Cruising Life

CEO of Quicksilver Missing at Sea; His Boat Washes Up on Beach in Biarritz, France

By Peter Janssen on January 31, 2018 Cruising Life

Pierre Agnès, the CEO of the U.S. adventure clothing brand Quicksilver, is officially “missing at sea” after his 36-foot fishing boat washed up on a beach near Biarritz, France. Agnès, 54, was last seen at 7:30 in the morning when he left Biarritz, the upscale resort on the southwest coast, to go fishing in the Atlantic by himself on his boat, Mascaret 111, in rough seas. At 9 a.m., Agnès, a former member of the French national surfing team and an experienced boat captain, called the Biarritz harbormaster to say he was delaying his return because of fog. Half an hour…

Swimming Pigs Back in the Exumas, Fat, Happy and Ready for Food – and Pictures

By Peter Janssen on January 29, 2018 Cruising Life

Here’s some good news if you’re heading for the Bahamas. The swimming pigs are back, apparently as fat and happy as ever, cadging food (and pictures) from cruisers in Big Major Cay in the Exumas. The bad news was that about a year ago some of the pigs started to die, which caused more than a few ripples of concern across the world. That’s because over the years the swimming pigs had become celebrities in their own right; they’d been featured on The Today Show, Travel + Leisure, Forbes, and a lot of other places. So, when stories of their…

New, Aptly-Named Livingstone 24, a Dutch-Built Global Explorer

By Peter Janssen on January 29, 2018 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

Here’s something new and different, the 78-foot, steel-hulled Livingstone 24, named after the famed British explorer and designed to take you anywhere in the world. Last summer, its owner, Johan Hartman, who built the boat at his own yard in The Netherlands, drove it for an extended cruise to the Nordic countries before crossing the North Sea and spending two weeks in London. The Livingstone clearly has a look of its own, reminiscent of a 1930s ocean liner with a unique retro décor, mixed with a Dutch minimalist design and driven by state-of-the-art technologies. Powered by a single 350-hp MAN…

Grand Banks Building First New 60 with a Skylounge

By Peter Janssen on January 29, 2018 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

Grand Banks is moving up. After the successful launch of its new, highly acclaimed 60 last year, it is now building the first 60 Skylounge with a totally enclosed upper pilothouse in its factory in Malaysia. The boat is scheduled to be launched this summer. The 60 Skylounge offers more living space above the bridge deck, and 360-degree unobstructed views while cruising or on the hook. Laid up with fully infused carbon fiber, the Skylounge keeps the 60’s graceful proportions and lines, while essentially adding another deck to the boat’s classic profile. The original 60, which comes with a flybridge,…

Mazu Now Offering Navionics Charts for Fast, Seamless Navigation and Weather Routing

By Peter Janssen on January 28, 2018 Cruising Life, Electronics

In a move to make navigation easier and more seamless, mazu just announced at the Seattle boat show that it is now offering Navionics charts on its dashboard for more precise navigation, weather routing, trip planning and more. Users can choose between NOAA and other raster charts and Navionics’ detailed vector charts in the mazu app. Navionics charts open directly in mazu, although you need a Navionics subscription in the Navionics boating app first. Mazu gives cruising boat owners an easy and affordable way to stay connected via satellite wherever they go. Mazu is an iPad app that acts as…

Update on Aspen Power Cat 10,000 Mile Tour: “Life is Good” on Sea of Cortez

By Peter Janssen on January 25, 2018 Cruising Life

It would be hard to find two happier boat owners than David and Sue Ellen Jenkins, who are enjoying life on board their 40-foot Aspen Power Cat in the Sea of Cortez, about halfway through their epic 10,000 mile tour from Seattle to Annapolis. Indeed, Jenkins just sent me an email saying that Mexico is a “great place, great people, great waters. Life is good.” Their partner on the tour, Capt. Blake Eder, Jenkins’ brother-in-law and a professional delivery captain from North Carolina, flew home for a family wedding, so the Jenkins have been spending time on their boat, Knot…

Student Steals Hatteras 80 at Miami Beach Marina, Crashes Into Other Boats, Sinks Hatteras, Is Sentenced to Mental Health Facility

By Peter Janssen on January 25, 2018 Cruising Life

Here’s a great story from the Miami Herald about a Connecticut college student who went to Miami on a lark, decided he wanted to take a boat ride, walked past a security guard at the Miami Beach Marina, fired up the engines to a Hatteras 80 named Mimi and almost immediately crashed into other boats. Mimi sank. That was on Oct. 2, 2016. Now the student, Joselinn Anthony, has just pleaded guilty to grand theft, burglary and criminal mischief. His defense attorney said that Anthony had never been on a boat before but decided to take a ride on one.…

Charter a Canal Cruiser on the Thames from Le Boat, Even If You Don’t Have an Invitation to the Royal Wedding

By Peter Janssen on January 24, 2018 Charter, Cruising Life, Destinations

A charter boat vacation on the River Thames, rich in history, bordered by rolling pastoral countryside, English villages, pubs and even some castles, would be a treat at any time. But now Le Boat, the largest self-drive charter operation in Europe, has a special this spring. It’s called The Royal Cruise, and it can take you to Windsor Castle on May 19, for the wedding of Prince Harry and the American actress Meghan Markle. You actually can cruise on the Thames any time from Le Boat’s base in Chertsey, about 25 miles west of London and just short of Windsor…

Police Say Danish Inventor Abused Journalist Kim Wall in His Homemade Submarine Before He Killed Her

By Peter Janssen on January 24, 2018 Cruising Life

This story just keeps getting worse and worse. Now, prosecutors in Copenhagen say that Peter Madsen, a Danish inventor, abused freelance journalist Kim Wall on his homemade 56-foot submarine before he killed her and dismembered her body last Aug. 10. The picture above shows the sub underway in Copenhagen harbor on that day. Madsen, 46, previously told police he had dismembered her body after “a terrible accident” on the sub but denied that he had killed her. Prosecutors now say he brought a “saw, sharpened screwdrivers, straps, strips and pipes” to the boat in a plan to kill Wall, 30, who…

How To Keep Your Batteries Alive and Well This Winter

By Peter Janssen on January 23, 2018 Cruising Life, Maintenance

Will your boat’s batteries survive the winter? You certainly don’t want to wait for spring to find the answer to that question. If your batteries are in fact dead when you try to start the season, they can be brought back to life; it’s not the end of the world. But it’s definitely a hassle you don’t want to have. Here’s some advice from Practical Sailor (for these purposes, batteries work the same way on powerboats and sailboats) about steps you can take to help your batteries last until warm weather. If you’ve removed the batteries from the boat, store…

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