It was 5:30 in the morning, and Chad Rollins was on the treadmill. When the Search and Rescue alarm sounded, it surprised him. He’d only heard it once before at the US Coast Guard Station Sabine, in southeast Texas near the Louisiana border. He was a 25-year-old petty officer second class whose job was to fix diesel and gas engines on the boats, and handle maintenance and repairs. “I’m basically a mechanic,” he says, adding that when the SAR alarm goes off, everybody jumps. “We know it’s serious; we know somebody is in danger. Somebody needs the Coast Guard.”

Rollins ran to the communications room. “What do we got?” he asked a fellow petty officer.

“A capsized tugboat.”

“I didn’t ask any other questions,” Rollins says. “I ran off and put on my uniform. It was my job to go down and fire up the boat to get it ready and get it underway.”

There was so much fog hanging over the Sabine River that even from water level aboard the 45-foot boat, he and the two other Coast Guardsmen who headed out could only see about 20 feet ahead of their hull. They knew the 75-foot Sea Cypress tug had capsized only a mile away, based on the call for help, but they couldn’t get eyes on the vessel in distress. And they were well aware that time was critical because the call had come in over VHF radio channel 13, not the standard hailing channel 16.

“They were sinking, and they could only grab the radio that was near them, so that’s what they called the mayday on,” Rollins says. “That boat took on water fast.”

One Coast Guardsman drove, another manned the spotlight, and Rollins acted as lookout, just outside the skipper’s window. After about five minutes, he says, “I saw the faint flicker of a flashing strobe light.” It was Sea Cypress, with a nearby pilot boat and its crew trying to help.

It turns out a freighter had come through the river so fast, throwing a wake so big, it yanked the tugboat off the barge it was tied to. The tug swung sideways and went over as the freighter kept on going.

Rollins instructed the Guardsman at the helm to get as close as possible to the pilot boat. From there, Rollins hopscotched his way to the capsized tug.

The captain was trapped with another middle-aged man, a deckhand, in the dining area around amidships. “The only way that I was able to communicate with those men was through an 8-inch porthole. I could see their faces and talk to them, but 8 inches is not very big,” Rollins says. “They were standing inside the tug in chest-deep water. At that point in time, we didn’t know how fast it was moving. We knew it was rising.”

Rollins was also in waist-deep water on the outside of Sea Cypress, which was on its side almost 90 degrees. He could see panic in the captain’s face.

“He was saying, ‘Please get me out, get me out of here,’” Rollins recalls. “Panic only makes things worse.”

Rollins followed his training. He calmly asked the captain a simple question: What is your name?

“He told me his name,” Rollins says. “I asked who was in there with him. He gave me the other individual’s name. I said, ‘I’m petty officer Chad Rollins, and I’m going to get you out of there by any means necessary.’”

Little did they know how much he meant it.

The first attempt was to cut a hole in the steel hull. The barge that Sea Cypress had been pulled off had an oxyacetylene torch—about the size of a hammer and often used in welding, producing a flame of around 6,000 degrees Fahrenheit. Somebody had dragged it over and given it to the men trapped inside, but using it with the rising water all around was a struggle. They couldn’t get a good foothold near the porthole to use it effectively. They’d only been able to achieve about a 6-inch cut in the hull of Sea Cypress, barely enough to stick a fist through, let alone two whole bodies.

“I asked the guys inside to pass me the torch, and I attempted to cut, but I was sending sparks and smoke all over them,” Rollins says. “They were in an enclosed space, and the smoke was filling the space, so they couldn’t breathe. They yelled at me to stop.”

At this point, Rollins realized, nothing specific in his training was going to help. There is no manual of steps to follow for a situation like the one these trapped men were in; knowledge and experience were all anybody had to work with. So, Rollins thought like what he is: a mechanic. He looked around for other tools available in the moment.

His first idea was to ask for a line from the pilot boat. He handed one end of the line through the porthole to the men. He told one of them: “Tie it around your waist. I’m going to hold you up while you cut.”

In effect, Rollins had just instructed the men to aim the oxyacetylene torch right at him. “I told him, ‘Try to go as long as you can without stopping because you’re going to be shooting that hot metal all over me. You’re going to be covering me with sparks.’”

For the next three to five minutes, Rollins used the weight of his body to hold the man up while he tried to cut a human-size hole in the hull from the inside.

