Cruising Life

Austin Parker Launches Stylish 52 Ibiza

By Peter Janssen on July 4, 2023 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

Austin Parker, the semi-custom Italian builder, just launched its new 52 Ibiza, a three-stateroom, three-head beauty with more contemporary styling than the company’s previous lobster-boat designs. Standard power on the new 52 is twin 750-hp Volvo IPS950 pod drives, delivering a top speed of 36 knots and a cruising speed of 30 knots. IPS joystick controls, of course, make maneuvering around a dock seem easy; the new boat also has a standard bow thruster. Optional power includes twin 715-hp Cummins diesels. From its yard in Pisa, Austin Parker makes boats from 44 to 85 feet. It is able to offer…

Where To Rent a Boat This Summer

By Peter Janssen on July 4, 2023 Charter, Cruising Life

If you’re traveling far from home this summer, you don’t have to go without boating. Indeed, there are now quite a few boat-rental organizations that will help you get your boating fix, no matter where you are. Condé Nast Traveler recently put together a list of some of these organizations, just to give you an idea of what’s possible. For self-drive day boats, it recommends Click&Boat that was founded by two sailors in France in 2013. It’s now one of the largest boat rental companies in the world, with 50,000 boats in 164 countries. Click&Boat is a peer-to-peer platform, and…

Silent-Yachts Unveils New Three-Deck 62

By Peter Janssen on July 4, 2023 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

Silent-Yachts, the innovative Austrian builder, just announced that it will launch its new three-deck 62 solar-electric catamaran at the Cannes Yachting Festival in September. The new 62 is Silent’s first three-deck model, and the extra deck provides a lot of additional space. It’s based on Silent’s popular 60, which was introduced in 2021 and won a Multihull of the Year Award and a Best of Boats Award. With its reverse bow and longer waterline, the 62 offers three different layouts for the new, third, deck. One is an open sky lounge, another is an enclosed sky lounge, and the third…

New Fjord 41 with Twin 600-hp Outboards

By Peter Janssen on July 3, 2023 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

The striking, minimalist Fjord 41 XP, made in Germany, now comes with twin 600-hp Mercury Verado V12 outboards, aimed at the U.S. market. Top speed is more than 40 knots. But wherever you go, the new Fjord 41 XP will turn heads and draw attention. For good reason. It’s an eye-catching blend of style, luxury and performance, with room for 12 people on board if you want it as a day boat, and a nice owner’s cabin for two below, with an extra sleeping space tucked under the helm, for overnight or weekend cruising. The first Fjords were built in…

Bimini Boating Fling: Sign Up Now

By Peter Janssen on July 3, 2023 Cruising Life

The annual Bimini Boating Fling, a promotion created by the Bahamas Ministry of Tourism to encourage more boaters to cruise across the Gulf Stream from Fort Lauderdale to Bimini, is underway. This month the Fling has a special meaning, because the nation of The Bahamas celebrates its 50th Anniversary of Independence on July 10. The Bimini Boating Fling is actually a flotilla of up to 30 boats, under the auspices of an official lead boat, that cruise together 51 nm from the Bahia Mar Marina to Bimini. The idea is that there’s safety in numbers, and that boat owners who…

7 Tips for Safe Coastal Navigation

By co_admin on July 2, 2023 Cruising Life

Here are seven tips about how to prepare for your next cruise, even before you leave home, from Skipper Tips. Pour yourself a cup of coffee, or whatever, pull out your paper charts (oh, you think your GPS will work all the time?), and get ready for a safe cruise. 1. Mark Shoals and Set the Alarm! Use a dark blue pencil to mark any shoal within one to two miles of your sailing tracks. Set your depth sounder alarm to trigger when you sail within a mile or so of any of these shoals. This will give you more…

Porsche and Frauscher Planning All-Electric Boat

By Peter Janssen on June 28, 2023 Cruising Life

Porsche and Frauscher, the Austrian boat builder, just announced that they’re working together to produce a 30-foot, all-electric boat next year. The boat will use the electric platform that Porsche is planning for its first all-electric vehicle, the Taycan sports saloon. The new boat will be called the Frauscher x Porsche 850 Fantom Air electric yacht. It’s based on Frauscher’s existing 858 Fantom Air, and it will have power from Porsche’s Premium Platform Electric, including a 100kWh lithium-ion battery pack, an electric motor, and 800-volt DC charging so it can be charged at DC fast-charging stations. (AC charging will also…

New, Unique, Nordhavn 96 World Cruiser

By Peter Janssen on June 28, 2023 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

Wow! Take a look at the latest Nordhavn 96, a massive, powerful, blue-water cruiser that fulfills the company’s promise to take its owners to the corners of the world, or anywhere else they might want to go. The exterior lines, while impressive, are still recognizable as a Nordhavn. But take a look at everything else, inside and out, to see what can be done. The new Nordhavn, named New Journey, is hull #18 of the 96 series. It was delivered to its new owners last month. They didn’t waste any time, heading south to the Sea of Cortez and then…

Garmin Unveils New Series of Open-Array Radars

By Peter Janssen on June 27, 2023 Cruising Life, Electronics

Garmin just unveiled a new GMR xHD3 series of open-array radars with high-definition imaging and the latest technology for new levels of clarity and performance. The new xHD3 series uses scan averaging, a first for Garmin’s magnetron radar, to help filter sea clutter and interference to provide users with enhanced, consistent targets. Processing of target size uses pulse expansion to optimize on-screen shapes for easier interpretation at all ranges, and true echo trails show a historic “trail” of boats on the water, removing the influence of relative motion, so users can more quickly identify moving targets and potential threats of…

Riviera Launches Luxurious 78 Flagship

By Peter Janssen on June 27, 2023 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

Riviera Yachts recently launched its new flagship, a luxurious four-stateroom, 78-foot motoryacht that’s capable of cruising more than 1,000 nm at 30 knots. Riviera joined with the Italian designer Luca Valabonna, who often works with superyachts, for the new 78. The resulting flagship is a completely new build for the Australian builder, and all three decks are filled with big-yacht touches as a result. Riviera’s fleet now includes 24 models from 39 to 78 feet. You can climb on board the 78 from a teak swim platform; at the touch of a button, it lowers into the water and opens…

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