Mexico

Russian Superyacht in Fiji Leaves for US Amid Legal Wrangling

A Russian-owned superyacht docked in Fiji departed for the United States on Tuesday after a court in the Pacific island nation ordered its removal, saying it was a waste of money to maintain amid legal wrangling over its seizure.The U.S. Justice Department's Taskforce KleptoCapture has focused on seizing yachts and other luxury assets of Russian oligarchs in a bid to pressure Russian President Vladimir Putin over the war in Ukraine.The 106-meter (350-foot) Amadea arrived in Fiji on April 13 after an 18-day voyage from Mexico. It was seized by Fiji authorities after the country's High Court granted a U.S.

Electrical Fire Destroys $3.9 Million Yacht

The engine room fire aboard a yacht was likely caused by an electric source within the sound enclosure for the starboard generators, the National Transportation Safety Board said Thursday.Marine Investigation Report 22/16 details the NTSB’s investigation of the March 16, 2021, engine room fire aboard the yacht La Dolce Vita while anchored near Marquesas Keys in the Gulf of Mexico. The crew unsuccessfully attempted to extinguish the fire. The crew of four and two passengers on board abandoned the yacht into the vessel’s tender boat. They were then assisted by two U.S. Coast Guard boats.

Fiji Seizes Russian Oligarch Kerimov's $300M Yacht

Authorities in Fiji have seized a $300 million yacht of Russian oligarch Suleiman Kerimov at the request of the United States, the U.S. Justice Department said on Thursday, as Washington and its allies press Russia over its invasion of Ukraine.A Fiji court had ruled on Tuesday that the United States can seize a Russian-owned superyacht, weeks after it arrived and was impounded by police. Authorities in various countries have seized luxury vessels and villas owned by Russian billionaires in response to sanctions imposed on Russia over its invasion of Ukraine…

United States Can Seize Russian Superyacht, Fiji Court Rules

Fiji court ruled on Tuesday that the United States can seize a Russian-owned superyacht, 21 days after it arrived and was impounded by police, as the United States and its allies press Russia over its invasion of Ukraine.U.S. authorities assert that the luxury vessel, the Amadea, is ultimately owned by Russian oligarch Suleiman Kerimov, who has been sanctioned by the United States and the European Union.The U.S. Justice Department's Taskforce KleptoCapture has focused on seizing yachts and other luxury assets to put the finances of Russian oligarchs under strain in a bid to pressure Russian President Vladimir Putin over the war in Ukraine.

Raymarine and CMOR help Anglers, Divers Discover More

The best diving and bottom-fishing spots are the ones that don’t show up on paper or digital charts and aren’t marked on commercially available fishing maps. They’re the forgotten wrecks, the isolated reefs, the ledges hidden between the contour lines — the kinds of places that take hundreds of hours on the water and countless dollars in fuel to find.CMOR Mapping’s chartplotter-compatible bathymetry clearly reveals those spots. With resolution as high as one meter (each pixel represents a single square meter of bottom) and coverage of the entire bottom…

Suntex Marinas Acquires Faro Blanco in Marathon in the Florida Keys

Marina owner and operator Suntex Marina Investors, LLC announced today its first acquisition within its new partnership with Centerbridge Capital and Resilient Capital Partners: the Faro Blanco Marina located in Marathon in the Florida Keys.Faro Blanco is a first-class marina that offers safety, privacy, entertainment, activities, parking, convenient fuel and pump out services, dockside hookups and a resort-owned restaurant facing the marina, all in a setting with magnificent sunsets and expansive views. The Marina consists of 74 slips and accommodates vessels between 35- and 140-feet.

The Benefits of Sustainable Marine Lumber

Today’s marinas are held to a higher standard of environmental stewardship than in the past. No longer are they just responsible for the environmental impacts of their day-to-day operations, but also of their infrastructure and how it affects both the oceans, waterways and their delicate marine ecosystems. For these reasons, many marinas are being far more selective as to construction materials being specified for their expansion and/or restoration projects.One material that is rising to the top for its eco-friendly and performance attributes is sustainable marine lumber.

CG Continues Search for 2 Missing Boaters in Florida

The Coast Guard is continuing its search for two overdue boaters from Panama City, Fla. Thursday.Overdue are Gerald Cook, 81, and Peter Cook, 55, and four of their dogs aboard the 52-foot yellow steel vessel Rom'e.Watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector Miami received the initial call from family stating a father and son were traveling from Panama City to Vero Beach, Florida by the Okeechobee Waterway and were scheduled to arrive Tuesday.Coast Guard rescue crews who have been involved…

KVH Introduces TracVision UHD7

KVH Industries has introduced the TracVision UHD7, a high-performance 60 cm (24 inch) marine satellite TV antenna designed to provide boat owners, charter yacht guests, and commercial vessel crews with access to ultra high-definition (UHD) and 4K programming from DIRECTV as well as regular HD programming from other leading satellite TV providers. The system is on display at the Fort Lauderdale (FL) International Boat Show, October 30-November 3, in Booth 328.Designed for ease of installation and use…

