Cruising Life

More Sharks, and More Shark Attacks, in California. Now the State Is Trying To Figure Out What To Do

By Peter Janssen on July 30, 2018 Cruising Life

Last summer there were so many sharks along the California coast that the NBC station in Los Angeles called it the “summer of sightings.” Boaters, kayakers, surfers, divers and swimmers all reported seeing more sharks, including great white sharks, than ever before. And this year there are more than ever, so many, in fact, that the Shark Lab at California State University, Long Beach, the leading great white shark research organization, has run out of tags to identify them. The historic trend is stark: In the 1950s, there were 12 shark attacks in California waters. So far in the 2010s,…

Coast Guard Orders Investigation into Duck Boat Sinking. Victims’ Families Sue, Charging They Are “Death Traps.” NTSB Releases Timeline

By Peter Janssen on July 30, 2018 Cruising Life

The Coast Guard has convened a formal Marine Board of Investigation into the loss of the duck boat that sank on July 19 with the loss of 17 lives near Branson, Missouri. A Marine Board of Investigation is the highest-level investigation in the Coast Guard, and it’s only the fifth to be convened in the past decade. Meanwhile, two different families of drowning victims in the tragedy have sued Ride the Ducks Branson, the company operating the duck boat fleet there, charging that they are “death traps” and that the operators knew about safety problems for years and did nothing…

Boating Industry Upset About Trump’s New Plans for High-Octane Ethanol

By Peter Janssen on July 29, 2018 Cruising Life, Engine Room

The fight over high-ethanol fuel is heading up, with the boating industry warning that President Trump’s plans to let E15 be sold year-round could damage the engines of millions of boat owners. “President Trump’s pledge to allow the year-round sale of E15 will needlessly put consumers in danger,” Thom Dammrich, president of the National Marine Manufacturers Association, said last week. The immediate problem started the previous day when President Trump told Iowa farmers that his Administration is “getting very close” to approving a waiver to allow E15, a fuel blend including 15 percent ethanol, to be sold year round. Currently,…

One Woman’s Story: The Lost Art of Traveling Slowly: What I Learned Cruising Canada’s Rideau Canal

By Peter Janssen on July 29, 2018 Charter, Cruising Life

“‘But…’ my husband hesitated. ‘You don’t have a license.’ My best friend was less diplomatic. Her text message simply read: ‘ARE THEY MAD?’ “None of my nearest and dearest could quite believe someone was going to let me – a ham-fisted, maladroit non-driver, who even managed to fail the cycling proficiency test – pilot a boat. I’ll admit it; I was a little surprised myself. So when I set off down the Rideau Canal on a Canadian boating holiday it was with the sun on my face, my knuckles white on the wheel and a determination to prove everyone wrong.…

Azimut Launches New 59-foot High-Tech, High-Style S6 Sport Cruiser

By Peter Janssen on July 26, 2018 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

Azimut will launch its new high-style, high-tech, 59-foot S6 sport cruiser at the Cannes Yachting Festival starting Sept. 11. The latest in the Italian builder’s S series, the three-stateroom, two-head boat features the glazed hull surfaces and distinct bow cap that make the series easily recognizable. It also features carbon fiber construction and three Volvo 550-hp diesels with IPS700 pod drives for fuel efficiency, quiet cruising and fingertip-easy low-speed maneuvering around a dock. With an exterior by superyacht designer Stefano Righini, the Azimut S6 sports a low profile, highly raked windshield and equally low and raked radar arch. The interior…

British Photographer Shoots New Highly Acclaimed Series of Wave Pictures that Look like Sculptures

By Peter Janssen on July 25, 2018 Cruising Life

You think you’ve seen waves before? Well, probably not waves that look like this. Photographer Rachael Talibart took the picture above, as part of her new wave series, after a storm on the southeast coast of England. Her series, called Sirens (inspired by Homer’s Odyssey), is shortlisted for the Sony World Photography Award; it also will be exhibited at the Sohn Fine Art Gallery in Lenox, Massachusetts, in September. Talibart grew up sailing with her father in the English Channel. The problem was that she got seasick. Her cure was to sit in the cockpit and stare out at the…

Coast Guard Investigating Duck Boat Tragedy: Design Flaws, Unused Life Jackets

By Peter Janssen on July 25, 2018 Cruising Life

When salvage crews raised Stretch Duck 07 some 80 feet from the floor of Table Rock Lake in Branson, Missouri, four days after it sank, two small American flags were still flying from the front and rows of orange life jackets were still dangling from the cabin top. None of the 17 people who were killed – or the 14 who survived – when the duck boat went down in a sudden storm were wearing a life jacket. One survivor told CNN that just before the boat entered the water from the launch ramp, the captain told them there were three sizes…

Edson Marine Launches New Photo Contest: Enter Your Favorites, Win a Prize

By Peter Janssen on July 25, 2018 Cruising Life

Do you have favorite pictures of your boat, with your family or pet on board, having fun? Who doesn’t. Now you have a chance to enter them in the 2018 Summer Photo Contest from Edson Marine, the people who’ve been making high-end marine accessories since 1859, and possibly win a prize. Edson’s contest last year was a big success, so now it’s holding it again. The contest has three categories: Power, Sail, and Boater’s Best Friend. The catch is that the picture has to show an Edson product. Here are the details: Power: Picture must show a powerboat and include…

16 Great Cruising Destinations on the South Shore of Cape Cod and the Islands

By Peter Janssen on July 24, 2018 Cruising Life, Destinations

Some of the best cruising grounds in the U.S., if not the world, are found off the south shore of Cape Cod and the nearby islands – the Elizabeth Islands stretching southwest between Buzzards Bay and Vineyard Sound, and then Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket offshore. Here’s a look at 16 great cruising destinations there from New England Boating. You can easily cruise to two or three of them (or more) in the same day, but each one is worth a long visit in its own right. First on their list is Cuttyhunk, as it would be for mine too, not…

New Report: Ship Suffered “Heavy Rolling” for 90 Seconds before Losing 81 Containers Off Coast of Australia

By Peter Janssen on July 24, 2018 Cruising Life

The 879-foot-long cargo ship Efficiency rolled 30 degrees to port and starboard for 90 seconds in gale-force winds off the coast of Australia before 81 containers washed overboard in the middle of the night, according to a new report from the Australian Transport Safety Bureau. The Liberian-flagged Efficiency was en route from Taiwan to Port Botany, just below Sydney. It was delayed from docking for eight hours, according to the new report, while the crew stopped and restarted the main engine for brief periods of time to control the drift. At this point, the ship was 16 nm off Newcastle, which is…

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