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The Atlantic Hurricane Season begins in June, bringing a historically low but serious early-season risk to mariners and Gulf Coast residents. While a named tropical cyclone only forms in June about once every 6 to 10 years, the highest risk area sits directly over the central Gulf of Mexico.
If a June storm does develop, historical patterns show the most likely track moves from the northwestern Caribbean northwest over the Gulf. This leaves a 50/50 chance for the system to curve north, then northeast toward Florida.
Click here for a look at the prospects for the upcoming 2026 Atlantic Hurricane Season.
As a new boat dweller (Cruisers, we are called) I quickly became accustomed to surreal seasons of stunning, clear-water, creature-filled swims, new vistas, deserted islands, and a humbling, fortifying existence far different than I had ever known. It’s not a particularly straightforward life; constantly SPARRING WITH MOTHER NATURE takes wily stamina, but the highlights make it worthwhile. I’ve missed it.
After two years on this one solid piece of ground with many WTF-could-possibly-happen-next moments, the circle of friends here are my lifelines. A Marine Industry guru described me this way and shared my May 10th Publication:
Fortunate is the “amateur” (in the true and best sense of the word) boatbuilder who finds ways to live a parallel life concomitantly with a seemingly never-ending restoration project. For it is that boatbuilder who will find the fortitude and the balance not to be ground down by the project.
— Phil FriedmanFor Yacht Builders, Buyers and Owners
While carrying a tremendous amount of respect for Phil’s resume I’m not certain that fortunate is the word with which I would describe myself throughout the ‘seemingly never-ending restoration project’. Spending a fortune? Most certainly! Fortunate? Well, perhaps. Respected subscriber and frequent commenter Switter believes I am because of the acquired wisdom he eludes to, and the fortitude magnified.
SPARRING WITH MOTHER NATURE came to be when a LOOSE CANNON contacted me in the way-south out-islands of the Bahamas because World’s Worst Homing Pigeon landed (and decided to stay) on my classic wooden sailing yacht; that journalist encouraged me to start my own publication. Two years later I offer lessons, ironies and correlations that most hard-working, adventure-loving, nature-worshipping folks can relate to no matter their origins. Most importantly, it gives me a creative outlet and a way to connect with humanity in a time when it’s not all that easy.
Writing is simply what I am wired to do, a constant underlying wave of words and titles run through my brain, giving my life the balance that Phil aptly describes. People tell me they savor how I meld assorted elements together; many are distinctly surprised that even though they are NOT self-described “readers”, they look for my weekly commentary. I have never, could never, imagine a better compliment than that. You know who you are and my life would be less happy if you had not shared how you felt! Let’s all do that more often, eh? Give someone an easy compliment. Make them feel like what they do matters. It’s not hard.
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So, IF I MAY, here’s what I have for you. May, for a quarter-century or so, has weighed down this heart. I wanted to share because our Secret Sparring Society is a tight-knit group and growing in numbers. On May 1, I celebrated my mother’s birthday. She would have been eighty-seven, created five years after my floating home just miles apart on opposite shores of the western end of Long Island, New York. Born Martha Ann Graves she became Marti Graves Wheeler, Home Economics and Third Grade Teacher, a parent who nurtured my first life all over Upstate New York. The second life she visited, in the deserts of Arizona and Montana, the third and longest, Colorado, appealed in its stark differences to all she had ever known and beckoned. On a snowy Memorial Day weekend my brother moved her out to me, where she built a wonderful world of her own. Diagnosed that same summer, Marti was a five-year Breast Cancer survivor until a second primary, Peritoneal Cancer, took her in a span of three spinning, impossible weeks on an assortment of hospital floors; we never left her side. Wedding invitations to a smart, smitten man never got sent. We lost her twenty-four years ago today at only sixty-three. As I approach that age, I am more and more aware of how lives fly by and how much like her I have become. It’s hard to believe I’m the age I am.
Here, she is 53, I am 48 in my final year as a Colorado Chef & organic farmer.
My mom could not have even remotely imagined what my fourth reinvented life would bring, the one where I am a writer/liveaboard sailor/boat maintenance apprentice. She would be pleased beyond belief that I had finally given in to my desire to write (and write and write).
