasted four hours.

"The lead captain said to stay 30 or 40 feet off the stern of the boat in front of you," Richard noted. "We were doing about 10 miles an hour."

After the fog lifted, "We got into this terrible storm," he said, "rain, lightning, thunder. The rain was so bad you couldn't even see the front of your boat.

Ann had a big mop, wiping my windshield so I could see. I've never in my life, land or sea, seen anything like that. I never saw so much lightning."

Then, the lead captain radioed the other boats, "Look out for the freighter."

"Ann looks over the port side and sees this mountain," Richard continued. "It was so close you couldn't tell it was a boat. We couldn't see it on our radar because there was so much electricity in the air. The radars weren't working right. We couldn't tell which way the freighter was going, but we ended up going round the back of it, which was the correct thing to do."

"That's the worst boating experience we've ever had. We called on every bit of experience we had. Even though the SeaRay is a good-sized boat, out there it's like a rubber ducky.

"The only thing that helped us is that we didn't panic. We kept our wits about us. We were able to keep track of the other three boats. We stayed together. There's strength in numbers."

Richard concluded, "Ann and I don't go out on long cruises unless we're in a group. We've never gone out alone."

Captain's Notes
In addition to the required safety and emergency equipment, life jackets, fire extinguisher, a sound-signaling device, flares, weather radio/marine radio, it is also wise to carry a number of items that are not required - at least one anchor and several dock lines, drinking water, emergency food, a tool kit, a first-aid kit, rain gear and sun protection.

For those who will travel beyond sight of land it is wise to have a global positioning system (GPS) and compass on board and to leave your travel plans with a person on land who can contact the Coast Guard should you not return or if you don't contact them at specified times.

Many experienced captains also suggest backup equipment in case of failure. A second radio, a second GPS, and a backup bilge pump are at the top of this list.
Thanks to the Marco Island Sun Times 2008 for this.

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Rick Ostler, Bayliner Boats.