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Family Fun on the MJM 43z
This high-tech performance outboard day & cruising yacht is perfectly sized for couples and younger families. Her shoal draft capability enables small boat exploring in skinny water, and day-long comfort pulled up the beach. MJM is family owned and understands what makes life worth living! Discover more about the 43z...
Hunt has launched hull number one of its new Ocean 63 series, with a lot of input from its new owners, experienced cruisers who knew just what they wanted in a blue-water yacht. The owners, Jim and Cindy Cuminale, from Darien, Connecticut, worked with Hunt during the boat’s construction in Taiwan, and during the commissioning at the Hunt yard in Portsmouth, Rhode Island (which it shares with its parent company, Hinckley Yachts). They have been boating most of their adult lives, and most recently owned an Eastbay 50. But they wanted a larger boat, one in the 60-foot range, so…
Find Your Freedom on a Zeelander Yacht
Effortless style, timeless design and superior technical solutions are at the heart of every Zeelander. The current line-up includes the Zeelander Z44, Z55 and flagship Z72. The Zeelander fleet comprises well over 40 yachts, all built for individual characters with very distinctive wishes. Download the brochure to find out what makes each model remarkable in its own way. Download brochure
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Reef Yachts Owners Spend Quality Time With Their “Favorite Child”
Gary and Betsy, a lovely cruising couple from Colorado, certainly did their research. With a passion for cruising and exploration, this couple left no stone unturned while searching for their perfect yacht…one that would be user friendly while owner-operated, handle all types of seas safely, and ultimately join them on life's journey as their FAVORITE CHILD. Read Gary and Betsy’s Story
Outer Reef Owners’ Testimonials
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New Navetta 64: Prize-Winning Beach Club
The Absolute Yachts Navetta 64 just won the Best Innovation of 2020 award at the World Yachts Trophies event in Cannes for its creative day-and-night beach club that opens from two slightly curved, watertight doors in the transom. By day, it serves as a patio or lounge on the ocean; by night, it’s an extra VIP stateroom with its own head and shower, a lot of privacy, and a chance to go swimming whenever the mood strikes. The new Navetta 64 is distinguished by other singular design trends, particularly the super-sized windows in the hull…
Whale Watching Aboard Idyll Time in Alaska
It’s the end of the season for Jeff and Susie Parker on Idyll Time, their Kadey-Krogen 48 North Sea Trawler, up in Petersburg, Alaska. They just posted their last wildlife pictures, of whales this time, that they took earlier this month in Frederick Sound for their blog idylltime.com. The Parkers, from Chattanooga, Tennessee, certainly qualify as veteran cruisers. After they bought Idyll Time new in 2006, they cruised up and down the East Coast, completed the Great Loop, and did the ICW so many times that they said they were getting bored. So two years ago they shipped the boat to…
Passengers Fall Off Boat During Photo Shoot. See Video
Here’s a weird story from Petapixel.com. This past weekend, all three occupants of a speedboat in Martin County, Florida, somehow fell overboard while “doing a photo shoot,” sending the unmanned boat careening towards the shore at full speed, where it hit a dock and went airborne. The Martin County Sheriff’s Office posted an aerial video of the incident on Facebook two days ago under the ALL CAPS headline: “Unmanned Out of Control Boat Goes Airborne After Smashing Into Concrete Dock, Ending Dangerous Ordeal.” In a description accompanying the video, the sheriff’s office says that all three people aboard were “doing…
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…
Meet Nukumi, the “Grandmother of Sharks.” See Video
Scientists from OCEARCH just tagged a 50-year-old female great white shark off Nova Scotia that was so big they called her the Queen of the Ocean and the Grandmother of Sharks. Indeed, the shark was 17’ 2” long and weighed 3,541 pounds. You can see her in the video below. The OCEARCH researchers had tremendous respect for the shark, and officially named her Nukumi (noo-goo-mee), representing a wise old grandmother figure in the culture of the indigenous people of Nova Scotia. She was the largest of eight great whites that the OCEARCH expedition tagged there in the past month. Chris…
