Cruising Life

Dutch To Dismantle Bridge for Bezos’ Yacht

By Peter Janssen on February 3, 2022 Cruising Life

Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon and one of the richest men in the world, is paying the city of Rotterdam to dismantle a historic bridge so his 412-foot yacht can pass from its shipyard to the sea. Earlier this week, Bezos and Oceanco, the Dutch yard that’s building the yacht, reached an agreement with the Rotterdam city council about the bridge. Bezos’ yacht has three 229-foot masts. The Koningshaven Bridge, built in 1927, has a clearance of 131 feet. The central portion of the bridge will be reassembled after Bezos’ yacht, which will be the largest sailing vessel in…

NOAA: Satellites Saved 330 People Last Year

By Peter Janssen on February 2, 2022 Cruising Life

Here’s some important news from NOAA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, showing the life-saving importance of having EPIRBs, PLBs or other emergency rescue beacons on board your boat: NOAA’s fleet of advanced satellites are essential for predicting weather and climate, and last year they also helped rescue 330 people from potentially life-threatening situations throughout the United States and its surrounding waters. Of the 330 U.S. rescues, 195 were water rescues, 29 were from aviation incidents and 106 were from events on land. Alaska had the most SARSAT rescues with 55, followed by Florida with 52 and California with 37.…

55-Foot Yacht Stuck on North Carolina Beach

By Peter Janssen on February 2, 2022 Cruising Life, On Watch with Peter Janssen

A 55-foot Novatec flybridge motoryacht has been stuck on a North Carolina beach for more than a week after it ran aground about 1 a.m. on January 25. The Coast Guard, TowBoatUS, and the owner have been trying to get it floating again ever since. The boat is named Vivens Aqua and it ran aground after the owner, Scott Pumphrey, from Salisbury, Maryland, said it suffered steering failure. It ended up on the beach at Cape Hatteras National Seashore near the south end of Ocracoke Island. Pumphrey was trying to get through Ocracoke Inlet, notorious for its shifting sand, and…

Azimut Launches Flagship Magellano

By Peter Janssen on February 1, 2022 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

Azimut just launched its first Magellano 30 Metri, the flagship of its long-range cruising fleet, at its yard in Viareggio, Italy. The new 30 Metri (measuring 97’ 6”) carries on the Magellano identity of providing Azimut’s traditional comfort and elegance in a boat that’s designed to cruise far afield in all sorts of weather and sea conditions. The first Magellano, launched in 2009, was a 74, with a completely new look and hull, designed by the Dutch naval architect Ken Freivokh. It had a range of more than 1,100 m at 11 knots, considerably more than possible on any of…

Vripack Designs Dramatic 79-Foot Project Meteor

By Peter Janssen on February 1, 2022 Cruising Life

Vripack, the Dutch yacht design firm, just unveiled plans for its 79-foot Project Meteor yacht that has more than its share of head-turning and fresh-thinking features. The yacht has been developed with Van der Valk, the Dutch builder that usually produces larger yachts, and recently has built several explorer yachts. Van der Valks are known to be safe, comfortable, and efficient. The new, champagne-colored Project Meteor yacht has, among other things, a folding-out aft deck and a transom glass door as part of its beach club affect at the stern, and a tender garage under a hatch on the foredeck.…

Leopard To Launch New 46 PC in Miami

By Peter Janssen on January 31, 2022 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

The new Leopard 46 Powercat will have its world premiere at the Museum Park Marina during the big Miami show starting February 16. The 46 comes two years after Leopard launched its prize-winning 53 Powercat, and has many of its larger sibling’s design and seakeeping characteristics. Leopard cats are made by Robertson and Caine in South Africa, and they’re sold to individual owners as well as to The Moorings charter fleet, where the 46 will be labeled The Moorings 464PC. The Leopard 46 comes with either three or four staterooms, with three or four heads. Private owners will probably opt…

9 New Motor Boat Awards from MB&Y

By Peter Janssen on January 31, 2022 Cruising Life

It seems to be award season overseas. Two weeks ago, the editors of eight European boating magazines (all on the continent) announced their annual European Power Boat Awards. Now we have nine new Motor Boat Awards from the editors of Motor Boat & Yachting in the UK. The annual Motor Boat Awards are usually announced at the Düsseldorf show, but it was cancelled because of the pandemic. Instead, the top editors of Motor Boat & Yachting announced the awards in a virtual ceremony from a marina in Southampton. The awards are for new boats that the editors sea-trialed and tested…

Historic Iceberg Breaks Up in South Atlantic

By Peter Janssen on January 30, 2022 Cruising Life

One of the largest icebergs ever measured (roughly the size of Delaware) has broken up near South Georgia Island in the South Atlantic, releasing billions of tons of fresh water into the ocean and potentially affecting life at sea and on shore. The iceberg was known as A68A, and it broke off the Larsen-C Ice Shelf in the Antarctic in July, 2017. At the time, it was more than 100 miles long and 30 miles wide. It also was almost 800 feet thick, with only the top 120 feet showing above the surface. Scientists from the European Space Agency said…

See Winners of European Power Boat Awards

By Peter Janssen on January 26, 2022 Cruising Life

The winners of the European Power Boat of the Year awards were just announced, chosen by the editors of eight leading boating magazines across the continent. The awards this year were in five categories, organized by size, plus one innovation award and one special mention. The annual awards are usually given at a banquet at the big Düsseldorf show, but that was cancelled this year because of the pandemic. The awards were announced digitally from Hamburg. The editors who had tested the boats represented magazines in Germany, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Switzerland and Austria. Here are the winners:…

Absolute 48 Coupe: Prize Winner with New Ideas

By Peter Janssen on January 25, 2022 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

The new Absolute 48 Coupe, already a prize-winner, is the Italian builder’s first in a new line of express yachts. It was introduced at the Cannes show last fall, and then won a “European Boat of the Year” award in its class, with the citation saying, “Absolute once again combines ground-breaking design with masterful boat building.” The massive side and hull windows are obvious, and offer the advantages of air and space and views, whether the boat is at anchor or on a two-week cruise. What you don’t see, is that Absolute has a new idea (at least for a…

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