Here’s a story about a real mess, one that surfaced when U.S. marshals boarded a 74-foot Sunseeker at the Sunseeker International exhibit at the Bahia Mar on Sunday night, just after the Fort Lauderdale Boat Show ended, and placed it under arrest. The boat is at the center of a $4 million legal dispute between the buyer, Sunseeker in England, and Rick Obey & Associates, the Fort Lauderdale broker. According to the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, the buyer says that Sunseeker is not crediting him the $4 million he paid to Obey to have the boat built. But the legal dispute…
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New Virtual Tour: Outer Reef Yachts 640 Classic Azure Defines Alfresco Living
During Outer Reef Yachts’ world debut of the new 640 Classic Azure at the 2019 Cannes Yachting Festival, the Outer Reef team was able to capture a virtual walk-through tour of this stunning new model. We believe you’ll virtually enjoy her galley-aft layout, which presents a fresh take on alfresco dining and living, as well as her panoramic views forward of the flybridge helm; this new Bridgeview Deck™ feature is a true game changer!
For more information on the new 640 Classic Azure Motoryacht, click here
For the Outer Reef 640 Azure virtual tour, click here
For more Outer Reef model virtual tours, click here
23 Boats Nominated for European Boat of the Year Awards
Nominations for the European Powerboat of the Year 2020 Awards are in, and they include some names that are familiar to those of us in the U.S. The prestigious awards, which have been given since 2005, are in five categories. The winners, selected by writers and editors of leading European boating magazines, will be announced at a gala ceremony on the opening night of Boot Düsseldorf on January 18. Here are the categories and the nominees. You can see pictures of the boats and brief writeups by clicking on the link at the bottom of this story. Boats Up To…
New Mansion Yacht Sits on Hydraulic Legs, Holds 149 People
The new Mansion Yacht wasn’t the largest boat at the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show, but it was one that almost everybody was talking about. Part yacht, part houseboat, part New York condo, the Mansion cruises at 5 knots with a 440-hp Cummins diesel and then stays put, resting on four hydraulic 18-foot legs that anchor it to the seafloor and suspend it over the water. Then you can relax with your family and friends in five large staterooms, all with king-sized beds and ensuite designer heads, or you could call everyone on your contact list and invite them over;…
Where To Put the Toys? Buy Another Boat
Most cruising boat owners have a problem with space, particularly space for the dinghy or tender and all the water toys we want to take on board. Where to put them all? Larger boats have aft boat decks as extensions of a flying bridge with cranes, but the rest of us have to find room on the transom, the cabintop, the lazarette, wherever. Here’s a solution: A separate boat. Indeed, Incat Crowther, an Australian company, has developed Hodor, a “Shadow Cat,” as a 217-foot backup boat that carries all the boats and toys that don’t fit on the megayacht mothership.…
Airbnb For Boats: The Rapid Growth of Boat Sharing
For the past decade or so, we’ve been moving increasingly into a sharing economy, not an owning economy. Think of the massive growth of Airbnb, for example, in the housing market, or Uber and Lyft for transportation. Younger generations also often put more importance on experiences, than on things. They want the freedom to travel, and to dip into new experiences, such as boating, without having to tie up a lot of capital. Over the years, I had several conversations with the late Irwin Jacobs, who used to own such major boat companies as Wellcraft and Hatteras and certainly knew…
Coast Guard: 7 Tips To Keep Safe This Winter
Here are seven tips from the Coast Guard about how to stay safe on the water this winter: Posted by LT Katie Braynard Regardless of the region in which you live, the winter season brings added tips to help you stay safe on the water. With colder air and water temperatures, it’s crucial to be prepared for anything if you happen to be heading out on the water for any activity this winter – boating, kayaking, paddle boarding or even ice fishing and snowmobiling. If you plan to participate in any water activity this winter – know what will keep…
New Porsche-Designed, 35-Knot “Spaceship” Now for Sale
Royal Falcon One, a Porsche-designed, 135-foot, 35-knot “spaceship on the water,” is now for sale. It was launched from the Kockums yard in Sweden earlier this summer, and is now listed by Campers & Nicholsons. The luxury catamaran, with four decks and five staterooms, was built in conjunction with the Royal Falcon Fleet in Singapore; the project took almost a decade. The head-turning, futuristic yacht is filled with large windows, sliding doors and light flowing in from many directions. It has an open sundeck on the upper deck, and an observation lounge forward on the main deck. All told, the…
New Outback 50: A Cruising Boat For Active Owners
The new Outback 50, just unveiled at the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show, is designed for active boat owners, people who want to go places and do things. Its most noticeable feature is its open transom and “infinity deck” aft that can hold a small vessel, jet skis, or other toys. Many years in the making, the Outback 50 has a serious cruising pedigree, a collaboration between Michael Peters, the well-known designer, and Andrew Cilla, the owner of Luke Brown Yachts in Fort Lauderdale and a long-time cruiser. Over some drinks about ten years ago, Cilla asked Peters to design…
New 32-Foot Zar Formenti “Ferrari of RIBs” Now in U.S.
