Cruising Life

Performance e801: “Fastest Electric Boat in the World”

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

Performance Marine, the German builders, just introduced their new 26-foot e801 all-electric boat that they say is “die schnellste e-powerboat der welt,” the fastest electric boat in the world. In fact, the new e801 tops out at more than 50 knots – at least for some brief bursts. The Performance e801 is driven by an Evoy Hurricane 300+kW liquid-cooled inboard electric motor (Evoy already makes the world’s most powerful outboard); Evoy says it’s the equivalent of 400-hp. The boat has a waterproof 63.1-kWh dual battery pack configuration, working with a Mercury Bravo One sterndrive. The boat has a range of…

New X-Treme 54: A Pocket Superyacht

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

These are boom times for the Holterman Shipman in the Netherlands, builders of X-Treme Yachts. The yard’s flagship105-foot Lady Fleur won two superyacht awards earlier this year, it just launched a new 78, and it’s finishing the second hull of its 54, this one with more power than the original. The 54 (pictured) is the smallest of the builder’s six models, and it’s designed, by Bernd Weel, to function as a pocket-sized superyacht. The first 54, named Ferox, was powered by two 175-hp Volvos, and cruised at 7.5 knots. The new version will have twin 300-hp Volvos, for 10-knot cruising…

Ocean Alexander Launches 28E Luxury Cruiser

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

Ocean Alexander has launched its new 28E, the latest model in its Explorer line. The new 94-foot cruiser has some creative features, including a master stateroom on the main deck and an elegant teak-covered aft deck that seems to just keep on going. The 28E should live up to its Explorer designation. Standard power comes from two 1,650-hp MAN diesels, and the yacht carries 2,980 gallons of fuel. That combination gives it a top speed of 19.8 knots and a range of 844 nm at 11 knots, or almost 2,100 nm at 7 knots. The interior was designed by Evan…

Snorkeling Boat Leaves Couple Behind: Suit

By Peter Janssen on March 5, 2023 Cruising Life

A California couple is suing a Hawaiian snorkeling tour operator for leaving them behind, half a mile offshore, while they were on their honeymoon. The couple, Elizabeth Webster and Alexander Burckle, filed a suit in Federal court charging that the snorkeling boat from Sail Maui left them “abandoned” in the “open ocean.” They are suing Sail Maui for $5 million for emotional distress and trauma. The couple, who are from Alameda County, booked the Lana’i Coast Snorkel tour from Sail Maui on Sept. 23, 2021. The suit says that at the first stop on the tour the captain gave a…

The Best Rum Punch: Sunshine’s on Nevis

By Peter Janssen on March 1, 2023 Cruising Life

If you haven’t been to Sunshine’s on Nevis, it seems that you’re missing something. In fact, the people at Carib Journal say that the Killer Bee there is “the greatest rum punch in the Caribbean.” And all this time I thought that a Painkiller at Foxy’s on Jost Van Dike in the BVI was pretty good. But then I, and I suspect a lot of you, haven’t been to Sunshine’s yet. In person, Sunshine is Llewellyn Caines, and he’s been running Sunshine’s Beach Bar & Grill for the past 25 years. It’s on Pinney’s Beach on the west end of…

Three Tips for Easier Docking

By Peter Janssen on March 1, 2023 Cruising Life

Docking. A word that can inspire fear in inexperienced boat owners, and that can still raise a bit of concern, to say the least, among veteran skippers. Sure, there are all sorts of technological advances now to make docking easy, joystick-easy is some cases. But what happens when they don’t work? And even if they do, a responsible skipper needs to know the basics. Here’s some great advice from Skipper Tips: Before you make a final approach to your slip or a pier, make the three vital tests below standard procedure aboard your boat. That way, you know your boat…

Cruising with Grandkids on a Ranger 25

By Peter Janssen on March 1, 2023 Cruising Life

Cruising with kids is one thing; cruising with grandkids is quite another. For one thing, you’re older. For another, the kids seem younger. But for Jim and Lisa Favors, from Traverse City, Michigan, one of the most experienced cruising couples around, the idea of spending time with their grandchildren was a big motivator when they bought their new Ranger Tugs 25, a red-hulled version named Kismet, more than a year ago. Yes, it was smaller than their previous Rangers, a 27 and a 29 (both also red-hulled and also named Kismet), but they figured it would be easier to handle…

Galeon Launches New 440 Fly Cruiser

By Peter Janssen on February 28, 2023 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

The new Galeon 440 Fly just made its world debut at the Düsseldorf show in January, and it’s already getting a lot of notice for its styling and for the company’s ability to pack a lot of user-friendly features into a 44-foot boat. Tony Castro, the well-regarded British designer, worked with Galeon on the new 440 Fly. The most apparent design elements are aft, where a wet bar/grill is built into the transom, running almost across the full width of the boat. It’s just above a super-sized hydraulic swim platform, so you can easily enjoy a grilled sandwich or a…

New WiLder 60: “A Walk on the Wild Side”

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

If you want your yacht to make a statement, take a look at the new WiLder 60 from Italy. It’s not for shrinking violets. Indeed, the company owner says it’s designed ”for a walk on the wild side.” WiLder is a new brand from Wider Yachts, and the new 61’ 6” WiLder 60 is the brainchild of the in-house design firm Centro Stile Wider. The all-aluminum yacht, which the company says is a cross between a chase boat and a performance cruiser, is scheduled to launch this summer. The WiLder 60 can be heavily customized to fit each owner’s preferences;…

New Motorola Link Connects Anywhere in World

By Peter Janssen on February 26, 2023 Cruising Life, Electronics

Motorola is unveiling its new Defy Satellite Link that enables two-way satellite messaging anywhere in the world on a smartphone at the Mobile World Congress this week in Barcelona. The Defy Satellite Link means you can add satellite communications to any iPhone (iOS14 or higher) and any Android phone (10 or later) using a dongle. The Link is not integrated into the hardware of the phone; it connects to the phone via Bluetooth, and it comes with a device so you can clip it to your jacket or gear. The Link has a 600mAh battery that’s supposed to support a…

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