Cruising Life

Zeelander Building New Z72, a 40-knot Dutch Cruiser with a Down-East Touch

By Peter Janssen on November 6, 2018 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

Zeelander, the Dutch company that builds boats reminiscent of the classic 1930’s commuter yachts on Long Island Sound, is working on a new 72 flagship that will be launched early next year. Leonardo van den Berg, Zeelander’s commercial director, says the new 72 carries “a sportier look” than the company’s existing 55- and 44-foot models. The bow is a bit more prominent than in previous boats, but the new 72 carries the company’s signature low profile, long sheerline, reverse transom and suggestive tumblehome that have marked the earlier models. Zeelanders have always looked a bit more Down East than Dutch.…

Nordhavn Joins Forces with Vripack, Uses New 3-D Goggles for Super-Realistic Yacht Design

By Peter Janssen on November 6, 2018 Cruising Life

I slipped on the goggles and all of a sudden, even though I was sitting down, I was so much a part of the scene before my eyes that I wanted to reach out and touch the yacht table in front of me. Then I wanted to walk up one step to cross the salon. But there was no table; there was no salon. In reality I was sitting on a second-floor room at the Bahia Mar Hotel during the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show, testing a new pair of 3-D goggles that Vripack developed with Nordhavn to offer virtual…

Coast Guard Investigates Why No Warning Before 332-Foot Megayacht Hit 65-foot Charter Fishing Boat, Killing One Man

By Peter Janssen on November 5, 2018 Cruising Life

The Coast Guard is investigating why there seemed to be no warning before the 332-foot megayacht Attessa IV, one of the largest private yachts in the world, hit the 65-foot charter fishing boat Prowler at night in the Pacific south of San Diego, killing one man on the fishing boat. The Coast Guard said the accident occurred about 7 p.m. nine miles off Imperial Beach near the U.S.-Mexico border. Prowler was on its way back to its home base in San Diego after a fishing trip in Mexican waters. Attessa hit the starboard quarter of Prowler, causing extensive damage, and critically injuring Richard…

New Grand Banks 52: A Long-Range, Smooth-Running, High-Tech Cruiser

By Peter Janssen on November 5, 2018 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

Grand Banks just announced that they are building a new 52, a long-range cruiser with a high-tech, slippery, 30-knot hull that will be launched at the Newport, Rhode Island, boat show next September. The GB 52 will be the latest in the newly reinvigorated Grand Banks lineup, coming after the Grand Banks 60 and Grand Banks 60 Skylounge. Mark Richards, the company’s president and CEO, made the announcement at the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show. “The 52 will combine weight reduction, strength and a low vertical center of gravity,” he said. “Of course, efficiency doesn’t matter without comfort, so we…

Captain of Princess 60 Pleads Guilty for Killing Fisherman on 23-Foot Center Console off Westerly, Rhode Island

By Peter Janssen on November 5, 2018 Cruising Life

The captain of a Princess 60 that ran into a 23-foot Steiger Craft center console off Westerly, Rhode Island, two years ago, killing its owner, has pleaded guilty in a federal court in Providence to a charge of seaman’s manslaughter. About 10:30 a.m. on Sept. 22, 2015, a clear, sunny day, Cooper “Chick” Bacon, of Cape May, New Jersey, a Coast-Guard licensed captain, was driving the Princess from Newport to Stamford, Connecticut. The Princess ran into the Steiger Craft, the Peggy K, killing Walter S. Krupinski, 81, the only person on board, who was returning home to Stonington, Connecticut, after…

Six Reasons To Take a Crewed Charter Vacation. Reason One: Leave Your Worries Behind

By Peter Janssen on October 29, 2018 Charter, Cruising Life

Every once in a while, we all should have a chance to treat ourselves, to do something simply because it’s fun, or adventuresome or memorable. That’s the way I think about taking a crewed charter vacation. Over the years, I’ve done this both ways – chartered bareboat, and chartered crewed. Bareboat, of course, is where the charter company gives you the boat and you do everything yourself. That’s all great; you get to play captain again but in a new setting in a new boat. A crewed charter, however, is where you just show up, and the charter company does…

Six of the Best Personal Survival Devices for Your Boat. Make Sure You Have One

By Peter Janssen on October 29, 2018 Cruising Life, Electronics

There are few choices you make about your boat that are potentially more important than finding the right survival device, the personal locator beacon or MOB equipment that could save your life, or the life of anyone else on board. And there’s no reason to postpone getting one or more of these; they generally are the least costly piece of electronics on board, by a long shot. But what to buy? Here’s some advice from Marine Electronics Journal, which asked manufacturers to submit what they consider the best and brightest in their product line. The Journal published a review of…

Manatees, Like Snowbirds, Return to South Florida. Slow Down

By Peter Janssen on October 28, 2018 Cruising Life

Along with the snowbirds, manatees have returned to Florida. Manatee season just started, meaning the manatee slow-speed zones are now in effect throughout the state. Here’s a great story from Southern Boating about the return of these gentle, slow-moving mammals, and what cruisers can do to protect them: They’re baaaaak! Sunday is the official start of the manatee season. That means that slow-speed regulations in South Florida’s network of waterways take effect. Manatees can’t tolerate water temperatures below 68 degrees (much like the other snowbirds that join us around this time of year), which is why the gentle giants swim south…

Huckins Starts New 38 Sportsman with Either Outboard or Hybrid Diesel-Electric Power

By Peter Janssen on October 27, 2018 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

Huckins is starting work on its 38 Sportsman, and the 90-year-old company is offering its retro-styled cruiser with either outboard power or hybrid diesel-electric power, showing that it can still blend traditional styling with the most modern engines and technology. Whatever the power, the new 38 will have Huckins’ iconic Quadraconic hull that founder Frank Pembroke Huckins introduced generations ago. Huckins Yacht in Jacksonville, Florida, is now run by Huckins’ granddaughter, Cindy Purcell, and she is staying true to the company’s heritage. The 38 has Huckins’ traditional art deco styling, but the company wants to offer buyers either the increasingly…

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