Cruising Life

Three Teens Save Five Men in Long Island Sound

By Peter Janssen on June 29, 2021 Cruising Life

Three teenagers who were fishing on Long Island Sound just rescued five older men (including three who couldn’t swim) after their boat took on water and turned over. The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) said the men were fishing off Six-Mile Reef near Clinton and Westbrook, when they saw water inside the back of the boat. It flooded the batteries, and they couldn’t start the engine. As more and more water poured in, they put on life jackets and sent out a distress call on Channel 16. As it turned out, the three teenagers were nearby and…

New Pearl 62: Family Cruiser with IPS Power

By Peter Janssen on June 28, 2021 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

The highly styled, contemporary Pearl 62 is a family-oriented, owner-operator cruiser with four staterooms and three heads. With optional 900-hp Volvo IPS1200 pod drives, it tops out at 33 knots; dialed back to 10 knots, it has a range of 600 nm. The 62 is the U.K. company’s entry-level yacht, joining the Pearl 80 and Pearl 95. With a luxury-level fit and finish, it was created by Bill Dixon, the British naval architect, and Kelly Hoppen, MBE, the interior designer. It is built by the Xiaman Hansheng yard in China The super-sized slanted windshield gives the Pearl 62 a sporty…

XO Boats Launches New 29-foot DFNDR

By Peter Janssen on June 27, 2021 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

XO Boats in Finland is making a new 29-foot DFNDR 9 all-weather, multi-purpose boat that extends the company’s lineup of aluminum-hull vessels. Powered by twin 225-hp Mercury V6 outboards, the XO DFNDR 9 will have a top speed of 50 knots, while its deep-V hull (22 degree deadrise at the transom) is built for offshore performance. The DFNDR 9 joins XO Boats’ lineup of DSCVR and EXPLR boats, all named to evoke the company’s adventuresome spirit. “The unique design concept makes DFNDR 9 an excellent choice for adventures and watersports alike,” said Erkki Talvela, the CEO of XO Boats. “At…

Sunreef Finishing New 100 Power Cat

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

Sunreef is finishing its first 100 Power Catamaran in its factory in Gdansk, Poland, developed on the success of the widely acclaimed Sunreef 80 power cat. The 100 meant to be luxurious and vast, inside and out, and it makes use of its more than 44-foot beam to accommodate ten guests in five staterooms (plus a crew of three) in a total of 5,380 square feet of living space. The main deck on the new 100 just seems to go on forever. The middle 40 percent or so is occupied by the salon, filled with light from panoramic windows. It…

New 100-mph Record for Electric Outboard?

By Peter Janssen on June 23, 2021 Cruising Life

Vision Marine Technologies, the high-tech startup in Montreal that wants to disrupt the traditional boating industry, just announced it has formed a partnership with Hellkats Powerboats to break the world speed record for the fastest electric-powered boat. For the record attempt, Vision will rig a 32-foot Hellkats with two of its E-Motion 180E powertrains, which Vision just introduced last month. The Hellkats, called Fulgura 1, will be launched in November. “This is the perfect opportunity to showcase the capability, reliability and power of our E-Motion powertrain,” said Alexandre Mongeon, the co-founder and CEO of Vision Marine. The world speed record…

Winners of UN World Oceans Day Photo Contest

By Peter Janssen on June 23, 2021 Cruising Life

Here’s a look at some of our favorite pictures from the U.N. World Oceans Day photo competition, which drew 1,400 images from around the world. The pictures show a wide array of marine creatures and habitats, and they were divided among six categories: Oceanic Discoveries, The Ocean: Life & Livelihoods, Above Water Seascapes, Underwater Seascapes, Faces of the Sea, and Digital Ocean Photo Art. The winners were chosen by a jury of world-famous photographers and artists. The top picture of the mako shark off the coast of Baja California was taken by Evans Baudin from the U.S.; it was third…

Beneteau Sea Trialing New Grand Trawler 62

By Peter Janssen on June 22, 2021 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

Beneteau has just started sea trials on its new Grand Trawler 62 displacement long-range cruiser in the Adriatic off the factory in Monfalcone, Italy, north of Venice. The company calls the new GT 62 “the ultimate voyaging yacht.” With a pair of 730-hp MAN diesels and straight shafts, the GT 62 tops out at about 20 knots, but it’s meant to run at lower speeds for maximum efficiency, comfort and range. Indeed, at 9 knots, the 62 has a range of 900 nm. Amadeo Migali, the naval architect who drew the boat, says the aim “is not to achieve 25…

ACR Launches Small Bivy Stick Sat-Comm Device

By Peter Janssen on June 22, 2021 Cruising Life, Electronics

ACR just launched its new Bivy Stick, the world’s smallest two-way satellite messenger and app. The Bivy Stick works anywhere with a view of the sky, with 100 percent global satellite coverage, and it measures just 4.5 inches by 1.8 inches. It weighs only 3.5 ounces. Built to be used whether you’re out on a day cruise around a lake or on an ocean voyage, the Bivy Stick lets you send messages, track and share your location, access GPS maps, view live weather forecasts, and place an emergency SOS call. The Bivy Stick has a high-power antenna for reliable connections…

Sealegs Rolling Out 12′ 5″ Amphib, Smallest Yet

By Peter Janssen on June 22, 2021 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life, Gear

Sealegs, the New Zealand amphibious boat maker, just announced that they are developing a new 3.8m (12’ 5”) Tender, their smallest yet. Sealegs says it is taking orders for the new amphib now and will roll out the first production models in 2022. We don’t have a price yet. The 3.8 Tender, created to fit on larger cruising boats, takes exploration by tender to a new level. With a standard 40-hp Yamaha outboard, the 3.8m has a top speed of 34 knots on the water. But when you roll up to a beach or want to explore a new shoreline,…

They Want To Take This Across the English Channel?

By Peter Janssen on June 21, 2021 Cruising Life

Don’t count on seeing this vessel at a boat show, anywhere in the world. And it’s seaworthiness is open to question. But two British marine engineers intend to cruise a sistership, just a little larger, across the English Channel before too long. This story starts the way many boating stories start, with the two engineers, Jake Harris, 33, and Sam Newstead, 31, having a few beers after work at Sam’s South East Marine Engineering Yard in Rochester, about 30 miles southeast of London. At first, they wanted to take out their dinghy for a short ride. Then they spotted a…

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