Cruising Life

New Garmin inReach Mini Fits in the Palm of Your Hand, but Can Provide Worldwide Two-Way Messaging and SOS

By Peter Janssen on May 7, 2018 Cruising Life, Electronics

The new Garmin inReach Mini, a powerful two-way satellite communicator, is so small that it fits in the palm of your hand. But it lets you send and receive messages through the Iridium satellite network and it has an emergency SOS function that operates 24/7. Not bad for a device that weighs 3.5 ounces and is 4 inches tall and 2 inches wide. With the inReach Mini, you don’t have to worry about being out of cell range or off the grid, as long as you have a subscription to the worldwide Iridium network. And you can pair it with…

New York Gov. Cuomo Promises to Organize a “Citizens’ Fleet” to Block Offshore Drilling; Cites Winston Churchill at Dunkirk

By Peter Janssen on May 7, 2018 Cruising Life

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, a Democrat, just promised to organize a “citizens’ fleet” to block offshore drilling proposed by the Trump Administration. “I’m going to commission a citizen fleet to stop it just as Winston Churchill did at Dunkirk,” he said, recalling the heroic rescue of British and Allied troops from France in the early days of the Second World War. Cuomo called Trump’s decision to permit offshore drilling “an unacceptable risk,” and said he would organize fishing and recreational vessels to stop it in a speech attacking the Administration’s environmental and energy policies. The Administration’s policy would open…

Meet the New Albemarle Loop: Slow Down and Enjoy North Carolina

By Peter Janssen on May 7, 2018 Cruising Life, Destinations

A group of North Carolina marinas and businesses has formed a new organization aimed at cruising boat owners called The Albemarle Loop, making it easier to enjoy the waterfront towns, culture and history that surround Albemarle Sound. Now you can stray away from the magenta line marking the middle of Intracoastal Waterway on most charts and explore the many rivers, creeks, coves and communities on Albemarle Sound, or take advantage of The Albemarle Loop to make it an important part of your journey. There are now 12 marinas in The Albemarle Loop program, offering free or low-cost slips, fresh water…

Palm Beach Motor Yachts Announces New Flagship 70 with Same Beautiful Lines but More Room Inside

By Peter Janssen on May 7, 2018 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

Palm Beach just started building its new flagship, a Palm Beach 70, at its factory in Malaysia. The new 70 is scheduled to be launched later this year, and the company has already sold the first two hulls. The Palm Beach lineup now has six models, from 42 to 65 feet. The new 70 will have more interior volume than the 65, particularly in the midships master stateroom and the other guest staterooms, although the company emphasizes that the boat’s interior can be completely customized to fit the individual owner’s desires. One of the first hulls features four staterooms and…

Meet Untold Horizon, a New Voyage-Planning Service from Professional Mariners

By Peter Janssen on May 6, 2018 Cruising Life

Wondering where to go on your next cruise, or the best way to get there? Now you can get help from a new voyage-planning service from Untold Horizon that will help you prepare so you will arrive safely and securely. I just found out about this new effort myself when I stopped by the Untold Horizon booth at the Connecticut Spring Boat Show in Essex, and met Jeremy Dann, the president of the company. A graduate of the Maine Maritime Academy, Dann holds a 500-ton Master Domestic license and a 300-ton Master International license and has worked as the captain…

Three Commercial Fishing Boats Collide in Alaska; One Captain, a Former Pro Skier and Model, Faces Charges

By Peter Janssen on May 3, 2018 Cruising Life

Commercial fishing in Alaska can be a rough business. See this video of a collision involving three competing fishing boats on Aug. 16, 2016, in Prince William Sound. As a result, Kami “Bananas” Cabana, the skipper of one of the boats, a former professional skier and model for North Face, is facing felony charges for allegedly ramming a competitor’s boat, injuring a member of its crew. A Coast Guard investigation said the incident started when Jason Long, the captain of the F/V Temptation, saw a school of salmon in Hidden Bay, and he also saw an opening to reach the…

New Honors for Volvo’s Most-Powerful-Ever D13 Engine and IPS1350 Pod Drives

By Peter Janssen on May 2, 2018 Cruising Life, Engine Room

Volvo Penta’s new 1,000-hp D13 diesel engine, it’s most powerful ever, and its IPS1350 pod drive propulsion system just won new honors from Boating Industry, the boating business magazine, which named them among the top boating products of the year. The engine and drive system were introduced to the North American market at the Fort Lauderdale International Boat show last November. “With Volvo Penta’s major redesign to create the D13-1000 engine and its integration with IPS pod drives, the company created an impressive system with the consumer end result in mind,” the magazine said. The engine and drives result in a…

Hit Hard by Maria, Laid-Back but Beautiful St. Croix Has Almost Fully Recovered

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

St. Croix, the largest, and arguably the most laid-back of the U.S. Virgin Islands, has mostly recovered from Hurricanes Irma and Maria last September. As it turned out, Irma wasn’t too bad, but Maria was devasting. But that was then. Now 90 percent of the island’s businesses have reopened, power is restored, and the island’s oldest hotel, the Buccaneer, which housed relief workers for many months, is open for visitors. For visiting boaters, the St. Croix Marine Center in Gallows Bay next to Christiansted Harbor is fully functioning. It’s a full-service marina with 44 slips for boats up to 150…

New 80 Sunreef Power: Elegant, Light-Filled Cruising Catamaran

By Peter Janssen on May 1, 2018 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

Sunreef has just introduced an elegant new 80-foot catamaran which it says is “the universal multihull yacht for long cruises in ultimate comfort.” The new 80 Sunreef Power is indeed a combination of luxury, space and cruising efficiency, and it’s filled with living, relaxing and entertaining areas spread throughout the boat. The 80 Sunreef Power is distinguished by its dynamic and contemporary multihull design. The basic design calls for four guest cabins, but the interior can be customized to suit an individual owner’s wishes. It features classic stainless steel portlights, teak decks and high bulwarks for safety. But the overriding…

Barton & Gray Mariners Club Now Offers Hinckley Fleet in Washington, D.C.

By Peter Janssen on April 30, 2018 Cruising Life

The Barton & Gray Mariners Club, the organization that gives members the use of a beautiful Hinckley yacht with a captain in 20 upscale boating destinations along the East Coast and the Great Lakes, is opening a new facility in Washington, D.C. The new club, opening June 1, will be at The Wharf, the recently renovated waterfront development in Southwest Washington. The theory behind the club is to give members all the fun of yachting without the hassles of ownership. Membership is in four tiers, starting at $29,500 a year, and gives members access to a fleet of 30 Hinckleys,…

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