Picture yourself at the helm of a 40-foot cabin cruiser motoring at 5 knots or so along a narrow canal that is bordered on both sides by towering plane trees whose roots form the natural reinforcement for the canal’s sides. Beyond, there are wide open fields of ripening wheat and sunflowers and huge rolling vineyards. It is hot and the air is still. You are on the Canal du Midi in the south of France and you are very close to heaven. For many a cruiser, a week or two on this ancient and historic canal ranks high on their…
This is a down-and-dirty topic but fuel-water separators in your boat’s fuel lines are without doubt your first and most important line of defense in the war against contaminated diesel fuel. This is particularly true of you are cruising away from your home fuel dock and taking on diesel of unknown purity. Water in your fuel can come from several sources. First, it may be in the fuel dock’s own tanks that may have a leak or may not be well insulated and thus can sweat condensation in humid conditions Or, your own on-board metal tanks can sweat moisture from…
Coast Guard rescue swimmer Scott Ruskan (pictured at the left in the photo) is being hailed as a hero for coordinating the rescue of 165 children from the Mystic Camp during the flash floods on the Guadeloupe Rive in Texas. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem singled out Raskin,26, for his efforts as the only triage coordinator in the area. “United States Coast Guard Rescue Swimmer and Petty Officer Scott Ruskin (Ruskan), directly saved an astonishing 165 victims in the devastating flooding in central Texas. This was the first rescue mission of his career and he was the only…
Bart Van den Hoven has been building high quality steel and aluminum cruising boats for discerning owners since 1992. In those three decades, the Dutch yard has launched only 55 boats or roughly two a year. The first five he built by himself. But, in 1999 Van den Hoven “professionalized” the yard and brought on a growing team of highly skilled craftsmen. Today, he has 80 people on staff yet still only produces a few boats a year. Not seeking a large production audience, Van den Hoven instead offers extremely well-built and finely finished semi-custom yachts for owners who are…
As we reported two weeks ago, on June 3 the 600-foot Liberian-flagged car carrier Morning Midas, with 3,169 cars aboard, including 730 electric vehicles, caught fire 250 miles southwest of Alaska. It was en route from China to Mexico. The 22 crew aboard fought the fire until there was no hope and then abandoned ship. They were rescued by the nearby container ship Costco Hellas. The fire, based on crew reports, was most likely caused by damaged lithium batteries in one or more of the EVs. The sea-going tug Gretchen Dunlap was deployed with a salvage crew aboard and has…
Bering Marine, which is a subsidiary of Bering Yachts, the Turkish builder of large expedition yachts, recently introduced the new BM50 SE. The SE stands for Swift Explorer and being 14 feet larger than the next model in the line, the BM50 is the company’s new flagship. Berinig Marine builds recreational cruising catamarans of aluminum in rugged, working craft style. The designs all have hydrofoils between the hulls that provide lift and improve fuel efficiency. The foils also act as stabilizers that keep the twin-hull designs from pitching and yawing. The builder’s intention is to combine the larger living spaces…
Volvo Penta introduced Joystick steering two decades ago and has continued to pioneer ways to use the combination of engines, thrusters and GPS to help skippers maneuver their boats more easily and precisely. I was involved in the early demonstrations of the Volvo Dynamic Positioning technology back then and was amazed at how well even the prototype held a boat in position and allowed the skipper to turn a boat inside its own length. Last fall at the Ft. Lauderdale show, I got to test the latest Volvo Joystick iteration with the new Assisted Docking Function that allows you to…
This week, Tiara Yachts of Holland, Michigan, announced that it is adding the new 39 LS to the Luxury Sports line. The new model fits neatly between the 34 LS and the 43 LS and offers the same combination of sporty performance with comfortable weekend accommodations. Powered by twin 600-horsepoer Mercury Verado engines that have the Mercury Joystick maneuvering and docking capabilities, the 39 LS power system is integrated with the Garmin navigation electronics for maximum performance. “Performance and innovation continue to define the Tiara Yachts’ brand, and the 39 LS is a testament to that legacy,” said Tom Slikkers,…
Here’s a new 41-foot family cruiser from the Polish builder Cobra that packs a huge amount of living space into a family cruiser that is also a great value for money. The Campione sports high topsides, a full-beam salon, an expansive cockpit/swim platform and a full flying bridge that extends aft over the cockpit. The combination provides extra volume in the forward cabins, room to swing a cat in the salon, a real beach-front porch aft and two spacious lounging areas up top. And, then there’s the sunning area on the fore deck. The Flybridge transforms Cobras’ 41 Coupe into…
