Cruising Life

Salem To Become New Wind Farm Center

By Peter Janssen on October 4, 2021 Cruising Life

Salem, Massachusetts, hasn’t really been the same ever since the witch trials back in 1692. Now, the face of Salem is going to change again. Vineyard Wind, the developer of the first big offshore wind farm in the U.S., just announced it will transform the port of Salem into a hub to support the new wind projects off the Massachusetts’ coast. Indeed, Vineyard Wind has partnered with the City of Salem and Crowley Maritime Corporation to create a private-public partnership to establish Salem Harbor as the state’s second major offshore wind port, along with a similar site in New Bedford.…

Yamaha Introduces 9.9-hp Electric Outboard

By Peter Janssen on October 4, 2021 Cruising Life, Engine Room, Gear

Yamaha just introduced its HARMO electric outboard to the U.S. at the big International BoatBuilders’ Exhibition and Conference (IBEX) in Tampa. The outboard couples a 48-volt power supply with a high-yield, low-drag 3.7 kilowatt motor. The rim-drive electric motor and specially encased impeller provide 225 pounds of static thrust. Yamaha says that is the equivalent of a conventional 9.9-hp gasoline outboard. The electric outboard’s running time depends on the type of battery, the size, configuration and other parameters. Rim motors have been used for thrusters and some other marine applications in the past, but Yamaha says this this the first…

11 Winners for IBEX Innovation Awards

By Peter Janssen on September 29, 2021 Cruising Life, Gear, Maintenance

The International BoatBuilders’ Exhibition and Conference (IBEX) just announced the 11 winners and three runners-up of their annual Innovation Awards in Tampa. The awards were announced at a keynote breakfast celebrating IBEX’s 30th anniversary attended by 800 people. The awards program is managed by the National Marine Manufacturers Association with judging by members of Boating Writers International. Dozens of manufacturers submitted entries to the contest. “This year’s Innovation Awards program saw an incredible collection of entries,” said Anne Dunbar, the show director. She said the judges “had their work cut out for them to select winners to join the ranks…

New Recap of El Faro Disaster, with 33 Deaths

By Peter Janssen on September 29, 2021 Cruising Life

In the worst U.S. maritime disaster in 30 years, the El Faro, a 790-foot-long container ship, sank during a hurricane in the Bahamas on Oct. 1, 2015, killing all 33 men and women on board. Here’s a chilling recap of the tragedy from Arnold & Ltkin LLP, a maritime law firm hired by three of the crewmen’s widows: It has been six years since El Faro steamed into Hurricane Joaquin, an act that sank the vessel and claimed the lives of the entire crew. Thirty three people lost their lives that ill-fated day. Thirty three families were torn apart, wondering…

Raymarine Launches YachtSense in U.S.

By Peter Janssen on September 28, 2021 Cruising Life, Electronics

Raymarine just introduced its new YachtSense control system to the U.S. at the IBEX boat builders’ show in Tampa. YachtSense is a digital switching system that connects all the boat’s systems so the captain can be aware of what’s happening in real time. “YachtSense is the new standard in premium digital control solutions for today’s most sophisticated vessels,” said Jamie Dery, Raymarine’s VP of the Americas. Raymarine says the system is unique because of its scalability, its options for various configurations, and its safety features. It uses a modular architecture, starting with a Master Module and a Power Supply Module…

Harbor Pilots: High Pay, Higher Risks

By co_admin on September 27, 2021 Cruising Life

Here’s a great story about harbor pilots, their risks and their jobs, from Business Insider: The average harbor pilot at the Port of Los Angeles makes $434,000 a year, but also faces a one in 20 chance of dying on the job, according to a new book out Tuesday from The Wall Street Journal’s Christopher Mims. The book, “Arriving Today: From Factory to Front Door — Why Everything Has Changed About How and What We Buy,” breaks down the complicated dance that brings a shipment from Asia to US buyers in a matter of days. Harbor pilots are some of…

Lauderdale Man Hurt in Freak Docking Accident

By Peter Janssen on September 27, 2021 Cruising Life

A man suffered a severe leg cut in a freak accident while docking a boat at a popular Fort Lauderdale waterfront restaurant. The man, who has been identified, apparently lost his balance and fell off the boat at the Boathouse at the Riverside restaurant on the New River in the Las Olas section of town. About 50 people were eating on the outdoor terrace overlooking the river at the time. He was heading for the restaurant to attend a birthday party about 2 p.m. on Saturday. When his friends lifted him back on the boat, diners could see a deep…

Winterizing Facts & Myths from BoatUS

By co_admin on September 27, 2021 Cruising Life

SPRINGFIELD, Va., Sept. 27, 2021 – Recreational boat owners are preparing their boats for a long winter’s nap, but sugarplums aren’t dancing in their heads. What may keep them up at night is hoping cold temperatures won’t damage their boats. Freshwater expands in volume by about 9% when it freezes and can push outward with a force of tens of thousands of pounds per square inch, cracking engine blocks, damaging fiberglass, splitting hoses and waterlines, and destroying refrigeration systems. Boat Owners Association of The United States’ (BoatUS) marine insurance provider, GEICO, shares that boaters often don’t become aware of the…

HMY To Import New Two Oceans 555 Cats

By Peter Janssen on September 26, 2021 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

HMY Yachts just announced that they will introduce the new luxurious Two Oceans 555 Power Catamaran, made in South Africa, to the American market next year. The new 555 has a four-cabin layout, with the master stateroom on the main deck with a door opening to a sunken lounge on the foredeck. Founded in 1989, Two Oceans specializes in blue-water, comfortable and safe power and sail cruising catamarans. The power cat range incudes a 75, 82 and 87. The new 555 models are the company’s entry-level cats. But there is nothing small about them. Designed by Du Toit Yacht Design…

Curious Whale Nudges Woman on SUP. Video

By Peter Janssen on September 25, 2021 Cruising Life

Here’s an incredible video of a curious southern right whale seeming to play with a woman on a standup paddleboard in Puerto Madryn, in northern Patagonia, Argentina. At one point, the whale pushes the board forward gently, and then swims under it to see what’s happening. Maximiliano Jonas, who filmed it, says “These whales surely love paddleboards. Every time they spot one floating on the water they get all excited and approach it but not in an intimidating way.” This is the middle of the whales’ migrating season in Argentina. Marcos Grosso, Puerto Madryn’s tourism secretary, said that 1,600 whales…

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