Cruising Life

A Well-Traveled Couple Cruise to Cuba on Their Ranger Tugs 25. Read Their Report

By Peter Janssen on April 19, 2017 Cruising Life

Cheryll and Rich Odendahl from Algonac, Michigan, have the travel bug. So far, they’ve visited 47 countries, including the usual suspects – France, England, Mexico – and some more exotic spots – the Mount Everest base camp, Iceland, Fiji. Then there are their boating trips. In 2011, Odendahl retired after 30 years at General Motors, and he and Cheryll wanted to spend time cruising. They bought a trailer to tow behind their Chevy Silverado and drove to San Diego, where they bought a 2008 Ranger Tugs 25. Ranger Tugs, of course, are designed as trailerable cruisers for a couple. And…

Horizon PC74: Combination of Space, Luxury and Cruising Comfort

By Peter Janssen on April 19, 2017 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

Now being completed in Taiwan, the new Horizon PC74 is a combination of lots of space, performance and luxury. The company says it is both the “ideal entertaining platform” and “the ultimate cruising yacht” with “the interior of a superyacht.” A lot going on there. The 74 will be the flagship of Horizon’s power cat fleet, which now has 52- and a 60-foot models, and is designed to be a larger version of the 60. For the PC74, large is the operative word. Everything on the boat is writ large – the four staterooms, all with en suite heads, are…

How To Clean a Sea Strainer: A Fast, Easy Video

By Peter Janssen on April 18, 2017 Cruising Life, Engine Room, Maintenance

Cleaning a sea strainer (or strainers, if you have two engines) isn’t brain surgery, but it is vital to the operation of your boat. A clogged strainer will ruin a cruise, or even a short outing away from the dock, in a real hurry. Make sure you know how to check and clean your strainer. It’s not hard, but here’s a good introduction if you’ve never done it before, or a fast refresher if you have. (And remember to close and then re-open the sea cock.) Take a look here: https://www.facebook.com/BoatUS/videos/vb.127893933900510/1136420499714510/?type=2&theater

St. Vincent and the Grenadines: Postcard-Perfect Cruising Grounds

By Peter Janssen on April 18, 2017 Cruising Life, Destinations

Back in Columbus’ time, the natives called the island of St. Vincent “home of the blessed,” a description that today could apply to its appeal as a postcard-perfect cruising destination with beckoning coves, incredibly white beaches and drop-dead gorgeous aquamarine waters. Way down the Caribbean, south of St. Lucia and west of Barbados, the country of St. Vincent consists of the main island (St. Vincent) and a chain of smaller islands and cays stretching some 40 miles down to Grenada. It has a colorful history of wars, slave ships and pirates (with a possible whiff of cannibalism); today the old…

Aspen Power Cats Launches New 28-Footer With Same Proven Proa Hull

By Peter Janssen on April 18, 2017 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

The latest from Aspen Power Catamarans is something different: Not a cruising boat, but a 28-footer that can serve as a tender, a second boat, or a fun primary boat for running around and having fun. Whatever you do with it, the new L90 LX does have the same creative proa hull that Larry Graf created for all his larger, Aspen cruising cats, a hull that has proven be stable, fuel-efficient and seaworthy. As a tender, the L90 LX is easy to tow; it’s light in weight, only 5,800 pounds, and the twin hulls make it unusually safe and steady.…

Chinese Mechanic Builds Car-Boat from Old Minibus – and It Floats

By Peter Janssen on April 17, 2017 Cruising Life

Well, this isn’t a story about a Hinckley or Palm Beach motoryacht, but then you can’t drive your Hinckley or Palm Beach down the road, either. Ziong Jian, an inventor and mechanic from central China, put it together from scrap parts of a minibus. Originally the engine was in front (the bow?), but it started ingesting water, so he moved it to the trunk, or stern. Ziong’s vehicle, a Chinese car-boat combo, can carry four people. In the water it goes in forward and reverse and is able to make turns. It tops out at 20 mph, but Ziong hopes…

Silent Killers: Electric Shocks in the Water. Here’s How To Prevent Them

By Peter Janssen on April 17, 2017 Cruising Life

If you do any boating (or swimming) in fresh water, pay heed. Stray electrical current from nearby boats or marinas could kill you. Indeed, there were seven confirmed deaths from electric shock in the water last summer, with many more injuries. And all of these could have been prevented. The problem stems from 120-volt alternating current leaking from boats and docks, which can electrocute people in the water. This is called Electric Shock Drowning, or ESD. And it doesn’t take much. Even tiny amounts of AC current can kill. Current can leak from shore power, from ground fault protection, from…

Best Spots for Water Sports in the BVI: From Kite Surfing to Scuba Diving

By Peter Janssen on April 17, 2017 Cruising Life

Wondering what to do in the British Virgin Islands? Personally, I’d recommend a little cruising (in some of the easiest, most beautiful cruising grounds on the planet), some swimming, some walking on pristine white sand beaches, and some coffee in the morning and a glass of wine (or rum punch, etc.) in the evening to keep a smile in your face. But if you want to be a bit more active (like former President Obama kite surfing, pictured above), there’s plenty to keep you busy. From those in the know, here are some of the best places to take in…

New York Banker To Achieve Lifelong Dream: Dive to the Titanic

By Peter Janssen on April 17, 2017 Cruising Life

Renata Rojas been diving ever since she was 12; her father taught her in Mexico. Now she’s 49 and a banker in New York, and she spends weekends diving for shipwrecks in the waters off New York and New Jersey. Her lifelong ambition, however, is diving for the Titanic. “I actually wanted to find the wreck, but somebody beat me to it,” she says. But now Rojas can do the next best thing: In a year she will dive down to the Titanic on a manned research sub owned by OceanGate Expeditions, which is launching a series of dives to…

Bruckmann Plans New Abaco 47: As Elegant as the Abaco 40, but Bigger

By Peter Janssen on April 13, 2017 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

Based on the performance and popularity of the Bruckmann Abaco 40, the Toronto-based builder is now planning a larger version, the Bruckmann Abaco 47, with more accommodations and space for long-range cruising and living aboard. The new 47, like the 40, is designed by Mark Ellis, and it still has the classic Downeast lines, straight-forward, traditional interior and fuel-efficient hull of the smaller boat. The Abaco 47’s hull is designed to perform well throughout the speed range; the boat comes up on plane at 12 knots. It can be powered by a single or twin diesels. With a single 1136-hp…

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