Cruising Life

Leopard Building New 46 Powercat

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

Leopard Catamarans just announced that they are building a Leopard 46 Powercat, modeled after the award-winning Leopard 53 PC. The latest in the South African company’s new generation of power yachts, the 46 PC will splash in Cape Town this fall and then have its world premiere at the Miami boat show in February. Built for comfort and performance, the Leopard 46 is a stand-alone design. It is not a spinoff of an existing sailboat catamaran. “We have managed to give the Leopard 46 PC a character of its own,” says Anthony Key, the company’s chief designer. “It stands proudly…

Best-Selling BRIG RIBS Still Available in US

By Peter Janssen on August 25, 2021 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

Despite Covid-related disruptions in supply chains and disappearing or already depleted inventories of boats around the world, some dealers still have some types of boats on hand. Northstar Yacht Sales in Portsmouth, Rhode Island, for example, has some high-quality BRIG RIBs for sale, and is expecting more in November. BRIGs are well known in other parts of the world. Indeed, the company says they are the largest producer of RIBs in Europe, and the biggest-selling brand in Australia, Sweden, Holland, Finland and the UK. BRIG made more than 2,500 boats in 2019, before the pandemic. They are made in Ukraine…

For Some New York Liveaboards, the Party’s Over

By co_admin on August 23, 2021 Cruising Life

The party may be over for a group of liveaboards on Newtown Creek, a now toxic piece of waterway between Brooklyn and Queens in New York City. The federal government declared it a Superfund site in 2010, and about 13 million gallons of oil have been removed since then. Now the cleanup may go at a faster pace. But the 130-foot Schamonchi, a former ferryboat operating between Martha’s Vineyard and New Bedford, Massachusetts, is still there, as are a handful, or more, of other boats, with liveaboard owners. There’s no marina. The city owns the land, and they don’t pay…

Candela Unveils New Electric Drive With Long Life

By co_admin on August 23, 2021 Cruising Life, Engine Room

Candela, the Swedish boat builder, just unveiled its revolutionary new electric C-Pod drive unit with two motors, each one driving a counterrotating propeller. The company says this electric drive will have “an almost unlimited life.” In this story, Electrek says the drive is “an engineering work of art.” Read about it here: Swedish electric boat manufacturer Candela has just unveiled a revolutionary new electric drive unit known as the C-Pod for its premium electric boats, and it’s an engineering work of art. Candela claims that these are the highest-efficiency and longest-lasting boat motors ever. The company’s patented C-Pod consists of…

How To Use Contour Lines To Navigate Safely

By co_admin on August 22, 2021 Cruising Life

Here’s some great advice from Skipper Tips about how to use contour lines on land to help you navigate, either when coastal cruising or when making a landfall: Think of land elevation contours like those found in water–depth contours. Cartographers will sometimes indicate the height of a contour prominent enough to be sighted by a mariner. Heights will be shown as a number, so always check the chart datum to understand the height value. It could be in feet or meters. Make this your first step so that you know at-a-glance what the height values indicate. 1. Why Stagger Contour…

Barton & Gray Building New 48 Daychaser

By Peter Janssen on August 22, 2021 Cruising Life

Barton & Gray just announced that they’re building a new Daychaser 48, designed by Doug Zurn of Marblehead, Massachusetts, for their members. The first Daychaser, to be built at Boston Boatworks, will be launched early next year. Barton & Gray was started in 2006 in Nantucket. It now operates the Barton & Gray Members Club fleet with more than 50 yachts (mostly Hinckleys) with captains in almost 30 harbors. It says it developed the Daychaser 48 as a result of a demand for an open, flexible boat. The Daychaser, powered by two 550-hp Cummins diesels, will have a top speed…

Irish Minister’s Plea: Leave Wally Alone

By Peter Janssen on August 21, 2021 Cruising Life

We last wrote about Wally, the international media star walrus, in mid-July when he was still climbing on boats on the Scilly Isles. Last week, Wally was in Cork, Ireland, sleeping at the helm of a powerboat in the harbor there (see picture above). Now, in this story from the Independent, an Irish government minister is urging the public to leave him alone: A Government minster has urged the public to “cop on” and leave Wally the Walrus in peace. The Arctic walrus was first spotted in Ireland off the coast of Valentia Island in March, and has since travelled…

Cox Tests 300-hp Diesel Outboards on Axopar 37

By Peter Janssen on August 18, 2021 Cruising Life, Engine Room

Cox Marine just tested its V8 300-hp diesel outboards on a new Axopar 37, and the results were impressive. Cox, a British company, worked with its German distributor to test two new CXO300s on the Axopar, built in Finland. In trials in Lymington, UK, in moderate sea conditions, the Axopar topped out at 41 knots at 4,000 rpm. In subsequent trials in calm conditions on the Mosel River in Germany, it topped out 46.3 knots at 3,900 rpm. In the past few years, the Axopar 37 has become a popular boat in both Europe and the U.S. Here, it’s usually…

Father, Son Cross English Channel on Fliteboards

By Peter Janssen on August 18, 2021 Cruising Life, Gear

A British father and son just rode their electric-powered hydrofoil Fliteboards across the English Channel in 1 hour and 44 minutes, setting a Guinness World Record for their performance. Rob Wylie, 51, and his son Morgan, 19, started in Cap Gris-Nez in northern France and rode, or foiled, for 23 miles until they landed in Folkstone, England. They both fell off their boards several times because of masses of seaweed in the water and fishing crates bobbing on the surface. Rob said that about half way across he didn’t think they would make it. The batteries were getting low “and…

New Beneteau Antares 11 Flybridge: An Outboard Flagship

By Peter Janssen on August 18, 2021 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

The flagship of Beneteau’s outboard-powered Antares fleet, the new Antares 11 Flybridge is a family cruiser designed for comfort and easy times on the water. It follows the success of a coupe version of the Antares 11, and offers more space up top with the flybridge. The Antares 11 Flybridge is powered by twin 300-hp Mercury four-stroke outboards, which give it a 40-knot top speed. That’s certainly a more than respectable top end, but this boat isn’t meant to be a speedster. You also can order it with twin 250-hp outboards for family cruising. The flybridge blends into the boat’s…

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