Foiling hulls, once the province of America’s Cup sailboats and high-speed ferries, are going mainstream. Take a look at the new 32-foot Foiler; it has top speed of 28 knots cruising through the water in traditional boat mode, but it hits 40 knots after it deploys its four spider-like foils and flies above the surface. And once it’s flying, with the hull more than three feet above the water, the ride is smooth, sure and swift. Foiler is made by Enata, a Swiss firm with offices around the world. The first Foiler hull was made out of carbon fiber in…
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Virtual Boat Show: Outer Reef 720/740 Deluxbridge Motoryacht
The Outer Reef 720/740 Deluxbridge skylounge model provides owners and guests the best of both worlds: temperature-controlled protection from the elements via the upper helm area, which also serves as a private entertainment zone ideal for working, home schooling, or watching the game. This additional entertainment zone also lends to a spacious main deck country kitchen – a warm and welcoming gathering space for dining and socializing with family and friends. Each unique Outer Reef Deluxbridge Motoryacht is customized to the owners’ particular preferences, as are all Outer Reef Classic Motoryachts.
Outer Reef 720/740 Deluxbridge Motoryacht Model Info
After a Year in Mexico, Tangaroa Heads North
Tom Campbell and Beth Davidow have spent the past year cruising, diving and filming on their Maritimo 51 in Mexico, primarily in the Sea of Cortez. Now, the couple (he’s 80 and a wildlife and underwater cinematographer, she’s a scientist and documentary filmmaker) are heading north, up the Pacific side of the Baja Peninsula, ready to pursue the next stage in their five-year cruising adventure. Campbell and Davidow bought their new Maritimo, named Tangaroa, last February from Bill King of Maritimo Yacht Sales in Newport Harbor, California. They decided to live aboard full time, cruising and producing documentaries, starting in…
S&S Redesigns Classic Downeast Peapods
Sparkman & Stephens just redesigned the iconic Downeast Peapod double-ended row boat and tender, and they launched the first one in Newport, Rhode Island, on Valentine’s Day. It was S&S Design Number 2838. The boats are called peapods because they are shaped like a pod of peas with a stem at each end. They were first used by Maine lobstermen in the 1800s for inshore work because of their shallow draft and easy maneuverability. The lobstermen often rowed them standing up and they could row easily in both directions. In subsequent years, peapods became popular as recreational rowing boats and…
Captain Blames Chief Officer for Ship Grounding
Who’s in charge here? In a hearing to determine how the 984-feet-long Wakashio bulk carrier ran aground in Mauritius last July, the captain said he set a course near land so the crew could pick up a cell phone signal to call home. But then he blamed the Chief Officer for changing course and running aground. More than 1,000 tons of heavy oil leaked from the vessel. Here’s the account from gcaptain.com: By Vel Moonien in Mauritius – The captain of the ill-fated bulk carrier M/V Wakashio told a Mauritius court that he navigated the ship closer to land to allow…
Swimming Coach, 21, Youngest Woman To Row Across Ocean
Jasmine Harrison, a 21-year-old swimming teacher from the landlocked town of Thirsk, North Yorkshire, UK, just became the youngest woman to row solo across any ocean. She finished the Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge, some 3,000 miles from the Canary Islands off Africa to Antigua in the Caribbean, in 70 days, 3 hours and 48 minutes. Harrison stumbled when she took her first steps off her boat in Antigua’s English Harbour, but race officials caught her. She then said she was headed for a cold drink, a burger and fries. Oddly enough, Harrison’s story ended where it began. She was in…
New Award-Winning Saxdor 200: Built for Fun
Tired of feeling homebound by the pandemic? Want to feel the wind in your hair, and maybe some salt water on your face? Take a look at the new Saxdor 200 Sport. You don’t want to take it on the Great Loop, but you certainly could have a lot of fun around your local harbor. Think of it as a great second boat; no hassles, no problems. Enjoy it and put it away. The Saxdor 200 Sport has already won awards in its size range, as European Powerboat of the Year and Best of Boats awards, and it was a…
Pardo Building New Endurance 60 Long-Range Cruiser
