With 365 cays to choose among, the Exumas chain in the Bahamas offers something for every day of the year. Cruise around the chain’s three major areas—Great Exuma, Little Exuma and the Exuma Cays—to explore its wildlife, sapphire waters, beaches and waterfront dining.

Natural Attractions

Big Major Cay is home to one of the Exumas’ biggest attractions: the world-famous swimming pigs. The 20 or so frequently photographed feral pigs and piglets are the only residents of this uninhabited cay just a short cruise from Staniel Cay. Arrive early to avoid the crowds.

On Allen Cay off Great Exuma, boaters will find a literal mess of its namesake Allen Cays rock iguanas—that’s the term for a group of these scaly creatures. This endangered species can grow up to 4 feet long, but they’re gentle giants.

The 112,000-plus-acre Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park, established in 1957, was the first of its kind in the world and remains a model of marine preservation and biodiversity. A visitors center and hiking trails provide a lay of the park’s land, while moorings make it easy to explore the pristine waters and vibrant reefs. They are part of the second-largest coral barrier reef in the Western Hemisphere.

Thunderball Grotto became a requisite dive and snorkel spot in the Exumas after its appearance in two James Bond films. Located just west of Staniel Cay, this underwater cave system teeming with marine life is best entered at ebb tide.

Breathtaking beaches stretch across the entire island chain. The white-powder crescent of Tropic of Cancer Beach straddles its namesake latitude along the coast of Little Exuma. Secluded Cocoa Plum Beach, known for excellent shelling, is a cruisers’ favorite, far easier to access by water than by road. The beaches of Stocking Island, just across from Georgetown’s harbor on Great Exuma, range from tranquil coves to legendary hangouts.

Refuel and Refresh

Visitors from the world over flock to the landmark Chat ’N’ Chill on Stocking Island. This quintessential beach bar, known for a family-friendly vibe, has it all: a sizable drink menu, a delicious Sunday pig roast, freshly made conch salad, live music, volleyball courts, and a chance to feed and swim with stingrays.

Boaters will find a more upscale atmosphere at the Sea Level restaurant at Staniel Cay Yacht Club, a longtime hub for cruisers. Reservations are required for dinner, which can include such refined fare as duck confit and rack of lamb.

On Little Exuma, the casual beachfront Santanna’s Bar & Grill is a must-stop for freshly prepared seafood, particularly lobster and grouper dishes. Save some cash and appetite for the adjacent Mom’s Bakery, where the delectable desserts include rum cake, cinnamon rolls and banana bread.  

The post Cruising The Exumas appeared first on Yachting.

There are center-consoles, and then there are center-consoles built to serve as superyacht tenders. That’s the goal of the Halo 470 from Ocean 1 Yachts: to impress the biggest of the big boys. The builder calls the Halo 470 a super console.

Ocean 1 Yachts, formed in 2016, is the brainchild of nearly 30-year Capt. Dean Maggio. He saw that discerning owners and charter guests expected a high level of comfort and safety on board their tenders. Maggio set out to create an improved platform, especially after a fellow captain relayed his displeasure with the current market offerings. “He was frustrated with what was out there,” Maggio says.

Maggio didn’t use just his own sailing knowledge and big-boat experience. He also collaborated with others, including another superyacht captain, to understand what vessel he could—and should—create. Not seeing a RIB design as the answer, Maggio stepped into the world of center-consoles that could serve as luxe tenders as well as stand-alone boats.

The Halo 470 is the result. It’s a boat that, first and foremost, has a great deal of flexibility. For instance, it can come with an open transom, which is great for fishing, kiteboarding, launching water toys or retrieving swimmers. It also can be ordered with a closed transom, making it better suited for ship-to-shore transports.

Styling is also notable, thanks to the high freeboard forward and the unbroken, graceful sheerline that flows aft. And this boat is very functional. Boarding is easy, courtesy of side gates and a large platform aft. There is plush seating from bow to stern.

Maggio says Ocean 1 is a semicustom builder that creates stable platforms while managing costs. He builds his boats in Sarasota, Florida, with resin-infused E-glass and Corecell foam hulls. Carbon-composite hull options are available.