“I was just getting blasted with metal,” Rollins says. “You know sparklers that kids play with on the Fourth of July? You ever been burnt by one? It’s like that, but times a thousand, raining down all over my body, my head, my neck. It was like a shower of sparks flying at me about 6 feet from the hull.”

But even that wasn’t enough. After making a cut only about a third of the way around, they had to stop. “It was still smoking up inside pretty good—he had to fan some of the smoke out,” Rollins says. “I told him he was doing a good job, and he was being brave, and he was calm, and I was proud of him, and then we continued cutting.”

The water kept rising, and the men inside still couldn’t reach high enough to cut all the way around and break free. The porthole was too close to the deck above them. They couldn’t get an angle on it to use the torch.

Rollins realized he needed a different tool.

“I asked the pilot from the Sabine pilot boat if they had a fire ax,” Rollins says.

They did, and Rollins was soon swinging that ax—basically, a pickax—as hard as he could into the steel hull of Sea Cypress. He aimed for the areas the torch had already cut. “It was probably about 20 swings,” he says. “I wasn’t really making much headway.”

Yet again, he thought about the available tools. “I asked for a pry bar, which is a long piece of metal I could jam into that area and try to pry the area he had cut away from the hull a little bit,” Rollins says. “I got it bent out a little bit, but there was no way to get leverage on it.”

Next, he called out for adjustable wrenches. The pilot boat had the 6-inch variety. “I used them to bend the hole up, to make it big enough for them to get out of.”

Finally, Rollins had created a hole big enough to get the men through—but there was a new problem. The captain wanted the deckhand to be rescued first, but the deckhand, who was about 6-foot-5 and 270 pounds, had injured his foot. He couldn’t climb out on his own.

“I’m 6 feet tall and was about 220 pounds at the time, but I was a hardcore gym-goer. I was benching 350 at the time,” Rollins says. “I told him to hug me and don’t let go.”

Using his body weight as leverage, Rollins got the deckhand free. He then turned back to the captain, who was also struggling. The captain was about 6 feet tall and 250 pounds.

“I told him the same thing: ‘Grab hold of me,’” Rollins says. “I pulled him out as well.”

By that time, as if on cue, the fog had started to lift from the Sabine River. As everyone else looked on, the captain threw his arms around Rollins. “He gave me a big hug and told me I’d saved his life,” Rollins says. “I was fist pumping. They got out, and we were extremely happy. We all kind of sat down, just kind of exhausted.”

That was on March 31, 2023. About eight months later, this past December, Rollins got a call from his master chief. It was a Wednesday, and Rollins was off-duty, but the master chief asked him to head to the station for a meeting.

“I showed up, and there were some very important people there, command members,” Rollins says.

It took him a bit to realize they were there to present him with the Coast Guard’s Meritorious Service Medal, which “is awarded to those who truly go above and beyond,” said Master Chief Petty Officer Steven Beasley. “Petty Officer Rollins acted selflessly and embodied the motto ‘So others may live.’”

Today, Rollins is earning a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering. He hopes to move back home to Mississippi—where his mom is an EMT, and his stepdad is a fire chief—and ultimately work for Boeing or NASA. “I want to be a mechanical engineer on the SpaceX program,” he says.

Rollins’ wife, also an EMT, is making a shadow box to display his medal and the blue T-shirt he wore as he took the brunt of the flames. Their young daughter will grow up knowing it as the shirt with all the holes in it from the sparks, from the day her daddy was a hero.  

The post Saved at Sea appeared first on Yachting.

Princess Yachts’ S60 is a family-size sport-bridge yacht with three staterooms, two heads and crew quarters. This 60-footer comes standard with twin 1,000 hp Caterpillar 12.9 diesels and has optional twin 1,200 hp MAN V-8 diesels. Depending on the power selection, the S60 reportedly has a 34- to 38-knot top hop.

Exterior spaces include two alfresco dining areas—one in the cockpit, and one on the bridge—as well as a sun pad and bench seating on the foredeck.

As of April 2024, there were 12 Princess S60s available, ranging from $1.75 million to $2.19 million.   

