I passed my boat license exam in Trieste, Italy, on the windy waters of the northern Adriatic. I held the paper in my hands, felt immensely proud, and then looked out at the water and thought: "Now what?"
In the classroom, they teach you cloud formations, light patterns, and 25 maritime knots while an examiner stands over you with a stopwatch. They don't teach you the sudden wave of panic when you approach a busy Italian lakeside cafe pontoon with a 15-knot crosswind blowing your stern towards a million-euro Riva, while a waiter yells at you in Italian to throw the bowline.
When I started researching boat ownership, how much things actually cost, and how normal people navigate Swiss and Italian waters, I hit a brick wall. Most of what I found fell into two extremes:
- Old-school forums: Full of grizzled skippers arguing in impenetrable maritime jargon who treat beginners like idiots for asking what winter haul-out costs.
- Dealer sales content: Glossy brochures from brokerage firms trying to convince me that financing an €80,000 bowrider with €12,000/year marina fees is an easy weekend hobby.
Nobody was talking honestly about the real numbers in Swiss Francs and Euros, the actual fears of docking in wind, or how to get on the water when you don't have a yacht broker in the family.
So I started Boats & Me and launched The Weekly Log newsletter on Beehiiv. Not as an all-knowing expert, but as an honest recreational boater documenting every lesson, every gear discovery, and every mistake in real time so you don't have to repeat them.
Our 4 Editorial Principles
1. Radical Financial Honesty
We talk in real Swiss Francs (CHF) and Euros (€). We detail marina waiting lists, hidden engine servicing invoices, and winter storage costs without sugarcoating.
2. European Lake & Sea Specificity
We don't recycle generic US boating advice. Our content is grounded in Lake Lugano, Lake Como, Lake Garda, Lake Maggiore, and Mediterranean coastal realities.
3. Zero Dealer Puff Pieces
No sponsored dealer reviews, no undisclosed commissions. If a boat type is terrible for beginners or a marina charge is a ripoff, we say so directly.
4. Humble & Accessible
Boating is for everyone who loves the water. We avoid elitism, explain nautical terms in plain English (with local Italian terms in brackets), and encourage safe exploration.
If you have a boat license, are dreaming of getting on the water, or are in the terrifying phase of buying your first vessel in Europe, welcome aboard.
Warm regards,
Alex Colognese (Ale)
Lugano, Ticino, Switzerland