This is simply an awful story. An eight-year-old girl goes boating with her grandparents on Lake George and gets killed by somebody who doesn’t even stop. Here’s the story: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/crime/people-arrested-deadly-lake-george-hit-run-boat-crash-article-1.2731478
A 24-foot Sea Ray with four people on board capsized off St. Lucie Inlet in Stuart, Florida, and three people on board drowned. A fourth was found later walking on the beach in shock. Here’s a video showing the boat and the survivor. http://miami.cbslocal.com/2016/04/12/survivor-of-tragic-boating-accident-speaks-out/
The Azimut Magellano line is something of a cross between traditional trawler-type cruising boats – think Fleming or Grand Banks – and the more trendy styling you usually associate with first-rate Italian builders. Here’s a good look at the new Azimut Magellano 66. http://www.mby.com/reviews/trawler-yachts/azimut-magellano-66-review
Over the years, I’ve driven Hunt-designed boats, and Hunt Yachts, from the Florida Keys to the top of the Bay of Fundy, in all kinds of weather and all kinds of sea conditions. From the original Bertram 31 to the latest Hunt (a new 32 is pictured above), these are all great sea boats. And pretty, too. Here’s a great story about Hunt Design, now 50 years old and going strong. http://www.boatingmag.com/hunt-design-celebrates-50-years-innovative-boat-design
Here’s a good look at the new Marlow Pilot 31, the entry-level boat in what used to be the Mainship lineup, that’s now has been revised and updated by David Marlow. It’s a basic couple’s single-diesel cruising boat, made for coastal cruising or, say, the Great Loop. http://www.boats.com/reviews/marlow-pilot-31-first-look-video/
There was no need for this to happen if both captains had followed the most basic rules of the road. A tragedy. I guess the moral is that you have to think defensively all the time, as if the other person is clueless. http://www.sevendaysvt.com/vermont/after-lake-fatality-coast-guard-says-boaters-often-dont-follow-the-rules/Content?oid=3477159
Here’s a great blog and pictures of an American Tug 365 delivery from the factory in LaConner, Washington, 269 miles down the coast to Astoria, Oregon. (I’ve done this, and you definitely want to be careful out there.)http://americantugnews.blogspot.com/2016/04/delivering-american-tug-365-to-astoria.html
Here’s a scary very close-up video of a sudden storm hitting a boating area in Tennessee. It truly feels like you are there, as boats are caught in a microburst and a floating dock is torn apart. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/capital-weather-gang/wp/2016/07/11/boaters-capture-epic-downburst-on-video-we-thought-we-were-going-to-be-picked-up/
Great story about Tangier Island in the lower Chesapeake, which is being threatened by rising sea levels, in The New York Times Magazine today. The future there seems pretty bleak. I took the picture above four years ago on Smith Island, just a few miles north of Tangier, which is facing the same fate. http://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/10/magazine/should-the-united-states-save-tangier-island-from-oblivion.html
It’s made in Turkey, but the new Reliant 40 Commuter, with its gorgeous tumblehome, long sheer, low profile and wide teak decks is just about as Downeast as they come. It also is developed by two of the most respected names in the U.S. marine industry: David MacFarlane, the former president and CEO of Alden and head of Cal, Ranger and Rampage, and Jim Ewing, the former president of Trumpy and executive VP of Alden (and now also an illustrator for Soundings). Together they formed Reliant Yachts, based in Newport, Rhode Island, to develop the new line of semi-custom boats.…