Innehållsförteckning för January 2016 från Yachting

THIS TIME OF YEAR, the mercury where I live dips somewhere below “Whoa!” and “Are you kidding me?” The heat in the house kicks on so often that I look around to make sure the place still has windows. On the days when icicles line the gutters like long-forgotten Christmas decorations and the view outside is reminiscent of the tundra, I find myself staring at the gray and thinking back to balmy days cruising on aquamarine seas. One early spring morning a few years ago, I woke up in the master stateroom of a Hatteras GT63 at MarineMax in Pompano Beach, Florida. The morning was mildly humid and warm in a welcoming way. In short order, the Hatteras crew and I prepped the boat for a two-day jaunt over to…

THERE IS NO TRY. THERE IS ONLY WEAR. Devon Timepieces is offering luxury additions to the season’s Star Wars novelty products, including a $28,500 watch whose details are as head-turning as the Death Star. Note the points inspired by Darth Vader’s helmet, side panels reminiscent of the Empire’s TIE fighters (that’s a TIE fighter cufflink too) and screw heads shaped like the Imperial crest. devonworks.com PICTURE-PERFECT Leica’s M Edition 60 ($15,540) is a commemorative limited edition inspired by the 1950s Leica M3. BUILT LIKE A SURFBOARD WITH WHEELS Guapa Cycles makes the Urban One bicycle (about $7,200) from a blend of bamboo and carbon fiber that’s lighter than most steel or aluminum single-speed bikes, but it’s still stiff and sturdy. Downright stunning too. PREHISTORIC LUXURY The centerpiece in William Henry’s…

NEW VIEW Drones are redefining the way people capture memories. The FLIR Vue 336 ($1,499) and FLIR Vue 640 ($2,999) thermal-imaging cameras are designed to work with drones, creating an exciting way to capture imagery while letting skippers investigate suspicious marine traffic or onshore activity after the sky grows dark. The FLIR Vue 336 has 336x256 resolution and the option of using a 6.6 mm, 9 mm or 13 mm lens, while the FLIR Vue 640 offers 640x512 resolution and the ability to use a 9 mm, 13 mm or 19 mm lens. Both cameras use a 10-pin, mini-USB cable and require a 5vDC power supply. flir.com SAY CHEESE! GOST’s Watch HD Internet Video Recorder (IVR) uses custom compression software to record up to 90 days’ worth of high-resolution video…

IN AUGUST 2003, a massive blackout in the Northeast lasted about 30 hours in New York. I was in Midtown Manhattan when everything went off. There were no lights. No trains. No refrigeration. But my friend had a Sea Ray 320 Sundancer at Chelsea Piers. Five of us trekked west seven avenues and south 30 blocks, jumped on board and headed for anywhere out of the city. I piloted the boat out of New York Harbor, under the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge and down the New Jersey coast. It was a great night for cruising. We all fell out in the copious cockpit lounge, enjoyed a cool beverage from the galley belowdecks and let the breeze wash over us. For the next 24 hours, we cruised, laughed and almost forgot about the…

ASK PETER KISSNER where to go for the best calamari in Cádiz, Spain, or how to pinpoint your whereabouts on a map using only constellations, and he won’t skip a beat. The 50-year-old Bavaria native has become a veritable encyclopedia of boating and global culture. During his 20 years as a crew member, he has learned to appreciate the unique pleasure of discovering the world’s most popular, and most remote, destinations by boat. What’s your favorite destination? I always prefer the journey. A big beautiful boat doesn’t belong to a harbor. It’s like a bird in a stinking cage. But sooner or later, every vessel stops in a harbor or off shore near an exotic place. Any favorites? Thailand. It has history, culture, beaches. One of the most exciting areas…

AWARM, WISPY WIND OFF Cannes, France, swept across the expansive flybridge deck. My bare feet felt solid and stable on the teak sole. My view of the shoreline was spectacular. The Azimut 72 Fly skirted along the slick-calm Mediterranean Sea at 32 knots in a relaxing, early morning cruise that was my first look at this sleek, chic yacht. Her performance was flawless. Her profile was striking. And beneath the attractive visage, she was unlike any Azimut I’d been on before. I walked down the flybridge steps, opened the sliding salon doors and stood slack-jawed. Space. Lots of it. It was the kind of room I might expect to see on an 85-footer, but this vessel comes in around 74 feet length overall. Everything my eyes saw and my brain…

