Cruising Life

Grand Banks Working on Elegant and Efficient New 54; Will Launch in September

By Peter Janssen on April 17, 2019 Cruising Life

Grand Banks has started construction on its new 54, an elegant, efficient two-or-three stateroom cruiser that will make its debut at the Cannes Yachting Festival next September. In earlier announcements, Grand Banks had called the new boat a 52, but it’s grown a bit. It also comes in the middle of a growth spurt for iconic builder, following on the heels of the Grand Banks 60 and Grand Banks 60 Skylounge. The new 54 also will have the high-tech, lightweight, warped-hull design as that on the 60; it stays in the water and leaves little wake throughout the speed range.…

Walker Bay Launches Venture 14 RIB, First in Its New Explorer Series

By Peter Janssen on April 16, 2019 Cruising Life

Walker Bay has just launched the first RIB in its new Explorer series, a 14-foot Venture, that is rated for eight passengers and tops out at 30 knots with a 70-hp outboard. The company, based in Union Gap, Washington, says the Venture 14 has a range of 140 miles. The new Venture is nothing if not adaptable. It can serve as a tender to a larger boat, a sport boat, a picnic boat, or you can just use it for fishing, diving and generally having fun. You’ll be comfortable on board since all the seating has thick cushioning, and the…

New Rhode Island Pilot Program Recycles Unwanted Old Fiberglass Boats into Concrete

By Peter Janssen on April 15, 2019 Cruising Life

Where do old boats go to die? Getting rid of old, unwanted boats has been a problem ever since fiberglass replaced wood in production boat building half a century ago. Old boats are a blight at the edges of many boat yards and marinas; some are simply abandoned at water’s edge, turning into eyesores and environmental problems. Now, in a new Rhode Island pilot program, they’re dismantled and recycled into cement. The program, called the Rhode Island Fiberglass Vessel Recycling Pilot Project (RIFVR), was started last year. The state has limited landfill area, where people often discard boats at the…

Iceberg Twice the Size of New York City in Final Stages of Splitting Off from Antarctica

By Peter Janssen on April 15, 2019 Cruising Life

An iceberg twice the size of New York City is in what scientists call “the final stage” of breaking off from the Brunt Ice Shelf on the Weddell Sea on northwest Antarctica. The final separation will occur when two cracks meet, separating an iceberg measuring some 580 square miles and up to 820 feet thick from the mainland. Anticipating the separation, the Halley VI Research station, manned by the British Antarctic Survey, has been moved 14 miles inland, on the other side of the cracks. The separation, or calving, of an iceberg is a normal part of the life cycle…

Rare Right Whales Enjoying a Baby Boom off Cape Cod

By Peter Janssen on April 15, 2019 Cruising Life

Right whales, so the story goes, got their name because they were the “right” whales to kill when whaling ships were active, due to the large quantities of oil and baleen they could provide. The killing was successful. Right whales are among the rarest species of whales; there are only 411 of them in the world. But now right whales seem to be enjoying a baby boom in the waters around Cape Cod. Last year, no calves were seen there. So far this year, seven right whale calves have been seen there, including three in Cape Cod Bay just this…

Cruising to Hawaii? Get Ready for Unpredictable Winds and a Shortage of Slips

By Peter Janssen on April 14, 2019 Cruising Life

If you’ve ever thought of cruising to Hawaii, or spending time cruising among the islands once you’re there, you’ll want to read this eye-opening story in Sea by Capt. Pat Rains. Hawaii, at least for cruising in recreational boats, may not be the island paradise you’ve dreamed about. She knows. Rains and her husband have cruised there six times, starting some 40 years ago. Their most recent trip was on a Nordhavn 57. Here’s her account of what you’ll find there: The sight of Hawaii’s green peaks piercing the horizon was thrilling, especially after 2,300 miles of chugging along at eight…

Fountaine Pajot Wins Another Prize with Its New Spacious and Light-Filled 40 Power Cat

By Peter Janssen on April 14, 2019 Cruising Life

Fountaine Pajot power cats just keep on winning prizes. The new Fountaine Pajot 40 MY was just voted the Asia Boating “Best Multihull Motor Yacht up to 50 Feet” at the Singapore boat show. The jury of 15 Asian journalists and boating experts gave the award to the cat for its “excellent design and outstanding capabilities.” The new Fountaine Pajot 40 is based on the company’s 44, which won three awards last year, including European Powerboat of the Year at the Düsseldorf show. The Fountaine Pajot 40 power cat has three cabins and two heads and is marked by an…

Navy Drops Criminal Charges Against Fitzgerald Officers; ProPublica Publishes Scathing Editorial and Investigation

By Peter Janssen on April 13, 2019 Cruising Life

The Navy has dropped criminal charges against two top officers of the USS Fitzgerald, the destroyer that collided with a merchant ship on June 17, 2017, off the coast of Japan, resulting in the death of seven American sailors. It issued letters of censure instead. The charges were dropped against Cmdr. Bryce Benson, the Fitzgerald’s former commander, and Lt. Natalie Combs, the ship’s former tactical action officer. Navy Secretary Richard V. Spencer said he made the decision on the recommendation of Admiral John Richardson, the Chief of Naval Operations. “This decision is in the best interest of the Navy, the…

Cruise the Windwards on a One-Way Charter from St. Lucia to Grenada

By Peter Janssen on April 10, 2019 Cruising Life

Here’s a new way to enjoy a charter vacation: Take a one-way charter down the Windward Islands from St. Lucia to Grenada, enjoying the wind at your back and exploring a handful of smaller islands along the way. The Windwards are at the southeastern border of the Caribbean, with basically a north to south layout. They got their name because they were more to windward for sailing ships arriving in the New World many centuries ago than the Leeward Islands, farther north and west. The currents and winds that provide the fastest sailing lanes across the Atlantic usually led to…

Nordhavn Building New 80 with More Contemporary Styling and 12-Knot Performance

By Peter Janssen on April 9, 2019 Cruising Life

Nordhavn is building its first 80, another battleship-solid, blue-water cruiser but with a new, more contemporary look and styling. Powered by twin 375-hp John Deere diesels, the new Nordhavn 80 will top out at 12 knots and cruise at 9 knots, and it will carry 4,810 gallons of fuel for an ocean-crossing range. Nordhavn says it developed the 80 in response to buyers’ demand for a new boat between the Nordhavn 76 and the Nordhavn 86. “For some, an 86 is just too big,” says Jim Leishman, the vice president of PAE, Nordhavn’s parent company. “At 80 feet, this boat…

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