The Halo 470 adds to these construction elements with a single-pane windshield and side corner windows made of polycarbonate, which is durable and lighter than fiberglass. The helm has three well-protected 16-inch Garmin multifunction displays. (Two 22-inch displays are an option.) Most every electrical function on the boat can be controlled by the touchscreens. There’s an overhead console for additional electronics and displays, keeping them within view without cluttering the dash.

Three pedestal-mounted, high-back helm seats with armrests and bolsters should keep the skipper and guests in comfortable control. A two-tiered footrest allows for people of all heights to find a good fit underway. Grab rails ring the boat, and the hardtop framing is beefy as well as powder-coated.

Guest seating at the open bow includes a U-shaped settee with a backrest coaming and a high-low table. Drop-in backrests convert these seats to forward-facing loungers.

Amidships, under the hardtop and protected from the sun, is a U-shaped settee with a removable center cushion for walk-through access. Sunshades that connect to carbon-fiber poles are available.

Aft is a center station with access to a livewell, cutting board and sink. Tackle drawers should keep the lures and tools in close reach, although anglers can fish from anywhere on board because there are full walk-around decks and doors to haul in the catch.

Nestled under the foredeck is a cabin accessible via a door next to the helm. For overnights, there’s a dinette table that drops to create a V-berth, along with a sink and a microwave. There is also an enclosed head.

Power on the Halo 470 that I got aboard was a trio of Yanmar inboard diesels staggered in the engine room, with the center engine lower than the outboard ones. This setup not only facilitates easier maintenance, but also lowers the center outdrive deeper in the water.

The ride is nothing short of exhilarating. Maggio showed off the boat’s maneuverability at speed and its ability to slice through waves and wakes. The hull design keeps the ride dry with minimal bow rise when hitting the sticks. A joystick controller and bow thruster allow this boat to go anywhere, especially in tight quarters.

Additional features and options include a generator, Seakeeper 2 or 5, air conditioning, dive-tank racks, an underbow anchor and windlass, a stainless-steel towing eye, teak decking, lighting choices and rod holders. Owners can also match the boat’s colors to their superyacht.

The Ocean 1 Yachts Halo 470 might have been designed by superyacht captains, but you don’t have to be one to enjoy the high-end fun.  

Pep in the Step

Powered by triple 370 hp Yanmar 8LV diesels, the Halo 470 produced 40 knots with the throttles on the pins, tracking true thanks to the 22-degree transom deadrise, 14-foot beam, and twin-stepped, advanced-composite hull construction. Power options include 600 hp Mercury Verado V-12 outboards, up to 2,400 total horsepower, which can reportedly produce speeds of about 60 knots.

Focus on Function

A cool feature aboard the Halo 470 is the installation of several multifunction displays by molding them into the midsection of the hardtop. This setup offers a quick glance at the fish finder or radar. 

Covering Up

The integrated hardtop not only protects guests from the elements, but it is also oversize to cover the helm and midship seating. Up top, there’s plenty of room for mounting carbon-fiber outriggers, a radar array, solar panels, cameras, antennas, light bars and pretty much anything else an owner might want.

Take the next step: ocean1yachts.com       

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In 2019, I visited KVH’s headquarters in Middletown, Rhode Island, and was amazed by the network operations center. KVH manufactures cellular, Wi-Fi and satellite-communications equipment, and it manages and monitors a proprietary end-to-end network. Standing there, looking at the screens and maps, I could see every KVH-equipped vessel in the world, plus the operational status and performance metrics for each yacht’s KVH antennas.

Now, five years on, KVH is expanding its KVH One Hybrid Network by adding Eutelsat OneWeb’s constellation of low-Earth-orbit satellites, giving yacht owners even more choices for how they want their systems to perform.

Satellite-communications systems have long leveraged geosynchronous (GEO) satellites that orbit around 26,200 miles above equatorial brine. These systems work fine, but they require a significant amount of power to bridge data across all those miles. The commute physically takes time, which is why satcom providers recently have been launching small low-Earth-orbit (LEO) satellites that orbit at elevations of 340 to 745 miles. They reduce power requirements and latency, and provide more satellites so that if a connection is lost, the equipment just finds the next passing LEO.

