Cruising Life

Colombia Wants $20 Billion Shipwreck Treasure

By Peter Janssen on November 7, 2023 Cruising Life

Colombia’s president wants to raise the wreck of a 300-year-old Spanish galleon with up to $20 billion worth of treasure on board before his term ends in three years. The British Royal Navy sank the three-masted, 64-gun galleon San José on June 8, 1708, during the War of the Spanish Succession, in the Caribbean off the coast of Colombia. It had 600 men on board, as well as 200 tons of gold, silver and emeralds, plus Chinese porcelain and pottery. The exact location of the treasure, which is known as “the Holy Grail of shipwrecks,” was not known, until Glocca…

Orcas Sink Yacht in 45-Minute Attack

By Peter Janssen on November 7, 2023 Cruising Life

A group of orcas sank a charter boat in the Strait of Gibraltar in a 45-minute attack last week. All the passengers and crew on the boat, a 45-foot Jeanneau Sun Odyssey sailboat, were rescued before it sank off the coast of Morocco. This was the fourth time in two years that orcas have sunk a boat in the area. A pod of orcas, or killer whales, “hit the steering fin for 45 minutes, causing major damage and leakage,” Morskie Mile, a Polish tourist agency that operates the boat, posted on Facebook. The boat, named Grazie Mamma, was westbound in…

New Gussie Awards for Best Electric Boats

By Peter Janssen on November 6, 2023 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

The winners of the fourth annual Gussie Awards, recognizing the best new electric boats, were just announced. The awards were started four years ago by Plugboats to recognize advances in electric boating, as an alternative to boats powered by fossil fuel. They have grown in importance, reflecting the rapid growth of electric boats around the world. This year, 160 boats were nominated for the awards, coming from 25 countries and every continent except Antarctica. The winners were selected by a panel of 25 international electric-boat experts plus votes from more than 5,000 electric boat enthusiasts. Here are some of the…

Hinckley Unveils High-Tech Talaria 43

By Peter Janssen on November 6, 2023 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

Hinckley just introduced its new Talaria 43 Mark 11 cruiser, the latest iteration of its popular motor yacht with a lot of state-of-the-art, user-friendly features combined with its made-in-Maine craftsmanship and seaworthiness. Hinckley has been making yachts in Southwest Harbor, Maine, for the past 90 years, earning a worldwide reputation for creating strong, elegant and beautiful vessels. But Hinckley also has been in the forefront of embracing new technologies, and that tradition continues in the updated Talaria 43. Carbon fiber is now often replacing fiberglass, and Hinckley uses a single-bond, vacuum-infusion process that chemically bonds carbon and epoxy from bow…

CL Yachts Unveils New CLB80

By Peter Janssen on November 1, 2023 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

CL Yachts just announced that they’re building a luxurious new CLB80 cruiser with a contemporary look and lots of choices for new owners. The interior and exterior of the new CLB80 were designed by Jozeph Forakis, a multi-talented, award-winning designer with offices in Milan and New York, who’s done other CL Yachts, as well as everything from high-tech watches to modular office partitions. His charge for the CLB80 was to preserve the brand’s DNA while creating a more streamlined and sporty look. The idea was to enhance onboard comfort, rather than raw performance. In announcing the new yacht at the…

Helmsman Building New 38 Sedan

By Peter Janssen on November 1, 2023 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

Helmsman Trawlers are building a new 38 Sedan, a semi-displacement cruiser with a traditional trawler look, as an alternative to its popular 38 Pilothouse boat. The 38 Pilothouse has been one of Helmsman’s most popular models, winning the People’s Choice Award at the Seattle Trawlerfest in 2019. But the company found that many prospective buyers wanted a boat with walkaround decks for easier line handling, and a more traditional trawler design. The new 38 Sedan has wide side decks that are protected by the overhang from the flybridge. A door next to the helm station on the starboard side provides…

Long-Range Electric R30 Launching Soon

By Peter Janssen on October 31, 2023 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

The Blue Innovations Group, founded by a former Tesla top executive, just announced that it will launch its innovative R30 electric boat in December. The R30 is 30 feet long with a 10-foot beam, making it one of the largest all-electric boats on the market. It’s powered by a “dual motor powertrain” producing 400-hp each, and it uses Lithium ion Phosphate batteries instead of the more standard Lithium ion in a 221-kWh battery pack for 600 kW of power. The batteries are stored in banks that are built into the framework of the boat. The new boat is projected to…

Prestige X70: Spirit of a Superyacht

By Peter Janssen on October 31, 2023 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

Prestige, the upscale French builder, says its X70 provides all the spirit and space of a superyacht, while blurring the lines between the interior and exterior areas of the yacht. The X70 does indeed provide a lot of space, even for its 71-foot-plus size. The salon is full beam, because the side decks have been moved up to the flybridge. Then the aft deck/beach club/swim platform area is considerably larger than usual, creating lots of outdoor space for lounging, sun bathing, entertaining and water sports. The new Prestige was designed by the Garroni Design studio in Genoa, and it has…

Iliad Launches 62 Power Cat Flagship

By Peter Janssen on October 30, 2023 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

Iliad just launched its new flagship enclosed flybridge power cat in Australia. The new blue-water cruiser, powered by twin 600-hp Volvos, has a top speed of 21 knots and a range of more than 3,000 nm at 8 knots. Iliads are made for safe cruising far from home. Each boat can be customized for its owner, and they’re designed for comfortable cruising and living aboard for as long as six months at a time. The 62 is built to Category A standards for ocean safety; it even has protective grounding skegs so you can beach it for cleaning, inspection or…

Sunseeker Unveils Sleek New Predator 75

By Peter Janssen on October 29, 2023 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

Sunseeker, the upscale British builder, just unveiled their new Predator 75 at the big Fort Lauderdale show. The sleek new Predator with a low and dynamic profile is the line’s latest performance cruiser and it’s aimed at the U.S. market. With twin 1,550-hp MAN V12 diesels, it tops out at more than 40 knots. Owners can choose from four grey hull colors for the Predator 75. The air intake cowlings and exterior handrails are all stainless steel for a cool look. And the luxury yacht comes with 22 LED sidelights and Lumishore underwater lights. The Predator is meant for luxury…

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