From the Archive

“Workers infuse each S60’s hull and superstructure with vinylester resin before adding a carbon-fiber hardtop. Another aspect of the S60 that shows no signs of compromise is its lines, which blend a flybridge yacht’s spaciousness into the low-slung profile of an express cruiser. Curvaceous salon windows soften the yacht’s exterior appearance, while elongated hullside windows lengthen it. The result is a pleasing aesthetic  befitting of this stylish and sporty model.” 

— Yachting, April 2018

The post For Sale: Princess Yachts S60 appeared first on Yachting.

Cruisers planning their summer family sojourns are guaranteed a whale of a time on historic Nantucket, Massachusetts. Nearly 30 miles of paved bike paths make it easy to explore the island’s riches, from endless beaches to harborside restaurants to a picturesque downtown. 

History

The Nantucket Historical Association’s Whaling Museum offers a fascinating perspective on the island’s heyday as the whaling capital of the world. The collection includes a 46-foot sperm whale skeleton, a scrimshaw art gallery, and an exhibition on the whaling ship Essex, which inspired Moby-Dick. Don’t miss the rooftop panoramic harbor views.

Museum guides also lead hour-long walking tours through historic downtown Nantucket twice daily, Monday through Saturday, from spring through early September. (You can buy a piece of Nantucket cultural history by detouring along Main Street at Four Winds Craft Guild for a lightship basket, or at Murray’s Toggery Shop for instantly identifiable Nantucket Reds apparel.)

A 15-minute stroll from the museum takes you to Brant Point Light Station, built in 1901 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Beaches

Among Nantucket’s 82 miles of beautiful beaches, Jetties Beach is popular with families for its calm surf, wide sand and solid public facilities. It hosts some of the island’s most cherished annual events, including the Sandcastle and Sculpture Contest and the Boston Pops concert.

Surfside Beach, along the southern shore, is one of Nantucket’s most popular beaches. Beachcombers gather up the bountiful shells found there in the mornings. Its choppier waters attract surfers and boogie boarders. Fishermen, especially surf-casters, gravitate here in the evenings.

Nature

Four-wheel-drive vehicles are the preferred way to explore the 1,117-acre Coskata-Coatue Wildlife Refuge. Car-rental agencies in town can supply a 4×4 vehicle (not an all-wheel-drive) and the required permit if you want to drive between the gatehouse and Great Point Lighthouse on your own. Or reserve a two-hour natural history tour offered by the refuge and hop in the passenger seat as a guide explains the flora and fauna of the refuge’s entire barrier beach system. Keep an eye out for piping plovers and terns on the maritime dunes and seals along the shore.

Dining

An upscale Nantucket landmark for nearly six decades, Straight Wharf offers stunning harbor views and seasonal prix fixe two-course meals. The swordfish, clambake and scallops are among the stars of the seafood-focused menu. Breeze Restaurant in The Nantucket Hotel and Resort draws in diners at all times of day, from its popular weekend brunch, acclaimed clam chowder for lunch or dinner, or a nightcap at its friendly bar.  

The post Cruising Nantucket appeared first on Yachting.

Wooden boats’ LimoTender BLU 8.3m has classic lines crafted from composite materials. The vessel’s layout includes a forward-situated wheelhouse that can seat two crewmembers, a salon that can accommodate 12 people, and a cockpit with generous amounts of seating and lounging space. The salon’s deckhouse lowers to gunwale level for stowage, and the boat’s stern-driven 270 hp Mercury turbo-diesel inboard reportedly yields a 35-knot top speed.

Whom It’s For: Owners looking for curvy good looks and an enclosed ride with contemporary technologies.

Picture This: The main ride is berthed at the marina in Nassau, the Bahamas, but dinner reservations for 10 are at Sapodilla Estate. So, you enjoy cocktails in your Wooden Boats LimoTender BLU 8.3m while the captain drives.  

Take the next step: woodenboats.it

The post Next-Level Limo Tender appeared first on Yachting.

Garmin isn’t trying to be Apple. Dave Dunn, senior director of marine and RV sales, is clear about that: “We’re trying to be the watch that you can beat up and use every day. Our customers are adventurous.”

Still, the Garmin team kept hearing customers talk about how much easier they found it to look at an Apple Watch. “Historically, our watches had a display that was not crisp, not bright,” Dunn says. “Our customers said they liked the Apple Watch display better.”

