Cruising Life

New ZEN 50 Powercat: No Fossil Fuel At All

By Peter Janssen on May 25, 2022 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

The new ZEN 50, currently being built in Spain, is truly a different boat. It is basically a solar-powered electric power catamaran, although you can order one with an innovative wing sail. And it is totally fossil-fuel free. It has no back-up generator or diesel or gas engine at all. It doesn’t even carry fossil fuel. The tender is powered by a battery that can be recharged from the mothership. The ZEN company, based in Malta, says the ZEN 50 is “a game changer,” certainly an overused term. But in this case, it appears to be true. The ZEN 50…

New H-100 Electric Inboard Motor for Cruisers

By Peter Janssen on May 25, 2022 Cruising Life, Engine Room

A young, creative company that calls itself an “innovator for water-related fun,” ePropulsion, from Somerset, New Jersey, just unveiled its new, powerful H-100 electric inboard. The new motor will make its public debut at the Electric & Hybrid Marine Expo starting June 21 in Amsterdam. The H-100 is a 100kW inboard motor, aimed at the OEM market, for power and sail boats from 60 to 100 feet and with a displacement of up to 200 tons. ePropulsion said it would be appropriate for a wide range of boats, including cruisers, fishing boats, work boats and even ferries, and it would…

Navy Report: Nuclear Sub Grounding “Preventable”

By Peter Janssen on May 24, 2022 Cruising Life

The Navy just released its report on the investigation of the grounding of the USS Connecticut, a 353-foot-long, billion-dollar nuclear submarine in the South China Sea last October, finding that “an accumulation of errors” caused it. The sub’s commanding officer, executive officer and the chief of the boat had already been relieved of their commands “due to a loss of confidence,” the Navy said. The accident occurred last October 2 when the sub hit an uncharted seamount “while operating submerged in a poorly surveyed area in international waters,” the report said. The accident ripped off the entire forward sonar dome…

Lock Closure on Illinois Waterway

By co_admin on May 23, 2022 Cruising Life

The Brandon Road Lock and Dam in the Joliet area of the Illinois Waterway will have restricted passage until August 14, and then a full closure from August 15 to September 4. Anyone planning on the Great Loop needs to schedule accordingly. The Illinois Waterway connects Lake Michigan/Chicago, with the Mississippi. Here is the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ schedule for closures along that waterway this year and in 2023: 2022 Brandon Road Lock and Dam – Upper Bulkhead Recess Installation Restriction period/partial closure (will pass traffic under a 70′ width restriction from 6pm-6am): May 9-Aug. 14, 2022 Full closure: Aug. 15-Sept.…

New Hylas M49 Cruiser Coming to U.S.

By Peter Janssen on May 23, 2022 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

The new Hylas M49, a two-cabin, two-head upscale cruising boat, will make its U.S. debut this summer. The M49 basically is a larger version of the popular M44 that was introduced a few years ago. Both boats are designed by Dean Salthouse, whose family has been designing boats in New Zealand for 65 years. The M49 is powered by twin 370-hp Yanmar diesels, providing a top speed of 31 knots. Hylas Yachts are built at the Queen Long yard in Taiwan, and they have a reputation for their seakeeping ability, offshore performance and versatility. One fan of the brand is…

Maine Fisherman Up for $100 Million Prize

By Peter Janssen on May 23, 2022 Cruising Life

A Maine fishermen, from a family of Maine fishermen, is among the finalists for a $100 million prize for fighting climate change from Elon Musk. Marty Odlin, whose family has been fishing in Maine for generations, has started a small company named Running Tide (the name of his boat) to remove carbon dioxide, a main culprit in global warming, from the atmosphere. The company would build buoys in the ocean that would grow microforests of kelp that would gather carbon dioxide and eventually sink down to the ocean floor. Now, Running Tide is a finalist for Elon Musk’s $100 million…

Foiling Candela C-8 To Make Venice Debut

By Peter Janssen on May 22, 2022 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

The revolutionary all-electric Candela C-8 hydrofoil boat has already been tested in its home waters in Sweden, but it will make its public debut May 27 at the Venice boat show. It also will enter the show’s grand finale E Regatta, an endurance test for the electric boats there. Gustav Hasselskog, Candela’s founder and CEO, says he’s looking forward to the Venice outing. “The floating city, which is dependent on motorboats but also suffers from their impact, is the perfect place to show off how Candela’s craft can contribute to a better world, while offering new levels of performance,” he…

New 59-Knot, 7,800-hp AB Superfast 100

By Peter Janssen on May 18, 2022 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

It’s probably a bit overpowered for the Great Loop, but if you want to cruise from, say, Greenwich to Newport for lunch, or Miami to Bimini in an hour or so, riding in style and comfort, then the luxurious new AB Superfast 100 may be a good bet. The just-launched hull number one of the AB Superfast is powered by three 2,600-hp MTUs (for a total of 7,800-hp), delivering a top speed of 59 knots and a cruising speed of 50 knots. Standard power is three 1,900-hp MANs, (only 5,700 hp) but the first owner wanted some extra juice. The…

Explore the Monitor, and More, with NOAA

By co_admin on May 18, 2022 Cruising Life

Now you can explore the remains of the Civil War ironclad Monitor, built for the Union Navy, and lots of other underwater wrecks and reefs, courtesy of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. (The Monitor’s bow, resting on the North Carolina seafloor, is pictured above.) Here’s NOAA’s announcement: Beginning May 15, the public can join NOAA scientists and partner researchers as they explore the shipwreck of the USS Monitor, natural reefs and the maritime cultural landscape off the North Carolina coast. The two week mission — titled “Valor in the Atlantic” — will use state-of-the-art, remotely-piloted submersibles and other technologies to…

Nordhavn Holds Largest Rendezvous Yet

By Peter Janssen on May 17, 2022 Cruising Life

Nordhavn just held its largest owners’ rendezvous yet, with 48 boats and the owners of 19 more attending the five-day gathering at Victoria International Marina on Vancouver Island, British Columbia. Victoria is a popular location because of its proximity to the San Juan Islands, prime cruising grounds in their own right. The Victoria rendezvous also served as the start of the season for boats heading farther north up the Inside Passage to Alaska, another favorite destination for the owners of Nordhavns and many, many other cruising boats. Nordhavns of all sizes were represented in Victoria; indeed, 16 different models lined…

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