Tuesday, March 10

Browsing: Cruising Life

Tiara Yachts of Holland, Michigan, announced this week that the highly respected American builder will be introducing their all new Tiara 46 Luxury Sport at the Palm Beach International Boat Show on March 25. The new design is a performance cruiser powered by three 600-horsepower Mercury Verado engines that drives a deep-V hull with a dead rise at the stern of 21 degrees. This combination of power and hull form will give the 46 an eye watering top end speed and as soft a ride through the waves as can be created. “The 46 LS is a meaningful step forward…

Northman is a brand from a Polish builder that has been making boats for the European market for a couple of decades but has not had a real presence in North America. They now have a dealer in Miami Beach, Florida, Performance Yachts, that will elevate the brand’s visibility. That’s a good thing since Northman builds high quality boats, both power and sail, that combine thoughtful designs with fine yacht construction. The new Northman 1300 is their latest trawler-style family cruise and has a lot going for it. At 42 feet overall the new design packs a ton of social…

Here’s an interesting new design from a builder we have not reviewed before. FDC Yachts, based in Bodrum, Turkey has been building custom yachts, both power and sail, for 25 years and has more than 100 skilled craftsmen on staff.  The brand is not well known in North America but has a stellar reputation in the Eastern Mediterranean. The builder recently circulated images of their latest build known as Project Umai. The boat, at 86 feet, is not really a super yacht –over 100 feet, say—but appears to pack all of the DNA, sophisticated systems and luxury accommodations that we…

At last week’s Miami International Boat Show, the Italian designed and built Azimut Seadeck 7 won multiple NMMA Innovation Awards in the motoryacht, cabin cruiser and trawler categories. Said judge Ben Stein, “The Azimut Seadeck 7 is a tour-de-force of innovative new features and refined design in a 70-footer, with an emphasis on sustainability in propulsion and materials. The open main deck floor plan makes this already sizeable yacht feel huge, and Volvo Penta’s hybrid-electric IPS propulsion system enables fully electric navigation for short distances and zero-emission hotel mode at anchor.” In the last few years, Azimut has embraced an…

Here’s an Scandinavian-built express family cruiser that is well worth considering for North America because it has a well established dealer in Connecticut. Nord Star, a family-owned builder of express cruisers and offshore yachts from 28 to 49 feet, has been building boats in Finland since the 1920s. To date they have launched over 4,000 fiberglass hulls and have a well-earned reputation for offering a wide range of options and customizations. The Nord Star 49 is the company’s flagship and demonstrates the builder’s commitment to an elegant combination of comfort, pilot house styling and performance. It is a modern example…

Chuck and Barb Shipley, who are retired and live aboard their Krogen 48 North Sea, are living the cruising dream They determined when they retired to move aboard and explore the world. They sold their Georgia home, and the rest is history. Barb was able to retire a year before Chuck, so she took that time to become a certified captain with a 50-ton license. This competency has proven valuable in every aspect of their cruising life aboard North Sea. The Shipley’s made the leap to cruise from the U.S. to the Bahamas and then on to the Caribbean by…

Last Thursday on January 29, a fishing boat from Gloucester, Massachusetts, activated their EPIRB at about 7 in the morning. The Coast Guard immediately launched a rescue effort but was unable to get a reply from the 72-foot Lily Jean, a well-known boat from this fabled fishing town. She was skippered fifth generation Gloucester-man Gus Sanphilippo. His ancestors where the men who fished the Banks aboard saiiling schooners like the Blue Nose and who built fortunes off cod fish. There were seven souls on board, and it is surmised that that steel-hulled vessel sank quickly. Search and rescue professionals were…

At last fall’s Cannes boat show, Sirena Yachts of Turkey launched their all new Sirena 60, a all-new design intended to replace their successful 58. Sirena celebrated its 10th anniversary in 2024 so they are kicking off their second decade with a stylish new 60 footer. The new yacht, designed by German Frers, carries all of the design DNA that has made the company such a world-wide success, including the plumb bow, extended swim platform and huge dark glazing that contrasts dramatically with the gleaming white of the hull and deck. The new boat has an improved flybridge design with larger…

For much of the country, particularly the eastern half, January and the start of February have been much colder than normal. From Canada to the Florda Keys, temperatures went from zero in the north to the mid-30s in Florida, something snow birds are not prepared for. Whether you are acrtively cruising during the winter, and hopefully in some place that is mostly warm or living aboard at the marina in a cool climate, being prepared to deal with the cold is a real issue. One couple, Sho + Jo as they are known, live aboard their old trawler Pivot and…

This week Sabre Yachts announced that the Maine builder was reintroducing their ever-popular 38 Salon Express with twin Volvo DPI drives. The upgrade from straight shafts came about following  conversations with existing owners and prospective customers. Given the 38’s proven hull design and seakeeping qualities, the move to DPI drives has several distinct advantages that will enhance the boat’s cruising capabilities. The drives provide variable depth control so adventurous skippers can navigate in the thin waters of the ICW, the Bahamas or Florida Keys. With the system’s DuoProps or dual rotating props, power Is delivered in the most efficient way…

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