Cruising Life

Aspen Power Cats’ 10,000-Mile Tour Already Reached Alaska, Now Heading South

By Peter Janssen on July 6, 2017 Cruising Life

Aspen Power Catamarans’ epic 10,000-mile tour is off to a good start, with Knot Wafflen’, the company’s new 40-footer, already having cruised from Anacortes, Washington, all the way up to Glacier Bay, Alaska. It’s now in Prince Rupert, British Columbia, on its way south, before ultimately circling most of the U.S. and ending up in Annapolis in October, 2018. The owners of the boat, David and Sue Ellen Jenkins, are both from Annapolis, and were looking for a major adventure after Jenkins, who calls himself a serial entrepreneur, sold Golden Malted, the largest waffle company in the U.S. Referring to…

Five Short Blasts: Danger, Doubt, or What? A Pro’s Look at the Rules

By Peter Janssen on July 6, 2017 Cruising Life

If you don’t remember any other sound signal, you really do need to know that five (or more) short blasts signal danger. Something is wrong. Your vessel and another vessel are in danger of a collision. The danger signal is clearly spelled out in COLREGs, the Rules of the Road, but even so, in the real world, it can lead to some confusion. The problem lies in failing to understand the actions or intentions of the other vessel, and knowing, even if you have the right of way, when to take action to avoid a collision. Drawing from the COLREGs,…

Increased Drug Smuggling Puts Strain on Coast Guard Resources

By Peter Janssen on July 5, 2017 Cruising Life

If you had seen this on Miami Vice, you probably wouldn’t have believed it, but drug smugglers from Guatemala and El Salvador increasingly are turning to homemade submarines in an effort to evade U.S. authorities, particularly the Coast Guard. This doesn’t always work, as evidenced by the picture above of the Coast Guard boarding a narco-sub in the Pacific. Indeed, the Coast Guard seized six narco-subs just last year, all filled with cocaine. And the subs are vastly outnumbered by fishing boats and speedboats (which the smugglers call pangas) in both the Atlantic and the Pacific. The Coast Guard’s problem…

Great Advice for Cruising the Beautiful but Remote North Channel from a Couple in a Mainship 30

By Peter Janssen on July 5, 2017 Cruising Life, Destinations

It’s beautiful, but it’s also remote, with some very narrow channels and a rock-lined bottom. Still, the North Channel of Lake Huron certainly qualifies as one of the best cruising destinations for boats coming from either the United States or Canada. Stretching 160 nm across the northern shore of Lake Huron, in the Canadian province of Ontario, the North Channel is filled with beckoning anchorages, uninhabited islands, hidden beaches and just enough marinas to keep everyone on board happy. Most cruisers who’ve been there agree that navigation can be tricky. The North Channel is 20 miles across at its widest point,…

Iconic John’s Bay Boat Company Launches New 42-foot Down East Cruiser

By Peter Janssen on July 4, 2017 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

For Peter Kass, who’s run the John’s Bay Boat Company in South Bristol, Maine, for the past 34 years, each boat is an original. So far, he’s built 60 boats, all plank on frame, and each one – whether a working lobster boat or a pleasure boat version – is unique. Kass’ boats also are in demand, with a five-year waiting list. If you order a John’s Bay boat today, you can plan for the launch party in 2022. Kass just launched his latest, a 42-foot lobster-yacht called Rhum, for Leslie and Alan Hull, two former sailors from Friendship, Maine.…

On Heels of 35Z with Two Outboards, MJM Plans New 43Z, with Three Outboards

By Peter Janssen on July 4, 2017 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

You can’t say the people at MJM Yachts aren’t thinking ahead. They just launched their new MJM 35Z, with two outboards, and now they’re announcing the development of a new 43Z, with three. MJM says it has created the 43Z in response to requests from owners, particularly in the Carolinas and Florida, who want outboard-powered cruising boats. Outboards have indeed become more popular in the past few years as they have become more technologically advanced, offering fuel-efficient, high-speed and low-noise-level performance. An outboard boat also has obvious advantages when running in shallow water, or in areas with lots of lobster…

Beneteau Starts Rental Boat Club in France with 60 Boats in 15 Locations

By Peter Janssen on July 4, 2017 Cruising Life

Beneteau has just started a boat club where you pay 1,000 Euros (about $1,135) to join and then rent a boat from a fleet of 60 powerboats in 15 locations in France and Spain. The new Beneteau Boat Club is the latest entry in the growing genre of boat rental organizations that let you pay an upfront fee to use a boat without having to buy or maintain it, and is part of the “on-demand” economy that is taking hold around the world. Once you’re a member of the club, you can book a boat on line and then simply…

Kadey-Krogen Celebrates 40th Anniversary with Owners’ Rendezvous in Newport

By Peter Janssen on July 4, 2017 Cruising Life

Kadey-Krogen just celebrated their 40th anniversary with a fun owners’ rendezvous in Newport, Rhode Island, one of the most historic and scenic cruising destinations around (pictured above). The Stuart, Florida-based company says it is the oldest manufacturer of full-displacement, recreational cruising yachts in the world. It is also one of the most successful, having made 600 long-range cruisers from 36- to 58-feet so far, with designs to go up to 70 feet. Kadey-Krogen’s latest design, the 50 Open, is innovative in its layout while staying true to the company’s iconic hull design and proven blue-water performance. All those years of…

Nantucket Ferry Captain Thought Sailboats were Buoys Before Hyannis Crash

By Peter Janssen on June 29, 2017 Cruising Life

Now we know what happened when the captain of a high-speed Nantucket ferry crashed into a jetty at Hyannis Harbor on Cape Cod, Mass., at 9:30 at night, injuring more than a dozen people: Navigating by radar, the captain thought a metal pole and sailboats behind it were buoys marking a safe entrance to the harbor. A report from the Steamship Authority says the captain logged the HH buoy correctly, marking the outer entrance to Hyannis Harbor, and then asked the pilot to light up buoy number 4 with the searchlight. The captain then checked the radar and saw what…

After Three Gales and 20-foot Seas, the Hamiltons Arrive in Ireland on Their Nordhavn 52. See Video

By Peter Janssen on June 28, 2017 Cruising Life

James and Jennifer Hamilton have been cruising ever since they decided, over a glass of wine in Seattle, to take “a quick blast around the world” on Dirona, their Nordhavn 52. That was in 2012. Since then, they’ve crossed the Pacific, spending months in New Zealand and more months in Australia, then crossing the Indian Ocean to the Cape of Good Hope, and then heading up the Atlantic to Barbados and eventually the east coast of the U.S. and as far north as Newfoundland. Here’s a great video of some of their latest trips, including the one they just finished,…

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