Author George Day

Boat Reviews
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Back Cove Reinvents a Cruising Classic

The Back Cove 41, with more than 100 hulls delivered so far, has to be one of the most popular mid-range family cruisers to come out of Maine.  With its jaunty sheer, flared bows, attractive cabin with large windows, the 41 is a true Doowneast classic. But even a classic can benefit from a few significant upgrades and tweaks. Thus, the birth of the Back Cove 412, which takes all the great qualities from the first generation and makes them better. First generation 41s are remarkably versatile and many have plied the Intracoastal Waterway, crossed the stream to the Bahamas…

Cruising Life
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Exploring Vancouver Island’s West Coast with an Aspen Catamaran Flotilla

Larry Graff, the founder and president of Aspen Catamarans, is an adventurer at heart and there are no adventure he likes better than leading a flotilla of Aspen cats and their owners to wild and wooly destinations. In this flotilla, that was the west coast of Vancouver Island off British Columbia. Twenty Aspens gathered in Anacortes, Washington and set off for a cruise in company.  Aspen cats are designed for long-haul, efficient cruising and can make excellent average speeds. The design that Larry Graff developed is actually a proa configuration. In a proa, one hull is narrower than the other…

On Watch with Peter Janssen
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How the U.S. Incursion into Venezuela Affects Caribbean Cruisers

Last Sunday’s military incursion by the U.S. military into Venezuela to remove the country’s president Nicolas Maduro involved a large build-up of ships, air power and troops in the Southern Caribbean.  For a few days, the U.S. imposed no-fly zones in the islands and along South America’s north coast to the inconvenience of thousands of holiday tourists. To find out how the military presence in the Caribbean has affected the cruising community, we reached out to old friend Elaine Lembo who is the editor of Caribbean Compass magazine and well connected to information sources throughout the area. As it turns…

Cruising Life
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Dynamic Stabilizers Improve Stability and Comfort in Performance Cruisers

At the Ft. Lauderdale International Boats Show, I had the chance to test out the performance of Seakeeper’s Ride stabilization systems aboard a 35 foot performance cruiser capable of hitting 40 knots.  We took the boat to government cut and ran it in and out through a nasty washing-machine seaway. The stabilizers are mounted on the stern and make trim adjustments in micro seconds. The effect was dramatic. With the Ride system engaged, the boat leveled off, did not roll or pitch and did not yaw as it moved through the mixed up sea. Turned off,  the boat’s motion was…

Cruising Life
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An In-Depth Cruiser’s Guide to the Chesapeake Bay

The 4500-square-mile body of water on the U.S. East Coast known as the Chesapeake Bay is the largest estuary in North American. It is fed by freshwater rivers at its head and then flushed by oceanic tides in is lower regions. The result is an aquatic stew that can be divided into three distinct regions. Blessed with many sheltered harbors, coves and river mouths, the Chesapeake Is a cruising paradise with historic towns like Annapolis and Oxford to visit and easy access to the Potomac River and the historic attractions around Washington, DC. Famed for it seafood –oysters, shrimp and…

Boat Reviews
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Northwest 55 is a Stylish, Go-Anywhere, Expedition-Style Trawler

The Northwest Yachts brand has been around for quite a while but when the pandemic hit and their factory in China closed, owner Peter Whiting, who owns Seattle Yachts, moth-balled the line. Following the pandemic, the boat market was strong and the opportunity arose for Whiting to re-launch Northwest and renew its offerings. He turned to legendary trawler and motor yacht designer Steve Seaton who drew three models from 52 to 58 feet. The 55 that was introduced at this year’s Seattle Boat Show. It is hull number one and makes a solid statement about where Whiting and Northwest are…

Destinations
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Cruising Adventure of a Lifetime to Desolation Sound

The coast of British Columbia in the Pacific Northwest has long held an allure for cruisers. Yet, it is hard to get to on your own boat unless you are based in the Seattle or Vancouver areas so the next obvious option is to charter a boat for an adventure cruise Every year, the Bellingham, Washington-based charter company NW Explorations runs a Mother Goose flotilla charter from their base to Desolation Sound and back. It’s a distance of roughly 300 miles. They have a fleet of mostly Grand Banks trawlers that each can take six or more passengers. The adventure…

Boat Reviews
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YOT Power Cats Introduces their 41 with Twin Mercury Verado 600 Outboards

At boot Dusseldorf in January, YOT power cats, a subsidiary of Catana Catamarans, will introduce their 41-foot sport cruiser with the all-new Mercury Verado V12, 600-horsepower outboards. While the YOT 41was launched at boot 2025, the new version is a technological breakthrough that will set a new standard in performance and maneuverability. The YOT 41 is an open plan cat with comfortable cabins with ensuite heads in each hull. The salon has a full hard top and opens onto the vast cockpit. On both sides of the cockpit, the bulwarks fold down to make balconies that double the area’s acreage.…

Cruising Life
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New Study Sounds Alarm About Potential Failure of the Atlantic’s Ocean Currents

This is a story that Cruising Odyssey has been covering from time to time for the last five years because it relates to how reliant we are on the Atlantic Ocean’s currents to provide our temperate climates in the US, Europe and Scandinavia.  And, that will affect how we use our boats. Based on an exhaustive study of Atlantic clam shells, the new report, published by a team from University of Exeter in the U.K., asserts that the data indicates that the Atlantic’s subpolar gyre is behaving strangely. The gyre delivers warm water to the north and ferries cold water…

Cruising Life
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A Happy Week in France Cruising Brittany’s North Coast

On France’s north coast, just south of the famous Normandy beaches, lies the Brittany Peninsula which is blessed with dozens of quaint seaside towns and many good harbors. But, the one hitch is the massive tides that rise and fall 20 feet twice a day. In some of the harbors, the mooring fields dry out completely at low tide so your boat has to be able to rest safely on its own bottom. The larger harbors and river mouths have locks for entry and exit which open on regular schedules. So, timing your arrival to make an open lock is…

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