Top 5 Islands in the World: Conde Nast Traveler
Conde Nast Traveler just announced the winners of its annual Readers’ Choice Awards for the best islands in the world (not counting the United States; that’s another story). This is the 33rd annual survey, and more than 600,000 readers voted. They chose the five best islands in seven regions of the world. Here are the winners: Caribbean and the Atlantic Winner: St. Barts. “While any mention of St. Barts tends to conjure up images of Rolexes and caviar, the tony territory has enough natural beauty and scenic views to give any five-star hotel a run for its money.” Also, #2. St. Vincent…
Cruisers Launches New, Sporty, 42 GLS with 3 Outboards
Cruisers Yachts will introduce its new, outboard-powered 42 GLS, designed as a multi-purpose family boat, at the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show, starting Oct. 28. With three 400-hp Mercury Verado outboards, the sporty new Cruisers tops out at 52 mph. Cruisers emphasizes that the new 42 GLS is made for fun, entertaining, and enjoying your time on the water. In keeping with the current fashion, the bulwarks on both sides of the cockpit drop down to provide much more space and easy access to the water. Cruisers calls these dropdowns “beach doors,” and they connect to the swim platforms on…
Beneteau To Show New Gran Turismo 32 at Lauderdale
Beneteau will show its new Gran Turismo 32, the French company’s entry-level express cruiser, at the Fort Lauderdale show, starting Oct. 28. This family-friendly vessel with sporty lines has two cabins below for overnighting or longer, and is powered by two 350-hp outboards that add a lot of zip to its performance. The cabin of the Gran Turismo 32 is open aft, and the boat is full of light and fresh air. The front windshield is wide, and the side windows open. Push a button and the large electric sunroof on the hardtop opens or closes. A three-person sun pad…
Fast New Yanmar X47 Makes a Debut in Genoa
Yanmar just displayed its new X47 Express Cruiser, the official VIP Cruiser of the 36th America’s Cup presented by Prada, at the big Genoa boat show. Yanmar designer Ken Okuyama worked with Azimut to install three 370-hp sterndrives in the new yacht. After Genoa, the next stop for the Yanmar X47, the company’s flagship, will be the America’s Cup in Auckland, New Zealand, starting March 6. It will offer VIPs a fast ride to the course and then a luxurious viewing platform to enjoy the races. Power for the X47 comes from three Yanmar 8LV turbo diesels with XT370 sterndrives,…
Metal Shark Launches 148-Foot, 11,000-nm Range Cat
Metal Shark Boats just launched a unique 148-foot aluminum catamaran, an expedition yacht that has enough range to cross the Atlantic four times without refueling. It is the Louisiana yard’s first superyacht, and the first in a series of future long-range recreational cats. The new yacht is named Magnet, and Metal Shark, which makes commercial and military vessels, turned to Incat Crowther, a design firm with headquarters in Sydney, for help. Incat Crowther specializes in designing large commercial catamarans. Powered by twin 2,600-hp MTU diesels, Magnet has a top speed of 27 knots. At its most efficient cruising speed of…
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,…
NMEA Makes New Excellence Awards in 17 Categories
The National Marine Electronics Association just announced its annual Product of Excellence Awards for products in 17 categories, plus an award to Garmin as the Manufacturer of the Year. Here’s the announcement: SEVERNA PARK, MD—Manufacturers scored big at the 2020 National Marine Electronics Association (NMEA) Business Meeting held on September 26, following the NMEA Virtual Education Week held last week. A total of 19 products received the top award, and the NMEA Manufacturer of the Year was named. “On behalf of the NMEA Board of Directors, staff, and membership, we congratulate all 2020 award winners,” said Mark Reedenauer, NMEA President…
Garmin Launches Powerful New Open-Array Radar Series
