Cruising Life

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…

Techohull Building 48-Foot, 86-Knot RIB

By Peter Janssen on February 26, 2023 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

Technohull, the Greek builder of high-performance RIBs, is building a new 48-foot luxury craft with a top speed of 86 knots. Technohull’s new Omega 48 will be powered by five 450-hp outboards. If you want a tamer version, you also can get it with twin 600-hp outboards. Either way, you’ll be comfortable, at least judging by Technohull’s claims for the new Omega. It says the Omega 48 has more luxury touches than previous versions, and it even has a large cabin below with an oversized double bed and separate head and shower. You reach those accommodations via a pantograph door…

New Sharrow Props Win More Recognition

By Peter Janssen on February 25, 2023 Cruising Life, Gear

The revolutionary no-blade Sharrow propellers, introduced just two years ago, are gaining in popularity and notoriety. Sharrow, which represents the first major design change in fixed props in a century, won an Innovation Award at the 2020 Miami show. And it just won another award, for Marine Power Innovation, at the latest one. Sharrow, developed by Greg Sharrow, a graduate of the Berklee College of Music in Boston, basically solved the problem of cavitation in traditional props. His props use loops to produce thrust, not blades. The loops eliminate cavitation and vortices that form around traditional props, reducing their efficiency,…

Vicem Unveils 65 Classic Flybridge

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

Vicem Yachts, the highly acclaimed Turkish builder, just unveiled its new Vicem 65 Classic Flybridge, a yacht that’s notable not only for its Downeast looks but also because Vicem is offering it in both fiberglass and cold-molded mahogany with West System epoxy construction. Either way, the 65 Classic Flybridge carries Vicem’s timeless design, with clean lines, a long sheer, and even a hint of tumblehome. Here’s a look that will never go out of style, and would be equally at home in Maine or Nantucket as it would be in the Med. The new Vicem also has the builder’s trademark…

Ilmor Unveils 8-hp Electric Outboard

By Peter Janssen on February 21, 2023 Cruising Life

Ilmor just introduced its revolutionary – and colorful – new ION all-electric outboard motor for small boats and tenders to the U.S. at the big Miami show. It had introduced it to the European market, where it would be popular on lakes and canals that have regulations governing gas engines, earlier at the METS trade show in Amsterdam. The ION’s drive runs on a 48V circuit, and it has an output of 6kW, or around 8-hp. Ilmor says that’s enough to power a 24-foot pontoon boat or tender up to 6 knots. There’s also a “boost mode” that adds another…

Fatal Collision: Coast Guard Relieves Captain

By Peter Janssen on February 21, 2023 Cruising Life

The Coast Guard just announced that the commander of a 154-foot cutter that collided with a small fishing boat off San Juan, Puerto Rico, last summer, killing one of the two brothers on board, has been relieved of his command. Rear Adm. Brendan C. McPherson, commandant of the Seventh Coast Guard District, relieved Lt. Cmdr. Benjamin Williamsz of his duties, citing a loss of confidence in his ability to effectively command the cutter. He had been reassigned to shore duty in San Juan immediately after the collision last August 8. The Winslow Griesser (pictured) is a Sentinel Class fast response cutter…

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