The Buoy Guy - The Buoyant Float

It's Children's Day in Portsmouth...again, and MY Kids are Growing up!!

2019-05-05T10:11:00-04:00

What’s up with the weather? It’s Sunday May 5^th and I’m here in downtown Portsmouth, NH or, #DTP as my daughters and their friends call it. It’s gray, overcast, and about 55 degrees but it’s not raining for a change!

Today is “Children’s Day” here on Pleasant Street from 12-4:30. It’s a day when Portsmouth retailers, agencies, and otherwise civic minded people take time to do something for the kids! Pleasant street will be closed to vehicular traffic and all kinds of things will be set up to entertain the kids and educate the parents. It’s NOT about selling stuff like most fairs and festivals are – in fact selling is discouraged.

As a street vendor here in town, I’m usually here anyway trying to, well sell stuff BUT today is a little different. I’m already set up and selling stuff in my usual spot but I’m also here to help local toy store G.Willikers! with their Buoy Bat batting booth. They’ve been doing it for years and it all started when Bob took many, many rolls of colored duct tape and created what’s come to be one of the most popular activities at the event. Kids will line up to try and hit Buoy Bat balls off our industrial strength tee and into the mouth of the duct tape happy monster! I’m not sure if the monster has a name but he sure is popular with the kids! I bring the tee, a box of balls, and a Buoy Bat for them to use. They bring the monster!

Speaking of children, it seems like just yesterday that Sue and I were bringing OUR 3 to Portsmouth for today's event! Crazy as it may sound, and seem, our oldest, Katherine is a senior in HS and headed off to college next year!

After quite a process, she was admitted to Bowdoin in nearby Brunswick, Maine which makes me very, very happy., and proud! I've LOVED being part of her life for her first 18 years even if it's as a spectator a lot of the time. She's a smart, capable person and I could not be happier with the person she's become. Continuing to watch her life at Bowdoin is feasible because it's so close to home and it's going to be so fun! Last night she went to the Junior Prom with Neal and they made a stunning young couple!

And wow...I haven't posted for a long time! I just realized I was unaware that a few people had posted comments to a few of my posts LAST YEAR that have been sitting in my inbox the entire time! Thanks so much for the comments and sorry for the super long delay approvinhg them!

Have a great day...Buoy Bill

Market Square Day - It’s changed a lot for me.

2018-06-10T10:55:00-04:00

I don’t actually remember when I first learned about Market Square Day (MSD) but I do have many (some of which are very foggy) memories of it!

I went to the U of NH and officially graduated in 1992. That 4 year period at UNH was not my first attempt at college but it was my last. I guess I was on a “10 year plan” of sorts as I went my freshman year at New England College, failed out, took 5 years off for no particular reason, then tried again and became successful. 1 + 5 + 4 more = 10. I chose Recreation Management as my major because there was clearly "limited" math required. I would focus my attention on Ice Arena management during my coursework. I grew up a hockey player and worked in the rinks of Hanover as a "volunteer rink-rat" when I was young and paid employee as I grew older. It definitely helped to have a specific career focus to concentrate on in college and I was a straight A student the second time around! Before I graduated I landed a full time job as Manager of The Rochester Arena nearby.

It really made a difference that I’d “found” an interest in learning during the 5 year hiatus I took to try and make it out in the real world without a college degree. I got the job in Rochester near the end of my senior year and chose to finish my last 3 classes over the next 3 semesters. So, I guess that adds 1.5 years to my 10 year plan timeline bringing my total time earning a college degree to 10 + 1.5 = 11.5 but who’s counting!

I can absolutely attribute my success as a student at UNH to the fact that I stopped drinking before returning to school and would stay away from alcohol until roughly the halfway point through my “senior” year. My focus was on school work and work to earn money I was not distracted by parties or hangovers. I loved feeling well, sharp, healthy, and getting good grades. If alcohol is getting in the way in your life, I can suggest from experience that taking a break from it may work for you because it worked for me!

I must have found MSD shortly after finishing at UNH because memories I have of it back then are "party based" for sure. I remember that MSD was a stomping ground for recently graduated UNH young adults and that I spent many years anticipating MSD thinking it was the most important and biggest event of the year!