OneWeb isn’t the only LEO constellation aloft, but it’s the only one, as of this writing, with a hybrid solution involving GEO and LEO satellites. It also employs third-party antennas and guarantees speed, bandwidth and white-glove service.

Eutelsat OneWeb’s journey to low-Earth orbit began in 2012, when the company was formed with the goal of providing fast, low-cost connectivity to otherwise dark areas. In 2016, the London-based company partnered with Airbus to build satellites, and OneWeb’s first tranche of six LEOs attained orbit in February 2019.

The pandemic then stymied the company’s fundraising efforts. It declared bankruptcy in March 2020, but received support from the British government and Indian telecommunications giant Bharti Enterprises. In September 2023, the Paris-based GEO satcom provider Eutelsat merged with OneWeb. Bharti Enterprises, the British government and SoftBank remained significant stakeholders.

Eutelsat OneWeb’s network became operational in 2023, and it has 634 first-generation LEOs in polar orbit. Of these, 588 are active, and the remaining satellites are spares. Each OneWeb LEO operates in one of 12 synchronized orbital planes at an elevation of 745 miles above the equator.

“We’ve got coverage 35 degrees north, including the North and South Americas, and we recently had our coverage launched in Australia,” says Celeste Endrino-Cowley, Eutelsat OneWeb’s director for maritime and energy. “By the end of Q1 2024, we will also have live countries in Asia-Pacific. The remaining regions of the world will also be connected as soon as we complete the rollout of our ground stations and market access.”

Eutelsat OneWeb will offer a range of speeds. The basic option includes downlink and uplink speeds of 20-by-4 megabits per second, while the intermediate option yields speeds of 100-by-20 Mbps. High-end service delivers connectivity of 200-by-40 Mbps. By comparison, KVH’s GEO-based plans have downlink and uplink speeds ranging from 6-by-2 Mbps to 20-by-3 Mbps.

OneWeb also has maximum information rates (read: maximum data throughput) and committed information rates (read: guaranteed speeds). These prevent a tragedy of the data commons if, say, a cruise ship arrives at your anchorage.

As for latency, Endrino-Cowley says that data takes 70 milliseconds to make the one-way commute to or from a OneWeb LEO. By comparison, data typically spends 500 to 700 milliseconds traveling to or from a GEO.

Eutelsat also owns 35 GEOs, which it has integrated with its LEO fleet. Once Eutelsat OneWeb’s ground stations are complete, this integration will mean global, multiorbit, multifrequency coverage, and will allow Eutelsat OneWeb to move data along the most efficient routes. For example, bandwidth-intensive communications can be sent via GEOs, which offer higher throughput levels, while lower-bandwidth communications can travel via LEOs. This setup also opens the door to enabling higher- and lower-speed channels, such as for owners and crew.

Rather than building its own terminals, Eutelsat OneWeb partnered with terminal manufacturers Kymeta and Intellian, which build flat-panel antennas. Eutelsat OneWeb is also looking at antenna solutions through manufacturers that will be able to communicate with both GEO and LEO services. It also partners with companies such as KVH in the United States that resell antennas and airtime, and provide white-glove customer support.

“KVH One is our umbrella name for our multiple-orbit, multiple-channel network,” says Chris Watson, KVH’s vice president of marketing and communications. “The backbone of that has always been our [GEO] network, and then we brought in 5G, and we brought in Wi-Fi, and now we brought in Starlink, and now we’re bringing in OneWeb.”

KVH’s goal, he says, is for different communication channels to create a unified and stress-free user experience. Various costs will be involved. Starlink’s high-performance flat-panel antenna, for instance, fetches roughly half the expected retail price of Intellian’s yet-to-be-released OneWeb-ready flat panel.

“We’re going to be coming to market with OneWeb terminals and airtime pricing that will be competitive in the LEO space,” Watson says. “It’s going to be: What flavor do you like best? The functionality, the capability and the speeds are going to be very comparable.”

Watson also notes that Amazon and Telesat are building LEO networks: “It’s going to become a very robust ecosystem for LEO services in the next couple of years.”

