Cruising Life

Trouble in Paradise: Cruisers Overwhelm USVI

By Peter Janssen on April 26, 2020 Cruising Life, Destinations

So many cruising boats have headed to the U.S. Virgin Islands recently because of the COVID-19 pandemic that they have caused worries about overloading the finite resources on the islands there. At this time of year, there usually about 270 boats moored or anchored in the USVI – St. Thomas, St. John, St. Croix, and Water Island. Now there are about 600. The problem is that many ports have closed across the Caribbean to stop the spread of the coronavirus. The USVI, subject to U.S. laws, at first welcomed cruisers. On March 27, Gov. Albert Bryan, Jr., said the islands…

Michigan Opens Again to Motor Boats

By Peter Janssen on April 26, 2020 Cruising Life

Here’s some very good news for motor boat owners in Michigan: You can go boating again. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has removed her ban on the use of motorized boats in Michigan waters. Her new announcement came just days before a hearing was scheduled in a lawsuit brought by the Michigan United Conservation Club, challenging the ban as unconstitutional. The original ban, part of the Governor’s stay-at-home orders to prevent the spread of COVID-19, made the use of any boat powered by a gas or electric motor illegal, but it permitted the use of canoes, kayaks and sailboats. It was very…

Maine Marinas: Operating in Uncharted Waters

By Peter Janssen on April 25, 2020 Cruising Life

Here’s a timely story from the Press Herald in Portland, Maine: YARMOUTH — Motorists whizzing across the Interstate 295 bridge over the Royal River at this time of year are accustomed to glancing at a harbinger of summer on the Maine coast – the daily progression of recreational boats being moored in the anchorage and docked at the three marinas lining the tidal shores. But in this pandemic spring, the scene is strikingly different. Few more than a handful of vessels were dockside early this week, an indicator of how the state’s 40 or so major marinas have been forced…

Warmest Oceans on Record Add to Hurricane Risk

By Peter Janssen on April 22, 2020 Cruising Life

Warmest Oceans on Record Adds to Hurricanes, Wildfires Risks By Brian K. Sullivan (Bloomberg) — The world’s seas are simmering, with record high temperatures spurring worry among forecasters that the global warming effect may generate a chaotic year of extreme weather ahead. Parts of the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans all hit the record books for warmth last month, according to the U.S. National Centers for Environmental Information. The high temperatures could offer clues on the ferocity of the Atlantic hurricane season, the eruption of wildfires from the Amazon region to Australia, and whether the record heat and severe thunderstorms raking…

Ship Captain Murdered Off Colombia. What Happened?

By Peter Janssen on April 21, 2020 Cruising Life

Only one fact is clear: Myo Tun Zaw, 50, the captain of the container ship Spirit of Hamburg, was murdered while it was anchored off Cartagena, Colombia. His body was found on deck about 5 p.m. on Thursday, April 16. After that, stories differ. In one version, he was killed by members of his crew. In another, he was killed by an intruder. Captain Zaw’s body was examined by a forensics team in Cartagena, and the local media reported he was killed by members of his crew. Colombian authorities were investigating. The Spirit of Hamburg, a 833-feet-long ship built in…

When Is a Small Craft Advisory a Small Craft Warning?

By Peter Janssen on April 20, 2020 Cruising Life

The National Weather Service wants to change the name of its traditional Small Craft Advisory to a Small Craft Warning, and it wants your help. The NWS wants to make the change in the spirit of simplifying things. Its other marine warnings are, well, warnings: Gale Warning, Storm Warning, Hurricane Warning. The Small Craft Advisory was pretty much sticking out there by itself. Now, as part of its Hazard Simplification Project, the NWS wants to remove the “Advisory” for small craft and make it match the other “Warnings.” It also wants to end its “Special Weather Statement” and “NOWcast” messages.…

Luxury Canal Barge for Sale in London for $3.1 Million

By Peter Janssen on April 19, 2020 Cruising Life

How’s this for a luxury liveaboard, or a floating second home to cruise the canals and waterways of Europe? Savvy, a three-stateroom, three-head, 98-feet-long Dutch barge built in 2004 is for sale in London for $3.1 million. With a steel hull and a 16-foot beam, Savvy was built by Hakvoort, with a contemporary interior by H2 Design, for cruising in shallow waters. It has already made trips down France’s Canal du Midi and other French canals. It is powered by the original ABB 110kW diesel-electric engine, which shows 3,200 hours. The barge cruises at 8.5 mph, and has a range…

Governors Open Marinas in New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut

By Peter Janssen on April 19, 2020 Cruising Life

Here’s some welcome news for boat owners in New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut. The governors of those states just announced that marinas, boatyards and recreational marine manufacturers will be allowed to open for personal use. The Governors, Andrew M. Cuomo of New York, Phil Murphy of New Jersey, and Ned Lamont of Connecticut, issued joint guidelines for recreational activities during the COVID-19 pandemic. They said that the marinas and boatyards would be open as long as social distancing and sanitization protocols are followed. The guidelines said that chartered boats or rentals will not be allowed, and restaurants at marinas…

Bahamas Announces New Protocols for Boating There

By Peter Janssen on April 18, 2020 Cruising Life, Destinations

Bahamas Government Protocols for Boating in The Bahamas April 2020 April 14, 2020 Updated 4/17/20 The Government of The Bahamas has released official COVID-19 related protocols for foreign and local boats that are currently in the waters of The Bahamas. The Bahamas Safe Passage Home and Sea Quarantine has been established by the Association of Bahamas Marinas as an orderly way to help boats either remain moored or leave Bahamian waters safely while minimizing the risk of spreading the virus throughout the islands. The program will be in effect until normal border travel is restored. Please note that our program…

Yamaha Launches New Portable, Lightweight 25-hp Outboard

By Peter Janssen on April 16, 2020 Cruising Life, Engine Room

Yamaha’s new portable F25 outboard is a great answer for cruising people looking for lightweight power for a RIB or a dinghy or perhaps for a second boat. Yamaha says the new F25 is the lightest 25-hp outboard on the market; indeed, it’s a full 25 percent lighter than Yamaha’s previous version. The 15-inch shaft model of the F25 weighs 126 pounds. The 20-inch shaft model weighs 143 pounds. Both models come in two-stroke or four-stroke versions, with remote or manual starting systems. The manual-start version does not require a battery, which makes it particularly attractive for a RIB or…

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