One of my favorite places to pass the time at MSD was at The Old Ferry Landing overlooking those iconic tugboats. Year after year came and went and it was the same over and over . We'll skip the tipsy details but it was a lot of fun and no harm came from it. It's just a chapter of my life that probably could have been lived in more productive ways but hindsight is perfect as usual. It was fun but I'm glad it's over. I did in fact meet my wife Susan at one edition of MSD on the deck at The Portsmouth Gaslight so something positive did come from it!

These days, I’m The Buoy Guy, an entrepreneur and small business owner whose purpose at MSD is supporting my family so my time there has come to be much more productive! Yesterday was my 7th or 8th year there as a vendor. It's one of my favorite events of the year. Like before but for positive reasons, I look forward to it, enjoy it, and have a lot of fun being a part of it.

I meet a lot of amazing people as a vendor and yesterday was no exception. It was unfortunately so busy in my booth that I did not think to take any pictures but I have one story I'd like to share with you.

I personalize lobster buoys right in my booth and yesterday I sold one to a very nice young couple named Jocelyn and Wiley from Chattanooga, Tennessee. They wanted their last name on their buoy and when I asked them what it was they warned me it was serious before they told me what it was. I looked at them with a blank stare and in disbelief when they said it. Afterwards we talked about how that had happened and why which was interesting.

I stamped their name on the buoy and they were delighted to receive it when they returned to get it. I joked with them that in Maine, there is a clan of people with a similar situation going on with their name too. I have a hard time keeping a straight face when I say these things like this but I was able to pull it off in this case and they believed me when I told them that "LOBSTERCLAW" was a surname in a particular part of Maine! I came clean quickly and we all laughed about it. They were good sports!

Last night, I was dying to share with my own family what their name was but I could not for the life of me remember it! I was remembering it as "TURNIPFARMER" but I somehow knew that wasn't quite right. We were at Ogunquit Beach having some fun and while the kids played in the sand I sat on the lifeguard chair reading a story in Foster's about MSD and there it was! The couple who bought a buoy from The Buoy Guy, had been interviewed by the reporter for the article and included their last name right there in print! What are the chances?

They were in fact, The....TURNIPSEEDS! Read the article here!

Anyway...have a great day and remember...

Buoy Bill - The Buoy Guy

Torn Between Two Options

2018-06-03T11:30:00-04:00

Yesterday was Saturday June 2 and my oldest daughter Katherine qualified to run in the State of Maine Class A outdoor track championship in Bath Maine. As the weekend drew near, the weather report looked great, and I was in a quandary.

On weekends when the weathers nice, my "job" is to sell buoys. Lots and lots of buoys, as many as I can. It's how I earn my living. It's how I support my family. If I don't sell buoys, Katherine doesn't have track shoes and she's probably not gonna qualify for states! I was torn on Friday, but the answer was simple. I decided I'd go to the meet but I had three ideas to make the most of it and reduce my anguish for taking time away from making money to watch my daughter run.

1) I needed some buoys so I'd make it a "business" trip. I get my buoys from numerous places and one of them is in Thomaston, Maine. It's Brooks Trap Mill and although I don't buy any traps, I'm pretty sure these guys are the biggest lobster trap maker in the world! I love their place...traps everywhere and fisherman hustling about getting their supplies so they can go catch some lobstah mistah! I hooked up my enclosed trailer and called in advance to make sure they'd have enough buoys to fill it! I'd leave early, pass Bath on my way to Thomaston, and stop in Bath on the way home for the track meet.

2) I wanted my son Harrison to go with me so I decided to make him! He's my son and I know him, he wouldn't want to come. I didn't mention it the night before, I just woke him up and told him what we were doing. It was a fight and I won't go into the boring details but long story short, when he asked me over and over again "why" he had to come my answer was simple. "I love you and want to be with you."

3) Although I couldn't really afford them, I recently bought all three of my children used mountain bikes. In an important sort of way, I did it with selfish motivations as since my heart attack I've decided I need to get more exercise and want to spend more quality time with my family. So, I loaded my bike, and Harrison's bike in the trailer so we could take a bike ride around Bath between Katherine's events!

So Harrison and I left bright and early. He slept and I drove listening to Jimmy Cliff and Buffet the entire way. We go to the trap mill and Harrison stayed in the truck for more sleep. He was still pretty grouchy and I didn't argue! I picked out some buoys, paid for them, loaded them in my trailer and started back to Bath. Harrison started to wake up and needled me a bit more for making him come. I was not phased, I told him again why I made him.

