Cruising Life

KVH Launches New TracPhone with Much Faster Connections and Greater Reach

By Peter Janssen on March 26, 2018 Cruising Life, Electronics

KVH just introduced a new, much faster marine satellite communications package with unlimited data and greater range so you can stay connected and enjoy the internet on your boat just as you do at home. The new KVH TracPhone V7hts, the company’s newest SATCOM, supports downloads at up to 10Mbps and uploads of up to 3 Mbps, streaming HD content and video chatting. Those speeds are three times faster than the download and six times the upload on the original mini-VSAT broadband server. The new KVH TracPhone antenna is only 24 inches in diameter and weighs just 57.6 pounds. KVH…

New Walker Bay 325 Light Console RIB Holds 5 Passengers, Provides Dry Ride

By Peter Janssen on March 26, 2018 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

Here’s a small, lightweight RIB that can hold up to five passengers and that promises a comfortable, fun and dry ride even in a chop. The new Walker Bay Supertender 325 Light Console is 10’ 8” long and weighs just 244 pounds and has a deep-V fiberglass hull for performance. Its hard chines provide traction in turns, and its wide bow is designed to block spray so you’ll have a dry ride in most conditions. The center console has room for a 7” screen; it also has a stainless-steel helm and handrail, two cupholders and padding on the port side…

The Recovery in St. John: Cruz Bay Is Lively, Major Hotels Remain Closed, but Beaches and Vistas Are Still Beautiful

By Peter Janssen on March 25, 2018 Cruising Life, Destinations

Here’s a pretty thorough update from The New York Times on the recovery in St. John in the U.S. Virgins, six months after Hurricanes Irma and Maria, reporting that major resorts are still closed and the cleanup is continuing. The story quotes a frequent visitor from Connecticut who says, “There are two ways to look at it. Some people say, ‘What a mess.’ On the other hand, you still have the beautiful views and the beautiful beaches.” Flights from the U.S. are about half of what was normal before the hurricanes, and the head of tourism says tourism is down…

Some 150 Pilot Whales Die on Beach in Western Australia, Despite Major Rescue Efforts

By Peter Janssen on March 25, 2018 Cruising Life

Almost all of the 150 beached whales have died in a mass stranding in Hamelin Bay, about 180 miles south of Perth in Western Australia. Just a handful have survived, while more than 100 volunteers are trying to return them to deep water. Meanwhile, the government has issued a shark alert since sharks have become frenzied in their efforts to reach some whale carcasses in the water. The beached whales were first spotted by a local fisherman. Rescue attempts were thwarted by deteriorating weather conditions and the rocky shoreline, plus the weight and size of the whales. These whales are…

Dashews End Quest for Functional Power Boats; Will Go Cruising Instead

By Peter Janssen on March 23, 2018 Cruising Life

After more than a decade, Steve (Skip) and Linda Dashew are throwing in the towel. They are no longer designing or building their iconic FPB (Functional Power Boats) line of aluminum-hulled, long-range cruisers. Dashew wrote on their blog, “The time has come for us to do some cruising. Although we would have rather had the FPB marque continue, we simply could not find an approach that guaranteed our standards would be upheld.” The Dashews have been cruising together around the world for abut 40 years, writing eight books on weather, seamanship and offshore cruising (five are still on Amazon). They…

MJM Introduces New 53Z with Four 350-hp Mercury Verados; Largest Outboard-Powered Express Cruiser Ever

By Peter Janssen on March 22, 2018 Cruising Life

MJM is doubling down on outboard power, even on its largest yacht to date. Indeed, Bob Johnstone, the company’s founder and CEO, just announced that they will launch a new 53Z, powered by four 350-hp Mercury Verados, in the summer of 2019. The company says it will be the largest outboard express cruiser ever, and it certainly will accelerate the growing trend to outboard power, even in the high-end cruising market. The new 53Z, designed by Doug Zurn, is an outgrowth of the MJM 50Z, which is powered by three 435-hp Volvo IPS600 pod drives. I drove the 50Z in…

Want a Ride in the Keys? Try a Pink 1977 Cadillac Stretch Limo with a 100-hp Yamaha

By Peter Janssen on March 21, 2018 Cruising Life

This is a hoot. If you see the NautiLimo on the water the next time you’re cruising in the Florida Keys, you’ll probably do a double-take. Most people do. Yes, it’s a floating recreation of a pink 1977 Cadillac stretch limo, with a fake grill, headlights, wheels and rear bumper, and it’s powered by a real 100-hp Yamaha. And it’s the creation of Captain Joe Fox, who designed and built it and offers cruises on it in Islamorada. (If riding around in a pink Cadillac isn’t your thing, he also has a 27-foot fake pirate ship.) You can find Captain…

Older Sea Ice Melting in Arctic; Not Getting Replaced. See NASA Video

By Peter Janssen on March 21, 2018 Cruising Life

Here’s a compelling video from NASA that shows how sea ice in the Arctic has been shrinking over time. It also has been getting younger and thinner, so it is poised to continue melting and contributing to rising sea levels in the Atlantic. The video has been compiled by Dr. Walt Meier of NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, which tracks changes in sea ice by satellite. In a dramatic animation, the video shows how Arctic ice pulses out to the east, moving over the top of Greenland and down to the Atlantic, where it melts. This movement of sea ice…

Anacortes, Washington: Colorful Cruising Central in the Pacific Northwest

By Peter Janssen on March 21, 2018 Cruising Life, Destinations

One of the major boating meccas of the Pacific Northwest, Anacortes, Washington, about half-way between Seattle and Vancouver, BC, is both a great place to start a cruise as well as a destination in its own right. On the northern tip of Fidalgo Island, Anacortes provides a straight shot over to the San Juan Islands to the west, and is a favorite spot for cruising people, whale watching and kayaking. Its huge (950 slip), newly refreshed Cap Sante Marina, operated by the port, has at least 150 transient slips, and is only a two-block walk from the colorful downtown area,…

New Hylas M44: Lots of Light, Classic Looks and Cruising Comfort

By Peter Janssen on March 21, 2018 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

With its low profile, long straight sheer and more than a hint of clean, classic Down East lines, the new Hylas M44 was just introduced to the United States at the Palm Beach show. Hylas collaborated with the New Zealand builder Salthouse for the new high-end, two-stateroom cruiser, designed for maximum comfort, seakeeping ability and functional use of space. Inside, the new Hylas is filled with light, with large side and front windows, two long overhead sliding hatches in the salon, and a large glass door that separates the salon from the cockpit. The galley is aft, on the port…

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