Until now, Pardo, the Italian builder, has established a worldwide reputation for clean, fast walkaround boats with striking ultra-modern lines. Indeed, it has built more than 100 Pardo 38s, 43s, and 50s in just the past two years. Now, the yard is expanding its reach, making the Pardo Endurance 60, a long-range luxury cruiser, while still paying homage to its family lines and aesthetics. The new Pardo Endurance 60 is a three-stateroom, three-head cruiser with the minimalist Euro style (and the iconic Pardo bow) that have defined the company. Standard power comes from two 550-hp Volvo IPS700 pod drives; with…
Bavaria Launches New Vida 33, Its First Outboard
Bavaria, the large German builder of power and sailing yachts, just launched its first Vida 33, an outboard-powered weekender with sport styling and performance. If it brings to mind the looks of the Greenline NEO 33, it should. Bavaria acquired the rights to the NEO recently, after Greenline, the Slovenian builder, decided that outboard power didn’t fit in with its eco-friendly positioning. The NEO had solar panels to provide on-board power. For its part, Bavaria did not have an outboard boat in its powerboat lineup, which ranges from 29 to 55 feet. The new Vida 33 comes with standard twin…
Hampton Endurance 658: Easy-Living, Long-Range Cruiser
A new Hampton Endurance 658, one of the company’s most popular long-range cruisers, will be ready for delivery this spring in Seattle. With twin 1,000-hp CAT 12.9 diesels, the four-stateroom, four-head yacht reaches a top speed of about 19 knots, and has a range of 1,300-nm at 8.6 knots. The Endurance 658 is built for serious cruising couples or families. It is remarkably user-friendly, with wing docking stations on both sides of the aft deck, including engine controls and bow and stern thrusters. Large rudders also help with low-speed maneuvering. And it offers a large margin of safety for long-range…
Coming Soon: “New Look” Azimut Magellano 66
Azimut will launch its “new look” Magellano 66 this spring, a major upgrade of the popular Italian long-range cruiser it introduced five years ago. The new look includes a redrawn flybridge, with a hardtop over the helm area, and much larger windows in the salon, letting in lots of natural light. The new Magellano will be powered by twin 850-hp MAN diesels. The original Magellano 66 had twin 800-hp Volvos that produced a top speed of 23 knots and a range of 1,000 nm at 9 knots. The new version keeps Azimut’s “dual mode” hull that offers a smooth ride…
Sunseeker Launches New Low-Profile 65 Sport Yacht
Take a look, a good look, at the flybridge on the new Sunseeker 65 Sport Yacht – if you can find it. On this low-profile, heavily sculpted Sunseeker, the bridge, with its revolutionary Sky Helm, is almost lost well aft in the silhouette of the boat. The Sunseeker’s vast one-piece windshield blends into the section above the salon where the sunroof merges with the wind deflector at the start of the bridge and its sports-car-like upper helm. The low-slung helm there has twin pivoting seats on the port side flanking a console with the yacht’s controls, including a joystick for the…
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.…
Fun New Sea Scooter: Take It Anywhere
The new Geneinno S2 underwater sea scooter seems to have a lot of things going for it. It’s fun, it’s relatively inexpensive, and it fits easily in a lazarette or other stowage space on your boat. Ideal for underwater exploring, filming and diving, the Geneinno has two speeds, with a top end of 2.4 knots. You ran ride it for 45 minutes, and then you need to recharge it from a battery pack. That takes 90 minutes, but you can buy an extra battery pack so you can just swap one out for the other. The sea scooter has a…
Endless Summer: YuJet Electric Surfboard
Here’s a new toy that could be a lot of fun for the whole family next summer: The YuJet Surfer, an electric surfboard that doesn’t need surf and that hits a top speed of 24 mph. The YuJet is fun, fast, and easy to ride. You control the speed with a floating wireless hand trigger that has two modes: Beginner, for starting out, and Sport, for full performance, The board, which is just shy of eight feet long, weighs in at 20 pounds with the battery removed, so it’s easy to maneuver from your car or boat to the water.…
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…
Good News for the Erie Canal…Maybe
There seems to be the prospect of good news for people planning to cruise on the historic Erie Canal this summer. It is scheduled to be open from mid-May to mid-October, according to Gil Quiniones, the president of the New York Power Authority; the Authority has owned the New York State Canal Corporation since 2017. First opened in 1825, the Erie Canal runs 363 miles from Albany, on the Hudson, to Buffalo, on Lake Erie, a crucial waterway for cruisers on the Great Loop. (Another section runs up to Lake Champlain, leading to Canada, for anyone cruising to the St.…
