Cruising Life

Sunreef Building Sleek New Hybrid 88 Ultima Cat

By Peter Janssen on June 19, 2023 Cruising Life

Sunreef Yachts just introduced its new sleek hybrid 88 Ultima luxury power catamaran that the innovative company says blends the best of monohull dynamics with multihull living space and shallow draft that lets it tie up at marinas around the world. Ever since Francis Lapp founded Sunreef in Gdansk, Poland in 2007, the company has won lots of awards for its high-tech green innovations that combine solar/electric and hybrid power. The new 88 Ultima has custom-engineered batteries, hybrid propulsion and what Sunreef says is the industry’s first solar skin system. The new cat is 88 feet long with a 30-foot…

Mercury Launches New 500-hp Outboard

By Peter Janssen on June 18, 2023 Cruising Life, Engine Room

Marking its 50th anniversary, Mercury Racing just introduced its new 500-hp outboard designed for fast luxury sport boats. The new 500R V8 has Mercury Racing’s exclusive supercharger, and it not only has 50 more horsepower but also 10 percent more torque than the company’s 450R. It has a 4.6 liter, 64-degree FourStroke powerhead and is designed for pump fuel with an 89 octane rating. The company says the 500R is “the most exciting production outboard to ever emerge from Mercury Racing.” The 500R tops out at 6,600 rpm. To handle all that power, it has upgraded its powerhead, cooling system,…

Apreamare Building New 35 Cabin Cruiser

By Peter Janssen on June 14, 2023 Cruising Life

Apreamare, the Italian builder of modern-day cruisers based on centuries-old Sorrento gozzo boats, just announced that it’s building a new 35 Cabin cruising boat that can be ordered with either straight-shaft or stern-drive power. The 35 Cabin is a slightly larger and certainly much more protected version of the Apreamare 35 Open that’s already on the market. The Cabin version makes the boat more attractive for owners who cruise in northern areas, or who simply want all-weather protection no matter where they live. The new boat also looks larger than the open version because of the exterior glazing that provides…

Orcas Spotted South of Nantucket

By Peter Janssen on June 14, 2023 Cruising Life

Orcas, it seems, are moving north. Last Sunday, a group of scientists from the New England Aquarium on an aerial survey spotted a pod of four orcas about 40 miles south of Nantucket. They were surprised to see orcas that far north; they usually stay in warmer water farther south. “It’s always unusual to see killer whales in New England waters,” said Orla O’Brien, who led the Aquarium’s team. Katherine McKenna, another scientist on the plane, said, “As we circled the area, two whales surfaced too quickly to tell what they were. On the third surfacing, we got a nice…

Silent-Yachts Planning New Resort in Fiji

By Peter Janssen on June 13, 2023 Cruising Life, Destinations

Silent-Resorts, the partner of the innovative Austrian electric catamaran builders Silent-Yachts, just announced that it’s planning a new collection of luxury off-the-grid homes in Fiji. Construction of the new totally solar-powered homes is set to begin at the end of the year. And new owners will have exclusive use of Silent-Yachts’ solar-electric tenders, speedboats and catamarans. The Fiji project will be the second solar-powered marina and residence resort built by Silent-Resorts. The first, in Exuma, the Bahamas, is now under construction and the company says it’s “progressing rapidly.” Owners there have use of a Silent 55. The Bahamas resort is…

Another Dive Boat Fire: 3 Dead

By Peter Janssen on June 13, 2023 Cruising Life

A sudden fire on a luxury dive boat killed three British divers on the Red Sea earlier this week. The fire broke out about 8:30 in the morning on the last day of a week-long dive trip, and the flames quickly engulfed the yacht, named Hurricane. The 12 Brits who were diving that day were starting a briefing on deck when the fire began. They escaped on RIBs, along with 14 Egyptian crew and dive guides; they were picked up by another dive boat nearby. The three who died were apparently trapped below deck, but we don’t have any details.…

New Prestige 420S Low-Profile Cruiser

By Peter Janssen on June 13, 2023 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

It’s easy to use, and to like, the new Prestige 420S cruiser, a low-profile coupe with stylish lines and an open, flowing interior. The 420S is the smallest in the upscale French builder’s S series that also has a 46S and a 520S. They’re all designed by the Garroni studios in Genoa; Garroni Design’s portfolio includes everything from sailboats and motoryachts to cruise liners. The Prestige 420S is a two-cabin, two-head cruiser that would be at home in coastal waters around the U.S. as well as on the Great Lakes. Its air draft is only 14′ 9” so it can…

Maine’s Lobster Lady: 103 and Still Working

By Peter Janssen on June 12, 2023 Cruising Life

Virginia Oliver, Maine’s celebrated Lobster Lady, just turned 103 last week. And she renewed her fishing license for the 2023 season, her 95th year on the water. At a birthday party at the Rockland Historical Society, where she’s a lifetime member, Oliver ate some cake and talked about lobstering. It’s not work, she said. “It’s just what I do.” Someone asked her about her favorite part of the job. “I like to go by everybody,” she said. “I don‘t stop. Wave. Keep going. No lingering around.” Oliver has been working since she was 8, when she went out on her…

Say Hello to El Nino: NOAA

By Peter Janssen on June 12, 2023 Cruising Life

Here’s the latest from NOAA about El Nino and what it means for the U.S. The expected El Nino has emerged, according to scientists at NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center, a division of the National Weather Service. In the monthly outlook released today, forecasters issued an El Nino Advisory, noting that El Nino conditions are present and are expected to gradually strengthen into the winter. El Nino is a natural climate phenomenon marked by warmer-than-average sea surface temperatures in the central and eastern Pacific Ocean near the equator, which occurs on average every 2-7 years. El Nino’s impacts on the climateextend…

Cranchi Launches Sleek New 78 Flagship

By Peter Janssen on June 7, 2023 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

Cranchi, the 153-year-old Italian yard, just launched its new 78 flagship, the largest Cranchi yet. The sleek new yacht, designed by Christian Grande of Parma, is powered by three 1,000-hp Volvo IPS1350 pod drives, delivering a top speed of 28 knots and a range of more than 405 nm at 13 knots, and 816 nm at 8.5 knots. The new Cranchi 78 has four staterooms with en suite heads below, plus two cabins and an en suite head for three crew, accessed via the port side deck. The teak swim platform runs full beam, and can be fully submerged for…

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