Cruising Life

Biscayne Bay National Park: A Multi-Colored Treasure Full of Reefs, Aquatic Life and Maybe Even Pirate’s Bounty

By Peter Janssen on August 30, 2017 Cruising Life, Destinations

A lot of the time, it seems, we cruise to Miami and Biscayne Bay on our way to somewhere else – the Keys, say, or the Bahamas. That’s a shame, because there’s a lot to do right there. Take a look at Biscayne Bay National Park, for example, that’s alive with fish and aquatic wildlife and is the home of vast, multi-colored coral reefs. Then, when you’re off the boat, you’ll still have Miami, Miami Beach and Coconut Grove, just to mention a few highlights, at your beck and call. On the water, the Biscayne Bay park is one of…

Volunteers in Small Boats Rescue People and Pets in Hurricane Harvey

By Peter Janssen on August 30, 2017 Cruising Life

These are not the owners of cruising boats that we usually write about. Instead, they’re the owners of small fishing boats, aluminum boats, inflatable boats, jet boats, and they’re all Americans helping other Americans in trouble. As Hurricane Harvey pounded parts of Texas and Louisiana, hundreds of volunteers hooked up their boats to trailers and made their way over flooded roads to the most severely damaged areas. Some were members of the Cajun Navy, a group from southern Louisiana that has been doing this for years. Others were responding for the first time. But once they arrived on the scene,…

Now You Can Get Hurricane Updates from BoatUS App

By Peter Janssen on August 30, 2017 Cruising Life

BoatUS has created a timely feature to its free smartphone app. Now you can get storm and hurricane updates that are refreshed with every NOAA forecast. The app also features tide and marine forecasts, as well as access to your BoatUS membership or insurance information, if you’re a BoatUS member. Even if you’re not a member, you can still download the app to call for help on the water or to get its tide and weather forecasting features. But it’s the storm forecasting that’s most appealing now. “As the storm nears, you’ll get more frequent updates, or you can choose…

New Zeelander 55: A Dutch Beauty with Curves Everywhere

By Peter Janssen on August 28, 2017 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

The Dutch-made Zeelander 55, an upgrade from the company’s popular 44, is a head-turning, luxurious express-type cruiser with hints of both a Down East lobster boat and a Gold Coast commuter boat while announcing a style all its own. From its fine bow to its torpedo stern, the Zeelander 55 is as contemporary as it can be. It’s all curves; there doesn’t seem to be a straight line anywhere. One of the most striking aspects of the Zeelander 55 is the 360-degree view from the helm; actually, from anywhere in the salon. The wraparound windows have narrow frames and double-curved…

Want a Boat in Croatia? Try Uber

By Peter Janssen on August 25, 2017 Cruising Life, Destinations

Uber, the fast-growing ride-sharing service, is taking to the water. Now, with the UberBOAT app, you can call your own boat to carry you around Croatia’s major tourist islands. The company says that several hundred people have used the service since it was started six weeks ago. If UberBOAT is successful in Croatia, it could move to Greece, Spain and the Caribbean. In the Croatia version, users can choose a one-way trip or an “adventure,” where you get to choose your own route. UberBOAT has about 60 boats there, and the company’s goal is to meet customers within 15 minutes…

Lessons from a Long-Range Cruiser: What Tools To Take on Your Boat

By Peter Janssen on August 23, 2017 Cruising Life

We all learn from experience, or rather, we all should learn from experience. Here’s some good advice from Steve D’Antonio, who has a lot of experience cruising himself, as well as working on cruising boats as the former manager of a boatyard. The reality is that if you’re cruising offshore, you’ll have to be able to fix any problem yourself. D’Antonio’s been there, done that. Here, in a story in PropWalk, D’Antonio spells out the requisite tools and spare parts you need for a safe cruise, based on his own years of experience. First, he says, never leave the dock…

27 Reasons to Go Cruising in Mystic, Old Saybrook and Essex, Connecticut. And Then There’s the Fall Foliage

By Peter Janssen on August 23, 2017 Cruising Life, Destinations

It’s no secret that the Connecticut shoreline, particularly in the Old Saybrook to Mystic area, offers some of the best cruising on the east coast, with a combination of national and maritime history and a large selection of welcoming large and small marinas. And that’s before you head up the Connecticut River to Essex, which was burned by the British in the War of 1812 and is now the quintessential small New England town, or Hamburg Cove, just up the river a bit, one of the best gunkholes anywhere, in my opinion. But now that area is attracting more attention.…

Iconic 55-foot Thunderbird Returns to Concours d’Elegance on Lake Tahoe. See Great Video

By Peter Janssen on August 23, 2017 Cruising Life

An American icon, the double-planked mahogany and brushed stainless steel Thunderbird just returned to the annual Concours d’Elegance on Lake Tahoe, California, after some refurbishing. Built in 1940, the 55-foot-long Thunderbird is powered by two V-12 Allison P-38 Lightening aircraft engines that produce a top speed of 70 mph. Thunderbird was built for George Whittell, Jr., a wealthy and reclusive playboy who also owned a Grumman Goose seaplane and six Duesenbergs. He built a 100-foot long boathouse for the boat and a 600-foot tunnel to connect it to his main house on Tahoe’s west shore. Designed by John L. Hacker, of…

Boathandling Tips: How To Hold Your Boat Steady. Good Video

By Peter Janssen on August 22, 2017 Cruising Life

There are many times when you basically want to keep your boat where it is – waiting for a bridge to open, for example, or looking for an open spot on the fuel dock. But knowing how to keep it in place (assuming you don’t have Skyhook or a similar electronic station-keeping system) is much more important, and is part of a basic boat-handling skillset that will serve you well when you’re docking, waiting for traffic to clear in a narrow passage, or even sitting out a sudden squall. Here’s a great video from Motor Boat & Yachting that will…

New Outer Reef 610 Motoryacht: Built for Couples, Comfort and Cruising

By Peter Janssen on August 22, 2017 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

Designed to be run by a cruising couple, the new Outer Reef 610 Motoryacht is spacious, fuel-efficient and easy to maneuver. Indeed, in early July hull number one carried its new owners, a couple from Newport, Rhode Island, on a shakedown cruise from Fort Lauderdale up to their home in five days with just two pit stops, although they had a captain from Outer Reef to help them get acquainted with the boat. Then they cruised New England waters for the rest of the summer themselves. That boat will be displayed at the Newport International Boat Show, starting Sept. 14.…

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