Overall, the future looks bright for low-cost, high-speed LEO communications, especially when each network can serve as a spoke in the greater KVH One communications ecosystem. Based on what I saw during my visit to Rhode Island, KVH’s network can solve connectivity problems before boaters notice them. For yachtsmen seeking smooth data communications, few gloves are whiter than invisible ones.

Have It All

LEO networks are fast, but each has pros and cons. Modest costs mean that yacht owners can spec OneWeb and Starlink panels. For KVH One customers, a network’s bundled Wi-Fi, cellular and GEO-based satcom become a unified option.

Intellian is building OneWeb-ready parabolic antennas. Some of these antennas will be able to communicate with GEO and LEO satellites, while others will require discrete hardware for hybrid-constellation connectivity.

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Most years, new launches depart from shipyards bound for the Mediterranean in time for the summer charter season—with savvy clients strategizing to be among the first parties welcomed aboard. The pandemic caused a blip in that pattern, making new launches a lot harder to book for a couple of years, but quite a few charter companies are now advertising 2023 and 2024 builds with itineraries available in the most popular cruising grounds all along the West and East Mediterranean.

As you can see in the images on the opposite page, these new builds come in all kinds of styles, from eco-friendly power catamarans to motoryachts with sole-to-ceiling glazing. Some are among just a handful of newer models out cruising anywhere on the world’s waters, for private or charter use.

The Benetti Alluria, for instance, was one of just eight Motopanfilo 37M hulls when it launched last year. Amenities include a full-beam master stateroom, a foredeck pool and sun pads, and an Axopar Brabus 900 chase boat for looking sharp when heading into port.

The Sunseeker 86 Mowana is also a notable newer build, with a top speed of 28 knots and a cruising speed of 19 knots for making the runs easy between waypoints. Guest areas are forward and aft, letting charter clients avoid prying eyes no matter how the yacht is situated in an anchorage. Inside, one of the four staterooms has a bunk-style Pullman along with twin berths, creating an enclave for the kids.

Yet another interesting new offering is Catallaxy, a Sunreef 60 Eco sailing yacht. It has a full-beam bow terrace in addition to a guest area on the flybridge and an outdoor relaxation area aft.

Of course, destinations in the Mediterranean are classics, but visiting them in the comfort of a brand-new yacht only enhances the charter experience.

The Adriatic Sea

• Croatia has become a full-on popular summer charter destination, with its coastline full of villages, cities and islands to explore. An increasing number of charter yachts offer itineraries here each year.
• Vrbnik is in the north, while Split and Dubrovnik are popular destinations farther to the south.
• Dubrovnik is especially popular with fans of the HBO series Game of Thrones, which filmed many of its episodes in and around the city.

The post New Mediterranean Charter Options appeared first on Yachting.

If ever there were an aptly named yacht, it’s the Sunseeker Predator 75. At rest, it has the purposeful look of a raptor straight from Jurassic Park. A striking midnight-gray hull and rakish lines only add to this effect.

As the sound of turbos spooled up on the optional 1,900 hp MAN V-12s (1,550s are standard), I couldn’t wait to see what this yacht could do. Sunseeker’s captain grabbed a handful of throttles and shoved them to the pins. We shot out of the inlet at Fort Lauderdale, Florida, as though we had launched from a slingshot. The Predator 75 with this engine package is capable of 40 knots in decent conditions, which we didn’t have; the Gulf Stream was delivering an endless chain of 3- and 4-footers, so the best we saw was 33 knots. But the yacht seemed as though it had seen prey on the horizon, and it shrugged off the square-edged seas with impunity.

Then I realized that Sunseekers are built on the edge of the English Channel, whose seas the Gulf Stream can’t touch for being just plain ugly. The yacht was leveraging its hull form’s 20-degree transom deadrise and fine entry to slice and dice our way through. The captain used the windshield wipers only once, after a particularly big hole in the ocean.

Also notable is that the Predator 75 is more than just quick and seaworthy. It is luxurious and well laid out for entertaining and cruising. Guests can step aboard the hydraulic swim platform, pass the transom garage that conceals a Williams SportJet 395, and ascend gentle stairs to each side. The cockpit fairly shouts entertaining, with a sun pad and a wraparound settee with a high-low table for alfresco dining. Opposite are an electric barbecue, fridge and ice maker, so nobody has to use the galley to prepare grilled delicacies or access cold beverages.

