Cruising Life

Lia Ditton: Rowing Alone 5,500 nm Across the Pacific

By Peter Janssen on August 5, 2019 Cruising Life

Lia Ditton, 38, wants to be the first woman to row alone and without support across the Pacific Ocean, some 5,500 nm from Choshi, Japan, to the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco. Don’t bet against her. An ocean racer, in sailboats and rowing boats, Ditton already has 150,000 nm under her belt, and she’s racked up a number of firsts. Last month she was in Anacortes, Washington, training on her new boat. Born in London, Ditton studied as an artist, and traveled to India and the Far East to learn how to carve in stone. In Thailand, she answered…

Party’s Over for Chicago’s Carver 570 Voyager “Playpen”

By Peter Janssen on August 5, 2019 Cruising Life

By JASON MEISNER CHICAGO TRIBUNE | A 2015 flyer advertises a party in Chicago’s “Playpen” aboard real estate agent David Izsak’s 58-foot yacht Flying Lady, seen in the image at upper right, which has been seized amid a federal fraud investigation. (Flying Lady Entertainment / HANDOUT) Even amid the wild summer boating scene known in Chicago as the “Playpen,” real estate agent David Izsak’s yacht stood out. Adorned with a pink stripper pole attached to the afterdeck, the 58-foot powerboat dubbed Flying Lady was a regular in the often raucous party spot just off the downtown shore, serving essentially as…

Iconic Antique Boat Show in Clayton, N.Y. Draws Enthusiasts

By Peter Janssen on August 5, 2019 Cruising Life

Gus Lombardi, 9, Syracuse, poses for a portrait in his 1976 Chris Craft ski boat named Gus’ Minion on Saturday during the 55th annual Antique Boat Show at the Antique Boat Museum in Clayton. Sydney Schaefer/Watertown Daily Times By MARCUS WOLF mwolf@wdt.net CLAYTON — Nine-year-old Gus Lombardi sat proud in his yellow 1976 Chris Craft Saturday, showcasing it alongside dozens of antique boats rocking in the slips at the Antique Boat Museum for its annual show. His 17.5-foot long ski boat named Gus’ Minion, derived from the cartoon creature from the movies “Despicable Me” and “Minions,” glowed in the sun that…

Visit Historic Montreal on the Favors’ Ranger Tugs 29 Kismet

By Peter Janssen on August 5, 2019 Cruising Life

You can’t say that Jim and Lisa Favors, from Traverse City, Michigan, don’t get around. In fact, they’re two of the most accomplished cruisers we know, having already completed the Great Loop. They’ve also cruised in many areas of the U.S. on various boats, including their Ranger Tugs 27 and for the past two years their Ranger Tugs 29, both named Kismet. That’s the new Kismet, with the red hull, in the picture above, in Montreal, which the Favors loved. Here’s Lisa’s account of that trip, along with a series of great photos: Montreal – The End of Our Trent Severn Waterway,…

Rockland, Maine: Iconic Laid-Back Boat Show, Museums and Lobsters

By Peter Janssen on July 31, 2019 Cruising Life

You really don’t need a special time to cruise to Rockland, Maine, because it’s one of the most interesting spots up there. But if you do need an extra reason to go to Rockland, the annual Maine Boats & Homes Show starts there on Friday, August 9, and runs through Sunday, Aug. 11, in Harbor Park right in town. With its offbeat mix of Down East boats, dogs, straw-hat musicians and totally laid-back vibes, the Rockland show is in a class by itself. For boats, it usually has most of the area’s favorites, including Hinckley and Hunt (its sister company),…

New Yamaha Seascooter: How To Have Fun Under the Water

By Peter Janssen on July 30, 2019 Cruising Life

There are still plenty of summer weekends left to enjoy your boat and all the toys you keep there. Here’s one that looks like a lot of fun, particularly if you have anybody who loves to dive or snorkel on your crew: The Yamaha RDS250 Seascooter, an electric-powered scooter that adds a new level of enjoyment to your time on – or under – the water. The RDS250 costs $545 and it can run at speeds up to 2.5 mph for about two hours. (It tops out at 2.8 mph.) It’s rated for 100 feet, so you can explore all…

Cruising Boat Hits Jetty. Coast Guard Rescues Three

By Peter Janssen on July 30, 2019 Cruising Life

VALLEJO, Calif. — The Coast Guard rescued three people near the Carquinez Bridge in Vallejo, Saturday evening. Coast Guard Sector San Francisco watchstanders were notified that three people aboard a 36-foot pleasure craft had sustained head injuries after their vessel collided with the eastern jetty near the entrance of the Napa River, at approximately 9:40 p.m. Watchstanders launched a 29-foot Response Boat-Small boatcrew from Coast Guard Station Vallejo and an MH-65 Dolphin helicopter crew from Coast Guard Air Station San Francisco. The boatcrew arrived on scene, administered first aid and transferred the three people to Cal Maritime where Vallejo Fire Department personnel…

Sargasso Weed Will Affect Atlantic Voyagers

By George Day on July 29, 2019 Cruising Life

Those of us who have sailed across the North Atlantic, particularly on the route from the Canary Islands to the Caribbean, and the route from Bermuda to the Azores, will have seen our share of Sargasso weed or Sagassum floating out there. In fact, we used to look for it because there was a fair chance that a Mahi Mahi or a Wahoo would be hanging out under the weed patch and might be ready to chase a trolled lure. But since 2011, the amount of Sagassum in the North Atlantic has expanded dramatically fed, largely, by nutrients flowing from…

Mystic Moon on the Inside Passage: “We Got Salmon!”

By Peter Janssen on July 29, 2019 Cruising Life

When we last checked in with John and Kathy Youngblood on Mystic Moon, their 2004 Selene 53, they were up in Glacier Bay, Alaska (after cruising more than 35,000 miles in the past few years in the Caribbean and the Pacific). They’re now coming down the Inside Passage, and just left Alaska and entered British Columbia. The cruising has been great, despite a fried alternator, and the fishing even better (see the picture of John’s 20-pound, 33-inch king salmon above). Here’s a recent log of their trip: We left Hydaburg on Thursday the 18th around 9am as we had to…

New Era for Safety at Sea as Iridium Unveils GMDSS Terminal

By Peter Janssen on July 29, 2019 Cruising Life

Written by Yachting Art Magazine The Lars Thrane LT-3100S will be the first terminal to offer Iridium service for the Global Maritime Distress and Safety System. Iridium Communications Inc. and partner Lars Thrane, today unveiled the Lars Thrane (LT) 3100S terminal designed to operate on the Iridium network for Global Maritime Distress and Safety System (GMDSS) vessel carriage requirements, with service targeted to launch in January 2020. This is the first terminal designed to provide truly global GMDSS services and is the first to be offered after the International Maritime Organization’s decision to recognize Iridium as just the second-ever…

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