Cruising Life

Epic Delivery: Transiting the Welland Canal

By Scott Akerman on June 6, 2021 Cruising Life

Scott Akerman, our Cruising Odyssey partner and ad director and a professional captain, is on an epic delivery of a 2018 Coastal Craft Concord 65 from Midland, on Georgian Bay in Canada, to Portland, Maine. Captain Eli Bliss is the only other person on board. They just transited the historic, 27-mile-long Welland Canal that connects Lake Erie and Lake Ontario. Here’s Scott’s report: We started the day at Sugarloaf Harbour Marine in Port Colborne, a quaint Canadian village near the head of the locks. The marina had new floating docks and is a convenient, 15-minute walk to town through well-manicured…

Dag Pike, Master Seaman, Dies at 88

By Peter Janssen on June 4, 2021 Cruising Life

Dag Pike, who first went to sea as a teenager and went on to become one of the world’s most respected – and most prolific – boat racers, navigators and seamen, passed away earlier this week. He was 88 years old, and lived in Bristol, UK. I first met Dag at a Miami boat show in the early ‘80s, when he was already a legendary international boating figure, and he was writing for Motor Boating & Sailing, where I was the editor. In person, Dag was memorable; he always had a smile, he always had a new tale to fell,…

Start of Delivery from Lake Huron to Portland, Maine

By Scott Akerman on June 4, 2021 Cruising Life

Scott Akerman, our Cruising Odyssey partner and ad director, just started an epic, 2,400-nm delivery of a 2018 Coastal Craft Concord 65 from Midland, Canada, to Portland, Maine. A professional captain, Akerman has sailed more than 100,000 miles offshore, and cruised in 18 countries around the world, but he has never traveled through these waters before. The aluminum-hulled Coastal Craft is named Indigo, and it’s powered by twin 900-hp Volvo Penta IPS pod drives. Captain Eli Bliss was the other person on board. Here’s Akerman’s first report: Day 1: We were off the dock at Midland, at the bottom of…

RNLI Rescues Little Girl at Sea. See Video

By co_admin on June 3, 2021 Cruising Life

Here’s a great story, pictures and video of a crew from the Royal National Lifeboat Institution rescuing a little girl who had drifted out to see on a rubber raft. The RNLI video is at the bottom. The story from The Sun is here: THIS is the dramatic moment a tearful girl was rescued by a heroic RNLI speedboat squad as she floated out to sea in a rubber dinghy. The terrified child, believed to have been eight years old, was pushed about half a mile out to sea by offshore wind at Rhyl, Wales. The moment the incredible RNLI…

Fjord 40: A Less-Is-More Success Story

By Peter Janssen on June 2, 2021 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

About half a dozen years ago, I cruised on a then-new Fjord 40 from Key West to Miami. There were four of us on board, and we stopped along the way at the over-the-top Little Palm Island Resort, where the dockmaster was more than happy to have us stay for a while because the boat was so stunning. The Fjord, with its post-modern, straight-line, minimalist Bauhaus-on-the-water design, was just about the polar opposite from my own much-beloved Grand Banks 36. But I guess opposites attract, because I also loved the Fjord. It performed, it had style, it was unique. With…

New Palm Beach GT60: Sleek and Fast Cruiser

By Peter Janssen on June 1, 2021 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

The latest Palm Beach GT60 just made its debut at the Sanctuary Cove International Boat Show below Brisbane in Australia. The sleek, sexy, low-slung sedan with a classic tumblehome and long sheerline drew the crowds and admirers the brand is known for. The standard GT60 comes with two large staterooms with double beds and generous en suite heads and showers. It also has a modern gourmet galley and both indoor and outdoor dining and social areas. Beyond its head-turning looks, the GT60 performs. The boat has a low center of gravity, and its warped-V hull slices through the waves (instead…

BoatUS Warns of Misleading Labels at Gas Pumps

By co_admin on June 1, 2021 Cruising Life

SPRINGFIELD, Va., June 1, 2021 – Efforts by the ethanol industry to create a new federal rule that would weaken or eliminate important warning labels designed to prevent boaters and consumers from misfueling with prohibited higher-ethanol fuels at roadside gas pumps has Boat Owners Association of The United States (BoatUS) concerned. The national recreational boating advocacy, services and safety group recently co-signed a letter to EPA Administrator Elizabeth Dermott addressing the proposed “E15 Fuel Dispenser Labeling and Compatibility With Underground Storage Tanks” legislation (EPA-HW-OAR-202-0448) and urging the federal regulator to side with consumers on its Misfueling Mitigation Program (MMP) to…

The Moorings Opens Charter Base in Historic Corfu

By Peter Janssen on June 1, 2021 Charter, Cruising Life, Destinations

The Moorings just announced that their marina in Corfu, in the northwest corner of Greece on the Ionian Sea, is now open for charters. One of the most glamorous destinations in the world, Corfu is one of the seven Ionian islands, and offers everything from gorgeous beaches and snug harbors to lively tavernas and waterfront resorts. With a charter from Corfu, you can explore the smaller Ionian islands, as well as make forays to historic ports of call along the Greek mainland. Many cruisers think the Corfu waters offer the best cruising in Greece. They certainly are among the most…

New Water Bike Foils at 5.2 mph. See Video

By Peter Janssen on June 1, 2021 Cruising Life

The Manta5 hydrofoiling bike is now in full production in China and is being distributed around the world. The first one off the production was just introduced at the Sanctuary Cove International Boat Show in Australia two weeks ago. The bike weighs 6.7 pounds (including the battery and motor) and can hit a top speed of 13 mph. It starts to foil at 5.2 mph, and cruises at 7 to 8 mph. The Manta5 uses the same hydrofoil technology as America’s Cup sailboats. It has carbon fiber foils and an aircraft-grade aluminum frame. A 70 cell lithium-ion battery pack delivers…

Hurricane Season Just Started: What To Expect

By co_admin on June 1, 2021 Cruising Life

Hurricane season is officially underway. Here, from weather.com, is what we can expect in the next two months: Hurricane season officially begins Tuesday, June 1, and while it’s expected to be another active year, the early part of the season has historically been slow. The National Hurricane Center selected the June 1 to Nov. 30 period for the Atlantic hurricane season because it encompasses more than 97% of tropical cyclones. But storms can occasionally form before or after those dates, as we saw this May with the brief development of Tropical Storm Ana east of Bermuda. Early in the season,…

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