Category: Off My Dock
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Adventures in Boating
Adventures in Boating Boating always has the potential to turn into an adventure. Tim Bower When I told the gang at the Lake View Inn we were working on Boating’s annual adventure issue, it was Wally who asked from behind the bar, “How exactly do you define adventure?” I have the Google in my pocket…
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The Fun of Late-Season Boating
The Fun of Late-Season Boating Boating after Labor Day sustains us through the winter. Tim Bower It was the perfect day for a boat ride. Brilliant sun, about 75 degrees, modest winds. That it happened to be October 18 was an added blessing. I’m an avid fan of late-season boating, and here in the North…
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The Perils of an Unnamed Boat
The Perils of an Unnamed Boat Unnamed boats are flirting with potential calamity cast upon them by Neptune. Tim Bower For more than three years I’ve been tempting fate on the water. It’s not that I’m making bad choices. I’m wearing my life jacket. I’m a sober captain. I leave a float plan. But I’m…
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Things to Consider When Selling Your Boat
Things to Consider When Selling Your Boat There’s more to selling a boat than cashing the check. Tim Bower A few years back I sold a Honda automobile to a private party. I had no use for the license plates so I dropped them into my king-size municipal trash bin, and on a Thursday a…
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Falling in Love With Boating
Falling in Love With Boating Discovering a love for boating can happen at an early age. Tim Bower I was probably a preteen when my father and I were guests of the older son of family friends. The son owned a fast, gold metal-flake speedboat, probably a Glastron. On its transom hung a towering pair…
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Paying the Worm Tax
Paying the Worm Tax The industry relies on an army of worm pickers who go out at night with coffee cans strapped to their shins and pluck the worms by hand from the surface of leased pastures in Ontario. Tim Bower Loyal readers will recall that a few years ago, my good friend Chuck -Larson…
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Setting Goals for the New Boating Season
Setting Goals for the New Boating Season Making a list will help you accomplish all of your boating goals this season. Tim Bower We are deep into mud season here in the North Woods, that interminable meteorological period that has winter lingering and spring reluctant. My affluent farmer neighbors have escaped to a warm beach,…
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Solving Boating Mysteries
Solving Boating Mysteries Locals are solving boating mysteries from inside the Lake View. Tim Bower Our neighborhood made the boating news twice in 2024, stories that have fueled the offseason hot-stove league here at the Lake View Inn, where everyone is welcome to their opinion. I’m almost certain you heard about Ryan Borgwardt, the fellow…
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A Vintage Boat Evokes New-Boat Memories
A Vintage Boat Evokes New-Boat Memories The boat was a real throwback, from its carpet-covered gunwales to the cassette-player stereo. Tim Bower It’s a red-letter day at the Lake View Inn when somebody shows up with a new boat. Beers go flat and pizza goes cold at the bar while everyone adjourns to the parking…
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The First Secretary of Boating
The First Secretary of Boating There are 14.5 million boat owners in the US who spend $49.3 billion on boats, marine products and services annually. Tim Bower When my good friend Chuck Larson strode through the door of the Lake View Inn wearing a blue blazer with brass buttons and a white captain’s hat with…