The Abacos. They’re my favorite area of the Bahamas with many islands to visit, all of them no more than an hour or two apart and no ocean passages to make.
When we left George Town last month, we had 60 miles of open Atlantic Ocean to cross. Picking the right day to do the crossing is imperative.
After ten weeks in George Town, aka Adult Summer Camp, we have left the harbour and started north. George Town is the place to be in the winter if you want temperatures in the mid to high 70's, a place to provision, good anchorages and plenty of activities to keep you occupied.
This picture is of the vessel Puffins II a 1947 30' Taylor Craft. This vessel has been the pride of the Frazer Family since she was purchased in 1966 in the Georgian Bay area.
In my last blog, Adamant 1 and Folly had just left Nassau for the Exumas. When we left the harbour, we realized there were at least 15 other sailboats headed the same way.
When the three day weather window we needed to cross to the Bahamas opened up, we were ready to leave Marathon. We had decided with Folly, our buddy boat, to sail straight to the Bahamas, rather than make our way up to Miami from the Keys.
Read more: From the Helm of Adamant 1 – Blog 8 – January 2017
Remember I told you the story of how the dolphin guided us into an anchorage in 2008? We had though that so spooky, for lack of a better word. Well the pic here of the dolphin beside the boat was the same thing.
Read more: From the Helm of Adamant 1 (a note) – January 2017
Adamant 1 has had a busy month. We only stayed in Mobile long enough to get the mast put up and get provisions for the boat. Unless you rent a vehicle, there really isn’t anything to do near the marinas, so we didn’t linger.
Read more: From the Helm of Adamant 1: Blog 7– December 2016
It was in one of the lakes, at mile 379, that Adamant lost her transmission. One moment we were moving along great, the next moment the engine was howling and we were dead in the water. Our buddy boat, Folly, a Catalina 42, quickly took us in tow as we were in a stump area.
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By Andy Adams
Over the years Canadian Yachting has had the pleasure of doing several boat review articles on new Neptunus models and we are familiar with the qualities that Neptunus is famous for. They have all been exceptional yachts, but this is the one I would most want to own myself. It’s a personal choice and a matter of taste as to whether you would prefer to have a sedan express model or a flybridge but in my opinion, the flybridge layout offers some wonderful attributes.
We met with Neptunus Managing Director Jan Willem De Jong this past fall to take the new Neptunus 650F out in Lake Ontario.
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The Other Virgin Islands
By Mark Stevens
I was first seduced by the United States Virgin Islands during a ferry ride from St. Thomas to Tortola to begin one of our earliest British Virgin Islands charters nearly twenty years ago.
A perfect sunset off St. John with St. Thomas views for backdrop.
Clearing Pillsbury Sound, surrounded by voluptuous emerald mountains as the ferry sliced through royal blue waters, I was struck by the unspoiled ambiance of St. John, the island gliding past our starboard beam and the irresistible charm of a village called Cruz Bay visible from our quarter stern.
By AMY HOGUE
What to look for and ask about as you plan your vacation times. You’ve invested thousands and thousands of dollars into your boat so naturally, you want to find just the right spot for her to live, and where you can enjoy her to the maximum. Marinas and yacht clubs are just like people, no two are completely alike and finding the one that’s perfect for you, may make you feel a little like Cinderella – searching for the shoe that fits just right.
It’s okay to take your time on this search because the marina you choose is arguably as important a decision as the one to buy your boat.
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Going Electric to Cruise Lake Ontario: A family ditches the diesel
Story and photos by Matt Bera
We settled Svala into what my family and I had come to think of as the most desirable anchorage on Lake Ontario, on a sunny summer afternoon. With an abandoned settlement, an old schoolhouse full of swallows, giant snakes and a rum-running past, Main Duck Island had it all.
That we had to sail past the Psyche Shoal, a magnetic disturbance, and into the middle of the rumoured Marysburgh Vortex made an even better sea story. It had taken us two attempts, two years, two boats and a new sort-of experimental engine to get there.
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By Zuzana Prochazka
Never chartered? No problem. Here’s how to plan, execute and enjoy a vacation on a charter yacht where life is easy and the sunsets can’t be beat.
Decide on a crewed or bareboat charter
A crewed charter means you have a captain who manages the boat and maybe a chef or mate as well. Crewed charters ensure a safe and comfortable vacation with most everything done for you. The chefs are usually outstanding so if you’re a foodie, you’ll be in heaven and you may be able to pick up new recipes too. Larger crewed yachts may also have a mate who works with the captain and will do things like getting toys (kayaks, SUPs, snorkel gear, etc.) ready for you to use so you do very little work.
Marine Products
Marine Electronics – Staying Connected in 2023
By Andy Adams
The world of marine electronics is just on fire in terms of development. You can almost name any function that you could dream up and somebody is offering it. We are just heading into the traditional boat show season and this year there is a big difference from past years.
Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, most boating enthusiasts have not had any in-person boat show exposure to the new products since 2019 or 2020. That means that there are almost three years of new products to catch up on. It's going to be an exciting year in 2023!
News
On November 15th 2022, Mercury Marine, a division of Brunswick Corporation (NYSE: BC), introduced the industry’s first ever V10 outboard with the official launch of its all-new 5.7L 350 and 400hp Verado® outboard engines.
Consistent with the award-winning Verado brand, the new V10 engines are the quietest and smoothest in their class running 45 percent quieter than a leading competitor at cruise. In addition to NVH, the new Verado’s are not only compatible with the latest Mercury SmartCraft® technologies but will also be offered with an optional dual-mode 48V/12V alternator to seamlessly pair with Navico Group’s Fathom® e-power system, an integrated lithium-ion auxiliary power management system, providing boaters the opportunity to eliminate an onboard generator system.