Cruising Life

Five-Deck Riverboat Hits Sandbar, Gets Stuck

By Peter Janssen on July 13, 2021 Cruising Life

This happens to the best of us, but most of us don’t run aground while at the helm of a brand-new, five-deck, 269-foot riverboat with 174 people on board. But the American Cruise Line riverboat named American Jazz did run aground last week after it strayed from the channel and got stuck on a sandbar in Lake Barkley on the Cumberland River near Canton, Kentucky. The ship was near mile marker 62 on the river. The Coast Guard received a call of the grounding from the company and sent a 29-foot shallow-water response boat from Paducah with a marine investigator.…

New Study Finds 390-Year-Old Greenland Shark

By Peter Janssen on July 13, 2021 Cruising Life

A new study of Greenland sharks has found one that scientists say is probably 390 years old, making her the longest-living vertebrate on earth. Indeed, that age means the shark was born in 1631, just 11 years after the Pilgrims landed on Plymouth Rock, and during the reign of King Charles 1 of England, although he was beheaded in 1649 after the English Civil War. Julius Nielsen, a marine biologist at the University of Copenhagen and the lead author of the new study, said, “I think everyone doing this research was very surprised to learn the sharks were as old…

Whale Said To Hit Boat; Coast Guard Rescues 5

By Peter Janssen on July 12, 2021 Cruising Life

It takes a lot to punch a hole in a Grady-White. I know. I’ve been on Gradys in all kinds of conditions over a period of many, many years, cruising and fishing on waters as far apart as Florida and Alaska. I’ve also seen how they’re made in the factory in North Carolina; they’re built like battleships. But, according to this story from GoLocal in Providence, Rhode Island, a whale managed to punch a hole in a Grady’s hull about ten miles off Block Island. Read the story here: Boat Allegedly Hit by Whale Off Block Island; Coast Guard Rescues Five From…

Tesoro Launches T40 Outboard Cruiser

By Peter Janssen on July 11, 2021 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

Tesoro just launched its new T40 Cruiser, a super-modern, minimalist-looking two-cabin yacht with either inboard or outboard power. The latest Tesoro was built in the Murcian yard in Spain that also built Sir Ben Ainslie’s British America’s Cup high-tech foiling sailboat. Vanguard was a partner with Tesoro for its earlier T38 and now the T40, responsible for the design and the performance. The new Tesoro T40 will be sold in the U.S. by HMY. Powered by standard twin Mercury Verados, the boat tops out at 45 knots. Other Verados, from 300-hp to 450-hp, are options. For entertaining or picnic cruises,…

Father, Son Rescue MOB 40 Miles Offshore

By Peter Janssen on July 11, 2021 Cruising Life

Sascha Scheller is a lucky man. He fell off his fishing boat 40 miles off Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina, recently, when he lost his footing while relieving himself. He had been fishing by himself. As he hit the water, he saw his boat going off without him. About two hours later, Scheller was saved by a father-and-son team, who also had been out fishing, found his empty boat, and were able to use GPS tracking to help figure out where Scheller might be. Andrew Sherman, 50, and his son, Jack, 21, are ardent fisherman. They’re from Roanoke, Virginia, but spend…

Florida Passes New Anchoring-Restriction Law

By Peter Janssen on July 7, 2021 Cruising Life

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis just signed a new anchoring law that balances the needs of cruising boat owners, including many snowbirds, with the needs of local areas to remove derelict or “at-risk” boats (see the picture above). The bill had passed the Florida Senate by a vote of 39 to 0, and the House by 116 to 1. The new bill protects the ability of active cruisers to access shoreside services and amenities, while letting counties establish anchoring limitation areas next to urban areas that have lots of boating traffic and residential docking facilities. It grandfathers in any areas already…

Nemo: World’s Smallest Dive System

By Peter Janssen on July 6, 2021 Cruising Life, Gear

Here’s a new way to explore underwater (at least to ten feet underwater) without all the hassle of a scuba tanks. Nemo, from Blu3 (pronounced “blue”), is a ten-pound, battery-operated portable dive system that’s so user-friendly that you can even take it on the plane with you. A U.S. company, Blue3 says that Nemo, with its patent-pending technology, is the world’s smallest dive system. It’s designed particularly for people who are used to snorkeling but want to explore farther underwater. Nemo consists of a buoyant foam rectangle and tube with a custom battery-powered compressor, which pumps air to the diver…

Ellis Boat Charters: Cruise Down East This Summer

By Peter Janssen on July 6, 2021 Charter, Cruising Life

Even though the Fourth of July is in the rear-view mirror, there’s still plenty of time left for cruising vacations and charters this summer. And it would be hard to find a more appealing or inviting cruising area than Down East in Maine, particularly in the iconic Southwest Harbor area, the gateway to Somes Sound and Acadia National Park. You can enjoy all this on the water, by chartering a Maine-built boat from Ellis Boat Charters, a branch of the Ellis Boat Company in Southwest Harbor. Then you can cruise the area on your own, or with a local captain,…

OTAM Launches 50-Knot, 70HT Luxury Cruiser

By Peter Janssen on July 6, 2021 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

OTAM just launched its new 70HT fast luxury cruiser, powered by twin 2,000-hp MTU diesels. The sleek, low-profile, three-stateroom yacht will make its official debut at the Cannes Yachting Festival starting on Sept. 7. For the past 65 years, OTAM has been making custom cruising yachts, ranging from 45 to 130 feet, in its yard in Liguria, Italy. The new 70HT was built with the same customization, craftsmanship and luxury that have defined the brand. The hull comes from Umberto Tagliavini Marine Design; the rest of the boat from the BG Design Firm, which said that “the design is strongly…

Two Oceans Launches Luxurious 850 Power Cat

By Peter Janssen on July 5, 2021 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

Two Oceans Marine, the large catamaran builder in Cape Town, South Africa, recently launched a new 850 E Power Catamaran, an ocean-crossing vessel with all the comforts of home, down to its Ralph Lauren fabrics on the sun beds and cushions. Founded in 1989, Two Oceans specializes in building power and sail catamarans from 23 to 110 feet, for blue-water cruising, fishing and commercial use. The new 82-foot 850E is a custom build, with lines from Du Toit Yacht Design. The Two Oceans 850 E is powered by twin 305-hp Cummins diesels, giving it a top speed of 22 knots.…

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