Cruising Life

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…

Mia Wilson, Age 6 with a Congenital Heart Defect, Is on the Great Loop with Her Family

By Peter Janssen on March 14, 2017 Cruising Life

When she was born with a congenital heart defect, Mia Wilson was given a 10 percent chance to live. Now, after three open-heart surgeries, Mia, 6, is on the Great Loop with her family and loving every day of it. Mia and her family, father Bobby, mother Wendy and big sisters Nina, 19, AnnaMay, 9, and Ella, 7, are cruising the 6,000-mile Great Loop on a Bayliner 32 named La Cigale, despite Mia’s need for 40 different medicines a day; she’s also hooked up to a feeding machine most of the time since she can’t swallow. The Wilsons tie…

Deputy Saves Two Jet Skiers from Oncoming Cruise Ship: “Oh My God” Video

By Peter Janssen on March 14, 2017 Cruising Life

Here’s a video of some very lucky people, who were pulled out of the water by a fast-acting deputy sheriff after their jet ski turned over in front of an oncoming cruise liner. The video, taken from the deck of the liner, shows how close a call this really was. All this occurred in Port Canaveral, Florida, as the 1,004-foot-long Carnival Magic was leaving the harbor. Harbor Pilot Captain Doug Brown was navigating the liner when he saw the jet ski, with two people on board, circling nearby. He radioed Deputy Sheriff Taner Primmer who also was nearby on a Brevard…

New Video Shows the Changes at Grand Banks, Previews New 60 Flagship

By Peter Janssen on March 13, 2017 Cruising Life

There’ve been a lot of changes at Grand Banks recently, ever since the company acquired Australia’s Palm Beach Yachts and named Mark Richards, the Palm Beach president, as the head of both companies in 2014. Richards, pictured above inspecting the hull of the new Grand Banks 60, is one of the most successful sailboat racers in the world, having won the fear-inducing Sydney-Hobart race a record eight times. At Grand Banks’ factory in Malaysia, he’s used his racing expertise to build high-tech, low-weight, low CG, faster and more fuel-efficient hulls. The flagship 60, with three staterooms and two heads, is…

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