About
The Blog
Welcome to the Captain Tuna Blog, a place where boaters and fishermen connect to share information and stories. The blog was founded in 2022 by friends and co-authors, Captain Hal and Captain Bob, to help fellow boat captains get the most out of their sport and to be safer on the water.
The Captain Tuna Creators
Captain Hal is a native New Englander turned Florida snowbird and now blogger. He grew up on the water and loves it. His kids grew up on the water and now his grandkids have joined the fun. He has a tradition on his boats where those who catch fish earn a big reward… 25¢ each for the first, biggest, most and ugliest fish! The kids are diligent in reminding him of this!
Captain Hal has enjoyed 60 years of pleasure boating and has completed over 1,200 rescues and salvages as a rescue boat captain. He has seen a lot of fun and a lot of scary situations on the water. He’s witnessed beautiful boats burn to the waterline in minutes, boats removed from rocky shorelines with chainsaws, and sunken boats raised from the seabed – all of which make him heartsick and serve as reminders that operating a vessel safely should be the number one of objective of every boat captain.
Captain Bob grew up in more urban surroundings on the Hudson River close to New York City. Finding good fishing was a bit of a challenge and it was not until his teen years that he had access to a boat on the river. Over the years he lived and worked in some great outdoor places, camping and fishing with his family as his kids grew up. He has more than 70 years of fishing and boating experience in Oregon, Idaho, Colorado, Rhode Island, Florida, Alabama, Australia and Cape Cod.
Captain Bob believes fishing is a sport you can participate in at any age and can enjoy with your children, grandkids, and friends – and it doesn’t require batteries! It’s a sport that brings people together, gets people out of the house, and if lucky provides the opportunity for a wonderful meal.
The Captain Tuna Philosophy
Being on and around the water is fun, whether on a sail or power boat, on a bay or open ocean, water skiing, cruising, fishing or even cooking the fish we catch.
There is something magic and addictive about being on the water, kind of a return to nature without the constant drubbing we take from media and everyday life ashore. Captain Hal’s brother said it best one cool October day while covering his boat for winter – “Wow, I even like doing this, it is just so great to be around boats wherever they are!”
As captains, when underway on the water we become singularly responsible for the safety and wellbeing of our vessel and all who sail aboard her.
-All Captains Worth Their Salt
At boat shows, while staffing a booth for his rescue boat employer, Captain Hal was frequently asked “What is the most common problem with boats?” In his and Captain Bob’s, view the most serious problem is a lack of knowledge or even worse, a lack of judgement on the part of captains.
As captains, when underway on the water we become singularly responsible for the
safety and wellbeing of our vessel and all who sail aboard her. As responsible captains we
should never put our vessel, passengers or crew in dangerous or risky situations.
The “Tuna”
So exactly who is this big fish, Captain Tuna?
It could be Captain Hal, Captain Bob, a charter boat captain… or you. Any captain of a vessel is the big fish on deck, the de facto Captain Tuna.
The more time you spend on the water, the more stories you collect. Some good, some bad, all of them valuable lessons in how to get the most out of our sport and to be safer on the water. We hope you’ll contribute your own stories to this blog and help out your fellow captains.
All that said, sit down, pull up a cell phone, laptop or keyboard and welcome aboard!