Garmin just launched its new GMR Fantom 254/256 open-array radar series, and the company says it’s the highest-powered solid-state marine radar on the market. The new Fantom radars have 250W of pulse compression power, and they can detect targets from just 20 feet away to 96 nm away, providing the best short- and long-range target detection and consistency. They more than double the power of Garmin’s existing series, and they maximize energy and range resolution for cruising boat owners. The Fantom 254/256 use Garmin’s MotionScope technology with an adjustable speed threshold to detect and highlight moving targets, in different colors,…
ACR Launches New Self-Testing for EPIRBs and PLBs
We all know that it’s a very good idea to have a working EPIRB or a PLB on a cruising boat, but how do we know that they’ll work in an emergency when we actually need them? Now, ACR Electronics, the safety and survival device company in Fort Lauderdale, has an answer for that – a new 406Link that lets you test your device in advance. The 406Link is meant to give you peace of mind, and to reassure you that search and rescue services can find you when you need them most. It gives 406 MHz beacon owners, people…
Cruising in Maine on an Outer Reef Yacht
Owners of Outer Reef Yachts are an adventuresome sort; they also know how to take some terrific pictures. Here’s a story, from Outer Reef, about what you can expect from a cruise to Maine. If your summer cruising itinerary includes a visit to Maine, you’ll discover the true beating heart of this culturally fascinating, beautiful state. As the most northeastern state of the U.S., Maine is known for its dramatic, rocky coastline. Dubbed “The Pine Tree State,” the forests that cover much of the 400 km of coastline make for an impressive cruise. The dramatic landscape has been preserved in…
Moorings To Reopen Tortola Charter Base on Dec. 1
Here’s some very good news. The Moorings just announced that its Tortola marina is scheduled to reopen on Dec. 1. Click here to read the State Department’s information about covid-related restrictions there. https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel/International-Travel-Country-Information-Pages/BritishVirginIslands.html In normal times, The British Virgin Islands are one of the best, and most popular, cruising and charter destinations in the world. Here’s what The Moorings has to say about it: Stretching throughout the Caribbean, the British Virgin Islands are a kaleidoscope of aquamarine waters, sun-soaked harbors, and white-sand beaches. Distinct ports of call can be found among the more than 25 pristine islands that make up…
Cruising the Inside Passage on a Fleming 53
Here’s a great story, with lots of pictures, from Fleming Yachts, about how Anne and Bill Knorr bought a used Fleming 53 and lived their dream by cruising for 12 weeks and 3,200 nm from Anacortes, Washington, to Glacier Bay, Alaska, and back. Read Anne’s account here: For several years, two long, narrow maps have hung side-by-side in our garage, a colorful illustration of the waterways from Puget Sound to Southeast Alaska depicting the route along the Inside Passage. It has been a long-time dream of my husband and me to motor the entire passage from Anacortes, Washington, to Glacier…
Boat Harbour Marina in the Abacos Now Open Again
Here’s good news for those of us who love cruising in the Bahamas (and I think that’s just about all of us): Abaco Beach Resort and Boat Harbour Marina in Marsh Harbour on Great Abaco Island are open again, offering some of the best cruising, fishing, and just plain boating fun you can imagine anywhere. Over the years, I’ve been to the Abaco Beach Resort many times, and each one was memorable, but in particular I remember a cruise with Scott Porter, the president of Formula, on one of his new boats, and fishing with Eddie Smith, the founder of…
New FCC Decision Could Hurt GPS Accuracy
Despite initial opposition from the Coast Guard, the Pentagon, the Departments of Homeland Security, Transportation, Commerce and Interior, plus NASA and the FAA, the Federal Communications Commission has given a private equity firm permission to run a 5G wireless network that could harm the reliability of GPS signals. BoatUS, part of a new group called the Keep GPS Working Coalition, also opposes the ruling. “With this decision, the FCC is permitting one private company to upend the entire reliability of GPS,” said David Kennedy, the BoatUS manager of government affairs. “It’s unfathomable that the lone federal caretaker of our national…
Raymarine Launches New Line of Faster, Smarter, Axiom+ MFDs
