Welcome to Boatronic.com!
Casting off…
I remember my first boat trip, crossing the harbor near Cobh in Cork, Ireland
when I was about 7 years old. I also remember the boat's engine dying just
as we entered the path of an oncoming cargo ship; my uncle's frantic attempts
to restart the engine; and the welcome sound of that engine sputtering back
to life as we watched the massive ship bearing down on us. In spite of --or
perhaps because of-- this less than perfect introduction to the joys of
boating, I was hooked. For an avid fisherman like me boating is not only
about adventure, it is also about getting closer to the fish!
Water, water, everywhere
Growing up in Ireland, I had plenty of opportunities to indulge my interests
in both fishing and boating. Gasoline was expensive, and money was tight
for most people, so our fishing boats were small diesels ranging from 18ft
to 25ft in length. Ironically, we chartered our longest boat, a 33-footer,
on the worst water I have ever seen. Had we been satisfied with a smaller
boat, we might have been spared the stomach-churning ride that followed.
Cruisin’ for a bruisin’
On a clear spring morning we set out in the 33-footer from Monkstown on
an outgoing tide that should have carried us through the heads in Cork Harbor.
I say "should have" because the wind kicked up and began to blow
hard dead against the bow. As the wide channel narrowed to about a mile
or so across, the swells grew taller, until within minutes we were in 20-25ft
swells. The trawler strained to climb each swell, accelerated with a high-pitched
whine as it hovered alarmingly on the crest, and then crashed down into
the trough on the other side. Between all the climbing and whining and crashing
we were making very little headway and the captain, a professional skipper
and net fisherman, was concerned about our safety and the pounding his boat
was taking.
The captain, in a masterful show of skill, executed a turn just as we skidded down the side of a swell, maneuvering the boat to starboard to line up with the next approaching trough. Continuing the turn, he powered the engine to follow and climb the retreating wave we had just descended. From my seat in the stern, I looked up at the crest of the swell behind us, and realized that there had been absolutely no margin for error!
Global positioning
Over the years I have had boating adventures across the globe, though none,
thank goodness, as hair-raising as the notorious Monkstown "cruise"
in Cork Harbor. I have been a guest of the South African Navy on a harbor
patrol in Cape Town; participated in maritime rescues as a member of the
Australian Volunteer Coastguard; and taken part in the unique practice of
hog-lining on Oregon’s Willamette River. The time I’ve spent
on the water, along with my training in computer programming, GPS data processing,
and microchip technologies has given me a great appreciation for the remarkable
advances made in the field of boating electronics.
Find what you’re looking for
Today’s sophisticated and affordable electronic boating gear can make
boating and fishing safer, and more productive and enjoyable than ever.
But how do you choose from all the products available? You can spend a lot
of time searching the Web for information on individual products, or you
can use Boatronic.com as your one-stop guide to depth finders, GPS units,
and combo units. At Boatronic.com you will find easy-to-read comparisons
of available products, brands and models, prices, and online retail outlets.