I believe, strongly, that she’s watching me, and I don’t say that lightly. I was embarrassed, sometimes, at her mom-in-the-bleachers cheering, rueful now because I thought her too enthusiastic, too devoted. Today I thoroughly understand there is no such thing as too devoted, I love that expressive passion. On a few things we were polar opposites but if she was disappointed, it showed only when I was grounded for the entire summer of my 16th year, or when, in her unflagging honesty, she divulged opinions I had no interested in hearing. Marti blessed me with a love of delicious food and beaches along with the ethic to stay in touch with friends no matter how one-sided that may be.
Myriads of characters and creatures, some remarkably memorable and others best forgotten, contributed to who I am but she was the most predominant for the thirty-two years I had her; my best friend, companion and confidant during her time out west. One of our loyal readers from Down Under penned a comment I’m sharing because I’d love to share it with her but you who surround me are an excellent substitute:
……What I think is most distinctive about *Sparring with Mother Nature* is that it doesn’t set out to be memoir, even though it draws from observation and memory. You curate and present inspirational impressions. That’s its own craft. When I first talked about your work with fellow writers (outside of Substack), I compared it to a Robert Pirsig *Chautauqua* or reflective educational narrative drawn from adventurous experience. Not everyone adventures; not everyone reflects. Not everyone can do what you do regularly and fluently. Ruv Draba
Thank you for staying aboard— there’s lots of space at the end to share whatever you want, too. Until next week, when we re-explore STEADFAST’s Bronze Age…
~J the accidental boatbuilder
I have long not believed in coincidence, so do with it what you will. This is the bottle of wine I popped open to accompany dinner as I finished this up. Cheers.
Whether you partake or not, sometimes these things are a kind of, well, weirdness that I rather believe in. Regardless, I would truly appreciate you ‘liking’ (that dang heart icon we’re so familiar with) & ‘restacking’ this work. The impersonal algorithms of Substack only pay attention to those, not the quality of the words nor the nature of the audience. So, it just takes a sec, affects you not at all and means that people who discover us may just help me make a living doing what I love. Wouldn’t that be grand?
When you comment, I always both appreciate and respond to those thoughts. So take another sip of that coffee and type away. Thank you.
OH WAIT!! THERE’S MORE! I just uploaded a YouTube video from last weekend’s BOOK DEBUT! Don’t resist this, it’s worth three minutes of your life, and then, buy the man’s memoir. Seriously.
Fred Pickhardt’s Substack is free today. But if you enjoyed this post, you can tell Fred Pickhardt’s Substack that their writing is valuable by pledging a future subscription. You won’t be charged unless they enable payments.
There is always plenty to do around Charlotte Harbor. While berthed at Fishermen’s Village Marina, A CRUISERS NET SPONSOR, you are certain to enjoy visiting Western Florida’s beautiful Charlotte Harbor/Peace River.
There is always plenty to do around Charlotte Harbor. While berthed at Fishermen’s Village Marina, A CRUISERS NET SPONSOR, you are certain to enjoy visiting Western Florida’s beautiful Charlotte Harbor/Peace River.
Fishermen’s Village JUNE Calendars of Entertainment/Events
When spending time with friends and family on your boat or yacht, everyone’s enjoyment and safety should be your top priorities. As the frequency of recreational marine fire-related accidents has increased, so have the injuries and deaths associated with them. To keep yourself, your family, and your friends safe while aboard your boat or yacht, it’s important to abide by safe boating practices, particularly fire safety, so you can enjoy your time on the water and make it back to the dock safely for your next adventure.
Below, we’ve outlined the three “P’s” of marine fire safety every boater should follow.
Prepare
Understand how to fuel up safely. Be sure the engine blower is operational and on before fueling and restarting the engine.
Develop a plan and practice what you’ll do if you need to extinguish a fire or abandon ship.
Make sure you know how to safely use a galley stove or barbeque grill on board.
Prevent
Install smoke and CO detectors in the cabin and other enclosed compartments.
Install automatic fire suppression system in the engine room. This might also save you money on your insurance premiums – contact your broker for details.
Inspect the wiring on battery terminals and breaker panels on high-amperage circuits. If necessary, obtain an electrical inspection or survey.