The Revolution Marine Group, based in Ft. Lauderdale, announced this week that they were launching a new 60-foot power catamaran that will be electric and solar powered. This is a market segment long dominated by Silent Yachts, but it looks like the new Oceanwalker S60e, will give them a run for their watts. The S60e will be powered by twin 200-horsepower electric motors that will deliver a top speed of 12 knots and an economical cruising speed of 8 knots. The motors will be powered by a sophisticated lithium-phosphate battery bank that not only will run the motors but will…
Around the country the various regions have developed over the generations yacht and boat designs with regional characteristics and builders who specialize in delivering boats of these types. We all know of Down East style yachts in the Hinckley-Sabre-Jarvis Newman style, designs that are famous around the world. But there are also the trawler and tug styles that are popular in the Pacific Northwest and the modern express cruiser designs in the Midwest and Great Lakes. One regional style that may be less well known comes from the Chesapeake Bay and is based on the local working craft that evolved…
Seakeeper, the leaders in stabilizer systems for both displacement and planning boats, announced this week that the company now has Seakeepr Ride underway, trim-tab systems for boats from 19 to 55 feet. The new models being introduced are for boats from 38 to 55 feet and can be retrofitted to most planning hull designs. So, owners of express cruisers and larger center consoles will be able to add stabilization without having to install a gyro system. The Seakeeper Ride systems have a dramatic effect on a boat’s performance in a wide range of conditions. The trim tabs on the transom…
At last September’s Cannes Festival of Yachting in the South of France, I attended Beneteau’s annual press event and was introduced to the innovative electric Island Cruising Concept Yacht. Always an innovator, Beneteau had a vision of boating and chartering in the future. Now, Dream Yacht Charters is offering that future in the BVI. Their fleet of sail and power boats now includes the boxy-looking electric hybrid power boats that are like floating beach houses with accommodations for a normal chart6er party The Island Cruising Concept is all about indoor-outdoor living and practical sustainability. The idea is to be close…
In the last few years as I’ve been making offshore trips as crew for my friends, whether back and forth to the Caribbean from New England or across the Atlantic, it seems that a lot of the crew aboard show up with their own hand-held GPSs and an InReach or a satphone. This is a “just-in-case” level of preparation by sailors who have in fact been on boats that were hit by lightning or suffered a battery bank collapse that meant built-in marine electronics were no longer working or reliable. Garmin has long been a leader in hand-held GPSs and…
Volvo Penta has been working on electric propulsion and hybrid diesel-electric systems for a decades. The diesel-electric system coupkled to IPS drives is now available for commercial and recreational use and provides an elegant and proven technology that will allow boats to run silent and carbon free. The electric motor in the system fits between the main engine and the IPS pod and is engaged with a clutch. The motors run off a bank of lithium-ion batteries that can be sized for each boat’s specific tasks and requirements. “A hybrid provides a flexible solution, one that maintains the high efficiency…
The British Virgin Islands are the world’s most popular charter destination. There are hundreds of boats to charter, both power and sail. There are dozens of anchorages, some with moorings and some without. And, there are a score of beach bars and restaurants that all have been rebuilt since Hurricane Ivan struck the islands in 2017. If you are in the BVIs on your own boat or aboard charter boat, there are some regular attractions that most people tick off. There’s the Bite an Norman’s. There’s the wreck of the Rhone to snorkel over. There are the famous Baths on…
The Great Loop circles the eastern half of the United states and is comprised of 6,000 miles of connected rivers, waterways, canals and lakes. It can take nine months or more to complete a full circuit of the loop and along the way you’ll explore the whole east coast, the Great Lakes, the mighty rivers running south to the Gulf of Mexico and both coasts of Florida. Such a journey has long been on the bucket lists of many a cruiser, yet it is a big bite of the adventure apple to undertake with many challenges to impede your progress.…
Ed and Elaine describe their cruising adventures aboard their Ranger Tug R-27 as they explored the Intracoastal Waterway from Maryland to Florida. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gH-E3tTQhZo&t=2s
