Cruising Life

Prestige Launches Luxurious 590, the Flagship of its Flybridge Fleet

By Peter Janssen on July 9, 2018 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

Prestige, the high-end French builder, will launch its new 590, the flagship of its Flybridge line, at the Cannes Yachting Festival, starting Sept. 11, and then in the United States at the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show, starting Oct. 31. The low-profile Prestige 590 has fluid lines, a thoroughly modern, light-filled European interior, and a top speed of 29 knots. Started in 1989 as part of the powerhouse Beneteau Group, Prestige has been a worldwide success story. It has produced more than 4,000 boats, and says it is number two in registered powerboats from 50 to 60 feet in the…

Chicago Marinas: Where Have the Boats Gone?

By Peter Janssen on July 7, 2018 Cruising Life

In 2007, there were 980 moorings in Monroe Harbor on Chicago’s south side, and they were all occupied. But then, after the recession the next year, people started staying away. The city eliminated more than half the moorings, to 390, and now only 368 of them are occupied. It’s running a youth sailing program on an empty end where boats used to be moored. As the Chicago Tribune asks in this detailed story, where have the boats gone? The real story is more nuanced than what the numbers suggest at Monroe Harbor, which is owned by the city but operated by…

Great White Sharks Return to Cape Cod: Say Hello to Turbo, James and Jack

By Peter Janssen on July 7, 2018 Cruising Life

James is back; so is Jack. And so are a lot of their relatives and friends. So many great white sharks are swimming around Cape Cod that researchers have given them names. Turbo, pictured above, was spotted off Wellfleet. Sandy and Omar were both seen off Chatham. James and Jack were first seen off the Cape a year ago and are making a return visit this summer. All told, the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy reports sightings of more than a dozen great whites at the start of the summer around Cape Cod. Five were reported on the first Monday of…

New Beneteau Swift Trawler 47: The Fifth Model in its Popular Cruising Lineup

By Peter Janssen on July 2, 2018 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

Beneteau will introduce its new Swift Trawler 47 at the Cannes Yachting Festival on Sept. 11, the fifth model in its popular Swift Trawler line. It has three staterooms, two heads, a light-filled salon and galley, a low profile even with its flybridge, and a contemporary French look that will appeal to cruisers around the world. Full disclosure: I have a soft spot for Beneteau’s Swift Trawlers. A few years ago, George Sass, Sr., the photojournalist, and I spent a week on a new Beneteau Swift Trawler 34, The Greatest Loop, cruising from the top of Lake Michigan down to St.…

Ben Lecomte Already Swam Across the Atlantic. Now’s He’s Swimming Across the Pacific. Only 4,795 Miles To Go

By Peter Janssen on July 2, 2018 Cruising Life

When Ben Lecomte, a French-born long-distance swimmer who now lives in Texas, swam across the Atlantic in 1998, he said, “never again.” But that was then. Now Lecomte, 51, is trying to swim across a much larger ocean, the Pacific, and he’s off to a good start. Lecomte started in Tokyo on June 5, aiming for San Francisco, some 5,000 miles away. His swim across the Atlantic took 73 days. The Pacific will take six months. So far, he’s come 205 miles. If he makes it, he will be the first person to swim across the Pacific Ocean. Lecomte says…

69 Boats Compete in Bass Harbor Lobster Boat Races in Maine; Winner Clocks 57 mph

By Peter Janssen on July 2, 2018 Cruising Life

The lobster boat racing season is off to a good start, with 69 boats competing in the eighth annual races all the way up in Bass Harbor, Maine. Wild, Wild West, a 28-foot West with a single 1,050-hp Isotta diesel, won the prize for the Fastest Lobster Boat (it’s a regular winner, usually clocking about 57 mph), while in the more specific geographic category, Rachel Irene, a Mitchell Cove 35 with a single 500-hp Cummins, won the Bass Harbor’s Fastest Lobster Boat race. In the picture above, Band-it, right, nosed out Just Colby 11 in its class (for boats 34 feet or…

Hinckley Launches New Picnic Boat 40, the Largest Yet, but with Same Iconic Lines and Appeal

By Peter Janssen on July 2, 2018 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

Hinckley just launched its all-new Picnic Boat 40, the largest Picnic Boat yet, with sea trials off Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard on the weekend before the Fourth of July. With a hull designed by the highly acclaimed Michael Peters, the new Picnic Boat retains all the drop-dead iconic Down East looks and waterjet performance that have made the brand famous around the world. The new layout in the 40 offers a seamless flow from the transom to the helm, with large social areas, a wet bar, overhead protection from Sureshade and great visibility, whether you’re sitting at the helm or…

How To Enter a New Harbor Safely Using Large-Scale Chart Insets

By Peter Janssen on July 2, 2018 Cruising Life

How many times on a cruise do you end up coming into a harbor or a cove or an anchorage where you’ve never been before? Probably a lot; discovering new places, embracing new adventures, is pretty much what cruising is all about. But you need to prepare. You need to know where you’re going, particularly if you’re entering a new harbor at night, in reduced visibility, or even at the end of a day when you’re tired and not at your best. Sure, you can peer at your chartplotter and zoom in and hope for the best. That’s fine, when…

Looking for a New Spot in the Bahamas? Try the Beautiful Beaches of Rose Island, Four Miles from Nassau

By Peter Janssen on July 2, 2018 Cruising Life, Destinations

If you’re cruising near Nassau in the Bahamas, you may want to head about four miles east to Rose Island, an 11-mile-long thin strip of land with some of the best beaches in the islands. Rose Island once was a pineapple plantation, but that was hundreds of years ago. Now it has no infrastructure or roads, and a shallow lagoon lies in the middle. The highest point of land is just 52 feet above sea level. Rose Island doesn’t have much in the way of civilization. What it does have, in spades, is terrific beaches. Before you get to the…

One American Killed, Several Others Seriously Injured, in Boat Explosion in the Bahamas

By Peter Janssen on July 1, 2018 Cruising Life

A tragic explosion and boat fire about 130 miles south of Nassau in the Bahamas left one American woman dead and nine others injured. The Royal Bahamas Police Force said one of the two outboard engines on the 40-foot tourist boat exploded, engulfing the boat in flames. The boat was carrying ten Americans and two Bahamians. The boat was off Barraterre Island in the Exuma Cays at the time. At least three people from a nearby boat jumped into the water to help; they were able to pull one person to safety. The explosion occurred after 9 in the morning.…

Browsing: Cruising Life