Bravada Launches Head-Turning Houseboat on Lake Powell
If you don’t want to cruise outside the United States because of the pandemic, you might want to think about Lake Powell, on the border of Arizona and Utah, where you could enjoy all the amenities of home, plus some, offered by the new 75-foot Bravada Yachts luxury houseboat. Whether you’re on the Bravada or some other boat, at Lake Powell you won’t feel lonely. About two million people a year (in non-pandemic years) visit the lake. Basically a man-made reservoir on the Colorado River, and part of the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, the lake is about 200 miles…
Big Plans for a Comeback at Walker’s Cay
Walker’s Cay, the northernmost island in the Bahamas and once the home to world-class fishing tournaments, will return to its former glory, if Carl Allen, a retired Texas businessman and avid fisherman and diver, has his way. The 100-acre island, with its airstrip, marina, hotel and cottages, has been basically empty since hurricanes swept over it in 2004. Now Allen, who’s living there on Gigi, his 164-foot Westport, just needs the Covid pandemic to end so he can return to the business of bringing it back. For Walker’s, location is everything. It’s about 105 nm from Jupiter, and 53 from…
The Moorings Opens New Charter Base in St. Thomas
The Moorings is opening a new charter base in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, offering a variety of charter options for some of the most beautiful destinations in the Caribbean. Crewed charters will be available in February, The Moorings said, while bareboat sail and power charters start in March. The charters operate out of Yacht Haven Grande Marina in Charlotte Amalie, just a ten-minute drive from Cyril E. King Airport, with many direct flights from the U.S. Yacht Haven Grande (pictured below) is a luxury full-service marina, with immigration services, shopping, dining, pool, tennis courts, Wi-Fi and a business center.…
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…
Simrad Introduces New VHF Systems with AIS
Simrad is introducing a new VHF radio and an upgrade with a Class-B AIS system, representing a pair of multi-station marine radio systems. Both radios, the RS100 and the RS100-B, which is integrated with a Class-B AIS transceiver and a GPS, are expandable and be customized for any boat. The two new radios are part of modular VHF systems that expand to include up to eight handsets (four wired and four wireless) and four external speakers. This possibility makes them appropriate for both medium-sized and larger yachts. “Our new VHF systems offer our customers ever more flexibility and better communication…
U.S. Maritime Administration Warns of GPS Signal Loss
Here’s another warning about possible GPS signal problems from the U.S. Maritime Administration, part of the Department of Transportation. It said it has received reports recently of lost or inaccurate GPS signals in various parts of the world. To be safe in areas where GPS is potentially unreliable, mariners are urged to use redundant nav systems. The Maritime Administration just issued its warning, called “Various GPS Interference.” It says, “Multiple instances of significant GPS interference have been reported worldwide in the maritime domain. This interference is resulting in lost or inaccurate GPS signals affecting bridge navigation, GPS-based timing, and communications…
5 Top Night Vision Cameras for Cruising
Here’s a very helpful review of five night vision cameras from NMEA (National Marine Electronics Association) Boater that could help make your cruising life a lot easier and safer. Take a look: ComNav V7 The ComNav V7 thermal night vision camera with multi-axis gyro stabilization and high-sensitive quad payload is designed for situational awareness such as surveillance, navigation, security, and search and rescue applications in extreme low-light environments. Furthermore, it is an effective tool for ice and iceberg detection, as well as marine oil spill recognition. Thermal imaging technology allows the capture of faint image details in challenging light conditions,…
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…
New: Charter an Iguana in the Caribbean
Looking for a new experience in the Caribbean? Now you can charter an Iguana amphibian boat in St. Martin, and you can enjoy your charter on land and on the sea. The 31-foot Iguana X100, powered by two 300-hp outboards, tops out at 47 knots on the water; its twin tracks, driven by a 15 kWh electric motor, power it at speeds up to 4.4 mph on land. On the water the Iguana, using Hypalon 860 RIB tubes for stability, can handle four-foot seas. On land, the amphibian can roll over almost any terrain, from mud to rocks, and can…