Cruising Life

New All-Electric, Swedish-Built, Eelex 8000 Hits 40 Knots, Can Go 100 nm

By Peter Janssen on June 4, 2019 Cruising Life

One of the newest all-electric boats, the 26′ 2″ Eelex 8000 comes from X Shore a groundbreaking company in Stockholm, Sweden. The company says the Scandinavian-designed boat, with a flat bow and an open transom, has a top speed of 40 knots. At 25 knots, it has a range of 50 nm, and in the 8-knot area it has a range of 100 nm. X Shore was founded by Konrad Bergström, an entrepreneur from a boating family who was worried about increasing plastic and pollution in the water. He wanted to make a green boat that left no carbon footprint,…

New Argos Nautic RIBs: High-End, High-Performance Tenders for Cruising Boats

By Peter Janssen on June 4, 2019 Cruising Life

The new Argos Nautic Yachting series, with a 10-foot RIB and a larger 13’ 6” RIB, offers a combination of style, comfort and performance in a tender designed for cruising boats. The new RIBs are highly customizable; you even can have them painted to match your larger boat. The smaller Argos Nautic 305 model (in picture above) can hold four adult passengers, while the larger 396 mode (in top picture)l can hold five. In either one, you’ll feel like you’re getting behind the wheel of an Alfa or a Ferrari on the water. (The steering wheel itself comes from Isotta.)…

Jacob Adoram, Former Air Force Fighter Pilot, Sets Record Rowing Non-Stop Solo from Washington State to Australia

By Peter Janssen on June 3, 2019 Cruising Life

Jacob Adoram, a former Air Force fighter pilot and lifelong adventurer, left Neah Bay in Washington State last July 7, starting an epic 7,145 solo, nonstop row across the Pacific to Cairns, Australia, without any support at all. He’s already set the world’s record for the longest time at sea on a solo rowboat (313 days) and that was last month. He’s almost within sight of Cairns now, making 1.3 knots, and he should land any day now. In the selfie picture at the top, Adoram has just cut his beard. It was getting in his way. That was day…

Cruise Liner Hits Dock and a Tourist Boat in Venice. See Video

By Peter Janssen on June 2, 2019 Cruising Life

Rome, Italy (CNN) A cruise ship crashed into a Venice dock on Sunday, hitting a moored tourist boat and sending onlookers running for safety in what one witness said resembled a “scene from a disaster movie.” The cruise ship, MSC Opera, rammed into the San Basilio terminal, and hit a smaller tourist boat — the River Countess — that was docked there, the local port authority told CNN. Four people suffered “light injuries” in the accident, it said. The incident happened at around 8.30am local time on the Giudecca canal, one of the busiest in the Italian city which is hugely…

How To Tell If a Shark’s In the Water. First, Take a Spoon…

By Peter Janssen on June 1, 2019 Cruising Life

Here’s some advice – with a grain of salt – from Country Living: During a family vacation to Edisto Beach, Josh Rinder of Aiken shared a one-minute instructional video on Facebook for his foolproof shark detection method. Even the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy has put its weight behind the hack, calling it a “great trick to detect nearby sharks.” In the video (below), Rinder, 33, stands at the ocean with a big spoon. It’s the flavor of the water that’s the key, he explains. First, he says, you scoop up some of the water from the ocean. Then put it…

Viking River Cruiser Runs Into Smaller Tourist Boat on Danube. 7 Dead, 21 Missing. See Video

By Peter Janssen on May 30, 2019 Cruising Life

Here’s the story and video from NPR: Divers and rescue workers are trying to find 21 people in the Danube River in Budapest, after their sightseeing boat collided with a river cruise ship Wednesday night, capsized and sank. At least seven people are dead, and seven were rescued. The craft had been carrying a South Korean tour group. The smaller boat had 35 people aboard — 33 tourists and a Hungarian crew of two. All seven of the dead are South Korean, Budapest police say. The tourists’ boat, called the Mermaid, capsized within seconds of colliding with the long and…

Boca Grande Owner Repowers Iconic 1970 Bertram Moppie with New Volvo IPS; Ready To Do More Cruising

By Peter Janssen on May 29, 2019 Cruising Life

Some boating nostalgia: In 1960, a 30-foot wooden prototype Bertram with a revolutionary deep-V hull, won the Miami-Nassau race in record time. Indeed, it beat the second place boat by about two hours, and the second-place boat was the only other boat to finish that day. In the face of eight-to-12-foot seas, the other boats in the race returned to port or finished the next day. That winning boat was designed by C. Raymond Hunt for Miami yacht broker Richard Bertram, and it was named Moppie, after Bertram’s wife. After the race, Bertram rented a warehouse in Hialeah, turned the…

How To Choose the Best New RIB or Tender for Your Cruising Boat

By Peter Janssen on May 29, 2019 Cruising Life

Here’s a basic primer with solid information about how to choose the best RIB or tender for your cruising boat. It was written by Keith McVeigh for Leopard Catamarans, but the information applies to all cruising boats, and it might help you make an informed decision. By Keith McVeigh You’ve bought your boat. But now you need a boat for your boat. A yacht tender is a vital part of any yacht– it is your ticket to freedom. Instead of being confined to marinas, a tender provides you the luxury to drop anchor, and still have access to all of…

New Amasea 84 Aluminum Expedition Cat with Three Decks and 2,000 nm Range

By Peter Janssen on May 29, 2019 Cruising Life

Amasea Yachts is now building its new 84, an all-aluminum power catamaran designed for long-range cruising and exploration in the high latitudes, in its yard in Turkey. The Amasea 84 will have three decks, instead of the usual two, and will have a range of 2,000 nm. Jack Wijnants, a Belgian-born yachtsman and builder (he started another company in Malta ten years ago to build patrol and rescue boats), founded Amasea Yachts last year in Monaco because he said he couldn’t find another production catamaran to suit his needs. He wanted to cruise around the world with his wife, he…

Five Best Islands in Maine To Visit This Summer

By Peter Janssen on May 28, 2019 Cruising Life

If you’re heading Down East this summer, or even if you’re already there, here’s a list of five not-to-be-missed islands in Maine from New England Today. Chances are, you may already have been to some of them, in which case these pictures may touch some favorite memories. But the chances are better that you haven’t been to all five, so here are some fresh ideas for your destinations file. Chebeague Island in Casco Bay, the largest island in Casco Bay, is just ten miles from Portland, and it has the flavor and feel of an elegant summer resort town. It’s…

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