This winter, when the famous American ocean liner the SS United States was evicted from her-long-time berth in Philadelphia, her fate to become an artificial reef in the Gulf of Mexico appeared sealed. The then owners of the ship, the SS United States Conservancy, had been forced to sell the ship, either for scrap or to become a reef. Yet, something unexpected happened. The ship had been sold to Okaloosa County, Florida and plans were made to tow the ship to Mobile, Alabama where it would be stripped of all contaminates in preparation for scuttling off the coast.  But, as…

Italian builder Invictus recently launched their new ST550 which is now the builder’s flagship. Designed by Christian Grande, the new Invictus has the brand’s unique “half-reverse” bow and the styling and aggressive lines that are unmistakably Invictus. The ST550 emphasizes living space –the S in ST stands for “space”– and being close to nature with a huge sunning lounge and sitting area forward and a large cockpit with sun beds and sofas on the aft deck that can be expanded with the fold down platforms on both sides. The side decks from cockpit to bow have high bulwarks that will…

March 26, this week, marks the one-year anniversary of the shipping accident that destroyed Baltimore Harbor’s Francis Scott Key bridge with the death of six bridge workers.  The people of Maryland and Baltimore, in particular, took time for a moment of remembrance for the six men and their families. “Everyone working on the scene shared that same priority — those men we lost in the water,” Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott said during an anniversary ceremony Wednesday, recalling the horror that followed the collapse. “While this day is a day of mourning, it is not a day of grief alone,” Scott…

A few weeks ago, we brought you part one of Donald and Marjorie Walker’s story of their cruise from the South of France northward to The Netherlands via the canals, rivers and lakes of the waterway system. This is one of the world’s most elaborate and scenic inland cruising areas with the shores dotted with vineyards, castles and picturesque towns. In Part two, the Walkers leave France and cross into Luxemburg,  where they have to transit dozens of locks to move through the hilly countryside. They also have to accommodate both the large river barges this section of the canal…