Cruising Life

Lock Closures on Illinois River Start on July 1

By Peter Janssen on June 24, 2020 Cruising Life

The Illinois River stretches 327 miles, from Chicago down to Grafton, Illinois, where it connects to the Mississippi. It’s a major part of the Great Loop; in fact, it’s the only way to get from the Great Lakes to the Mississippi and ultimately the Gulf of Mexico. But there are eight aging dams and locks on the river, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has scheduled closings this summer and fall for long-overdue maintenance. Some of the closings, when no vessels will be able to transit, start on July 1 and run as long as Oct. 29. Here’s the…

Toyota and Yanmar Develop Hydrogen-Powered Concept Cruiser

By Peter Janssen on June 23, 2020 Cruising Life

Toyota and Yanmar have joined forces to create a hydrogen-powered, zero-emissions concept yacht. The new boat uses the high-pressure hydrogen fuel-cell from Toyota’s Mirai sedan as its powertrain. The two companies say the yacht will have smooth, emission-free cruising with “a superior cruising range.” For its part, Yanmar says its goal is to develop an environmentally friendly hydrogen fuel-cell system for a variety of marine vessels. It hopes to install the new H2 system and start demo testing later this year. The Mirai system is well-proven in the automotive market. Toyota launched its Mirai (which means “future” in Japanese) sedan…

Dozens of Massive Blue Whales Feasting in the Farallons

By Peter Janssen on June 22, 2020 Cruising Life

Dozens of blue whales, the largest creatures on earth – ever – have been feeding off the Farallon Islands, about 30 miles west of San Francisco. In one hour-long period, scientists counted 47 of the animals there, the largest group seen in Northern California since they started keeping records in 1968. Beautiful creatures with backs that seen to shine metallic blue when they surface, blue whales can grow to be more than 90 feet long and weigh more than 150,000 pounds. (The largest ever measured was 98 feet long and weighed 346,000 pounds.) They are larger than a Boeing 737-800…

How To Stay Safe During Lightning Strikes

By Peter Janssen on June 22, 2020 Cruising Life

Here’s some solid advice from the U.S. Power Squadrons about how to stay safe during lightning strikes on the water: Lightning strikes kill more people in the United States in a year than tornadoes, and boaters are particularly vulnerable. You can stay safe on and off the water by learning more about lightning safety. Many people wait far too long to seek shelter when thunderstorms threaten. Unfortunately, this delayed response leads to many lightning deaths and injuries in the U.S. Lightning dangers for boaters Often the tallest object in a large open space, a boat can be a dangerous place…

Coast Guard, Good Samaritan, Rescue 10 As Boat Sinks. See Video

By Peter Janssen on June 21, 2020 Cruising Life

The Coast Guard and a Good Samaritan boat rescued ten people from Grand Traverse Bay in northern Michigan when their 30-foot boat started to sink. A Coast Guard rescue swimmer was able to get all ten to the Good Samaritan boat just before their boat sank. No one was injured in the accident. The Coast Guard said they received a distress call about 2:30 on Friday afternoon saying that a boat was taking on water in the bay along Lake Michigan. In response, the Coast Guard sent a 45-foot boat and a Jayhawk helicopter. The helicopter arrived about 20 minutes…

MCM To Manage Build of New 70-Foot Zurn Cruiser

By Peter Janssen on June 16, 2020 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

An experienced owner has just hired MCM yacht management in Newport, Rhode Island, to oversee the construction of his new Doug Zurn-designed 70-foot Down East express cruiser at Delta Marine in Seattle. The new boat is a clean, classic Zurn design, with a low profile, long sheerline, and state-of-the-art lightweight construction. Powered by twin 1,000-hp Volvo IPS pod drives, it is expected to deliver a top speed of 38 knots. Peter Wilson, the co-founder of MCM, said the owner had several production boats in the past, and currently has a Down East boat with IPS power. But, Wilson said, “he…

Yamaha Launches First Joystick for Single-Outboard Boats

By Peter Janssen on June 16, 2020 Cruising Life, Engine Room

After three years of R&D, Yamaha just introduced the first joystick for boats with a single outboard. Until now, joystick controls were available only on boats with multiple engines. Yamaha’s new Helm Master EX makes it easier for drivers of single-outboard boats to control and steer their vessels. It gives captains fingertip control of steering, throttle and shifting. With its power steering, you can turn the motor from lock-to-lock in less than two seconds. You maneuver the joystick in easy intervals. One short twist equals 1 degree of heading. A long twist produces 5 degrees of heading. A hold-and-twist repositions…

Wealthy Dad Charged in Boating Death of Son

By Peter Janssen on June 16, 2020 Cruising Life

Marin County Prosecutors, just across the Bay from San Francisco, have charged a wealthy real estate developer with manslaughter and boating under the influence of alcohol in the tragic death of his 11-year-old son last September. Javier Burillo Azcarraga, 58, from one of the wealthiest families in Mexico, was driving his 33-foot Targa Protector (pictured above) near Angel Island in San Francisco Bay when his 11-year-old son and a 27-year-old son were thrown out of the boat. Prosecutors say that in his effort to retrieve them, Burillo injured the older son and killed the younger one. Burillo is scheduled to…

How Did This Happen? See Video Reenactment

By Peter Janssen on June 15, 2020 Cruising Life

August 17, 2018, was a clear, calm day on the Chesapeake when a 34-foot powerboat ran into the side of a 35-foot sailboat near Annapolis. Fortunately, none of the seven people on the powerboat, or the two people on the sailboat, were seriously injured. But once the picture of the accident, taken by the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, was released, it went viral. Boaters and non-boaters alike asked, how did this happen? The powerboat, a 34-foot deadrise charter boat named Hunter, was brand new. It was on its very first day in the water, with a licensed captain on…

New Study: Great Whites Like Shallow Water on Cape Cod

By Peter Janssen on June 15, 2020 Cruising Life

The next time you go to Cape Cod, you may want to stay on your boat. New studies show that great white sharks spend half their time there swimming in water less than 15 feet deep, hunting for seals to eat. That behavior, of course, puts them in the same water as human swimmers and surfers. And the number of sharks swimming in those waters is staggering. A research buoy close to shore off North Truro detected 70 individual sharks last summer. One off Nauset Beach in Orleans recorded 69; Eastham, 62. The Atlantic White Shark Conservancy, a non-profit organization…

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