Cruising Life

New, 50-Knot Virtue V10 Unveiled in Palma

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

Virtue Boats just unveiled its new high-tech 32’ 8” V10 at the Palma, Mallorca, boat show, and the Axopar- and Saxdor-lookalike got a lot of attention. The Virtue V10 is made in Poland, and it’s billed as a high-quality, high-tech, high-performing day or weekend cruiser in the growing adventure boating segment. It’s built with vinylester resins and the vacuum-infusion system, and its hull has angled and aggressive spray rails that force water down and aft for a soft, cushioned ride. The company says the V10 is “the smoothest and most sustainable adventure boat on the market.” Standard power comes from…

Iliad Expanding, Launching New 50 Power Cat

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

These are expansive times for Iliad Catamarans, based in Mooloolaba, Australia. They just launched their new 53F (flybridge) long-range power cat at the Sydney show, following the debut of their 53S (sport) earlier in the year. Now, in response to strong demand in the United States, they will have a display at the Fort Lauderdale show in October. And they just announced that they’re building a new 50 for delivery early next year. The 50 is an offshore, blue-water cruiser built for couples with lots of indoor and outdoor space (the almost 25-foot beam is half the length of the…

Inside Newport Yacht Builders’ Mussel Ridge 54

By George Day on August 22, 2023 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

The salty and distinctive lines of Down East-style cruisers are admired around the world, and often copied by builders from Turkey to Australia. These designs take their lead from Maine lobster boats that have plied the New England coast for generations, and are known for their speed, stability, seaworthiness and large cockpits. Adapted into refined yacht-style cruisers, these lobster-boat hulls offer a very special platform for coastal cruising. In 2018, Newport Yacht Builders in Newport, Rhode Island, were approached by an experienced client to develop and build a cruising boat for his young family based off of the Mussel Ridge…

Sleek New Alia 43M Aimed at Miami Market

By Peter Janssen on August 22, 2023 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

Alia Yachts just announced that they’re building a new 43M with sleek, low, aggressive lines. They call it a raised pilothouse design with an outdoor-centric appeal for a client in Miami who wants to enjoy an open-air lifestyle in Florida and the Bahamas. At 138-feet-long, the Alia 43M is certainly a bit larger than the boats we usually cover, but the “raised pilothouse” designation and long-range cruising capabilities (2,300 nm at 12 knots) caught our attention. This is definitely not the raised pilothouse design we associate with Pacific Northwest builders, but Alia, with its yard in Antalya, Turkey, has worked…

Helmsman Building New 46 Pilothouse Flagship

By Peter Janssen on August 21, 2023 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

Helmsman is building its first 46 Pilothouse trawler, a comfortable but rugged cruiser designed for offshore passages. The new 46 Pilothouse was ordered by the owner of a Helmsman 38 who wanted a larger boat that he could use to go beyond coastal cruising. Hull number one of the 46 has a single 500-hp John Deere engine that is expected to deliver a top speed of 16 knots and a range of 1,440 nm at 8 knots. For future models, a 493-hp Cummins is an option. The new trawler as a semi-displacement hull with soft chines. It also has a…

New Suit: Megayacht Caused Damage on Block Island

By Peter Janssen on August 21, 2023 Cruising Life

A marine salvage company has filed a suit in Federal Court seeking damages related to a incident last month involving a $4.3 million, 125-foot Heesen yacht in Great Salt Pond on Block Island, Rhode Island. In the suit, HRM, the salvage company, claims that the yacht, Sea Axis, lost control in a “violent wind and weather squall,” then “dragged anchor and violently impacted other vessels” while HRM’s own salvage tug “incurred significant damage.” The suit seeks “a liberal salvage award” of $247,500 plus costs and interest because “HRM’s efforts preserved the vessel value and likely resulted in the yacht being…

Highfield Launching New Electric RIBs

By Peter Janssen on August 21, 2023 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

Highfield just announced it will display a new electric-powered RIB at the Annapolis show starting October 5, and a new electric-jet RIB and a new Sport RIB at the Fort Lauderdale show later in the month. The Annapolis powerboat show will be the debut for the Highfield Classic 340E (pictured) powered by a 9.9 Navy 6.0 Evo electric outboard from ePropulsion. The new RIB is 11’ 1” long and it has a top speed of 10 knots under silent electric power. The aluminum hull has a 15 degree deadrise for performance, it weighs 157 pounds, and it can carry up…

9-year-old Girl a Star in Docking Competition

By co_admin on August 16, 2023 Cruising Life

You’re worried about docking your boat? Take a look at Peyton Reiss, all of nine-years-old, who’s become a star in the Chesapeake Cowboys workboat docking competition. Peyton, from Tilghman Island, has no problems handling a workboat with the same speed and accuracy as professional waterman. Take a look at her performance last weekend during Waterman’s Appreciation Day at St. Michaels, Maryland, in this video from Chesapeake Bay Media: https://chesapeakebaymagazine.com/video-9-year-old-md-girl-wows-in-boat-docking-competitions/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1edDl1cO-3U&t=1s

Aquila Launching New 47 Power Cat

By Peter Janssen on August 15, 2023 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

Aquila will launch its new 47 Molokai Power Catamaran this fall, the third boat and largest boat in its offshore Molokai line that starts at 28 feet. Aquila calls the new 47 the Big Kahuna, and says it’s the first in its new generation of power cats. The 47 Molokai is ready for fishing, with large fishboxes waiting for the day’s catch, but it also can easily serve as a versatile cruiser, with a 14-foot, 7-inch beam providing both stability and lots of room inside and out. A sliding door near the helm provides access to an interior cabin with…

Five Fastest Big Yachts in the World

By Peter Janssen on August 15, 2023 Cruising Life

To most of us, the concepts of superyachts and fast are almost mutually exclusive. You want to go fast? Get a Cigarette, or a Fountain. (I once drove a Fountain 162 mph, and that’s fast.) You want to relax with your family or friends or enjoy life in the Med like an Onassis in the past or a Jeff Bezos today? Get a superyacht, with all the amenities you could possibly imagine and a top speed that’s basically irrelevant. If you want get somewhere fast, you can always take the yacht’s helicopter. Still, the itch for speed persists, no matter…

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