Hence the upgraded display on the recently unveiled Garmin quatix 7 Pro. Its 1.3-inch AMOLED display is brighter and crisper than the displays on previous models, with a scratch-resistant sapphire lens so boaters don’t have to worry about banging it up.

Also new is a flashlight that was on a prior quatix model, which is now standard on most models.

“Any of our users will tell you it’s our No. 1 feature,” Dunn says. “It sounds ridiculous until you see how bright it is. If you’re walking the dog at night or going to the restroom while you’re sleeping, it comes in handy. It’s a hands-free light.”

Two new apps are also loaded into this version of the quatix. The first is Trolling Motor Remote, which lets anglers control a compatible trolling motor. The second is Fish Forecast, which is intended to save anglers the effort of searching online for general information that can indicate better days to wet a line.

“Think about an almanac; it has moon phases, time of year, all of that. It gives you a prediction about the best times to fish,” Dunn says. “All of it is right there. You’re never guaranteed to catch fish, but it tells you when the better times might be.”

Garmin also updated apps that let the smartwatch act as a remote control for chart plotters, autopilots and Fusion stereos; notify boaters about anchor drag; and show integrated tide data.

“This is designed by boaters, for boaters,” Dunn says, adding that he personally enjoys controlling a boat’s stereo from his wrist. “If you’re on a sandbar at a party and you want to change the volume or the song, you can do that from your watch. I love that feature.”  

Boater-Friendly

The Garmin quatix 7 Pro is built to let users control their whole boating ecosystem from their wrist. This smartwatch can connect to compatible chart plotters, autopilots, Fusion stereos and trolling motors, all while it simultaneously tracks personal health information and serves as a hands-free flashlight. It also receives text messages and smart notifications.

Purchase your own here: Amazon, Garmin

The post Garmin Quatix Upgrade appeared first on Yachting.

Connoisseurs of high-end travel are always looking for the next best idea. Even at the upper extremes of luxury, there might be a way to tweak this piece or twist that part in a way that creates an even more perfect offering for an audience that wants a certain type of experience. Crewed yacht charter? It’s a fantastic option that already comes in many tantalizing flavors. But what about crewed yacht charter and… all the additional possibilities that last bit might include?

Such is the thinking behind two new initiatives that allow vacationers to experience top-brand yachts in new ways. Motoryachts built by Sunseeker in the United Kingdom and by Azimut in Italy have long been considered prime-quality options for recreation on the world’s waterways. Now they’re available for crewed charter through programs intended to appeal to clients with specific sensibilities.

Crewed charter aboard a Sunseeker 95 in Mallorca, Spain, is now an option for members of ThirdHome, a company whose members share their second and third homes, sort of like a high-net-worth Airbnb. The company has partnered with Meros Yachtsharing, which specializes in the co-ownership of Sunseeker vessels. People who have flex-share time aboard the yacht can now trade it for a stay at a ThirdHome property or vice versa.

“It’s all about the huge rise in interest in the sharing economy and the idea of sophisticated people sharing valuable assets between like-minded individuals, ultimately for the benefit of each other,” according to the ThirdHome team.

Meanwhile, fans of the Azimut brand now have a dedicated point of entry for booking crewed charters aboard Azimut-built yachts. The Azimut Charter Club, announced in January, is kicking off in the Mediterranean this year.

“The philosophy of the Charter Club is to offer a personalized service with attention to the smallest details, guaranteed by the brand’s expertise and the territorial coverage ensured by its extensive network of dealers and partners,” according to the Azimut team. Bookings are available aboard yachts up to 78 feet long, all of them launched within the previous five years.

Of course, Azimuts also remain available for charter through traditional companies whose fleets include yachts from all kinds of builders, but Azimut also aims to bring fans of the brand into contact with its dealers, who will handle check-in and checkout during the charter experience.

“Other models will soon be added, as well as new destinations,” the company says, “to ensure the perfect setting for a summer with family and friends.”

Azimut Charter Club

Yachts that are part of this initiative are as large as 78 feet length overall. Each one is a late-model launch from the previous five years. Guests can book through a portal or work with the Azimut concierge on reservations and legal paperwork. An Azimut dealer handles check-in for charters.

Prime Property

Members of ThirdHome have ­access to private residences, villas and luxury estates in addition to a fully crewed Sunseeker yacht.

