Cruising Life

New Fitzgerald Marine F-28: A Land Rover for the Great Loop, and Beyond

By Peter Janssen on March 20, 2017 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

Here’s a preview of the new custom F-28, designed and built by Mark Fitzgerald of Thomaston, Maine, that’s now being finished with a teak deck and Awlgrip at French & Webb in Belfast, Maine. It will be ready for launching in mid-May. Fitzgerald, of Fitzgerald Marine Architecture, Inc., designed the F-28 for an experienced client who wants to do the Great Loop. Originally, the client wanted a boat similar to a center console, since he expected to spend nights in hotels along the way. When he learned that there are stretches of the Loop, particularly along the Mississippi, where it’s…

Cruising the East Coast and Love to Play Golf? Here’s Where to Go

By Peter Janssen on March 20, 2017 Cruising Life

Many of my best boating friends are also avid golfers. In the best of all possible worlds, they would combine their favorite two passions and take their boats to a great golf course. But where to tie up? Here’s a good list of first-class golf courses near first-class marinas, from Samoset in Maine (pictured above) all the way down the coast to Longboat Key in Florida, chosen by the editors of Dockwa. Pack your clubs on your next cruise. http://blog.dockwa.com/golf-courses-near-east-coast-marinas-tie-up-and-tee-off?utm_campaign=Blog%20Subscribers&utm_source=hs_email&utm_medium=email&utm_content=46731505&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-_kSHTzC8cQPAvKqtS4RgnhN4Ugb3WD-lLdmzTFVm9HXsMyhYul3yvpiFA1IbOrvNP9gKJ4ZoRVP8kTDx6A6NfnCUryYQ&_hsmi=46731505

Time To Get Ready: Spring Commissioning Checklist and Video from BoatU.S.

By Peter Janssen on March 20, 2017 Cruising Life, Maintenance

The good news is that boating season, for those of us in the north, is just around the corner. The bad news, unless you’re really organized, is trying to remember everything you need to do to get your boat ready. Here’s where BoatU.S. is a big help. Take a look at their video, below, and then read – and print out – their spring commissioning checklist below that. Let them do the organizing for you: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zLbDpQZub7Y And here’s the checklist: http://www.boatus.com/seaworthy/spring_checklist.asp

Brand New Sabre 45 Just Launched in Florida; Tops Out at 32 Knots

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

The new Sabre 45 Salon Express was just launched in Florida (above) and had its first sea trials off Jupiter Inlet, where the Sabre engineers said the waves were stacked, as is often the case there. But the new Sabre came through with flying colors, running 27.5 knots at a continuous cruise speed, burning just 35 gph. It topped out at 32 knots, burning 44 gph. Like many of its predecessors, this new Sabre is a quiet boat, registering just 72 dB(A) at cruise and 75 dB(A) at wide open throttle. The 45, fitting between the company’s existing 42- and…

An Easy Guide to Whistle Signals: What They Mean, How to Respond

By Peter Janssen on March 19, 2017 Cruising Life

We’ve all probably had the same experience, particularly on the inside passages of the ICW or the rivers of the Great Loop, when you’re about to pass another boat. You sound the proper whistle signal, indicating what you’re going to do – and nothing happens. Or you get a response that makes no sense whatsoever, such as four or seven blasts. There’s been some discussion about this, which could lead to confusion at best and a collision at worst, on the America’s Great Loop Cruisers’ Association blog lately. As a result, Dick Hermann, from Green Cove Springs, Florida, who cruises…

Once Hungry, U.S. Couple Start a Pizza Business on Their Boat in St. Thomas

By Peter Janssen on March 16, 2017 Cruising Life

This is just too good a story to miss – all about an American couple who left their successful jobs in the U.S. and are now running a floating take-out pizza business on their boat in the Virgin Islands. They love it; so does their baby. More than a decade ago, Sasha Bouis was a MIT engineering grad working on Wall Street. He wanted something else, so he quit and moved to the Caribbean. Tara Bouis was teaching school in Anderson, Indiana. She too decided there was more to life, and she too moved to the Caribbean, where she taught…

Coral Ecosystems in Great Barrier Reef Are Being Killed by Rising Sea Temperatures, Scientists Report

By Peter Janssen on March 16, 2017 Cruising Life

The Great Barrier Reef, the fishing, diving and tourist destination stretching hundreds of miles off the coast of Australia near Cairns, is in trouble. A new study, published today in Nature, says that huge sections of the coral ecosystem are already dead, or are dying, because of rising sea temperatures. (When the water is too hot, corals turn white, as in the picture above.) “We didn’t expect to see this level of destruction to the Great Barrier Reef for another 30 years,” said Terry P. Hughes, an Australian scientist and lead author of the Nature report. “In the north I…

A Look at 15 New Tenders and RIBs – from Achilles to ZAR

By Peter Janssen on March 15, 2017 Cruising Life

The right RIB or tender can make all the difference in a successful cruise or boating vacation. It means you can go ashore comfortably or explore other parts of the island or harbor where you’ve moored the big boat. And it also serves as a second boat, totally aside from the larger version. You can have your very own picnic boat, for example, that you can pull up on any beach without a worry. Many new RIBs even come with their own heads; one even comes with wheels so you can drive across the beach. Here’s a good review of…

A Dock Box Built for Two

By Peter Janssen on March 15, 2017 Cruising Life, Gear

You probably won’t see this featured in the next issue of Architectural Digest, but it actually can make your life more comfortable around the dock. The new Waterside Lounger from Better Way Products is a lockable dock box that doubles as a love seat, giving you and a companion a comfortable spot to sit when you’re off the boat. Made from heavy-duty fiberglass with a UV-resistant exterior, the Waterside Lounger holds 14 cubic feet of storage inside. It also has the company’s EZ Drain system, gas lifts and stainless steel stays for easy opening, and large hinges. The external dimensions…

New Curved Side-Power Vector Fin Stabilizer Gets U.S. Patent

By Peter Janssen on March 15, 2017 Cruising Life, Gear

Side-Power just won a U.S. patent for its new curved Vector Fin stabilizer, according to IMTRA, the New Bedford, Mass., company that imports Side-Power products from Norway. The new Vector Fin has a curved foil design that greatly reduces roll at any speed while offering greater fuel efficiency. The unique, patent-winning curve of Side-Power’s Vector Fin is an evolution of traditional stabilizers. The company says it greatly increases the efficiency of the stabilizer system while reducing any side-effects. The curved design creates lift at speed, meaning the boat can be as fuel efficient with the stabilizers as it would be…

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