Best Pictures of Our Season (so far)

[moguls2go]

Hey fellas- here are some of my favorite pictures from our summer. I'm not ready to concede that it's over.... so these are the favorites "so far". We took a few trips to Maine, went to Ptown for the rendezvous, spent some time in Rockport and Gloucester, and many days here locally in NH. Our dog passed on the trip home from the Cape, so that was an undeniable black mark on the season, but the last picture is of "Hinckley, the water logged dog", affectionately known by all as "Stink". He was a good boy.

[SteveM]

Beautiful boat. Great photos. My boat is original similar to yours..and we have two Golden Retrievers. So sorry for your loss. It's tough.
How did you get the dog on and off the swim platform and back into the boat? Harness?

[moguls2go]

Hi Steve- thanks for your note. Losing a dog is the hardest part about loving them!

He was able to get back onto the platform with just a little bit of help: he'd swim over and I could grab his collar and lightly lift so that his front paws were up, then I'd scoop him by his ribs or right in front of his hind legs, depending on how he was situated. If I was in the water it was really easy, I could just let him put his back feet on the palms of my hands underwater and he could climb up by himself. Unfortunately for him, he had far more tolerance for cold water than I do, so those occasions were rare here in northern New England!

Once he was on the platform I could just pick him up and set him back into the cockpit.

[PeterPalmieri]

Great trips, great season; beautiful kiddos! Sorry about your dog..

[Stephan]

Thanks for these pictures, they are beautiful. The one of the little guy in his pj's and life jacket reminded me of our early adventures.
Condolences on Hinckley's passing. Being with you and on the water were surely his favorite things.
Regards,
Stephan

[Carl]

Wow! That fist picture looks just unreal.
I thought it was a painting...and one I'd buy.

Thank you for sharing the pictures...looks like some great times and memories.

Sorry to hear of your loss, they do become part of the family.
If anything like my last dog...being in and around the water with her family, she was at her happiest.
Can't ask for a much better way to leave this world...but on a happy note.

Carl

[Amberjack]

Those are awesome images Max. Did you use a drone?

[moguls2go]

Thanks for the compliments on the photos, guys.

Doug, yes- I have a DJI Mavic Pro, which I bought for myself last winter. It's an incredible little (and I do mean little!) piece of technology. It's capable of 40mph and has a 4.2 mile range. I've never flown it that far- you really need to be careful about battery life and it would require ideal conditions to fly that far and make it home- but then again I really have no reason to send it that far from me. In the hands of an idiot drones can be really obnoxious, but if used respectfully I think they're capable of providing some really neat photos and videos.

What's really cool is its ability to stay stationary in windy conditions; I've had it up in 20+ mph winds and it'll stay completely still if I take my hands off the controller, which you could actually set down if you just wanted it to stay in one place. Under 20mph, it'll follow, circle, or profile anything you tap on the screen as it moves (say, a boat, for example)- it's a neat feature, but I don't use it much because of the speed restriction.

One thing I learned early on is that landing a drone on a boat comes with a serious pucker factor, and catching it isn't much better in any type of rocky seas. I was just out with Dug last weekend, caught it in a bit of a choppy sea (plus Dug has outriggers... more obstacles!) and came close to having my first beer afterward despite the fact it was 10 am.

[PeterPalmieri]

In the eyes of my 9 year old the drone was a close second to the 61 out in Greenport....

[Tommy]

Max, I agree with Carl, those photos are of commercial quality and are better than the great photos Bertram used in the 60's and 70's when they promoted the 31. Great looking boat and family, including your dog. So sorry for your loss. Thank you for sharing those great pics; you get my vote for the bertram31.com photography award! What power do you have; as she looks great running.

[moguls2go]

Thanks, Tommy.

We have the 315 6LP yanmars.

[Tony Meola]

Great shots. Carl is right. The first one is a classic. Looks like you made some great memories.

Sorry to hear about the loss of the dog.

[ktm_2000]

sorry about your dog.

I love the way the 31 sits in the water on the wide angle shot with your dog on the transom, but the drone shot while on a slight turn is the real winner to me.

[Seapalm]

So sorry to hear about Stink...
Truly our Best Friends and certainly part of the family.
Thoughts and prayers to your family.

Wonderful pictures and great to see a happy Bertram Family making the most of a great vessel!
Cheers!

[bob lico]

an outstanding photo taken in the cabin of two of your children. great photo`s sorry to hear of your lost.

[ranjr13]

Excellent pics, great looking '31. Hinckley was so lucky to be a part of your life on and off the water. I put a walk-through transom door in just so my pup can walk onto the swim platform and with a line tied to his PFD, he jumps in to cool off whenever he wants. Dogs and boats with kids = good times. Awesome job!