On the way back to Bath, we just HAD to stop at The Taste of Maine restaurant in Woolwich to check out Larry The Lobster! My friend who owns the Taste decided she just had to have a lobster on the roof to celebrate their 40th year in business and she out did herself as always! Even sleepy head Harrison was impressed!

We got to the track meet and unloaded our bikes. We rode down to the meet because we had to park a little far away as we had a trailer and the lot was full.

It was hot! The sun was out and it was 80 or so degrees. I felt bad for the athletes but they didn't seem to mind. Katherine ran the 100 M Dash trials and qualified for finals. She came in 7th in the 100 finals. She had qualified for the 200 M dash and came in second in the state in that event! She also ran in the 4 x 400 relay and her team came in 2nd in that race too. It was exciting and fun. Here's Katherine collecting her 2nd place medal for the 200 M!

Between events, Harrison and I went on a nice bike ride down to the town and waterfront in Bath. We came across a working museum where the volunteers were building a reproduction of "Maines First Ship". So cool!

In the end, the decision was easy. I was not torn, I was certain. Certain I'd made the right decision on what to do on that beautiful Saturday in Maine!

See our Buoy Bats by clicking here!

See our Welcome Buoys by clicking here!

One Tree, Two Tree, Three Tree FOUR! (Tree!)

2018-05-27T10:14:00-04:00

Another day in Portsmouth begins! Before setting up the cart today I took a fast walk just like the doctor ordered and chose Pierce Island and Four Tree Island as my ultimate destination. (The later is on the former...if that makes any sense!)

This island is basically a city park and it's set up with charcoal grills, picnic tables, little roof structures, and rest rooms. There's a nice grassy area at it's center for frisbee...or better yet, Buoy Bat! When my children were young and we lived in Portsmouth, we came here on a number of Sunday's and had cookouts with our friends.

The views off Four Tree are amazing if you like your views to contain man made stuff! The bridge, the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, the commercial fishing pier, and of course the statue of a mother and daughter looking out over the water representing those who sailed here to find a new life. Hey, I think that’s why I like it here! I find it kinda shameful the birds choose this beautiful babies head to do their business!

Speaking of the Navy Yard! We now have a buoy that represents it. Soon to be available on our website, currently available in Market Square at The Buoy Guy cart when we are here!

As always, if you're in Portsmouth, stop and check out the many dozens of decorative lobster buoys we offer. We personalize them right at the booth for you and they make the perfect nautically themed gift. Whether you're on your way to a housewarming or a wedding, we have a buoy for you!

Have a great day!

Buoy Bill

Check out the views from Four Tree!

You Snooze, You Lose!

2018-05-26T11:05:00-04:00

Oh what a day!

Today marks my first day as a street vendor in Portsmouth when I snoozed and lost! Huh you ask? As a licensed vendor, I’m able to set up in 1 of 7 regulated spaces whenever I want. Today was the first day I showed up and another vendor was in the spot I like best. So, I moved to my 2^nd favorite spot which in turn moved Caleb to his 2^nd favorite spot! Caleb’s my buddy and he was a good sport about it! So in reality, I didn't lose! (The picture of me above with my cart was yesterday in my favorite spot in front of the Portsmouth Athenaeum)

Caleb considers himself a representational artist who specializes in Portsmouth scenes. He's been a street vendor in Portsmouth for over 10 years! Stop and say hello to him next time you’re in town. If he’s here, he’ll likely be set up on Pleasant Street in front of Bank of America or our locally owned Piscataqua Savings Bank. Locally owned? Yes…locally owned…that’s so cool. This is their only branch.

HEADS UP - THIS COULD SAVE YOUR LIFE!

2018-05-25T14:27:00-04:00

May 25, 2018.

I originally posted this to my personal FB page on Friday April 13...9 days after I had a heart attack. It's now Friday May 25 and I'm finding time to post this story to my The Buoy Guy blog. I'm posting it here too because many friends who read have indicated it prompted them to look closely at their own health. So, if I post it here, more people may be positively impacted and that's why I wrote it.

Take Care of Yourself!

Buoy Bill

HEADS UP – THIS COULD SAVE YOUR LIFE.

I’ve taken some time before posting this to consider the pros and cons of doing so. I decided the potential that knowing this story may save a life outweighs my interest in keeping it private. I hope it helps you or someone you know avoid what I just went through, or worse!

