What Actually Happens Before the Pretty Boat Pictures
One of my Boating Influencer deals fell apart less than 24 hours before it was supposed to happen. That’s a story for another day. What didn’t fall apart was the job already on the books: hop on a Beneteau Gran Turismo 50 I had never touched, get her ready for a photo shoot, and drive her around so 410 Films could make her look as good as she deserves.
So while the deal to make even more Boomies-style content for Beneteau evaporated, I spent my day doing what I actually do. RUN THE BOAT I’VE NEVER SEEN!
Yes, I did end up making a little video anyway, but it was more about how I do the job and some things still got cut. Here’s what that looks like when nobody’s pointing a camera at the process.
Lines and fenders, first. Anything gross that comes aboard on a fender or a line ruins a photo day before it starts. Chesapeake Yacht Center had this boat detailed and prepped, which made my life easier. That’s not a given.
Systems, before I trust anything. New boat, new panel, new breakers. Battery switches first, then engine checks with COBB(B)S. Coolant, oil, belts, bilge, batteries, strainers. Brand new doesn’t mean broken-in, and it definitely doesn’t mean I know where anything is yet. Case in point: the generator died on start-up. My husband, a marine mechanic, found the problem below while I kept moving. Turned out to be a switch at the helm I hadn’t located yet.
Gear checks, at the dock, always. Forward, reverse, bow thruster, joystick, tested while I still have a piling to grab if something doesn’t answer.
Then, and only then, we leave. Clean, no drama, nothing scuffed.
Once we’re out, the job changes shape. Now I’m calling out obstructions to a drone operator and banking a boat with the tags still on the seat like it’s made of glass, trying to make an industrial shoreline look pretty for a videographer who, respectfully, disagreed with me about how charming a container port can be.
What got cut. Editing has to move, so a lot of the actual job ends up on the floor. I also checked the location of fire suppression systems and ran through the radio before we ever left the dock. Neither one makes for gripping television, but they do matter and I do them almost unconsciously at this point. I might post that footage separately, because “boring” and “important” describe most of what a captain actually checks.
410 Films got his shots, the gorgeous kind, the ones where he somehow makes a boat’s bathroom look opulent. That’s his talent. Mine is showing up to a boat I’ve never touched, learning her fast enough that nobody watching would guess it, and handing her back without a mark on her.
I still think somebody should let me do a real walkthrough of this boat. Tell me in the comments if you agree.
Boat on.
