U-Boat Worx, the Dutch company that’s been making personal submersibles since 2005, just unveiled plans for a 115-foot electric super-sub that it says “has been designed to host the most prestigious and memorable events on the planet.” That may be a bit of hyperbole, but the new UWEP, or Under Water Entertainment Platform, would certainly let you channel your inner James Bond, at the very least. It can hold 120 passengers (plus crew), cruise underwater for up to 24 hours at 4 knots, and dive down to 650 feet, all under battery power. The company suggests that the UWEP could…
Deepest Shipwreck Ever Found in Pacific
A team of American and British deep-water explorers just found the deepest shipwreck in the world, the remains of an American destroyer sunk by the Japanese in the Second World War that was 22,621 feet under water. The team was under Victor Vescovo, a Texas investor, adventurer and reservist in the U.S. Navy. He also founded Caladan Oceanic Expeditions, based in Dallas, which runs a deep-diving submersible. Caladan was working with EYOS Expeditions, from the U.K., in the search for the USS Samuel B. Roberts, a 306-foot destroyer that was sunk in the Battle of Leyte Gulf in October, 1944.…
Wayne Gretzky Builds 34-Foot Mahogany Boat
Wayne Gretzky, probably the greatest hockey player of all time, and his wife, Janet, are now cruising on Lake Coeur d’Alene in Idaho on their new 340 HT Steinway mahogany boat from Coeur Custom there. The Gretzkys actually took delivery of the boat last September, but then used it for just two days before closing their vacation house in Coeur d’Alene and heading south. This summer they’ll enter it at the Coeur d’Alene Antique and Classic Boat Festival, starting August 13. The boat took 12 months to build, and it’s made of Sapele wood with 16 coats of varnish, white…
Rosborough 246: A No-Frills Pocket Cruiser
The Rosborough 246, a no-frills pocket cruiser built by Eastern Boats in Milton, New Hampshire, almost cries out, “Great Loop.” With its protected cabin, V-berth for two, enclosed head and single-outboard power, the Rosborough is fully capable of tackling the Great Loop, or almost any other coastal cruising destination. Indeed, John Hauck, an 82-year-old retired Special Forces major, has completed the Great Loop twice on his 2003 Rosborough 246. Rosboroughs were originally made as commercial fishing boats in Nova Scotia, where they earned a reputation as salty and reliable performers. Rosborough sold the molds to the 246 to Eastern Boats…
Zurn Designs Electric Launch
Doug Zurn usually draws the lines of larger, and faster, boats. Known for his Down East designs with slim, slippery lines, Zurn, the head of Zurn Yacht Design in Marblehead, Massachusetts, has designed boats for MJM, Bruckmann, Marlow, Hylas, plus the Shelter Island Runabout and Billy Joel’s 57-foot commuter Vendetta, among many others. Zurn just announced that he’s working on a new project with Boston BoatWorks – a 30-foot electric launch called the AMC 30 for the Appalachian Mountain Club. It’s in memory of Mark Lindsay, the founder of Boston BoatWorks, who passed away in 2019 at the age of…
Electric Ferry Sets World Record
A 198-foot all-electric ferry just said a new world record of cruising 50 nm on a single battery charge, according to its builder. The ferry, named Ellen, cruised from Sónderborg, Denmark, where it was on display at the International Energy Agency’s annual conference, back home to its base in the islands in the south of Denmark. Danfoss Editron, which supplied the ferry’s drivetrain and motors, said it would submit the cruise to Guinness World Records for the longest sea voyage on a single charge. Ellen was built by the Danish yard of Soby Vaerft, with a 4.3MWh battery system. The…
New Prestige 690 with Swarovski Interior
Prestige Yachts, the upscale French builder, is taking the world of luxurious yacht interiors to a new level. Prestige just formed a partnership with Swarovski, the Austrian maker of world-famous crystal glass since 1862, to design a limited-edition Prestige 690 with lavish, light-catching and over-the-top Swarovski surfaces and inserts. For the new yacht, Prestige and Swarovski redesigned the standard interior of a 690 to create panels of Swarovski’s unique Crystal Compound elements, made from a complex glass panel with Swarovski crystals. The decorative panels are created with a glass backdrop with the embedded crystals. They are then combined with grey…
Leopard Building New 40 Power Cat
Leopard is building an all-new 40 powercat in its factory in Cape Town, South Africa. It will launch the cat there at the end of the year, and then hold a world premiere at the Miami show in February. The new 40 is the smallest entry in the Leopard powercat fleet, which now has a 46 and a 53. The company says the 40 will have all the comfort and seaworthiness of its larger siblings, but in a smaller package. The company says the flybridge on the 40 is the largest in its size range. It has an upper helm…
Altena 53: Sturdy, Steel, Blue-Water Cruiser
With the current trend for long-range cruising and expedition yachts, you might want to take a look at the Dutch-built Altena 53 Blue Water Trawler, a sturdy, safe, steel-hulled cruiser. Altena has been building custom canal and blue-water explorer yachts since 1969. The 53 is one of five models in the 48- to 58-foot size range of blue-water cruisers. You can order it with one or two engines, but the standard 215-hp Cat 3306 diesel produces a top speed of 9 knots. At 5 knots, the boat has a range of 5,000 nm. If you order the single engine, you…
Vicem Building New Cold-Molded 93