TIPS TO REMEMBER
1. Listen to your doctor.
2. Avoid saturated fat.
3. Know the signs of a heart attack.
4. Realize the signs may not be a perfect match to your symptoms.
5. Better safe than sorry – seconds count – get to the hospital.
6. Call an ambulance!
7. Don’t worry about the money.
8. If you’re making a big change, get checked before you start.
9. Make time to take care of yourself. If you’re gone, who will take care of them?
10. If you have high cholesterol, don't eat loaded baked potatoes.
11. Be aware that you may be in denial that you are having a heart attack!

On Wednesday April 4, 2018 at the age of 55, I had a heart attack and am very grateful to be alive and able to tell you about it.

I didn’t believe it could happen to me. For most of my life, I’ve been able to stay fit by staying active. I’ve never loved exercise as a routine and would go on and off running or riding a bike. I’ve always hated the gym. The older I got, the harder it got. In my mind, my go, go, go work ethic and habits were enough to keep me in shape. On top of that, as an entrepreneur and small business owner, I didn’t think I had time for anything more.

I have high cholesterol. For many years, my PCP warned me about it and told me what to do about it. I was prescribed medication and urged to change my diet but being stubborn and not believing it could happen to me, I took half-measures to address it. I took the medication on and off – sometimes off for years. I paid little attention to the diet…food makes me happy, it’s just food not drugs or alcohol, and besides it wouldn’t happen to me.

This winter was hard for me, very hard. The snow, the cold, the full-time job on top of my business. SAD usually impacts me to a certain extent, but THIS winter seemed like the worst. I worked, I ate bad food, I gained weight. I was tired, a lot. I was depressed. I decided I had to do something to get healthy. I needed endorphins…I wanted to feel good again, I had to exercise. I could do it, I had to do it. I quit drinking going on three years ago and this winter it felt like I was trying to replace the alcohol with food – bad, processed, unhealthy food, and lots of it. I could not go on like this. The longer I waited, the harder it would be. (NOTE – some of the reason this past winter was so hard was likely due to a clogged artery, but I didn’t know it at the time)

I joined a gym. I walked/ran on a treadmill, I started classes for strength and cardio. I lost 4 pounds in the first two weeks. It was all feeling right and going well until the morning of April 4th.

I dropped my son at school and went straight to the gym. I was a half hour early for the 8 am cardio class so I rode a spin bike for 25 minutes before it began. The class seemed very hard but it was new to me, so I thought nothing of it. I was having a hard time keeping up. I felt really out of shape. I paused when I had to and skipped some parts completely to recover. Toward the end of the class I got light headed/faint…I thought I was going to throw up. All normal, I thought. I went outside to get some air, I didn’t throw up. I came back inside and sat down, caught my breath and drank some water. I gathered myself, my stuff and headed home. I thought I’d just overdone it…I didn’t think for a moment, I was having a heart attack.

I got home and immediately decided a nap was what I needed. I tried to take one, but I could not get comfortable. My teeth hurt. I needed to brush them, floss them, rubber pick them…none of it worked. It would pass right? What’s going on I thought. My arms were sore…why wouldn’t they be? I just worked out. My chest felt odd…but it didn’t hurt. Was I having a heart attack? Nah…that couldn’t be it, I just over did it. Besides, it wasn’t my left arm, it was both arms. Nothing really hurt, things were just sore, and I wasn’t sweating. It would all go away shortly, I was hoping but not sure. I started to google, but nothing was clear to me.

I thought of the money – I always think of the money – if I go to get checked, it’s going to cost money. I just wanted it to go away. I gave up. It wasn’t going away. I had to go. Better safe than sorry. Screw the money, I think I might be having a heart attack. I told my wife we had to go the ER and she’d be driving. We quickly got in the car and headed to York. I should have called an ambulance. With what I was feeling, how did I not know immediately I was having a heart attack?

Within minutes of arriving at the ER, I was hooked up and it was determined that I was having a heart attack. The equipment needed for the next step had broken at York Hospital that morning. I was put in an ambulance and rushed to Portsmouth. How fun. A lights and siren ambulance ride, my first.

At Portsmouth I was prepped for a procedure where a catheter was inserted into an artery from my groin and up into my heart to look for the blockage. I lay on an x-ray table and things happened fast. I was awake for it, I didn’t want to be but I had to be, so I closed my eyes and tried not to think about what was happening.

My right coronary artery was 90+% blocked. A procedure was done to push back the blockage then a stent was inserted to keep the artery open. It lasted about 3 hours I’m told, I wasn’t keeping time. I remember most of it and it wasn’t pleasant. It was cold in the room and I shivered a lot. I got sick a lot too. They told me my heart stopped and they had to restart it. (I don't remember this part!)

