Cruising Life

$51 Million Superyacht Sinks Tanker in Bahamas

By Peter Janssen on January 1, 2022 Cruising Life

A 207-foot superyacht hit the stern of a 160-foot gas tanker in the Bahamas on Christmas Eve and sank it in 2,000 feet of water. The $51million yacht, Utopia IV, built by the Italian yard Rossinavi in 2018 with an aluminum hull, collided with the Tropic Breeze tanker about 15 miles north/northwest of New Providence Island. A nearby yacht rescued the seven crew on board the tanker before it sank. The Utopia IV suffered damage to the starboard side of its bow and was escorted to the Prince George Wharf by the Harbor Patrol. Maritime Management LLC, which owns the…

Axopar Building New 45-Foot Flagship

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

Axopar, the highly successful and innovative builder from Finland, will introduce a new 45-foot flagship at the Düsseldorf show, starting Jan. 22. The new 45 shares the same DNA as earlier Axopars, with its angular lines, twin-stepped hull and fuel-efficient power-to-weight ratio. Powered by three 300-hp Mercury Verado outboards, the Axopar 45 will top out at more than 50 knots. It will have gullwing doors, similar to those on the Axopar 37, to make access to the salon easier, as well as side-opening platforms to extend the usable seating space. The forward cabin and its head and shower will have…

Faulty Cable Caused Lifeboat Deaths: Coast Guard

By Peter Janssen on December 21, 2021 Cruising Life

The Coast Guard just released its report about a lifeboat accident that killed two people and seriously injured a third on a Shell platform in the Gulf of Mexico two years ago. The final report said that a preventable chain of events contributed to the accident, but “the most significant factor was the degradation and failure of the lifeboat’s aft release cable.” Just a month before the fatal accident, service reps from the original manufacturer inspected the lifeboat and found corrosion and damage to the aft hook cable. They said they told Shell people on board that the cable needed…

What To Do If You Lose Your GPS Signal

By Peter Janssen on December 21, 2021 Cruising Life, Electronics

What should you do if you’re cruising and you lose your GPS signal? Never happen? Well, yes it will. Not often, but it happens on new boats, old boats, coastal boats and offshore boats. But not to panic. Here’s some great advice from Simrad about what to do next: What happens to my boat if I stop receiving satellite positioning data? In the very rare event that the satellites of the GPS global positioning system fail, are taken offline or are blocked, you’ll still be absolutely fine. Here are five useful tips covering what to do if you lose live…

Brunswick Showcasing AI, Electric Power

By Peter Janssen on December 21, 2021 Cruising Life

Brunswick, the recreational boating giant, will be showcasing its move into Artificial Intelligence, autonomous driving and electric power at the Consumer Electronics Show that starts Jan. 5 in Las Vegas. The company says that “its futuristic exhibit will put you behind the helm in a new way with proprietary innovations that promise to change the future of marine technology forever.” David Foulkes, the Brunswick CEO, said the exhibit will include simulation showing how a boat owner might experience a voyage with the help of a suite of autonomous systems. The exhibit will have an immersive 200-degree simulator where you can…

Windy Launches New Long-Range 60

By Peter Janssen on December 20, 2021 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

Windy has just launched its new flagship, the SLR/SR 60, a chase boat or tender or luxury sport boat with long, low lines and a range of 850 nm at 25 knots. The new 60 was originally designed as a tender for a superyacht owner, and it has seats for 15 people. But Windy says the main deck can be configured so the boat also be used for fishing or diving or exploring far-flung coves and harbors on its own, far from the mothership. At 60 feet, the Windy SLR/SR is large enough to be used for just about anything…

All-Electric Q30 From Finland Coming to U.S.

By Peter Janssen on December 20, 2021 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

The Q30 all-electric, minimalist and elegant day cruiser from Q Yachts in Finland will make its U.S. debut at the Palm Beach show in March. The Q30 is 30’ 7” long with a beam of 7’ 3” and it’s powered by twin Torqeedo 10kW sailpods and a Torqeedo 30-kWh lithium battery. It has a maximum range of 60 nm; at a cruising speed of 9 knots the range is 42 nm; at its top speed of 14 knots the range is 21 nm. An optional second battery can extend the range. The boat can be charged anywhere with a standard…

Historic Trip: Sicily to LA on a RIB

By Peter Janssen on December 19, 2021 Cruising Life

Sergio Davi, the ocean-crossing adventurer, has just started an epic 10,000-nm voyage on a 36-foot RIB from Salerno, Sicily, to Los Angeles. He expects the trip to take about 100 days, arriving in LA toward the end of February. The route is from Gibraltar to the Canary Islands, then Cape Verde, and across the Atlantic to French Guyana in South America. Next, up to the Caribbean, through the Panama Canal and then north to L.A. Davi will be alone for most of the voyage, but some friends and sponsors will join him for a few of the 23 legs involved.…

Pardo Launches New Endurance 60 Flagship

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

Pardo has lunched its Endurance 60, an aggressively styled, low-profile cruiser that’s the Italian builder’s new flagship. With its slightly reversed bow, highly raked windshield, tinted wrap-around salon windows, graceful but broken sheerline and a flybridge that’s barely visible, the Pardo 60 has staked out a distinctive position in the cruising universe. In just the past two years, Pardo has built about 100 other cruisers, from 38 to 50 feet. The 60 represents a major move up. But Pardo has solid roots. It’s owned by Grand Soleil, which has built more than 4,000 sailboats since it started in 1973. The…

Nordhavn 76 Completing Epic Transatlantic Voyage

By Peter Janssen on December 16, 2021 Cruising Life, On Watch with Peter Janssen

The Spirit of Ulysses, a Nordhavn 76, is within days of the finish line of its epic 2,000-nm transatlantic voyage from the Canary Islands to Barbados. If conditions hold, the crew now expects to make landfall in Barbados on Sunday morning. Ulysses, a 2007 Nordhavn with twin 400-hp Detroits, left Lanzarote in the Canary Islands on Dec. 3 and almost immediately ran into some gnarly conditions, including wind gusts up to 53 knots and sea swells from 10 to 15 feet. At first the crew couldn’t even land a Dorado they hooked up, and cooking and eating was problematic. After…

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