Here’s a new high-performance, high-style, Italian-built RIB that’s much more than a traditional RIB and was just introduced to the U.S. market at the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show. The Zar Formenti 95 SL, says company founder Piero Formenti, “is like the Ferrari of RIBs in Europe.” It’s easy to see why he thinks so. This newest and largest of the Zar Formenti RIB line has seating in the bow and stern for 12 as a day cruiser, and it can sleep two in a cabin below with a stand-up head and shower. It also has an outdoor galley on…
Whaler Launches New 405 Conquest, “SUV of the Sea”
Boston Whaler just unveiled its new 405 Conquest that it calls an “SUV of the sea,” meaning that it’s both rugged and sophisticated, and that it can do a lot of things very well. When he launched the new Conquest at the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show, Nick Stickler, the Boston Whaler president, said “We’re thrilled to introduce a new model that heralds the return of adventurous overnighting.” Indeed, you can spend a very comfortable overnight, and much longer, in the new Conquest’s large and private master stateroom, with its own head and separate shower. And you can get all…
Tiara Launches Innovative New 48-Knot, 38 LX at FLIBS
Tiara just launched its new 38 LX at the Lauderdale show and it became in instant hit – a combination of creative design, performance and popular size range. Tiara’s reputation for quality and seaworthiness played a major role here too. On the design front, the 38 LX has innovative cockpit seating, plus a center teak walkway that extends from the swim platform to a large seating area in the bow. In the cockpit, you can arrange the backs of the two large, matching lounges, port and starboard, so that they face aft, in a sunpad arrangement, or forward, in the traditional…
Best Satcom Systems for Smaller Cruising Boats
Large yachts have been able to fit and house satcom systems for many years, letting their owners enjoy satellite-driven communications and entertainment at sea or at the dock. The only problem was that many of these systems were too large (and too expensive) for most cruising powerboats. Now that has changed. Many of the leading satcom companies now have internet, phone and data systems that are appropriate for smaller boats. Here, Marine Electronics Journal takes a look at the best on the market now: INTERNET, PHONE & DATA Intellian FB 250 The Intellian FB 150, FB 250 and FB 500…
Garmin Launches New Hi-Res, Detailed Coastal and Lake Charts
Garmin just made navigation easier along the U.S. coastline and many interior lakes, expanding its coverage and improving the details and shading on its coastal and lake cartography. The new coverage, on Garmin’s BlueChart g3 Vision and LakeVü g3 Ultra premium cartography, will be shown at the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show. The new high-resolution shading and improved detail showing the ocean floor and lake bottom cover the entire coastline of the continental United States plus 150 inland lakes. New hi-res satellite imagery overlaid on navigation charts provides a more realistic view of your surroundings and helps with situational awareness.…
New Fliteboard: Electric-Powered Foiling Surfboard
This just looks like fun. In case you’re looking for a new toy, or a way to relax once you’ve dropped the hook on your next cruise, consider the Fliteboard, an electric-powered foiling surfboard. (See the video below.) Built in Australia, the Fliteboard flies several feet above the surface, giving you the sensation of gliding over the water. A handheld remote control lets you control the speed, but the company says it can hit 27 mph. The Fliteboard is made to foil on oceans, rivers and lakes, in fresh and salt water. You don’t even need waves, although they certainly…
Get Faster Wi-Fi with Shakespeare’s Stream Internet Booster