I am grateful I had a heart attack! On Friday April 6th I was released. It’s now Friday April 13th. I started cardiac rehab yesterday and I’ve felt GREAT for the past few days. I’m eating the right food and I’ve lost 10 pounds. I’m happy again.

Don’t be fooled. Because of the “imperfect” fit of my symptoms to what I saw on google that day, I waited. I waited to see if it would go away. It wasn’t “clear” or “obvious” or “certain” to me I was having a heart attack. I looked it up and even though I had some of the symptoms, I still wasn’t convinced it was happening to me. I arrived home from the gym at about 9:30 that morning and waited until 11:30 to go to the ER. Two hours. Two hours too long. Don’t do it. Learn from my mistake. If you have discomfort or abnormal sensations between your chest and your jaw, get it checked!

The longer you wait, the worse it can be. You can die. Or your heart muscle can die from lack of oxygen. Some of my heart muscle was damaged but I’m told it will heal. Don’t mess around! Get to the hospital FAST!

Planning to make big changes in your life? Don’t give yourself a self-administered stress test like I did! Go get it done by someone who knows what they’re doing.

HEART ATTACK SYMPTOMS:

Pressure, squeezing, DISCOMFORT, or pain in the chest, neck, JAW, shoulders, ARMS, or back. (I had what’s in caps)

Severe shortness of breath. (Mine was not severe, minor at best)

DIZZINESS OR FAINTING. (I didn’t faint but I felt like I was going to)

NAUSEA or VOMITING. (I was nauseous and felt like I was going to vomit but didn’t)

Sweating. (I was NOT sweating)

Maine Lobster Festival - There's nothing quite like it.

2017-08-04T10:32:00-04:00

I think this my seventh year as a vendor at the Maine Lobster Festival here in Rockland Maine. This year, 2017 marks the 70th year of MLF which began as a tribute to the lobstermen of this tight-knit and hardworking community. The festival is run entirely by volunteers and let me tell you, these people get it done and they get it done right. Hey! You can volunteer too...you don't even need to live here. I've meet people from all over America who give up part of their summer vacation to volunteer here. Maybe you should look into it...click here to learn more!

Volunteer-of-all-trades Celia Knight of Knight Marine Service in Rockland working the microphone as emcee of the cooking contest. (below)

My booth is positioned just inside the North gate. It's the gate where the buses pull up to drop off all the people. I get a birds-eye view of them as they wander down the hill, stop and pay at the gate, then continue down in. Many of them stop to check out my buoys, some pick one out, tell me how they want it personalized, pay for it, then head out to have some fun and eat some lobster! Here comes a busload of them now!

Check out my booth...it changes every year but this is a picture from this year. Building the booth is all about fun for me. It take me hours but I have fun doing it. I want my guests to have fun being in it and I want them to remember it as the highlight of their experience. People can stand and look for a long time trying to see all the fun designs we've created over the years. We've got buoys for just about everyone! Here's a short list: anchors, starfish, lobsters, crabs, dogs, coast guard, marine corps, navy, army, air force, police, firefighter, troopers, outer banks, hcokey, key west, cape cod, cuttyhunk, nantucket, martha's vineyard, and maine! Many more to chose from! Our buoys make great nautically themed coastal gifts and are great for any occasion! Weddings, birthdays, housewarming, whatever the occasion, we have a buoy for you!

Today's the seafood cooking contest in the North Entertainment tent! Man it smells good! Year after year I get to watch and smell as these amazing cooks whip up some of the most amazing seafood dishes you can imagine. The dishes are rated by guest judges and maybe someday I'll get to be one of them! Today I met the Executive Commander of the USS Mahan who's been chosen to be a judge. We chatted and as a father of three children, I couldn't help but comment to her that her parents must be very proud!

Ohkay...time to get back to work selling buoys here at the Maine Lobster Festival!

Buoy Bill - The Buoy Guy!

Yarmouth Clam Festival - It's Here!

2017-07-18T06:35:00-04:00

It's here! The Clammy as we call it in the biz...The Yarmouth Clam Festival. So much fun up in Yarmouth Maine. All...and I mean ALL the big Maine Made craftsmen are there including The Buoy Guy!

Our booth is right on Main street in front of the admissions building for North Yarmouth Academy.

