Why?

Because boaters are different.

Great Lakes Solo Charles Scott | April 25, 2011

Great Lakes Solo
Charles Scott | April 25, 2011

Because we want to have fun.

Because we live in this beautiful community, near the bluest, freshest water on the planet.

Because we discovered, perhaps when very young, that water supports flotation. Maybe it was just a toy boat in the bath. Later, it was a hand-made raft on a pond. Then, a fishing boat on the river, and soon a sail boat on the lake.

Some of us had to go faster, so we turned to power boats….

Patrick Presutti is missing after he left a marina more than a week ago, police said on Sept. 10. (Courtesy Anna Presutti)

Patrick Presutti is missing after he left a marina more than a week ago, police said on Sept. 10. (Courtesy Anna Presutti)

And, sometimes nature was cruel. Storms, wind, ice would cause us harm or injury, and we would need help. Our fellow boaters, our comrades on the water, would lend a hand, throw a line, give a tow.

Sometimes, conditions were so harsh, we could only laugh in defense. We seem crazy to landlubbers who notice us – nautically disturbed, perhaps.

It’s this camaraderie among boaters that we cherish, that we want to protect, to perpetuate.

It All Started…

It all started when Gerry Kramer and Mark Walker happened to be in Annapolis, one of the top boating communities in the world. They were there to look at an antique wooden boat for sale, and when it turned out to be…  well, disappointing, they found themselves in a little side-street bar. Neither of them remembers how many beers it took, but one of them (Gerry says it was Mark) hit upon the idea of being nautically disturbed. 

And from there, Gerry (aka ‘Bulldog with an Idea’) persisted in perpetuating the concept. Now, we don’t know how many ND’s are in the fold. Are YOU nautically disturbed?

CHARITABLE

And, because of our love for this community, we always stand ready to give back.

WPHM Jun 26, 2015 Paul Miller was on "Tuggy" today, a fundraiser for the Community Foundation

WPHM Jun 26, 2015
Paul Miller, Jackie Hanton, and Gerry Kramer (right to left) were on “Tuggy” today, a fundraiser for the Community Foundation

When you buy something on this web site, or make a donation (“Donate” button below), it goes to the ND Trust Fund to keep this effort moving, and a portion to the Maritime Fund, a donor-directed account administered by the Community Foundation of Saint Clair County.

As part of our charitable endeavors, ask us about Tuggy, or the “Touch a Freighter” Pilot Boat Rides. (The flyer is on the Nautical News page.)

Maritime Fund

Established in 2004, the Community Foundation of St. Clair County’s Maritime Fund provides support and leveraging opportunities to programs, projects, and organizations that seek to:

  • Protect, preserve and enhance the waterways of St. Clair County
  • Enhance efforts at making the county a maritime destination
  • Promote boating to new and diverse populations
  • Provide young people the opportunity to pursue learning and education related to maritime studies