Cruising Life

Explosive Fire Destroys Mattapoisett Boatyard

By Peter Janssen on August 20, 2022 Cruising Life

An explosive six-alarm fire roared through the Mattapoisett Boatyard on Buzzards Bay in Massachusetts on Friday afternoon. About 100 firefighters tried to extinguish the fast-spreading fire for more than five hours. Four people were injured, including three firefighters who were later released from the hospital. A 50-year-old man was seriously burned and remained in the hospital. All told, the fire destroyed five buildings, dozens of boats and more than three dozen vehicles. A yard worker told WJAR-TV that a boat in one of the yard’s sheds caught fire “and it went up very, very fast. Everything went up.” “We had a…

Swan Launches Elegant 43-foot Powerboat

By Peter Janssen on August 19, 2022 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

Swan’s new 43-foot powerboat has been getting a lot of media attention lately, and deservedly so; it’s a beautiful boat from one of the most highly regarded builders in the world. Here’s our story about the boat that we published back on Jan. 19, 2001, with updated pictures from Swan: Nautor Swan just announced the debut of its first powerboat, the 43-foot Swan Shadow, with the same elegant, minimalist design that the famed Finnish builder has been using on its sailboats for generations. The new Swan Shadow is a bit faster than previous Swans. Indeed, with optional triple 350-hp Mercury…

Dutch-Made Long Island 33 To Debut in Newport

By Peter Janssen on August 17, 2022 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

Long Island Yachts says its Dutch-made 33 Runabout that will make its U.S. debut at the Newport show, starting Sept. 15, is a modern version of traditional Downeast boat. And it has the classic lines of luxury runabouts made there, with a low profile, long sheerline, even a beautiful tumblehome. But the Long Island 33 Runabout isn’t made in Southwest Harbor, Maine, or even on Long Island. It’s built at the Long Island Yachts yard n Hofweg, a bit north of The Haag in The Netherlands. The Long Island 33 will be displayed at the Newport, Rhode Island, show by…

Arctic Warming Much Faster Than Expected

By Peter Janssen on August 17, 2022 Cruising Life

The Arctic is warming much faster than scientists had predicted, according to a new study in Finland. Previously, they thought it was heating up twice as fast as the rest of the world. But now, a long-term study by the Finnish Meteorological Institute says the Arctic actually is heating up four times as fast. “Temperatures are rising faster in the Arctic region than globally,” said Mika Rantanen, the author of the study. In fact, some areas are heating at a much faster rate. Some parts of the Barents Sea above Norway and Russia are heating up seven times faster, the…

VanDutch Launches Luxury 40

By Peter Janssen on August 16, 2022 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

VanDutch has launched a new, retooled version of its head-turning 40, but it still has the clean, elegant, minimalist looks of the original. The new VanDutch 40 is a slightly longer, higher and updated boat, representing some changes since the luxury Italian builder, Cantiere del Pardo, bought the Dutch company in 2020. Cantiere del Pardo now builds both Pardo and VanDutch boats at its yard in Forli. The lines of the VanDutch 40 are long and linear; the cleats are concealed, and the anchor is hidden (and is deployed by pushing a button on the helm console). Standard power comes…

Superyachts for Sale, Cheap. Some Water Damage

By Peter Janssen on August 15, 2022 Cruising Life

Mavi Yachts in Istanbul has a deal for you. It has three superyachts, all damaged by Hurricane Irma in 2017, in its yard in Istanbul. It will sell them to you as is, or it will rebuild them to their former glory and you can buy them for a fraction of their original price. The yachts are a Mondomarine 136; a Sanlorenzo 126, and a Benetti 94. Mavi, founded in 2001, says they offer a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for a new buyer. They all are survivors of the Category 5 hurricane, although they suffered various categories of damage, including total submersion.…

New Fairline 58 with Balconies, Beach Club

By Peter Janssen on August 15, 2022 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

Fairline, the major British builder, is making an all-new Squadron 58 cruiser. It will be the first Fairline with balconies that drop down from the sides of the yacht and a large beach club aft. The forward rake of the hardtop over the flybridge gives the new Fairline a sporty look that carries over to its performance. With standard 900-hp Volvo diesels with straight shafts, the Squadron 58 should top out at more than 30 knots and cruise at about 26 knots. Twin 1,000-hp Volvos are optional. The new Squadron 58 replaces the Squadron 53, and it’s scheduled to be…

Superyacht Launches in July, Burns in August

By Peter Janssen on August 14, 2022 Cruising Life

Aria SF, a 145-foot, $24 million superyacht, was launched in July at the ISA yard in Ancona, on the Adriatic coast of Italy. It was the yard’s latest luxury motoryacht, with five staterooms, a swimming pool, gym, terrace and all the latest bells and whistles. It had a steel hull and an aluminum superstructure, and its two 1,318-hp CAT C32 diesels produced a top speed of 16 knots. After the launch, Aria SF cruised around the boot of Italy, and last week it was anchored off the small island of Formentera, just south of Ibiza in the Balearics. The first…

Sea-Doo Unveils New Electric Foiling Rise

By Peter Janssen on August 10, 2022 Cruising Life, Gear

If you think a stand-up paddleboard is fun, take a look at the new all-electric foiling Rise that Sea-Doo just unveiled at its annual dealer meeting in Canada. The new Rise is different from most existing foiling boards in that it can be fun for the entire family, transitioning from a basic surfboard to a flying-above-the-water, adrenaline-pumping foiler as the rider gains experience or confidence. You can enjoy it on the water without foiling, if you’re starting out, riding on your knees or even lying down. The handlebar is retractable so you can decide when you want to use it…

One Dead in Small Boat Collision with C.G. Cutter

By Peter Janssen on August 10, 2022 Cruising Life

One man was killed and his brother was injured when their 23-foot fishing boat collided with a 154-foot Coast Guard cutter about 4 nm off the north coast of Puerto Rico on Monday. The Coast Guard says that the crew of the fast-response cutter Winslow Griesser (pictured above) reported the collision about 2:20 in the afternoon, saying the cutter was in a collision with a fishing boat named Desakata. The accident was near Dorado, which is just west of San Juan. The Coast Guard station in San Juan sent a 45-foot fast boat to the scene. Meanwhile, the crew of the…

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