The post New Elevated Charter Experiences appeared first on Yachting.

I have always loved navigating after dark. As a youngster, I did it often during offshore racing, yacht deliveries and big summer cruises. I love to see the lights on the water—all the lighthouses, buoys, ships and other boats—and the twinkling distractions ashore. Alas, most of what I do afloat these days is compressed into the hours of daylight, which is why a recent trip aboard a Sunseeker 100 Yacht proved a rare treat.

This particular Sunseeker 100 Yacht had spent the previous 10 days at the Southampton International Boat Show. I went along for the ride to the Sunseeker yard, where the boat would be cleaned and prepped for its owners. This would be a four-hour passage starting around 5 o’clock on a Sunday afternoon. When our lines slipped, it was just shy of high water, which meant we would increasingly get tide help for much of the 60 nautical miles or so that lay ahead.

Our course down Southampton Water was broadly 135 degrees, which we held for around 10 nautical miles before easing around to Calshot Spit. Once into the Solent, we headed west on a ground track of approximately 250 degrees for 20 nautical miles before edging up to 285 degrees for the 23-nautical-mile Poole Bay crossing.

Once across, we headed northwest through the harbor heads and up the narrow 10-knot channel that weaves from the Poole Bar buoy to Sunseeker’s West Quay Road yard. This is where all of the builder’s biggest models are fitted out and commissioned. The latter half of the voyage was in darkness and increasingly wind-over-tide choppy, with a southwesterly whisking up a 4- to 6-foot swell.

The biggest diesels available for this model are twin 2,640 mhp MTU 16V 2000 M96Ls, which should mean a top speed of at least 30 knots. However, our boat had the standard twin MTU 1,920 hp 12V 2000 M96Ls, which delivered close to 25 knots through the water and nearer to 26.5 knots over the ground. At a fast cruise of around 17 knots, with the diesels spinning about 2,000 rpm, the range would be around 415 nautical miles. Slow down to 10 knots and the yacht could run as far as 1,500 nm on full tanks.

Turns are pretty prompt, given the vessel’s half-load bulk of around 220,000 pounds. We kept the CMC Stabilis Electra fins and the Intruder trim system active, and they kept the bow up between 3 to 4 degrees, with roll and pitch nicely in check. Overall, the ride was remarkably comfortable and surprisingly quiet. At full chat, I recorded just 62 decibels at the lower helm with the doors shut, and 57 decibels at a fast cruise. (Normal conversation level is 65 decibels.)

The view from the mostly glazed, raised pilothouse is surprisingly good, especially given the aggressive styling in the windshield’s rake. Instrumentation was on three Simrad touchscreen displays. An L-shaped bench sofa/pilot berth could turn the pilothouse into quite a snug hub on passage.

Sunseeker also offers an upper helm position, and wing or stern stations. With or without that second helm, the upper deck’s layout is asymmetrical. In a first for the yacht builder, the upper deck connects via sloping side decks to the forward terrace’s booth seating and sun pads; farther forward, a foredeck tucks deep into the bow. The foredeck is accessed via a short set of steps to port, while a companionway connects aft from the terrace to the portside deck. The after end of the flybridge is open to a degree of owner interpretation. This Sunseeker 100 had the optional hot tub with flanking sun pads, an oval dining table amidships, and a three-stool wet bar abaft the raised pilothouse steps.

Down in the cockpit area, the transom conceals Sunseeker’s X-Tend sun bed, which opens up as a swim-platform lounger or can lift up to extend the usable space (with balustrades). All of this amounts to a beach-club experience, yet leaves room for a garage that can accommodate a 15-foot jet tender and a PWC.

For an extra bit of luxury, there’s the light, bright main salon. Full-height picture windows along both sides combine with free-standing furniture to create a contemporary, chic vibe. The lounge aft and formal dining forward are a conventional layout. Forward and to port is the galley, with a lobby and day head to starboard.

There is actually three-tier functionality in the hull and superstructure forward of the pilothouse: the foredeck terrace up top; three cabins for five crew with a crew galley; and an owners’ stateroom in between. The owners’ stateroom is accessed via the main-deck lobby to starboard, past walk-in closets and an inviting rain shower en suite. More picture windows flank a forward-facing king berth, and six steps rise to a sliding glass door that connects to the foredeck as the owners’ private retreat.

