The Educated Captain

Boating Safety Week Tip!

This is a great one.. thank you Captain Chris!

Every time before we head out, I make sure everyone onboard knows where the safety equipment is located in case something goes wrong. I explain what to do if anything happens to me and how to react in an emergency.

It’s not about scaring anyone, it’s about being prepared. Remember, your crew may be the only people available to help.

All of this and more is now included in our new Online State Boating Course, where you can earn your state-approved boating license.

Click the link in our bio to learn more.

Have a fun and safe holiday weekend!

Boating Safety Week tips!

Top 4 ways to stay safe on the water:

• Take a boating safety course and educate yourself. Click the link in bio to check out new online course.

• Wear a life jacket.

• Don’t drink and drive. Operating a boat under the influence is no different than driving a car, and you can be charged to the fullest extent of the law.

• Pay attention and stay alert. Complacency and distractions can quickly lead to dangerous situations.

See you out on the water 😎🫡

Some great tips from Captain Chris about safely fueling a boat!

It’s Boating Safety Month, and we’ve got a big holiday weekend coming up on the water. Take this time to do a full safety check and listen to some of the reminders we’ll be posting this week.

Share this video with a friend who’s a new boat owner or someone thinking about buying their first boat.

Looking to earn your state boating license? Our online boating safety course makes it easy to learn the rules of the water, improve your boating knowledge, and get certified at your own pace.

Check the link in our bio to get your boating license today

May is National Boating Safety Month, and the most important piece of safety gear on your boat is the one you wear!

According to the U.S. Coast Guard, around 75–85% of drowning victims in recreational boating accidents were not wearing a life jacket. A properly fitted PFD can save your life in seconds when the unexpected happens.

If you’re getting out on the water this season, make sure you’re properly educated too. The Qualified Captain’s new NASBLA-approved boating safety course is available now, allowing you to earn your state boating license online and boat with confidence. Click the link in our bio to learn more.

Huge shoutout to for continuing to raise the standard with gear built for real-world conditions, comfort, and safety on the water.

Great tips for Boating Safety Month from AST3 Eric Sorensen and Dylan Flack, recently featured on , where they shared the story of a serious offshore incident and how Dylan and his crew handled it under pressure.

“Better to have and not need, than to need and not have.” 👈 Every boat owner should live by this mindset.

Also, how will you and everyone onboard react if things go wrong? Have that conversation with your crew before leaving the dock… especially if you’re heading far offshore without cell service!

Comment below 3 things you carry onboard that aren’t required, but could help save lives when things go wrong.

I have…

• The Qualified Captain Trauma Kit
• ditch bag with EPIRB, PLB, and tools
• A life raft

Boating safety month tip: Make a Float Plan

Before you leave the dock, take a minute to make a float plan. Share where you’re headed, your route, who’s onboard, and when you expect to return. If something goes wrong, that information can be the difference between a quick response and a long search.

State Boating Course is officially NASBLA-approved and now live in Florida, North Carolina, California, and Maryland — with more states on the way.

Built by captains who’ve seen it all on the water, this course goes beyond the basics and teaches what actually matters.

If you’ve followed The Qualified Captain, you’ve seen how things go wrong out there. This course breaks down real incidents. The kind that make you stop scrolling so you understand what happened and how to avoid it.

✔️ State-recognized certification to get your boating license
✔️ Real-world incident training
✔️ Built by experienced captains

👉 Get started — click the link in bio

It always blows my mind how many people try to push a boat off a sandbar right next to a spinning prop. Even at idle speed, that prop is still spinning 600-800 rotations per minute.

And remember, that’s full rotations. If it’s a 3-blade prop, that’s 3 blades passing the same point every rotation, so at 3,000 RPM you’re looking at roughly 150 blade passes per second. That’s a damn blender straight to the leg…

Half the time the prop or skeg is still grinding bottom. Trim it ALL the way up first and then turn the motor off. Or better yet just wait for the tide.

Shoving the stern while in gear doing much… but it can cost you a leg. Not worth it!



📸

We didn’t build another boring boating course…
We built the one people actually need.

The Qualified Captain State Boating Course is officially approved by the National Association of State Boating Law Administrators (NASBLA) and is now live in Florida, North Carolina, California and Maryland with more states soon to come!

Designed to go beyond the basics, this course uses real-world scenarios to teach boaters what actually happens on the water, not just what’s in a textbook.

- Earn your state-recognized boating safety certificate
- Learn from real incidents
- Gain the confidence to operate legally and safely

Whether you’re new to boating, have years of experience, or just turned the legal age to get your boating license in your state, this course is built to help you do it the right way.

👉 Click the link in our bio to get started

Weather means more than sunny or not