BoatUS is the leading advocate for boating safety in the US and A CRUISERS NET SPONSOR.
BoatUS Magazine’s Mike Vatalaro teaches you to how to bring your outboard- or sterndrive-powered boat alongside a dock or bulkhead in four simple steps. Learning how to dock a boat, particularly to come alongside a bulkhead or approaching the gas dock, doesn’t have to be difficult. We’ll docking a boat down to four simple steps to help ensure your success. Go out and practice docking your own boat, and it should become easy. Read more at https://www.boatus.com/expert-advice/…
BoatUS is the nation’s largest association of recreational boaters with more than half a million Members. We provide a diverse offering of services including marine insurance, on-the-water towing provided by TowBoatUS, the nation’s largest fleet, plus boat financing, graphics and lettering, representation for boaters on Capitol Hill, the award-winning BoatUS Magazine and much more. For more than 50 years, BoatUS has made boating safer, more affordable and more accessible. 🚩Download the BoatUS App today to access NOAA marine weather, tides, exclusive Member discounts, and your BoatUS account. Assistance on the water has never been easier with TowBoatUS CONNECT in the BoatUS App — the fastest way to get a tow! https://boat.us/sy-app
SCDNR to conduct courtesy boat inspections during Memorial Day Weekend
SCDNR officers will perform quick but thorough inspections for required safety equipment at public boat landings during the Memorial Day weekend. (SCDNR photo)
In an effort to keep people and waterways safe during the Memorial Day Weekend, the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR) Law Enforcement Division will be conducting courtesy boat inspections at public boat landings around the state.
The Memorial Day holiday kicks off the summer boating season and is one of the busiest times of the year for South Carolina lakes and waterways, and officers want to do everything possible to keep everyone’s weekend fun and safe.
SCDNR boating safety and enforcement officers will perform quick but thorough inspections for required safety equipment and proper boat and motor registrations. Those who are not in compliance with safety regulations or registration requirements will not be ticketed during the complimentary inspections. Instead, they will be given an opportunity to correct the problem before they launch their boat. SCDNR officers will also be available to answer questions and give boaters tips on how to stay safe on the water.
To report boating violations such as reckless operation or an intoxicated boat operator, call the SCDNR toll-free, 24-hour hotline at 1-800-922-5431 or dial #DNR on your cellular phone.
For a copy of South Carolina’s boating regulations, to find out about local boating safety courses, or to obtain a free float plan form, contact the SCDNR boating safety office at 1-800-277-4301 or visit http://www.dnr.sc.gov/education/boated.html.
Memorial Day Weekend boat inspection locations:
Saturday, May 23:
Anderson County: Twin Lakes Landing, Lake Hartwell, 9AM-11AM
TowBoatUS Expands into Panama City, Strengthening Assistance for Recreational Boaters
Capt. Daimin Barth adds fourth TowBoatUS port to ownership portfolio along Florida’s Panhandle
An image of Capt. Daimin Barth and his wife Amber Zigadlo
PANAMA CITY, Fla. – May 20, 2026 – TowBoatUS, North America’s largest network of on-water towing ports, announced today that U.S. Coast Guard-licensed captain Daimin Barth has opened his fourth TowBoatUS port, TowBoatUS Panama City, continuing the brand’s growth to service it’s more than 152,000 BoatUS members across the state of Florida.
Located in the heart of Panama City Beach, the port offers 24/7 on-water support to recreational boaters, including towing, fuel delivery, battery jumps, and soft ungroundings. Long-distance towing services beyond service areas listed on BoatU.S. member service locator may be available based upon conditions and availability. Separate from serving BoatUS Towing Members, the port also offers salvage, repairs, and prop disentanglement.
“As a captain-turned-port owner, I take pride in building on my experience responding to distressed boaters and know firsthand how fast response times can make all the difference,” said Barth. “With three existing locations across the Florida panhandle, we’ve strategically extended our reach geographically to better allow us to cover the region and respond to members quickly and when they need us most.”