The door from the cockpit to the salon is a surprise: It slides easily to starboard and then, poof, the door and window above it slide down electrically, creating a huge dayboat nonstop from the helm to the transom. Need more fresh air? Open the six-panel sunroof for a salty breeze. The entire interior feels open, in this case with a silver-oak interior and whitewashed oak soles, making for a modern look with easy cleanup.

Another carbon-fiber high-low table is inside the salon, wrapped by a settee to create an entertainment area with a 55-inch pop-up TV opposite. Another settee wraps around next to the helm, allowing guests a view of the action as well as spectacular 360-degree views through the oversize windows lining the salon.

The skipper has a pair of stitched Italian leather, fully adjustable electric seats abaft a black dash with 16-inch Garmin monitors. A pantograph door gives quick access to the side deck. The Sunseeker Predator 75 that I got aboard had Side-Power bow and stern thrusters, and Side-Power stabilizer fins. Running beam-to-seas with the fins on, the Predator 75 was rock-solid. Even Aunt Edna wouldn’t be bothered by the motion.

A galley is at the base of the stairs from the salon, with a four-burner Miele cooktop, a Vitrifrigo home-size fridge and two freezer drawers. Nearby is a 33-bottle wine chiller. I admit that I’m not a fan of galley-down layouts, but in this case, Sunseeker left the galley open to the windshield above, creating an airy and bright atrium effect. An L-shaped dinette is just forward of the galley, in a spot that would serve nicely for morning coffee and croissants before heading out.

The Predator 75 that I got aboard had the three-stateroom layout, which is nice. Owners can trade away the dinette by the galley if they want to add a fourth guest stateroom. On this three-stateroom setup, the owner’s space spans the full 17-foot-8-inch beam and has hullside windows to create a voluminous feel. The berth is nearly king-size with full walk-around real estate. A lounge to port invites savoring a spy novel, while a bureau to starboard includes a tidy vanity with a hidden stool. The owners also have a walk-in closet, twin nightstands with drawers, and an en suite head with a stall shower.

Forward, the VIP stateroom has an island queen-plus berth, a private head with a shower, and a vanity with a stool. Between these two staterooms is a guest stateroom with twin berths that slide together into a double. This stateroom has direct access to the day head, also equipped with a stall shower.

A twin-berth crew cabin is accessed from the transom and has its own head and shower. This can also be a great place for teenagers who want to play music.

I’d be remiss if I didn’t also mention the foredeck of the Predator 75, which begs for entertaining at anchor. It has a sun pad and alfresco dining around a U-shaped settee with a table that seats eight. Access to the bow is via wide side decks made even more secure with high coamings topped by sturdy, welded rails.

The Sunseeker Predator 75 is a yacht designed for maximum entertaining inside and out. And like a true predator, it has enough speed to run down anything on the horizon.

Tailored-Fit Tender

The Williams SportJet 395 and the Sunseeker Predator 75’s tender garage are designed to go together. This 12-foot-8-inch RIB can carry five passengers on 40-knot adventures. Powered by a 90 hp Rotax Ace engine, the tender has a towing post for water toys. The bow has automatic deflation and inflation to let it slide into the tender garage.

Big Iron

When introduced for the luxury yacht market, MAN’s V12-1900 was the most powerful high-speed four-stroke diesel in the world. Its compact size is thanks to a redesign of the injection and cooling systems from the company’s truck-bus series MAN V-12. The turbocharger has an air intercooler, and the engine is noted for quick throttle response and Environmental Protection Agency Tier 3 emissions quality.

Take the next step: sunseeker.com

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Early on in my offshore sailing career, I discovered something that has been driven home repeatedly in the ensuing years: At sea, many miles and days from the solid comforts of terra firma, a person’s true character is revealed. It’s not always pretty. On a small boat of defined length, the opportunity to take even a short walk to push the reset button is unavailable. It’s definitely rare, but I’ve certainly encountered my fair share of stifling bores, outright slobs and dangerous clowns. (No doubt, of course, that some of them would say the same of me.)

Why bring all this up? Because I was recently reminded that it makes me really appreciate one of my favorite dudes with whom to set sail, a Renaissance man of sorts from Seattle named Dave Logan.

