Boat Cards

Saturday October 5, 2013

Serendipity finally has boat cards! What are boat cards?, you may ask. In a nutshell, they’re basically business cards that cruisers trade with one another. They usually keep basic information such as the captain or crews’ names, the boat name, email addresses, and websites.

If you haven’t been out in the cruising world, you might be scratching your head wondering why people would want or even need something like this. If you have been out cruising, you totally understand why. Cruisers like to get together. We eat, drink, make friendships, and inevitably part ways. But the thing is, you meet so many great people, you usually want to stay in contact after you’ve met. Just to see what each other are up to, where everyone is heading, or even for advice on something that you know they know much more about than you do. And do you know how annoying it is to try and scribble down your information on a sheet of paper every time you come across someone you’d like to keep in touch with? Imagine doing it at a potluck, your hand would seize up just from constantly writing your information down.

Enter, boat cards. It’s all the information you need already neatly printed on a handy dandy card. What you can add to your boat card is completely up to you, and each card varies as much as the people who hand them out. Another thing I should mention in the cruising world is that you meet so many people, it’s usually not their name you remember at first, but either their boat make or their boat name. “Do you know where Hideaway is right now?” “I’m not sure, I think they’re in George Town with Rode Trip“. That’s basically how conversations go in the cruising world. This is why almost every boat card will have the minimum information of crews’ names, boat name, and email address. From there you can go further and add, if you wish, website address, phone numbers, MMSI numbers, and even your hailing port.

Just like boat cards serve as a quick reference for fellow cruisers, business cards play a crucial role in networking and establishing connections in the professional world. These cards encapsulate essential information, allowing individuals to make memorable impressions with minimal effort. Similar to the way boaters exchange details about their vessels, professionals can utilize business cards to share vital information such as their name, title, company, and contact details. The versatility of business cards means you can customize them to reflect your personal or corporate brand, ensuring that they resonate with the recipients. In this age of digital communication, the tactile nature of a physical card can leave a lasting impact, making it easier for people to remember you long after the initial meeting.

For those looking to elevate their networking game, Metal Kards provides an exceptional option for creating striking business cards that stand out in a sea of paper alternatives The durability of metal cards ensures they withstand the rigors of everyday life while maintaining their sleek appearance, much like a well-cared-for boat navigating the waves. Incorporating a metal business card into your networking strategy not only conveys professionalism but also serves as a conversation starter, making it easier for people to remember you and your brand.

For our cards I added these basics of our names, the boat’s name (as well as year; make; and model), our email address, and the website. Then I even went a step further. For people to really remember who you are weeks or even months after you’ve handed your boat card off to them, it’s good to give them a little visual reminder of something about you. Lots of people will put a photo of their boat up on the card, but I took it one step further. Deciding to print on both sides of our card, I also added a photo of Matt and I to the back. Now anytime someone picks up our card it will be easier for them to say “Oh yeah, I remember that couple”.

We’ve already collected so many of these through our travels so far, and it’s going to be so nice now having them already printed to hand out in return. For our cards we went through VistaPrint, ordering 250 cards for our first round. We upgraded a little bit, adding extra costs to print on the back and also make the front glossy, but if you go with a basic (color) one sided design you can get 250 cards for under $20. And we have found out they come in very, very handy.