The Boating Barrister

By Langston “South” Fulweiler Editor’s note: A favorite WindCheck feature is John K. Fulweiler, Esq.’s monthly column; invariably informative, incisive and witty. The Boating Barrister’s daughter checks in for Dad this month with a valuable seamanship lesson…and with words like “intentionality” in her lexicon (at 17!), she’s welcome to pen this page any time. “Everything has a place, and everything in its place” was a phrase I grew up resenting. With a nautical New England family, the…

Tom Whitwell is a man known for making a list of 52 things he learns each year. It’s the analog version of the stream of tidbits social media gives you. I like the idea. Here are some salty things I’ve learned vaguely relating to the maritime law and which might give you some cocktail ammunition for your next gathering: 1. In maritime law, a yacht is often classified as a pleasure vessel, and owners must comply with…

The problem with boating is the sea bends, passengers slip, depths change, boats collide, winds gust, things sink, tides ebb and, well, this wobbly world is generally unforgiving. While all these variables might give boating its charm, there may be occasions where an admiralty lawyer’s guidance is the well-needed salve to your most recent liquid adventure. The challenge is in finding and hiring a lawyer who knows this hoary patch of legal precedent at a rate that…

The problem with boating is the sea bends, passengers slip, depths change, boats collide, winds gust, things sink, tides ebb and, well, this wobbly world is generally unforgiving. While all these variables might give boating its charm, there may be occasions where an admiralty lawyer’s guidance is the well-needed salve to your most recent liquid adventure. The challenge is in finding and hiring a lawyer who knows this hoary patch of legal precedent at a rate that…

The way it was, you’d have the boat captain and the owner swapping stories all night. The vodka and beer didn’t do anything but make the stories sharper and the memories brighter and a little louder. Now how it is, they sit languid at the bar or sprawled on the wicker. No one talks ‘cause they’re all staring at a pixellated screen. I think video didn’t just kill the radio star; it’s done killed us all! I’ve left Johnny at home…

There are stupid questions. Don’t let any boater tell you different. From the owner of the boat show production vessel to the teak decks of a German build, there’s a lot of stupid. Here’s my list for your galley amusement and maybe some teaching. I mean, OK, OK. Cool your jets, Bar associations, it’s not legal advice. Don’t rely on what I’m saying. Every situation is different. You get the idea; don’t be stupid. If I find…

Jimmy Buffett was a people person; an easy breeze in any social setting. You go sailing in the southern climes and it’s not hard to find similar smooth souls with quick smiles, good memories and coiled springs of go-go. They are fun people. They are adventurers, compatriots and those that introduce you to the persons whose faces still raid your morning sleep with sea dappled memories of youth, sun and starboard rails. That Buffett was also an…

By John K. Fulweiler, Esq. This is the time of year where a reading list should be assembled. No matter the climate, a list of good books gives you a backdrop against which to carry on your affairs. Wearying the household list of issues or tiring of the newest corporate ‘training’ video, pivot to savoring the half hour you’ll spend this evening on that page-turner of a story. You get the idea, so I’ll give you some…

I married an Elizabeth and so maybe I just like the name, but Bequia’s Port Elizabeth is one of my favorites. And if there on a hook you find something tobacco, something cold and your feet on the rail of something with a big center cockpit, well friend’o, you might’ve found a moment of synchronization in a universe of syncopation. Twin engine operators of things that fly or float will know what I’m saying when speaking of…

By John K. Fulweiler, Esq. I sold our sailboat. Selling a boat is an unpleasant business. The detritus of misadventures, voyages and moments fill the interior spaces. In sorting things prior to closing, you’re reminded of voyages you should’ve taken, projects planned and personal promises left unrequited. I’m repeating the words of those before me, but boats are more than things and especially so when you’ve toiled at tending to them. It makes the parting tougher. he…