Browsing: Cruising Life

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Beneteau Making New Swift Trawler 48

Beneteau just announced that it’s launching a new Swift Trawler 48. Hull number one, with twin 380-hp Cummins diesels, will have its world premiere at the Düsseldorf show in January; hull number two, with twin 425-hp Cummins, will make its U.S. debut at the Miami show in February. The 48 is the flagship of Beneteau’s Swift Trawler line, which starts at 35 feet. Beneteau also makes a Grand Trawler 62, but it has a displacement hull for long-range voyages. The new 48 is a three-stateroom, two head cruiser; top speed is 23 knots with the 380-hp engines, and 26 knots…

Cruising Life
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Ship’s Cook Kills Captain at Sea

The police in Mauritius say the chief cook on a 623-foot bulk carrier ship has confessed to killing the captain by stabbing him 30 or 40 times with a kitchen knife. The cook says the captain humiliated him for weeks in front of the crew and withheld his cigarette ration. The cook, Calopez Alfred Kenneth Banghanoy, 33, had a fatal argument with the captain, Rolly Baquillos Solante, 44, on the carrier ship Meghna Liberty (formerly named the Loch Shuna) late at night on Nov. 14 in the Indian Ocean. The ship, with a crew of 20, was heading from South…

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Lyman-Morse To Build Electric, Foiling, Navier 27

Navier Boat is a Silicon Valley startup; it has lots of dreams, but it hasn’t built a boat yet. Lyman-Morse, in Camden and Thomaston, Maine, has lots of dreams too, and it’s been building Down East and high-tech sail and power boats since 1978. Now, Navier and Lyman-Morse have formed a partnership. Lyman-Morse will build Navier’s first boat, a 27-foot, carbon-fiber, electric-powered, foiling power boat to be unveiled at the Fort Lauderdale show next October. Production models will be ready at the start of 2023. Powered by two 50kW electric motors, the Navier 27 will foil, or fly, three or…

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Vanquish Building New, Fast, Composite 55

Vanquish Yachts, the high-end Dutch builder, is starting work on a new 55-foot performance yacht made with composites, instead of the company’s traditional aluminum. The new VQ55, powered by up to five Mercury V-12, 600-hp outboards for the  U.S. market, is expected to top out at 70 knots. Vanquish unveiled its new Sports Line of fiberglass composite boats at the Cannes Yachting Festival in September. It started with a composite 40-footer last year. The reception was positive, and many buyers said they were interested in a larger yacht. The new 55 will have much more interior space than the 40,…

Cruising Life
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Volvo’s Assisted Docking Big Winner at METS

Volvo Penta’s Assisted Docking System (pictured above) was the big winner at the recent METS trade show in Amsterdam. It won the prestigious DAME award at the start of the show. Five more products were named Category Winners, and 15 more received Special Mentions. Here’s the news from METS: Volvo Penta Assisted Docking Company: AB Volvo Penta Category: Machinery, propulsion, mechanical and electrical systems and fittings Jury Comment: Volvo Penta has maximised the advantage it has of being able to independently vector thrust from its proven IPS (Inboard Performance System) drives. The Assisted Docking system digitally controls that ability using…

Cruising Life
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Metaverse Mega-Yacht Sells for $650,000

Here’s a first, at least as far as I know. A digital mega-yacht just sold for $650,000, making it the most expensive NFT (non-fungible token) sold in Sandbox’s virtual world. The Sun reports that the Metaflower Super Mega Yacht sold for 149 ether (about $650,000) in a transaction on Sandbox, one of the leading metaverse games. The yacht was sold by Republic Realm, a metaverse developer; the sale made the Metaflower the most expensive NFT on Sandbox. The yacht is part of Sandbox’s Fantasy Collection of luxury NFT’s, which includes private islands, speedboats and jet skis. The Fantasy Collection provides…

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Highfield Launches 30-foot Flagship RIB

Highfield Boats, the world’s largest maker of aluminum-hulled RIBs, just launched its largest boat yet, the almost-30-foot Sport 900 that can hold 15 passengers and hit a top speed of 60 mph. The all-new Sport 900 has an unusual 26-degree deadrise at the transom so the large RIB can cut through offshore waters. The company says it is designed for use as tender or a high-end day and picnic boat. It is the top of Highfield’s Sport series, which starts at 9’ 8.” The new Highfield represents the growing popularity of RIBs. Tom Watson, the general manager of Highfield Boats…

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Hacker-Craft Adding New Evolution Series

Hacker-Craft, the iconic builder of mahogany boats on Lake George, New York, is starting a new line called the Evolution Collection, designed to represent growth and forward momentum. Erin Badcock, the company’s CEO, wrote me that “Hacker-Craft has been focusing on our brand, building on our legacy, while continuing to grow and innovate.” The new Evolution Collection, with three different models, represents that direction. Ever since 1908, Hacker-Craft has built boats with classic lines and meticulous craftsmanship. For almost 100 years, they have defined the Golden Age of yachting. Now the company wants the Evolution Collection to define a new…

Cruising Life
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Coast Guard Saves 95-foot Yacht in Mona Passage

Two ships and a helicopter from the Coast Guard saved a 95-foot yacht from sinking in the Mona Passage, about 26 nm west of Rincon, Puerto Rico. The Coast Guard says that the yacht, Current Sea from Fort Lauderdale, reported it was taking on water and the bow was riding low in the water. The captain of the yacht transmitted a Mayday call at 8:54 a.m., which was received by the Coast Guard in San Juan. The bow was damaged when the anchor reportedly came loose and punctured the hull in two areas. The bilge was flooding. The Coast Guard…

Cruising Life
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Boat Sinks, Two Aussies Fight Off Crocodile

Two Australian fishermen survived for three days in the outback after their boat capsized and they were attacked by a crocodile. They ended up drinking their own urine for fluid until they were rescued by a passing fishing boat. The men, 32- and 33-years old, were on a fishing trip on a remote section of the Daly River, about 60 miles south of Darwin in the Northern Territory. Their boat hit a submerged object, they don’t know what, and they were thrown into the water. Almost immediately, they were attacked by a crocodile. This part of the river is known…

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