Can you cruise with a cat?
Having a pet on board is a much debated topic. Many cruising folk will say that having a pet on board will tie you down and is too much work. They say that international border crossings are difficult and you…
Cruising
Dedicated to Cruising the world under sail including destinations, navigation, sailing tips, safety ideas, yacht & multihull reviews along with stories and insights for the sail cruising life in the Mediterranean, Caribbean, Europe, Australia and New Zealand.
Cruising through the Cold War
The waters approaching Örö are treacherous. Submerged rocks abound and, if you do not pay attention to your charts, you will end up swimming in the cold Baltic Sea. It makes sense, then, that the inhabitants of this Finnish island…
Ten commandments of winter cruising
As winter approaches, it can be tempting to pack up the sailing gear and go into sailing hibernation until spring. That is what we used to do when we were still working: sailing was for weekends or holidays between October…
Call for hand-held radios to be mandatory on small boats in PNG
Radio NZ The owner of a boat which rescued eight people in Papua New Guinea's Bougainville region says having a hand-held radio on a boat can help save lives. The 42-ft yacht, Magalut managed to save the lives of eight…
Hong Kong boat owners count cost of Typhoon Mangkhut after hundreds of vessels are washed ashore, damaged or sunk
South China Morning Post. By Denise Tsang. Boats were among the biggest casualties of Typhoon Mangkhut in Hong Kong, with hundreds washed ashore, damaged or sunk, while at a yacht club the devastation was such that staff had to swim…
HMB Endeavour found: One of the greatest maritime mysteries of all time solved
Canberra Times. By Matthew Knott. New York: Marine archaeologists believe they have finally identified the resting place of HMB Endeavour, the ship James Cook commanded to Australia on his first voyage of discovery, an achievement that would solve one of the…
How much plastic does it take to kill a sea turtle?
Mashable. By Rayne Ellis. How much plastic does it take to kill a sea turtle? According to new research, it doesn't take very much. A study published in the journal Nature Thursday found that sea turtles have a 50 percent…
Another 109 berths added to Prince of Wales Marina in Hobart
Click on the link to be taken to this story: http://www.marinebusiness.com.au/news/prince-of-wales-gets-more-arms
Fantome Island – a step back in time
Stepping off our tender into the warm tropical waters and walking up the picturesque white, sandy beach through the trees I was not expecting what I saw next. An expansive field of white sand and concrete slabs are all that…
Things that go bump in the night – and clank and creak and rattle and …
Regardless of where you cruise or the size of your boat, there will be nights when it will roll. Sometimes you make a bad anchorage judgement call. Sometimes the forecast is wrong: yes, it does happen. Sometimes you have no…
Knotty issues – don't be half-hitched
“Look here busters, I am looking for a good place to land,” I explained to three seagulls screeching over a cockle. “If this salty washing machine lets me,” I clarified, as much to myself as to the seagulls who were…
Never straightforward – cruising the northwest passage
After finishing her 2016/17 summer contract with the Australian Antarctic Division, former multihull ocean racing sailor and cofounder of Tasmania’s Australian Wooden Boat Festival, Cathy Hawkins, sailed a monohull, Abel Tasman, 4,427 nautical miles from Australia to Kushiro, Japan. Since…
Oldest solo sailor to circumnavigate the World arrives at Southport Yacht Club
Bill Hatfield entered the Gold Coast Seaway yesterday morning at 01:04:28, after spending a tremendous 414 days at sea. Aged 79, Bill arrived at Southport Yacht Club on Monday 10th September 2018 becoming the oldest solo sailor to circumnavigate the…
Frenchman rescued from broken boat off East Yorkshire coast
A French sailor has been rescued from off the East Yorkshire coast after getting into trouble while sailing across the North Sea, reports Dan Kemp for Hull Live. The solo yachtsman was heading down the east coast when the RNLI…
World's first ocean clean up system launched from San Francisco
San Francisco (USA) and Rotterdam (the Netherlands), September 8, 2018 – The Ocean Cleanup, the Dutch non-profit organization developing advanced technologies to rid the oceans of plastic, today launched the world’s first ocean cleanup system from San Francisco Bay. The…
Refuelling in developing countries
Refueling your boat at home is rarely a problem; there are plenty of jetties, fuel barges and marina dock fuel points to choose from, all selling fresh clean fuel. Cruising overseas, however, can be another story. During our travels through…
Best luxury-cruise destinations to enjoy on a small cruise ship
We all dream of cruising to amazing remote locations, to take in the scenery and enjoy the serenity that comes with being far removed from the pressures of the modern world. From the ice and snow of the polar regions…
Dog falls off yacht in storm and swims 5km to shore
A dog owner thought he would never see his best mate again after the pooch fell overboard during a storm off the Florida coast, but he was shocked when the dog turned up alive the next day. Shane Hale and…
Alcohol played role in RI overboard case
Turnto10 News EAST GREENWICH, R.I. (WJAR) — A woman who fell off a 38-foot sailboat while she and her husband were out on the water will be fined after their vessel hit the Newport Bridge. William and Delyse Shakespeare, of Johnston,…
2019 Beneteau Four Peaks Race, Asia’s ultimate challenge for sailors and runners
2019 Beneteau Four Peaks Race is now open for enrollment. Its upcoming 35th edition is aimed at enthusiastic sailors and runners of various levels and ages across Asia. The region’s ultimate sailing and peak running challenge will take place on…
The ‘most beautiful ship in the world’ 87-year-old Amerigo Vespucci sets sail from Portsmouth
By Bryony Jewell For Mailonline The Italian Navy tall ship the Amerigo Vespucci has left Portsmouth Harbour after a four day stay US aircraft carrier the USS Independence flashed the vessel while it was sailing in the Mediterranean in 1962….