The lower deck’s layout is conventional, with four en suite staterooms for as many as 10 guests. Two staterooms amidships have king berths, while the other two are forward with berths that can be configured as twins or doubles. They can also have Pullman berths.

After such a pleasant cruise, I wished I could have spent the rest of the evening aboard or, better still, gone to sleep with the excitement of where we would take the Sunseeker 100 Yacht tomorrow.

Pushing the Envelope

It seems like only yesterday that Robert Braithwaite, who founded Sunseeker, walked me proudly through the first-ever Sunseeker to break the 100-foot barrier. It was the Manhattan 105, and the first one belonged to Eddie Jordan of Formula One fame. It was called The Snapper. Overall, 11 of the 105s were delivered between 2000 and 2006. At the time, it felt like a gigantic leap forward for Sunseeker, whose previous flagship, the Manhattan 80/84, had taken the title from the Manhattan 74.

Now, 22 years later, I was aboard the fifth 100 Yacht, with six or seven others already afloat. Since that first Manhattan 105, around 140 Sunseekers from 100 to 155 feet have been delivered.

Historic Shipyard

Sunseeker’s home is in Poole, England, a port north of a well-sheltered but mostly shallow natural harbor on the South Coast. The surrounding area, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is known as the “Jurassic Coast” because cliffs along its 100-mile coastline are packed with fossils dating back about 200 million years.

Take the next step: sunseeker.com

The post Sunseeker 100 Yacht Reviewed appeared first on Yachting.

If you love nautical yarns, David Grann’s The Wager is a must-read. The nonfiction work details the account of The Wager, a sixth-rate Royal Navy square-rigger that carried 28 guns and 120 sailors. The 123-footer was part of an eight-vessel armada that, in 1741, sailed west around Cape Horn in winter, pursuing plunder. The Wager got separated. In a navigational blunder, the vessel turned north before it banked enough west. It didn’t go well.

Anyone interested in learning about how the great east-west navigation problem was finally solved should read Dava Sobel’s Longitude. Anyone interested in ensuring their own navigational accuracy, however, should cruise with a dedicated Global Navigation Satellite System sensor.

Satellite-based navigation began evolving in the 1960s. The US-built Global Positioning System—the first of its kind—went live in 1993. Today, the international Global Navigation Satellite System consists of four global satellite constellations (including GPS), plus two regional ones. While GPS continues to provide world-class service, GNSS receivers can capture this information along with data from other satellites. The best part? You probably already own several.

Navigational satellites work by broadcasting information about their identification, position, orbit and health status, along with a hyper-accurate time stamp. Receivers derive their position by triangulating with at least three satellites, with stronger (or more numerous) signals often equating to higher accuracy. Precision matters. According to the Federal Aviation Administration, if a clock aboard a GPS satellite is off by one-thousandth of a second, then the corresponding measurement error would be 1,616 nautical miles.

While there are differences between the various constellations, each system employs three distinct segments: control, user and space.

The control segment consists of one or more master land-based control stations and a global network of supporting stations. These stations monitor each satellite’s reported positions and compare reports with predictive models. If needed, operators can alter a satellite’s orbit to ensure baseline accuracy or avoid debris.

The user segment refers to any receivers listening for signals, while the space segment refers to orbiting assets.

Each of the GNSS’ four main navigation constellations contain different numbers of satellites that operate at different elevations and across different orbital planes. The US-built GPS constellation involves 31 satellites that operate at an elevation of 10,900 nautical miles above sea level. GPS satellites orbit on six different planes, and they maintain a 55-degree orbital inclination (relative to the equator).

Russia’s GLONASS constellation, which has been active since 1995, involves 24 satellites that operate at 10,315 nautical miles and orbit on three planes at 64.8 degrees of orbital inclination. China’s BeiDou constellation, which went live in 2011, consists of 35 satellites. Of these, eight are either geosynchronous or inclined geosynchronous satellites that operate at 19,325 nautical miles, while the other 27 operate at 11,625 nautical miles. BeiDou satellites orbit the planet on six planes, and they maintain an orbital inclination of 55.5 degrees.

Finally, the European Union’s Galileo constellation, which became operational in 2018, will (when complete) consist of 30 satellites that operate at 12,540 nautical miles. Galileo satellites orbit across three planes, and they maintain a 56-degree orbital inclination.

