Bucket List Boating Experiences with Andrew Bartlett

Have you ever had a day on the water so effortless and complete that it seemed to hold everything you love perfectly in one moment? A day full of adventure that lives on your heart’s greatest hits playlist? For true boaters, those days aren’t something to hope for…they’re made.

As the Customer Experience Analyst at Tiara Yachts, Andrew Bartlett is no stranger to these kinds of impactful moments on the water. So, we asked him to share his top three boating experiences and how these memories made on the water have shaped his approach to design. 

While this bucket list of experiences isn’t a route map, we hope it is an inspiration to create your own life-changing memories on your own Tiara Yacht. Northern Lake Michigan

Northern Michigan

“Northern Lake Michigan is a best-kept boating secret with miles of towering sand dunes and countless harbors to visit and enjoy.” That’s how Andrew frames a stretch of water he keeps coming back to, and not because it’s remote or difficult, but because it’s generous. The coastline invites a breath of air that can only come on unhurried days. 

For Andrew, this trip through Lake Michigan was more about his family than it was about anything. This trip North  became the backdrop for a perfect time in his family's story, and he holds onto it as a special time in his life. With his wife and eight-year-old son along for this trip, the memories that were made here shaped their bond. 

“It was the perfect time in our family story. My son was 8… and I was still a hero in his eyes,” shared Andrew. 

One place on Lake Michigan that in particular became part of their story: South Manitou Island. “Because of this trip, South Manitou Island became a special place for us. A National Park with a protected cove for anchoring, and a preserved 19th-century village and lighthouse to explore. Just offshore of Sleeping Bear Dunes, … the whole area is magic. We would make three return trips, drawn there to reminisce about our first trip, and make some new memories.”

From a design perspective, Lake Michigan underscores what Andrew prioritizes aboard Tiara’s EX and Coupe models: clear visibility, easy movement, and interiors that serve the day instead of stealing attention. “We were on a Tiara Coupe. The perfect boat for a comfortable extended stay. The enclosed upper salon and helm station provided a panoramic view of the beauty, while delivering protection from the northern elements.” 

Upright sightlines reduce strain when the light is low or the weather shifts, while a supportive helm seat turns long sits into easy ones. With a salon that frames the view, even a quiet coffee or a late return from the lighthouse becomes part of the experience, not a break from it.

This is the quiet advantage of a thoughtful Tiara Yacht layout. Full, showcase windows that keep the horizon in view and a helm that is both roomy and intimate. It’s how a boat helps make the kinds of days you remember, then invites you to go make them again.

Chicago

The city of Chicago rewards an arrival by water. Andrew describes their entrance as “watching it materialize out of the mist and grow,” the skyline pulling them toward the river, where the city arranges itself with bridges lifting, façades leaning in, the riverwalk close enough for eye contact with those on dry land. Andrew, along with his family and a large group of friends from Michigan, shaped the day around that progression. The itinerary was to ease in from the lake, turn at the locks, and follow the Chicago River through the canyon of architecture where the scale feels almost fjord-like.

Midday belonged to the city itself. Because food is always a perfect way to create a visceral memory, they slipped below street level to the Billy Goat Tavern, subterranean Chicago, of Saturday Night Live fame. The stop wasn’t about a meal so much as a marker: a thread that ties the water to a place and gives the day a chapter title.

Hosting friends on this trip set the tone for everything else. Lifejackets for a crowd were stowed and ready; GoPro timelapse ran quietly to capture the passage; and Andrew admits he wished for a drone on this trip, because experiencing this river from a Tiara Yacht feels cinematic. 

The design of the boat made hosting easy. A short step from the helm to the side deck kept communication clear at the rail. Inside, the salon accommodated people and gear without breaking conversation, then turned into a viewing box when the light began to change. 

The last pass on the river came at sunset, where once again Andrew uses the word “magic” to describe a bucket list experience. Reflections doubled the skyline and turned the river into a ribbon of light and glass. Meanwhile, the boat did what Tiara’s EX and Coupe families are built to do: keep the passengers comfortable, the handling agile, and let the water do the talking. 

Benjamin Islands

A place like the Benjamin Islands in Lake Huron’s North Channel doesn’t announce itself. The water unfolds to low, rounded shorelines of pink granite and a clarity that resets your sense of depth. Picturesque anchorages and true quiet define the place by being remote without feeling out of reach.

From Andrew’s notes, what stands out is the rhythm: disembarking to enjoy the hiking or climbing that puts you up close to the granite spines that dominate the coastline. Then, coming back on board to enjoy the view from the comfort of a perfect vantage point. It’s the kind of setting where a boat either supports the moment or gets in the way.

This is where Tiara’s EX models feel purpose-built. Upright sightlines make reading rock and water simple at a glance with walk-around side decks and a side/helm door turn anchor checks and shore runs into calm, repeatable routines. At the bow, clean ground-tackle ergonomics keep sets and re-sets precise; aft, an adaptable cockpit shifts from staging hikes to settling in for sunset without rearranging the day.

Part of the experience is the glass. Broad salon windows and an upright, slim-mullion windshield keep the horizon continuous whether seated or standing, so pink granite and clear water stay in view from helm to galley. At anchor, those windows turn the salon into a quiet vantage point, framing dusk as it settles across the rock.

It’s design doing what it should: supporting movement, framing the place, and letting the surroundings speak. 

Bringing It Home

Andrew’s short list says something simple: boating bucket lists are personal. For some, they are close to home, like northern Lake Michigan or a day spent through the Chicago River. Others are bigger and ask for planning, patience, and the right season. His own “big one,” the Great Loop, was exactly for the season of life when it could be savored the most. 

Andrew’s advice? “Warm up with some smaller buckets while planning for the big one.” 

That mindset runs through Tiara’s approach to adventure on the water. Across the range, the experience feels immediate: the EX 60 opens movement with a full walkaround, pilothouse door, and disappearing bulkhead that blends salon and cockpit; the 34 LS delivers the same “step-out, be there” feeling from the moment you come aboard. Different missions with the same outcome: 360-degree visibility and an easy path to the water, because the water should always be the focus. After all, it’s why we’re out here. 

From Andrew’s perspective, no matter the trip, it all points to the same design truths. In all design, people and place take the lead. When the focus is on connection with both the water, surroundings, and those who matter most, every trip is one that creates a special memory. That’s how one great day becomes the next, and the next after that.

Make the list. Make the memories. Make them aboard a Tiara Yacht.