No matter how long you’ve used a GPS it never hurts to get a refresher course. And if you’ve never used one, here’s a good way to start. Now the BoatUS Foundation for Boating Safety and Clean Water and the United States Power Squadrons have developed a new online course, “How to Use GPS,” to help all of us get where we want to go safely. The course is clear and makes GPS seem easy; it also can be taken anywhere – your office, your home, on your boat – when it’s most convenient for you. You can stop and…
Browsing: Cruising Life
Sean and Lois Johnson, two Brits with a lot of salt water in their veins, are now in the Dominican Republic on their Nordhavn 64, Kapowai, after a circumnavigation of the Atlantic – from Miami up to Canada, across to Europe, and then back to the Caribbean. They had already crossed the Atlantic twice since they bought Kapowai just two years ago. If you’re interested in learning about long-range cruising from the people who’ve been there, here’s their latest blog postings before they head back to Miami.http://www.kapowaicruising.com
Here’s a first look at the sea trials of the just-launched Nordhavn 59 Coastal Pilot in China. She’ll be at the company’s Dana Point, California, headquarters in a few weeks. This 20-knot Nordhavn (no, that’s not a typo) looks great to me. me.http://www.nordhavn.com/models/59_coastalpilot/video/sea_trial.php
Here’s a great story about how the Coast Guard rescued seven fishermen off a 76-foot scalloping boat that ran aground at night in 14-foot seas and 60-knot winds off Long Island. Spoiler alert: One Coast Guard boat capsized. Mayday on the carolina queen
Here’s a story that will warm your heart. Yesterday Wendy Wilson, a member of the America’s Great Loop Cruisers’ Association, posted a message on group’s forum asking for help. She and her husband and their four daughters, ages 19, 8, 6 and 5, want to start the Great Loop this August, pending a good outcome from the 5-year-old’s open heart surgery in May. Mrs. Wilson says her daughter’s medical situation is part of the reason the family wants to do the Loop now, since she has already outlived her doctors’ predictions “and you just can’t take life for granted.” The…
Here’s a look at how not to raft-up.https://youtu.be/oIidW_8O_cs
I’ve done a lot of boat tests in my time, but certainly nothing like this one off the south coast of Ireland. And I’m pretty sure that I wouldn’t have taken my Grand Banks 36, much as I loved that boat, out on a day like this.https://youtu.be/N134TJlFjsU
Take a look at this Nordic Tug 39 pulling a wakeboarder at its “fast cruising speed” of 12-15 knots. It’s not going to win any championships, but it is fun. https://youtu.be/Dhf-92Nf6Ms
Take a look at one of the best-looking new boats from one of the most prominent boat builders in the world.
You don’t have to be a member of AARP to know that a lot of boats – no matter how much you love them – are not designed for maximum comfort as you get older. Think of changing the sheets on a V-berth, for example, or repeatedly stubbing your toe over a one-inch rise when walking from the cockpit to the salon or from the salon to the helm station. Or what about side decks that are too narrow to walk on without turning sideways? It happens. Now Walt Schulz, president of Shannon Boat Company, has an answer for all…