Cruising Life

Garmin Introduces New ActiveCaptain App, Very Cool Diver’s Watch, and Much More

By Peter Janssen on October 31, 2017 Cruising Life, Electronics

Just before the big Lauderdale show, Garmin announced several new products, including new 7- and 9-inch touchscreens with updated mapping and sonar features; new fishfinders, and the first ActiveCaptain Mobile app and the first diver’s watch with a computer and GPS (see the picture above). For cruising boat owners, the ActiveCaptain app might have the most appeal, since it could lead to being connected all the time on the water. It gives you the ability to access the ActiveCaptain community, and to create, save and transfer routes and waypoints between the app and your device. You also can use it…

New Austin Parker 44 Sedan: Hints of a Luxurious Lobster Boat in a Contemporary Continental Package

By Peter Janssen on October 31, 2017 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

The new Austin Parker 44, making its U.S. debut at the Lauderdale show, is an eye-catching combination of slightly retro design, with hints of a traditional Down East lobster boat, and an aggressive contemporary styling that says this boat can run with the best of them. The new 44 sedan is part of the revamped Austin Parker fleet that now runs from 37 to 72 feet. Designed by Fulvio De Simoni (who also drew Pershings), Austin Parkers are made in Italy and are meant to have a global appeal as luxurious, safe and comfortable blue-water cruising boats. They make extensive…

La Dolce Vita: Cruising Lake Como on an Iconic Riva – or a Hinckley

By Peter Janssen on October 31, 2017 Cruising Life

It would be hard to find a more romantic spot for a cruise than Lake Como, the absolutely gorgeous, pristine body of water nestled up against the Alps in northern Italy. Many of the little villages have been there since the Roman Empire, while today it is the home (occasionally) of an international jet set that includes George Clooney and Richard Branson. And its waterfront villas and hotels (think Villa d’Este) are some of the best in the world. A few years ago, my wife and I cruised there on a new Hinckley 29, and it was one of the…

Devastating Maine Storm “Worse Than Sandy” in Belfast Harbor

By Peter Janssen on October 31, 2017 Cruising Life

The storm that roared up the coast and left half a million without power in the Northeast really walloped Belfast Harbor in Maine early this week. Indeed, the Bangor Daily News reports that the wind and waves caused at least half a dozen boats to break free of their moorings and wash up on shore. Several were destroyed on the rocks (see the top picture). JB Turner, owner of the Front Street Shipyard, which is in the inner harbor, said his yard avoided the worst of the damage. Still, he said, “This hit us worse than Sandy.” See the picture…

How to Winterize Your Engines, Gas and Diesel, Outboards and Inboards

By Peter Janssen on October 30, 2017 Cruising Life, Engine Room

For those of us in the north, it’s that time of the year. Unless you’re heading south, your cruising season is ending. Time to put the boat away for the winter, and that means winterizing your engines. Everybody has their own list, and many people simply turn their boats over to their marinas. Even if you do, it helps to know what needs to be done. Here’s a great list from BoatU.S. that at least will serve as a starter. The list covers outboards, gas and diesel inboards, and stern drives, and deals with more than just the engines themselves.…

Seven Reasons to Charter in Mallorca from The Moorings

By Peter Janssen on October 30, 2017 Charter, Cruising Life, Destinations

You probably don’t need many more reasons to visit Mallorca, the gorgeous island in the Med 50 miles east of Spain, but just in case you do, The Moorings has come up with a list to nudge you along. One of Spain’s Balearic Islands, Mallorca is an uber-appealing destination if you’re cruising or chartering or just looking for a special vacation. For the past few decades, Mallorca has been a major European tourist destination, with its long, protected beaches, sheltered coves, limestone mountains and Roman and Moorish ruins. Mallorca is rich with history. The capital of Palma was founded as…

BoatU.S. Offers New Online Course About How to Use AIS. See the Video

By Peter Janssen on October 30, 2017 Cruising Life, Electronics

In a move designed to improve safe boating, BoatU.S. is offering a new online course about how to use AIS, the Automatic Identification System that tracks boat movements on a radar-like screen display. The course, “AIS Electronics for Boaters – See and Be Seen on the Water,” was developed by the BoatUS Foundation for Boating Safety and Clean Water and the United States Power Squadrons. The course is a blend of practical knowledge and technical know-how and is an easy way to get up to speed on AIS, the latest collision avoidance technology that is being used by more and…

First Astrolabe, Used to Navigate in 1500, Found in Vasco da Gama Shipwreck

By Peter Janssen on October 30, 2017 Cruising Life

If you think navigating was difficult in the days before GPS, take a look at this. It’s the world’s first astrolabe, a bronze disc that Vasco da Gama’s navigators used to sail from Portugal to India around 1500, just a few years after Columbus found America. In 1503, da Gama was returning home after his second voyage to India. He left several ships behind to explore (and exploit) the area, but they sank in storms. Several years ago, researchers found this 7-inch astrolabe among many artifacts on one of those ships, Esmeralda, off the coast of Oman. At first, they…

Garmin Buys Navionics, Gets Its Charts and Apps

By Peter Janssen on October 28, 2017 Cruising Life, Electronics

Garmin’s fast-growing marine business just got bigger. The publicly-traded electronics giant (GRMN, Nasdaq) just bought Navionics, the privately-held provider of navigation charts and mobile applications. “Navionics has long been known as a leading supplier of highly accurate navigational charts and mobile applications for boaters,” said Cliff Pemble, Garmin president and CEO. “By combining Navionics’ content with Garmin’s BlueChart and LakeVu content, we will be able to offer the best available breadth and depth of coverage to our marine customers.” Pemble said that Garmin, a world-wide company based in Schaffhausen, Switzerland, will keep the Navionics brand and support Navionics’ customers. The…

Neiman Marcus Offers Special Christmas Gifts for Cruising Boat Owners. Well…

By Peter Janssen on October 26, 2017 Cruising Life, Gear

In the mail today, we just got the new Neiman Marcus Christmas Book, all 273 high-gloss, four-color pages of it. Don’t ask why we got this homage to high-end spending; I don’t know either. But, leafing through to see how the much-more-affluent-than-I-am are living, I did find some items that would be useful to cruising boat enthusiasts. On page 73, for example, under the “For Dad” heading, how could any boating dad resist the Funboy Yacht Pool Float (pictured above)? The catalog says it is made with “heavy-duty vinyl with day bed for two, cooler for drink/storage and cup holders,”…

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