SOURCING SHOE LEATHER is not a sexy business, but it teaches you what the world’s tanneries can achieve. Virginiabased Moore & Giles, which began as a sourcing company for shoemakers in 1933, indulged its own inspiration in 2007 and began creating a custom line of bags and accessories. These images showing the new offerings were partly inspired by company president R. Sackett Wood’s background as a sailor, and how he wants to look and feel walking up the dock to the boat. 1_| TAYLOR DUFFEL Supple Italian leather on the outside, woven Jacquard lining on the inside. $895. 2_|RAGLAND VARSITY DUFFEL Pockets inside and out for smaller items, shown in nubuck bison tan. $670. 3_| BI-FOLD WALLET Shown in tan alligator. $560. Can be ordered in chocolate alligator and with…

Founded in the 1980s, Ribcraft is a well-regarded British boatbuilder with an international fan base among first responders, commercial operators and, in recent years, yachtsmen. Ribcraft’s well-finished RIBs have earned the loyalty of boaters who either have to, or simply want to, be on the water — no matter the conditions. The new Express 32 is a natural fit as a day boat or tender for yachtsmen who want to head out whenever the mood strikes. WHOM IT’S FOR: Adventurers who appreciate safety. It’s provided via the seven-chamber inflatable hypalon collar and protected pilothouse with drop-down aft curtain. Twin helm chairs, a cabin with twin berths and a head give the Express 32 comfortable spots to retreat from the elements. Options include a galley, extra seating, joystick maneuvering, engines to…

ON THE SURFACE The Q44 shares the Tiara 44 Coupe’s seaworthy hull, but the family resemblance ends there. This new Tiara is all about the topsides. Its designers adopted a multizone approach. COMMAND CENTER Sliding electric doors beside the helm and companion seats? A Volvo Penta Glass Cockpit electronics suite? Joystick handling and reverse-cycle A/C and heating? These features add to the big-boat feel of the Q44 — plus, they make it a blast to drive. THE BOW LOUNGE Tiara envisioned three generations of family on board the Q44. The bow area is a natural gathering point, with a U-shaped sun pad and a love seat etched into its front, so a half-dozen people can sit up here and enjoy a sundowner on the hook. TEAK BEACH Modeled from the…

THE 50-YARD LINES have been painted gold all season, letting NFLfans know this year is special. When the Super Bowl airs on February 7, it will be the 50th contest of strategy and strength on the gridiron — a celebration not just of touchdowns but of a half-century of champions. That beloved American day of shouting at the TV screen falls right in the middle of prime boating season from Florida to the Caribbean. Football-loving yachtsmen will need to make a choice: cruise, or stay home and watch the big game? Only yacht owners who have a television receive-only (TVRO) system will get to combine their passions. AESTHETIC ALTERNATIVES While (almost) everyone agrees that satellite TV is a great onboard upgrade, physically accommodating a TV screen and the required satellite-receiver…

THE 25-MINUTE RIDE to the roundabout in Hamilton from either end of Bermuda has a huge payoff. Provisions, yes. Fine dining on Front Street, sure. But the moment that can change an entire journey is a three-second encounter with the friendliest, happiest man on the island: Johnny Barnes. Every morning for the past 30 years, Johnny, 92, has stood along the side of Crow Lane. Waving. Smiling. Shouting to everyone who passes, “I love you!” The queen of England once told me she loved me too. When her limo slowed down, I blew her a kiss and said, “I love you.” She looked at me and said, “I love you right back.” That was a good day. I do this because of my mother. When I was a boy, I…

AUSTRALIAN BUILDER RIVIERA Yachts launched the 40 Flybridge Convertible in 2000. Designed for the American market with equal emphasis on cruising and fishing, this midsize offering was a sleek-looking vessel intended to stand apart in the convertible market. And she did. For the buyer, it was just a matter of determining how to use the boat. She was ready for quiet weekend jaunts to secret gunkholes or rowdy mornings chasing pelagics off shore. Both cruisers and anglers liked the roomy, 80 ½-squarefoot cockpit, and the in-deck fish box could stow several mahimahi or a plethora of fenders and lines. Cruisers loved the nearly 6-foot-wide swim platform for diving, vessel boarding or dinghy stowage. Big-game anglers often removed the platform and equipped their 40 with an optional transom door, and they…