Cruising Life

Martinique: A French-Caribbean Haven Where Cruising Is Easy

By Peter Janssen on January 28, 2019 Cruising Life

If you really want to get away from the winter chill, think about heading for a cruising or charter vacation in Martinique, the French-Caribbean haven in the Lesser Antilles, about 440 miles south of Puerto Rico. The beaches are beautiful (see Les Salines, above), the cruising is easy, and life on shore is an exotic combination of French flair and laid-back Caribbean vibes. If cruising down there on your own is too far, there are direct flights from New York, Miami and Fort Lauderdale. Then you can check into The Moorings for a bareboat or crewed charter. Seven nights on…

Lots of Enthusiasm, Happy People, at the New York Boat Show

By Peter Janssen on January 27, 2019 Cruising Life

It seemed like old times, the best of times, on Saturday afternoon at the New York Boat Show. The aisles at the Javits Center were filled with people looking at the 350 new boats and probably a thousand or so new boating accessories, and everybody seemed in a good mood. “We just had one of our best years ever,” a New England dealer told me. “And it looks like this one is off to a pretty good start.” People were lined up to look at the new boats; indeed, the line to climb on the Azimut 60, the queen of…

Increasing Noise from Ships, Offshore Drilling, Threatens Marine Life

By Peter Janssen on January 23, 2019 Cruising Life

The oceans are getting louder, with increased noise levels coming from ever-larger commercial ships and new offshore drilling. And the new sound levels are so high that they pose health problems for marine life from right whales to plankton. The newest problem is coming from seismic air guns used for offshore drilling in oil and gas exploration. The Administration has allowed offshore drilling, with seismic mapping, along the Atlantic coast from Florida to the Northeast. Similar exploration and seismic mapping, with the use of air guns, is expected soon along the Gulf Coast and the Pacific Coast as well. “They…

Coast Guard Cutter Polar Star, 42-years-old, Reaches Antarctica, but with Problems

By Peter Janssen on January 23, 2019 Cruising Life

The aging Cutter Polar Star, the Coast Guard’s only heavy icebreaker, just reached Antarctica, cutting through ice up to 31 feet deep, but it ran into some problems along the way. The 399-feet long, 42-year-old ship with a crew of 150, completed its mission, leading a support vessel with 400 containers to resupply McMurdo Station, the main U.S. logistics center in Antarctica. But the Polar Star developed a leak from the prop shaft, and it also experienced several electrical problems while in deep ice. The crew had to halt icebreaking operations to send a scuba diver in the water to repair…

Aspen Launches New 34-foot Cat with Two Offset Yamaha Outboards

By Peter Janssen on January 22, 2019 Cruising Life

Aspen Power Catamarans is launching its new 34 Aspen C107 with two outboards at the Seattle Boat Show that opens this Friday, Jan. 25. The new Aspen, with the company’s patented asymmetrical proa hulls, is similar to its previous C100 model, except that it has a 200-hp Yamaha on the starboard hull and a 70-hp Yamaha on the port hull, instead of the earlier single-diesel application. Larry Graf, Aspen’s CEO, founder and “chief adventurer,” started testing a 32-foot outboard-powered prototype last summer, in response to the increasing popularity of outboard cruising boats. The trick was to get the right balance…

Cranchi and Garmin Big Winners of European Powerboat of the Year Awards

By Peter Janssen on January 22, 2019 Cruising Life

Cranchi and Garmin were big winners at the 13th annual European Powerboat of the Year awards at the Düsseldorf boat show. The prestigious awards were decided by a jury of editors from eight European boating magazines; they considered 24 finalists drawn from more than 200 new boats launched in Europe last year. The awards were divided into four size categories, a displacement hull category, and an innovation category. The Nordkapp Noblesse 660 won in the small boat class, up to 25 feet. The judges said it was a new concept in the day cruiser segment, with a protected cockpit and excellent…

Docking Made Easy (Very Easy) with Raymarine’s New DockSense and Virtual Bumper

By Peter Janssen on January 21, 2019 Cruising Life

With a little help from its own brand of artificial intelligence, Raymarine just developed a new DockSense system with a Virtual Bumper zone that automates docking. It introduced the new system at the Düsseldorf boat show, and will demonstrate it on a new Prestige 460 at the Miami boat show, starting Feb. 14. Prestige, a Beneteau brand, is the first production boat company to use the new system. DockSense uses intelligent object recognition and motion sensing to help dock a boat. It relies on FLIR vision camera technology and video analytics to integrate information from the boat’s surrounding imagery with…

New Head-turning 48 Wallytender: First Boat Under the Ferretti Group

By Peter Janssen on January 21, 2019 Cruising Life

Yes, I know this isn’t the typical cruising boat that we usually cover, but a pretty boat is a pretty boat, and this one has a fairly unusual heritage. The new Wally 48 Wallytender, just announced at the Düsseldorf Boat Show, is the first boat in the new partnership of Wally and the Ferretti Group, along with the news that the Ferretti Group (Ferretti Yachts, Riva, Pershing, CRN and Custom Line) is buying Wally. The 48 Wallytender is being built at the Ferretti plant in Forli, Italy, with the first boat scheduled to be launched in June. The new Wally keeps…

Vicem Introduces New Cold-Molded, Long-Range, 22-knot 67 Cruiser

By Peter Janssen on January 21, 2019 Cruising Life

Vicem, the high-end Turkish builder, is starting work on a new long-range, cold-molded, three-stateroom, three-head 67 Cruiser that it will introduce at the Newport International Boat Show in September. The Vicem 67 Cruiser will have twin 600-hp Volvo diesels with a cruising speed of 18 knots and a top speed of 22 knots. Vicem says the new 67 is designed for the way cruising people live today, with a series of social spaces throughout the boat. The flybridge, protected by a hardtop, holds the upper helm, a forward-facing companion seat, a U-shaped settee and a galley. The salon has a…

Five Great Adventure Charter Destinations. Wat Chalong, Anyone?

By Peter Janssen on January 21, 2019 Cruising Life

Here are five great adventures to think about for the coming year, developed by the experts at The Moorings, the worldwide charter powerhouse. If you want to get off the beaten track and tackle some new places and new charter experience, take a look. First, the Xunantunich Mayan Ruins in Belize. With the second-largest barrier reef in the world and lots of secluded beaches, Belize has plenty to offer for charter enthusiasts. But it also has the well-preserved site of the Xunantunich Mayan Ruins, with 25 temples and palaces. Second, Skradin and Krka Waterfalls National Park in Croatia. The park…

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