Cruising Life

Larry Polster: Selling the House and Moving On Board

By Peter Janssen on July 28, 2019 Cruising Life

In the past, we’ve written about Larry Polster’s decision to buy, and then start cruising on, hull number one of the new Kadey-Krogen 50 Open series. Now, Polster, who’s a vice president and partner of Kadey-Krogen, and his wife, Janet, have sold their house and moved on board their new boat, Together, full time. Here’s his story about how they made that decision, and how it’s working out. (As a former liveaboard myself, on a Grand Banks 36, I can just say that all this rings true.) Many of you know that Janet and I are the proud owners of the first…

Eight Best Wireless Devices for 2019

By Peter Janssen on July 24, 2019 Cruising Life

Here’s a look at eight of this year’s best wireless devices from the Marine Electronics Journal: Wireless technology is everywhere, and boats are no exception. At Marine Electronics Journal (MEJ) hardly a week goes by that we don’t receive at least a couple news releases from companies that are rolling out a new piece of electronic wireless wizardry. Some of these products help boaters navigate more conveniently or better, while others are tied to onboard communications, entertainment, fishing, system monitoring or another function entirely. Below are eight wireless devices that are worth a look. They’re part of an exercise MEJ…

Five Reasons To Spend Christmas Cruising in the BVI

By Peter Janssen on July 24, 2019 Cruising Life

What are you doing next Christmas? Here are some great ideas from the Moorings about how to spend the holiday away from all the stress and bustle at home by cruising in the British Virgin Islands: ‘Tis the season – the season for planning a fun-in-the-sun Christmas vacation in the British Virgin Islands! This is your chance to swap snow for sun and slippers for swimsuits in the cold of winter. Too often, the hustle and bustle of the holiday season takes its toll. During the month of December, time gets away, stress runs high, and energy hangs low. To…

Coast Guard Rescue Swimmer Receives “Exceptional Bravery” Award for Rescuing Maine Fishermen in 20-foot Seas. See Video

By Peter Janssen on July 24, 2019 Cruising Life

A U.S. Coast Guard rescue swimmer will be awarded with the IMO Bravery at sea award for his role in the rescue of four fisherman who abandoned ship in a liferaft during heavy weather off the coast of Maine. A panel of judges decided that the rescue by Petty Officer Michael Kelly merited the 2019 IMO Award for Exceptional Bravery at Sea, the IMO’s highest honor for bravery. The decision was endorsed by the IMO Council at its 122nd session in London being held this week. Kelly is an Aviation Survival Technician Second Class stationed the U.S. Coast Guard Air…

Fire Extinguishers: Meeting the Minimum Isn’t Enough

By Peter Janssen on July 23, 2019 Cruising Life

Here’s a story about on board fire extinguishers that’s important to all cruising boat owners from Practical Sailor. It tells you how many you need, where to put them, and how to care for them. By Frank Lanier While portable dry chemical fire extinguishers are a common sight aboard any sailboat, their installation, upkeep, and use is almost sinful. During marine surveys I’ve asked boat owners how long they think a typical BC-I portable unit will last when fighting a fire and have received answers ranging from “about 20 minutes” to “until the fire is put out”—scary, when you consider…

Sabre Getting Ready To Launch New 58 Salon Express in October

By Peter Janssen on July 23, 2019 Cruising Life

Sabre Getting Ready To Launch New 58 Salon Express in October, Celebrate 50th Anniversary All Year There’s lots going on this summer at Sabre Yachts. The Down East builder just put the deck on the hull of its new 58 Salon Express in its factory in Raymond, Maine, and it’s also busy planning its 50th anniversary, with a big Sabre and Back Cove rendezvous next June in Portland; there will be celebrations throughout the year. The new Sabre 58 is scheduled to be launched for sea trials in October in Portland. Sabre already has several orders for the boat and they…

Great White Shark Shocks Boaters Off Cape Cod

By Peter Janssen on July 23, 2019 Cruising Life

By Suzanna Heller On Saturday, a man named Doug Nelson and his son joined a father-son fishing expedition near Cape Cod, Massachusetts. It took an unexpected turn. At one point, Nelson took out his phone to record a member of the group catching what he believed to be a “good-sized fish,” told CNN. But it this was no ordinary fish — it was actually a great white shark. At the time of the encounter, there was actually a fish on the boy’s rod. The shark bit it clean off. The shark leaped out of the water, shocking the group. The…

Somes Sound: A Classic Down East Cruising Destination, and the Only Fjord on the East Coast

By Peter Janssen on July 22, 2019 Cruising Life

If you’re heading to Maine or even thinking about cruising in Maine this summer, there’s still plenty of time to go all the way Down East to Somes Sound, the only fjord on the east coast of the United States and one of the prettiest cruising destinations around. The sound, about four miles long and often 150 feet deep, basically cuts Mount Desert Island in half and has the iconic boating communities of Southwest Harbor and Northeast Harbor at its lower end. And we’re approaching the best time of the year for cruising there, since that part of Maine generally…

New, Easy-To-Use, DutchCraft 56: “The Ultimate All-Purpose Yacht”

By Peter Janssen on July 22, 2019 Cruising Life

The all-new, easy-to-use and easy-to-enjoy DutchCraft 56 will be launched at the Cannes Yachting Festival, starting Sept. 10. The minimalist-styled, aggressively designed DutchCraft 56 is nothing if not versatile. It can be used as an expedition boat, a dive boat, a fishing boat, a family cruising boat, a party boat (it has seats for 44 people), or just about anything else you can think of. Indeed, Sietse Koopmans, the head and founder of DutchCraft, calls it “the ultimate all-purpose yacht.” Koopmans is also the head and founder of Zeelander Yachts, and his family has been in the boating business in…

High Water Creating Dangerous, Even Fatal, Conditions on Lake Michigan

By Peter Janssen on July 21, 2019 Cruising Life

Record high water levels have caused accidents and even a fatality in Lake Michigan, as they wash over breakwalls or make them difficult to see. One boat got stuck on top of a Chicago breakwall (see the picture above) after it hit the wall at night, sending five people to the hospital. The previous week another boat hit a breakwall, killing one person on board. The high water is covering jetties and breakwalls along vast sections of the lake, making them less visible, particularly at night. The Coast Guard has advised boaters to be aware of the problem, and says…

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