Cruising Life

The Best-Laid Plans: Dirona Changes Course

By Peter Janssen on March 25, 2020 Cruising Life

Ever since they bought Dirona, their Nordhavn 52 in 2009, James and Jennifer Hamilton, a high-tech couple from Seattle, have been cruising. At first they concentrated on the Pacific Northwest while still working in shore, but in 2012 they started cruising full time. Since then they’ve completed a circumnavigation and much more. Indeed, they’ve put more than 74,000 miles under their hull. The Hamiltons know how to plan, and to plan well. But now, in a time of the coronavirus, even the best-laid plans go by the wayside. Last summer and fall the Hamiltons cruised through Scandinavia, and ended up…

Boat Hits Charleston Jetty at Night: All Rescued

By Peter Janssen on March 25, 2020 Cruising Life

A 52-foot sportfishing boat hit the Charleston, South Carolina, jetty early Sunday morning, but a fast response by the Coast Guard and other organizations saved all five people on board. No one was injured in the accident. The Charleston Coast Guard station received a call from Sea Tow at 2:10 a.m. on Sunday, saying that the boat, Strike Finder, had hit the southern jetty leading into the harbor with five people on board. The Coast Guard sent a 45-foot response boat and a Dolphin helicopter out to help. It also contacted the MSC Antonia, which was heading into the harbor…

Captive Whales Get New Retirement Home in Canada

By Peter Janssen on March 23, 2020 Cruising Life

There are now more than 300 captive beluga whales and 60 orcas living out their days in aquariums and entertainment parks around the world. Now they have a place to go for their golden years. The Whale Sanctuary Project, based in Utah, just announced it is creating a virtual whale retirement home in 100 acres of a sheltered bay in Port Hilford, about 125 miles north of Halifax in Nova Scotia. It says it should be ready for the first whales by the end of 2021, and the whale retirement community will be safe with a meal plan that’s heavy…

With No Traffic, Clear Water Returns to Venice

By Peter Janssen on March 23, 2020 Cruising Life

Swans, in Venice? Well, anything is possible. Right now the water in Venice is clearer than it’s been in more than half a century. There’s no way to minimize the tragic toll that the coronavirus has exacted in Italy, where more than 5,500 people have died so far. But the story of clean water in Venice falls under the heading of the laws of unintended consequences. The first time I was in Venice I was 21 years old, and that was a very long time ago. The water in the canals was less-than-clear even then. The last time I was…

Miami Liveaboards Get Reprieve from Marina Closings There

By Peter Janssen on March 23, 2020 Cruising Life

The Miami-Dade mayor has some good news for liveaboards and some cruisers, in the midst of the coronavirus threat. The Mayor, Carlos Gimenez, just announced that marinas, fuel docks and boat ramps can remain open for people who live on their boats, who are removing their boats from the water or performing “emergency maintenance,” and who are returning from international cruises. He previously announced that all boat ramps and marinas would be closed. See the Miami Herald story below: Party’s over: Miami-Dade mayor orders boat ramps and marinas closed amid coronavirus BY SAMANTHA J. GROSS, AARON LEIBOWITZ, AND ALEX HARRIS…

France Bans All Boating; Lots of Changes in the U.S.

By Peter Janssen on March 19, 2020 Cruising Life

Things aren’t quite that bad in the United State, but French authorities just prohibited all boating activities, at least until March 31. The ban was designed to contain the spread of the coronavirus. In the U.S., many boating events – boat shows, fishing tournaments, owners’ rendezvous – have been cancelled or postponed. Some yacht clubs have closed, marinas have adopted restrictions, both Sabre and Back Cove had to postpone their big 50th anniversary celebration from this June to next year. The Palm Beach boat show, which was to have started on March 26, was postponed, as we reported last week.…

To Relax in Turbulent Times, Try an All-Electric Duffy

By Peter Janssen on March 16, 2020 Cruising Life

If you want to put a smile on your face in these less-than-stellar times, take a look at a Duffy, the all-electric boats that have been giving a lot of owners some very good times since 1970. One way to relax is to take a short cruise with your family or friends on a Duffy at a flat-out 5 mph and watch your blood pressure drop and your cares fade away. With a Duffy, there are no boat issues to distract you – no noise, no fumes, no vibrations. And certainly no fuel costs. Their electric motor has exactly one…

Ice Melting in Antarctica and Greenland Faster than Expected

By Peter Janssen on March 15, 2020 Cruising Life

The ice is melting even faster than scientists had thought in Greenland and Antarctica. Indeed, a new study found that the ice sheets there are melting six times faster now than they were in the 1990s, contributing to about a third of the rise in sea levels, with implications for coastal flooding and erosion. Here’s a report from the BBC: Earth’s great ice sheets, Greenland and Antarctica, are now losing mass six times faster than they were in the 1990s thanks to warming conditions. A comprehensive review of satellite data acquired at both poles is unequivocal in its assessment of…

Sound Signals: A Primer at the Start of the Season

By Peter Janssen on March 12, 2020 Cruising Life

Now that boating season is (almost) here, at least for those of us in the north, it’s a good time for a quick review of sound signals – the signals that will help you keep safe on your cruises this summer. We all need a refresher course now and then. The basic sound signals for powerboats are easy to remember. They will help you stay out of trouble in passing situations on the open water and particularly on the narrow waterways that you’ll find on many stretches of the ICW and the Great Loop, among other places. They are particularly…

Seven Best Beach Bars in Antigua, from The Moorings

By Peter Janssen on March 11, 2020 Cruising Life, Destinations

Antigua is one of my favorite destinations in the world. Great beaches, warm breezes, friendly people, and lots to do, on land and on the water. One of the best things to do on land is to head for the nearest beach bar. Here, from the people at The Moorings, is a list of their top seven beach bars there. You and I may have others, but at least this is a start. Take a look: Situated in the heart of the Caribbean’s Leeward Islands, opportunities for exhilarating blue water sailing in steady trade winds have attracted sailors to Nelson’s…

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