Cruising Life

New Electric Hyperfoil Flies at 35 Knots

By Peter Janssen on October 23, 2023 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

A San Francisco startup has launched a new Valo Hyperfoil, built with a combination of carbon fiber, titanium and stainless steel, that flies over the water at 35 knots, leaving no noise, emissions or wake behind. Boundary Layer Technologies, the company, says the Valo “is a high-performance, semi-autonomous, electric hydrofoiling vehicle with wings to fly above the water. Think of it as jet ski, but 1,000 times more awesome.” The Valo Hyperfoil is about 11’ 6” long and weighs 595 pounds. It flies, or foils, at about 13 knots. Then it can fly for about two hours on a single…

Hurricanes Getting Stronger, Faster: New Study

By Peter Janssen on October 22, 2023 Cruising Life

Hurricanes in the Atlantic are growing stronger faster than ever before, according to a new study. Indeed, a hurricane is now twice as likely to grow from a weak storm into a major Category 3 (or stronger) hurricane in just 24 hours. The study, just published in Scientific Report, adds to the growing body of evidence that fast-growing major hurricanes are becoming more likely. Andra Garner, an assistant professor at Rowan University who wrote the study, says that from 2001 to 2020 tropical cyclones in the Atlantic had an 8 percent chance of strengthening from a Category 1 storm into…

12 Top Cruising Boats at FLIBS

By Peter Janssen on October 19, 2023 Cruising Life, Ft Lauderdale Boat Show

The good news is that the Fort Lauderdale show starting next week is bigger than ever before, with more than 1,300 new boats on display at seven different locations. The bad news is that the show is bigger than ever before, with more than 1,300 boats at seven locations. If you’re one of the 100,000 people going to the show, it helps to make a list in advance; just wandering around, hoping to see the stumble across boat of your dreams, will probably just leave you tired and confused. To make life easier, we’ve put together a list of some…

NOAA: Celebrate National Seafood Month

By co_admin on October 18, 2023 Cruising Life

According to NOAA, October is National Seafood Month. Who knew? In any event, even though we’re more than halfway through the month, we still can make up for lost time. Here’s a list of seven ways to celebrate, as collated by NOAA Fisheries: 1. Learn What Makes U.S. Seafood Sustainable In the United States, sustainable seafood is not only a possibility, it’s our priority. Fish, shellfish, and marine algae are renewable resources—they can reproduce and replenish their populations naturally. That means we can sustainably harvest fish within certain limits without depleting their populations. Fishery management is the process of using science…

Swan To Display New Shadow at FLIBS

By Peter Janssen on October 17, 2023 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

Nautor Swan will show its elegant new 43-foot Swan Shadow powerboat at the Fort Lauderdale show next week. Powered by three 350-hp Mercury outboards, the latest Swan tops out at 55 knots. But on the Swan Shadow, what’s the hurry? Relax, soak up the sun, or whatever else the weatherman has in mind, and bask in the glow of the admiring glances from everyone else in the harbor. One of the most prestigious names in yachting, Swan has made more than 2,350 yachts, from 36 to 131 feet, in Finland over the past 50 years. Almost all of them, of…

Maritimo M60 Makes Debut at FLIBS

By Peter Janssen on October 17, 2023 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

The new M60 Flybridge Motor Yacht from the Australian builder Maritimo will make its U.S. debut at the Fort Lauderdale show, starting Nov. 25. With its creative use of space aft – including an upper cockpit, adventure deck and enormous swim platform – and a large fully enclosed skylounge up top, the new M60 is bound to generate a lot of attention. And it comes with Maritimo’s well-earned reputation for seakeeping abilities, cruising comfort, and craftsmanship. “This new M60 Flybridge Motor Yacht pays homage to Maritimo’s heritage, tracing its lineage back to the very first motor yacht we crafted two…

First Look: Outer Reef Launches 830 MY

By Peter Janssen on October 17, 2023 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

Outer Reef just launched the first of its new 830 Classic Motoryacht series and is now shipping it from the factory in Taiwan to a young American couple who previously owned an Outer Reef 700 Classic. Wanting more room for entertaining, the new owners moved up in size, but were loyal to Outer Reef for its combination of craftsmanship, luxury and long-range cruising performance. Outer Reef has been building on its cruising pedigree lately. Two Outer Reef yachts have gone around Cape Horn, one with the company president, Jeff Druek, on board. The new 830 has a clean and contemporary…

Mathews Launches 40 Flybridge Cruiser

By Peter Janssen on October 16, 2023 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

I had an unexpected treat at the Annapolis show last week. Walking down the outer dock, a new 40-foot flybridge cruiser caught my eye. It had just enough of the lines of a classic trawler to remind me of my old much-beloved Grand Banks 36, but it was slimmer, newer, lighter. I was looking at hull number one of a Mathews Brothers 40 flybridge, the latest of the company’s “true Chesapeake boats,” a tough customer with an all-fiberglass hull made in the family’s yard in Denton, up the Choptank River on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. Mathews also makes a sedan version…

Boston Boatworks 44 Offshore Express

Boston Boatworks Unveils New 44 Express

By Peter Janssen on October 16, 2023 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

Boston Boatworks has unveiled plans for its second Offshore Express model, a 44-footer, powered by twin Volvo D6s with Aquamatic Drives. It’s already started work on the first two hulls at its factory in Charlestown, Massachusetts. The new 44 comes a few months after Boston Boatworks introduced its first Offshore Express, a 52, made for an owner-operator. The Offshore Express series was designed by Doug Zurn, the Marblehead, Massachusetts, naval architect who’s worked with Boston Boatworks on several other boats in recent years, while Winch Design, the London firm that usually works on superyachts, has done the interiors. Boston Boatworks…

Ferry Captain Asleep Before Crash: NTSB

By Peter Janssen on October 16, 2023 Cruising Life

The National Transportation Safety Board just said that the master of a Washington State ferry fell asleep at the wheel before it ran into its dock in Seattle. The NTSB’s report on the accident said the master, who was at the helm of the 328-foot-long ferry at the time, had ceased rudder commands about 30 seconds before it hit a dolphin at its cruising speed of 15 knots. The accident caused $10 million worth of damage. Only one person suffered a minor injury. The NTSB said the master had no recollection of the events before the accident and was not…

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