Thursday, March 28

Browsing: Cruising Life

It’s getting to be that time of year again, and that means that those of us in the northern states need to get ready for the snow, ice and generally lousy weather we know is coming. For its part, the Coast Guard is stressing the importance of getting snow off your boat as soon as you can, and preventing any ice to build up on docked boats. The accumulation of snow and ice can reduce a boat’s stability, and even cause it to sink. The Coast Guard also urges everyone to wear appropriate personal protective equipment if they’re boating in…

Researchers from the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Coast Guard have found the wreck of the legendary U.S. Revenue Cutter Bear, which was lost at sea in 1963, about 90 miles south of Cape Sable in Nova Scotia. NOAA and the Coast Guard, as well as some academic institutions, had been searching for the wreck for decades. The Bear had been one of the most significant ships in Coast Guard history. It was used by the Navy as part of the rescue for the Greely Expedition to the Arctic in 1884, and it actually saved a few…

For the past few years, we’ve been following John and Kathy Youngblood as they’ve cruised around Alaska on their 2004 Selene 54 Mystic Moon. They previously cruised more than 35,000 nm on Mystic Moon in the Caribbean and the Pacific. Now they’ve posted their latest blog, about their fall cruise out of Sitka, or “Stormy Sitka” as John calls it (see Mystic Moon at the dock there in the picture above).   Of the 16 days they were in Sitka, John writes, they had two days of partial sun, while it rained the rest of the time and every few…

The third week of October is pushing the boating season in Connecticut, but there we were, heading out of Mystic Harbor at about 35 mph in hull number one of the head-turning Reward 17, grinning from ear to ear. Even though we were going into a 15-knot or so headwind, with 3-foot seas, the Reward 17, driven by a 170-hp Rotax engine and a waterjet, delivered a ride that was soft and easy.  To show the boat’s maneuverability, Chris Ashley, who designed it and built it, turned the wheel and put us into a jet-drive turn; an immediate turn. But…

A group of boating friends, and the dog they rescued a mile off the Florida coast, became social media stars when a video of their exploits went viral. Dylan Berian was boating near Fort Lauderdale with his friends when they suddenly saw a small dog swimming, alone, struggling to stay afloat. No other boats were nearby. Berian jumped in, fully clothed, to rescue the dog and bring him back to the boat. Once on board, the friends saw the dog’s collar with his name, Zuko, and his owner’s phone number on it. They called the owner, who said it was…

If you want to feel good about the world, take a look at this video of a dolphin stampede off the coast of Southern California recently, where abut 400 dolphins put on a show for people who were out on a whale-watching excursion. The video was from the catamaran named Manute’a, run by Captain Dave’s Dana Point Dolphin & Whale Watching Safari. It captures the dolphins leaping and diving and generally having a good time. It seems that Southern California has more dolphins per square mile than anywhere else on earth, at least according to Captain Dave. Adult dolphins are…

True North,  now owned by Catalina, just introduced its all-new 34 Outboard Express at the Annapolis show. The new 34 has a one-level open plan in the pilothouse and cockpit, with the galley up, and it’s driven by twin 300-hp outboards. With its Downeast lines, dating to an earlier lobster boat heritage, the True North 34 is a versatile cruiser with a spacious cockpit and a single cabin and head below. Its looks go back to the original True North, a 38, launched by the Pearson Marine Group, in 2001. The original True Norths were called the SUVs of the…

Axopar just had a pre-production showing of its new 25 Cross Bow boat at the Cannes Yachting Festival. It has a hardtop and a cuddy cabin with a toilet below, and Axopar’s slippery deep-V hull with twin steps. The beam is just 7’ 4”, so it can be trailered in the U.S. An innovative Finnish company, Axopar launched its first boat, a 28, in 2014, and then moved up to a 37 and 32 that became popular in the American market. Owners loved to drive them, they’re fun, and their signature low-profile, narrow-beam design created a lot of attention. Last…

Silent-Yachts just sold the first Silent 100 Explorer catamaran, a 101-foot luxury yacht capable of crossing oceans under solar power. An Austrian company, Silent-Yachts says its new flagship, with a beam of 44’ 7”,  has the living space equivalent to that found in a monohull half again its size. Hull number one will be launched in 2023. Solar cells on the top of the four-deck Silent 100 Explorer provide up to 40kWp and feed a battery bank with a capacity of 800kWh. The yacht also has twin 340kW electric motors. It has an economical cruising speed of 6 to 8…

Decisions, decisions. In case you’ve been wondering about which personal submarine to buy to go with your superyacht, or your island retreat, here’s a look at 15 of the best from Luxatic. Personal subs are something of a new subset in the recreational marine category; in the past, subs were primarily used by the military or research institutions. Today, they’re still pretty much over-the-top items, even in the higher altitudes of the megayacht set. Until recently, the toys there ranged from jet skis to helicopters (his-and-hers helicopters for the very top). But now personal subs carry their own cachet. They start…

1 93 94 95 96 97 308