Saturday, April 19

Browsing: Cruising Life

This year, Williams, the British builder of inflatable, jet-drive dinghies and sport boats, is celebrating 20 years in business. Over those two decades, Williams had become synonymous with high-tech, high-performance boats that are the class of the dinghy and tender market. The brand is so popular, builders of new boats often design dinghy garages and stern lifting planforms specifically for the Williams dinghy that will go with the new boats. To celebrate the anniversary, Wiliams is introducing three new models: the SportJet 460 and 520 and the DieselJet 625. The 460, at 15 feet is a suitable size tender for…

The Italian builder Persing, a member of the Ferretti Group, launched their new GTX 70 this week thereby adding a third member to the builder’s sport utility GTX line. The 70 joins the GTX 80 and 116. The GTX 70 is the creation of the Ferretti Group’s in-house design team in partnership with the  Product Strategy Committee, led by Piero Ferrari, Enzo Ferrari’s son. So, it’s no wonder that the 70  exudes supercar styling and performance. The new desig emphasizes the huge beach front area aft. The after deck is large and the swim platform can be lifted hydraulically to…

Italian authorities announced this week that they were investigating four people in the tragic death of American Adrienne Vaughn, 45, who was killed when the boat she was riding in collided with a 150-foot sailing yacht off the Amalfi Coast.  The accident occurred in August 2023. Ms Vaughn, who was vacationing in Italy with her husband and two children, was an executive and publisher with the Bloomsbury USA which publishes the Harry Potter series of books. In the accident,  her husband was badly injured while their son and daughter escaped unharmed. The boat was owned and driven by the four…

This week, Outer Reef Yachts circulated the first photos of their new 780 Adventure expedition yacht that is in the fitting-out stage at the Dutch shipyard where it is being built. Last September, when Outer Reef’s CEO and President Jeff Druek announced his company’s merger with the high respect Dutch builder Lynx Yachts, he noted, “Expanding our presence in the Netherlands and integrating the highly regarded Lynx Yachts management team into our operations marks a significant milestone for Outer Reef Yachts. This partnership aligns perfectly with our commitment to innovation and quality, enabling us to meet the growing demand for…

The new Prestige M7, whcih is to be intrpduced at the Cannes Festival of Yachting in September, joins the M48 and M8 in the now three-boat line of power cats. A flybridge liveaboard cruiser, the new design focuses on expansive outdoors spaces, fuel efficiency and a solar-powered silent mode. The designers have incorporated a wide platform aft between the catamaran’s sterns that becomes a kind of beach club with three levels and easy access to the water. Combine this with the outside lounge on the foredeck that has a sunken foot well and forward facing sofas and the almost 300…

This is an update on a story we ran two weeks ago about an accident involving a ship chartered by the US Navy. On March 10 at 0947 on a hazy morning in the English Channel, the Portuguese-flagged container ship Solong rammed the U.S.-flagged fuel supply ship  Stena Immaculate, pictured above, which was lying at anchor close to the English coast. The Stena Immaculate was under charter to the U.S. Navy’s Sealift Command and was loaded with more than 200,000 barrels of jet fuel. The collision breached one of the ship’s fuel tanks creating a massive leak. The heat generated…

In January, Aquador celebrated its 30th year in business and the completion of its 4,000th boat. But who is Aquador? Finland has become a prolific builder of sport boats and express cruisers. You may have heard of Saxdor and Axopar, which have made a splash in the US as well as around the world. But you may not have head of Aquador, even though it has been building Scandinavian-style sport boats and express cruisers for 30 years. To celebrate this milestone, the team at Aquador are launching an all-new 40-foot 400HT at BOOT Dusseldorf in January. The 400HT is the…

If you have ever seen a fiberglass boat catch fire and burn, particularly a gasoline-powered boat, you will appreciate just how devastating a fire afloat is. Fiberglass is highly flammable and fuel tanks are bombs just waiting to have their fuses lit. So, as we get into the spring and many of us get our boats ready for the summer boating and cruising seasons, cast your thoughts to what you need to do to prevent a fire from starting and then how to deal with the emergency should it occur. Coast Guard approved fire extinguishers are required on all motorize…

The Norwegian boat builder Marex, which launched its new partnership MarexUSA at the Palm Beach show last month, announced last week that they are adding a new 39-footer to their line. The new design will be known as the Marex 390 and will complement the 330 and 430. While this two-cabin express cruiser bears the family resemblance of her sister ships, her lines are more futuristic and the salon windows and the hull glazing have been endowed with curves and angles in the modern European style. Founded in 1973 and still family owned, Marex has long been a respected player…

At last September’s Cannes Festival of Yachting in the South of France, I attended Beneteau’s annual press event and was introduced to the innovative electric Island Cruising Concept Yacht.  Always an innovator, Beneteau had a vision of boating and chartering in the future. Now, Dream Yacht Charters is offering that future in the BVI. Their fleet of sail and power boats now includes the boxy-looking electric hybrid power boats that are like floating beach houses with accommodations for a normal chart6er party The Island Cruising Concept is all about indoor-outdoor living and practical sustainability. The idea is to be close…

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