Cruising Life

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,…

Cruising in Casco Bay: Portland and So Much More

By Peter Janssen on June 28, 2017 Cruising Life, Destinations

On my first trips to Maine, I’d hang a left at Cape Elizabeth and head into Casco Bay, usually tying up at DiMillo’s in downtown Portland and having a great dinner at one of the city’s many new, highly acclaimed restaurants. And then, most of the time, I’d have an early breakfast at Becky’s Diner, eating with the fishermen, before heading Down East to see friends in my favorite cruising grounds of Tenants Harbor or Somes Sound. Finally, I realized what a lot of people already knew. Casco Bay is a great cruising destination in itself, dotted with islands, beaches,…

Diver Killed When Someone Turns On Yacht’s Bow Thrusters in Palm Beach

By Peter Janssen on June 28, 2017 Cruising Life

This tragedy is almost beyond belief, and we still don’t have any details, but a diver who was cleaning the bottom of a 173-foot yacht in North Palm Beach, Florida, was killed when someone turned on the bow thrusters and he was sucked into the propellers. The accident occurred about noon when the diver was working under the super-yacht Honey at Old Port Cove Marina. He was killed immediately when the thrusters were turned on and he was sucked into the props. Florida authorities are investigating. For more: http://www.wpbf.com/article/diver-cleaning-yacht-bottom-killed-when-propeller-turned-on/10231016

Police Say “Rather Drunk” Man Steals Boat and Runs It Onto Florida Beach

By Peter Janssen on June 27, 2017 Cruising Life

It didn’t take the police long to figure out how the 36-foot Ethel-Jeanne ended up on the beach in Daytona Beach, Florida, on Saturday morning, abandoned, with its engine still running. Once they climbed aboard, and shut off the engine, the police found a pair of pants, a cellphone and a wallet with a driver’s license belonging to Jonathan Race, 20. When they showed up at Race’s house in nearby Port Orange, he said the last thing he remembered was buying a few Four Loko alcoholic drinks at the 7-Eleven across from the Daytona Marina and Boatworks, where the Ethel-Jeanne…

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