Cruising Life

Brabus Offers Mercedes, Axopar, Watch for $1.5 Million

By Peter Janssen on June 21, 2023 Cruising Life, On Watch with Peter Janssen

Here’s something you probably haven’t thought of before. Brabus, the high-end German car customizer, is now offering a special Stealth Green Exclusivity Package, bundling a tricked-out Mercedes luxury off-road vehicle, a 38-foot Axopar boat, and a Panerai submersible watch, all for just $1.5 million. They all are painted Stealth Green. You could buy all these things separately, of course, piece by piece, but Brabus, which was founded in Bottrop, Germany, in 1977 to customize high-end cars, particularly Mercedes-Benz, now offers you the advantage of one-stop shopping. And then you have the Stealth Green thing too. The new Brabus 800 4X4…

New Saxdor 270 GTO Now in the U.S.

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

The aggressively styled, low-profile, outboard-powered Saxdor 270 GTO, built in Finland, is now for sale in the U.S. through the massive MarineMax dealer network. With its almost vertical bow, glass see-through transom, and drop-down wings on both sides of the aft deck, the new, trailerable Saxdor is a super-modern Scandinavian platform that will turn heads on either side of the Atlantic. It has a two-step, deep-V hull, with a 20-degree deadrise aft, and power up to twin 300-hp outboards. Cruising speed is 45 knots. The Saxdor 270 can hold seven people for daytime cruising and entertaining, and it has a…

Lyman-Morse Building New Monhegan 42 Cruiser

By Peter Janssen on June 20, 2023 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

Lyman-Morse in Thomaston, Maine, just announced that it’s building a new Monhegan 42 Down East cruiser designed by C. Raymond Hunt Associates in New Bedford, Massachusetts. The new 42 is the third in Lyman-Morse’s semi-custom Monhegan series, and it shows how an owner can customize an existing platform to suit his or her specific needs. The semi-custom approach delivers the attributes of a custom yacht, but with a considerably shorter lead time. It also builds on the success of a proven design. The Monhegan 42 has Hunt’s iconic deep-V hull, with power from twin 550-hp Cummins QSB 6.7 diesels. Its…

Charter Boat Sinks in Channel Islands; 14 Saved

By Peter Janssen on June 20, 2023 Cruising Life

A charter fishing boat hit some rocks off the coast of Southern California in the middle of the night last week and sank. A good Samaritan vessel nearby picked up all 14 people on board after they abandoned ship. The Coast Guard says it received a Mayday call at 2:33 a. m. from the captain of the Sea Jay fishing boat reporting it had hit a rock and was taking on water off Santa Cruz Island, the largest of the Channel Islands about 20 miles off Ventura Harbor. Ten passengers and four crew were on board. The captain, Chauncey Peal,…

Ocean Temps Warmest Ever in May: NOAA

By Peter Janssen on June 19, 2023 Cruising Life

Ocean temperatures last month were the warmest ever recorded, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The records date back to 1850. Meanwhile, North and South America recorded the hottest temperatures ever in May, while May was the third-warmest on record for the entire world. Temperatures in North America were driven by wildfires in Canada (pictured). Here’s the NOAA report: It was another warm month for the globe, with May 2023 ranking as the world’s third-warmest May on record. Earth’s ocean surface temperatures also set a record high for the second month in a row, according to scientists from…

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…

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