Raymarine just unveiled its new Axiom+ multifunction navigation displays plus new, updated Lighthouse electronic charts. Axiom+ is the successor to Raymarine’s award-winning Axiom line of MFDs. Raymarine says the new Axiom+ displays are smarter, brighter and tougher than ever before. The new displays come in 7-, 9-, and 12-inch sizes, and they have a quad-core processor for fast chart redraws, multi-channel sonar views, and augmented reality navigation. Storage is increased to 16 MB. (The 12-inch display is shown above.) Axiom+ displays are up to 25 percent brighter than previous models. And they are more user-friendly, with HydroTouch impact-resistant glass that…
New Furuno MFDs: More Power, More Depth, More Safety
Furuno just introduced three new multifunction displays, with more power, faster responses and larger sizes. They’re all the third generation of Furuno’s NavNet MFD series, and they’re called NavNet TZtouch3. Furuno says they are the three most powerful MFDs on the market; they all have a more powerful quad-core processor for a fast response. The new MFDs come in 12-inch, 16-inch and 19-inch displays. The 12-inch version is a hybrid, with a RotoKey you turn to help navigate in any sea condition. (I’ve often found that this is a big help. If I try to use my finger to set…
Best New Electronics: NMEA Technology Award Winners
If you’re thinking about buying new electronics for your boat, either as part of a new vessel or as an upgrade on your existing one, you’ll want to take a look at this review of some of the best from NMEA Boater. It lists the winner and four other finalists for the National Marine Electronics Association Technology Award in 2019, and it’s certainly a good place to start. It has the manufacturers’ own descriptions of their entries. The overall winner was Raymarine/FLIR ClearCruise (pictured above). The entry says it “is an industry-first navigation technology that brings leading-edge Augmented Reality to…
Now’s the Time To Plan Your Spring Charter in Corfu
Here’s some good news from The Moorings: Their charter operation is reopening in Corfu on Oct. 1. But now is really the time to plan for a special charter there next spring, when we hope that traveling will be easier. The prices are right. A seven night charter for two people on a Moorings 434 power cat with four cabins starting on April 10 costs $2,944. Here’s what The Moorings has to say: We are happy to announce that our Corfu marina is scheduled to reopen October 1, 2020*. Please be aware that additional entry requirements and restrictions may still…
New 51-Foot Cat for Charter in Bora Bora Lagoon
Want to drift through the drop-dead gorgeous turquoise waters of Bora Bora, without having to go through all the trouble of actually cruising there? Here’s the solution: Charter a 51-foot, four-cabin, solar-powered catamaran that’s already there, and sit back and enjoy. Built by ELYT Charter Tahiti, the new cat will be ready to charter in the Bora Bora Lagoon by the end of the year. It sleeps eight in the four cabins, and it has two heads and a large central living room and kitchenette on the main deck. The upper deck is basically a rooftop with 360-degree views, a…
New Discounts on Luxury Barge Cruises in Scottish Highlands
Here’s a way to get away from it all: Charter a luxury hotel barge for a cruise through the Scottish Highlands. European Waterways, the largest hotel barging company in Europe, can help you with that. It runs two vessels, the Scottish Highlander (pictured above), which holds eight passengers, and the Spirit of Scotland, which holds 12. They both cruise through Scotland’s iconic Caledonian Canal and other areas of the Highlands with stops along the way for everything from golf to touring medieval castles to tastings at a whisky distillery. Because of the pandemic and people’s changing travel plans, European Waterways…
The Moorings Opens Charter Fleet in St. Pete, Florida
What better way to get away from the trials of the pandemic, than to charter a boat and then take a week’s vacation with your family, spending time relaxing together, cruising over calm waters and swimming off some of the longest and most beautiful beaches in the world? Well, The Moorings, the charter powerhouse, has just opened up sail and power charters out of St. Petersburg, Florida, to help you do all that. St. Pete is a great destination in its own right, easily accessible from the Tampa international airport, and home to some great museums, art galleries, cafes, restaurants…