Shortly after she bought her 33' Egg Harbor, Terri Parrow, Vice President of Internet Operations at BoatU.S., took an action photograph of the boat as it went zooming by near Solomon's Island, Maryland.

The photo (left) turned out well, with a blue sky, puffy clouds, and lots of exciting spray.

The more she studied the photograph, though, the more it seemed that something was wrong. Then it dawned on her that the ship's ensign--the flag on the stern--is flapping forward, toward the two people on the flying bridge, Aren't flags supposed to point aft?

The canvas on the fly-bridge had just been added and when the flaps were closed exhaust from the boat's twin 340 hp gasoline engines was being sucked back into the cabin and onto the fly-bridge (the "station wagon effect). After seeing the photo, Terri made some changes.

First, she cruises with the forward canvas flaps and hatch on the foredeck opened slightly to keep fresh air flowing throughout the fly-bridge and cabin. And she also replaced one the boat's two CO detectors, which had been inoperable.

These two simple changes have saved her a lot of potential headaches, or worse, whenever the boat is underway.