Cruising Life

Brooklin Yard Building New Wheeler 55s

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

The Brooklin Boat Yard in Maine just announced that they’re building two new Wheeler 55 yachts, bringing back the models that became icons in the 1930s. The yard launched its first version of a Wheeler in 2021. That boat was a Wheeler 38, named Legend. It was a modern version of the Wheeler that Ernest Hemingway commissioned in 1934 and named Pilar, one of the most famous boats of all time. “The Wheeler 55 is an exciting step into the world of Spirit of Tradition boatbuilding in a large, modern, power cruiser,” said Eric Blake, the project director at Brooklin. “There…

New Evo V8: Lots of Fresh Ideas

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

The new 77-foot Evo Yachts V8 is a head-turning, three-stateroom cruiser jammed full of fresh ideas. Some of them, it seems, work better than others. Flagship of the Evo fleet, the V8 is the brainchild of Valerio Rivellini, a young designer working with the Naples-based builder. He says he wanted to inject some innovative thinking into the power cruising world. Starting aft, bulwarks fold out from both sides of the aft deck to create extra social space; no surprises there. But open a hatch on the port side of the teak deck, and you’ll find a tender; open a matching…

Sunseeker To Debut 2 New Cruisers

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

Sunseeker, the upscale British builder, will hold the world debut for its two new cruising boats, the Superhawk 55 and the 75 Sport Yacht, at the big Düsseldorf show, starting Jan. 21. Andrea Frabetti, the CEO of Sunseeker International, said the two new models “will be the crown jewel of our impressive lineup of stunning yachts.” With its low profile and aggressive lines, the Superhawk 55 (pictured at top) is the first new Superhawk that Sunseeker has launched since 2008, and is the latest in its Performance range. Powered by twin 725-hp Volvo IPS950 pod drives, it offers a combination…

Nouvoyage Luxury Amphibs Move Uptown

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

Nouvoyage, the Boston-based designer of luxury amphibious limousines, is moving up. Until now, Nouvoyage has concentrated on selling its Limousine Tender 33 to the superyacht market. Now, it’s aiming larger craft at the cruise line industry. The company says its 45-foot “shadow tenders,” complete with leather seats, galley, head, A/C, heat, retractable sun roof and gull-wing doors, can follow (shadow) liners to take passengers to shore and back. They also could fit into a ship’s garage and be launched from an articulating beach deck. Passengers could board the tender while still in the garage, and then arrive at the shore…

Boarncruiser 50 Traveller To Make Debut

By Peter Janssen on January 2, 2023 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

The new Boarncruiser 50 Traveller will make its public debut at the big Düsseldorf show, starting Jan. 21. The boat, named Daddy Cool, was launched in the Netherlands in November, and the owners plan to cruise it to the Med in the spring. The yard describes the semi-custom, steel-hulled 50 Traveller, the newest addition to the Boarncruiser fleet, as “a pocket-size mega-yacht with a beautiful round-bilge, covered-gangways and modern wings emphasizing a Mediterranean atmosphere.” The yacht has three staterooms below with a mid-ships master accessed via a private spiral staircase from the salon. The VIP cabin forward has its own…

New Beneteau Swift Trawler 41: A Family Cruiser

By Peter Janssen on January 2, 2023 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

The easy handling Beneteau Swift Trawler 41 is designed as a comfortable family cruiser with three staterooms, two heads, a proven hull, and a 23-knot top speed to get you home in a hurry. The 41 is in the middle of the French builder’s Swift Trawler line, which runs from 37 to 48 feet. It was introduced about three years ago and has become a popular model. The size makes it large enough for extended cruising for a family, while it’s still small enough to fit into slips along the way and for a couple to run it comfortably. It…

Jeanneau To Unveil New Day Boat 37

By Peter Janssen on December 14, 2022 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

Jeanneau, the prestigious French builder, just announced that it will expand its new Day Boat line by unveiling a new DB37 at the big Düsseldorf show, starting Jan. 21. Just last March, Jeanneau introduced the Day Boat series with a striking, and well received, DB43. Paul Blanc, the executive director of Jeanneau, said, “We are happy to add a second opus to the DB yachts line, just a few months after the successful launch of the DB/43. With DB Yachts, we imagine the future of yachting.” The new DB37, like the DB43, represents fresh thinking for Jeanneau by Camillo Garroni,…

Absolute Navetta 58 Heading for Miami

By Peter Janssen on December 14, 2022 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

The new Absolute Navetta 58 will be on display at the big Miami show, starting Feb. 15. It’s in the middle of the Italian builder’s Navetta, or “little ship” line, and it’s a comfortable flybridge cruiser with Volvo IPS efficiency and power. The Navetta 58 has three cabins, all with en suite heads, below, plus a crew cabin with two berths and its own head accessed from the transom for privacy. A door leads from that cabin to the engine room, with two 600-hp Volvo IPS800 pod drives. The Navetta’s engine room is well laid out, with 5’ 8” of…

Coast Guard Cutter Healy at North Pole

By Peter Janssen on December 14, 2022 Cruising Life

At 420 feet, the Coast Guard Cutter Healy is the largest ship in the Coast Guard fleet. It was launched in 2000, has a beam of 82 feet and a draft of 29’ 3”, and a crew of 19 officers and 54 enlisted men and women. More important, it is a Polar-class icebreaker, designed to break 4½ feet of ice continuously at 3 knots and to operate in temperatures as low as minus 50 degrees. Earlier this fall, the Healy reached the North Pole. Here’s the posting from its Facebook page, with a wonderful video below: “Some of our U.S.…

Browsing: Cruising Life

Brooklin Yard Building New Wheeler 55s

New Evo V8: Lots of Fresh Ideas

Sunseeker To Debut 2 New Cruisers

Nouvoyage Luxury Amphibs Move Uptown

Boarncruiser 50 Traveller To Make Debut

New Beneteau Swift Trawler 41: A Family Cruiser

Top Ten Videos of The Year: Boat US

Jeanneau To Unveil New Day Boat 37

Absolute Navetta 58 Heading for Miami

Coast Guard Cutter Healy at North Pole