Author George Day

The sinking of the mega-yacht Bayesian last August 19 with the loss of seven lives stunned the yachting world. The yacht is a centerboard design with the tallest sloop-rigged mast ever built. Yet, its builder, Perini Navi, asserts publicly that the 184-foot boat was unsinkable. But sink she did. Early in the morning on August 19, the boat was moored half a mile off the Sicilian town of Porticello when it was hit by a violet squall. Winds built to 60 knots which caused the vessel to drag anchor. As it slewed sideways it was hit on the beam by…

The Dutch builder Altena Shipyard which builds Doggersbank expedition yachts for Vripack Design Group has focused their combined efforts primarily on yachts  that will be run by professional crews for owners who will fly in to meet their yachts in exotic locations. But Vripack and the builder are aware of the growing market among younger cruisers for expedition yachts that can be run by owner operators. This is a market where Outer Reef and Nordhavn have prospered for years. The Doggersbank 60 has been the builder’s offering in this niche. To attract these younger, adventurous buyers, cruisers who also enjoy…

It has been a busy week in South Florida. And, in true Florida fashion, last weekend was party time. The Air and Sea Show was taking place off Ft. Lauderdale, attracting huge crowds. And the Maimi Formula One Grand Prix scorched up the streets of Miami Gardens, also drawing vast crowds. So, it is no wonder that 32 revelers, most of them young women, some in evening dresses and some in bikinis, found their way aboard a Lamborghini 63 belonging, the police surmise, to a successful internet influencer. The owner’s identity has not been released. What the party goers didn’t…

The Legendary Development Group, which has built and runs marina resorts on Florida’s Gulf coast, is well along in phase one of a new marina and resort on Blue Water Cay, on the southeast corner of New Providence Island, The Bahamas. When completed in 2026, the Legendary Marina Resort at Blue Water Cay, as it is called, will have a 132-bed hotel, 22 condominiums, and rows of beach-front cottages.  Plus, there will be comfortable crew quarters for boat owners who want their professionals to have all the conveniences of home. Phase one will see the completion of the in-the-water docks…

Here’s a story that you don’t see often. On Monday, the managers of Florida’s Blowing Rocks Marina near Tequesta, notified police that a 66-foot yacht had been stolen from the marina and was underway. The police, alerted the Coast Guard and the local marine patrol and then jumped into a speedboat to make chase. They located the stolen boat, a modern flybridge express cruiser, in the Intracoastal waterway near Hobe Sound but the perpetrator had no intention of going quietly. So, law enforcement had to use their patrol boats to stop the much larger yacht. Employing boat handling techniques that…

Last week we brought you Part One of this cruising adventure that took Fred and Stephanie Kaufhold from the coast of British Columbia across Hecate Strait to the island chain now known as Haida Gwaii. These remote islands were known for centuries by their colonial name, The Queen Charlotte Islands, but were renamed with the indigenous Haida name in 2009. Fred and Stephanie are cruising aboard their Helsman 37 trawler Dream Weaver  (pictured above) in the company of two buddy boats. Their trip across Hecate Strait was bouncy as the wind picked up and built seven-foot seas on their quarters.…

There are two very lucky powerboat racers in Arizona this week after what happened to their racing cat at 200 miles-per-hours. They lived. Last Saturday on Arizona’s Lake Havisaw, the Freedom One Racing Team was taking part in the annual three-quarter-mile speed run race with two crew aboard their Skater high-speed cat. The boat is designed to lift just onto the surface of the water, almost flying, where it has the least drag and thus the highest optimum speed. It was a gusty day and as the Skater hit 200-mph, the bows lifted, caught the wind and the boat soared…

A few years ago, Fred and Stephanie Kaufhold aboard their Helmsman 37 Mariner Seville Dream Weaver, joined two buddy boats for a cruise to the remote and historic islands off the Pacific coast that are now known as the Haida Gwaii. These were known formally by their European name The Queen Charlotte Islands but were renamed in 2009. To get to the Gwaii islands, the Kaufholds and their friends first had to make the 65-mile crossing. of Hecate Strait which is known for fast moving weather systems and strong currents. They weren’t disappointed as the wind came up briskly creating…