Cruising Life

For a First, Selene Builds a New 19.5-Knot 59 Ocean Clipper, A Pilothouse Trawler with a Touch of Speed

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

The 59 Ocean Clipper represents a new chapter for Selene, which has a well-earned reputation for building traditional full-displacement trawler yachts. But a Selene repeat owner wanted a faster boat to explore the Med. As a result, Selene built the new 59 Ocean Clipper, which combines all the long-range cruising comfort and space of a trawler with a new semi-displacement hull and twin 715-hp Cummins diesels that produce a top speed of 19.5 knots. For the new 59 Ocean Clipper, Selene worked with the veteran Dutch designer Guido de Groot. The boat is a contemporary, teak-filled pilothouse cruiser, with three…

Raymarine Launches New App that Combines a Drone and an Axiom MFD Screen

By Peter Janssen on August 6, 2018 Cruising Life, Electronics

How would you like to have a real-time aerial view of that gnarly inlet before you have to commit, or of that secluded cove that lies around the next peninsula, or of that anchorage that you hope still has room for you that’s 10 minutes away? Now you can do all that, and much more, with Raymarine’s new app that combines all the navigation attributes of a state-of-the-art MFD with a high-flying unmanned drone. In what Raymarine calls an industry first, it has created an aerial imaging platform that works with Axiom or Axiom Pro displays. It’s a new LightHouse…

U.S. Boat Builders Hit Hard By New Tariffs, Trade Wars. MJM Loses $2.2 Million Sale

By Peter Janssen on August 6, 2018 Cruising Life

“NEWPORT, R.I. (AP) – MJM Yachts has already felt the sting of tariffs. “CEO Bob Johnstone was negotiating the sale of a 53-foot, $2.2 million yacht to a buyer in Monaco when the European Union announced a 25 percent tariff on American-made boats as retaliation for the Trump administration’s tariffs on imported aluminum and steel. “The deal is now dead. So is the Rhode Island-based company’s plan to expand sales into Europe. “American boat builders are getting pummeled on multiple fronts by tariffs and stand to be among the industries hardest-hit in an escalating trade war. “President Donald Trump’s decision to…

Schaefer Yachts Launches New 580 Without a Steering Wheel, Just Volvo IPS Joystick

By Peter Janssen on August 6, 2018 Cruising Life

What’s missing from this picture? Here’s a close-up look at the helm station of a new Schaefer 580 yacht with just a Volvo Penta joystick. There’s no steering wheel at all on this new boat that made its debut at the recent Rio Boat Show in Brazil. The twin 670-hp Volvo IPS800 diesels and pod drives are totally controlled by the joystick. Marcio Schaefer, CEO of Schaefer Yachts, Brazil’s biggest builder, said there was considerable interest in the wheel-less 580 at the show, calling it the biggest nautical event in South America. He said Schaefer will continue to use joystick-only…

Good Samaritans Rescue Seven from Sinking Charter Fishing Boat Off Cape May

By Peter Janssen on August 6, 2018 Cruising Life

The website for the Beach Runner, a 32-foot Rampage sport fishing boat based in Wildwood, New Jersey, says, “Whether you want to fish the Delaware Bay or inshore shoals and reefs, the Beach Runner provides a fun, relaxing day for parties of one to six people.” On a recent Saturday, things didn’t work out that way. At 9 a.m. the Beach Runner issued a Mayday call, saying it was taking on water about nine miles off the Cape May reef. Crews from two other boats, Miss Addison 2 and Porgy IV heard the call and sped to the stricken boat. “As we…

After a Strong Start, This Years’s Atlantic Hurricane Season May Be Less Severe than Average

By Peter Janssen on August 5, 2018 Cruising Life

This year’s Atlantic hurricane season started early and it started strong, but it may end up as something of a fizzle. That’s according to the latest report from the experts at Colorado State University, who now are predicting that we’ll have fewer named storms than average for the remainder of this hurricane season, which ends Nov. 30. Now the Colorado State forecast calls for 12 named storms this year, way under last year’s 17. Three have already formed in the Atlantic, and two – Beryl and Chris – became hurricanes. The new forecast calls for only nine more for the…

New York Times: An Orca, Her Dead Calf and Us

By Peter Janssen on August 5, 2018 Cruising Life

Here’s a good explanation about why the story of Tahlequah, the mother orca whale who’s been carrying her dead calf on what researchers call a “grief tour” of the San Juan Islands for more than ten days, resonates so clearly with us. The author, Susan Casey, writes: “To learn the orcas’ natural and cultural history is to understand how closely connected a mother and calf are, how tight-knot their bond. Like us, orcas are self-aware, cognitively skilled individuals that communicate using their pod’s signature dialect. Unlike us, their core identity is communal: It encompasses not just themselves, but their family…

Tactical 77: Brand-New, Go-Anywhere, Long-Range Cruiser with an Attitude

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

Here’s a new long-range cruiser with a different look and an attitude: the Tactical 77 Fast Pilothouse Motoryacht. Serious and military-looking on the outside, the new Tactical 77 is luxurious and comfortable on the inside, ready to take its owner and guests just about anywhere in the world. The boat was designed by William Prince Yacht Design, in Port Washington, Wisconsin, and it’s being built by Tactical Custom Boats in British Columbia. Prince designed the aluminum yacht for a North American client who wanted a military look combined with a contemporary and sleek interior. The superstructure is built with carbon-fiber…

A New Cruising Toy: Super-Cool, Limited-Edition Tesla Surfboard

By Peter Janssen on August 1, 2018 Cruising Life, Gear

If you’re looking for another toy (particularly a super-cool toy) for your next cruise, consider the new limited-edition Tesla surfboard. The only problem is that you’ll probably have to find one on eBay, since the company sold out the first batch of 200 of them, for $1,500 each, in just one day. The 6’ 8” red-and-black boards are made with carbon fiber and were developed by the Tesla Design Studio and Matt “Mayhem” Biolos, a surfboard shaper from Lost Surfboards in San Clemente. The company says they feature “a mix of the same high-quality matte and gloss finishes used on…

From Harbor Cruises, Free Concerts and Pool Parties, Lots Going on at Marina del Rey This Summer

By Peter Janssen on August 1, 2018 Cruising Life, Destinations

If you’re cruising in Southern California for the rest of the summer, check out the schedule at Marina del Rey next to Los Angeles; there’s a lot going on. For starters, Marina del Rey is one of the largest and most attractive marinas not only on the West Coast but anywhere in the U.S., so a visit at any time is a treat. Over the years I’ve always had a great time there. But this summer the schedule includes Marina Fundays, free concerts, food on the beach, a farmer’s market and more. Throughout August and September, the Marina Fundays offer…

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