Cruising Life

Lyman-Morse To Build Electric, Foiling, Navier 27

By Peter Janssen on November 30, 2021 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

Navier Boat is a Silicon Valley startup; it has lots of dreams, but it hasn’t built a boat yet. Lyman-Morse, in Camden and Thomaston, Maine, has lots of dreams too, and it’s been building Down East and high-tech sail and power boats since 1978. Now, Navier and Lyman-Morse have formed a partnership. Lyman-Morse will build Navier’s first boat, a 27-foot, carbon-fiber, electric-powered, foiling power boat to be unveiled at the Fort Lauderdale show next October. Production models will be ready at the start of 2023. Powered by two 50kW electric motors, the Navier 27 will foil, or fly, three or…

Vanquish Building New, Fast, Composite 55

By Peter Janssen on November 29, 2021 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

Vanquish Yachts, the high-end Dutch builder, is starting work on a new 55-foot performance yacht made with composites, instead of the company’s traditional aluminum. The new VQ55, powered by up to five Mercury V-12, 600-hp outboards for the U.S. market, is expected to top out at 70 knots. Vanquish unveiled its new Sports Line of fiberglass composite boats at the Cannes Yachting Festival in September. It started with a composite 40-footer last year. The reception was positive, and many buyers said they were interested in a larger yacht. The new 55 will have much more interior space than the 40,…

Volvo’s Assisted Docking Big Winner at METS

By Peter Janssen on November 29, 2021 Cruising Life

Volvo Penta’s Assisted Docking System (pictured above) was the big winner at the recent METS trade show in Amsterdam. It won the prestigious DAME award at the start of the show. Five more products were named Category Winners, and 15 more received Special Mentions. Here’s the news from METS: Volvo Penta Assisted Docking Company: AB Volvo Penta Category: Machinery, propulsion, mechanical and electrical systems and fittings Jury Comment: Volvo Penta has maximised the advantage it has of being able to independently vector thrust from its proven IPS (Inboard Performance System) drives. The Assisted Docking system digitally controls that ability using…

Metaverse Mega-Yacht Sells for $650,000

By Peter Janssen on November 29, 2021 Cruising Life

Here’s a first, at least as far as I know. A digital mega-yacht just sold for $650,000, making it the most expensive NFT (non-fungible token) sold in Sandbox’s virtual world. The Sun reports that the Metaflower Super Mega Yacht sold for 149 ether (about $650,000) in a transaction on Sandbox, one of the leading metaverse games. The yacht was sold by Republic Realm, a metaverse developer; the sale made the Metaflower the most expensive NFT on Sandbox. The yacht is part of Sandbox’s Fantasy Collection of luxury NFT’s, which includes private islands, speedboats and jet skis. The Fantasy Collection provides…

Highfield Launches 30-Foot Flagship RIB

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

Highfield Boats, the world’s largest maker of aluminum-hulled RIBs, just launched its largest boat yet, the almost-30-foot Sport 900 that can hold 15 passengers and hit a top speed of 60 mph. The all-new Sport 900 has an unusual 26-degree deadrise at the transom so the large RIB can cut through offshore waters. The company says it is designed for use as tender or a high-end day and picnic boat. It is the top of Highfield’s Sport series, which starts at 9’ 8.” The new Highfield represents the growing popularity of RIBs. Tom Watson, the general manager of Highfield Boats…

Hacker-Craft Adding New Evolution Series

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

Hacker-Craft, the iconic builder of mahogany boats on Lake George, New York, is starting a new line called the Evolution Collection, designed to represent growth and forward momentum. Erin Badcock, the company’s CEO, wrote me that “Hacker-Craft has been focusing on our brand, building on our legacy, while continuing to grow and innovate.” The new Evolution Collection, with three different models, represents that direction. Ever since 1908, Hacker-Craft has built boats with classic lines and meticulous craftsmanship. For almost 100 years, they have defined the Golden Age of yachting. Now the company wants the Evolution Collection to define a new…

Coast Guard Saves 95-foot Yacht in Mona Passage

By Peter Janssen on November 17, 2021 Cruising Life

Two ships and a helicopter from the Coast Guard saved a 95-foot yacht from sinking in the Mona Passage, about 26 nm west of Rincon, Puerto Rico. The Coast Guard says that the yacht, Current Sea from Fort Lauderdale, reported it was taking on water and the bow was riding low in the water. The captain of the yacht transmitted a Mayday call at 8:54 a.m., which was received by the Coast Guard in San Juan. The bow was damaged when the anchor reportedly came loose and punctured the hull in two areas. The bilge was flooding. The Coast Guard…

Boat Sinks, Two Aussies Fight Off Crocodile

By Peter Janssen on November 16, 2021 Cruising Life

Two Australian fishermen survived for three days in the outback after their boat capsized and they were attacked by a crocodile. They ended up drinking their own urine for fluid until they were rescued by a passing fishing boat. The men, 32- and 33-years old, were on a fishing trip on a remote section of the Daly River, about 60 miles south of Darwin in the Northern Territory. Their boat hit a submerged object, they don’t know what, and they were thrown into the water. Almost immediately, they were attacked by a crocodile. This part of the river is known…

New Okean 80: Space, Light, Innovation

By Peter Janssen on November 15, 2021 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

The prize-winning, head-turning Okean 80 just made its U.S. debut at the Fort Lauderdale show. The flagship of the Okean fleet, the 80 was joined by a 50 Fly, the Brazilian builder’s first boat that was launched in 2017, and a 55. The 80, with an unusual and innovative open plan, where balconies expand from the salon and aft cockpit and a wall of glass surrounds the main deck, won the Revelation of the Year award at the World Yachts Trophies in Cannes last year. With an almost plumb bow, modern lines and luxurious fit and finish and furnishings, the…

Icom Launches New SSB at METS Show

By Peter Janssen on November 15, 2021 Cruising Life, Electronics

Icom just unveiled its new state-of-the-art SSB at the big METS marine trade show in Amsterdam. Designed for offshore cruising, the new Icom IC-M804 provides long-range MF and HF radio communications designed to keep you safe anywhere in the world. The new Icom has a DSC radio that scans six distress signals, a distress call button and an integrated GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) providing global coverage through a constellation of satellites. The Icom conforms to the latest European and international standards. SSB radios have been used in offshore vessels for generations. (When Eric Schweikardt, the photographer, and I drove…

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