Cruising Life

Churning Along at 17 Knots, the Capt. Brian A. McAllister is the Fastest Tug in New York

By Peter Janssen on September 9, 2017 Cruising Life

Let’s hear it for the Capt. Brian A. McAllister (above), the fastest tugboat in New York. In fact, the Capt. Brian A. McAllister, a one-year-old, 100-foot-long, 6,770-hp monster, just beat 12 other tugboats to come in first in the 25th annual Great North River Tugboat Race & Competition. Its winning speed over the one-nautical-mile course in the Hudson River off Manhattan’s Pier 84: A blazing 17 knots. As the winner, the Capt. Brain A. McAllister got a trophy of a bronze tugboat. And its captain, Jackie Benton Jr., got major bragging rights. This was his first race, and he was…

Branson Takes Shelter in His Concrete Wine Cellar in the BVI, Emerges OK

By Peter Janssen on September 8, 2017 Cruising Life

Irma devastated Necar Island and the nearby Bitter End Yacht Club on Virgin Gorda in the BVI, but Sir Richard Branson has emerged wet, but unscathed. Branson owns a large estate on the island and says he has ridden out hurricanes there before. But this time, he says, even though he and his guests took shelter in an underground concrete wine cellar, it was worse than he expected. And he advises anyone else in Irma’s path to “seek strong shelter.” Read more: http://www.coastalliving.com/syndication/richard-branson-hurricane-irma-necker-island?utm_campaign=coastalliving&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=social&xid=cl_socialflow_facebook

Irma Clobbers Tortola and BVI. Decimates Charter Fleets. See Videos and Pictures

By Peter Janssen on September 7, 2017 Cruising Life

Hurricane Irma demolished marinas and decimated charter fleets as it pounded Tortola and the British Virgin Islands. The storm damaged the Bitter End Yacht Club, badly damaged Leverick Bay and destroyed many boats in Nanny Cay. It absolutely destroyed Paraquita Bay on the south side of Tortola (pictured above), a hurricane hole where many charter companies had boats. Sir Richard Branson’s luxury estate on Necker Island was completely destroyed, according to his son, but no people were injured. And there’s no word yet from the outlying island of Anegada, where the storm surge was 16 feet. Here’s a complete story…

How to Trim Your Boat in a Head Sea. Great Video

By Peter Janssen on September 7, 2017 Cruising Life

I’ve found over the years that a lot of people are confused about the best way to use the trim tabs on their boats. But using them effectively can make your ride much more comfortable, as well as fuel-efficient. After all, who wants to pound going into a head sea, or get pushed around in a following sea? Or start listing in a beam sea? The basic idea is that you want to give your boat a good attitude. It’s really a Goldilocks issue, and it changes from boat to boat. You don’t want too much bow up, and you…

Airship in Misty Fjords, Alaska: Ice-Blue Water, Snow-Capped Mountains, and Bear Prints in the Sand

By Peter Janssen on September 6, 2017 Cruising Life, Destinations

About 40 miles east of Ketchikan, Alaska, Misty Fjords is one of the most beautiful cruising destinations around. Part of a national forest, the Misty Fjords National Monument is a land of ice-blue lakes, dozens of waterfalls, snow-capped peaks and glacial valleys. Plus, salmon, bears (lots of bears), eagles and other wildlife. I was there many years ago on a Grand Banks cruise and have always wanted to go back. Laura Domela and her husband, Kevin Morris, have just left there on their Nordic Tug 34 Airship, and have posted some great pictures and blogs about their trip. She’s a…

New Montauks to Celebrate Boston Whaler’s 60th Anniversary. And You Can Still Cut Them in Half

By Peter Janssen on September 5, 2017 Cruising Life

If ever there was an American boating classic, it was the Boston Whaler Montauk. Now, to celebrate Whaler’s 60th anniversary, the company is making special editions of its iconic 150 and 170 Montauk. At a recent anniversary celebration in Sarasota, Florida, they even took out a chainsaw and cut one in half. In the best Whaler tradition, both halves stayed afloat. The new anniversary models have a precision-engineered hull, and can be used as yacht tenders or fishing and sport boats in their own right. Anglers can customize the boats with an optional fishing package that adds a compass, a…

Irma Causes Massive Boat Damage in Caribbean, Now Heading for Bahamas and Florida

By Peter Janssen on September 5, 2017 Cruising Life

The before and after picture above, showing Paraquita Bay in Tortola, British Virgin Islands, where many charter companies tried to secure their boats, says it all. The damage, where Hurricane Irma hit directly, is catastrophic. The hurricane, the strongest Atlantic storm ever, is now moving toward the low-lying Turks & Caicos at 17 mph with sustained 180-mph winds; NOAA predicts it will then head for the Bahamas and south Florida. By the time it hits Florida its path will be 120 miles – covering the entire width of the state, plus some. Irma originally made landfall on the tiny…

Marblehead, Mass: A Boating Haven with a Rich History

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

One of the most historic boating communities in the United States, Marblehead, Mass., dates to 1629 when the first European settler decided to call it home, although a Pilgrim from the Mayflower had arrived three years earlier and started fishing across the way. With its harbor protected by a deep peninsula, Marblehead was soon a thriving fishing village in its own right, and the locals were so successful that it was said that the streets smelled of cod. By the time of the Revolution, Marblehead was one of the most thriving towns in the colonies, largely because its privateers brought…

How Not To Look Like an Idiot on Your First Charter – Or Any Other Time

By Peter Janssen on September 4, 2017 Charter, Cruising Life

Here’s some great advice from the people at The Moorings, who have some experience in these matters, about how not to look like a total idiot on your first charter. And although these tips are meant for the bareboat charter trade, they apply just as well to boating in general. Here’s how some rookies distinguish themselves: -They leave the dinghy dock – in the wrong dinghy. -They let their kids play with the VHF. -They race into a crowded anchorage to pick up the last mooring ball. -They either leave their “bumpers” hanging over the side or they lose them…

New Hinckley Picnic Boat 37 MK111: Bigger, Better, Faster. See It at the Newport Show

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

The newest iteration of the iconic Picnic Boat, the new Hinckley 37 MK111 is larger, faster and more comfortable than ever before. The new 37 has all the gorgeous lines of the original, but it now offers a cruise speed of 32 knots and, powered by twin 370-hp Yanmar diesels and Hamilton jet drives, it tops out at 35 knots. Hinckley launched its first Picnic Boat, Dasher, in its yard in Southwest Harbor, Maine, in 1994. It was 36 feet long, driven by a single diesel and it had water jet drives, so that you wouldn’t snag a prop 0n…

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