We'll have plenty of Buoy Bats and Welcome Buoys with us and I'll be personalizing on site as usual using our stamped method!

Stop in to say hello to The Buoy Guy!

The 4th of July in Brooksville, Maine - Why do I do it?

2017-07-03T10:15:00-04:00

Wow it's been a long time since I've found the time to write a post! Just too busy making Welcome Buoys, personalized or plain and Buoy Bats to fit it all in! Well...there's more to it then that (like a full-time job!) but it's a good start on this post and I'm not ready to share it all anyway!

This year, rather then sell buoys in downtown Portsmouth at my buoy cart, I decided to take a short trip with the family. We rented a cottage in Brooksville, Maine I found on VRBO and Daisy was welcome! We're here...the kids are still sleeping...and yes there's WiFi so I decided to write a post.

Why do I really do what I do? Why did I invent the Buoy Bat? Why do I spend hours and hours alone in the garage and weekend after weekend out in the world at places like the Maine Lobster Festival, Yarmouth Clam Festival, The Big E and others A-W-A-Y from my family? For years now I've questioned my motive and logic but never really figured it out. Independence? Survival? Heredity?

When I started this post I didn't know the answer to my question and then it happened. I intended to figure it out as I typed and then, "DING!". - In came an email from my mother. She sent me a picture to wish my sisters and me a happy fourth of July. It's a picture of HER with one of HER creations - URSULA!

My mother - Sally, or Baci as she chose to be called when her first grandchild was born is the answer to my question! She's the reason I do what I do.

Mom makes fun. She always has and she always will. She likes to make people happy and she's darn good at it. She's a crafter, a creator, an organizer and a cheerleader. She's been a mover and a shaker since before I was born and I inherited it...or she taught me it...or I caught it...not sure how she passed it to me, but I have it and she's the reason. She's why I do what I do and I have evidence to prove it!

My parents were divorced when I was young and we lived with my Mom. She did it all for us so we could become the best little people she knew how to produce. She taught us to be kind, caring, polite and compassionate. On top of all that, she taught us to have fun and make fun, we ALL do it, and I can prove it! Is that proof enough?

My older sister Kathy? She's the Cupcake Queen of The Upper Valley! She's done a lot as an entrepreneur but today - she makes people happy with cupcakes! See them all at her website in the link above! Love you KP!

My younger sister Betsy, she's created fun for years as an illustrator for Cricket Magazine and Stave Puzzles. Check out all her puzzles at the link to Stave Puzzles! Love you too little sister!

Well that's it! I rest my case and my question is ANSWERED! My mother - she's the reason I do what I do!

Love you Mom! Happy 4th of July!

Buoy Bill - The Buoy Guy!

St Patrick's Day is Coming Soon!

2017-02-21T20:45:00-05:00

We've added some new Irish themed buoys to our line up just in time for St Patrick's Day! We've got NYPD, Boston Police, and regular Police buoys as well as Shamrocks and the Irish flag! All buoys are available personalized or plain!

Check out this collection here - St Patrick's Day Buoys!

Valentine's Day Buoys are here!

2017-02-05T11:14:00-05:00

Better late than never and we're way ahead of the curve for next year! These fun Valentine's Day buoys are sure to become a popular go to gift for beach going, nautically minded lovers all over America! Personalized or plain, these buoys are a clear indication of a fondness for friends, family, or lovers!

US Armed Forces Welcome Buoys are here!

2016-10-13T11:25:00-04:00

Finally!

For YEARS our customers have been asking us for buoys that represent the different branches of our military. What took us so long? Well to be honest sometimes it takes us humans a while to recognize the obvious but we finally have! Give the people what they want!

So they're here...Welcome Buoys, personalized or plain representing the US Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, and Coast Guard.

And, as a small token of our appreciation for the men and women who serve, all these buoys are on sale at $5.00 off our usual price until November 1, 2016.

Find them here on our website; US ARMED FORCES BUOYS

All my best - Buoy Bill - The Buoy Guy

#USArmy #USNavy #USMarines #USAirforce #USCoastguard #Freedom #WelcomeBuoys #TheBuoyGuy

The Buoy Guy is at The Big E!

2016-09-17T13:54:00-04:00

Hello from The Buoy Guy at The Big E in West Springfield, MA! We're here in the Maine building on the Avenue of States all set up selling our personalized Welcome Buoys, Buoy Bats, and other fine Maine made products! Stop in and see us.

