Author George Day

Destinations
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Exploring France’s Historic and Beautiful Canal du Midi by Boat

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…

Cruising Life
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Update on Car Carrier with 3,169 Cars and 730 EVs On Fire Near Alaska

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…

Boat Reviews
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First Look at the New Foiling Expedition-Style Cat from Turkish Builder Bering Marine

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…

Cruising Life
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Joystick Steering Makes Maneuvering Easy. Here’s What’s New

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…

Boat Reviews
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New Tiara 39 LS to Join the American Builder’s Luxury Sports Line

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,…

On Watch With Peter Janssen
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Boating Education Required for a Great Loop. Adventure

Preparing a boat to tackle the year-long adventure of circling America’s Great Loop, or any of the smaller cruising circles in the country, takes time and often a bit of money. But what about preparing ourselves for such an adventure? As it happens the Loop passes through up to 20 U.S. states, depending on your route, and into Canada and back. Many states require skippers to have certificates of competency and proof that they have taken and passed a range of courses on seamanship, boat handling and safety. Completing the required courses takes time so it should not be left…

Boat Reviews
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Polish-Built Cobra Campione 41 Fly Emphasizes Value and Volume

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…

Cruising Life
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Coast Guard Rescues Two Men from Sinking Sportfishing Boat Off Virgina Beach

Last Thursday at 9:07 am, the Coast Guard Sector Virginia’s Command Center received a distress call from the 57-foot sportfishing boat Turn Me Loose that was sinking 34 miles southeast of Virginia Beach. The two men onboard, 30-year-old Jeffrey Hudson and his 60-year-old father Robert Hudson, said the boat was sinking quickly and they had to deploy their life raft and abandon ship. They said they would switch on their EPIRB. The CG watch standers issued an immediate all-ships distress alert and launched a 45-foot Response boat from Little Creek and a jay Hawk chopper from Air Station Elizabeth City.…

Boat Reviews
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A New Player Enters the Solar-Electric Power Cat Market

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…

Cruising Life
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Cheoy Lee Yachts Marks 150 Years of Continuous Boatbuilding

In the world of yacht building, Cheoy Lee stands alone as the oldest continuous builder of boats, yachts, ships and working craft. This year, the company, which has been owned and run by the same family since its founding, is celebrating 150 years in business. Now managed by the fourth and fifth generations, the company is marking the anniversary with several striking and innovative new designs.  At Australia’s Sanctuary Cove Boat show in May, the brand new CLB 65 SUV (above) was launched as part of the expanding B Series line of boats. Martin Lo, a fourth-generation director of the…

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