Author George Day

Cruising Life
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Destination Golfito Bay in Southern Costa Rica, a Cruiser’s Paradise

Costa Rica is a favorite winter destination for adventurous Americans, but it has not been known as a yachting destination. Instead, most of the cruising boats that visit the Central American country while making the run to or from the Panama Canal. But that is changing slong the country’s Pacific Coast. In the north, marinas have been built and the word has got out that not only is Costa Rica and splendid eco-travel destination it is also a fun coast to cruise with marine facilities that cruisers need. While the north is built up and full of tourists, the south…

Cruising Life
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The Dangers of the Bermuda Triangle, Fact or Fiction?

In 1918, the USS Cyclops enroute across the Atlantic disappeared in the region south of Bermuda now known as the Bermuda Triangle without a trace. Her crew were all lost with no survivors and no bodies to recover. In 1921, the sailing ship the Carroll A. Deeriing, a five-masted trading schooner, made a voyage through the triangle from Barbados to Bermuda.  Reported missing, the ship was later found on a reef with all crew missing. All that remained aboard were three cats. In 1945, a flight of Navy  bombers known as Flight 19 took off from Ft. Lauderdale for Europe,…

Cruising Life
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Miami Man Accused of Cutting Diver’s Air Hose in Dispute Over Lobstering Spot

On Tuesday this week, Michael Simpson, 51, was arrested by Miami police and charged with second degree attempted murder. He was brought before a judge to hear the chage and then released on a $10,000 bond. Authorities allege that at 530 am on July 29 two men were anchored in a well known lobstering spot when Simpson arrived in his own boat. An argument ensued between the original boat owner and Simpson, who accused the man and his friend of lobstering in “Simpson’s spot.” While this was going on, one of the two men was in the water diving for…

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New Bering 88 Expedition Yachts Proves Great Success

Bering Yachts, the respected Turkish builder of motor yachts and expedition cruisers, launched the new B88 in 2024 and announced this spring that hulls two, three and four are in build. The 88-foot size puts these broad-shouldered mini-ships under the 24-meter threshold which in Europe makes the boats owner-operated yachts instead of captained mega yachts. This designation greatly simplifies registration insurance and crew requirements Yet, at 88 feet and with a cruising range of over 5,000 miles at 8.5 knots, the B88 is a true explorer yacht and has the interior volume of a boat 15 feet longer.  She has…

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Fjord 490 Sport Marries Sleek Styling with Advanced Engineering

The German builder Fjord was one of the earliest adopters of the aggressively modern styling, the straight sheer, plumb bow and large hull glazing that is so popular today, particularly in Europe. And, while the brand has many competitors in the Sport Cruising market, they certainly have not lost their edge. The new 490 Sport underlines that fact with a big black Sharpie. Driven by three 600-horsepower Mercury Verado outboards, the new design rides on a hull with a stepped, deep-V design. It will have a top end speed of over 40 knots and its ride through the chop will…

Boat Reviews
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New Bluegame 64 Offers “Sport Utility Yachting”

Twenty two years ago, Italian Olympic sailor and yacht designer Luca Satella had a vision for starting a boat building enterprise that would break all the old molds and disrupt the conventions of European yachting. The result was Bluegame Yachts. In partnership with naval architect Lou Codega, Bluegame created a series of day boats, express cruisers and motor yachts that were unlike anything on the market and, in way, set the stage for the modern trends in European yacht design. The new BG 64 that was launched this year carries all the DNA that has set Bluegame apart from the…

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Hinckley Yachts Introduces New 41-Foot Designed by Doug Zurn

Yacht designer Doug Zurn and his team over the last 30 years have designed some of the most iconic power boats, express cruisers and motor yachts on the market. One of their key partnerships is with the venerable builder Hinckley Yachts of Portsmouth, Rhode Island which announced recently that they are introducing the new Zurn-designed Hinckely 41. The new boat follows on the successful launch in 2025 of the Hinckley 39, the company’s first family day boat and weekender with a forward cockpit. The 39 was an immediate hit and Hinckley took 25 orders before the first boat was launched.…

Cruising Life
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Containers Lost at Sea Follow Up and Clarification

Last week’s On Watch column on the recent report from the World Shipping Organziation on the number of containers lost at sea during the year, noted that some 1478 containers went over the side. This is up markedly fron 2025, large because one ship lost 649 containers in one incident. Our old friend Seibe Nordze of Newport, RI, runs the marine gear and equipment dealership Euro Marine Trading in Newport, RI. In his previous career, he was in the marine shipping business and has run and managed many container ships. Here are his insights into the real hazards provided by…

Cruising Life
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All-Electric Boat Completes 3,100-Mile Maiden Voyage

Lukas Sjoman, a young Finnish inventor, built Helios 11 to prove that an all-electric, solar-powered boat can cruise for extended periods if not indefinitely without burning an ounce of carbon fuel. This spring he left Finland and headed for the European canals. His destination was the island of Ibiza in Spain’s Balearic Islands in the Med. Along the way he posted YouTube videos and has developed a sizeable following. At one point on the way south, the solar panel array that covers the whole boat, was damaged by hooligans throwing stones at him from a bridge as he passed underneath.…

Boat Reviews
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New Maine-Built Hood 42 LM Just Launched, An Instant Classic

Maine boat builder Lyman-Morse announced this week that hull number one of their new Chris Hood-designed cruisers has been launched and sea trialed. The 42 LM joins the 44 and 46-foot sisters ships in the builder’s line of bespoke semi-custom yachts. In an era when power cruisers are becoming ever-more futuristic with angular lines, odd geometric hull glazing, folding cockpit bulkheads and giant swim platforms now called beach clubs, Hood and Lyman Morse are preserving the classic look of Maine-built boats. The new 42 evokes working lobster boats that have plied this coast for generations and have aways proven to…

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