Cruising Life

Orca Whale Population Threatened and Declining in Pacific Northwest; Not a Single Calf Born in Last Three Years

By Peter Janssen on July 15, 2018 Cruising Life

The orca whale population in the Pacific Northwest is in trouble. Not a single calf has been born in the past three years; normally four or five would be born each year. The overall orca population, numbering about 100 in the last 1990s, is now down to about 75. And researchers are worried that female orcas are aging out of their reproducing years and can’t be replaced. The largest problem has been the disappearance of big Chinook king salmon. Orcas usually eat 30 of them a day. And then there are man-made problems. The underwater world, particularly the Haro Strait,…

Historic Bloom of Toxic Algae Scum Spreads Over Florida’s Lake Okeechobee

By Peter Janssen on July 15, 2018 Cruising Life

A toxic green algae scum of historic proportions is spreading across Florida’s Lake Okeechobee and other waterways, invading marinas and consuming oxygen in the water. The algae, which smells like moldy bread, can be toxic of consumed by humans. It can irritate human skin, so officials say you should wash it off it you come into contact with it. The algae also can be fatal for dogs that swim in it or drink it. People in the area reported seeing dead fish, birds, even manatees as a result of the algae spread. An unusually large algae bloom has filled the…

The Best Beach Bars in the Caribbean, from The Abacos to St. Martin. See If Your Favorite Made the Cut

By Peter Janssen on July 15, 2018 Cruising Life

Wondering where to find a great beach bar in the Caribbean? Ponder no more. Here’s a list of eight of the best from The Moorings, the worldwide charter outfit, based on years of experience. They know about these things. If you’ve cruised or chartered in the Caribbean you probably have your own list. If so, compare it with this one; there are probably some new ones here (if not, you’ve already led a full life, so sit back and count your blessings). The Moorings has organized this alphabetically, by location, starting with the Abacos, and Nipper’s, pictured above, which is…

Palm Beach Launches New Line of Elegant, Head-Turning Performance Yachts

By Peter Janssen on July 10, 2018 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

Palm Beach has just launched a new GT series of elegant, fuel-efficient, high performance and head-turning yachts. Indeed, take a look at the wraparound windshield, the low profile, the long sheer line and the gorgeous tumblehome that would do a Down East boat proud, all on hull number one of the new Palm Beach GT50 Express. That boat will have its world debut at the Newport International Boat Show, starting Sept. 13, while other models in the series, going up to 70-footer, will follow. Palm Beach said it developed the GT series after finding a void in the high-performance motor…

New Low, Fast, Pretty, 63-foot Lynx Commuter from Zurn Yacht Design

By Peter Janssen on July 10, 2018 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

Doug Zurn has done it again: Another pretty boat, from Zurn Yacht Design. The new 63-foot Lynx Commuter has most of Zurn’s traditional design elements, many dating back to the Shelter Island 38 Runabout that was launched more than two decades ago. Hull number one of the Lynx Commuter, a modern version of the low, fast, commuter boats that carried the rich and famous from their Long Island mansions to work on Wall Street in the 1930s, was designed as a tender for a superyacht, but subsequent hulls can function as a day cruiser or weekender in their own right.…

Diplomatic Flare-Up Between U.S. and Canadian Lobster Fishermen in the Far Reaches of Maine

By Peter Janssen on July 9, 2018 Cruising Life

Shades of 1812: A minor diplomatic impasse, a sideshow to the current trade wars, has erupted in the cold, clear waters off Machias Seal Island in the Bay of Fundy about ten miles off the northeastern tip of Maine. It involves American and Canadian fishing boats sharing a gray zone, or territory that has been disputed since the 18thcentury, and claims that the U.S. Border Patrol has stopped at least ten Canadian boats there in the past few weeks. For their part, the Americans are not happy that the Canadians then sent a 100-foot-long Canadian Coast Guard vessel to patrol…

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.…

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