Cruising Life

MJM 53z and Solace 345 Big Winners at Newport Show

By Peter Janssen on September 13, 2019 Cruising Life

The MJM 53z, the largest outboard-powered production cruising boat, and the innovative Solace Boats 345 both just won prestigious best new boat awards at the Newport International Boat Show. At an awards breakfast at the second day of the show, the MJM 53z won the award for Best New Powerboat Over 35 feet, while the Solace 345 won the award as Best New Powerboat Under 35 Feet, as well as the award for Best New Powerboat. Five judges selected the winners among all the boats making their U.S. debut at the Newport show, the opening of the fall boat season…

Possible Criminal Charges in Tragic Sinking of California Dive Boat

By Peter Janssen on September 11, 2019 Cruising Life

Various federal agencies are considering criminal charges in the tragic fire on board the 75-foot dive boat that burned on Labor Day, killing 34 people who were sleeping on a lower deck. The boat, Conception, was anchored off Santa Cruz Island, one of the Channel Islands about 20 miles off the coast of Southern California. Five people, the captain and four crew members, were able to escape off the boat. They had been sleeping on an upper deck. They told investigators that flames kept them from helping the 34 people (33 passengers and one crew member) who were sleeping below.…

Red Jeep Stuck in Water Becomes Social Media Star

By Peter Janssen on September 10, 2019 Cruising Life

A red 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee became a brief social media star when it got stuck in the water in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, during Hurricane Dorian. At first, its owner didn’t even know his car was there – until he saw it, with waves crashing into it – on TV. The problems started with Joe Farrar drove the Jeep to the beach at 6:30 in the morning to take a picture of sunrise just before Dorian hit the Low Country. He got stuck in the sand, and couldn’t get out. Farrar had borrowed the car two weeks before from…

Last Four Crew Rescued from Capsized Ship off Georgia

By Peter Janssen on September 10, 2019 Cruising Life

All four crew members trapped inside a capsized South Korean cargo ship in St. Simons Sound, Georgia, have now been rescued. The last man, who had been trapped behind a glass panel in the engineering control room, was rescued 40 hours after the ship turned over. The ship, the 656-feet-long Golden Ray, became disabled, listed and eventually fell on its side near Brunswick, Georgia, early Sunday morning, with 23 crewmen and a pilot on board. Helicopters were able to rescue 20 people on Sunday, but four more were missing. Rescuers started tapping on the hull, to see if they could…

Some Questions To Ask Before You Climb on That Boat

By Peter Janssen on September 9, 2019 Cruising Life

After the tragic fire on the dive boat Conception off Southern California that killed 34 people, here are some questions you might want to ask before you get on a new boat yourself, from The Los Angeles Times: By CHRISTOPHER REYNOLDS STAFF WRITER The thing to remember is that when you step aboard a vessel, “you are leaving the safety of land,” said John Higgins, harbor master for the Ventura Port District and a 23-year Harbor Patrol veteran. “You are putting yourself in a vulnerable position. “You can’t dial 911 and somebody gets there in three to five minutes the way they do…

Now You Can Buy Paul Allen’s Octopus: Only $325 million

By Peter Janssen on September 9, 2019 Cruising Life

If you’re thinking about moving up to a new boat (and who isn’t?), take a look at Paul Allen’s Octopus. It’s 414-feet long, so it might not work for the Great Loop, and it probably won’t fit on the dock behind your house. If you’re worried about the price, it’s roughly $325 million (that’s the same as five G650 Gulfstream jets, for point of reference), and it costs about $17 million a year to run. But it arguably is one of the most innovative – and interesting – yachts in the world. Octopus was built by Lurssen in 2003, and…

Still Time To Sign Up for CUBAR Baja California Cruise

By Peter Janssen on September 9, 2019 Cruising Life

You need to act soon, but there’s still time to sign up for CUBAR, the legendary powerboat rally every two years from San Diego to La Paz, Baja California. One of the premiere cruising events on the West Coast, the rally will leave the San Diego Yacht Club on Oct. 30, and it’s scheduled to arrive, after several stops, in La Paz on Nov. 17. You can’t wait until the last minute because the highly regulated rally, which will have about 40 boats, has mandatory checklists and even a pre-cruise inspection. The organizers strongly urge captains and at least one…

7 Great New Power Cruising Boats at the Newport Show

By Peter Janssen on September 4, 2019 Cruising Life

About 340 boats will be on display at the Newport International Boat Show, which runs from Thursday, Sept. 12, through Sunday, Sept. 15. But only a handful will be new cruising powerboats that are being shown in the U.S. for the first time. Here’s a look at some of them: Bruckmann Abaco 47 (pictured above): Built on the success of the popular Bruckmann Abaco 40, the new 47, designed by Mark Ellis, is a classic Down East cruiser with a long sheer, low profile, sharp entry and raked windshield. Built for extended cruising, the innovative hull is designed to plane…

Dorian Causes “Pure Hell” in Bahamas. See Aerial Video

By Peter Janssen on September 2, 2019 Cruising Life

When Hurricane Dorian hit the Abaco Islands in the Bahamas as a Category 5 hurricane with 185 mph winds and then moved a bit west to pummel Grand Bahama Island for more than a day, Hubert Minnis, the Prime Minister of the Bahamas, called it “a historic tragedy.” An ABC correspondent on the ground in Marsh Harbour was more blunt. He said it was “pure hell.” So far, Dorian has killed 20 people in the Bahamas, although officials there said the toll probably would rise. It has also caused a major humanitarian crisis, leaving as many as 70,000 people without water,…

34 Killed in Tragic Fire on Southern California Dive Boat

By Peter Janssen on September 2, 2019 Cruising Life

Some 34 people were killed after a 75-foot dive boat caught fire and sank off Santa Cruz Island, part of the Channel Islands 20 miles off Southern California, early Labor Day morning. Only five people survived – four crew members and the captain. They had been on the upper deck and managed to jump into a dinghy and reach a nearby boat as the dive boat was engulfed in flames. The other 34 people (including one crew member) were all sleeping in bunk beds on a lower deck. Capt. Monica Rochester of the Coast Guard said the Coast Guard heard…

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