Cruising Life

Beneteau Making New Gran Turismo 41 Express

By Peter Janssen on January 17, 2021 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

Beneteau just announced that it’s making a new Gran Turismo 41 express cruiser with a focus on performance, comfort and entertaining on board. A successor to the Gran Turismo 40, the new 41 has two cabins and one head below, and optional twin 380-hp Volvo sterndrives will give it a top speed of 38 knots. With its sporty lines, the 41 has a raked front windshield, a hardtop that opens almost all the way aft, and a galley both up and below. It fits in the middle of Beneteau’s Gran Turismo express cruiser line, which has six models from 32…

Stolen Floating Tiki Bar Recovered in Key West

By Peter Janssen on January 15, 2021 Cruising Life

You couldn’t make this up. Somebody stole the Squeaky Tiki, a floating Key West tiki bar, and then was arrested after the Coast Guard found him slumped over the wheel the next morning, apparently intoxicated. The Coast Guard Station Key West reports that it recovered the Squeaky Tiki after it got an 8 a.m. call from FishMonster, a Key West charter boat, saying that it had found the floating tiki hut and that things seemed amiss. The boat is owned by Cruisin Tikis Key West, which asks on its website: “Why go bar hopping…when you can hop on a bar.”…

Big Changes for Miami Shows in 2022

By Peter Janssen on January 14, 2021 Cruising Life, Miami Boat Show

The Miami boat shows over Presidents’ Day weekend will get a lot bigger, and better, starting in 2022. Say goodbye to Virginia Key; say hello (again) to the Miami Beach Convention Center. In 2022, the land part of the show will go back to the newly renovated Miami Beach Convention Center, while the water portions will be focused at the Sea Isle Marina and One Herald Plaza, flanking the western portion of the Venetian Causeway in downtown Miami. A superyacht part of the show will be at Island Gardens Deep Harbour on Watson Island. The show dates are Wednesday, Feb.…

Owner’s Son, 13, Writes About Living on Nordhavn 47

By Peter Janssen on January 12, 2021 Cruising Life

If you want to raise your spirits during the pandemic, take a look at this blog by Salter Watson, who’s 13 years old and lives on a Nordhavn 47 named Spirited Away with his father, Alexander, where he’s “boat-schooling.” Salter says they’re into year two of a three-year plan, cruising in the Great Lakes, up and down the Atlantic Coast and, they hope, over to the Bahamas. Here’s Salter’s latest blog: ANCHORING — WHAT I’VE LEARNED IN MY FIRST YEAR. When my dad bought our boat, a man told him “cruising is about finding exotic anchorages and fixing things.” My…

Smithsonian: Top 10 Ocean Stories of 2020

By Peter Janssen on January 12, 2021 Cruising Life

Here’s an offbeat, really fun story from Smithsonian Magazine about the top ten ocean stories of 2020, covering everything from a beaked whale that set a record for the longest dive by a marine mammal (three hours and 42 minutes), to the first look at a Ram’s Horn Squid (who knew?), to frightening-looking deep sea fish that blend in to the darkness (pictured above). The stories were collated by the Ocean Portal team at the National Museum of Natural History. Read on: An Oil Spill Devastates Mauritius In July, a Japanese tanker ran aground on a coral reef off the coast…

Luxury Day Charters Adds Vicem 72 to Fleet

By Peter Janssen on January 12, 2021 Charter, Cruising Life

Luxury Day Charters has just added a classic Vicem 72 flybridge yacht to its charter fleet in the Jupiter/Palm Beach area. Luxury Day Charters’ motto is “be a yacht owner for a day or longer,” and the Vicem, like the company’s other yachts, is available for highly customizable charters starting at less than a day and going up to a week. With its elegant, timeless lines, the Vicem is certain to turn heads on any charter. It has three staterooms and two full heads, plus a day head. There’s lots of outdoor space, including a large aft deck with a…

Russian Captain Steals Boat’s Props, Worth 39 Million Rubles

By Peter Janssen on January 12, 2021 Cruising Life

Here at Cruising Odyssey we usually focus on recreational cruising boats but, as we know, there can be exceptions to every rule. And this story, from drive.com, is just too good to miss. Take a look: The Russian Navy says that a former commander of the now-decommissioned Sovremenny class destroyer Bespokoynyy conspired with others and stole the ship’s two bronze propellers while it was in dry dock being converted into a floating museum. The alleged caper sounds like it was ripped straight from the plot of a comedic Hollywood heist movie, with the thieves reportedly swapping out the pair of…

Azimut Launching New 53 Family Cruiser

By Peter Janssen on January 12, 2021 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

Azimut just announced that it’s making a low-profile flybridge 53 with a spacious interior that’s designed for family cruising. The new 53 has three staterooms with two heads, plus a possible crew cabin with a head aft. Powered by twin 725-hp Volvo IPS900 pod drives, the 53 will have a top speed of 31 knots and a cruising speed of 27 knots. The boat’s bow is almost vertical, to provide more room forward. Its raked front windshield and flybridge set well aft give it an aggressive, contemporary look. Azimut says it choose Volvo’s IPS propulsion system because it gives the…

Wally Building New Wide-Body “Space Ship”

By Peter Janssen on January 12, 2021 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

Wally just announced that it’s building an 88’ 9” cruiser called the WHY200 that doesn’t look like any other Wally; actually, it doesn’t like many other yachts, either. The WHY200 is designed to provide more space than other boats of that size. Indeed, Wally says it has 50 percent more space than comparable boats. The most eye-catching feature of the new Wally is the owner’s suite in the bow that takes advantage of the massive amount of space there and offers ocean views from 200 degrees of wrap-around windows. Wally’s legendary designer Luca Bassani created the new look, working with…

Coastal Craft Launches New 41T Fast Outboard Cruiser

By Peter Janssen on January 10, 2021 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

Coastal Craft just launched its new 41T, a sturdy, fast cruiser that is built for the waters of the Pacific Northwest and that tops out at 45 knots, powered by four 350-hp Suzuki outboards. The new Coastal Craft has two staterooms and one head, and the cockpit can be customized for fishing or cruising applications. All Coastal Craft are made in Gibsons, British Columbia, above Vancouver on the Strait of Georgia. They are made out of marine welded aluminum, with polyurethane foam insulation in the hull and cabin. The company pays particular attention to detail and its joinerwork, as well…

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