Cruising Life

Aquila Starts New Line of Offshore Cats

By Peter Janssen on December 13, 2021 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

Aquila Power Catamarans just announced that it’s starting a new line of offshore boats called the Aquila 28 Molokai Power Catamaran and the Aquila 28 Molokai Cuddy Power Catamaran. Aquila says the Molokai name was chosen because the new cats are designed to perform like the boats that cruise in the Pacific among the Hawaiian chain of islands. “Aquila enters the offshore segment with a modern twist on a proven Hawaiian layout by shifting the paradigm of innovative boats and designs,” said Lex Raas, the president of Aquila Catamarans. Until now, Aquila has made power cats from 28 to 70…

Fraser Building Hydrogen-Powered 64-Foot Cat

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

Fraser Yachts is making a new 64-foot luxury catamaran powered by eco-friendly hydrogen fuel cells for virtually unlimited range and sustainable cruising. The new cat, called Aquon, was designed by the Christian Grande studio in Italy, which works on everything from the new Invictus 32 to superyachts, and it will be built at the Latitude Yachts yard in Riva, Latvia, on the Baltic. It is scheduled to be launched in 2023. The cat, made to resemble a pocket superyacht, has almost 700 square feet of solar panels on the flybridge roof. The renewable solar supply will be used to create…

Coast Guard Rescues Ten Crab-Fishing Boats

By Peter Janssen on December 11, 2021 Cruising Life

The Coast Guard has towed at least ten commercial fishing boats across treacherous bars to safety in the Pacific Northwest at the start of the Dungeness crab season. The start of the Dungeness crab season on Dec. 1 coincided with several bar restrictions due to hazardous conditions. When the Coast Guard issues a bar restriction recreational vessels are prohibited from crossing the bar. Commercial fishing vessels can cross the bar, however, if they follow a Coast Guard safety checklist and procedures. At times the Coast Guard will escort commercial vessels back across the bar if they are caught outside in…

Hermes Speedster: Porsche Looks, Electric Power

By Peter Janssen on December 8, 2021 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

You don’t want to take this retro-looking gentleman’s runabout on the Great Loop, but it sure would be fun to cruise around your local harbor. The Hermes Speedster, made in Greece by the UK-based Seven Seas Yachts, is a state-of-the-art version of a classic 1930s runabout but with lines drawn to resemble the iconic Porsche 356 Speedster from the 1950s. When it was first made, four years ago, the boat was powered by a Rotax engine. Now, in our eco-conscious age, it’s driven by a 100kW electric motor with a 30kWh battery pack. With the Rotax engine, the Hermes topped…

Denison Accepts Bitcoin for Yacht Sales, Charters

By Peter Janssen on December 8, 2021 Cruising Life

Denison Yacht Sales says it now will accept Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies as payment for yacht sales and charters. Denison made the decision after several clients asked to pay in cryptocurrencies. “Bitcoin does a lot of things that are really unique on terms of efficiencies,” said Bob Denison, the president of Denison Yacht Sales. “One of them was privacy and security for the person that owns the Bitcoin currency. It allows buyers to send money any day at any time of day, so there are no physical restrictions, like a bank not being open.” He said that Bitcoin “just added…

StellarCAT Building New Tri-Deck 82

By Peter Janssen on December 8, 2021 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

There’s a new player in the luxury cruising power catamaran market. StellarPM, a Fort-Lauderdale-based specialist in yacht project management and construction, just announced that it’s building a new three-deck, 82-foot, all-aluminum StellarCAT with simply enormous living and entertaining spaces. Designed for serious ocean-crossing cruising, the StellarCAT AL25-3 has an enclosed upper deck, a skylounge aft of the wheelhouse that can be opened or closed, a master suite on the upper deck with its own veranda, and as many as six staterooms for guests and two for crew. Working with shipyards around the world, StellarPM has already designed a 68-foot power…

Sunseeker To Launch New Predator 65

By Peter Janssen on December 7, 2021 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

Sunseeker plans to launch its new Predator 65 at the big Düsseldorf show in January. The sleek, low-profile Predator 65 has the same layout and hull as the Predator 65 Sport Yacht, but it does not have the Sport Yacht’s flybridge. Sunseeker expects to sell about equal numbers of both versions. The new Predator is distinguished by an aggressive, raked front windshield and large carbon fiber and glass sunroof that slides back to reveal a sizable opening over the helm and salon. The result is a bright, airy salon, with an aft galley that can also serve the aft deck.…

Ocean Reef Celebrates 25th Vintage Weekend

By Peter Janssen on December 7, 2021 Cruising Life

Once a year, the members-only Ocean Reef Club on Key Largo, Florida, opens its doors to the public for its Vintage Weekend, a collection of classic boats, planes and cars. This year’s event, the 25th, drew enthusiastic owners and aficionados of all those means of transportation for a weekend of parties, parades and boat-plane-and-car-watching. Ocean Reef has a world-class marina, and often is the host of owners’ rendezvous and fishing tournaments. It also has a golf course, an airport and tennis courts. The outdoor swimming pool and beach area is always a favorite. I once spent a New Year’s weekend…

Red Voyager: An SUP with a Deep-V Hull

By Peter Janssen on December 7, 2021 Cruising Life, Gear

Ever since C. Raymond Hunt first developed the Deep-V hull more than 60 years ago, it’s been the hull of choice for Hunt Yachts and many other brands around the world for its superior offshore performance. But Ray Hunt could not have foreseen the latest iteration of a his Deep-V: It’s now on a new line of Red Voyager inflatable stand-up paddleboards, because it’s said to cut through the water easier, providing a smoother ride for the person standing on top. The Red Paddle Company is using a Deep-V on three Voyager SUPs to make cruising long distances safer and…

Art Basel Miami: Showcase for Creative Boats

By Peter Janssen on December 6, 2021 Cruising Life

Miami being Miami, yachts and high-end boats of various sizes and shapes were a big part of the scene at Art Basel Miami Beach last week. The Miami art week, one of the mainstays of the global art market, had been cancelled last year because of the pandemic, but this year crowds of art enthusiasts crowded the area’s galleries, restaurants and exhibition halls to celebrate the reopening this year. And the art world had much to celebrate. Picasso’s Mousquetaire et Femme a la Fleur sold for $20 million; an Ad Reinhardt abstract for $7 million. Sunreef Yachts, the luxury Polish…

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