Cruising Life

Le Boat Opens North American Boat Rental Operations on Canada’s Historic Rideau Canal

By Peter Janssen on May 29, 2018 Charter, Cruising Life, Destinations

Le Boat, the largest boat rental company in Europe, just opened its first operation in North America on the historic Rideau Canal, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Canada. The company, which has 16 bases in eight different countries, hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the Kilmarnock Lock Station on the Rideau Canal, with three of their new Horizon Cruisers among the first vessels to transit the lock to start the 2018 boating season. The Rideau Canal winds 125 miles through picturesque towns, unspoiled lakes and rolling pastoral countryside from Kingston, on Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence, up to Ottawa,…

Maritimo Launches New 60 with Creative Space Aft. Your Choice: An Extra Cabin or a Beach Club

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

Maritimo just launched a new 60-foot, three-cabin, two-head motoryacht at the Sanctuary Cove International Boat Show in Australia that has a unique space aft that can be arranged in many ways: As a traditional aft cabin, with an en suite head and shower and access from the salon or swim platform; as a “beach club,” essentially an upscale extension of the large swim platform for access to the water and water sports; as a garage for a pretty good-sized tender; or basically anything else a potential owner can think of. In other words, you decide. Tom Barry-Cotter, the lead designer…

Don’t Wait: Get the MMSI Number for Your DSC-VHF Radio Now. It Could Save Your Life.

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

Maritime Mobile Service Identify (MMSI) is a mouthful. It’s also long – a nine-digit number that works like a phone number on your DSC-VHF radio to call for help. If you have it, all you have to do is push a red button on your VHF (even a child can do this) and the radio will automatically and immediately broadcast your boat’s location, in exact latitude and longitude, to all other boats with DSC-VHF radios within range. It also will show your boat’s location on their chart plotters and determine the distance and bearing back to your boat. But it…

How To Keep Your Dog Safe This Summer: What To Look for in New Canine Life Jackets

By Peter Janssen on May 28, 2018 Cruising Life

Now that boating season is well underway, it’s time to make sure that everyone on board has a safe summer afloat. Let’s assume that we all have enough PFDs for everyone on board. But what about our pets, particularly our dogs? I have to admit that I just figured that my 75-pound yellow Lab was a good enough swimmer so I didn’t have anything on my Grand Banks or other boats for him. Labs do swim, right? Well, so do other dogs, but for how long, and in what conditions? And I never addressed the real issue, which was how…

Largest Dead Zone in the World (Where Ocean Does Not Have Enough Oxygen to Support Life) Found in Gulf of Oman

By Peter Janssen on May 28, 2018 Cruising Life

The largest ocean dead zone in the world, larger than the state of Florida, has just been found in the Gulf of Oman, a strait bordered by Iran, Pakistan, Oman and the UAE, measuring about 63,700 square miles. The dead zone is not only the largest but also the thickest in the world, according to researchers from the University of East Anglia, who studied the area for eight months, using underwater Seaglider robots to feed data to satellites. The scientists had last measured the gulf in the 1990s, and now report a “dramatic increase” in the size and severity of…

NOAA Predicts 75% Chance of Normal or Above Normal Atlantic Hurricane Season This Year

By Peter Janssen on May 27, 2018 Cruising Life

NOAA just released its 2018 Atlantic Hurricane Season Outlook, with predictions of near- or above-normal activity. In fact, NOAA said there’s a 70 percent chance of 10 to 16 named storms developing this season; five to nine of them could become hurricanes, including one to four major hurricanes. Last year there were six major hurricanes in the Atlantic; three of them, Irma, Maria and Harvey, resulted in the loss of 251 lives. The specific forecast for the season, which runs from June 1 to November 30: 35 percent chance of above normal. 40 percent of near normal. 25 percent of…

Sabre 45 Salon Express and Carver C34 Coupe Win Awards for Top New Products of 2018

By Peter Janssen on May 27, 2018 Cruising Life

The Sabre 45 Salon Express (above), already voted winner of the People’s Choice Award at the Newport International Boat Show in September, has just scored another honor. It’s been named a Top Product in Boating Industry magazine’s list of top 50 new products for 2018. The Carver C34 Coupe was the only other cruising boat on the list, which includes everything from new boats and electronics to apps. The magazine said all the winners were chosen for their innovation and impact on the industry. Here’s what the magazine had to say about the Sabre and the Carver: Sabre 45 Salon Express…

New 16-Page NTSB Digest Details Sinking of El Faro, with Infographics and Pictures. Harsh Verdict on the Captain and Owner

By Peter Janssen on May 27, 2018 Cruising Life

The NTSB has just released a new 16-page illustrated digest showing the events and timeline that led to the sinking of El Faro, a U.S.-flagged, 790-foot-long cargo ship, and the deaths of its 33-member crew in hurricane Joaquin off the Bahamas on Oct. 1, 2015. It was the worst U.S. maritime disaster in 30 years. The digest, complete with photos, maps, and infographics, is easy-to-read and comes on top of thousands of pages in the NTSB’s report and other documents. It has more than 60 recommendations and a review of what the government and the maritime industry can do to…

Two Large Wind Farms To Be Built South of Martha’s Vineyard with More than 100 Turbines

By Peter Janssen on May 24, 2018 Cruising Life

Two new wind farms will rise off the coast of Martha’s Vineyard soon, after officials from Massachusetts and Rhode Island announced new contracts to develop them. The larger of the two, called the Vineyard Wind project, could have as many as 100 turbines about 15 miles south of the island. The other project, called Deepwater Revolution Wind, will be a bit closer to shore, about 12 miles southwest of the Vineyard. Vineyard Wind is a joint venture of Avangrid, a Connecticut-based utility, and Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners. Construction on the 800-megawatt project, the largest in any state, is scheduled to start…

Yamaha Introduces Giant New 425-hp V-8 Outboard, Its Most Powerful Ever

By Peter Janssen on May 24, 2018 Cruising Life, Engine Room

More boat owners want big outboards for their cruising boats, and Yamaha has delivered, just unveiling a new 425-hp V-8, its most powerful ever. Yamaha says this new engine features the first application of direct injection technology in a four-stroke outboard; this sprays fuel at high pressure directly into each combustion chamber, rather than the intake track, providing more efficiency, power and torque with faster acceleration and a higher top speed. The new outboard also is the first time Yamaha has used sleeveless cylinders, formed through plasma fusion technology, and iridium spark plugs for reliability and durability. The company says…

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