Sanlorenzo Americas Names New CEO

Marco Segato has been appointed CEO of Sanlorenzo Americas, the division that has aided in the Italian superyacht-builder’s expansion in North, Central and South America for the last 10 years.The  Italian shipbuilding company company said that Marco Segato, formerly Vice President of Sales of Sanlorenzo Americas since 2014, held important positions in the field of strategic consulting and business development Having developed a great wealth of experience in the boating sector, Segato has also been made a shareholder of the US company and will further build upon the growth achieved by Sanlorenzo Americas.Sanlorenzo Americas…

C-MAP: East Coast Charts Now Shipping

C-MAP said its C-MAP Reveal charts for the East Coast are now shipping. C-MAP Reveal cartography offers all the navigation data and capability of a C-MAP MAX-N+ card, plus ultra high-resolution bathymetric (HRB) imagery of the sea floor, including a clear view of structure, wrecks, isolated reefs and ledges in between the contour lines.The C-MAP Reveal imagery replaces shaded-relief data in select areas with more accurate depth variations, allowing it to reveal the best fishing and diving spots.

Whirlwind of change: Where’s Trinity Yachts' crew today?

Four key players of the disbanded Trinity Yachts, once the world’s sixth largest custom yacht builder, are working in new roles in yachting since the company’s break-up about four years ago.Billy Smith, Geoffrey van Aller, Jim Berulis and Phil Nuss rolled with the punches, just as they did when this author interviewed them at Trinity’s Cinco de Mayo crayfish boil celebrating their new Gulfport facility in Mississippi in May, 2006. In a region suffering after Hurricane Katrina toppled the Gulf Coast and sank New Orleans on August 29…

Linie Aquavit: Documenting a 4-Month Journey

Marlink’s Sealink VSAT recently proved integral to a unique ‘slow TV’ experiment spanning four months and two equatorial crossings.Arcus is the world’s largest producer of Linie Aquavit, a Norwegian beverage dating back to the early 19th century that derives its name from a tradition whereby oak barrels of Aquavit are transported on boats from Norway to Australia and back again, thereby crossing the equator (‘linje’ in Norwegian) twice before being bottled.Aquavit’s makers have always maintained that the incessant motion…

Coast Guard Responding to Vessel Adrift in Gulf of Mexico

The Coast Guard is responding to a vessel adrift in the Gulf of Mexico approximately 80 nautical miles south of Cape San Blas, Florida, Wednesday.Watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector Mobile received a report at approximately 2 p.m. from crewmembers aboard a NOAA ship, the Gordon Gunter, that a 30-foot white sailboat named My Time appeared to be floating adrift.Members aboard the Gordon Gunter reported that the My Time appeared to have electronics operating, sails stowed, and did not respond to radio calls or the ship’s horn.

Florida’s Panhandle Hammered by Hurricane Michael

Hurricane Michael slammed into Florida’s Panhandle on Wednesday, October 10 as a Category 4 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 155 mph, the strongest storm ever recorded. Originally forecast as a Category 2, Michael gained far more strength than originally anticipated, putting Panama City on the western side of the eye. Making landfall at Mexico Beach, Michael wreaked havoc and destruction on homes, boats and marinas in its path.With widespread devastation and grid outages across Florida’s Panhandle…

Marine Insurance: Protect Your Yacht, Yourself

All my life, I grew up around boats. My dad was a captain for 23 years, and I would travel on his ships throughout the Gulf of Mexico, the Atlantic Ocean and the Great Lakes. My first job out of college was in San Francisco, so naturally I bought a 30-foot sailboat and lived on it on the San Francisco Bay. In more recent years, I have enjoyed yachting with my family on the inland lakes of Virginia. No matter where you have launched your yacht, boating is an exhilarating experience. It can also be dangerous and fraught with risks.

Navico Hires Southwest US Sales Manager

Navico, a manufacturer of marine electronics and parent company to the Lowrance, Simrad and B&G brands, has appointed Scott Nagel as its new territory sales manager for the southwest U.S. Based in Mission Viejo, Calif., Nagel’s territory will cover California, Arizona, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, New Mexico and Hawaii. Nagel has been in the industry for many years working as an independent sales representative for leading brands like Daiwa, Rapala, Flambeau, Penn, Beretta and Sig Sauer.

Race Boat to Attempt US-Cuba Speed Record

An upcoming world speed record attempt by Nigel Hook and the crew of SilverHook will be a two-for-one as they set out to achieve the fastest crossing from the U.S. to Cuba, and then back. Captain Hook has chosen August 17 to try to set two speed records in what is considered the most technically-advanced offshore monohull race boat in the world. The first objective is a one-way speed record from a point just off the Florida Keys to Havana. If that record is established, then part two will be an equally-fast or faster return trip and a two-way record.

Speedcast, Inks Comms Deal with Diamond Offshore

Speedcast International Limited has secured a long-term contract with Diamond Offshore, who will leverage Speedcast’s managed communications services across 10 offshore rigs and one shore-based facility. “Diamond Offshore continues to adapt to the competitive nature of the industry,” said Tim Osburn, CIO, Diamond Offshore. “Through this agreement with Speedcast, Diamond Offshore increases its operational agility, benefiting from Speedcast’s world-class global customer support network. Under the terms of the new agreement, Speedcast’s…