Cruising Life

Thom Drew: The Last Lighthouse Keeper

By Peter Janssen on August 6, 2020 Cruising Life

Why a Nova Scotian couple refused to leave their island paradise (From The Globe and Mail) The waters around Mosher Island can be treacherous, and it was Thom Drew’s job to help ships navigate them – until the Coast Guard automated lighthouses like his. He and his wife are still there, living a solitary and hard-working life, and they wouldn’t have it any other way. The sea that thrashes at the rocks along Nova Scotia’s South Shore has claimed hundreds of ships since record keeping began here. On a recent Monday morning, it took one more – Anne Drew’s little…

Couple Hurt in Jetty Crash Sue Driver for $100 Million

By Peter Janssen on August 5, 2020 Cruising Life

Here’s an update on a terrible crash into the Port Everglades Jetty last New Year’s Eve from the Sun-Sentinel: FORT LAUDERDALE — They celebrated her birthday with a late-night cruise through the Intracoastal Waterway on a powerboat dubbed Blue Steel. Nothing too daring or adventurous; they would be out for only a few short hours. They ended up bloodied and confused on a dark jetty near the end of the inlet at Port Everglades. Lauren Silagyi, who was celebrating her 33rd birthday on Dec. 30, fell onto the jagged rocks and ended up with a traumatic brain injury in the…

3 Men Stranded on Pacific Island Saved by SOS in Sand

By Peter Janssen on August 4, 2020 Cruising Life

Three men were rescued from an uninhabited island in the South Pacific after searchers saw the giant SOS they had written on the beach. The men had been missing for three days after their 23-foot boat ran out of fuel and they drifted 118 miles from their intended destination in Micronesia east of the Philippines. The men set out from Pulawat Atoll and intended to go just 26 miles to Pulap Atoll. They ended up on tiny Pikelot Island, where they wrote the SOS in the sand that saved their lives. When the men didn’t arrive at Pulap, their families…

New Desalinator Delivers Fresh Water. See Video Taste Test

By Peter Janssen on August 3, 2020 Cruising Life

A new tech startup based in Dubai and London is starting production of an innovative handheld, manually-operated desalinator that weighs only 1.5 pounds and costs about $70. It turns seawater into fresh water in just a minute. (See the Taste Test video below.) The desalinator is called Quench Sea and it’s made by Hydro Wind Energy. In trying to finance the desalinator, the company passed its crowd-funding goal by 700 percent. Quench Sea can make up to three liters (about 0.79 gallons) of potable water an hour. It uses a reverse-osmosis membrane that can produce 4,700 gallons before it needs…

Enjoy Social Distancing on New Eco-Friendly Floating Pod

By Peter Janssen on August 3, 2020 Cruising Life

Want to get away from it all, without really going too far? Take a look at the new Anthénea Suite, a luxury floating home that’s both head-turning and eco-friendly. The French-built Anthénea is a 540-square-feet pod that runs off solar power with full living quarters inside, and an opening rooftop solarium with built-in seating for 12 and 360-degree ocean views. You can enjoy the Suite by yourself, or certainly treat your friends and family to a different type of day, or evening, on the water. Jean-Michel Ducancelle, the architect, says he was inspired by James Bond’s floating saucer in The…

How To Use Flares in an Emergency. Take Heed…

By Peter Janssen on July 29, 2020 Cruising Life

Here’s some great advice about how to use flares safely from Skipper Tips. Take a look now; these tips could help save you and your boat in an emergency: You cannot fire flares without permission from both the US Coast Guard and local authorities (check regulations in your area if outside of the US). But, you can train your crew before you cast off for cruising. Hold mock simulated drills out in the cockpit. Follow these five steps: 1. Face Downwind Move to the edge of the boat. Put your back to the wind. Brace yourself as the vessel pitches and rolls. Double…

Great White Shark Kills Woman – in Maine

By Peter Janssen on July 28, 2020 Cruising Life

On Monday afternoon, about 3:30, Julie Dimperio Holowach, 63, a retired New York fashion industry executive, went swimming with her daughter off Bailey Island in Casco Bay, Maine, near her family’s vacation home. She was about 20 yards offshore, and she was wearing a black wet suit. She was happy and laughing. Suddenly, she was flailing around. Her daughter swam back to shore and screamed for help. Some kayakers brought Ms Holowach’s badly injured body back to shore, while someone called paramedics. She was pronounced dead by first responders. Shark attacks are extremely rare in Maine. Indeed, this is the…

Russian Hackers Shut Down Garmin Flying, Fitness Programs

By Peter Janssen on July 28, 2020 Cruising Life

You couldn’t make these names up, but it turns out that a Russian group called Evil Corp. and its subsidiary, WastedLocker, managed to shut down some Garmin flying and fitness programs last week. For a few days, pilots who use flyGarmin were not able to access up-to-date aviation databases, as required by the FAA, and thousands of runners and cyclists around the world were not able to access Garmin Connect. Earlier this week Garmin, the GPS giant, was able to get a decryption key to start to bring its services back on line. Some reports said that Garmin had been…

Boston Man Dies When His Jet Ski Hits Moored Sailboat

By Peter Janssen on July 27, 2020 Cruising Life

A 43-year-old Boston man was killed when his jet ski hit a moored sailboat in Boston Harbor on Sunday afternoon. Massachusetts State Police said they received a call about 4:20 p.m. that a man was in distress near Malibu Beach in the Dorchester area. He had been riding on a jet ski that ran into a sailboat on its mooring. The Boston Police Department harbor unit was able to reach the man, Curtis Raper, who was unresponsive in the water. They brought him to shore and administered CPR. He was taken to Boston Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.…

BoatUS: What A Boat’s Name Can Tell You

By Peter Janssen on July 22, 2020 Cruising Life

SPRINGFIELD, Va., July 22, 2020 — While a boat’s name can be as varied as the owner at the helm, certain themes do stick out, according to Boat Owners Association of The United States (BoatUS). The national advocacy, services, and safety group has issued its annual list of Top 10 Boat Names, which it compiles from those using the services of BoatUS Boat Graphics to design and purchase boat name graphics. “It’s always a challenge to decide on a boat name because the options are endless,” said BoatUS Vice President of Public Affairs Scott Croft. “However, after 28 years of…

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