Here’s something almost all cruising boat owners say they want: Faster Wi-Fi, both underway and at the dock. Shakespeare Marine has an answer for that. It’s the Stream Wireless Internet Booster, and it uses Shakespeare’s marine cellular technology to amplify weak cell signals, so you can access the Internet faster and more reliably along inshore, coastal and popular cruising routes. The new Stream Wireless Internet Booster is designed for boats of all sizes. It has an outside antenna that communicates with cell towers on land; a stream wireless booster that processes and amplifies the cell signal; and a helm antenna…
The Hottest Islands for 2020, from Coastal Living
We all love islands. At least I think we do. I certainly do. There’s something romantic about islands. They’re always away, a trip from home, a loosening of our ties to land. They bring out the sea captain in us, or the pirate, or maybe just the beach bum. Some of my best memories are of cruises, charters and vacations to islands. I’m thinking of mainstays like Nantucket, the BVI, and Antigua, but I also include some a bit more off the beaten path – I’m thinking of you, Rebak Island in Langkawi, Malaysia, and Rottnest Island, off Perth, Australia.…
Oxford, Maryland, a Picturesque Boating Haven Since 1683
If you’re in Annapolis for the boat shows, or simply cruising through the Chesapeake on your way south for the winter, give yourself a treat and stop across the bay at Oxford on Maryland’s eastern shore. Founded in 1683, Oxford is small, with only 651 people, and quiet (its most prosperous time was during the Revolution), but it’s a picturesque boating haven simply invites you to slow down and relax a bit. Oxford is almost surrounded by water, with the Tred Avon River and Town Creek wrapping around it on three sides. Their banks are lined with restored 18th and…
Want To Help the Bahamas? Go There. Here’s What’s Open
Here’s a good story from The Points Guy by Liz Hunt called Three Reasons Now Is the Best Time To Visit the Bahamas. It tells what’s open after Hurricane Dorian, which is a lot. Earlier this month, the Bahamas were hit very hard by Hurricane Dorian with winds up to 185 miles per hour at landfall — the destruction was deadly. Weeks later, at least 50 people have been confirmed dead and 1,300 remain missing. The northern part of the archipelago, including the Abaco Islands and Grand Bahama, endured the brunt of the hit while destinations such as Nassau, the…
New Marina, with Incredible Views, Opens in Brooklyn
The first new marina in New York City in the past 50 years is now open on the East River, just south of the Brooklyn Bridge, with 100 slips for boats up to 200 feet and incredible views of downtown Manhattan. The marina, Oneº15 Brooklyn, is part of Brooklyn Bridge Park. It’s just below the River Café, between Piers 4 and 5, and directly across the river from the South Street Seaport and the Fulton Fish Market. More than five years in the building, the marina was delayed until the owners, Oneº15, a Singapore company, developed a new, proprietary, wave-attenuation…
Now, AIS on Your Phone with iNavX; No Transponder Needed
Now, with iNavX LIVE, you can get AIS data in the palm of your hand on your smartphone or tablet, without needing a transponder on your boat. The new addition to iNavX software lets you connect any mobile device to the AIS LIVE global network, so that you can see the movements of AIS vessels in real time on the iNavX display on your phone. INavX, an app you can download from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store, has all the advantages of a mobile chartplotter that you can take on any boat, anywhere, at any time. It…
Raymarine, Vesper, Win Big at Best New Electronics Awards
The National Marine Electronics Association just gave 18 awards for best new products at their annual meeting in Portsmouth, Virginia. The awards were chosen by a five-person panel of judges. The Top award, the NMEA Technology Award, based on innovation, benefit to boaters, practicality and value, went to the Raymarine/FLIR ClearCruise AR (pictured above). Here’s what the judges said: “ClearCruise AR is an industry-first technology that combines augmented reality and advanced image stabilization to help boaters make smarter and faster navigation decisions by placing visual overlays of nav aids, AIS traffic and destination waypoints on Raymarine Axiom multi-function displays. The…