GNSS receivers are generally accurate from 6.5 feet to 13 feet globally; however, some countries use a satellite-based augmentation system (SBAS) that improves accuracy by broadcasting correction information. In the United States, this is called the wide-area augmentation system (WAAS). In early 2023, the European Union’s Galileo constellation began delivering free high-accuracy service information that’s precise to roughly 8 inches.

Celestial navigation, this is not.

Satellite-navigation receivers have existed in different forms for years. Depending on the manufacturer and design, these receivers (and their antennas) can be embedded into multifunction displays, or incorporated into abovedecks sensors that share satellite-navigation data with other networked equipment (or both).

Alternatively, yacht owners can sometimes buy an abovedecks listen-only antenna, which shares its improved signal strength and reception with a belowdecks GNSS-enabled multifunction display.

Some satellite-navigation receivers favor GPS signals, while others can also listen to data from some of the other GNSS constellations. Full GNSS receivers can access the four main constellations, plus the regional Japanese and Indian constellations. These receivers sometimes include nine-axis compasses or attitude-heading reference systems. These sensors, which don’t add much cost, provide accurate heading information in addition to GPS and GNSS data.

Finally, satellite compasses are the best option for serious navigation. Depending on their design, these instruments employ multiple GNSS receivers, which provide heading information that isn’t contingent on Earth’s magnetic field (read: high-latitude cruising). Eric Kunz, Furuno’s senior product manager, says the company’s SCX20/21 satellite compasses use four GNSS receivers, allowing them to achieve 1-degree heading accuracy.

While some people say GPS alone is plenty robust for their needs, many marine-electronics manufacturers have been quick to embrace GNSS. “With more satellites available to track and pull into calculations, the GNSS-enabled receivers offer enhanced accuracy,” says Jim McGowan, Raymarine’s Americas marketing manager.

He’s not alone in this assessment. “A GNSS antenna provides more redundancy and higher accuracy than GPS-only receivers,” says Dave Dunn, Garmin’s senior director of marine and RV sales. “Some parts of the world may have better coverage at certain times of day with some constellations than others.”

McGowan says GNSS is especially useful for high-latitude navigators because these receivers can track GLONASS satellites: “Those satellites are in a higher orbit inclination than GPS satellites, which allows the GNSS receiver to get a better tracking angle and duration on those satellites.”

Leigh Armstrong, Simrad’s product manager of digital systems, agrees: “This allows for better maintenance of accuracy in areas with less satellite coverage.”

The inverse, of course, is that BeiDou, Galileo and GPS satellites likely provide better fixes closer to the equator.

While GNSS data is critical for navigation, it can also help bolster the accuracy of other networked devices. Here, Dunn points to automatic identification system (AIS) position and speed data, autopilot performance, and radar target-tracking features.

Looking ahead, autonomous docking systems and vessels need precise position, speed and other navigational information to negotiate harbors, follow autopilot-driven courses, and safely dock. It’s expected that GNSS (with SBAS) will fill this niche.

The Wager’s crew experienced unspeakable horrors, but GNSS receivers and satellite compasses likely mean none of today’s boaters will have to dodge scurvy.

Belts and Suspenders

While the ancient mariner would have paid handsomely for a chronometer, contemporary smartwatches carry GNSS sensors. Most smartphones have GNSS receivers, as do some handheld VHF radios. These are all important backups should a vessel experience low voltage or power loss. 

The post Global Navigation Satellite System Offers Waypoint Accuracy appeared first on Yachting.

When Wally penned the wallywhy100—the smallest of the boatbuilder’s three-model why series, which also includes the wallywhy200 and wallywhy150—the goal was to create a vessel for those who like coupe-style yachts but want more performance and increased onboard comfort.

The wallywhy100 aims to achieve its mission in a few ways, starting with a single-level, main-deck layout. From the yacht’s shaded teak cockpit to the helm station forward, the real estate is open and surrounded by a low-profile glass superstructure, enhancing the airy vibe inside while creating a chic line outside. Wally stated in a press release that the main deck’s design is “about delivering the ultimate flexible open-enclosed space where the confining superstructure of a traditional yacht architecture seems to evaporate.”

