Cruising Life

Volvo To Stop Making Seven Marine Outboards

By Peter Janssen on November 9, 2020 Cruising Life, Engine Room

For the past several years, the outboard business has been on a tear. The demand for new outboards, even on traditional cruising boats, often outpaced supply. Yamaha couldn’t make its popular large outboards fast enough. Mercury upped its game and produced new outboards that became the power of choice even on such Down East boats at Hinckley and MJM. Suzuki stepped up its presence in the U.S. Three years ago, Volvo Penta, the Swedish giant, bought Seven Marine, a U.S. startup, and it started production of the entire Seven Marine lineup (527-hp, 577-hp, and 627-hp models) last February in Tennessee.…

Nordhavns Notch Up 7 Million nm – and Counting

By Peter Janssen on November 4, 2020 Cruising Life

We all know that Nordhavn owners like to go far. In fact, they’ve gone just about everywhere in the world, including going around it many times. But now we know exactly how far they’ve all gone – 7 million nautical miles, and that’s pretty far indeed. To track its owners’ progress, and the miles they put under their hulls, Nordhavn started a Distance Pennant program 12 years ago. Owners post their mileage, and earn a different pennant, as they go along, starting with 2,500 nm and then jumping up in 5,000 nm increments. So far, 487 owners have joined; many…

Congo and Lovango Cays with St. John in the distance US Virgin Islands

New Resort To Open on Private Island in U.S. Virgins

By Peter Janssen on November 4, 2020 Cruising Life, Destinations

A new resort will open next month on a private island just a ten-minute boat ride from Cruz Bay in St. John. The resort, the Lovango Resort & Beach Club, will be the first resort to open in the U.S. Virgins in 30 years. And it will have moorings and tender service if you want to arrive on your own boat. The Lovango resort is the third boutique property in the Little Gem Resorts portfolio, which already includes The Nantucket Hotel and Resort, and the Winnetu Oceanside Resort in Edgartown on Martha’s Vineyard. It will open in stages over the…

New Sessa Key Largo 40: Versatile and Fast

By Peter Janssen on November 3, 2020 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

Lots of boats have terraces or doors that open from the side bulwarks to increase the amount of space in the cockpit and to provide access to water sports. But the new Sessa Key Largo 40 takes that concept to an entirely new level. Take a look: Both sides of the cockpit drop down, creating an exceptionally large open space for a 40-foot boat. The seating is modular and can be reconfigured to fit your mood on the water: Running, sunning, or just enjoying an al fresco lunch or cocktails. Below, the Key Largo 40 sleeps four in a super-modern…

Lauderdale Show: Fewer People, but Lots of Buyers

By Peter Janssen on November 3, 2020 Cruising Life, Ft Lauderdale Boat Show

If you’re into boats, you’ve got to love John Staluppi, the Long Island entrepreneur who owns the third largest group of car dealerships in the U.S. Here’s what he has to say about going to the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show last week. “I always go to a boat show with intent to buy boats, and I bought two boats at the show. I bought a 32-meter Ocean Alexander and a small outboard Ocean Alexander, 45 feet.” He knew that the show had safety restrictions due to the Covid-19 pandemic, with requirements for face masks, social distancing, and one-way passageways.…

MIT Creates Self-Driving Roboat To Carry Two People

By Peter Janssen on November 2, 2020 Cruising Life

A team of researchers from MIT and Amsterdam have developed a new autonomous boat that’s big enough to carry two passengers and smart enough to take them on a three-hour trip with a margin of error of just 6.7 inches. The new self-driving boat is 6’ 6” long and it’s called the Roboat 2; the original Roboat was a smaller and not-as-smart version, and it was developed as part of a five-year project by MIT and the Amsterdam Institute for Advanced Metropolitan Solutions. The goal is to create the world’s first fleet of autonomous vessels for Amsterdam’s canals, working to…

Riviera Launches New Belize 54 Daybridge with IPS

By Peter Janssen on November 1, 2020 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

Riviera, the legendary Australian builder, just introduced its new Belize 54 Daybridge to the United States at the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show. Riviera says the new Belize, with its distinctive flowing lines and relatively low profile, is a “striking keen-eyed balance between European panache and Australian practicality.” The new Belize has three cabins and two heads below, and a lot going on in the main deck, which is filled with light from sweeping tinted glass windows all around. A curved bulkhead aft includes a glass door and large awning window that open up to unite the salon and cockpit…

Simrad Introduces New VHF Systems with AIS

By Peter Janssen on October 30, 2020 Cruising Life, Electronics

Simrad is introducing a new VHF radio and an upgrade with a Class-B AIS system, representing a pair of multi-station marine radio systems. Both radios, the RS100 and the RS100-B, which is integrated with a Class-B AIS transceiver and a GPS, are expandable and be customized for any boat. The two new radios are part of modular VHF systems that expand to include up to eight handsets (four wired and four wireless) and four external speakers. This possibility makes them appropriate for both medium-sized and larger yachts. “Our new VHF systems offer our customers ever more flexibility and better communication…

BVI Set Covid-19 Protocols for Dec. 1 Reopening

By Peter Janssen on October 28, 2020 Cruising Life, Destinations

The British Virgin Islands, one of the best and most inviting cruising and charter destinations in the world, just announced new Covid-19 protocols for its reopening to visitors on Dec. 1. Andrew A. Fahie, the premier and minister of finance, spelled out the protocols. He said they were “tailored to allow visitors to experience a safe, luxurious vacation by deploying technology, implementing strict testing and comprehensive protocols for tourism industry operators and accommodations units.” Starting Dec. 1, you can fly into Terrance B. Lettsome Airport on Beef Island. A new welcome center can handle 90 passengers at a time. The…

Miami Swimmer Sues Developer for Running Her Down

By Peter Janssen on October 28, 2020 Cruising Life

A Miami chef has filed a suit charging that a major real estate developer there ran her over with his 41-foot center console while she was swimming in Biscayne Bay, causing permanent damage to her left leg and foot. In a civil suit, Theresa May, the chef, says that Irwin Tauber, the CEO of Taubco, one of Florida’s leading developers of commercial property, ran her down in his 2020 Valhalla, powered by four 450-hp outboards (pictured above), while she was swimming near Bay Harbor Islands last April 28. The suit says a prop “cut all the way to the bone.”…

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