Schedule a call

Call (248) 497-5791

Schedule a call

If I’m on the water, I’ll call you back same day.

THOUGHTS FROM THE CAPTAIN

68 articles · Updated Oct 21, 2026

From the Helm

Practical seamanship, ownership and crew articles from Captain Tom Ketelhut, a USCG Master since 2009.

Latest — Seamanship

If Your Boat Runs Aground: What to Do First and What to Check After

A 60-foot Viking, a passing barge and a soft bank north of Demopolis. How the owners got her off, and the order I work through when a boat runs aground.

Captain Tom Ketelhut

Captain Tom Ketelhut

· 9 min read

Woodcut-style print of a sportfish motor yacht resting on a sandbar at the edge of a river channel at dusk, a towboat and barges rounding the bend behind it.

READING PATHS

Start with where you are.

All Articles →

Path · 6 articles · about

36 min

I need my boat moved

Path · 5 articles · about

36 min

We’re heading south for the winter

Path · 5 articles · about

32 min

I just bought a boat

Path · 4 articles · about

25 min

My insurer wants captain hours

Path · 4 articles · about

32 min

Docking still makes me nervous

Path · 6 articles · about

42 min

I’m the First Mate

Path · 6 articles · about

36 min

I need my boat moved

Path · 5 articles · about

36 min

We’re heading south for the winter

Path · 5 articles · about

32 min

I just bought a boat

Path · 4 articles · about

25 min

My insurer wants captain hours

Path · 4 articles · about

32 min

Docking still makes me nervous

Path · 6 articles · about

42 min

I’m the First Mate

Woodcut illustration of a chart showing Florida and a dashed route south from the Great Lakes, with a brass compass and dividers on the table

SOUTH FOR THE WINTER

The Florida desk

Okeechobee Waterway Crossing: Lake Level, Locks and Bridges

8 min

Running the ICW North from Florida: Route and Timing

6 min

What It Costs to Hire a Boat Captain in Florida

5 min

The Big Bend Crossing: Carrabelle to Tarpon Springs

6 min

All Florida Articles →

WHERE YOU BOAT

Articles by water

Service Area →

Lake Huron

2 articles

St. Clair River

2 articles

Lake St. Clair

6 articles

Detroit River

4 articles

Lake Erie

1 article

Great Loop

2 articles

Florida

10 articles

BROWSE BY TOPIC

Ownership

29 articles

All Ownership →

Side by side of hauling a yacht and driving one

Oct 12

— 9 min

Boat Delivery Cost: The Day Rate and How to Count the Days

Woodcut print of rows of small panels repeating the same Florida marina channel at sunrise, one panel showing a motor yacht easing out of her slip

Oct 6

— 5 min

What It Costs to Hire a Boat Captain in Florida

Woodcut print of a heavy dock line tied high on a weathered piling, wrapped in canvas chafe gear, with a second line doubled beside it and storm clouds behind

Oct 6

— 7 min

Boat Hurricane Plan in Florida: What to Settle by June 1

Woodcut print of a sport cruiser at the end of a long wooden dock in a Florida marina at first light, palms and mangroves along the shore

Oct 5

— 6 min

Bought a Boat in Florida? How to Get It Home

Seamanship

13 articles

All Seamanship →

Woodcut-style print of a sportfish motor yacht resting on a sandbar at the edge of a river channel at dusk, a towboat and barges rounding the bend behind it.

Oct 21

— 9 min

If Your Boat Runs Aground: What to Do First and What to Check After

Linocut-style print split in two: a Great Lakes lighthouse and pines on the left, a raised Florida drawbridge and palms on the right.

Sep 30

— 8 min

Boating in Florida vs. the Great Lakes: What Changes at the Helm

Illustration of a dock line turned around a cleat on a wooden dock, holding a boat alongside in choppy water as it springs off the dock in wind

Aug 19

— 8 min

Leaving the Dock in Wind: The Line Everybody Casts Off First

A group of boats anchored together

Jul 8

— 4 min

Raft-Up Etiquette: How Not to Be That Boat in the Anchorage

Voyages

12 articles

All Voyages →

Wide view across the Straits of Mackinac with the suspension bridge in the middle

Oct 12

— 19 min

The Great Loop: A Great Lakes Captain's Reference Guide

Woodcut print, seen from above, of a waterway curving away from open water at sunrise, with small lock structures on its bank and flat palm country beyond

Oct 12

— 8 min

Okeechobee Waterway Crossing: Lake Level, Locks and Bridges

Woodcut print, seen from above, of a waterway winding through salt marsh behind a barrier island, with tidal creeks branching off it, channel markers along the bends and a small trawler on the channel

Oct 8

— 6 min

Running the ICW North from Florida: Route and Timing

Woodcut print of a trawler at the end of a dotted line running out from a curving pine and marsh coast, with a field of crab-trap floats beyond her and the sun rising under carved clouds

Oct 6

— 6 min

The Big Bend Crossing: Carrabelle to Tarpon Springs

12 ARTICLES

Voyages

→

12 ARTICLES

Voyages

→

6 ARTICLES

Crew

→

8 ARTICLES

From the Dock

→

READY TO GET STARTED?

Let's talk about your boat.

Every engagement starts with a conversation. Tell me about your vessel, your waters, and what you're working toward.

Get in Touch

Or give me a call at (248)-497-5791. If I’m on the water, I’ll call you back same day.

READY TO GET STARTED?

Let's talk about your boat.

Every engagement starts with a conversation. Tell me about your vessel, your waters, and what you're working toward.

Get in Touch

Or give me a call at (248)-497-5791. If I’m on the water, I’ll call you back same day.

READY TO GET STARTED?

Let's talk about your boat.

Every engagement starts with a conversation. Tell me about your vessel, your waters, and what you're working toward.

Get in Touch

Or give me a call at (248)-497-5791. If I’m on the water, I’ll call you back same day.

©️ 2026 Offshore Captain Services LLC · All rights reserved

Terms of Service

USCG Mariner Reference #2913289

©️ 2026 Offshore Captain Services LLC · All rights reserved

Terms of Service

USCG Mariner Reference #2913289

©️ 2026 Offshore Captain Services LLC · All rights reserved

Terms of Service

USCG Mariner Reference #2913289