This is the time of year when many of us can barely wait to open up camp for the season and get the boat back in the River so that we can live our boating lives for as long as possible. Our minds wander to cruises, floats, and picnics, while plans form up for the coming season. We can’t wait! Fortunately, on February 18th, a fix for our fantasizing became available to help us make it through: a new podcast called “The Boaty Show.”
The brainchild of Thousand Island Park resident Jeff Pennington, “The Boaty Show” is co-hosted by longtime friend Stephanie Weiss of Clayton, NY. Every Wednesday, Steph and Jeff share stories, interview guests from around the River and beyond, hear from teens and twenty something’s about the younger demographic. They share just enough knowledge to be helpful but still entertain. The show is available on virtually all podcast platforms or via the show’s website, www.theboatyshow.com.
“The “Boaty Show” is for folks whose favorite topics include boating, boats, and the Thousand Islands,” says Jeff. “Stephanie and I have been shooting the breeze about boats for twenty years, plotting the next boat to buy, drooling over classics from the eighties and nineties, and mostly cracking each other up. Our listeners include boaters, River-lovers, and anyone interested in fun boat talk. We invite our listeners to submit photos of boats, theirs or others, new or old, to our weekly contest: ‘Boat of the Week.’ Listeners can contact us through our email at theboatyshow@gmail.com. We keep it light-hearted, hoping to make boating more accessible than intimidating. We’re getting positive responses so far!”
“We’re excited to interact with listeners of “The Boaty Show,”” Stephanie observes. “The Thousand Islands is an amazing place for boating, and we’re interested in hearing their experiences, as well as sharing our own. Many of those experiences, including mine and Jeff’s, are family stories. Being out on the water offers families a chance to have a good time together away from distractions on land. Spending the day on a boat stores up shared experience that we look back on when the season ends.”
Stephanie and Jeff know well that of which they speak. Stephanie spent her childhood summers with her family on their island. “Early on, we didn’t really just go out on the boat that often; it was a way to get to the island,” she says. “But, over time, my friends and I discovered the joy of just going out to explore and meet new people while we figured out the lovely corners of the River. We learned so much aboard the boat, developing skills and abilities along the way. Once it gets into your blood, boating is an essential part of living.”
“I grew up sailing on the Chesapeake Bay with my family,” Jeff recalls. “My wife and I ventured up to the River about thirty years ago and loved the area. Ten years later we returned, and the notion of moving here permanently crept in. Ultimately, we decided to buy a house in Thousand Island Park and give it a try. When my parents brought their live-aboard up for a visit, they wound up staying every summer since! Since then, my sister and her family moved here, too. We were always boaters, and we found the magic of the Thousand Islands irresistible.”
“We hope to take the show to areas beyond the Thousand Islands, for new experiences available by boat,” he adds. “No place is off-limits; add water and learn!”
While “The Boaty Show” doesn’t have sponsors yet, it does have a Vice President of Fake Advertising to add hilarious, imaginary ads to the mix. Want to get in on the fun? Tune in to “The Boaty Show” wherever you get your podcasts!
By Wayne C. Strauss
Wayne C. Strauss retired after 21 years as Vice President of Oppenheimer Funds in Rochester, New York. An Eagle Scout and member of Toastmasters International, he spends as much time as possible aboard his boat “Convexity,” in the Thousand Islands. See Wayne's newest article here and here on the old site.
Posted in: Volume 19, Issue 5, May 2024, News article, People
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