Together, Logan and I have put a lot of water in our collective wake, well over 30,000 nautical miles. One of our earliest adventures was the 2005 Transpac from Los Angeles to Honolulu aboard our mutual friend Mark Schrader’s Cal 40, Dancing Bear. An incident at the very end, screaming past Diamond Head at double-digit boatspeed with the spinnaker up, sort of speaks to our respective temperaments.

As we bore down on the finish line, I started to panic at the tiller when we couldn’t douse the spinnaker. “Cut the sheet!” I screamed. That is when Logan casually climbed the forestay and tripped the sheet with his marlinspike, immediately defusing the situation. No damage, no worries. I could feel my face go red; my heartbeat immediately settled back into its usual rhythm. “Thanks bro,” was about all I could manage.

Read More from Herb McCormick: And The US Sailing Capital Is?

But our major voyage was a 28,000-mile circumnavigation of North and South America via the Northwest Passage and Cape Horn on a 64-foot steel cutter called Ocean Watch. Logan served as the first mate/engineer, and we shared the same watch the entire journey, through calms, gales, ice, snow—the whole shooting match. Logan likes to cast himself as the silent, stoic type, and we were 18,000 miles and seven months into the trip when we rounded the Horn. Suddenly, standing on the foredeck with my pal, we were both overcome with emotion. “I didn’t think I was going to feel this way,” he blubbered.

“Me neither,” I sputtered.

It was my favorite moment of the best sailing day of my life.

This passage down memory river was triggered last March, when Logan showed up for a Florida family vacation, and I invited him for a sail aboard my Pearson 365, August West, on Sarasota Bay. Logan has always raised an eyebrow at my rather liberal-arts approach to mechanics and maintenance, and I could almost hear the gears in his brain grinding as he cast a critical glance around my deck as we were getting underway. “That backstay could really use tightening,” he said, among other observations, and I felt like a kindergartner getting scolded by his teacher. But, of course, he was right.

And then we went sailing. There was zippo breeze at the outset, and I feared we were in for a drifter. But a northerly filled in soon after, and I literally couldn’t get Logan off the wheel. As always, his pure joy being aboard a sailboat gurgling to weather was infectious. We might as well have been back off the coast of South America, cracking jokes, calling puffs, just enjoying the hell out of the entire situation. It was terrific.

It also reminded me, yet again, that when you go to sea, some of the shipmates you encounter may be some of the worst. But also true, and why you keep going back, is this: A few of the souls you meet along the way are some of the best.  

The post Reflections on Offshore Sailing appeared first on Yachting.

The Colombo 25 Super Indios E is an electrified version of the builder’s elegant 25-foot offering. It has a protected cockpit, a C-shaped settee and a sun-worshiping deck. The boat is propelled by two 35-kilowatt electric motors powered by a 72-kilowatt-hour battery; this combination yields 20 to 90 miles of range, depending on the skipper’s throttle-control habits.

Whom It’s For: Anyone who values near-silent and emissions-free boating.

Picture This: You’re entertaining friends at your summer place in Bar Harbor, Maine, and they’ve never seen Mount Desert Island. So, you load up your Colombo 25 Super Indios E and quietly cruise Somes Sound, stopping at Beal’s Lobster Pier in Southwest Harbor for lobstah rolls. You show off Otter Cliffs on the way home before delivering a safe and memorable view of Thunder Hole.    

Take the next step: colomboboats.it

The post Meet the Emissions-Free Colombo 25 Super Indios E appeared first on Yachting.

When it comes to insurance costs, boaters who fish offshore are learning that extra outboards feed into a stereotype.

“You’re expected to go fast and run the boat like an idiot,” says Tim Derrico, director of sales at HMY. “If you buy an upper-30- to 50-foot center-console fishing boat—especially the fishing boats, more than the cruising boats—they figure you’re going to run offshore and go fast to get where you want to go. You can get insurance, but it’s challenging.”

The difficulty with finding affordable policies has become so acute that insurers are now suggesting that some boat owners forgo windstorm coverage. The logic is that if the owner is well-off enough to pay cash for the boat, then he’s also in a position to self-insure and have a captain with a solid hurricane plan to get out of the way of storms.

