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2 weeks ago | 
boatingmag.com | Chris Caswell
The types of emergencies that can occur aboard boats are as numerous as the types of boats and types of boaters. Naturally, our boats should be properly equipped with life jackets for everyone, distress signals, a VHF radio and more. We should also gain knowledge of the waters we are cruising and check the weather before heading out. It's also prudent to think through emergency scenarios so that should we ever face one, we are better prepared to deal with it.
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4 weeks ago | 
passagemaker.com | Chris Caswell
There has been a rash of cruising yachts being abandoned not because they had lost their steerage, were actively sinking or were on fire, but because the crew just wasn’t happy. Most had been dealing with weather conditions for which they were totally unprepared. Take the 53-footer that was CE Category A Ocean-rated, which is the toughest category for yachts, capable of seas up to 23 feet and winds of 41 to 47 knots. The inexperienced crew had been dealing with winds of 40 knots and 10-foot seas.
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1 month ago | 
tampamagazines.com | Chris Caswell
“There aren’t enough women enjoying motorsports,” says Marta Hansen, a recent transplant to Tampa who drives an AMG GT Mercedes that more than occasionally finds its way onto local tracks.
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1 month ago | 
tampamagazines.com | Chris Caswell
I admit it: One of the best things about jet charters is that you and your luggage are treated with equal respect. From the crew hand-stowing your bag on board—no tossing from 50 feet away—to the careful removal and placement at your car on arrival, your luggage travels first class. It’s your call on hard-side or soft, but you won’t have to worry about the airline saying your bag is (check one): too big, too heavy or too expensive.
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2 months ago | 
boatingmag.com | Chris Caswell
OverviewOn our outing aboard the newly revamped Pursuit S 328 Sport, I realized why Pursuit is the perfect name for this builder. Fishermen are always in pursuit, but the conditions, well, they're not always perfect. This applies equally to boaters simply seeking to head home after a day at the beach or a weekend up the coast. In fact, conditions can be downright crappy, as we discovered after leaving the dock.
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2 months ago | 
tampamagazines.com | Chris Caswell
When it comes to luxurious private charter flying, most people automatically think of jets. But there’s a world of propeller-driven private aircraft that can access impossibly small airports, make solid financial sense for short trips and even land on water. There are two main types: prop planes, which use a conventional reciprocating engine like a car, and turboprops, where the propeller is turned by a gas turbine engine. Both come in single- and twin-engine designs.
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2 months ago | 
tampamagazines.com | Chris Caswell
The subject of boating licenses is a touchy one, with heated debate on both sides. Some argue that you can’t operate a car or plane without a license, so why not boats, which can be just as dangerous? Others say the sea is our last great freedom and should be open to everyone. I won’t risk my readers’ wrath by supporting either side. However, there are licenses that can vastly improve the boating lifestyle for many skippers.
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2 months ago | 
sailingmagazine.net | Chris Caswell
I like naval architects. I really do. In fact, two of my best friends are naval architects, and when I think about high points in my sailing career, some of the best were spent in the company of the vastly amusing naval architect Gary Mull. But naval architects take a beating. If they design a slow boat, then it's always the naval architect's fault for losing the race. "This dog just won't go upwind/downwind/heavy wind/light wind/etc." It is never, ever, the skipper or crew's fault.
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Feb 24, 2025 | 
passagemaker.com | Chris Caswell
I admit it: I’m just not a morning guy. My family will readily back me up on this. I’ll snuggle back under the covers for the faintest of excuses: a rainy morning, a sunny morning and especially those days when the paperboy (yes, I still read a printed newspaper) manages to hit near the front porch so I can read in bed. As I said, it doesn’t take much. But there’s one type of morning I always enjoy, and it seems to embody much of what I love about cruising: the dawn watch.
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Feb 16, 2025 | 
boatingmag.com | Chris Caswell
OverviewFrom the land of Ferrari, it's no surprise that the new Sessa C44 pops onto plane in just 8 seconds flat and, pushed by a pair of Volvo Penta D6 diesel IPS 600s, this stylish cruiser tops out at over 35 mph. Not bad for moving 14 tons of Italian luxury. The Sessa C44 is a lean express cruiser, accented by a slash of windows in the topsides, but one of its surprises is that we found as much as 6 feet, 9 inches of headroom inside its cabin.
