Here’s some good news finally for anyone thinking about cruising to the Bahamas. On April 21, the Bahamian government announced new protocols for boaters and Bahamas marinas. The most important one is that starting May 1, anyone traveling to the Bahamas will be exempt from taking a COVID 19 test if they have been fully vaccinated and are past the two-week immunity period. This should make life much easier for anyone cruising to the Bahamas from Florida or anywhere else in the U.S. In addition, boaters who are already in the Bahamas and have been fully vaccinated will be exempt…
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The Quest to Build the Perfect Cruising Yacht
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Design Innovation - Outer Reef Yachts Bridgeview Deck
Design innovation, within the Outer Reef Yachts Classic Series, unfolds on the flybridge with the new Bridgeview™ Deck, a feature never seen on long-range yachts of this size before. This is an extra deck area created ahead of the helm station, fully accessible and with seating for two. Clear glass surrounds ensure full protection from the wind, while offering a 180-degree panoramic view over the foredeck and to the ocean horizon. The unobstructed view of both sky and sea were the inspiration for this invaluable feature, providing owners and guests a breathtaking vantage point whether underway or at anchor. The new Bridgeview™ Deck is available on all Classic Series models.
The new Bridgeview™ Deck creates unlimited access to the world surrounding those aboard, with unobstructed views of both sky and sea.
More information on this and other Outer Reef innovations
Visit the Outer Reef Yachts website
Ben, an Orca Almost Left for Dead, Now Thriving
Ben, an orca in New Zealand, almost died twice more than two decades ago. First, he was stranded, then he was hit by a boat. But since then Ben has been thriving. He’s been spotted in 48 locations around New Zealand, and he’s traveled about 29,000 miles, roughly the distance around the world at the equator. Now he’s the subject of a chapter in a new book. Read about him here at stuff.co.nz: An orca who has twice dodged death is proving to be a poster boy for researchers thanks to the scars of his adventures. Ben the orca is…
Sirena Building New 68 for Experienced Cruisers
The highly regarded Turkish builder of luxury yachts, Sirena just announced that it’s working on a new 68 that’s designed for experienced cruisers. The new Sirena 68 has a semi-displacement hull, designed by German Frers; this is the fifth collaboration between Sirena and Frers Naval Architecture. The new boat will be launched in time for the Cannes Yachting Festival in September. Frers’ innovative hull, powered by standard twin 900-hp Volvos with V drives, is expected to top out at 26 knots, and deliver a range of about 1,200 nm at 10 knots. Twin 1,000-hp Volvos are an option, and produce…
Foxy’s Iconic Bar in BVI Adds a Music School
If you’re heading for Foxy’s Tamarind Bar on Jost Van Dyke in the British Virgin Islands, you may not find Foxy himself. That’s because Foxy (Foxy Callwood ) is spending a lot of his time at his music school down the road behind the restaurant, helping kids from the islands. Foxy’s has become an institution of almost folklore proportions ever since it opened on the beach in Great Harbour in 1968, a destination for cruisers and charter-boat customers from all around the world. (If you don’t have your own boat, you can take the ferry from West End, Tortola, across…
New Regency 65: Designed for Extended Cruising
The new Regency 65 is designed for comfortable, long-range cruising anywhere from Alaska to the Caribbean, plus anywhere else you might have in mind. It’s a relatively heavy yacht (88,105 pounds) and its 18-foot-plus beam gives it a large footprint, so there’s lots of room. But that also means it will give you a good ride in a seaway where stability is always a blessing. The Regency 65 is powered by twin 900-hp Volvos, giving it a cruising speed of 15 to 17 knots. Dial back to 8 to 9 knots and the yacht has a range of more than…
Search Continues for 12 Still Missing in Gulf
At 4 on Tuesday afternoon, the National Weather Service in New Orleans broadcast a marine warning, predicting steep waves and winds above 58 mph in the waters of the Gulf of Mexico nearby. At 4:30, the crew of the Seacore Power, a 129-foot commercial lift boat, sent out an emergency distress call. It had capsized eight miles off Port Flouchon, the southernmost port in Louisiana. An odd-looking vessel, the Seacore Power has extendable 250-foot legs that can reach the sea floor; it is used by energy companies for offshore construction projects or to service oil rigs. When the Coast Guard…
