— From the helm
Marine intelligence, boating tips, and d3kOS updates from Skipper Don.
As winter slowly gives way to spring, I find myself itching to get back on Our Time. But a Robin claimed my boat trailer as her nesting spot this spring, and I had to postpone launching until her chicks had safely flown away. The unexpected delay turned into a gift of time—I used it to […]
Every January, my brother‑in‑law and I make our annual trip to the Toronto Boat Show. He and I go way back—we were friends before I met his sister (now my wife). We’ve always shared interests: me with technology and boating, him with contests and games. It’s a good match, and this show has become our […]
After weeks of talking about batteries, dashboards, and winterizing, it’s time to get back to why I bought this boat in the first place: fishing. Because at the end of the day, all the upgrades and planning only matter if they help me spend more time on the water, catching more fish, and enjoying it […]
With the Garmin installed, the NMEA 2000 backbone humming, OpenPlotter running on a Raspberry Pi, and the CX5106 converter turning analogue gauges into digital data, the boat finally has a voice. The next step? Teaching it to speak up when something’s wrong. Why Alerts Matter On an older boat, you rely on your eyes and […]
Adding a Garmin chart-plotter, an NMEA 2000 backbone, OpenPlotter on a Raspberry Pi, and a CX5106 converter was a huge leap forward. Suddenly, my 1994 Monterey wasn’t just a boat with good bones — it was a platform for digital innovation. But here’s the truth: none of it matters if the power doesn’t hold. Why […]
Every boat project has a turning point. For me, it came on Black Friday. I’d been limping along with a 1990s Lowrance fish finder — the kind of unit that belongs in a museum more than on Lake Erie. It showed a boat icon floating on blue nothingness. No detail, no charts, no real situational […]
When the boat is wrapped up for winter and the snow is falling, that’s when the ideas start flowing. I’ve spent decades in IT, helping companies digitize and disrupt, so of course I can’t help but look at my 1994 Monterey and think: how do I bring her into the digital age? The first step […]
I’ve spent my career helping businesses go through digital transformation—taking clunky, electronic and paper‑driven processes and turning them into sleek, connected systems. So when I look at my own boat, I can’t help but see the same opportunity staring back at me. Don’t get me wrong, I love my boat. But it’s not my dream […]
September 2025. The fish were practically volunteering for the frying pan. Four‑hour limit, perfect skies, and the kind of calm water that makes you think you’re in a tourism commercial.Naturally, I pointed the bow home, cranked the throttle, and let the heavy metal blast through the speakers. Because everyone knows horsepower increases by at least […]
Boating on the Great Lakes is incredible. Big water. Big waves. Big confidence. And for some reason, we all believe our indoor‑only electronics will survive out here just because the water isn’t salty. Spoiler: fresh water is still fully committed to ruining your gear. It just does it politely, like a Canadian storm. Boats don’t […]