To access the main deck, there are four gently inclined steps up from the full-beam (18-foot-10-inch) foldout swim platform. Between those steps are two angled lounges for guests to catch some rays. Flare out the platform’s teak terraces and add a few loose chairs to form a beach club. This sea-level setup makes it easy to keep an eye on the kids when they’re swimming.

Under the hardtop are opposing settees, while a sliding glass door forward retracts to reveal a dining table for eight guests. With the doors tucked away, the delineation between inside and outside is nonexistent, especially when the side windows flanking the dining area are also retracted. Sliding glass doors forward of the dining space also retract, connecting two more settees as well as the helm station. With all of the doors and windows open, the wallywhy100 should feel like a supersize dayboat.

There are en suite accommodations belowdecks. A full-beam owner’s stateroom is aft, a VIP stateroom is to port, and a second guest stateroom is to starboard.

Power options are Volvo Penta IPS1200 or IPS1350 diesels. With the 1350s, Wally projects a 24-knot cruising speed and a 27-knot top-end speed.

The wallywhy100 will be on display at the Venice Boat Show at the end of May and at the Cannes Yachting Festival in September.  

Take the next step: wally.com

The post The Boundary Breaking wallywhy100 appeared first on Yachting.

It was a sensational day for sailing, with a solid southwesterly breeze pumping over the aft quarter of our 42-footer, just ideal for a downwind romp under a spinnaker. I was even heading north on the Intracoastal Waterway with my sailing mentor, Dan Spurr, who enjoys a good sail as much as I do. But as I wafted on about how perfect it was for a kite, he helpfully pointed out one very important thing: There was no mast on his Grand Banks trawler. I was a sailor without a stick.

I was confronted with what is or isn’t “sailing” years ago while covering a long-distance single handed yacht race. A famous solo sailor had just completed his offshore qualifying sail in impossible fashion, as I was well aware he hadn’t had enough breeze to knock off so many miles in such a quick time. He had to have kicked on the engine. When I confronted him, he quickly pooh-poohed me with a comment that still resonates today: “Well, the Queen Mary ‘sails’ without a mast, doesn’t it?” I failed to come up with a witty retort.

I consider myself an all-around waterman and have always contended that it didn’t matter the conveyance, as long as it got you afloat. My personal fleet these days is certainly eclectic: two surfboards, three kayaks, a good rowboat, an inflatable dinghy and two sailboats—a 23-foot one-design racer and a 36-foot cruising boat. They all get plenty of use. But note what’s missing in my nautical quiver: a powerboat.

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

The sailing-without-a-stick matter came to a head recently on a cruise through the British Virgin Islands. It was December, and the so-called “Christmas trade winds” were roaring on a daily basis, ideal conditions for windy reaches under sail across the Sir Francis Drake Channel. The only problem? I was once again without a rig.

Amazingly enough, I did not have a problem with it. Quite the opposite. It was fantastic.

The humor columnist Dave Barry came up with a pretty good summation of how to operate a sailboat: “1. Figure out which way you want to go. 2. Whichever way it is, do not aim the boat in that direction. 3. Aim the sailboat in some other direction. 4. Trust me, this is the way sailboaters do it. 5. They are heavy drinkers.”

The drinking part is debatable; otherwise, Barry pretty much nailed it. You cannot sail directly into the breeze. You need to tack the boat to make progress to windward. I was reminded of this point on my BVI charter with friends and colleagues on a couple of power cats from The Moorings. Everywhere we wished to go—first to Virgin Gorda, then onward to low-lying Anegada— was directly upwind. That was not the least bit of a problem on the twin-engine cats. We just leaned on the throttles, and away we went. And all I could think was, I could get very used to this.

Ironically, on a couple of days when the trades kicked in at a solid 25-plus knots, there was actually too much wind for comfortable sailing, and the sailboats underway were doing so in the same manner as us: under power. The big difference was in horsepower. With their smaller engines, they struggled to make 8 knots, while we zipped here and there at an easy 15 knots. Guess who got to their respective destinations quicker, thus scoring the better mooring balls in each anchorage?

I’m not quite ready to ditch my sailboats, but I certainly experienced a revelation in the BVI. For charter vacations, power may be the way to go. At the end of the day, you skip all of Barry’s annoying details. But you can still have a drink.

The post The Powerboat Experiment appeared first on Yachting.