Ranger Tugs Launches New 43 CB Flagship
Ranger Tugs has a new flagship, the 43 CB (Command Bridge), that’s powered by twin 340-hp Volvo IPS450 pod drives and hits a top speed of 29 knots but burns only 10 gph at a more tug-like 11 knots. (See the boat in action in the video below.) With two staterooms and two heads, the new Ranger can be just about anything you want it to be: A waterfront property that moves, a comfortable liveaboard, a floating office, or most likely, a family cruiser for everything from an overnight near home to a journey around the Great Loop. And you…
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The Strongest Link in Your Chain
New Alva 90 Flagship: All-Electric Power Cat
Alva Yachts, the fairly new German builder, is making a 90-foot flagship all-electric power cat that has trans-Atlantic range and a cruising speed of 8 to 10 knots. The entire surface of the new Alva 90 is covered with solar body panels; the solar modules have been adapted to the shape of the yacht. They produce 40 kWp; the battery capacity is 240 kWh. The luxurious cat is powered by two 500kW electric drive motors and two 100 kVA generators. A hydrogen fuel cell and storage tank are an option. The yacht also comes in a hybrid diesel-electric option, with…
Greenline 48 Fly: All-Electric or Diesel Power
The Greenline 48 Fly is a thoroughly modern, family-friendly, hybrid-powered cruiser with one-level living on the main deck and 360-degree views from anywhere in the salon. But what really sets the 48 Fly apart is Greenline’s hybrid drive system, where, with pushing one button, you can shift from electric to diesel power, or back again. So far, the Slovenian builder has produced more than 1,000 yachts with this system, and it’s elegant in its simplicity (see the video below). In the diesel mode, with standard 220-hp Volvos, the boat has a top speed of 17.4 knots; with optional 370-hp Yanmars,…
All-Electric Sarvo 37 Tops Out at 70 Knots
Sarvo Marine in Denmark is finishing work on a new all-electric 37-foot boat that pushes the boundaries of speed, power and looks in a shimmering aluminum hull. The company says the Sarvo 37 will hit a top speed of 70 knots when it’s launched in June. (The problem is, it will only run at that speed for 15 minutes or so, before it runs out of juice, but then, how long do you really want to run a boat at 70 knots?) If you dial back to 10 knots or so, the boat has a range of 100 nm. An…
CL Yachts Announces New 65 Family Cruiser
CL Yachts just announced that it will build the CLB65 flybridge motoryacht with an understated contemporary design and a hull by Howard Apollonio, the veteran naval architect. The three-cabin, three head cruiser is due to be launched at the end of this year. CL Yachts is the new luxury brand from Cheoy Lee Shipyards, which has been building ships and yachts in Hong Kong for five generations. The B in the new CLB stands for the company’s Bravo series of family-oriented cruising yachts. The Alpha series designates its high-performance yachts. The new CLB65 has an open layout, designed to make…
Garmin OnDeck: Stay Connected to Your Boat
Garmin has launched a new remote OnDeck system that keeps you connected to your boat, no matter where you are. OnDeck lets you track, monitor and control (via up to five switches) what’s happening to your boat. “OnDeck is a comprehensive vessel monitoring and management tool designed to deliver important information about your boat directly to your fingertips, so you’ll always know that it’s safe, secure and ready for your next adventure,” said Dan Bartel, Garmin VP of global consumer sales. Is your bilge pump running, and running and running? You’d certainly want to know. Has your boat moved, and…
New Super Kayak Cat: Inflatable, Stable, Fun
Here’s something new and fun that you might want to take on your next cruise or just keep in the trunk of your car: The Super Kayak, an inflatable catamaran kayak that weighs just 30 pounds and takes only four minutes to set up or disassemble (see the video below). The brain child of Kirk Kirchev, a London product designer, the Super Kayak is now on Kickstarter, with a planned retail price of about $2,100 before long. It is 12 feet long, 3 feet wide and can carry a maximum load of 220 pounds. The modular craft has two inflatable…
