Cruising Life

Ben Lecomte Already Swam Across the Atlantic. Now’s He’s Swimming Across the Pacific. Only 4,795 Miles To Go

By Peter Janssen on July 2, 2018 Cruising Life

When Ben Lecomte, a French-born long-distance swimmer who now lives in Texas, swam across the Atlantic in 1998, he said, “never again.” But that was then. Now Lecomte, 51, is trying to swim across a much larger ocean, the Pacific, and he’s off to a good start. Lecomte started in Tokyo on June 5, aiming for San Francisco, some 5,000 miles away. His swim across the Atlantic took 73 days. The Pacific will take six months. So far, he’s come 205 miles. If he makes it, he will be the first person to swim across the Pacific Ocean. Lecomte says…

69 Boats Compete in Bass Harbor Lobster Boat Races in Maine; Winner Clocks 57 mph

By Peter Janssen on July 2, 2018 Cruising Life

The lobster boat racing season is off to a good start, with 69 boats competing in the eighth annual races all the way up in Bass Harbor, Maine. Wild, Wild West, a 28-foot West with a single 1,050-hp Isotta diesel, won the prize for the Fastest Lobster Boat (it’s a regular winner, usually clocking about 57 mph), while in the more specific geographic category, Rachel Irene, a Mitchell Cove 35 with a single 500-hp Cummins, won the Bass Harbor’s Fastest Lobster Boat race. In the picture above, Band-it, right, nosed out Just Colby 11 in its class (for boats 34 feet or…

Hinckley Launches New Picnic Boat 40, the Largest Yet, but with Same Iconic Lines and Appeal

By Peter Janssen on July 2, 2018 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

Hinckley just launched its all-new Picnic Boat 40, the largest Picnic Boat yet, with sea trials off Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard on the weekend before the Fourth of July. With a hull designed by the highly acclaimed Michael Peters, the new Picnic Boat retains all the drop-dead iconic Down East looks and waterjet performance that have made the brand famous around the world. The new layout in the 40 offers a seamless flow from the transom to the helm, with large social areas, a wet bar, overhead protection from Sureshade and great visibility, whether you’re sitting at the helm or…

How To Enter a New Harbor Safely Using Large-Scale Chart Insets

By Peter Janssen on July 2, 2018 Cruising Life

How many times on a cruise do you end up coming into a harbor or a cove or an anchorage where you’ve never been before? Probably a lot; discovering new places, embracing new adventures, is pretty much what cruising is all about. But you need to prepare. You need to know where you’re going, particularly if you’re entering a new harbor at night, in reduced visibility, or even at the end of a day when you’re tired and not at your best. Sure, you can peer at your chartplotter and zoom in and hope for the best. That’s fine, when…

Looking for a New Spot in the Bahamas? Try the Beautiful Beaches of Rose Island, Four Miles from Nassau

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

If you’re cruising near Nassau in the Bahamas, you may want to head about four miles east to Rose Island, an 11-mile-long thin strip of land with some of the best beaches in the islands. Rose Island once was a pineapple plantation, but that was hundreds of years ago. Now it has no infrastructure or roads, and a shallow lagoon lies in the middle. The highest point of land is just 52 feet above sea level. Rose Island doesn’t have much in the way of civilization. What it does have, in spades, is terrific beaches. Before you get to the…

One American Killed, Several Others Seriously Injured, in Boat Explosion in the Bahamas

By Peter Janssen on July 1, 2018 Cruising Life

A tragic explosion and boat fire about 130 miles south of Nassau in the Bahamas left one American woman dead and nine others injured. The Royal Bahamas Police Force said one of the two outboard engines on the 40-foot tourist boat exploded, engulfing the boat in flames. The boat was carrying ten Americans and two Bahamians. The boat was off Barraterre Island in the Exuma Cays at the time. At least three people from a nearby boat jumped into the water to help; they were able to pull one person to safety. The explosion occurred after 9 in the morning.…

Raymarine Launches New Axiom XL MFDs with Larger Screens, Faster Integration

By Peter Janssen on June 27, 2018 Cruising Life, Electronics

FLIR has just introduced a new flagship Raymarine Axiom XL multifunction display, with larger screen sizes, better system integration and user-friendly simplicity. The largest displays in the award-winning Axiom lineup, the MFDs are designed for larger cruising boats and glass bridge installations. The new Axiom XLs are available in 16-, 19-, 22- and 24-inch displays and are constructed with edge-to-edge glass, so boat builders can create a seamless helm. They also are fully waterproof, designed to perform in extreme conditions. They even can be installed in open cockpits, as well as enclosed bridges and helm stations. Each Axiom XL uses…

Sea Ray Closing High-End Cruising Boat Plants in Florida. Will Focus on 25- to 40-Foot Models.

By Peter Janssen on June 26, 2018 Cruising Life

Brunswick, which has owned Sea Ray since 1986, just announced that it is shutting down the two Florida factories that make Sea Ray’s high-end sport yacht and yacht lines, laying off about 825 workers. Last year Sea Ray (and Meridian) had an operating loss of $17.2 million. Brunswick has been trying to sell Sea Ray, one of the largest boat companies in the U.S., since last December. But Mark Schwabero, the Brunswick chairman and CEO, said “the offers we received did not reflect an appropriate value for this premium brand, and did not meet our expectations.” A major problem, he…

Top 40 Boating Destinations in the U.S. See if Your Favorites Are Here

By Peter Janssen on June 26, 2018 Cruising Life, Destinations

What are the best boating destinations in the United States? Or more precisely, what are the 40 best boating destinations in the United States? To find out, the people at Dockwa, which is, after all, a high-tech operation, crunched the numbers on their app and web site to compile a list of the most-searched-for destinations. They say this is not a ranking, where the first on the list is Number One, and the fortieth is Dead Last, but simply a listing. To my mind, there aren’t any surprises here. The list starts with Block Island, Rhode Island, and ends with…

Man-Made Harbor in Oceanside, California, Filling in, Hurting Local Boaters

By Peter Janssen on June 25, 2018 Cruising Life

The entrance to the harbor at Oceanside, California, just north of San Diego, is starting to fill in and local boating businesses are worried. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which usually dredges the channel every spring, missed this year and now won’t be able to dredge until the fall or early next year. Meanwhile, navigating the entrance is more difficult, particularly at low tides. Donna Kalez, the owner of Oceanside Adventures, runs whale-watching cruises on a 50-foot cat, and she worries about sand filling in the harbor entrance. “The harbor mouth is supposed to have a clearance of 26…

Browsing: Cruising Life