Here’s the best (or most chilling) video I’ve seen of Florence’s destruction in the mid-Atlantic states. It’s an NBC clip of the storm destroying a marina in New Bern, North Carolina, and many of the boats in it. Take a look: https://www.facebook.com/NBC25/videos/hurricane-florence-shreds-north-carolina-marina/289673644967742/
Now being tested in the Seine in Paris, the all-electric Sea Bubble, a 16-foot, all-electric hydrofoil, could be the water taxi of the future. In other permutations, it also could take you around your harbor or lake, or simply give you a new, cool, eco-friendly vessel. The founders of Sea Bubble say you should think of it as “a James Bond car, available for everybody, but with zero waves, zero noise, zero CO2 emissions.” Designed by Alain Thébault, who also designed the record-setting 50-knot-plus Hydroptère, a sailing hydrofoil trimaran, the Sea Bubble is powered by two electrically driven props. You…
Amid all the terrible loss of life and destruction that Florence wreaked in the mid-Atlantic states, it was often hard to find many signs of hope. But in this great story and heart-warming video, USA Today reports how the Coast Guard rescued a couple and a boatload of their beagles that had been trapped in a trailer in rural North Carolina. Rescuing beagles, of course, is not the first thing that comes to mind when you think of what the Coast Guard does during an emergency. Charging through inlets, yes; lifting people up from sinking boats into helicopters, yes. Rescuing a…
Here’s some great – and timely – advice from BoatUS about how to recover your boat after a hurricane: With the remnants of Hurricane Florence now on the way out to sea and high waters still posing a threat to some regions, boat owners are starting recovery efforts. The BoatUS Marine Insurance Catastrophe Team began field operations on Sunday, Sept 16, in the Carolinas. To help affected boat owners with the recovery effort, BoatUS offers these five tips to assist boaters in recovering their vessels and starting the salvage process. 1.Get permission first. Never try to enter a storm-affected marina…
A 63-foot Hatteras sportfishing boat just crossed the Atlantic on its own bottom, and the company says it may be the first production boat to make such a journey. Indeed, the Hatteras GT63 Post One cruised 1,985 nm from Bermuda to the Azores in nine days; it refueled three times from its mothership, a 148-foot Cheoy Lee named Dorothea III. All told, crews on both boats transferred about 1,500 gallons of diesel fuel from the Cheoy Lee to the Hatteras, which had been fitted with a special fuel fill. The Hatteras, powered by twin CAT V-12 C32 diesels, cruised at 10.5…
The new Bracewell 41 trawler, built from the tooling for the popular Camano 41, will make its east coast debut at the Annapolis powerboat show, starting Oct. 11. The Bracewell has already been shown in Seattle. The new two-stateroom Bracewell uses Camano’s seaworthy hull and keel design, with its low center of gravity, and it include lots of upgrades for more comfort and aesthetics. Powered by a standard 435-hp Volvo diesel or a 480-hp Cummins, the Bracewell cruises efficiently in the 8- to 16-knot range. The boat has a pronounced bow flare to knock down spray. The side decks are…
If you’re thinking of joining the snowbirds heading south this fall (or returning north in the spring), you also are probably thinking about stopping in the Norfolk/Hampton area along the way. After all, Norfolk is Mile Zero of the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway so unless you’re cruising offshore, you’ll be there. Norfolk, of course, is the Navy’s largest base in the world, and it’s busy with military and commercial traffic. Hampton, next door, shares its rich history and offers more marinas and facilities for cruising boat owners. If you just want to start down the Waterway itself, go south 12 miles…
More and more people are cruising the Great Loop after they retire. They’re looking for an adventure, the chance to do something new, to see new places, to meet new friends. The 6,000 mile circumnavigation of the eastern half of the United States, plus side trips to the Bahamas or up the east coast to Maine, add to the allure. The Loop is a dream, but it’s not an out-of-reach dream. It’s achievable. Here’s a fun story from The Tennessean about Ron and Karen Atkisson, from Brentwood, Tennessee, south of Nashville. They ran a chain of automobile repair shops for 30…
Arthur Medici, 26, loved to surf and ride his boogie board on the waves off Cape Cod, Massachusetts. Born in Brazil, Medici had come to the United States two years ago to go to college. He lived in Revere, just north of Boston, and was riding his boogie board off Newcomb Hollow Beach in Wellfleet on the Cape, having fun with his girlfriend’s brother about noon on Saturday. A great white shark hit him. People on the beach heard him scream “shark”; they saw him kicking at the water; they saw the shark’s fin. The friend dragged Medici to the…
The beautiful, fast and light Palm Beach GT50 and the new twin outboard-powered Back Cove 34O were just named best new powerboats at the Newport International Boat Show. The Palm Beach GT50 was named Best New Powerboat at the show, as well as Best New Powerboat Over 35 feet. The Back Cove 34O was named Best New Powerboat Under 35 feet as well as winner of the show’s annual People’s Choice Award. More than 400 powerboats are on display at the four-day show. A panel of five judges visited more than a dozen new powerboats to determine the awards on…