How To Get Your VHF Ready for the Season
Here’s some timely advice from BoatUS about how to get your VHF ready for the season: ANNAPOLIS, Md., March 23, 2021 – In recreational boating, cellphones are just fine for routine communications. So why do you need a VHF radio – either a handheld or fixed mount – on your boat? Because in an emergency it’s the only thing that can directly connect you to the U.S. Coast Guard’s Rescue 21 system, giving you access to high-tech emergency response and Digital Selective Calling (DSC) capabilities that can hasten your rescue. All you have to do now is to ensure VHF…
New ICOM VHF: First Handheld with AIS
ICOM just launched its new breakthrough IC-M94D handheld VHF, the first in the world with built-in AIS. Combined with DSC (Distress Signal Calling), AIS (Automatic Identification System) is a boon to boating safety and secure navigation. Until now, AIS was limited to larger VHF units and helm-mounted display screens. With the new Icom, you can have all the safety and communications features (receive only) of AIS in the palm of your hand. You can use it on a smaller boat, a dink or simply as a back-up system on a larger vessel. The M94D is a significant VHF even without…
Bumfuzzle: Playing Tourist in St. Croix
The Schulte family, Pat and Ali and their daughter Ouest, 11, and son Lowe, 9, have been cruising on their 1984 Grand Banks 42 Bumfuzzle for a few years now. (Pat and Ali previously sailed around the world.) Now they’re in St. Croix, playing tourist while waiting out the pandemic, learning about the history, the flora and fauna, and the kindness of strangers in a new land. Here’s their report: A couple weeks back Ali and I were hiking back to the boat from the grocery store, where we had purchased way too much. We were struggling with all the…
Bar Harbor, Maine: All the Way Down East
If you’re thinking of cruising to Maine this summer, you might as well go all the way Down East and head for Bar Harbor, a bustling vacation destination with lots to do and the gateway to Acadia National Park, with some of the most beautiful vistas in the United States. Bar Harbor is on Mount Desert Island, all the way around, past the iconic boating communities of Southwest Harbor and Northeast Harbor, across the way and the start of Somes Sound. Overlooking all this is Cadillac Mountain, the highest mountain on the eastern seaboard. As a community, Bar Harbor was…
Top 10 Charter Destinations in the World
Many countries still have Covid-related travel restrictions, but now is a good time to plan for better times ahead. To help with that, Marina Nazario at Denison Yachting put together a list of the top ten charter destinations in the world. Take a look, and start dreaming: 1.Florida Keys. You don’t need a passport here, just a change in attitude to go with the change of latitude. You can cruise down the Atlantic to Key Largo, Islamorada and Key West, where you might even be able to capture the green flash as the sun goes down. If you go, you…
Top 15 Whale-Watching Spots in the U.S.
There’s probably nothing so dramatic when cruising than seeing a whale, or pod of whales, in their native state. It can be an absolutely awe-inspiring experience, one you’ll never forget. (If you’re downwind, you also won’t forget the fish smell when they breach; it’s terrible!) But where to find them? Here’s some great advice about the 15 best whale-watching destinations in the U.S. from localadventurer.com, with advice about when to go. Read on: Thar she blows! If you’re lucky enough to catch a glimpse of these massive and majestic creatures, there’s nothing quite like it. Before you go on your…
Meet Orca, Your New Marine Co-Pilot
Orca, a brand-new Norwegian startup, just introduced its new wireless navigation system that is designed to become your “marine co-pilot.” A combination of hardware and software, Orca is organized around a built-from-scratch interface that is meant to make your cruising life safer, easier and more up-to-date. Orca’s founders say they started with a blank slate to rethink the entire design of marine electronics, looking for an iPhone moment. They ended up with a system that includes a rugged tablet from Samsung, a mounting arm, an interface for quick attachment and charging, and an Orca Core computing base unit that connects…
Is Our GPS System Too Vulnerable?
