Author George Day

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Thank You, Peter, and Grand Banks Previews New GB 62

Peter Janssen is absent from On Watch this week for the first time in almost eight years. He has retired at the venerable age of 88. As the co-founder and editor of the newsletter, he produced 400 editions and wrote more than four thousand articles. For a seasoned journalist, that is a lot. For a man already in his eighties when we founded Cruising Odyssey, the achievement is legendary. So, as I take the helm and steer Cruising Compass into its next chapter, I want to offer Peter my gratitude and appreciation for all he did and all he does.…

Cruising Life
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The Best Online Cruising Guide to the Maine Coast

The Cruising Club of America is a private, not-for-profit organization that has a membership of experienced cruisers and sailors, both power and sail. For CCA members and many like-minded adventurous cruisers around the world, the Maine coast is hallowed ground. Maine veterans will tell you that it would take a lifetime of summer cruises to get to know all of the coast from Kennebunkport to Machias. There are hundreds of rivers, coves, harbors, islands and coastal villages to explore. Yes, there are millions of lobster pot buoys in every harbor and thorofare. Yes, fog is a regular occurrence, particularly in…

Cruising Life
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MJM Embraces State-of-the Art Boatbuilding

By George Day Cruising Odyssey tours the MJM boatbuilding plant Last week, we published our review of the new MJM 42 following an hours-long test on the Pamlico River near Washington, North Carolina. You can read the review on the Cruising Odyssey website by clicking here. (https://cruisingodyssey.com/2024/06/13/co-tests-the-new-mjm-42-express-cruiser/ During my trip to Washington, I had the chance to take a guided tour of the new MJM factory. I say new because MJM has only been building their own boats in-house for the last three years. Under the leadership of MJM’s new owners, Seolta Holdings, and new CEO Natascia Hatch, the company…

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CO Tests the New MJM 42 Express Cruiser

By George Day Part One: Running fast and efficiently on the Pamilco River In early June, I travelled from Newport, Rhode Island, to Washington, North Carolina, to visit with our friends at MJM Yachts and to test drive the new MJM 42.  Washington is an old southern town and port that sits on the edge of the Pamilico River. And, it is a boat building mecca. It has lovely late 18th Century architecture –rebuilt after Northern troops burned the town during the Civil War—and a picturesque waterfront with several marinas and a waterfront park. It was in a marina at…

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Inside Newport Yacht Builders’ Mussel Ridge 54

The salty and distinctive lines of Down East-style cruisers are admired around the world, and often copied by builders from Turkey to Australia. These designs take their lead from Maine lobster boats that have plied the New England coast for generations, and are known for their speed, stability, seaworthiness and large cockpits. Adapted into refined yacht-style cruisers, these lobster-boat hulls offer a very special platform for coastal cruising. In 2018, Newport Yacht Builders in Newport, Rhode Island, were approached by an experienced client to develop and build a cruising boat for his young family based off of the Mussel Ridge…

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We Test New Hinckley 35: Poetry in Motion

The brand-new Hinckley 35, with twin Mercury Verado 350-hp outboards, was sitting in a slip at the Hinckley boat yard in Portsmouth, Rhode Island. I met skipper David Salathe at the boat and he gave me a quick tour before departing. The engines were both idling, but they were so quiet you could barely hear them. The under body of the 35 was designed by Michael Peters, who has numerous trophies and naval architecture awards to his credit. The look of the 35 is Down East classic with that special Hinckley flair. The high bow and flared sections forward promise…

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We Test New Vicem 50 Classic in Newport

Last Monday, the day after the close of the successful Newport international Boat Show, I had the good luck to join professional captain Louis for a quick sea trial of the new Vicem 50 Classic. The dawn was clear and cool without a breath of wind brushing Newport Harbor. Louis fired up the twin Volvo IPS600 engines and with bow thruster and IPS pod drives engaged, he inched the 50 out of her tight slip at Bannister’s Wharf and drove her slowly into the fairway. As always on late summer mornings, Newport was filled with an amazing collection of sail…

Cruising Life
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Sargasso Weed Will Affect Atlantic Voyagers

Those of us who have sailed across the North Atlantic, particularly on the route from the Canary Islands to the Caribbean, and the route from Bermuda to the Azores, will have seen our share of Sargasso weed or Sagassum floating out there. In fact, we used to look for it because there was a fair chance that a Mahi Mahi or a Wahoo would be hanging out under the weed patch and might be ready to chase a trolled lure. But since 2011, the amount of Sagassum in the North Atlantic has expanded dramatically fed, largely, by nutrients flowing from…

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