Author George Day

Boat Reviews
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Grand Banks 54 Makes Debut in Europe to Raves

The Grand Banks 54 was launched in 2021 in the U.S. and until late last year had not been tested by yachting journalists in the U.K. Although delayed, the pros who took their first look at the 54  came away with big smiles on their faces. The 54 is now the smallest of the new next generation of the Grand Banks line. This venerable brand, which can be named the founder of the trawler cruising concept 50 years ago, has been completely reimagined in the last decade. The company, now known as the GB Marine Group, is based in Malaysia…

Boat Reviews
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Beneteau Swift Trawler 37 Fly Makes U.S. Debut at Miami Show

This February at the Miami International Boat Show, Beneteau will introduce their new Swift Trawler 37 Fly to the North American audience. For over a decade, the Swift Trawler brand has carved out a unique niche as truly efficient performance cruising boats. The Swift concept is to give owners all the space and comfort and style of a trawler yacht and the efficient running that you expect from a trawler with the speed and performance of an express cruiser. The new 37 Fly does all of that in spades. The design is a bit more rakish that her sister ships…

On Watch With Peter Janssen
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Guide to the Great Loop and All the Alternative Routes

Here’s a fun way to while away a few winter evenings by the fire. Get out your map of North America and follow Matt and Lucie Clairborne’s guide to the Great Loop and all the alternative routes that go with it. Most Loopers take about a year to 15 months to make the full. traditional Great Loop and that is an adventure in itself. But, if you have the time and inclination, that year can easily be expanded to two or three or more. As most readers know, the 6,000-mile long Great Loop circles the eastern third of North America…

Charter
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Can You Own a Cruising Boat as a Business?

Owning a cruising boat can be pricey to start with and then expensive to operate on an on-going basis. This is particularly true for boat owners who cannot afford the time to to get the full benefit of the cruising life. It has no doubt occurred to many of us that running our boats like charter businesses, with income to offset expenses and other benefits of business ownership, would make the whole process more attractive. But, there are wrinkles to running a charter business on your own, not just with the IRS but with handling bookings, deposits, scheduling and more.…

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…

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