FLIR Introduces New M300 Series of Thermal, High-Def Cameras
FLIR is introducing a new generation of marine thermal cameras, combining thermal and high-definition imaging for increased situational awareness and safer navigation. The new line, called the M300 Series, is a successor to FLIR’s M-Series of marine cameras. The next-generation M300 Series consists of five models with rugged new pan and tilt housings built for the harsh marine environment. Four of them have FLIR Boson 640- or 320-resolution thermal camera cores and various fixed field-of-view lenses, plus a visible-only model, the M300C, with a high-definition color, low-light camera with 30x zoom. The new cameras make navigation easier through improved image stabilization…
New Cortex Handheld VHF Also Has AIS, Monitoring
Vesper Marine, a New Zealand manufacturer of innovative marine electronics, just introduced what it calls the world’s first VHF radio with touchscreen handsets, an AIS transponder and remote vessel monitoring. The new VHF is called Cortex, and it offers an unprecedented level of boating safety and communication that fits in your hand. “Innovation in AIS technology, touchscreen devices and vessel monitoring has skyrocketed in recent years, but marine VHF hasn’t kept pace and remains an anachronism,” says Jeff Robbins, CEO, Vesper Marine. “Cortex fundamentally changes how you interact with safety communication systems.” In addition to the normal marine VHF radio…
Cruise Through France’s Champagne Region on a Luxury Hotel Barge
For a truly different and totally relaxing charter, consider six nights on the Panache, a 12-passenger luxury hotel barge run by European Waterways that cruises through the heart of France’s Champagne region, with frequent stops at vineyards and historic sites along the way. (See the video, below.) The cruise starts on the River Marne, about 75 miles from Paris. The Champagne tasting centers on Epernay, where you can tour the home of Moët & Chandon and inspect thousands of bottles of Champagne in 17 miles of underground tunnels. After some sampling there, you can move on to a hillside tasting…
Insider Tips: Cruising Mallorca to Ibiza on Chartered Power Cats
Cruising Mallorca to Ibiza – Insider Tips Published: October 7, 2019 The Moorings Comments By Renato Seitenfus: Since I joined The Moorings and became hooked on the charter experience, I cannot let one year pass without stepping on a boat, exploring new waters, and discovering new cultures. Every year my friends and I set up an annual floating meeting, so after the Caribbean and Thailand, we decided to choose a destination that we’d all been to before and fell in love with – Spain. Our crew was bigger this time with 12 best friends coming from different places all…
The Exumas Are Open for a Dream Power Charter
If you’re thinking about a charter vacation in the Bahamas, the Exumas are open for business as usual. The Exumas avoided the destruction of Hurricane Dorian, and they’re are as beautiful and welcoming as ever. Dream Yacht Charter, based in Nassau, has power cruising boats for charter there from 37 to 63 feet. The Exumas are an exotic collection of 365 cays and islands starting just 26 nm below Nassau. They basically are divided into three major areas – Great Exuma, Little Exuma, and The Exuma Cays, each with its own character and attractions. Great Exuma and Little Exuma, for…
The Moorings, BoatU.S., Hold Great Flotilla in BVI
2019 BVI BoatU.S. Flotilla Recap & Photos Published: August 13, 2019 Tina Huewe Comments The Moorings has a long-standing relationship with the Boat Owners Association of The United States (BoatU.S.) – an organization that supports the interest of recreational boaters. In 2014, we partnered for the first time to create the annual BoatU.S. Flotilla, which invites members to come together in a beautiful destination, mingle and of course get out on the water! Here’s the latest recap: Our 6th annual BoatU.S. Flotilla in the enchanting British Virgin Islands – this year spearheaded by Captain Dunbar, Tina Huewe (The Moorings…