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Cruising Life
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Cruising Norway’s Fjords on Electric Jetboards: See Fantastic Video

Here’s something you probably haven’t seen before: A pair of adventurers cruising through the icy fjords of Norway on electric jetboards. Boards on the fjords. Take a look at the video below, it’s terrific. The electric-powered jetboards are made by Radinn, a Swedish company that was started in 2013. The name says it all: Radical Innovation. To promote its boards, the company has tested them on the canals in Amsterdam and off the beaches of the Dominican Republic. It went to Norway, in March, because that’s where they could find the highest-latitude body of water that wasn’t iced in. The…

Cruising Life
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Garmin Launches New Smartwatch for Cruising, Fishing

Garmin just launched the newest model in its quatix marine smartwatch series, and it’s designed specifically for cruising, fishing and watersports activities. You can use it control your autopilot, and you can load it with coastal charts so it serves as a navigation tool on your wrist. The new Garmin quatix 6 represents the next generation of smartwatches, according to Garmin. It connects to Garmin chartplotters and other marine electronics to control the autopilot, as well as onboard Fusion-Link entertainment offerings. It also displays boat speed, depth, temperature and wind. And it has preloaded activity for other sports, including paddle…

Gear
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New GoPro HERO8 Black: Great for Action Pictures

If you want to take some great pictures, videos or stills, of your cruising life this summer, take a look at the new GoPro HERO8 Black, a waterproof, super-stabilized, touch-screen action camera. GoPros have been popular in the boating and water-sports community since they launched their first HERO in 2004. Now the HERO8offers new features that should enhance GoPro’s legendary appeal. For starters, the HERO8 has been streamlined, so it’s easier to fit in your pocket – a very good feature when you’re bouncing around on a cruising boat. It has folding fingers at its base so you can swap…

Cruising Life
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New Bitter End Inflatable SUP; Fits in a Backpack

Before it was devastated by Hurricanes Irma and Maria in September, 2017, the Bitter End Yacht Club was one of the most sought-after, and highly recognized, destinations in the British Virgin Islands. The Bitter End has been rebuilding its 64 acres since then, but in the interim it has launched Bitter End Provisions, “to help you prepare for your next nautical adventure.” The company says the criteria for something to qualify as a Bitter End Provision are that “It works hard and works often. That it has been tested at sea. And that it pairs really well with a bottle…

Gear
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New Garmin MARQ Captain Smart Watch: “A Luxury Modern Tool”

If you’re looking for a high-tech smart watch, Garmin’s new MARQ Captain will help you stay connected as well as help you navigate your boat. Garmin calls it a “luxury modern tool watch,” and it seems all of that. The many tools on the MARQ Captain include a GPS (no surprise; this is a Garmin product, after all), a man-overboard button, wind speed, temperature, tidal information, coastal charts, port conditions, a regatta timer, music storage, Garmin Pay, and a heart-rate sensor, among other things. And the watch face is surrounded by a nautical blue color scheme. The luxury touches include…

Electronics
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Stay Connected with New, Fast, AquaFi Mobile Hotspot

Here’s a new way for you – and a lot of your friends – to stay connected when you’re cruising: the Taylor Made AquaFi Mobile Hotspot. Indeed, the AquaFi Hotspot delivers fast and reliable 4G LTE speeds for up to ten users on board at the same time. The AquaFi provides a secure 2.4 GHz connection, and it can connect with multiple devices at up to 150 Mbps. Speeds will vary according to the strength of the cell signal. The device requires a Nano SIM card (included) and it’s easy to set up with the free AquaFi app. Made for…

Gear
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Foldable Oru Kayak Fits in a Duffle, Weighs 20 Pounds

If your boat is squeezed for space, and you have a hard time finding room for a kayak, take a look at the new foldable Inlet model from Oru Kayak. It folds up like an origami, fits into a duffle and weighs just 20 pounds. And it was just named one of Time’s 100 Best Inventions of 2019. Anton Willis, the founder of Oru, got the idea for a folding kayak after he saw a story in The New Yorker about origami. He was an ocean kayaker, but he didn’t have any place to keep his kayak in his San…

Gear
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New Fliteboard: Electric-Powered Foiling Surfboard

This just looks like fun. In case you’re looking for a new toy, or a way to relax once you’ve dropped the hook on your next cruise, consider the Fliteboard, an electric-powered foiling surfboard. (See the video below.) Built in Australia, the Fliteboard flies several feet above the surface, giving you the sensation of gliding over the water. A handheld remote control lets you control the speed, but the company says it can hit 27 mph. The Fliteboard is made to foil on oceans, rivers and lakes, in fresh and salt water. You don’t even need waves, although they certainly…

Gear
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New Snap Tool Multi-Key Does Just About Everything

Now here’s a really good idea, and it fits in your pocket: The new Snap Tool Multi-Key from Davis Instruments. The Snap Tool also fits in your palm, and you can use it to twist, cut, pry, snap and take care of any number of tasks and jobs onboard. The patented Snap Tool is the Swiss Army Knife of boating tools, a toolbox of its own. It has three metric and four SAE hex wrenches, slotted and Phillips screwdrivers, a scraper and a recessed cutting blade. No fewer than three deck plate keys open just about any deck fill. A…

Gear
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New SmartMooring Brings Your Boat to You. See Video

Here’s a new idea that was just introduced at the Annapolis Powerboat Show: The SmartMooring, an app-controlled device that travels along an underwater chain and brings your boat to you. Forget the dinghy. Just stand on a dock, press a button on your smartphone and SmartMooring will deliver your boat. At the end of the day, when you’re back at your deep-water mooring, press the button again and SmartMooring will carry you back to shore. (You can see how it works in the video, below.) Tom Derecktor, an engineer and member of the Derecktor Shipyard family, developed the SmartMooring after…

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