First and foremost we like to think of ourselves a bit less like insurance agents and more like protectors and promoters of the boating industry. (No I didn’t wear my super hero suit today, but if you saw it you would be impressed.) Sure, laugh but imagine a world where there was no boat insurance? Who would protect “Seas the Day”, “Nauti Buoy”, “Dream Weaver” or your own precious boat? After countless sunny Saturday afternoons spent together your boat is practically a part of the family. Sure, “Miss Behavin’” isn’t exactly one of the kids, but perhaps she takes her proper place in rank just after your faithful dog Buddy.

Providing boat insurance to American families and businesses is not our only endeavor though. We also do our best to contribute to the growth of the boating and watersports industries that we are passionate about. This brings us to events like Skierpalooza held in Florida last month and the Masters Waterski and Wakeboard Tournament. We are proud to participate in and sponsor events that promote watersports and boating as well as celebrate athletic achievements and entertain the whole family.

Of all of the boating events we have had the privilege to be involved in over the years, the Masters Waterski and Wakeboard Tournament is among the most prestigious. World-class athletes are invited from around the globe to participate at this annual event that began in Georgia over fifty years ago. It is considered an honor to be invited to compete at the well-publicized tournament held during Memorial Day weekend at Callaway Garden’s Robin Lake Beach.

Robin Lake where the athletes compete is Georgia’s largest manmade lake created just for this particular event. Sandy beaches encompass the 65-acre lake and a pavilion alongside it filled with stadium seating, as well as grassy lawn provides the perfect place to enjoy the show. It’s also a great destination for your next family vacation. You can spend a few days at the Masters and then time exploring everything that Calloway Garden’s has to offer including nature trails, tree top climbing adventures and golf among other activities.

The schedule features three days of watersports beginning on Friday with the junior athletes competing in ski events including tricks, slalom and jump as well as wakeboard competitions. Saturday and Sunday are filled with adult athlete competitions including ski tricks, slalom, and wakeskate and wakeboard events. Wrapping up the tournament with a Sunday evening awards ceremony.

As you can imagine all of the sunshine, water, boating and comradery can really be tough on an insurance agent, which is why we continued to be surprised each year when there’s no shortage of volunteers to head to Georgia and represent Global Marine as the official boat insurance company for the Masters Waterski and Wakeboard Tournament. We’re looking forward to this year’s Masters held May 25th-27th. We hope to see you there.

How exactly can one event do all that? First of all, Skierpalooza starts with two days of skiing in Orlando FL at the O.C. Waterski Club, where you get an opportunity to demo a new Radar behind a Nautique, followed by a complimentary lunch while mingling and picking up tips from the pros. Then, a fundraiser cocktail party Saturday night features an art sale by the notorious Bill Doster and raffle for gear from Performance Ski and Surf. The best part is that all of the proceeds from the art sale and raffle go to the Prevent Cancer Foundation, which is dedicated to saving lives through early detection and prevention.

This year the event had a great turn out and 50 registered participants were able to waterski one of Orlando’s prime ski locations, demo new ski gear and receive coaching from some top athletes including Chris Rossi, Aaron Larkin, Brooks and KC Wilson, Whitney McClintock and coach Matt Rini. The Saturday night fundraiser and social night was a huge success as well. Bill Doster’s art was a hot commodity, and raffle tickets went fast. The final count is not in yet but it looks like Skierpalooza will be contributing about six thousand dollars to the Prevent Cancer Foundation. This fundraiser is a great way for the skiing community to honor skiers lost to cancer and currently fighting cancer, while working to increase awareness about prevention so that we can continue to enjoy the sunshine while protecting our health.

“Skierpalooza was an amazing event, to bring a passion for waterskiing combined with raising money for a great partner like Prevent Cancer. This was truly a showcase of how tight the waterski community is. The success of the event will provide a great platform for future events (Skierpalooza). I was proud to represent Global Marine at such a great event.” – Jim Stanley, Global Marine

We would like to thank everyone who participated in this year’s Skierpalooza for making it a huge success and for giving us the opportunity to be apart of it. We look forward to doing it again next year. Later this month, May 25th – 27th we will be at Callaway Gardens in Georgia for the 53rd Masters Water Ski & Wakeboard Tournament and hope to see you there. Until then we will continue to serve the boating community by providing the best boat insurance coverage and rates possible.

To make sure your vessel is properly covered review the following tips on winterization and always check with your agent on specific requirements for your carrier.

1. Check your policy to see if you can do the work yourself or if another party is required.

2. Get an estimate on winterization maintenance at nearby marinas.

3. Take a look over your owner’s manual on how your specific vessel and engines should be decommissioned.

4. Winterization Checklists can be found on reputable sites such as Trade Only Today at: http://www.soundingsonline.com/news/dispatches/78/242272

5. Read over the list of winterization don’ts at: http://www.theensign.org/uspscompass/v5n10_winterize.htm

6. Find out how your vessel should be shrink wrapped at: http://blog.boattrader.com/2011/10/how-to-shrink-wrap-a-boat.html

In order to best protect yourself and your vessel, always check with your insurance specialists and read your policy before beginning any winter maintenance. You can reach Global Marine insurance experts at 800.748.0224.

