Captain Rob Boating

22/10/2026

YOUR CELL PHONE IS NOT A MARINE RADIO 📻

Out on the Great Lakes, cell coverage can drop fast, and a phone call only reaches one person. A VHF call on Channel 16 reaches the Coast Guard and every boat around you.

My rules:
1️⃣ Keep a handheld VHF on you, not just the radio mounted at the helm.
2️⃣ Know your position before you key the mic.
3️⃣ Do a radio check before you need it.

The handheld I recommend: https://amzn.to/4mHg0nN

Do you carry a handheld VHF? Yes or no 👇

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Captain Robert B. Kolb, USCG Licensed Captain, Coast Guard Aux Member

The best value in our handheld VHF radio line up! Backed by 50 years of Cobra quality, this floating radio has an orange core for higher visibility and is easy to retrieve if dropped overboard. It features 6 Watts of power for longer range communications and full access to all NOAA weather channe...

22/10/2026

Before you leave the dock alone, read the wind and current. They decide which line comes off last.

Here the wind and current are pushing the boat into the dock, so the port bow line is my working line. Everything else comes off first.

Which line do you take off last? Tell me in the comments.

👍 Like + follow for a new docking tip every day.

🧭 See what the wind will do at YOUR dock before you go (free): https://www.dockwiseai.com
🛥️ Hands-on lessons: captainrobboating.com

22/10/2026

BOAT DEALERS: YOUR BUYERS ARE ASKING A QUESTION THEY WON'T SAY OUT LOUD.

"Can I actually dock this thing?"

That quiet doubt stalls more step-up deals than price does. DockWise gives your sales team a Boat Handling Report, branded to your dealership, for any boat on your lot. It shows the buyer what will feel familiar, what will take practice, and what docking will be like.

Send me one listing from your lot and I'll build the first report free.

Tag a dealer who should see this. Details in the first comment 👇

Captain Robert B. Kolb, USCG Licensed Captain, Coast Guard Aux Member

22/10/2026

Backing in and the bow starts swinging too far? This is the moment most docking goes wrong.

Catch the over-rotation early and correct it before you end up sideways in the fairway. Watch how I fix it on a single engine boat.

Has this happened to you? Tell me in the comments.

👍 Like + follow for a new docking tip every day.

🧭 See what the wind will do at YOUR dock before you go (free): https://www.dockwiseai.com
🛥️ Hands-on lessons: captainrobboating.com

21/10/2026

The number one thing new boaters miss: your boat is not a car.

When you turn the wheel, the boat keeps carrying its momentum. You have to factor that in before every move you make near the dock.

What was the hardest thing to learn when you started boating? Tell me in the comments.

👍 Like + follow for a new docking tip every day.

🧭 See what the wind will do at YOUR dock before you go (free): https://www.dockwiseai.com
🛥️ Hands-on lessons: captainrobboating.com

21/10/2026

UPDATED: LAKE ST. CLAIR BOATERS, HERE'S YOUR NEW TOP 5 FOR 2026 🏆

You asked, we added. Since this went up, you requested new marinas, and one of them went straight to #3.

Marina Quality score, then Docking Difficulty grade:

1️⃣ Safe Harbor Belle Maer, Harrison Twp: 91 · A 🥇
2️⃣ Safe Harbor Jefferson Beach, St. Clair Shores: 88 · A 🥇
3️⃣ Miller Marina, St. Clair Shores: 85 · A 🥇 NEW
4️⃣ Grosse Pointe Yacht Club: 90 · B 🥈
5️⃣ MacRay Harbor, Harrison Twp: 88 · B 🥈

Miller Marina joins Belle Maer and Jefferson Beach as a Gold Anchor marina: an excellent facility AND beginner-friendly docking. Three on one lake is rare.

Just outside the top 5: Emerald City Harbor (79 · A), plus two newly added Silver Anchor marinas, Mayea Marina in Fair Haven (87 · B) and Beacon Cove Marina in Harrison Twp (86, with a B- docking grade).

Also new: Island Cove Marina, Harrison Twp (66 · B). We had limited information on Island Cove, so if you keep your boat there, rate it and tell us what we missed in the comments on its DockWise profile.

Where do YOU keep your boat on the lake? Comment your marina and I'll tell you its grade. 👇 Not rated yet? I'll add it. Full reports are in the first comment.

Captain Robert B. Kolb, USCG Licensed Captain, Coast Guard Aux Member

21/10/2026

SETTLE THE DEBATE. ⚓

Bow thruster: must-have or crutch?

Comment M or C and tell me why. 👇 Bonus points if yours ever quit on you halfway into the slip.

Captain Robert B. Kolb, USCG Licensed Captain, Coast Guard Aux Member

21/10/2026

DOCKING ALONE? DO THIS BEFORE YOU LEAVE THE HOUSE. 🌬️

When there's no passenger to grab a piling, you don't get a second set of hands. You get a plan.

1️⃣ Know which way the wind will push the boat at YOUR slip
2️⃣ Rig the line that will take the load before you reach the fairway
3️⃣ Favor the upwind side of the fairway so you have room to recover
4️⃣ No more speed than necessary, then neutral and let momentum carry you

Step 1 is the one most boaters skip. It's the one DockWise does for you.

What's the hardest part of docking alone for you? Tell me below 👇

Captain Robert B. Kolb, USCG Licensed Captain, Coast Guard Aux Member

21/10/2026

Haul-out day checklist. ✅

Don't let the last run of the year be the worst docking of the year. Save this and share it with whoever's on the lines with you.

Check the wind at your lift well first: dockwiseai.com/sample

Captain Robert B. Kolb, USCG Licensed Captain, Coast Guard Aux Member

21/10/2026

Same Dock, Opposite Side: How Much Harder Is Docking? (Real Wind Data, Part 2)