Friday, March 29

Browsing: Cruising Life

In case you missed the very James-Bond-looking Foiler when it was launched in Dubai in March, you now can catch it this summer on the French Riviera, where it will be on display in Monaco and Saint Tropez until the fall boat shows. It’s hard to miss, since it rides 5 feet over the water on its carbon fiber hydrofoils, cruising at up to 40 knots. Made by Enata, based in the UAE, Foiler claims to be the first production boat hydrofoil. The boat starts to foil at 12 knots and is totally out of the water at 17 knots.…

The Whitsunday Islands, a collection of 74 largely uninhabited islands between the northeast coast of Queensland, Australia, and the Great Barrier Reef, are some of the most beautiful cruising grounds in the world. The water is filled with coral and marine life, while the islands are speckled with white sand beaches, rainforests and hiking trails. And that’s before you get to the Aboriginal caves, fjord-like inlets, or bays overflown by colonies of butterflies. Now MarineMax Vacations has teamed up with Cumberland Charter Yachts and Luxury Yachts Whitsundays to offer the popular Aquila 44 power cat for charter in the Whitsundays…

Cape Dory is making a comeback, which is good news for those of us who were fans of its Down East style of cruising powerboats as well as its Carl Alberg-designed sailboats. Madison Bay Holdings, LLC, a Seattle-based investment company, just announced it will launch a new series of Cape Dory powerboats from 22 to 36 feet. And the company says “you can expect to see the all new Cape Dory Sailboat series in the future, completing the heritage, pedigree and authenticity of the iconic Cape Dory brand.” The new Cape Dory line will be manufactured in Sarasota, Florida, and…

What is billed as the world’s first underwater villa will open at the Conrad Maldives Rangall Island Resort in November. If you’re tired of cruising on top of the water, you can book the villa, called The Muraka, and relax more than 16 feet under the water in your king-sized bedroom with a living room, bathroom and butler on call. Once there, you can enjoy the 180-degree view of marine life passing by your Japanese-designed, minimalist-inspired 193-square-foot suite. Above the surface, the villa has a much larger, 5,921-square-foot living area with another king-sized bedroom and bathroom (where the tub faces…

We don’t have many details yet, but the new Lexus yacht – the luxury car maker’s first foray into boating – will be a 65-foot “sport flybridge cruiser,” not the 42-foot sport boat it had announced last year. The company decided that the market was limited for the smaller boat, while the 65 “will definitely sell,” Shigeki Tomoyama, the head of Toyota Marine, said at a boat show in Yokohama. The new luxurious 65 will be built by the Marquis-Larson Boat Group in Wisconsin. The rendering above is a possible prototype. The first boat will be launched in the second…

Ice is melting faster in the Antarctic than scientists had predicted. Indeed, the ice sheet is melting an a rapidly increasing rate, and has tripled in just the past ten years. This ice melt has poured more than 200 billion tons of ice into the ocean each year. It also has raised sea levels half a millimeter each year. These are the basic findings of a new study by a team of 80 Antarctic experts from 14 countries, as reported in The Washington Post. The scientists are worried about rising sea levels in low-lying cities and communities if the rate…

Kevin Harrell, 51, from Wilmington, North Carolina, was heading south on the Cape Fear River in Southport about 6:30 on a June evening when his boat was hit by the wake of a larger northbound boat. Officials said Harrell’s boat went up and then the bow submerged, throwing Harrell and his three passengers into the water. Apparently Harrell hit the throttle as he was ejected from his boat, because it drove at full speed into three docks along the Southport waterfront before coming to rest on a beach. Boaters in the area who witnessed the accident pulled Harrell and his…

Located along the east shore of the Adriatic in some of the world’s most spectacular cruising grounds, Montenegro is rapidly becoming a favorite summer yachting and charter destination. And Porto Montenegro, with its 450 slips, upscale marina village and five-star hotel, is emerging as the host of a series of events this summer, including regattas, a fashion show, concerts, and art exhibitions. Montenegro has a long and rich history, dating to the Roman Empire, Byzantine rulers, Ottoman invaders and more recently the Kingdom of Yugoslavia and its subsequent breakup. Montenegro declared its independence in 2006, and the new government decided…

Volvo Penta is making a major investment in developing electric power for marine uses and has set 2021 as the deadline for creating hybrid and all-electric drivelines. The company just issued a clear statement of its intent to provide electrified power solutions for its marine business. “Volvo Penta is embracing the electric transformation and will be at the forefront in delivering compelling business cases to customers using this new technology,” said Björn Ingemanson, president of Volvo Penta. At the same time, he said, “This is the start of a long-term transition. Diesel- and gasoline-powered primary drive systems will remain the…

Chance are, you don’t have one of these yet. But what better way to keep your dog happy and make him or her feel like one of the crew this summer? Now your best friend can have a float of its own, just like the one you have for yourself. And, as the company says, this new toy “is taking the dog days of summer to a whole new level.” The new Funboy x Yacht Dog Float is made of a thick, puncture-resistant plastic, and has a lined “treat bin” in the bow. It measures 58 inches long and 31…

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