Vicem, the high-end Turkish builder, just announced that it’s building an all-new, cold-molded Vicem 93, the start of a new series, for an Australian couple. The new Vicem, scheduled for delivery next spring, will have four staterooms on the accommodations deck, and quarters for three crew aft. With a semi-displacement hull, the 93 will cruise at 14 knots and to out at 18 knots. The 93 is a bit of a departure for Vicem, which has concentrated in the 46- to 65-foot range in the past few years. Signifying the move to larger yachts, it delivered hull number one of…
Sunseeker Launches Manhattan 68 Cruiser
Sunseeker has launched its new Manhattan 68, a luxurious cruiser with a 300-nm range, an open salon, and large areas of space on the aft deck, the beach club, and up on the flybridge. The new 68 is the latest entry in Sunseeker’s prize-winning Manhattan lineup, and it has the contemporary European lines that make the company’s boats so popular. It’s a four-stateroom, three-head cruiser, with relaxing and entertaining spaces throughout, inside and out. There are sunbathing areas on the foredeck and in the cockpit, for example, as well as on the flybridge, which is protected by an integrated hardtop.…
Beneteau Installs Garmin Assisted Docking
Beneteau has become the first boat builder to incorporate Garmin’s Surround View assisted docking technology on a production boat, its upscale Gran Turismo 45 cruiser. Surround View will be available on all of those models now, and will probably roll out to other Beneteau models as well. The Garmin system has six cameras on the Gran Turismo so the captain can have a view of all angles of the boat, as well as an overhead bird’s-eye view, all appearing on the boat’s MFD at the helm. Both Beneteau and Garmin say the system gives the captain more confidence while docking…
Garmin Introduces New Boating Smartwatch
Garmin just introduced three models of the new quatix 7 GPS smartwatch that lets you navigate, check your boat’s engines and set an anchor alert, among many other things. The three models are the quatix 7, quatix 7 Sapphire, and quatix 7X Solar. The standard quatix 7 models are cased in a stainless-steel bezel with a Gorilla Glass lens. The quatix 7 Sapphire models are cased in a diamond-like, carbon-coated titanium with a Sapphire lens. The Solar models are also coated with the carbon titanium, but they have a Power Sapphire lens for solar recharging. All the watches provide wearable…
Garmin’s New, Faster, inReach Mini 2
Garmin has launched its new inReach Mini 2 pocket satellite messenger, with a longer battery life, faster processor and more functions than the previous version. In short, the Mini 2 makes it even easier to stay in touch with everyone back home on your next cruise, whether it’s on the Great Loop, the ICW, the San Juans or along the coast. The new Mini 2 is the same size (roughly 2 inches by 3.9 inches by 1 inch) as the Mini 1, and it also weighs just 3.5 ounces. But the all-important battery life is now 14 days (in a…
New Switlik Head-High Life Vest Design
Here’s a new look in life vests from Switlik Survival products – the eVolution UA-80 that provides under-arm floatation to keep the wearer’s head and arms higher out of the water than traditional vests do. So far, most vests are the yoke type that you wear around your neck. Switlik takes a different approach, going under the arms. Switlik, with headquarters in Trenton, New Jersey, says the eVolution UA-80 is the first of its kind to be approved by the Federal Aviation Administration for professional aviators and flight crews. The new Switlik uses a two-chamber inflatable air bladder, an approach…
Riva Celebrates in Venice
Riva, one of the most glamorous boat builders in the world, and Venice, one of the most glamorous cities in the world, seem to go together. So it seems natural that Riva just held its over-the-top 180th anniversary there, a black-tie affair with its own movie premiere, a performance at La Fenice opera house, sports stars, and even the unveiling of a new limited-edition Riva Aquarama, the “Anniversario,” on the Grand Canal in front of the Riva Lounge in the Gritti Palace. Riva was founded in 1842, when Pietro Riva, a local craftsman, started repairing fishing boats damaged in a…
Poets Cove, A Gem in the Pacific Northwest
Just across the border in Canada, the marina at Poets Cove Resort & Spa on South Pender Island is a little gem of a destination in the Pacific Northwest, offering peace and quiet in a luxurious setting with some of the best sunsets you’ll ever see. It’s not a surprise that the marina, with 110 slips, is the host of some boating rendezvous; indeed, Ranger Tugs and Cutwater Boats owners were just there. But it’s also no secret that the marina, set well into the protected end of Bedwell Harbour, is a great stopping point for anyone in the summer…
Quebec: Cruise To a Piece of France
If you want to give yourself a treat this summer, take a trip up to Quebec, specifically Quebec City. With its rich history, vibrant French culture and large, modern marina, it’s one of the most alluring cruising destinations I’ve ever experienced. In the case of Quebec, getting there is half the fun. In 2014, George Sass, Sr., the photographer, and I cruised 495 nm from New York City (actually, Liberty Landing on the New Jersey side, across from downtown Manhattan) to Quebec City, going up the Hudson to Lake Champlain and then entering Canada. Lake Champlain itself is a great…
SILENT-RESORTS Building Yacht Club in Bahamas
