Cruising Life

Autonomous Tug Ready for 1,000-nm Cruise

By Peter Janssen on September 18, 2021 Cruising Life

A 35-foot totally autonomous tugboat is ready to start a 1,000-nm cruise around Denmark controlled by captains operating a computer system with 300 main processors back in Boston, Massachusetts. The tug, named Nellie Bly, was made by the Damen yard in the Netherlands, and it is run by Sea Machines Robotics in Boston. The goal of the cruise, named Machine Odyssey after Homer’s epic poem, is to determine if such a voyage, including stops at 14 ports along the way, is possible for a commercial vessel. The tug is scheduled to leave Hamburg, Germany, on Sept. 30. It will have…

The Story Behind a Terrible Bridge Accident. Video

By Peter Janssen on September 15, 2021 Cruising Life

Here’s the full story from gCaptain behind a frightening video of a bridge on the Welland Canal in Ontario, Canada, crashing down on the 730-foot-long bulk carrier Windoc. Take a look: In August, 2001, the Bulk Carrier Windoc was lined up on the Welland Canal’s Bridge 11 in Ontario, Canada. After receiving the flashing amber approach light indicating that the bridge operator was aware of the vessel, the captain lined up on the centerline and maintained a speed of 5 knots. Minutes later while the vessel was half way through the bridge started descending. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D2Wn2RDzsvg When the vessel was…

New Aroha 29: A Light, Fuel-Efficient Cruiser

By Peter Janssen on September 14, 2021 Cruising Life

The new, lightweight Aroha 29 was launched at the Brooklin Boat Yard in Maine a few months ago. It then was taken down to the Newport boat show where it was entered in the new green products category. The Aroha is indeed fuel efficient. Powered by a 38-hp Beta Marine diesel, the wooden coastal cruiser will cruise at 12 knots and top out at 16 knots. What’s most remarkable is the Aroha’s fuel burn: 0.26 gallons per hour at 7.5 knots, and 2.1 gallons per hour at 17.5 knots. The boat’s back story starts in New Zealand, where Maynard Bray,…

Floating Motors Turns Vintage Cars Into New Boats

By Peter Janssen on September 14, 2021 Cruising Life

Here’s a fun idea for your next boat: A floating vintage car that can be powered with electric motors or outboards to hit a top speed of 55 knots, turning heads all along the way. The car-boats are made by Floating Motors, a new company that’s a joint venture between Jet Capsule and the Lazzarini Design Studio in Rome. The idea is to take a vintage car, remove all its mechanical parts, mount it on a catamaran or hydrofoil base, and then set it loose on the nearest body of water. The company says the result is “a delightful combination…

Zeelander Announces Details of New 48-Footer

By Peter Janssen on September 14, 2021 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

Zeelander, the Dutch builder of distinctive luxury yachts, just announced details of its new 48-foot Zeelander 5 at the Cannes Yachting Festival. The new yacht, available with three Volvo IPS650 pod drives, will have a top speed of 45 knots. It will be launched next year at the company’s yard in Groot-Ammers, just east of Rotterdam. The Zeelander 5 carries all the lines and amenities that have marked the brand, particularly its gracious curves and generous tumblehome leading to a large sun lounge and swim platform that fold out from the transom. The fit and finish, including elegant woods and…

Blue Game Launches Creative New 72 at Cannes

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

Blue Game just unveiled its hard-to-define new 72 at the Cannes Yachting Festival, where the aggressively styled cruiser with an aft deck that seems to go on forever caught a lot of attention. An Italian builder, Blue Game is a brand of San Lorenzo yachts, and it specializes in non-traditional styling that defies the usual yacht categories. Indeed, the company says the new 72 “is the perfect expression of its cross-over soul that escapes from belonging to a single segment.” The interiors can be customized, but the standard power comes from twin 900-hp Volvo IPS1200 pod drives for easy maneuvering…

Prestige Planning New Luxury Power Cat

By Peter Janssen on September 13, 2021 Cruising Life

Here’s some big news on the power catamaran front. Prestige, the French builder of luxury motoryachts and part of the powerful Groupe Beneteau, will start making luxury power cats. Erwin Bamps, the Prestige general manager, made the announcement at a Groupe Beneteau press conference at the Cannes Yachting Festival. He did not reveal any details, and said he would have much more about the new cat at the Düsseldorf boat show in January. But Bamps did say the cat was an expansion of the company’s “private island concept” and it would be aimed at both the charter and owner-operator markets…

Airline Pilot Commutes To Work on Ranger Tug

By Arnie Hammerman on September 12, 2021 Cruising Life

In the early 1900’s, New York businessmen discovered that the trip from Long Island and Connecticut to Wall Street in Manhattan could be accomplished faster and more luxuriously on a boat. They built some amazing fast commuters or business boats specifically for this purpose. Pan forward a hundred years and boat commuting still works. A resourceful airline pilot based in New York City and flying out of LaGuardia follows the lead of these early commuter boat pioneers by living aboard and commuting to work on a Ranger Tugs R-29. Instead of staying in an expensive and tiny Manhattan apartment and…

Candles Cause Fire that Sinks Yacht: NTSB

By Peter Janssen on September 12, 2021 Cruising Life

Two candles that had been lighted but left unattended in the VIP suite caused a fire that burned and sank the 120-foot yacht Andiamo at its dock in Miami two years ago, according to a new National Safety Transportation Board report. The NTSB also said that the crew’s failure to complete repairs to the yacht’s fire detection and alarm system contributed to the severity of the fire. The yacht, worth $6.3 million, was a loss, and the fire caused an additional $480,000 worth of damage to the marina and other boats. The NTSB reported this series of events: On Dec.…

Wellcraft Plans “Adventure Cruisers” with Outboards

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

Many years ago, when Bob Long was running the company, Wellcraft was a powerhouse. It made everything from Scarabs (think Don Johnson in Miami Vice) to cruising boats to fishing boats. It had a strong dealer network, and a worldwide presence. But times change, and Wellcraft’s fortunes waned. Then Groupe Beneteau bought the company in 2017, and now Wellcraft is poised for a resurgence. Indeed, Wellcraft just announced it will make a series of “adventure cruisers,” starting with a 35-foot Commuter driven by three outboards. It’s scheduled to be launched in the U.S. next spring. Wellcraft sees a trend for…

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