Do you have trouble keeping New Year’s resolutions? We at PropTalk recommend making boating resolutions instead. They’re easier to keep and much more fun. Here are 10 suggestions:
1. Get more exercise… on a boat!
Paddling kayaks or standup paddleboards, wakeboarding, and wave-riding consume calories and are much more satisfying than jogging. Even if you’re just out for a boat ride, you have to pack a cooler and load and unload the boat (good exercise!). Moving around the boat with the rock of the waves improves balance. If you hit the throttle to go faster, the crew needs to hold on, which improves muscle fitness.
2. Spend more time with family.
What better way to bring together family members of all ages than to go boating together? If you don’t have your own boat, pick a date to rent one or buddy up to your friends with boats. They’d love to take you and your family out on the water! Really.
3. Cruise into the sunset.
There will be 365 sunsets in 2024, so make sure to be on a boat for a few of them, especially the luscious summer ones. If you don’t own a boat, there are many sunset charters along the Bay to choose from and, of course, friends with boats who’d love to take you out at the end of a day. Really.
4. Take someone new boating.
Hey friends with boats! This one is for you: If someone in your life shows interest in your boating or requests a boat ride, invite them out on the water, if even for an hour. Watch their face light up when you let them drive the boat for a while. A little boat ride can make someone’s day.
5. Wake up earlier… to go boating!
When was the last time you watched the sunrise from a boat? Have you ever experienced a quiet paddle or cast a fishing line on a flat-calm creek before work? Put an early morning boat ride on your 2024 list. If you’re anything like our Century Club members who aim to log 100 on-water days during the calendar year, you may find that sunrise boat rides are addictive.
6. Look up!
Besides regular stargazing on a clear night, reasons to take night-time boat rides in 2024 include summer full moons, meteor showers (Eta Aquarids peak May 6-7 and Perseids August 11-12 among others), and a partial lunar eclipse (September 18). There’s one big daytime event in 2024 to put on your “boat ride” calendar: the solar eclipse on April 8. Make sure to bring “eclipse-friendly” glasses!
7. Take me out to the ball game.
Anyone who loves to attend Orioles games in Baltimore by boat should check out the 2024 schedule. Why not choose a game and make a plan now?
8. Go see the Blues!
The Blue Angels flight demonstration for the U.S. Naval Academy Commissioning Week usually takes place the Tuesday and Wednesday before Memorial Day weekend. Keep your eyes on the U.S. Naval Academy website and the PropTalk calendar for 2024 date confirmation. Joining the lively on-water spectator crowd is one boating resolution worth playing hooky for.
9. Don’t miss the fireworks.
Whether special occasion shows or annual Fourth of July fireworks, they’re always better by boat with friends. Invite someone who’s never seen them by boat, and you’ll be reminded how lucky we boaters are to see the show from the water.
10. Have more fun!
If you can’t keep this boating resolution, you’re reading the wrong magazine! Happy New Year, PropTalk friends!