Ph.D. Oceanographer Scott McDowell’s comprehensive guidebook is written for new boaters as well as those selecting a home port for their live-abroad retirement. The book is filled with practical tips including how to approach Marina Management, selecting the best type of slip for easy docking and dinghy storage, assessing amenities, interpreting vessel insurance policies and more. Also covered are key ocean processes such as tides, storm surge, tsunamis and lightning to maximize safety for the boat owner and vessel. Dr. McDowell educates by example with a bit of humor and sea salt sprinkled in. For the computer savvy boater, websites are given for the best weather and storm forecasts, as well as tides.Dr. McDowell grew up by the sea on Cape Cod in Massachusetts. From an early age he fished for enjoyment then employment through his college years, winning Tuna Tournaments with fish weighing over 600 pounds. After obtaining his Ph.D. in Ocean Physics, he conducted research in the deep North Atlantic Ocean and made the first-ever discovery of 60-mile-wide ocean eddies (thereafter named ‘Meddies’) swirling a mile below the surface as they moved westward from the Straits of Gibraltar. His discovery spawned international research on mid-ocean eddies for the next two decades.During his oceanographic career, he led research programs for analysis of currents, tides, waves and water quality characteristics in coastal and deep-ocean environments. Projects ranged from an investigation of seafloor volcanoes at 63 South latitude in the Antarctic Ocean to studies at the remote Yukon River Delta in the Alaskan Bering Sea and measurements of deep currents affecting submerged gas production platforms in the Gulf of Thailand. He also conducted oceanographic programs for State and U.S. federal agencies, as well as commercial clients worldwide.
