Let's Go Boating TV: October 8, 2026

Show Notes

Welcome back to Let's Go Boating TV. I'm Franklin Pillsbury, and today we're talking about a hurricane that isn't coming here, and why it still gets a say in your weekend.

Franklin Pillsbury IV is joined by Eddie Brooks for the October 8, 2026 edition of Let's Go Boating TV. Practical, plain-English boating for families getting their first boat on the water in Southwest Florida.

Follow @LetsGoBoatingTV for more tips and helpful hints about boating.

. . . | Strategy and creative are mine. AI helps produce it.

What is Let's Go Boating TV?

Climb aboard and discover the stories, people, and passion that make boating more than a pastime, it is a way of life. Hosted by Franklin Pillsbury IV, this podcast celebrates the heritage of boating, the joy of life on the water, and the lessons learned from family, faith, and community. Each episode brings you engaging conversations with boaters of all generations, industry insiders, and everyday water lovers. From first-time boaters learning the ropes to seasoned captains sharing legacy stories, we explore how boating connects us, teaches us, and changes lives.

Whether you’re here for inspiring stories, practical tips, or just the sound of waves and dockside wisdom, Let’s Go Boating TV Podcast invites you to join the journey. Because at the end of the day, we are all united by water.

Franklin Pillsbury IV: Welcome back to Let's Go Boating TV. I'm Franklin Pillsbury, and today we're talking about a hurricane that isn't coming here, and why it still gets a say in your weekend.

Eddie Brooks: Eddie Brooks here, first year owner, and I'll admit I heard "missing Southwest Florida" this morning and started packing the cooler for Saturday.

Franklin Pillsbury IV: Hold that cooler, Eddie. Then in the second half, a question for every family. If the person driving the boat suddenly cannot, who brings everybody home?

Franklin Pillsbury IV: Here's where things stood this morning. Isaias became the first hurricane of the season late Wednesday night. Forecasters expect it to reach at least Category Two before landfall late Friday or Saturday.

Eddie Brooks: And we're nowhere near that. That's hundreds of miles away.

Franklin Pillsbury IV: We're out of the direct path, so nobody down here needs to panic. Our neighbors in the Panhandle are getting the real storm, and they're in our thoughts. But a storm that big still pushes the whole Gulf around.

Eddie Brooks: From that far away?

Franklin Pillsbury IV: Local forecasters expect rough surf, rip currents, passing downpours, and Gulf seas of three to five feet on Saturday.

Eddie Brooks: Three to five feet doesn't sound like much. I'm taller than that.

Franklin Pillsbury IV: Standing in your kitchen, sure. Now picture it rolling under a twenty one foot boat with your nine year old up in the bow seat. Kids get scared, people get sick, and the cooler slides across the deck.

Eddie Brooks: Okay, that changes the picture.

Franklin Pillsbury IV: And the sky can look perfect while it happens. Those seas were built by a storm hundreds of miles off, and they show up anyway.

Eddie Brooks: So how do I tell the difference? I don't want to be the dad who cancels for nothing.

Franklin Pillsbury IV: Stop asking the sky and start asking the marine forecast. That's the forecast for the water, not your zip code. If it says three to five feet in the Gulf, that open water is off the list for a family boat.

Eddie Brooks: What about the back bays? Couldn't we just stay inside?

Franklin Pillsbury IV: Protected water is sometimes fine when the Gulf is not. But Saturday's downpours bring gusty wind and poor visibility with them. For a new family, my answer is simple. Skip Saturday.

Eddie Brooks: And the beach, if the boat stays home?

Franklin Pillsbury IV: That's where I'd be most careful. If the lifeguard flag says stay out, you stay out. And teach the kids now. Caught in one, you swim parallel to the shore, not straight back against it.

Eddie Brooks: So what do I tell the kids? They've been counting down to Saturday all week.

Franklin Pillsbury IV: The truth, and a better day. The forecast has calmer water coming back on Sunday. So Saturday becomes prep day. Check the trailer lights, top off the fuel, pack the bag together. Then Sunday morning, look at the marine forecast one more time as a family, and make the call out loud.

Eddie Brooks: Out loud. Why does that part matter?

Franklin Pillsbury IV: Because your kids are learning how a captain thinks. Cancel when the water says cancel, go when the water says go. That's what makes the whole family trust the boat.

Eddie Brooks: So the dad who cancels doesn't look foolish after all.

Franklin Pillsbury IV: He looks like a captain. Hurricane season runs through November thirtieth, and we'll see more storms that miss us and still wreck a Saturday. Ask the water, not the sky.

Franklin Pillsbury IV: Now a little story, Eddie. Picture a family on a calm Sunday morning. Dad's at the wheel, Mom's in the back with the kids, a mile out and heading for the sandbar.

Eddie Brooks: That sounds a lot like my Sunday plan.

Franklin Pillsbury IV: Then Dad leans over to grab a hat that blew off, slips, and goes into the water. The boat keeps going. Who on that boat knows how to stop it?

Eddie Brooks: Honestly? In my family, nobody. I drive. Everybody else rides.

Franklin Pillsbury IV: That's most families. So one of the best things a new owner can do this fall is train a second skipper. Your spouse, your teenager, anyone old enough to reach the controls and keep a cool head.

Eddie Brooks: Where would they even start?

Franklin Pillsbury IV: Three skills. First, pull the throttle back to neutral. Second, if the engine needs to die right now, pull the engine cut off switch. That's the red lanyard clipped to the driver.

Eddie Brooks: Wait, the curly cord thing? I thought that was optional.

Franklin Pillsbury IV: That cord kills the engine if the driver goes overboard. Clip it on every time the motor is running. In my story, if Dad had been wearing it, the boat would have stopped right where he fell.

Eddie Brooks: Okay. And the third skill?

Franklin Pillsbury IV: Call for help. Show them the radio and channel sixteen, and have them practice saying where you are and what happened. Practice at the dock on a calm day, not for the first time on a bad one.

Eddie Brooks: My thirteen year old would love that. Anything with a button.

Franklin Pillsbury IV: Then hand him the job. And a spouse who knows how to stop the boat usually feels a lot better about being on it.

Eddie Brooks: Is there a class for this? I'm not sure I'm the best teacher yet.

Franklin Pillsbury IV: Good news there. The Coast Guard Auxiliary flotilla in Marco Island just posted its fall class schedule, and it includes a course built for the person who's not usually at the helm. Not near Marco? Look up the closest flotilla to your ramp.

Eddie Brooks: So the person at the wheel isn't the only one who can save the day.

Franklin Pillsbury IV: Exactly right. One skipper is a plan. Two skippers is a family that can handle a bad moment.

Franklin Pillsbury IV: So that's today. A storm that misses us can still cancel Saturday, so ask the water, not the sky. And before your next trip, teach one more person to stop the boat and call for help.

Eddie Brooks: I'm going to go find that red cord and clip it to my belt.

Franklin Pillsbury IV: Clip it on and wear it every time. Follow at Let's Go Boating TV for more tips and helpful hints about boating. We'll see you tomorrow.