Coastal Living Lobster Trap Floats Article - UGH!

2016-06-24T06:45:00-04:00

What just happened? Guess we need a publicist here at Buoy Sports.

I was wide awake at 4:15 am today thanks to the garbage truck dude with his really loud back-up alarm! I decided I'd get an early start on the day as tomorrow is Strawberry Festival here in South Berwick and I've got a lot of work to do getting ready for it.

So...I made some coffee and grabbed a magazine off the shelf to have a quick read. The magazine was Coastal Living and their July/August 2016 "Simple Joys of Summer" issue. I quickly noticed a nice photograph on the cover of a wall covered with buoys - none of them ours!

The cover lead me to the index where I found directions to an article on page 28. LOBSTER TRAP FLOATS - ? Our cool coastal buoys MUST be in here I said with skeptical optimism and if we're not, what is? Needless to say I was disappointed we'd missed the boat as I flipped to the page and saw this...

How lucky were they? All the big companies who offer buoys for sale were listed in the article EXCEPT Buoy Sports. Coastal Vintage, Downeast Nautical Salvage, and Traditional Marine Outfitters were all there! Etsy was there too which I guess works for us!

What can I say? We do our best to get the word out - and that's the best we can do!

Buoy Bill

Where to purchase Buoy Sports products is LIVE!

2016-06-24T06:19:00-04:00

Wow. How long did that take anyway? I think it was years!

We now have the Buoy Sports website a page where people can find retail stores who have purchased our products from us for resale up on our website. Whether you're looking for a really fun backyard or beach game suitable for youth or adults called Buoy Bat, or just looking for a great gift or nautically themed decoration in one of our hanging Maine lobster trap floats or buoys on a rope, you can now find our retailers right here!

Where to Buy!

Our daughter Katherine was with me roughly 8 years ago the day we found a buoy on the rocks in East Boothbay Maine and NOW she's helping us operate our business. KP did the work to get the stores up on our site and did a great job doing it!

Over the years we've sold our fun products to many stores including the following stores.

Mocean Cape Cod - Mashpee, MA

Maine Sport Outfitters - Camden, Maine

Bartletts Farm - Nantucket

Buoy Bill

Summer Arrived In Portsmouth Today - Oh whatta day!

2016-05-14T23:52:00-04:00

Summer Day. Buoy Day. Your Buoy. Your Way.

Whatta day!

It was an awesome day in Portsmouth selling personalized Welcome Buoys and The Original Buoy Bats to people downtown!! Beautiful weather. Met a LOT of fun people. Saw a cute little dog. Helped many visitors find their way...it couldn't have BEEN a better day.

Had a visit with Rob - of Warner's Hallmark - Rob sells Lobster Rope Doormats (as do I) made by my friend's Dave Bird and Dave Carter at Maine Rope Mats - a division of Custom Cordage. These guys were the first company in Maine to start making these lobster rope doormats for commercial purposes from rope that was due to be sent to landfills when the government regulated the use of "float" rope because whales were (apparently) becoming entangled in it. (see the story at their website) They used the idea to keep their employees at the rope factory employed full-time during slow times while at the same time finding a use for the rope. They now offer recycled and "new" lobster rope doormats which are shipped around the country and around the world through wholesale accounts such as LL BEAN and ACE Hardware.

How many bridal showers can Portsmouth support? Some days while selling my buoys and personalizing them for folks right on the spot, I am frequently distracted by the many entourages of these lively groups who are wishing their friends soon to be wed in holy matrimony - a fond - "are you out of your head?". This group won best in show as they had the whole groom firmly in tow. See for yourself, it's pretty darn good! Check out the grooms NEW page on INSTAGRAM HERE!

And then there was LUKE - The Frenchy from SAULT !!

Oh whatta day it was in Portsmouth, NH USA!

Italian Lobster Buoy - Everything You've Ever Wanted...If you're Italian

2016-05-12T22:49:00-04:00

Hey? Just a quick note today as it's late and I am tired!

Got the blog feeding away so people can see it and subscribe if they want...and I just started talking to Buoy Sue...my wife about making some posts herself.

Today was a hard one...tooooo much to do, not enough focus. I was able to get set up to put our Personalized Welcome Buoy Painted Name option on our new Italian Buoy and our new Reggae Rasta Buoy! Believe it or not, little projects like this are hard to get to but oh so worth it when their done. Here's a sample of a name on the Italian Buoy and on that note -

Good Night!

ps...just realized I still need to post the Italian Buoy - Stay Tuned for that and contact us if you want one!

