Cruising Life

Miss Costa, a 1,668-pound Great White Shark and Social Media Star, Takes Spring Break in Gulf of Mexico. Tweets: “Pure Bliss”

By Peter Janssen on April 9, 2019 Cruising Life

Miss Costa, a prolific 12’ 5” great white shark with a sizeable social media following, is taking her annual spring break in the Gulf of Mexico, cruising down the Atlantic from Nantucket, Massachusetts. And she’s tweeting about it. Miss Costa is being tracked by OCEARCH, the ocean research organization that originally tagged her on September 23, 2016, off Nantucket, and which created a Twitter account for her; the 1,668-pound shark now has 9,500 Twitter followers. A few days ago, as Miss Costa swam up the Gulf toward the Florida Panhandle, she tweeted: “gulf life = pure bliss.” Earlier, when she…

Lost in the Antarctic

By Peter Janssen on April 8, 2019 Cruising Life

By CW4 Michael W. Carr – They were lost. Lost in the open ocean off Antarctica. Two miles to their starboard should be the Ross Ice Shelf, a 200-foot high vertical wall of ice running for hundreds of miles along Antarctica. Instead, there was just open ocean. This situation was definitely not part of their DeepFreeze79 operation. Ensign Bill Davis, the USCG Glacier’s (WAGB-4) Navigation Officer, had just come to the bridge to relieve the mid-watch and assume OOD for the 4-8 watch. Bill was looking forward to an easy and uneventful watch, as they steamed east along the edge…

New Documents Reveal Duck Boat Never Should Have Left the Dock Before It Sank, Killing 17

By Peter Janssen on April 8, 2019 Cruising Life

The duck boat tragedy last summer in Branson Missouri , when 17 people were killed, just gets worse the more we learn about it. Now, thanks to the Kansas City Star, we find out that under an agreement the boat owners had with the Coast Guard, the boat never should have left the dock on the evening it sank, and it had bilge pumps that were not adequate to discharging water that flooded into the vessel. After the accident last July 19 on Table Rock Lake, the Star asked for records and correspondence regarding the amphibious vehicles operating in Branson. It…

Ten Best Places To Snorkel: Watch for the Spotted Eagle Rays in Belize

By Peter Janssen on April 8, 2019 Cruising Life

Here’s a great list of the ten best places to snorkel from Coastal Living, starting with Dean’s Blue Hole on Long Island in the Bahamas (see the picture, above). All of these would quality as cruising destinations in their own right; on the other hand, you may just want to spend a few extra days at one of them if you’re cruising in the area. They all look too good to miss. Dean’s Blue Hole, for example, was created when the ceiling of an ancient cave system collapsed into the ocean. Here you can swim from the beach and watch…

California Couple Buy Maritimo 59 in Australia, Take 1,400 nm Shake-Down Cruise There

By Peter Janssen on April 7, 2019 Cruising Life

How’s this for a shakedown cruise? After Jeff and Robin Lyall, experienced cruisers from Orange County, California, took delivery of their new Maritimo M59 in Queensland, Australia, they spent 14 days and 1,400 nm cruising up the Gold Coast to the Whitsunday Islands and the Great Barrier Reef for what he called “a once in a lifetime adventure.” The backstory to the Lyall’s adventure starts three years ago, when he sold his business and retired and realized he now had time for some serious cruising. He had always been an active boater; he was an accredited diver when he was…

Coast Guard Saves 6 from Boat Sinking 25 Miles Off North Miami; Credits EPIRB for Rescue

By Peter Janssen on April 7, 2019 Cruising Life

The Coast Guard just rescued six people in the water 25 miles off the coast of North Miami as their boat was sinking, and it said the people were saved because they set off their EPIRB as their boat started to take on water. A crew on a Coast Guard Dolphin helicopter from Miami received the emergency alert from the boat’s EPIRB about 9 a.m. on Saturday. It located the boat while the 87-foot Coast Guard cutter Cochito raced to the scene. By the time the Cochito arrived, all six people were in the water, and the boat was almost gone. A…

Docking Made Easy: Create a Mental “Aim Point”

By Peter Janssen on April 7, 2019 Cruising Life

Here’s some great advice from Skipper Tips about how to dock safely and securely even when the space you’re assigned is just a few feet more than the length of your boat. We’ve all been there. The face or fuel dock is full of large boats, or at least the space you’re aiming for is flanked by two of the largest, most expensive yachts in sight, and you know that a lot of people nearby will be looking to see how you pull this off. Not exactly the time to brush up on your docking skills. Here’s what to do, and…

Top Ten Bucket List Adventures in the Caribbean. Start Packing Now

By Peter Janssen on April 3, 2019 Cruising Life

You’ll probably want to keep this. Here’s a bucket list of ten top adventures in the Caribbean, places to go and things to do this year, next year, or over a period of many years. You may already have your own favorites, but you also may want to add some, if not all, of these chosen by Coastal Living. Take a look: 1.Dive beneath a full moon in Curacao (see picture, above). There’s an aquatic wonderland beneath the waves around the ABC islands (Aruba, Bonaire and Curacao), all found in the region’s vast coral reef. You can take a night…

Simrad Launches New User-Friendly Chartplotter Starting at $399

By Peter Janssen on April 2, 2019 Cruising Life

Simrad just introduced its new Simrad Cruise chartplotter, which it says is the most intuitive chartplotter on the market. It’s designed for simple and straightforward navigation, with a user-friendly interface and a sunlight-viewable display. And it starts at just $399. The new Simrad Cruise comes preloaded with U.S. coastal charts, a mounting bracket and a sonar transducer. It combines GPS features with depth-finding capability. You control it with a rotary dial and keypad, so that it’s easy to navigate through menus that give you the information you need – speed, depth, GPS location to course, battery level and temperature. You…

British Magazine Names Finalists for Motor Boat of the Year Awards

By Peter Janssen on April 2, 2019 Cruising Life

Motor Boat & Yachting, the British magazine, has just announced the finalists for its annual Motor Boat Awards. The winners will be named in London on May 7. The Grand Banks Eastbay 44, pictured above, is one of the finalists. Here are all the nominations: Sportsboats and RIBS Agapi 950 Finnmaster T8 Jeanneau Cap Camarat 9.0 Nimbus W9 Parker 850 Voyager Superboats: Brabus Shadow 800 Cockwells Titian Tender Levi 8.5 SACS Strider 10 Sealegs 9.0 Hydrasol Zeelandeer Z44 Sportscruisers Up To 45 Feet: Fairline Targa 43 Open Grandezza 34 OC Keizer 42 Pardo 43 Prestige 460S Sportscruisers Over 45 Feet:…

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