Cruising Life

Sirena 56: A New Yacht with a Long Pedigree and Lots Going On

By Peter Janssen on February 22, 2017 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

Sirena Yachts, the powerful Turkish builder, is on a roll. They launched their new 64 in Dusseldorf in January and had sold four by the time they had a second 64 and a brand-new 56 at the Yachts Miami Beach show last week. And they gathered all their heavy guns there for the world-wide debut of the 56: Ipek Kirac, the company’s CEO; German Frers, one of the foremost designers in the world, who drew the hull and exterior; and Tommaso Spadolini, of Design Studio Spadolini in Florence, who did the interior. “The U.S. market is very important to us,”…

Best of the Best: Miami Boat Show’s Innovation Award Winners

By Peter Janssen on February 21, 2017 Cruising Life

The annual Innovation Awards are meant to recognize the best new products introduced at the Miami International Boat Show each year. The awards are a joint effort of the National Marine Manufacturers Association, which produces the show, and Boating Writers International. This year the BWI judges looked at 63 new products, selecting 19 winners and two honorable mentions in 16 categories. The winners: Boat Care and Maintenance: Snap Tool Multi-Key from Davis Instruments. Center Console/Walkaround Fishing Boats: 230 Outrage from Boston Whaler. Consumer Safety Equipment: Two winners. 100 N. Junior Harness Lifejacket, from Spinlock USA, and SeaAngel SA15 ASI Flare…

“This Isn’t Good.” Amazing Video. Cruise Liner Breaks Its Mooring Lines and Crashes into Another Ship

By Peter Janssen on February 13, 2017 Cruising Life

You’ve got to see this video to believe it. A train wreck in slow motion. It shows the brand-new 40,350-ton luxury cruise liner Seabourn Encore breaking its dock lines in Akaroa, New Zealand, in 45-knot winds and then being blown into the side of a docked cement carrier at a dock across the harbor. Billed as “The Sexiest Ship at Sea,” the Seabourn Encore was just launched in November. It was on a 16-day cruise, costing $40,000 a person, that started at Sydney, at the time of the accident. The ship carried 604 passengers. All the cabins are suites, with…

Top Ten Tips from BoatU.S. for Getting Best Boat Loan

By Peter Janssen on February 13, 2017 Cruising Life

Heading for the Miami boat shows this week, or just in the market for a new boat? Unless you have a lot of extra cash, chances are you’ll apply for a loan to finance that new boat of your dreams. Here’s some very good advice from BoatU.S. about how to get the best loan possible. Check your credit: Before applying for a loan, ensure your credit report is accurate, and get your current credit score. The closer to 700 and higher, the better the rate you’ll get. A free copy of your credit report is available annually from each of…

Beautiful – and Frightening – Winter Waves on Lake Erie

By Peter Janssen on February 13, 2017 Cruising Life

Winter waves on Lake Erie can be beautiful, as you can see in these photographs, but they also can be extremely dangerous. They can build to be more than 25 feet tall, but NOAA says Lake Erie is particularly known for its powerful seiches, which occur when all the water in the lake sloshes from one shore to another – think of what happens in your bathtub, writ large. Seiches and other waves don’t build up every day, of course, so photographer Dave Sandford often has to wait a long time to get the perfect shot. But his patience pays…

Lost Continent Found – Under Mauritius

By Peter Janssen on February 12, 2017 Cruising Life

About 1,200 miles off the coast of Africa, east of Madagascar, the tropical island of Mauritius in the Indian Ocean is often celebrated as one of the most beautiful spots on earth. Indeed, Mark Twain once said, “Mauritius was made first, and then heaven; and that heaven was copied after Mauritius.” A beckoning paradise for cruising boat owners, Mauritius seems to have it all: pristine waters, white beaches, deep-sea fishing, scuba diving, an exotic location. But now it has something truly unique: It’s sitting on top of the lost continent of Mauritia that scientists say broke up and sank about…

Fountaine Pajot MY 44: Brand-New Large and Luxurious Power Cat

By Peter Janssen on February 11, 2017 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

You won’t be lonely on this new Fountaine Pajot MY 44 power catamaran. It comes with three staterooms, all with en suite heads, an absolutely enormous salon and flybridge, and lounges fore and aft. You can embark on some blue-water extended cruising with a lot of your friends, and you can do some serious entertaining with a larger crowd closer to home. The Fountaine Pajot MY 44 was just introduced at the Dusseldorf boat show in January. It is now undergoing sea trials off La Rochelle, France, and it’s scheduled to appear in the U.S. before the end of the…

New Sabre 45 Salon Express: Made in Maine, Delivered in March

By Peter Janssen on February 11, 2017 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

One of the reasons that Sabre Yachts has built, and maintained, a leadership position in the power cruising market is that the Maine-based company keeps introducing new models, in good times and bad. Now it has just delivered hull number one of the 45 Salon Express to its new owner in Florida. The 45, fitting between the company’s existing 42- and 48-foot models, is an all-new design with two staterooms, two full heads, and the built-in-Maine lines and craftsmanship that help define all Sabres. The master stateroom is forward, with an island bed and several lockers and drawers for storage…

Fast Growing Crack in Antarctic Ice Shelf Will Soon Create One of Largest Icebergs Ever

By Peter Janssen on February 9, 2017 Cruising Life

A crack in the Antarctic ice shelf, now more than 100 miles long and two miles wide, may soon break off, creating one of the largest icebergs ever recorded. And it is growing quickly, increasing 17 miles in the last two months, and the length of five football fields a day. Since the ice is already floating, its separation won’t raise sea levels. But the glaciers behind it will then melt more quickly, and that will add to a rise in global sea level. And because of warming temperatures, other large amounts of ice in West Antarctica could be vulnerable…

Heading for the Miami Show? Take a Weekend in Bimini

By Peter Janssen on February 8, 2017 Cruising Life, Destinations

If you’re heading to the Miami show, or just cruising in Florida, you may want to think about taking a 50-mile side trip (with your passport) over to Bimini. Even at 15 knots, you could leave Miami after breakfast and be sitting down for conch chowder at the Big Game Club (founded in 1936 and a Hemingway hangout) for lunch. Or dive, or explore Alice Town (that will be fun but it won’t take long), or fish, or just relax. For me, Bimini has been a favorite for a fast change of scene, and drop of blood pressure, for many,…

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