Cruising Life

Cruising the Arctic in a Converted Lifeboat: See Video

By Peter Janssen on April 13, 2020 Cruising Life

Two British architects bought an old lifeboat, refurbished it, painted it yellow, and then cruised 3,100 miles through eight countries and ended up in Tromsø, Norway, the largest city inside the Arctic Circle. They wintered over there, and now are getting ready to finish cruising the coast of Norway this spring and summer. Guylee Simmonds and David Schnabel, both 28, bought the decommissioned lifeboat in February, 2018. They had dreamed of a big adventure, and they spent a year making it what they called “the supreme adventure craft.” Built in Norway in 1997, the vessel served as a lifeboat for…

Michigan Bans Use of Motorboats: COVID-19

By Peter Janssen on April 11, 2020 Cruising Life

Michigan has just prohibited the use of motorboats because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Jet skis and other motorized watercraft are also banned under the state’s stay-at-home orders. You can go out on a sailboat, a kayak, a canoe or other non-motorized vessels. (I personally am not sure where an auxiliary sailboat, if it’s proceeding under power, fits in here.) Governor Gretchen Whitmer just updated the stay-at-home order prohibiting the use of motorized watercraft through April 30. The state’s Department of Natural Resources said that “people who use motorized watercraft typically need to procure secondary services for their craft, such as…

B.C. Indigenous People: “Yachters Stay Home”

By Peter Janssen on April 8, 2020 Cruising Life

If you’re thinking about cruising in central British Columbia, or heading up the Inside Passage to Alaska, any time soon, you may want to change your plans. The indigenous people, who’ve lived there for 14,000 years, want you to stay away. They are worried about the spread of the coronavirus from outsiders, and they do not have the health resources to deal with it. Various indigenous communities in B.C. have imposed curfews and set up checkpoints to prevent outsiders from bringing in the virus. The Haida Nation issued a statement asking cruising people not to visit its islands. “This is…

Bahamas Locks Down. Wants Cruisers To Go Home

By Peter Janssen on April 7, 2020 Cruising Life

Dr. Hubert Minnis, the Bahamian Prime Minister, just told Parliament there that the island’s lockdown due to pandemic will continue, while he is encouraging people on recreational cruising boats to go back home for the duration. He also said that no incoming pleasure boats will be allowed to dock in the Bahamas. The government’s new lockdown started on Wednesday, April 8, and ends at 5 a.m. on Tuesday, April 14. At that point a decision will be made whether to continue it further. There also will be a lockdown every weekend for the remainder of April from 9 p.m. on…

Mysterious Maine Shipwreck Dates to 1769

By Peter Janssen on April 6, 2020 Cruising Life

A determined marine archeologist has determined that the skeletal remains of shipwreck that keeps getting uncovered on a Maine beach is that of the Defiance, a 60-foot sloop that dates to before the Revolution. Stefan Claesson, the scientist, recently told the Board of Selectmen in York, in southern Maine, that the remains probably belong to the Defiance, a narrow commercial vessel that washed ashore in a terrible storm in 1769. The ship, carrying pork, flour, English goods and a crew of four, was on its way from Salem, Massachusetts, to Portland, Maine, about 45 miles above York. During the storm…

Mexico Restricts Some Boating Due to Pandemic

By Peter Janssen on April 6, 2020 Cruising Life

Mexico is limiting boating activities in its ports due to the coronavirus pandemic. The country’s Maritime Authority recently issued a directive, #13, to all port captains spelling out the restrictions. The directive told the port captains they could not authorize the clearance or departure of passenger vessels for-hire, whether they carried Mexican flags or those from other countries. They also had to shut down all boats operating with Nautical Tourism permits – including charter boats, dive boats, sportfishing boats, sunset-cruise boats and whale-watching boats. For other recreational boats, the directive said that “ports in Mexico are not closed to navigation.”…

Coast Guard Rescues 4 from Overturned Boat Off Sarasota

By Peter Janssen on April 6, 2020 Cruising Life

The Coast Guard rescued four people after their boat turned over about eight miles off Sarasota. The two men and two women on board were not injured in the accident. The Coast Guard says it received a Mayday call on Channel 16 about 3:30 on Sunday afternoon. The caller said his 24-foot powerboat boat was taking on water and he needed help. The Coast Guard told the caller to make sure everyone put on life jackets, and to await a rescue. It then sent a 45-foot response boat to rescue them. All four people were rescued and taken to the…

Cruising Norway’s Fjords on Electric Jetboards: See Fantastic Video

By Peter Janssen on April 5, 2020 Cruising Life, Gear

Here’s something you probably haven’t seen before: A pair of adventurers cruising through the icy fjords of Norway on electric jetboards. Boards on the fjords. Take a look at the video below, it’s terrific. The electric-powered jetboards are made by Radinn, a Swedish company that was started in 2013. The name says it all: Radical Innovation. To promote its boards, the company has tested them on the canals in Amsterdam and off the beaches of the Dominican Republic. It went to Norway, in March, because that’s where they could find the highest-latitude body of water that wasn’t iced in. The…

New Wooden Boats 40: A Custom, 40-knot Day Cruiser

By Peter Janssen on April 5, 2020 Cruising Life

The new WB40’ is an example of what a world-class designer and builder can do for a client who knows just what he wants. The new lightweight day cruiser uses cutting-edge technology, with a combination of wood and advanced carbon composites, to deliver a fuel-efficient, 40-knot performance. The WB40’ was built by Wooden Boats, which was founded eight years ago in Viareggio, Italy, by Marco Arnaboldi. Earlier, he had founded AB Yachts with his father to build high-end, custom tenders for such builders at Benetti, Pershing and Baglietto, among others. Studio Arnaboldi is known for designing elegant, fast superyachts. The…

Garmin Launches New Smartwatch for Cruising, Fishing

By Peter Janssen on April 5, 2020 Cruising Life, Gear

Garmin just launched the newest model in its quatix marine smartwatch series, and it’s designed specifically for cruising, fishing and watersports activities. You can use it control your autopilot, and you can load it with coastal charts so it serves as a navigation tool on your wrist. The new Garmin quatix 6 represents the next generation of smartwatches, according to Garmin. It connects to Garmin chartplotters and other marine electronics to control the autopilot, as well as onboard Fusion-Link entertainment offerings. It also displays boat speed, depth, temperature and wind. And it has preloaded activity for other sports, including paddle…

Browsing: Cruising Life