Arts & Entertainment

DCAT to Air 100th Episode of 'Smart Boating'

The 100th episode of "Smart Boating," a television program Paul Jermain created in 2006, will air on Danvers Cable Access Television this Saturday.

It was about six years ago at the that Paul Jermain and his friend Norm LeBlanc, a Danvers marine surveyor, discussed the concept of a boating television show. 

Now, "Smart Boating," which airs weekly on , and 30 other local public access cable TV stations around the country, has completed its milestone 100th episode. 

"It felt good to have created so much solid valuable content over the almost 6 years and 1,800 hours of time invested and to have helped boaters understand important topics better so they could have more enjoyment on the water," Jermain said. 

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The program, he said, is primarily shot in the field with expert guests who provide solid advice on top of carefully researched, thorough, show discussion guides. The volunteer program, which has been airing on DCAT since its origin, takes about 15 hours every week to produce.

While he's not producing "Smart Boating," Jermain is a small business consultant, working with companies on marketing and business planning issues. While he didn't have any television production experience or background, he felt his instructional background would be an asset in producing a quality program. 

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"I stopped into the local public access cable TV studio [the day after meeting with LeBlanc] and asked for training," he said. "Three weeks later, the first show 'How to Protect Your Boat in Event of a Hurricane' was produced."

Jermain grew up in Manchester and got his first rowboat at age 11. Throughout his teenage years he bought, sold and repaired several boats, including his 18-foot Chrysler with a 105hp outboard, which he later sold to buy a car and pay for college.   

Jermain said he plans to continue the program, "but likely at a more modest pace to better balance this activity with my business consulting work."

The 100th episode will be airing on DCAT on Saturday July 9 at 3 p.m.


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