Cruising Life

Nordhavn Starts Work on a New 80, an Updated Version of Its Iconic World Cruisers

By Peter Janssen on January 16, 2018 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

Nordhavn is starting work on a new 80-foot boat, the latest addition to its long-range cruisers, at the South Coast yard in Xiamen, China. It fits between the company’s 76- and 86-foot models. “For some, the 86 is just too big,” says Jim Leishman, Nordhavn’s vice president. “At 80 feet, this boat will be that much more manageable.” While maintaining all of Nordhavn’s famed seakeeping and world-cruising attributes, the new 80 will have a more modern look than some of the company’s previous models. The sheerline, for example, is long and straight; the foredeck is almost parallel to the waterline.…

New Eastbay 44, a Success in the U.S., Is Being Introduced to Europe at Boot Dusseldorf

By Peter Janssen on January 15, 2018 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

Grand Banks is introducing its iconic Downeast-styled Eastbay 44 to the European market on Jan. 21 at Boot Dusseldorf, one of the largest boat shows in the world. The Eastbay 44 has been shown in the U.S. for the past year, amid rave reviews. With its low profile, long sheer, and typical Downeast tumblehome, the new 44 – the first Grand Banks built since Mark Richards, the founder of Palm Beach Yachts, was hired to run both companies – is a thoroughly contemporary version of a traditional Grand Banks. It has all the teak, world-class fit-and-finish and classic lines of…

One Person Dies, 50 Jump Overboard, as Casino Boat Shuttle Catches Fire off Port Richey, Florida. See Video

By Peter Janssen on January 15, 2018 Cruising Life

One woman died after a casino shuttle boat caught fire off Port Richey, Florida, and all 50 passengers on board jumped overboard into shallow water as fast-moving flames consumed the vessel. Only quick thinking by the boat’s captain prevented a worse disaster. The fire started about 4 on Sunday afternoon after the 60-foot shuttle boat, the Sun Cruz, left Port Richey, carrying its complement of passengers 3.5 miles offshore to the Tropical Breeze Casino Cruise, operating in international waters. The shuttle was about 25 miles northwest of Tampa. Shortly after the shuttle left the dock, the captain saw smoke coming…

New Icom Fixed-Mount VHF/DSC: Everything You Need in a Slim, Compact Package

By Peter Janssen on January 15, 2018 Cruising Life, Electronics

Icom just announced its new compact IC-M33OGE fixed-mount VHF/DSC radio at the London boat show. The new radio, with a display about the size of a smartphone, is one of the smallest in the world, and it’s designed to be installed in any area of your boat where space is limited. Despite its size, the new IC-M33OGE has the same interface and performance as Icom’s larger radios, with intuitive, easy-to-use soft keys for fast access to all its functions. And its new speaker delivers distortion-free audio even at full volume. The new VHF includes an integral GPS, which provides your…

Life on the Loop: An Alabama Couple Waits in Key West for Warm Weather on Their Grand Banks 36

By Peter Janssen on January 11, 2018 Cruising Life

So far, George and Meg Sanders on Viridian, their 1986 Grand Banks 36 Classic, have done everything just about right. A few years ago, they had virtually no experience on a boat of this size. Now they’ve put a few thousand miles under their belts and are waiting out the cold weather in Key West, ready to resume their voyage around the Great Loop in February. The Sanders, from Lacey’s Spring, Alabama, just south of Huntsville, decided they wanted to take a major adventure several years ago: The Great Loop beckoned. But first, they needed a boat. In June, 2016,…

For Your Next Raft-Up: The Aqua Beach Wave Floating Party Mat

By Peter Janssen on January 9, 2018 Cruising Life, Gear

This doesn’t really bring up visions of Joshua Slocum or bashing ‘round the Horn, but it could add a bit of spice to your local raft-up next summer. It’s the Aqua Beach Wave Floating Party Mat, and it could bring some fun after you tie up in the calm waters of a quiet cove. The Floating Party Mat is different. It’s made with soft, durable cross-link foam so it won’t tear, and it has four cup holders (need we say more). It has mooring lines and hook-and-loop straps to keep you floating in one spot, and it has Velcro straps…

Moorings Offers Free Days Special For Most of the Year. Book Now

By Peter Janssen on January 9, 2018 Charter, Cruising Life

The Moorings is making it hard to stay home. Indeed, the worldwide charter powerhouse is now offering a Free Days Special, where you can get an extra day on board your charter yacht if you book it for a week before Jan. 31. Book it for two weeks and you get an extra two days free. The Free Days Special applies to The Moorings locations in Antigua, the Bahamas, Belize, the British Virgin Islands (pictured above), Grenada, Puerto Rico, St. Lucia, St. Martin, the Seychelles, Tahiti and Thailand. You must complete the booking by Jan. 31 for any time between…

Humpback Whale Saves Diver from Shark: See Incredible Video

By Peter Janssen on January 9, 2018 Cruising Life

Here’s an incredible story – and video – about a 50,000-pound humpback whale protecting a diver in the South Pacific from a tiger shark by hiding her under his pectoral fin. “I wasn’t sure what the whale was up to when he approached me, and it didn’t stop pushing me around for over 10 minutes,” Nan Hauser, a 63-year-old biologist, told the Daily Mirror. Hauser was diving from a research vessel off Muri Beach, Rarotonga in the Cook Islands, when the whale started moving her away from the 15-foot shark. She didn’t see the shark, but the whale started pushing…

Simrad Launches New Six-Panel Integrated Display for Cruising Boats

By Peter Janssen on January 9, 2018 Cruising Life, Electronics

Take a look at the new Simrad Yachting integrated display above. If you can’t see it there, it’s probably not worth seeing. The six-panel, split-screen touchscreen display on the new NSO evo3 is designed to be the premiere integrated display for larger cruising boats, and it’s made to be easy to see from any viewing angle (even if you’re wearing polarized sun glasses). The idea is to connect the NSO evo3 to other Simrad network modules and add GPS, autopilot, keypad controllers and other accessories to create a vessel-wide system. The high-definition (1920 x 1080) display puts you in total…

Six Lessons You Learn from Living Aboard. Plus Video of How To Save Space

By Peter Janssen on January 8, 2018 Cruising Life

Here’s a great story, with a bit of humor, about living aboard a canal boat in the heart of London (which apparently 10,000 people actually do). It talks about the six lessons learned from that experience. I know from my own living aboard days, in Norwalk Cove, Connecticut, on my Grand Banks 36, that those lessons are universal to the living aboard lifestyle, and not just limited to the UK. Many years ago, I interviewed Richard Branson (before he was Sir Richard Branson) on his canal boat in London. He was using it as a private office, a place to…

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