Cruising Life

How, and When, To Make a Mayday or Other Distress Call. A Good Primer from the Power Squadrons

By Peter Janssen on April 9, 2018 Cruising Life

Let’s assume that you’re up to speed on how to make a distress call to the Coast Guard in an emergency. And that you know proper VHF radio procedure, and you’re familiar with the three levels of distress calls, starting with the life- or vessel-threatening Mayday. But what happens if you’re incapacitated, or you can’t make the call yourself? Does your spouse or crew know what to do? Here’s a great reminder from the U.S. Power Squadrons on how to call for help when you need it most. Before you start a cruise, it’s a good idea to make sure…

More Atlantic Hurricanes than Usual This Year, Says Colorado State Forecast

By Peter Janssen on April 9, 2018 Cruising Life

Last year was the worst hurricane season ever on the Atlantic Coast of the U.S. This year, according to the well-regarded annual forecast from Colorado State, there will be more hurricanes than average, with a chance that seven named storms will turn into hurricanes. And there’s a 63 percent chance the U.S. will be hit by a major hurricane. No one wants a repeat of last year, when Hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria caused more than $217 billion worth of damage, the most ever. The Colorado State study, now in its 35th year, predicts that the Atlantic coast will have…

Father-Son Team Convicted of Dumping Oil from Fishing Boat’s Bilge into Washington Harbor, Ocean

By Peter Janssen on April 9, 2018 Cruising Life

A jury in a U.S. District Court in Seattle just found Randall Fox, former captain of the fishing vessel Native Sun (above), guilty of discharging oily waste into the ocean. He now faces a maximum of six years in prison and a criminal fine of $250,000. Last year his father, Bingham Fox, the former owner of Native Sun, was convicted of similar crimes. The original indictment said that Bingham Fox ordered the crew to discharge oil and other bilge waste overboard in the harbor and adjoining shoreline of Blaine, Washington, which is on the Strait of George just south of…

Cargo Ships Loses Steering, Crashes into Historic Mansion on the Bosporus. See the Video

By Peter Janssen on April 9, 2018 Cruising Life

A 738-foot-long cargo carrier lost its rudder and crashed into a historic waterside mansion on the Bosporus Strait in Istanbul, Turkey, causing a great deal of damage and temporarily closing the Strait, one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world. The 17-mile Bosporus connects the Black Sea to the Sea of Marmara and then the Aegean and the Mediterranean. The Maltese-flagged ship, the Vistaspirit, crashed into a red mansion that dates back to the 18th century; it once belonged to a doctor in the Ottoman palace but now is primarily used for events, such as weddings or concerts. The…

Vanity Fair: A Terrifying Account of El Faro’s Final Hours

By Peter Janssen on April 5, 2018 Cruising Life

Here’s an absolutely gripping – and terrifying – account of the last 26 hours of El Faro, the 790-foot-long cargo ship that ran into the eye of a Category 3 hurricane off the Bahamas on Oct. 1, 2015, and sank, killing all 33 people on board. It was the worst U.S. maritime disaster in 30 years. Now, Vanity Fair has pieced together a thorough account of what happened, based on information from the ship’s digital data recorder, which recorded everything that was said on the bridge and was recovered 15,400 feet underwater, and from intensive investigations by the Coast Guard…

More Recovery in the BVI: Cooper Island Beach Club Reopens with Same Rum Bar, Same Views

By Peter Janssen on April 4, 2018 Cruising Life, Destinations

The recovery in the British Virgin Islands is getting stronger. Indeed, the Cooper Island Beach Club just reopened as a result of major rebuilding since the hurricanes last fall. Cooper Island is on the Sister Island chain leading to The Baths at Virgin Gorda, and is a popular overnight (or longer) spot for people cruising or chartering in the area. There are a lot of reasons to head to the Cooper Island Beach Club. It has one of the largest rum bars in the Caribbean, with stunning sunset views; an infamous microbrewery, a beachfront restaurant, and all its rooms have…

Boating Boom in the Bahamas, with “Excellent” Prospects for the Rest of the Year

By Peter Janssen on April 4, 2018 Cruising Life

There’s a boating boom in the Bahamas, at least there was for the first quarter of this year, when arrivals at marinas there were up a whopping 60 percent over the same time last year. And marina operators throughout the island chain are predicting that the boom will continue. “The prospects for boating to the Bahamas look excellent for 2018,” Stephen Kappeler, president of the Association of Bahamas Marinas, told the newspaper Tribune 242. Marina operators say there are several reasons for the boom. Boat sales are up and former boat owners have received settlements for boats lost in last…

New 40 Open Sunreef Power: Luxury, Space and Performance in a Wide-Open Cat

By Peter Janssen on April 4, 2018 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

Here’s a boat that’s built for fun. Take a look at the new 40 Open Sunreef Power, a fast, luxurious iteration of a boat that just keeps on giving – or folding out for more and more space. One thing’s for sure with the Sunreef 40 – you’re not going to run out of room. And although this boat, hull number one, is open, Sunreef specializes in customizing its boats, and an owner can have a cabin with a double bed in the bow and a head in one of the cat’s hulls if he wants to go cruising. Meanwhile, the…

Raritan Introduces New Toilet Using Either Fresh or Sea Water to Flush

By Peter Janssen on April 4, 2018 Cruising Life, Gear

You don’t have to worry about using up your boat’s fresh water supply to flush the toilet any more. Raritan has just come up with a new line called Marine Elegance electric toilets with a patented SeaFresh option. You just flip a switch on the toilet’s control panel to choose which water source you want. The new toilets are designed to fit into most head compartments as a full-size, one-piece toilet. They have a small, compact base that matches most toilet footprint sizes. Made with white or almond vitreous china, they come in two heights, each with a straight or…

New Tax Law Offers Great Incentives To Buy a Boat for Charter Business

By Peter Janssen on April 3, 2018 Charter, Cruising Life

The new federal tax law could be some very good news if you’re thinking about buying a boat for a charter business. Under the new law, if you buy a new or brokerage boat from Jan.1 of this year through 2022 and use it in a charter or other business activity, you can score some significant tax savings. You may even be able to deduct the whole purchase price, plus improvements. According to interpretations of the new law from United Yacht Sales and Bluewater Yacht Sales, it has some fairly dramatic, and lucrative, benefits for boat owners. The details: You…

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