Biff Matthews, Author at Washington Daily News - Page 2 of 2

Columns

The time of year boaters dislike: winter lay-up

To guarantee your boat’s safety and preparedness for next spring, invest time now on winter layup. Charge the battery. How well did it perform ... Read more

by Biff Matthews, Wednesday, December 6, 2017 1:57 am

Community Columns

Can anyone aboard save the captain?

Boating emergencies come in all forms: illness, accident, fire, taking on water or man over board. Who runs the boat when the captain is incapacitated, ... Read more

by Biff Matthews, Friday, October 27, 2017 6:02 pm

Community Columns

Proper use of VHF recreational marine radio channels

The primary purpose of a VHF marine is safety, your safety plus people on board, other boaters and boats near you. Channel 16 remains the ... Read more

by Biff Matthews, Monday, September 4, 2017 6:24 pm

Community Columns

Summer on the water and rafting up

A raft-up is a gathering of boats, usually a social event built around boaters on their boats. I believe the world record raft-up was more ... Read more

by Biff Matthews, Friday, August 18, 2017 2:56 pm

Community Columns

Cruise planning next steps

In the March boating column article, we outlined Cruise Planning 101. We shared that no one should hop on a boat to run to Ocracoke ... Read more

by Biff Matthews, Thursday, May 4, 2017 4:27 pm

Community Columns

Trailering easily and safely

Basic boat etiquette dictates that boaters steer clear or go slow in and around launch areas. Boat wake makes for dangerous loading and unloading. No one ... Read more

by Biff Matthews, Monday, November 7, 2016 2:05 am

Community Columns

Training can be a matter of life and death

Writing boating articles for the Washington Daily News on behalf of the Pamlico Sail & Power Squadron for three years, I’ve gotten compliments and numerous ... Read more

by Biff Matthews, Wednesday, October 5, 2016 4:44 pm

Community Columns

Docking doesn’t have to be troublesome

As a boater, you’re familiar with the phrase, “hit something cheap” often in reference to docking. Docking, like parking a car, is the four Ps: ... Read more

by Biff Matthews, Friday, August 19, 2016 8:51 pm

Community Columns

Weather…know before you go

Predicting the weather, as well as being observant, can mean the difference of whether or not you arrive safely from a boating trip. I’ll preface that ... Read more