Just as Yatch World is a trusted name in the yacht industry, Global Marine Insurance is the trusted name in yacht insurance, boat insurance and commercial marine insurance. Our reputation for superior customer service is what has lead to the unique opportunity we would like to highlight.

Yacht World’s website provides a service allowing those seeking to finance a boat purchase to apply for boat loans. Individuals who have completed an application will be given the opportunity to also receive information on boat insurance from Global Marine Insurance. All they have to do is check the “opt in” box on the application. From there a Global Marine Insurance representative will contact them to discuss boat insurance options.

So if you’re looking to purchase a boat from the largest selection of brokerage boats for sale and purchase insurance from the trusted name in boating insurance, you can now do it from one location!

Of course, if you already own a boat and are looking for boat insurance options, check out our website GlobalMarineInsurance.com, or get an online quote!

Side note — I just read that this guy literally jumped a shark, and no it wasn’t The Fonz either.

Just when we thought this summer couldn’t get any more exciting, along comes the WWA Wakeboard Nationals! Check out this video featuring some of the action from the event:

The WWA Wakeboard Nationals is a part of the King of Wake series which includes the Wake Games, the WWA National Championships, the WWA World Championships and all five stops on the Pro Wakeboard Tour.

The tournament features some of the top ranked athletes, where they compete for points, and you guessed it—the person with the most points wins!

The action was streamed live on King of Wake’s Facebook Page today from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. CST. If you missed out on watching the live event, be sure to bookmark the page to catch more live events in the future!

The local community and atmosphere is infectious! One of the largest events locally is taking place as we speak! The National Cherry Festival!

If you’re not familiar with the Cherry Festival, take a quick peek at this time-lapse video by a local photographer, which demonstrates just how big this event has become!

If you aren’t from around the area, we encourage you to stop by and pay Traverse City a visit— you won’t regret it! You can find a whole slew of resources about the National Cherry Festival on the official site.

Did we mention that on top of all the amazing entertainment there will be $40,000 in PRIZE MONEY to be won?!

“Global Marine Insurance is proud to be back as the title sponsor of the Global Invitational,” says Jim Stanley, Global Marine Insurance Marketing Manager. “We had such a great response from the inaugural Global Invitational that Global Marine Insurance was pleased to return again for this year’s event. Fans won’t want to miss it.”

Take a look at this video to see all the fun we had during last year’s 2010 Global Invitational.

See TheProSkiTour.com for more information on the event.

We hope to see everyone there!

So what is a hurricane plan? Well, it should be unique to the type of boat, its location and the severity of the forecast. But here are some general guidelines you can follow to help save your boat from damage:

1. If it is practical to get your boat out of the water and moved to higher ground, you should do so. Rain and wind will still be an issue, so remove all equipment and store in a safe place.

2. “Hurricane Clubs” provide a good solution if provided by a reputable marina with the facilities to haul, tie down securely and seal your boat. Many provide up to three haul outs per season for reasonable fees. If you store your boat in a stack storage building, make sure the building is hurricane rated. Many are not, and it could be better to have the boat outside on the hard tied down.

3. If your boat is in the water and in a harbor/marina, then the following actions should be taken depending on the severity of the storm forecast:

• Ensure your boat is secure with fenders in place.
• All dock lines need to be in good condition, doubled (with chafe protection) and adjusted properly.  Remember to allow for the storm surge and wind direction.
• Life lines should be open and tied down.
• All loose items on the boat and dock need to be tied down or removed.
• Ensure your batteries are charged, and test bilge pumps and float switches.
• All portlights and hatches need to be closed, and companionways closed and locked. Cowl vents should be removed.
• Shore power should be disconnected and power cords stowed.
• If you have a dock box, and a surge in excess of 1 ft. is forecasted, you should move it to higher ground and lock it.
• Windage is a big issue, so reduce the amount of surface area the wind can act on.
• Remove canvas/isinglass off Biminis and dodgers.
• Remove all sails and tie down booms.
• Dinghies should be taken ashore if possible, and tied down securely. If they are left on the davit, they could fill with water and break it.

4. Do NOT leave your boat on a boat lift, because boats can only be lifted a few feet, and therefore, may be washed away during a storm surge—or fill with rain water and collapse the lift.

5. “Hurricane Holes” are an option, but the problem with anchoring your boat there is that other boats around may break loose and can start a chain reaction—leaving all of the boats in a pile at one end of the hole. If that happens, it is considered an “act of God” and everyone pays their own deductible (even though one boat may be identified as the lone culprit).

6. Timing is everything!  If NOAA posts a named storm warning, act quickly to work your plan. If the storm doesn’t hit, some of the expenses you incurred may be covered by your insurance policy under what is termed “Hurricane Haul Out Expense.” But even if it isn’t, it’s a small price to pay to save your pride and joy and protect your investment.

As fun as boating can be (and we all know how fun it is), it’s important to remember the basic safety rules. For example—wearing a life jacket.

Below, television actress and mom of three, Christa Miller, promotes the importance of wearing a life jacket and talks about why she and her family always “Wear It!”

Please take a moment to navigate to http://www.uscgboating.org/ and read through some of their boater safety articles.

What are some practices that you, or your family, have adopted to stay safe on the water?