What would happen if your GPS went down? I don’t mean just the GPS on the chartplotter on your boat, or on your smartphone, or on your tablet, or even on your fitness watch. I mean the entire system. What would happen? Total chaos. Much of our infrastructure and our national defense is based on GPS. Forget about autonomous trucks on the interstate, or getting your next delivery from Amazon. GPS has become an unseen, but invaluable, part of our daily life. The problem is, at least according to this thought-provoking story in The New York Times, it’s too vulnerable.…
Iridium Launches First World-Wide Marine Distress Service
Iridium just launched the first world-wide, real-time emergency marine distress service. The new Iridium Global Maritime Distress and Safety System (GMDSS) started last week; it is the first immediate response and rescue service that works anywhere in the world, even in the Arctic and Antarctic. At a virtual press conference from its headquarters in McLean, Virginia, Iridium officials said the new service can provide life-saving help to mariners at sea. “This is a historic moment in both the satellite and maritime industries,” said Iridium CEO Matt Desch. “It is not every day that you get to announce the launch of…
Garmin Introduces New, More Powerful GPSMAP X3 Chartplotters
Garmin just launched its new GPSMAP x3 mid-sized chartplotters with more power and higher-res displays; they’re available with or without built-in sonar. The new units were shown at the recent Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show. Designed for a wide range of helm configurations, the new X3 series have streamlined borders with edge-to-edge glass displays and they can be installed in bail-, flush-, or flat-mounted configurations. The 12×3 and 9×3 models offer touchscreens with accurate colors that you can see from all viewing angles, even if you’re wearing polarized sunglasses. The 9×3 and 7×3 models offer 50 percent and 60 percent…
EYOS Expeditions: Leaders in Adventure Charter
In the good old days, before the pandemic hit, the adventure charter business was booming. Then, of course, it crashed. People still wanted to cruise to remote parts of the world, to have new experiences, but they couldn’t even get past the Covid-related travel restrictions to get to the charter boat. Now things are starting to open up again. Indeed, EYOS-Expeditions, a worldwide company that puts together charters for “once in a lifetime experiences,” is expecting another boom. They are booking more charters for the Arctic this summer than ever before, and more for the Antarctic’s next season as well.…
Still Some Openings on NW Explorations Flotillas in Alaska
Northwest Explorations, the full-service adventure yacht company in Bellingham, Washington, just announced that they still have some openings left on their flotillas in Alaska this spring and summer. For many years, the company has organized flotillas up the Inside Passage to Alaska, but the border to Canada is still closed because of the Covid pandemic. If the border reopens, Northwest Explorations will hold a cruise to Princess Louisa starting June 18, and another to Desolation Sound on Sept. 24. But for now, it is organizing cruises that do not leave the state of Alaska. The first, from May 18 to…
New MarineMax Charter in British Columbia
Here’s a new charter idea from MarineMax Vacations that you can put on your wish list for when the pandemic is over, the borders are open, and we can go cruising anywhere we want to again. It’s a week-long cruise along the Sunshine Coast of British Columbia, starting in Vancouver and crossing the Strait of Georgia to the islands and harbors on the western side, ending up in the BC capital of Victoria. This cruise would take you through some of the most beautiful and interesting cruising grounds in the Pacific Northwest, along jagged coastlines with pine trees growing down…
Luxury Day Charters Adds Vicem 72 to Fleet
Luxury Day Charters has just added a classic Vicem 72 flybridge yacht to its charter fleet in the Jupiter/Palm Beach area. Luxury Day Charters’ motto is “be a yacht owner for a day or longer,” and the Vicem, like the company’s other yachts, is available for highly customizable charters starting at less than a day and going up to a week. With its elegant, timeless lines, the Vicem is certain to turn heads on any charter. It has three staterooms and two full heads, plus a day head. There’s lots of outdoor space, including a large aft deck with a…