“You can cut your insurance in half,” Derrico says. “They’re going to require you to have a hurricane plan, so have that plan anyhow. Just make sure you can get the boat to a safe place where you’re not going to be subject to direct wind or storm surge. Worst case, maybe you get a little dock rash or break some antennas or bend your riggers.”

Other owners are reducing insurance costs by purchasing smaller boats, especially in areas where insurers see the most risk from big storms. “In Florida, for sure,” he says. “You can sell a 60-foot boat in Florida, and the insurance would cost you five times as much as the same boat in New York or Connecticut.”

Anyone shopping for a boat, Derrico adds, should look into insurance costs before anything else: “When you’re ready to buy another boat, on top of the list, the first thing you start dealing with should be insurance.”

Safe Space: How to Be Prepared

Insurers recommend that boat owners haul out their boats, if at all possible, ahead of an incoming storm. Of course, with a major storm, this means there’s usually a crush of people trying to get haulout services at the same time. The best-prepared boat owners prepay to reserve the service, or for a space at an upriver marina or canal considered a good hurricane hole. It’s important to do what the policy requires; insurers will hold a boat owner to a written hurricane plan.

The post Offshore Fishing Boats and Insurance Prices appeared first on Yachting.

Princess Yachts’ Y Class flagship, the Y95, is defined by performance, first-rate finishes and ever-flowing lines. An eye-turner at the docks, the Y95 maintains a stout yet relatively sporty profile from bow to stern, framing the largest hull window ever installed on a Princess.

The builder drew inspiration from its Y85 and X95 models while designing the Y95. “The Y95 builds on the best attributes of the X Class, appealing to our heartland, with a strong focus on elegant design and modern marine life,” says Antony Sheriff, executive chairman of Princess Yachts. “The Y95’s design is a classic example of form and function that beautifully comes together to create our largest yacht.”

Bernard Olesinski, Princess Yachts’ longtime naval architect, developed the Y95’s wave-piercing hull form. Italian design house Pininfarina helped create the interior and exterior spaces.

Notable outdoor entertainment spaces on the Y95 include multiple areas on the flybridge, the cockpit’s alfresco dining area, and the foredeck’s two lounge pads and forward-facing settee. When it’s time for a break from swimming and playing with the water toys, hop onto the hydraulic swim platform, open the transom door and step down into the cozy beach club with a C-shaped dinette, an L-shaped wet bar and a flat-screen TV.

The salon has a conventional layout with the lounge aft and formal dining forward. The furniture placement and nearly sole-to-ceiling windows are intended to keep guests connected with the sea. Facing sofas should allow for easy conversation and unobstructed views.

For the times when evenings on the water come to an end, accommodations include an on-deck owner’s stateroom and four belowdecks guest staterooms, all en suite. The owner’s space has a king berth, a settee to starboard and a desk to port. Belowdecks, a full-beam amidships stateroom creates an owner’s-level experience for VIPs with a king berth, settee and desk. The forepeak stateroom has a queen berth. The final two guest staterooms split the centerline abaft the forepeak stateroom, which has twin berths.

The Y95 is powered by twin 2,000 hp MAN V-12 diesels, giving it a reported 21- to 23-knot top hop. According to the builder, the Princess Y95 has a maximum range of more than 1,000 nautical miles at its 12- to 14-knot cruising speed.  

Take the next step: princessyachts.com

The post Discover the Princess Yachts Y95 appeared first on Yachting.

With every boat, there’s an origin story. In the case of the Aquila 47 Molokai power catamaran, it starts with MarineMax, which saw people renting boats for bareboat charters. MarineMax Vacations was born. After experimenting with several production yachts, the company decided to build its own: the Aquila line, designed for charter as well as for sale to owner-operators.

Sales are uncomplicated: Build a boat that buyers want at a price they can afford. Charter is another creature because a charter yacht has to be desirable and bulletproof. Bareboats have to be rugged, easily maintained and even easier to repair. Thus, the Aquila line became a success.

