Cruising Life

New Rhea 34 Trawlers Heading to U.S.

By Peter Janssen on May 2, 2023 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

Rhea Marine’s Trawler 34, made in France, is now heading for the United States, with two boats going to Cardinal Yacht Sales in Bellingham, Washington. The Rhea 34 has a conventional trawler layout, with two cabins, one head, and either one diesel or two. As a former trawler (Grand Banks) owner, I found a few things appealing in the new Rhea. It has a door on each side of the salon, providing immediate access to both sides decks. This is an great help in docking (which I often did by myself), as well as providing more fresh air and ventilation…

Artnautica LRC 58 with 5,000-nm Range

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

The Artnautica LRC 58 is certainly a different kind of cruiser. Designed as a Long Range Cruiser, the aluminum-hulled Artnautica 58 is self-righting with a narrow beam, shallow draft, and a range of about 5,000 nm at 7 knots. Artnautica is the brainchild of Dennis Harjamaa, who started out studying yacht design in Maine, and worked as a designer in Finland and then New Zealand before he started Artnautica Yacht design Ltd (NZ) and drew the lines for the LRC 58. He wanted a boat he could live on and take cruising, and he wanted it to be simple, rugged,…

New Virtue V10, Gas or Electric Outboards

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

The latest entry in the modern Scandinavian minimalist design genre (think Axopar and Saxdor, among others), the new Virtue V10 is made in Poland but the hull is designed in Sweden. It also is made to be powered by gas outboards, reaching speeds of 50 knots, or Evoy electric outboards, that are slower but offer a green, emissions-free propulsion system. Above all else, the Virtue V10 is meant to be a functional, user-friendly boat. It’s small enough so it can find room at most marinas or anchorages, and it has a beam of 9’ 6” so it can fit on…

How To Use AIS Symbols on Charts

By co_admin on April 30, 2023 Cruising Life

Here’s some great advice from Skipper Tips about how to use AIS symbols on charts to help you cruise safely: Imagine cruising into a new channel, scanning the chart, and finding some buoys have a magenta circle around the buoy symbol. What does this mean, and how can you use these navigation markers to boost cruising safety? Most cruisers already know the value of the Automated Identification System, or AIS, and how it helps prevent collisions at sea. Some buoys and beacons are also equipped with AIS transmitters which give the position, description, and purpose of the aid. Three types…

Northcoast Unveils New 415HT Flagship

By Peter Janssen on April 27, 2023 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

Northcoast Boats in Bristol, Rhode Island, just announced that it’s building a new flagship Northcoast 415HT that the company says is “a wolf in sheep’s clothing.” The new Northcoast carries traditional, no-frills New England lines and a dedication to seaworthiness and performance. “Our goal is to satisfy the most experienced mariners who choose to own a real boat with a timeless practical design, clean and simple,” said Jose Daponte, owner of Northcoast Boats and C&C Fiberglass Components, Inc. Powered by four 300-hp Yamaha outboards, the 415HD has a projected top speed of more than 50 mph. The hull has a…

Formula’s Fast New 500 Flagship

By Peter Janssen on April 27, 2023 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

Formula’s new 500 SSC is a 60-knot flagship that will serve well as a platform for an afternoon picnic on an island beach or a week-long cruise in the Bahamas (or anywhere else). Formula has always managed to pack in a lot of amenities and comfort in its smaller boats, as well as a turn of speed based on its double-step FAS3Tech hull. The new 50-footer simply carries these virtues to a new level, where both the living and the ride are easy. Power for the 500 comes from four 600-hp V12 Mercury Verado state-of-the-art outboards. These not only produce…

A satellite image shows a miles-long blob of Sargassum off the coast of Key Largo, Florida. Image from University of South Florida Optical Oceanography Laboratory.

Record Blob Closing in on Florida

By Peter Janssen on April 26, 2023 Cruising Life

The giant blob of Sargassum that stretches 5,500 miles across the Atlantic from Africa grew larger than ever last month, scientists report. It’s already hitting beaches in Florida and Mexico, and much more is on the way. Researchers from the Optical Oceanography Laboratory at the University of South Florida have been studying satellite images of the blog, taken by NASA and other agencies, and measuring its size and direction. They report that it weighed in at 13.5 million tons in March, an all-time-record for that month. “These blooms are getting bigger and bigger and this year looks like it’s going…

BMW Planning Electric-Powered Boat

By Peter Janssen on April 25, 2023 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

BMW and Tyde, a high-tech German startup, just announced that they’ll unveil a new luxury electric-powered boat at the Cannes Film Festival on May 17. The two companies said they have developed the new boat under “strict secrecy” and would not divulge any details, except to say that its name is Icon and that it would have zero emissions. Icon, it turns out, was developed by BMW’s Designworks studio, and it will have a futuristic look. It also will take some cues from BMWs i car line, using BMW’s green technologies. The new boat will be designed to the highest…

90-Foot Yacht Is Sold, Sinks

By Peter Janssen on April 25, 2023 Cruising Life

The Astor, one of two Vitech 90s ever built, sank off the East Sussex coast of the UK recently, just a few months after it had been sold. The yacht, described as the flagship of the Vitech fleet when it was launched in Taiwan in 1993, had spent the past decade at the Brighton Marina. It was sold in January, and the new owner reportedly was moving it earlier this month for refurbishing. The asking price had been the equivalent of about $186,000. The British Coastguard rescued the crew of two people by helicopter when the Astor started to sink.…

Mochi 44: New England Lines, Italian Style

By Peter Janssen on April 25, 2023 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

Mochi-Craft 44, the Italian version of a New England lobster boat, was first launched almost two decades ago. But the new version, with its Coral Red hull and twin 600-hp Cummins diesels, is still turning heads on both sides of the Atlantic. Mochi dates its origins to the early 1960s and the port of Pesaro on the Adriatic. For a while it made flybridge yachts, but in 2001 the Ferretti Group bought it, moved it to nearby Forli, and launched a new line called the Dolphin. Today, the Mochi-Craft line runs from the 44 up to a 74. The 44…

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