The port will operate four TowBoatUS red response vessels crewed by U.S. Coast Guard-licensed captains, who are ready to respond to service calls. Vessels are strategically stationed at Sun Harbor Marina, Treasure Island Marina, a private dock in Parker, and on a trailer to service Deer Point Lake as well as other landlocked bodies of water. This distributed coverage allows the team to efficiently serve the entire Panama City Beach and Panama City area, reducing response times and ensuring help is always close by. The fleet ranges from 24 to 33 feet, enabling effective service in both shallow and deep-water conditions.
Much like an auto club for recreational boat owners, Boat Owners Association of The United States (BoatUS) offers on-water towing memberships for $215/year for saltwater. In addition to a BoatUS Towing Membership, members also receive more than 25 valuable BoatUS benefits including a subscription to award-winning BoatUS Magazine, free DSC-VHF radio registration and more.
To request on-water assistance, boaters can call the BoatUS toll-free 24/7 Dispatch Center at 800-391-4869, download the free BoatUS App, which connects boaters to the closest local towing captain, call TowBoatUS Panama City directly at (850) 697-8909, or hail on VHF radio Ch. 16.
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About TowBoatUS
Boat Owners Association of The United States (BoatUS) is the nation’s leading advocacy, services and safety group for recreational boaters. We provide more than 740,000 members with a wide array of helpful services, including 24-hour on-water towing that gets boaters safely home when their boat won’t, as well as jump-starts, fuel delivery, and soft ungroundings. The TowBoatUS towing fleet is North America’s largest network of towing ports with more than 330 locations and over 630 red towboats, responding to more than 110,000 requests for assistance each year. To learn more about becoming a TowBoatUS member, visit BoatUS.com/Towing, and to find a TowBoatUS location closest to you, visit BoatUS.com/ServiceLocator.
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Aaron Hirschhorn died on March 28, 2021, while piloting his hoverboard in Biscayne Bay, Florida. He had collided with a center-console. (Instagram)
Five years ago, the owner of a Chris Craft Launch 38 collided with a guy on an electric foil hoverboard, and he was pronounced dead at the scene. Aaron Hirschhorn, a celebrity entrepreneur, was survived by his wife Karen Nissim and their three young children
Insurance companies for the Chris Craft owners denied the Hirschorn family’s claim for compensation, spawning a legal battle so epic that it would rival the upcoming summer movie Odyssey with a legion of suit-wearing attorneys instead of helmeted Greek heroes. At stake is a $66 million arbitration award.
“The insurers denied coverage for the subject accident, declined to pay any amount on the claim, and refused to defend their insureds in litigation,” Lawyers for Karen Nissim wrote. In other words, the lead insurance company tried to walk away from their own clients on the basis of a couple technicalities—a move barred under Florida law.
Florida’s so-called “anti-technical” statute is “designed to prevent the insurer from avoiding coverage on a technical omission playing no part in the loss.”
The recalcitrant insurance company is defendant Yachtinsure Services, a managing general agent and claims-management firm representing “actual insurers” Clear Blue Specialty Insurance and Aspen American Insurance Company, who each provided coverage to one of the two partners that owned Caprice.
(At this point it should be noted that one of the owners himself died a few months before the accident.)
According to the lawsuit, Yachtinsure refused to settle the claim against itself and the two companies or defend them in court.
Yachtinsure denied the claim under the dead owners’s policy because the live owner, who was operating the vessel, was supposedly an “unapproved operator.” This, even though the live owner’s separate policy—also administered by Yachtinsure— specifically listed live owner Randy Harmat as an operator.
So how did Yachtinsure deny coverage under the Harmat policy listing him as an operator? Kissim’s lawyers take up the story:
Coverage for the Harmat Policy claim was denied on the purported grounds that there was a “misrepresentation and failure to disclose material information related to a prior loss involving the Vessel.” The purported “misrepresentation” that justified its denial of the claim was the “fail[ure] to answer the question” on the insurance application whether “the vessel suffered any damage or undergone repairs in the last five years.”
Which, of course, raised the question: If this were an issue, why was the policy issued to Harmat in the first place? Especially after the answer blocks appear to have been filled in, then erased.
In May 2022, an arbitrator apportioned blame in the accident, deciding that Hirschhorn was 25 percent at fault, while the estate of the guy who died before the accident happened was 75 percent at fault. Based on Hirschhorn’s young age—he was 42 when he died—and the likelihood of future earnings, the arbitrator ruled that his family was entitled to $66 million even after factoring Hirschhorn’s own culpability.
