Cruising Life

New Block Island Quarantine for Boaters: COVID-19

By Peter Janssen on April 15, 2020 Cruising Life

The coronavirus pandemic is taking a toll on cruising plans for spring, and perhaps for the summer as well. Here’s some bad news from Block Island, one of the most popular cruising destinations on the east coast: All boaters must quarantine on the water Lars Trodson Tue, 04/14/2020 – 3:45pm Category: News A sign at Coast Guard Beach informing all boaters they must quarantine on the water for 14 days after arriving at the island. Photo by Capt. Kate McConville Tuesday, April 14 — Block Island Harbormaster Kate McConville has told The Block Island Times that she is informing all…

Katharine, a Popular but Missing Great White, Found Again

By Peter Janssen on April 15, 2020 Cruising Life

Here’s some good news on the great white shark front. Katharine, a 14’ 2”, 2,300-pound great white who once had a Twitter account with 61,000 followers and had not been heard from in about a year, just resurfaced about 200 miles of the coast of Virginia. Researchers from Ocearch, the ocean and fish research organization, say that their satellite heard three pings a week ago from Katharine’s tracking device, which enabled them to establish her location. Katharine’s previous ping was on May 12, 2019. Ocearch originally tagged Katharine in 2013 off Cape Cod. That’s when they measured her length and…

Passing Vessel Causes $1 Million Damage to Washington Marina

By Peter Janssen on April 14, 2020 Cruising Life

A large vessel passing the Port of Kalama, Washington, marina on the Columbia River early Monday morning caused more than $1 million damage to boats and docks there, Port officials said. Liz Newman, marketing manager for the Port, said the vessel passed the marina at “excessive speed” between 4 and 5 a.m. Some boats were tossed up on top of the docks, others were damaged, lines snapped and boats ran into other boats. The marina was filled with debris. The marina, with 222 slips, is sheltered behind a breakwater. Officials think a passing ship caused a swell and a suction…

New: Lambo-Inspired, A88 Gransport Fast Cruiser

By Peter Janssen on April 13, 2020 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

If you like fast cars and fast boats, take a look at the latest design from Milan’s Officina Armare Studio – the sleek, head-turning A88 Gransport cruiser that brings to mind many of the design elements in today’s cutting-edge hyper-cars, such as the Lamborghini Huracán EVO Spyder, pictured above. Powered by twin 2,600-hp MTU diesels, the four-stateroom, 88-foot A88 tops out at 46 mph. The two-seat Lambo, with a 640-hp engine, tops out at 202 mph. But then its base price is just $287,400, which is probably less than the A88’s fuel bill for a season. But there’s no question…

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.”…

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