Tuesday, November 6, 2012   By Captain Peter Squicciarini, U.S. Navy (Ret.), Master Merchant Mariner   Yet another tragedy at sea. The October "superstorm" known as Hurricane Sandy claimed another vessel, this time the unique and historic HMS Bounty. She was lost October 29th off the coast of North Carolina in some of the Atlantic's most treacherous waters. She isn't the first or the last ship in the graveyard of the Atlantic. One crewmember has died and the Captain is missing, presumed lost.    How? Why? The investigations (plural) have already begun. The Coast Guard has some of its best investigators looking into it now. All of the answers will never be fully known as it appears the Captain went down with his ship. Bu...

Yachting News: Baha Ha-Ha Time Again!!!! 26 August, 2012 This year's Baha Ha-Ha Cruiser´s Rally will be the 19thand will be held from October 28th to November 10th. The Rally has seen nearly 2,500 boats and about 9,000 participants during it´s nearly two decades and has also covered nearly 16,000 miles of Open Ocean. The rally this year will travel its traditional 750 mile route from San Diego to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.The Rally will be open to all vessels over 27´and the smallest entry so far is only 28´. The entry fee this year is $375 and single handing is not allowed. The Baha ha-ha is not a race in any sense of the world, nor is it a party trip. While drinking is not prohibited, wild and crazy behavior or drinking heavily while under...

Spithill performed exemplarily to replicate his success on the baseball pitch in the water race. His winning trail began when he beat Dean Barker's team. The winning continued when he exhibited strong racing performance making it to the Sunday's Grand Finale. Spithill commented that the first fleet was the most exciting. Anxiety caused his team to break the start line before signal, a fault he laid upon himself. He however, noted the level of commitment amongst his team members in fighting for their place. He attributed his team's success to vigor that motivated them to fight harder when left behind. The reward is ultimately a win. In the opening fleet, Energy Team, led by Yann Guichard came from behind to steal the win from Barker and Spithill. Spithill&...

Portosole Sanremo was witness to a fire that claimed two yachts, the 23m Pershing, Ibris and 4m Maiora-built Manhattan. Lena Sundell, the yacht manager at Sanremo ASP Yacht Management, reports that the fire began on the Ibis at approximately 4am on August 29th, and was apparently caused by an accident in the kitchen that involved an oil-spill while preparing a meal. The fire is then thought to have spread across the deck compromising the neighboring Manhattan. The fire burned for several hours before it was extinguished. The fire began and spread so quickly that there was little chance to effectively use fire extinguishers. The second yacht was quickly towed out to open water to keep the fire from causing any more damage. Fortunately there were no reported injuries but ...

Photo by Clipper Round the World. 28-05-2012. Over a period of 15 hours, the ten entries in the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race all completed Race 11 from Panama to New York, with podium places going to Gold Coast Australia, followed by Visit Finland and De Lage Landen.The full Clipper Race fleet of ten matched 68-foot ocean racing yachts has now mustered at Liberty Landing, New Jersey, opposite the iconic Manhattan skyline before its official arrival into North Cove Marina in New York on Sunday 3 June.Geraldton Western Australia managed to take fourth place in one of the most fiercely contested races to date – finishing just over an hour later than De Lage Landen.Edinburgh Inspiring Capital managed to take their best position of the entire race, crossing the finish line at ...

4 December 2011 – Karpaz Gate Marina (KGM), the eastern Mediterranean's newest superyacht marina - located on the stunning Karpaz peninsula of Northern Cyprus – is fast becoming the region's most desirable over-wintering destination. The marina's brand new facilities, competitive prices and mild winter climate make the marina and resort an attractive destination for those struggling to secure a berth in the over-crowded western Mediterranean.The lack of superyacht berths in the western Mediterranean is widely reported, and a shortage results from the superyacht fleet having grown in the last decade (2001 – 2010) by 95.2 per cent, but the number of berths not having increased to meet the demand. Marinas based in the eastern Mediterranean are incre...

13-June-2012. Its alluring light has inspired some of the world's greatest painters from Paul Signac to Henri Matisse, and its association with screen icon Brigitte Bardot attracted the rich and famous to its quintessential Mediterranean setting. Saint-Tropez is a captivating place, a byword for sophistication and glamour. Thanks to its envious access to waters scenic and challenging in equal measure, the town is also synonymous with sailing. After all, any classic postcard view of the world famous Vieux Port juxtaposes the town's magnificent sun-kissed buildings with an array of masts and sails. Sailing is again in vogue this week with the arrival of nearly two hundred international yachts competing in the Giraglia Rolex Cup - an event that celebrates its 60th edition thi...

RYA Personal Watercraft Instructors training for Super yachts In 2007, the RYA (Royal Yachting Association) introduced the onboard introduction to Personal Watercraft Safety course for Super Yachts, designed for owners and guests using Personal Watercraft (PWC) such as Jet Skis during their holiday onboard. The "Yacht" becomes the training centre, with the provision of qualified onboard crew holding the RYA Personal Watercraft Instructors Certificate (PWI). The recognition allows yachts to issue RYA training and certificates to crew, guests and owners; giving them the freedom to use the boat's PW equipment.   How to become an RYA Personal Watercraft recognised training centre for super yachts. In order to offer this training onboard your vessel, yo...

NEWPORT, R.I. (March 8, 2012) – Another exciting component to the already dynamic and newly revitalized Newport Charter Yacht Show (NCYS) has been announced by Newport Harbor Corporation, the show's new owner. Industry focused seminars will be featured each day of the June 18-21 event, which will be held at the Newport Yachting Center in historic downtown Newport, R.I, immediately before the start of the America's Cup World Series.  The Newport Charter Yacht Show, the only one of its kind in the U.S., caters to the charter yacht industry with a showcase of luxury charter yachts as well as ancillary boating goods, services and educational information.  It also allows consumers (attending with brokers) to learn more about vacationing on one of the many world-cl...

March 9, 2012 - 1430 UTC Leg 4 Day 20.  The six-boat fleet has taken a severe pounding over the last 24 hours with fierce head winds and strong currents combining to whip up mountainous seas on the approach to the northern tip of New Zealand.Leg leaders Groupama sailing team gave the fleet a master class on how to deal with the hideous conditions, maintaining an average boat speed of around 13 knots despite the colossal seas.Photo: Nick Dana/Abu Dhabi Ocean RacingAt 1300 UTC today they held a 110 nautical mile lead on the fleet with 225 nm to sail before the finish in Auckland. Groupama helmsman Charles Caudrelier said the French crew was exhausted from a night of sail changes and tacking in winds up to 31 knots and waves as big as eight metres, but they remained resolute to h...