Now MarineMax spies a new niche: sport fishing. While previous iterations of the Aquila power catamaran have generally been comfy cruisers—and though the 28 Molokai dipped the builder’s toe into the sport-fish scene—the Aquila 47 Molokai has serious offshore angling written all over it. This boat can get to the fishing grounds at 60-plus knots, has amenities ranging from bait tanks to fish boxes, and is built with a nicely outfitted cabin for long weekends out chasing pelagics. At nearly 15 feet wide, this center-console cat has uncluttered 22-inch-wide walkways for chasing a fish all around. There’s also a 15-by-4-foot casting platform forward. The in-deck fish boxes are as long as 8 feet, and there are twin 42-gallon transom livewells.

On the day before I got on board, 15 anglers took the same 47 Molokai into the Gulf Stream to chase mahimahi and wahoo. They didn’t feel crowded because the 47 Molokai is CE-certified for as many as 20 passengers, with forward- and aft-facing seats. Under the carbon-fiber hardtop—which is braced for an optional Pipewelders tower—there’s seating for seven people in Stidd seats. Three are in front at the helm, and four are on a mezzanine level for kibitzing about the action.

The dash is user-friendly with twin (or triple) Garmin multifunction displays, CZone switching to control every system, neatly labeled overhead switches and buttons, custom Fusion audio and a Mercury joystick. Flipping up a panel reveals four ignition switches. Standard power on the 47 Molokai is twin 600 hp Mercury V-12 Verados, with quad 400 hp Mercury outboards optional and propelling the 47 Molokai to hit those eye-watering top speeds.

The 1,600 hp clamped to the transom is impressive, but so are other numbers associated with this slippery Peart Yacht Design hull. Running at 47 knots with the quad 400s, the 1,048 gallons of fuel provide a nonstop range of 600 miles with 10 percent reserves.

During my ride, we had a lumpy Gulf Stream with washing-machine chop. Even still, the 47 Molokai was soft-riding and comfortable, including in beam-to seas. Aquila raised the tunnel clearance above water, so there was no sneezing spray blown forward between the hulls, nor any slapping of waves at lower speeds. Quite simply, the power cat felt sidewalk-solid, even when we were at rest offshore.

The boat jumps onto plane quickly, and it was a giggle to use the knob on the steering wheel to spin doughnuts. Even better, at about 31 knots, the sound barely touched 78 decibels, which made for easy conversation.

Aquila built the hull using a lot of carbon fiber, and with resins that are 100 percent vinylester as well as infused for strength. Fore and aft watertight bulkheads add to the vessel’s monocoque strength. Muscular hinges on the three boarding doors (port, starboard and aft) make dive and dock access easy. Every hatch and locker has deep gutters to handle tropical downpours or overeager washdowns.

As a creature comfort, the 47 Molokai has a portable toilet in the cabin, which is outfitted to yacht-level finish with a queen-size berth, two skylights, windows, 6-foot-7-inch headroom, and an enclosed head with a shower. A pantograph door from the portside deck opens directly into the head, keeping the cabin pristine during fishing hours. With the standard lithium batteries, air conditioning will run for a solid eight hours.

I was also impressed by the carefully labeled, tidily loomed and accessible systems. From the baitwells (with a Hooker Pumps sea chest) to the fresh- and saltwater washdown plumbing, everything is easily reached for service. The two heavy-gauge aluminum fuel tanks have a transfer system to run off both or just one, and a charcoal fuel filter is standard.

The 47 Molokai that I got aboard also had the standard 20-plus rod holders and 10 spring-mounted cleats, plus an optional Release Marine leaning post, Gemlux outriggers, and Release Marine ladder-back seats in place of the standard Stidds.

This power cat is worth considering for owners who want a serious sport-fishing vessel, a way to entertain friends and family, or an enjoyable weekender. Beautifully designed and built, this boat is (don’t hate me) the cat’s pajamas.  

Peart Yacht Design

Headed by naval architect Chris Peart, this team is based in catamaran-rich South Africa. The company’s name is increasingly well known in North America. Power-cat design is a specialty, from initial concepts to engineering details.

CE-Certified

The CE designation stands for Conformité Européenne. It ensures compliance with European safety and performance standards. In this case, the 47 Molokai is certified for passengers in the categories of offshore, coastal and inland.

Take the next step: aquilaboats.com

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