Cruising Life

New Maori 80 Catches Fire, Sinks. See Video

By Peter Janssen on October 27, 2021 Cruising Life

A brand-new 80-foot Maori motoryacht, just introduced at the Cannes Boating Festival in September, caught fire, burned and sank a few days ago off the coast of Sardinia. (See the video of the fire below.) The crew of the yacht, named Mama-G, sent out a Mayday distress call just after 7 p.m., while on their way to Porto Corrallo on the southeast coast of the island. The local Coast Guard, stationed in Olbia, raced to the yacht and picked up the four crew who were on a life raft. No one was injured. The Coast Guard fought the fire for…

Boat Stuck on Chain of Rocks Is…Gone

By Peter Janssen on October 26, 2021 Cruising Life

The Hunter 44 that was stuck on the Chain of Rocks in the Mississippi outside St. Louis for more than two weeks is…missing. And both the owner and local boating authorities think it probably sank. The problem started back on Oct. 5, when Michael Weber, a retired businessman and former Marine, and his girlfriend missed the exit for the Chain of Rocks navigation channel about three miles above St. Louis and kept going down the river until they actually hit the rocks. The St. Louis Fire Department rescued both of them, but their boat, named White Widow, was stuck (see…

Garmin Launches New Handheld GPS, Radar

By Peter Janssen on October 26, 2021 Cruising Life, Electronics

Garmin is making a lot of news at the big Fort Lauderdale show, with the introduction of a new series of marine handheld GPS models, as well as two new solid-state dome radars. The handheld GPSMAP 79 has an all-new appearance with a modern display to help you navigate safely and enjoy your time on the water. It has a rugged, floating design with a suite of easy-to-use nav tools that fit in the palm of your hand. The new Garmin has a larger, optically-bonded display and a scratch-resistant glass lens that prevents fogging, improves contrast and enhances clarity, even…

Get the Snow Off Your Boat: Coast Guard

By Peter Janssen on October 26, 2021 Cruising Life

It’s getting to be that time of year again, and that means that those of us in the northern states need to get ready for the snow, ice and generally lousy weather we know is coming. For its part, the Coast Guard is stressing the importance of getting snow off your boat as soon as you can, and preventing any ice to build up on docked boats. The accumulation of snow and ice can reduce a boat’s stability, and even cause it to sink. The Coast Guard also urges everyone to wear appropriate personal protective equipment if they’re boating in…

Coast Guard, NOAA, Find Historic Wreck

By Peter Janssen on October 25, 2021 Cruising Life

Researchers from the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Coast Guard have found the wreck of the legendary U.S. Revenue Cutter Bear, which was lost at sea in 1963, about 90 miles south of Cape Sable in Nova Scotia. NOAA and the Coast Guard, as well as some academic institutions, had been searching for the wreck for decades. The Bear had been one of the most significant ships in Coast Guard history. It was used by the Navy as part of the rescue for the Greely Expedition to the Arctic in 1884, and it actually saved a few…

End of the Season in “Stormy Sitka”

By co_admin on October 25, 2021 Cruising Life

For the past few years, we’ve been following John and Kathy Youngblood as they’ve cruised around Alaska on their 2004 Selene 54 Mystic Moon. They previously cruised more than 35,000 nm on Mystic Moon in the Caribbean and the Pacific. Now they’ve posted their latest blog, about their fall cruise out of Sitka, or “Stormy Sitka” as John calls it (see Mystic Moon at the dock there in the picture above). Of the 16 days they were in Sitka, John writes, they had two days of partial sun, while it rained the rest of the time and every few…

New Retro Reward 17: A Fun, Soft Ride

By Peter Janssen on October 25, 2021 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

The third week of October is pushing the boating season in Connecticut, but there we were, heading out of Mystic Harbor at about 35 mph in hull number one of the head-turning Reward 17, grinning from ear to ear. Even though we were going into a 15-knot or so headwind, with 3-foot seas, the Reward 17, driven by a 170-hp Rotax engine and a waterjet, delivered a ride that was soft and easy. To show the boat’s maneuverability, Chris Ashley, who designed it and built it, turned the wheel and put us into a jet-drive turn; an immediate turn. But…

Video of Dog Rescue at Sea Goes Viral

By Peter Janssen on October 24, 2021 Cruising Life

A group of boating friends, and the dog they rescued a mile off the Florida coast, became social media stars when a video of their exploits went viral. Dylan Berian was boating near Fort Lauderdale with his friends when they suddenly saw a small dog swimming, alone, struggling to stay afloat. No other boats were nearby. Berian jumped in, fully clothed, to rescue the dog and bring him back to the boat. Once on board, the friends saw the dog’s collar with his name, Zuko, and his owner’s phone number on it. They called the owner, who said it was…

New Video of Dolphin Stampede

By Peter Janssen on October 20, 2021 Cruising Life

If you want to feel good about the world, take a look at this video of a dolphin stampede off the coast of Southern California recently, where abut 400 dolphins put on a show for people who were out on a whale-watching excursion. The video was from the catamaran named Manute’a, run by Captain Dave’s Dana Point Dolphin & Whale Watching Safari. It captures the dolphins leaping and diving and generally having a good time. It seems that Southern California has more dolphins per square mile than anywhere else on earth, at least according to Captain Dave. Adult dolphins are…

True North Launches New 34 Outboard Express

By Peter Janssen on October 19, 2021 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

True North, now owned by Catalina, just introduced its all-new 34 Outboard Express at the Annapolis show. The new 34 has a one-level open plan in the pilothouse and cockpit, with the galley up, and it’s driven by twin 300-hp outboards. With its Downeast lines, dating to an earlier lobster boat heritage, the True North 34 is a versatile cruiser with a spacious cockpit and a single cabin and head below. Its looks go back to the original True North, a 38, launched by the Pearson Marine Group, in 2001. The original True Norths were called the SUVs of the…

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