Cruising Life

Man-Made Harbor in Oceanside, California, Filling in, Hurting Local Boaters

By Peter Janssen on June 25, 2018 Cruising Life

The entrance to the harbor at Oceanside, California, just north of San Diego, is starting to fill in and local boating businesses are worried. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which usually dredges the channel every spring, missed this year and now won’t be able to dredge until the fall or early next year. Meanwhile, navigating the entrance is more difficult, particularly at low tides. Donna Kalez, the owner of Oceanside Adventures, runs whale-watching cruises on a 50-foot cat, and she worries about sand filling in the harbor entrance. “The harbor mouth is supposed to have a clearance of 26…

What You Need to Take on Your Next Charter Vacation. Tips from The Moorings

By Peter Janssen on June 25, 2018 Charter, Cruising Life

Here’s some great advice from The Moorings, the worldwide charter powerhouse, about what to take on your next charter vacation. If you’ve never gone on a charter before, read this and take heed; if you’re a veteran of many charters before (lucky you) then this could serve as an easy reminder of what to take (or leave home) next time. The basic rule of thumb for a successful charter is that less is more. You really don’t need to take a lot of stuff. After all, charter boats are pretty much their own self-contained universe. But you’ll still need some…

Burger Launches New Aluminum 48 Cruiser with Vripack Hull and Volvo IPS Performance

By Peter Janssen on June 25, 2018 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

The Burger Boat Company, one of the most historic names in American boating, just launched hull number one of its new aluminum Burger 48 Cruiser line with a christening ceremony that included the Mayor of Manitowoc, Wisconsin, where Burgers are built. The Mayor gave a key to the city to Cyndy Stiehl, the boat’s owner, and said the project provided work for Burger’s 85 employees. For her part, Stiehl christened the boat Blue Boat Home (the hull is a custom blue color) and said she had wanted a Burger since she first saw one as a teenager. Founded in 1863,…

Maine Lobstermen Taking Hits from Warming Waters, Trade Wars

By Peter Janssen on June 24, 2018 Cruising Life

Lobstermen in Maine are taking a double hit these days, one from global warming, the other from the impending trade wars. Both can have long-term consequences for an industry that accounts for half a billion dollars a year. Water temperature in the Gulf of Maine has been rising since the early 1980s, as a result of global warming. Until recently, this was a good thing, with lobsters – and the entire lobster industry – thriving. But now we may be on the downward cusp of too much of a good thing. The waters are getting too hot and lobsters are…

Annual Mother Goose Flotilla Just Cruises through Alaska’s Wrangell Narrows on Way to Juneau

By Peter Janssen on June 21, 2018 Charter, Cruising Life

The annual Mother Goose Flotilla from NW Explorations is cruising way up in Alaska, having left its home base in Bellingham, Washington, on May 19. Seven boats in the flotilla have cruised through the San Juans and up the Inside Passage along the British Columbia coast to Petersburg, Alaska, planning to reach Juneau on June 24. The flotilla just cruised through the Wrangell Narrows, a long, almost straight-line passage separating Mitkof and Kuprenof Islands, that is so narrow that the Coast Guard has placed more than 70 ATONs – cans, nuns, day markers, range markers – to keep mariners off…

EPA Approves Bio-Isobutanol Fuel Additive; Wins Praise from NMMA

By Peter Janssen on June 21, 2018 Cruising Life, Engine Room

The Environmental Protection Agency just approved boater-friendly bio-isobutanol as a safe fuel additive, winning praise from the National Marine Manufacturers Association. Thom Dammrich, president of the NMMA, said bio-isobutanol “will provide consumers a safe, efficient and environmentally-friendly E15 alternative that is highly compatible with marine products. This decision will promote an innovative fuel supply with direct benefits to American boaters and consumers.” Unlike E15, or ethanol-laced gasoline which can damage engines in boats and cars, biobutanol delivers renewable energy without any side effects. It works with existing boat and car engines and the fuel supply infrastructure. The EPA acted on…

Lucy, Meet Gus. Dog and Dolphin Become Friends on Fishing Boat off Captiva Island, Florida. Great Video

By Peter Janssen on June 21, 2018 Cruising Life

Lucy, the dog, and Gus, the dolphin, seem to become new best friends forever in this video taken from a charter fishing boat off Captiva Island, Florida. Lucy, a Rottweiler-Husky mix, has been going out on her owner’s fishing boat since she was six months old. Cliff Gilchrist, her owner, works for Captiva Island Fishing Charters, and he goes out five days a week. He named the friendly dolphin Gus. In this video, taken by Eileen McGunagle, a charter customer, Lucy and Gus are clearly having fun together. Gilchrist told the Naples Daily News that Lucy likes to go fishing with…

New York Assembly Passes Brianna’s Law Requiring Boating Safety Course, but It Has Not Passed the State Senate

By Peter Janssen on June 21, 2018 Cruising Life

The New York State Assembly just passed Brianna’s Law saying you must take a boating safety course before driving a powerboat in the state’s navigable waters. The proposed legislation is named after Brianna Lieneck, who was 11 years old when she was killed in a boating accident on the south shore of Long Island in 2005. So far, Brianna’s Law has only passed the State Assembly. It did not pass a Senate vote. It probably will not be brought up again in this session. “While there is a lot one can learn from spending time on the waters and aboard…

Trade Wars: Canadian Can’t Buy New Boat Under Retaliatory Tariffs

By Peter Janssen on June 20, 2018 Cruising Life

Randy Booth wants to buy a new boat in Windsor, Ontario, but he can’t afford one if Canada’s retaliatory tariffs bump its price up by 25 percent. “If they hike the prices more, I’m not buying a boat,” he told the Windsor Star. “I don’t know what the world’s coming to. We’re screwed.” Booth, pictured above, is a casualty of the new trade wars that started when President Trump said he would impose a new 25 percent tariff on Canadian steel and 10 percent on Canadian aluminum. In response, the Canadian government said it would do the same with the…

Winnebago Plans New Models and More Dealers for Boating Icon Chris-Craft

By Peter Janssen on June 19, 2018 Cruising Life

Now what for Chris-Craft? Winnebago just bought the iconic American boat company, started in 1874, the latest in a series of purchases of boat builders by companies in other recreational fields. The details of the purchase from Stellican Ltd., the London-based private equity firm that has owned Chris-Craft since 2001, aren’t known, but Winnebago made it clear that they see synergies and similar growth patterns in the boating and RV markets. They also have large growth plans for Chris-Craft. This story from The Motley Fool points out that the RV market, like the boating market, has been enjoying a resurgence since…

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