Soundings is the news and feature publication for recreational boaters. Award-winning coverage of the people, issues, events -- and the fun -- of recreational boating. Check out our generous boats-for-sale section and our gunkholing destinations.
I’ll admit it: I haven’t spent much time trailering boats. Most of my cruising starts from our slip in Connecticut, where tide charts matter more than traffic reports. But over the years, thanks to conversations with boaters on docks and in chandleries, I’ve developed great respect for those who travel by land and sea to throttle up in new places. And I’ve learned that trailering takes planning, patience and precision. The payoff? The freedom to explore just about anywhere. Some of the best boating conversations I’ve had start with: “You know where you really need to go?” Then someone pulls out their phone and shows me a ramp tucked into a state park or a shot of a sunset over a still stretch of water. Some of the places that…
Boaters visiting the Bahamas are now paying significantly higher cruising fees. Bahamian government officials unexpectedly rolled out the country’s second major fee increase in two years, and it took effect on July 1. The fees put the Bahamas at or near the top of the list of most expensive Caribbean countries to visit by boat. Spread over 5,300 square miles with the closest point, Bimini, just 49 nautical miles from Florida, the archipelago of 700 picturesque islands has historically offered an accessible base for fishing and a winter cruising ground for sailors and powerboaters. Social media is expressing angst and betrayal because of the changes. Some boaters are vowing not to return while others say the Bahamas are worth the expense. “Dismayed” describes Chuck and Heidi Pittman, Colorado residents who…
Foldable RIBs are not a new concept. The trick is finding one that combines durability and performance. That’s what the new Fore Runner line of foldable RIBs built on fiberglass hulls offers, according to Four Seas, a Santa Ana, Califorinia-based distributor of small watercraft, electric propulsion and marine accessories. The Fore Runner is a reboot of the original F-RIB, which Four Seas President J. Nabs Carlson discovered while searching for a tender for the 1964 Hatteras he was restoring. After a call with the overseas manufacturer, Carlson became a U.S. distributor. “I really wanted to deliver a product that filled this great void,” Carlson says. “It gave people the ease of having a RIB and the ability to put it away like a rollup boat.” He sold the boats for…
Tiara Yachts, with the announcement of its new dayboat, is looking forward while paying homage to the past. The 39 LS is the sixth model in the Michigan yard’s Luxury Sport (LS) series of outboard-powered yachts from 34 to 56 feet length overall. It brings together some of the best features in the lineup, giving owners options to help maximize whatever kind of fun they like to have on the water. Gabe Rose, design manager at Tiara Yachts, says the impetus for building the 39 was the builder’s first-ever outboard-powered boat, the 38 LS. “That boat really started us on this,” Rose says. “Coming at that segment of the market with a new 39 just makes a lot of sense because it allows us to now refresh our oldest product…
Capt. Terry Sullivan has a lifetime of experience trailering boats. Since the 1980s, he has owned a Mako BayShark, a Contender 25T and his latest ride, a Pathfinder 2200 TRS. He has never had a slip, instead opting to keep his boats on trailers in his yard. Sullivan has trailered boats from Florida to New England and has more than 2,500 launches under his belt. During his years as a light tackle guide, he fished with clients about 150 days a year. Even now, after retiring from the charter business, he still fishes more than 100 days a year for personal enjoyment. Every day on the water requires a boat launch and retrieval, and at least some preventive maintenance. At the ramp, this wizard of launching and retrieval uses a…
It’s been a busy year for machinelearning researchers making strides in the world of weather forecasting. Back in December, Google unveiled GenCast, an AI model used to predict day-to-day weather as well as extreme events. Google’s announcement said GenCast’s forecasts were better than what’s commonly known as “the European model,” which has been heralded ever since it accurately predicted the unusual path of Superstorm Sandy. Then in May, Microsoft announced Aurora, an AI system the company said can also predict hurricanes faster and better than traditional forecasting tools. And in July, the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts—the place that creates “the European model” forecasts—announced that its Artificial Intelligence Forecasting System had gone into operation. That system is now running side by side with the traditional, physics-based Integrated Forecasting…