A workshop on marine watercolour painting coming to Devonport
Fancy yourself as a bit of a painter but would like to learn from an artist whose latest works incorporate shipwreck dramatisations? If you are in the vicinity of Devonport, Tasmania, then this workshop is for you. To be held…
Coast Guard rescues two overdue in West Atlantic Ocean
MIAMI — The Coast Guard, along with the Royal Bahamas Defense Force rescued two overdue boaters approximately 22 miles north of Freeport, Bahamas Thursday. Rescued were Sasha McPhee, 37, and Jerome Burrows, 37, both from the Bahamas. At approximately 8…
11 year circumnavigation set to end this Friday for law lecturer
“Becoming the first Australian yachtsman to sail up the Danube and cross central Europe by river wasn’t part of my original plan,” stated David Haigh who will sail into Townsville on board his 12 metre (40 foot) steel Van De…
Out of the frying pan and into the … ?
Our recent on board experience adds new meaning to the term ‘chargrilled’. There is nothing better than the smell of something sizzling away on your barbecue in the cockpit. But when someone asks casually “what’s that funny smell?” You know…
Newport Harbour hunt for James Cook’s ship, Endeavour
The Australian. By Cameron Stewart. For more than two centuries the waters of Newport Harbour, Rhode Island, have hidden the ghostly remains of Australia’s most historic ship. Now a team of Australian divers is preparing to launch the most important…
Will giant cruise ships destroy the wonders their passengers claim to love?
The Guardian. By Rowan Moore. A special kind of shock comes with the shooting of a polar bear. Their magnificence, their appearance of cuddliness, their ferocity, their vulnerability, their anthropomorphism – all combine to make the death of a single…
The many attractions of Airlie Beach Race Week
Entries have closed and Whitsunday Sailing Club organisers are pleased with the large jump in numbers to 119 received for the 30th anniversary Airlie Beach Race Week, which for a range of reasons, continues to attract a profusion of boats…
Crossing the Aegean: not meant to happen, best thing that did
John, Sophie and I were about halfway through our second season of sailing in the Mediterranean, which had by design, been fairly quiet and uneventful. Until, that is, things got shaken up when we were anchored in Kale Bay at…
Boxed in: are containers really the bad boys?
Boaters and professional captains alike know that one of the most dangerous hazards at sea is colliding with a partially submerged shipping container lost from a container ship. The severity of such an impact, coupled with the reported large number…
My Boat: a personal checklist to perfection
See how far down the list you get before you work out what class of boat I have. my boat is 10.3m long and is designed by a renowned European designer my boat has two double cabins, a saloon and…
Boat runs aground near Coffs Harbour
Coffs Harbour Water Police are currently at North Beach, Mylestone, in relation to a yacht which has run aground approximately 1.30am this morning (Thursday July 26, 2018).. The skipper called for assistance and set off his personal epirb. Coffs Harbour…
Crew failed to take steps to try and save man swept overboard from yacht, says Maritime NZ report
Stuff.co.nz. By Laine Moger. An investigation into a yachting tragedy in which two men died concluded not enough was done by crew members to save one of the victims after they were knocked overboard. Nick Saull and Steve Forno died as a result of the incident on…
Wright of Passage project heads to MyState Wooden Boat Festival
A Herreshoff-designed 53-foot ketch built by Canadian tuna fisherman Douglas Baron in 1974 in Sidney, Vancouver, British Columbia will be featured at the 2019 MyState Australian Wooden Boat Festival. Originally called the Mercator, the renamed Wright of Passage Mercator completed…
Looking for films about wooden boats
An exciting new feature is being added to the already-successful MyState Australian Wooden Boat Festival (AWBF) program. A film festival focusing on, or highlighting, wooden boats is now to be part of the greater festival. The AWBF Film Festival carries…
Coast Guard finds adrift sailboat a month after rescuing owners
SAN FRANCISCO — The Coast Guard Cutter Barracuda crew found the sailing vessel Kelaerin, Sunday while on routine patrol near Fort Bragg more than 440 miles south-southeast from its position on June 16. The Barracuda crew inspected the vessel’s seaworthiness…
Young sailor completes solo Pacific crossing to raise money for Indigenous Literacy
Wednesday July 11, 2018: 27-year-old Dr. Andrew Brazier has arrived in Los Angeles, after an ambitious 15,000 km solo sailing voyage, undertaken to raise funds for the Indigenous Literacy Foundation. Leaving Sydney on 24 March, he arrived in America after…
Contract let for new marina on NSW south coast
Construction of the brand new Shell Cove marina development south of Wollongong in NSW has been award to Walcon Marine. The $15 million contract covers the construction of piling works, the supply of floating pontoon berths, a public boat ramp…
Transport Minister in the Bahamas seeks to raise more revenue from cruising yachts
According to a report in the Tribune 242 by Natario McKenzie, the Bahamas Government is considering new ways to extract revenue from visiting yachts. McKenzie reports that the newly-appointed transport minister, Renward Wells, said he will look to introduce Family Island…
Abell Point Marina village joins The Last Straw Great Barrier Reef campaign
With over 500 million plastic straws being discarded every day globally and each straw taking up to 450 years to start to degrade, the team at Abell Point Marina felt like it was time to take environmental action. With 27…
