Innehållsförteckning för August 2023 från Yachting

45’8” LENGTH OVERALL 13’8” MAXIMUM BEAM GALEON YACHTS’ NEW 440 Fly is aimed at cruising families. It joins nine other flybridge models ranging from 41 to 83 feet length overall. This near-46-footer made its North America debut at the Miami International Boat Show earlier this year. ¶ In addition to having room for the family, the 440 Fly is a capable entertaining vessel. Fold-down side decks to port and starboard transform this yacht’s cockpit into a beach club, increasing the 13-foot-8-inch beam by 7 feet. Alfresco activities are further encouraged by a wet bar with a grill, a sink and stowage. An L-shaped settee with a wooden dinette is forward and under the flybridge overhang, protected from the elements. ¶ Sun soakers can gather at the foredeck sun pad that’s sized…

THE INCREASING POPULARITY OF POWER CATAMARANS MEANS more boaters are discovering the brand Horizon Power Catamarans, which has been building for this market for 37 years. Its latest model, the PC68, blends sea-kindly performance with a high level of luxury in a strong build. ¶ Horizon Power Catamarans has done a lot to optimize the space that this yacht’s 24-foot-6-inch beam affords. The sheer size felt impressive when I boarded from either hull platform (they flank a high-low hydraulic platform) or via the side gates. The cockpit has a 9-foot-long high-gloss wood table that seats eight guests, with real estate to move around unimpeded. The wet bar here has a Corian countertop, a fridge and an ice maker. There is still plenty of room to get to the curved staircase…

THEY’RE THE STUFF OF DREAMS, legend, maritime lore: the Northwest Passage, the Drake Passage, Greenland, South Georgia Island, Cape Horn. Cruising these fabled waters requires a capable and prepared yacht, a seasoned and adventurous crew, the right communications and safety tools, and a pinch of luck. In this sense, the ancient Roman philosopher Seneca was right: Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity. ¶ Satellite connectivity isn’t new. The first very-small-aperture terminal (VSAT) satcom systems rolled out in the late 1970s, giving mariners the ability to send and receive information at sea. Contemporary VSAT systems typically operate on the Ka-frequency or Ku-frequency bands to offer high-speed performance and bandwidth. ¶ The problem, however, is that VSAT networks typically concentrate their coverage beams on populated areas and commonly cruised waters.…

76'4" LENGTH OVERALL 19'4" MAXIMUM BEAM IT USED TO BE THAT IF YOU WANTED a truly custom experience out on the water, you had to spend years building a custom superyacht at only the biggest size ranges. Oh, how times have changed. In May, Turkish builder Bering Yachts released images of its first custom yacht smaller than 80 feet. Lemanja, a Bering 76, is just the latest example of all kinds of platforms—small, large and revolutionary—that today’s builders are offering to satisfy pretty much whatever type of adventure owners want to embark on next. ¶ In the case of Lemanja, the owner had a vision of autonomy in the most remote locations, including substantial noise reduction so the yacht would feel like a home for the six people on board.…

If Mother Nature had been less obstinate, Miles Cherkasky might have continued to sail. ¶ “I’ve been sailing since I was probably 14 years old, almost half a century of sailing,” he says, now in his 60s. “One day, I was doing a delivery from Baltimore down to Miami Beach where we have a slip, and there was no wind, and I was sitting there listening to my engine run, and I couldn’t go anywhere, and I thought, ‘This is stupid. Time to get a trawler.’” ¶ But what kind of trawler? He and his wife, Laureen, knew they liked longer-distance, offshore cruising—after Miles retired back in 2007, they bought a 47-foot high-performance sailboat and cruised it from Nova Scotia to the Bahamas a few times—but they weren’t quite sure…

84'8" LENGTH OVERALL 20'1" MAXIMUM BEAM FOUR STATEROOMS, including a full-beam master, plus two crew cabins help make the Ocean Alexander 85E a sizable family voyager for long-range cruising. When launched, the 85E was notable for its modern exterior design elements: a reverse transom, house-length side windows, a raked windshield, a radar arch and window pillars to the hardtop support, to name a few. It was equally notable for its interior feel, with warm woods such as dark walnut and teak. At press time, there were two Ocean Alexander 85Es on the market, ranging from $4.49 million to $5.29 million. FROM THE ARCHIVE “The skipper sits in lordly comfort in a Stidd pedestal helm chair. Underway, the Ocean Alexander 85E is as fast as you’d expect considering the 3,600 snorting…

FEATURE-PACKED E-BIKES have been around for several decades. The designs keep evolving, along with battery technology, control algorithms and construction materials, all of which help the e-bikes go faster, better, longer. Today, boaters who want to carry e-bikes on board are benefiting from advancements intended to make the cycles powerful enough to replace cars in urban areas. ¶ That’s the goal of the company Fuell, which says it has developed the longest-range e-bike in the world. The aluminum alloy Fuell models called Flluid 2 ($5,995) and Flluid 3 ($5,495) have reported ranges from 110 to 225 miles at speeds as fast as 28 mph. ¶ “We used the knowledge gained from our initial foray into the electric bike market with Flluid 1 to develop a superior urban-transportation solution, making sure…

SOMETIMES I GET THE FEELING that I’ve spent more time working on boats out of the water, below their waterline, than I’ve spent actually sailing them. That’s because for New England-based sailors like myself, every fall, our yachts get hauled for the winter and then require a fresh coat of bottom paint before returning to the drink the following spring. For me, this seasonal rite of passage has gotten a bit easier since the old days when I spent hours with a longboard sanding the bottom of my J/24 racer to get that smooth-as-silk racing edge. But all the cruising boats I’ve owned since then still require prep and paint, and it’s an annual task I’ve learned to tolerate—barely—in the same way I grit my teeth for my yearly physical…

WHEN I REVIEWED the Cruisers Yachts 42 GLS two years ago, I decided that GLS must mean “great little ship.” With the 50 GLS flagship, I know it means “greater little ship.” ¶ It actually means Grand Luxury Sport, which is also an apt description of the Cruisers GLS “adventuring” series. Cruisers, now owned by MarineMax, has paid attention to how we use our boats. The 50 GLS is a bowrider on steroids, an express cruiser with entertaining ambitions, an overnighter with comfort and a performance boat (49.6 knots) with the oomph to yank skiers or tubers with aplomb. ¶ The 50 GLS is powered by three 600 hp Mercury Verado V-12 outboards. When I put the hammer down from idle, I was literally shoved back into the comfy, Ultraleather…

THE GATEWAY to Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, the Whitsunday Islands are a tempting tropical cruising destination in their own right. Line-of-sight sailing among the 74 islands brings yachtsmen to pristine beaches, abundant wildlife, fine dining and spectacular natural landscapes. WHITEHAVEN BEACH Why does Whitehaven Beach frequently rank as Australia’s top beach and among the world’s best? When its clear turquoise waters swirl together with the blindingly white sand of Hill Inlet, the breathtaking view is greater than the sum of its stunning parts. ¶ This beach is part of Whitsunday Islands National Park. Its 99 percent pure silica sand reflects the sun’s rays, making the fine, powdery sand feel cool underfoot. ¶ The inlet is considered to be at peak photo perfection at midtide, so time your visit to the…