Now here is something different for adventurous travelers, a boutique-style charter on mini-cruise vessels in Indonesia. The outfit is called Rascal Voyages and they have two vessels Rascal and Rebel, each with five cabins, that will take you to the most pristine islands, reefs and beaches on the planet. Indonesia is a vast country made up of thousands of islands. It is also one of the world’s most populous countries but most of the people live on Java and very few live on the outer islands where there is no infrastructure, no airports and no bridges. The only way to…
Most of the modern fast cruisers that run at planing speeds have trim tabs that are adjusted manually to level the boat off and make it run more comfortably and efficiently. Adjusting trim tabs takes practice and skill and affects trim slowly, not dynamically. Swedish inventor Niclas Olofsson, who has a PhD in hydrodynamics had a better idea. In 1994, while on a business trip to Fremantle, Australia, the boat builder he was calling on had a problem. The Chinese company that had ordered several small fast ferry boats had rejected the products because the ferries could not reach the…
Of all the natural phenomena that we run into out on the water, lightning may be the most worrisome. A direct strike can blow a thru-hull right off the boat creating a gaping hole, it can fry your electrical panel and battery bank and it can start a fire. Even near misses can create a mess inside marine electronics and the autopilot, or in the alternator and starter motor on your engine, or it can blow up an inverter-charger. Lightning works in mysterious ways so you can never predict where it will go and what damage it can do. That…
Since its founding in 2019, Skyhawk has become a leader in wireless, battery-operated, cellular-connected monitoring devices. Last year, the company came out with its Oversea models designed for boats and they earned both an Innovation Award at the 2024 Miami Boat Show and a place on the NNMA’s Top 100 New Products list for 2024. Oversea monitors keep an eye on all the important aspects of a boat that has been left untended for a length of time. Monitors have specific responsibilities, so you can mix and match them as you deem necessary. You can have monitors for your battery…
Furuno has unveiled a new series of MFDs that feature AI-assisted routing to take you on the best, safest and most direct path to your destination. And if an obstacle appears along the way, Furuno’s AI Routing will create a new route around it in real time. The new AI feature is part of Furuno’s new NavNet TZtouchXL series of multi-function devices designed for the helm of cruising powerboats. The AI routing uses Furuno’s new TZ maps to create routes along channels and to inlets and marina entrances using the draft of your boat, chart data and other safety parameters.…
The Galley Guys are three couples who often take boating vacations together and then write up their adventures in Canadian Boating magazine. This installment saw them chartering a power cruiser from Le Boat in which to explore the famously beautiful Trent-Severn Waterway. Le Boat charter craft have been designed to be simple to operate and safe for all levels of expertise. They only go six knots and have fenders all around in anticipation of collisions with lock sides, marina pilings and other boats. They have bow and stern thrusters so they are simple to maneuver and will turn in their…
This week, MarineMax Vacations announced its recognition as a recipient of the 2024 Tripadvisor Travelers’ Choice Award. This coveted honor celebrates businesses that consistently deliver exceptional experiences, placing MarineMax Vacations among the top hospitality companies worldwide. This achievement reflects the dedication and passion of the MarineMax Vacations team, whose mission is to provide unforgettable charter experiences in some of the most beautiful destinations on earth. From the British Virgin Islands to other idyllic locations, MarineMax Vacations has become synonymous with luxury, adventure, and seamless customer service. “We are incredibly honored to receive the 2024 Tripadvisor Travelers’ Choice Award,” said Raul Bermudez, Vice President of MarineMax Vacations. “This…
Now, here’s something new from the market disrupters at Uber. Uber Europe, which pioneered facilitating Uber users to book yachts for day trips or more, announced this month that the service would be expanded to deluxe resort areas in Ibiza, Venice, Paris and Greece. A typical Uber Yacht experience in Ibiza would get you and up to seven friends aboard a private Sunseeker for eight hours of touring the island as well as swimming and other water sports. It would cost $1,600 for the day and comes with a complimentary bottle of champagne. Uber also noted that the ride sharing…
The Moorings, the worldwide charter giant, is adding a new location in La Paz, on the tip of the Baja peninsula in Mexico. The Moorings new base there, with sail and power charter boats, will open in time for the 2025 season. La Paz is at the entrance to the Sea of Cortez, which Jacques Cousteau called “the world’s aquarium” – for good reason. Also known as the Gulf of California, it’s one of the most biodiverse ecological regions in the world, and its warm waters and low surfaces protect coral reefs, plankton and algae. The area was declared a…