A Good Ear

It pays to be acutely aware of noise on your boat, particularly if it’s coming from the engine room.

- Peter Frederiksen

I’m not a big fan of loud music when I’m cruising on my boat. While I love music, I think it’s best to keep it at a reasonable sound level rather than blasting tunes for everyone in the marina or anchorage to hear. And there’s another reason to turn the volume down: Music can distract you from other noises on board, including those in the engine room. A builder told me a sad tale about a skipper who chose to run a boat from the flybridge while wearing headphones. He wanted to listen to his favorite bands rather than the throb of the machinery underfoot. It wasn’t until the tachs started fluttering that the captain pulled off the headset, only to hear the smoke alarms ringing. I don’t think he was listening to “Light My Fire” at the time, but even so, the boat’s owner fired the guy when he found out what he’d done.