Cruising Life

Great Guide to Soper’s Hole: Welcome to the British Virgin Islands

By Peter Janssen on December 3, 2016 Cruising Life, Destinations

It’s hard not to want to go back to the British Virgin Islands once you’ve cruised there. In fact, I keep going back again and again, discovering something new in some of the best, easiest and most welcoming cruising grounds on the planet. Here’s a guide to Soper’s Hole, at the end of Tortola, the largest island there and the base of most of the BVI’s charter fleet. The story is geared a bit toward sail, but all the points apply to powerboats as well. Indeed, the last time I was there was to clear Customs on a trawler my…

First Look at New, Super-Exclusive Mercedes-Benz 46-footer Sea Trial

By Peter Janssen on December 1, 2016 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

Yes, I know this isn’t the typical cruising boat that we usually write about, but I think it’s just too cool to ignore. The first-ever Mercedes-Benz boat, here on a sea trial, will be ready for sale next spring. With twin 480-hp Yanmars, the new 46-foot-long Benz is supposed to top out at 40 knots (I had a Mercedes many years ago that did that in second gear!), but then this boat is both multi-national and super-exclusive. The German Mercedes-Benz boat is being built by Silver Arrows Marine Project in Monaco, although construction is in Switzerland. And they’re only going…

Cruise to Alaska, Then Cross the Pacific, with the Bradshaws on Their Nordhavn 52

By Peter Janssen on November 30, 2016 Cruising Life

Phillip and Gerri Bradshaw from Fremantle, Australia, bought their Nordhavn 52, Mermaid Explorer, at Dana Point, California, two years ago, and they haven’t stopped cruising since then. First they headed down to Mexico, then up to Alaska, all the way to Glacier Bay, meeting other cruising couples and locals along the way. (One Alaska cruising tip: don’t miss Rose’s Bar, a local watering hole, in Pelican). Then the Bradshaws cruised back down to San Francisco and, after much thought, decided to cross the Pacific, just the two of them. It took 14 days to reach Hawaii, and Gerri says…

Join the Fun: Winterfest and Other Holiday Boat Parades in Florida

By Peter Janssen on November 29, 2016 Cruising Life

Who doesn’t love a boat parade, particularly in the holiday season, and particularly if you live in Florida? Holiday boat parades have been big there ever since the 1920s when owners decorated their boats with candles and cruised the waterways singing Christmas carols. Now the parades have more candlepower, in every sense, and boats are decked out with lights and decorations of all kinds. The largest parade is the Winterfest Boat Parade in Fort Lauderdale, which is Dec. 10 this year. (See the video below for scenes from last year’s event; it’s huge.) But if that’s too much for you,…

Christmas Gift Ideas from the U.S. Coast Guard: Start Early

By Peter Janssen on November 28, 2016 Cruising Life

If you’re looking for a Christmas gift for your favorite boat owner (or for yourself), you can’t go wrong with this list from the U.S. Coast Guard. You (or your favorite boater) probably have a lot of these things already, but take a look at the entire list, ranging from life jackets and a handheld VHF to a new life raft. My personal favorite from the Coast Guard’s list: a new seamanship book, particularly the 67th edition of Chapman Piloting and Seamanship (since I edited much of it). But take a look at the full list here: http://gcaptain.com/coast-guards-gift-ideas-nautical/

As Delays Pile Up, An Aging, Heavily-Used Ohio River Lock and Dam Turn Into “A Ticking Time Bomb”

By Peter Janssen on November 27, 2016 Cruising Life

You may want to rethink any plans to cruise down the Ohio River any time soon after reading this. Lock and Dam 52, in a corner of southern Illinois near the mouth of the Ohio River, get more traffic than any other spot on the inland waterway. Built in 1929, the 600-foot chamber is desperately in need of repairs; the lock walls are cracking and sagging, the hydraulic pipes are paper thin, the seals are leaking and metal is rusting. The average delay this fall was between 15 and 20 hours. The lockmaster says the only thing keeping it going…

Incredible New Video of Coast Guard Surf Training: You Don’t Want To Be There

By Peter Janssen on November 23, 2016 Cruising Life

You’ve got to see this. You think you’ve been in heavy seas? Or that you’re properly salty? Well, you may want to think again. Here’s a Coast Guard video of their heavy weather surf training off the Oregon and Washington coasts on their 47-foot Motor Life Boat. It’s certainly good to know that these men and woman are going to be well-trained if you ever need them, but wow, this isn’t easy. Take a look: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-7Evav3KlMA&feature=em-subs_digest

New Orleans Volunteers Restore WWII PT Boat, Offer Rides

By Peter Janssen on November 22, 2016 Cruising Life

Who doesn’t want a ride on a PT boat? Think power, speed, history, glamour (JFK and PT 109). Now, thanks to a nine-year restoration by a group of volunteers at the National WWII Museum in New Orleans, that will be possible starting next April. During the war, PT 305 served in the Med. The two restored decals with swastikas on her hull means it sank two Nazi ships. After the war the 50-ton, 78-foot-long patrol boat went through a series of reincarnations until it was in total disrepair. Then the New Orleans volunteers stepped in. Now it is fully restored,…

Sandy Hook Harbor Pilots: “Lords of the Harbor”

By Peter Janssen on November 17, 2016 Cruising Life

Ever since 1694, the Sandy Hook Pilots Association has been helping ship captains safely navigate the shifting currents, sandbars, fogs, and other marine traffic in and out of New York Harbor, the busiest harbor on the East Coast. Often, simply getting to or from the large ship becomes a matter of skill, timing and courage. But, over the years, these pilots have done their jobs so well that they are often called “Lords of the Harbor.” Here’s a look at one pilot who recently helped the Queen Mary 2 safely navigate the harbor and head out to sea: http://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/20/nyregion/at-sea-with-new-york-harbors-channel-masters.html

Catch Up with the Parkers, If You Can

By Peter Janssen on November 15, 2016 Cruising Life

You’d be hard put to find more couples with more cruising miles under their belts on the same boat than Jeff and Suzie Parker, from Chattanooga, Tennessee. Ten years ago they bought their Kadey-Krogen 48, Idyll Time, and they – with their two dogs and two Amazon parrots – have been going strong ever since. The Parkers have already completed the Great Loop and now they’re cruising a bit closer to home. In their latest blog, covering a short cruise from Manteo to Ocracoke near the Outer Banks in North Carolina, Jeff learns that even the most experienced cruiser can…

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