Then in January 2024, Harmat the living owner agreed to the same settlement under the ancient legal doctrine of any party not at the table is on the menu.
Actually, it is called a Coblentz agreement, which refers to a negotiated consent judgment “entered into between an insured and a claimant in order to resolve a lawsuit in which the insurer has denied coverage and declined to defend.”
The agreement guaranteed that Hirschhorn’s survivors would not go after Harmat or his dead partner’s estate for the settlement—only the insurers.
Here’s where it gets interesting. Both insurance policies were limited to $500,000 payouts, but lawyers for the widow argued that, under Florida law. Yachtinsure’s “wrongful refusal to defend the claim” mean that those limits went out the window and the entire $66 million was at play.
Through its lawyers, Aspen Insurance argued that the arbitration award agreed to by the plaintiff and the boat owners “was not reasonable and is the result of collusion, fraud or lack of ‘good faith’.”
Aspen, which represented the dead owner, also argued that his policy died with him and that Aspen, therefore, didn’t owe Hirschhorn’s survivors a nickle.
That’s just a quick and undoubtedly incomplete summary of just one of five federal lawsuits arising from the untimely death of Aaron Hirschhorn. Some have been settled, but the central case had 284 document entries as of last week—with no sign of letting up.
Chief takeaways: Read your policy. Ask questions. Realize that Florida’s anti-technicality law may not be the case in your state.
A sistership to the Chris Craft in question.
LOOSE CANNON covers hard news, technical issues and nautical history. Every so often he tries to be funny. Subscribe for free to support the work. If you’ve been reading for a while—and you like it—consider upgrading to paid.
There is always plenty to do around Charlotte Harbor! While berthed at Fishermen’s Village Marina, A CRUISERS NET SPONSOR, you are certain to enjoy visiting Western Florida’s beautiful Charlotte Harbor/Peace River.
Fred Pickhardt’s Substack is free today. But if you enjoyed this post, you can tell Fred Pickhardt’s Substack that their writing is valuable by pledging a future subscription. You won’t be charged unless they enable payments.
The ENSO Diagnostic Discussion issued by NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center on May 14, 2026, indicates that ENSO is transitioning toward an El Niño event.
While the system is currently in an ENSO-neutral state (neither El Niño nor La Niña), there are strong signals that this will change very soon.
Key Highlights:
Emergence of El Niño: There is an 82% chance that El Niño will emerge between May and July 2026.
Long-term Outlook: The event is expected to persist through the Northern Hemisphere winter of 2026–27, with a 96% probability during the December–February period.
Oceanic Conditions: Sea surface temperatures (SSTs) in the east-central Pacific are currently near average, but subsurface temperatures have been rising for six consecutive months. This “warm pool” below the surface is a precursor to the development of El Niño at the surface.
Atmospheric Coupling: Low-level westerly wind anomalies have been observed, which helps push warm water toward South America, further fueling the El Niño development.
Strength and Impact:
Uncertainty in Intensity: While experts are confident El Niño will happen, its peak strength remains uncertain. This summer, a weak El Nino will likely become moderate during the late summer and early fall. Thereafter, there is significant uncertainty as the probability distribution is relatively evenly spread between moderate to very strong with no specific category having more than a 37% chance of occurring.
Risk Assessment
Based on the May 2026 ENSO Diagnostic Discussion, the following table provides the percentage probability for each strength level of El Niño (and Neutral conditions) for the upcoming seasons.
The strength is determined by the Niño-3.4 Index (sea surface temperature departures in the east-central Pacific).
El Niño Strength Probabilities (%)
Analysis of the Data:
Peak Intensity: The forecast suggests a steady intensification throughout the year. While the event starts as “Weak,” the probability of a “Very Strong” El Niño (≥ 2.0°C) increases significantly toward the end of the year, peaking at 37% during the November–January period.
Winter Outlook: By the Northern Hemisphere winter (DJF), there is a combined 60% chance of the event being either “Strong” or “Very Strong.”
As we move into early summer, the model uncertainties will diminish and we will be able to better predict the peak intensity.
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