Perkins Cove, Ogunquit Maine - Time Out!

2016-05-11T23:05:00-04:00

Had to drop some buoys off at store in Ogunquit this afternoon...and it was perfect timing because I needed a time out after a stressful day! If you know why the power went out in South Berwick for about 3 hours today...please fill me in as I want to speak with the instigator!

Ogunquit is my favorite place to take timeouts. I went by myself today but I'm usually with the kids. When I'm there with the kids...there's ALWAYS some exploring but today I found myself doing it anyway even though there were no kids with me. 53 years old; still playing on the rocks at the coast.

Why was today stressful - ? Today was the day I decided to get our new COASTAL COOL series of buoys up on the web which meant a photo shoot, and a lot of computer time. Remember the power outage? Well now you know why I decided to deliver those buoys to Ogunquit TODAY!

And it would be silly if I didn't mention what ELSE I did while I was in the cove today. You guessed it...I ate. Fish Chowder, a Cheeseburger, and YELLOW lemonade at my favorite restaurant in the cove - The Lobster Shack. This meal has been a staple in my life for over almost 30 years and I just love it. I was a little sad to hear Jason the owner say they'd done away with PINK lemonade this year so from now on as I drink my yellow I'll just shut my eyes. (I took some pictures of my food to text to my usual eat-at-the-shack-friend Yves and sent them to him...so I'll share them with you too!)

It was a beautiful day and an even better sunset...I took a picture of the lobster boats while I was there.

Buoy Bill

Coastal Cool, Nautical - Coastal Tone Pastel Colors are REAL close!

2016-05-08T00:11:00-04:00

Hey There!

So why has it taken us so long to add a few coastal cool colors to our offerings? We know they'll appeal to the coastal living crowd and we're finally going to do it! Why so long is a good question and the real answer is time. We've been thinking about it but in this business, you can't just run out, grab some paint, and start painting. Unfortunately it's NOT that easy. Testing. Feasibility. Demand. Cost. How do we personalize them? Black will look BAD!?!?! These are all thinks we think about before we actually do something like this. To grab a phrase from the Buoy Bat side of the business, we're pretty sure our new Coastal Cool series is going to be a hit! Stay tuned...we're doing a photo shoot tomorrow and then we'll put them up!

In the meantime...I did some work to our home page tonight after finally figuring out how to add text below the big pictures! Check it out - Buoy Sports Home Page Here!

It's UP! Our new website is UP and running!

2016-04-26T21:27:00-04:00

Finally...after months and months paying for 2 websites and trying to find the time to get our new shopify site to a point where it was launch-a-bel, it's up! I have to admit, the impending "we're shutting down your server" message we kept getting from GoDaddy had a lot to do with the final push to make it happen.

Anyway...glad it's done enough to make the switch.

Check out the new buoy sports website here!

Buoy Bill

Making Progress on the new Buoy Sports website!

2016-03-31T14:46:00-04:00

Wow! Things are moving along rapidly with this new website...a lot of trial and error and help from my two friends named Andy!

Andy #1 is Andrew Cook of Lobstering is an Art fame. He's been coaching me throughout the process and Andy #2 is Andy Buckman shown here with me and some other friends many many years ago.

Andy B. gave me a hand last night figuring out how to use the "options" app so people could choose their ball and order personalization and it was good to hang with him for a while. Andy loves old cars (like I do) and here in this picture we're standing in front of my 1919 Studebaker. That's me to the far right with our first child Katherine and Andy's next in line. Andrew Cook...aka Lobster Art Boy was literally not in my picture way back in about 2002 when this picture was taken.

Our new website is up and running! Check it out here!

Talk Later - Buoy Bill

Buoy Bill is Working on a new website!

2016-02-11T11:42:00-05:00

Thanks a lot for visiting our site and checking out our blog! Buoy Sue and I are going to do our best to keep our new website fun and you informed!

Back in OCTOBER 2015 I signed up for SHOPPIFY website and it's now FEBRUARY 11th 2016 and I'm finally getting around to working on it! You know what stinks about that little delay? Yup...we've been paying for 2 websites since then! Having paid to have an OPTIONS APP installed I couldn't figure out myself, I just couldn't bring myself to cancel then sign up again. I was motivated for it today so today I began on it and I got a lot done! Gotta go back to work on it now!

Buoy Bill