SILENT-RESORTS and EcoIsland Development just announced that they’re building what they say is the world’s first fully sustainable, zero-carbon, solar-powered yacht and residents’ club in the Bahamas. Named Club Ki’ama Bahamas, the eco-friendly development is only a ten-minute boat ride from Great Exuma Island. Construction is scheduled to start in June. People who buy homes there also will have the use of SILENT-YACHTS luxury power catamarans for a specified number of days. (This is the first SILENT-RESORTS destination property, in proprietary ownership with SILENT-YACHTS.) Club Ki’ama Bahamas will be a new enclave on Elizabeth Island, and it is the first…
Simrad Launches New NSX Line of MFDs
Simrad just announced its latest generation of multifunction displays, the Simrad NSX, during a global livestreaming event from Egersund, Norway, introducing new chartplotters and fishfinders for powerboats. The new mid-range NSX line will be available in 7-, 9- and 12-inch displays and is based on an all-new operating system. Simrad will launch the new line at the Miami boat show, starting next Wednesday. NSX has a new interface with a user-friendly touchscreen with clear views. Charts include C-MAP nav capability and are compatible with sonar, radar and autopilot systems. Simrad says its Setup Wizards system will help users through every…
What To Do If You Lose Your GPS Signal
What should you do if you’re cruising and you lose your GPS signal? Never happen? Well, yes it will. Not often, but it happens on new boats, old boats, coastal boats and offshore boats. But not to panic. Here’s some great advice from Simrad about what to do next: What happens to my boat if I stop receiving satellite positioning data? In the very rare event that the satellites of the GPS global positioning system fail, are taken offline or are blocked, you’ll still be absolutely fine. Here are five useful tips covering what to do if you lose live…
Icom Launches New SSB at METS Show
Icom just unveiled its new state-of-the-art SSB at the big METS marine trade show in Amsterdam. Designed for offshore cruising, the new Icom IC-M804 provides long-range MF and HF radio communications designed to keep you safe anywhere in the world. The new Icom has a DSC radio that scans six distress signals, a distress call button and an integrated GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) providing global coverage through a constellation of satellites. The Icom conforms to the latest European and international standards. SSB radios have been used in offshore vessels for generations. (When Eric Schweikardt, the photographer, and I drove…
Why You Need AIS. A Primer
Here’s a good primer about why you should have AIS on your boat, from America’s Boating Compass and the US Power Squadrons: AIS, or Automatic Identification System, can make your boating safer. Consider the following scenario: You have an AIS system on your boat. You are on watch, 20 miles off the coast, sailing in hazy conditions. An AIS alarm sounds on your chart plotter. Upon scanning the horizon, you see nothing. When you return to your display, you see a target 5 miles ahead traveling at 23 knots and heading toward you. The AIS information data box shows that…
Moorings Offers New Flagship 534 for Charter
The Moorings has just announced that its flagship 534 Power Cat is available for charter in the British Virgin Islands (pictured above), St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the Abacos in the Bahamas. The new 534 is built by Robertson & Caine in South Africa, and has accommodations for eight people in four staterooms, all with en suite heads, making it particularly appealing for a large family or group of friends. The cat also is air conditioned, so everyone can be comfortable on board during the day or night. The cabins are built for the easy living. The…
Charter a Luxury Yacht for Just a Day
Here’s a different kind of charter for this summer. You don’t need to charter the yacht for a long time, just a day or so. Or even for a sunset cruise or special event, a birthday, say, or an anniversary. Luxury Day Charters, based in Miami, has specialized in creating charters for seven days or less for more than 17 years; their motto is “be a yacht owner for a day or longer.” And they have yachts from South Florida and the Bahamas to Newport and Nantucket. They’ll customize a charter for you for anything from single-day events to yacht…
Luxury Barges Cruise To Britain’s Castles
If you’ve been watching Downton Abbey, The Crown, Bridgerton, or a lot of other British dramas on Britbox or elsewhere, then European Waterways has a cruise for you. With the largest fleet of luxury hotel barges in Europe, European Waterway has designed a Thames River cruise that visits many of those locations on its eight-passenger Magna Carta barge, pictured above. The Magna Carta will cruise to many of the South of England’s most picturesque sites, including royal palaces, aristocratic estates, and centuries-old riverside villages. One highlight is a tour of Highclere Castle, scene of Downton Abbey’s Crawley family, and the…
Now: Charter Paul Allen’s Octopus for Antarctica
It’s never too soon to start planning for your holiday cruise next winter, so you may want to take a good look at Paul Allen’s Octopus for a charter in Antarctica. The eight-deck, 414-foot superyacht, one of the largest and most luxurious yachts in the world, is now available for charter there for Christmas or New Year’s, starting at $2.2 million a week. Launched by Lürssen, the German yard, in 2003 for world exploration, Octopus has an Ice Class A-rated steel hull, so that cruising in the Antarctic should be safe. Allen, one of the richest people in the world,…