Hurricane Otis Goes Apocalyptic in Acapulco

Hurricane Otis made an apocalyptic arrival in Acapulco on Wednesday 25 October, devastating the waterfront of the Acapulco Yacht Club in the North-West of the bay.  Otis was a compact and so far the most powerful Tropical storm category five hurricane of the 2023 Pacific Season reaching speeds up to 143 knots on the morning of October 25. Forming on the 22nd November, and reaching its peak on the 04:00 hours of October 25, Otis hit and made landfall in Isla de la Roqueta, to the South of Acapulco, killing 49 people, with 57 still missing, and is estimated to have made seventeen billion US dollars in damages.     

Scene from the North part of the of Acapulco Yacht Club, you can see an Azimut 54, and a Sunseeker Predator 63 Open to the left corner, along with a few Sea Rays.

Here is the South side is a Ferretti 800, followed by a Sunseeker Predator 57, a mid nineties Horizon Elegance 82, and an Azimut 100 Jumbo.

A before and after Hurricane Otis view of Acapulco Bay.  Possibly one of the biggest single areas destructions, and devastations ever seen.

New Model: Galeon 450 HTC

Galeon presents the new 450 HTC, the hard top coupe variant of the second generation 440 Fly model which debuted in early 2022.  That means the 450 HTC is hard top coupe with a fully enclosed patio door main deck, with a sunroof which opens for a third of the coach roof length to let sun and fresh air in.  Beside sportier leaner looks and an opening hard-top replacing the flybridge the 450 HTC is nearly identical to the 440 Fly, full of Galeon fourth generation features like the hexagonal bow shape, and latest in transformational drop down bulk heads which extend cockpit space by another forty per cent aft.  Beside the transformative features the Galeon still surprises for its spaces, offering three different lower deck layouts, from the standard two master and forward VIP cabins layout, to two different three cabin layouts. One of the three cabins layouts moves the master cabin forward and offers two nearly identical sized guest cabins at midships with double berth to starboard, while the third optional layout keeps the layout of the two cabin and offers a third cabin with two bunks berths to starboard and eats away some space from the fore cabin with the bed resting to starboard side from the central position of the two cabins layout.  The Galeon 450 HTS is to be powered by twin Volvo 480hp engines with line shaft V-drive propulsion for top speeds of about 27 knots.    

Technical Data:

LOA - 13.97 m (45.8ft)

Hull Length - 12.5 m

Beam - 4.2 m

Draft - 0.83 m ex drives and propellers

Displacement - 15701 kg light, +3005 kg loaded

Fuel Capacity - 2 x 850 l

Water Capacity - 255 + 170 l

Max Persons - fourteen

Accommodation - four berths in two cabins, or six berths in three cabins

Engines - 2 x Volvo D6 480hp

Propulsion - line shaft in V-drive

Speed - 27 knots max speeds 24 cruise, 

Project - Tony Castro

Certification - CE B

www.galeon.pl

Project: Cruisers 55 Fly

Cruisers present the project for a 55 Fly set to debut before the first half of 2024, and the first in a three model flybridge range, with a second model set to arrive in 2025.  Designed by Luiz Debasto, the Cruisers 55 Fly replaces the 2017 launched 54 Fly model which came from a Facheris design and was based on the 54 Cantius.  The 55 Fly is the first totally new Cruisers range to come from the since April 2022 ownership of MarineMax, which is also North America's largest boat dealership and a distributor to both European made Azimut and Galeon yachts.  With Luiz Debasto presenting a head to toe Euro-designed offer from an American brand ever, it will be interesting how the Cruisers 55 Fly and the following models will affect the dealership of these brands.  With a length overall just shy of seventeen meters Cruisers is saying the 55 Fly will offer a three cabin layout, with rendering showing a full beam midships owners stateroom and an astern galley main deck.  Another feature of the 55 Fly will be a drop down bulwark to port side, which is not really a new feature for Cruisers, who offers this in its sporty 38 to fifty feet GLS models, but never in the eleven to eighteen meters Cantius yacht series.  The Cruisers 55 Fly is to be powered by twin Volvo 725hp engines with IPS pod drives propulsion.    

www.cruisersyachts.com

Hurricane Norma 2023

Norma is the ninth hurricane of the Pacific 2023 season.  Forming from a low pressure appearing on the fifteen October to the Southern Coast of Mexico, which on the seventeen became a Tropical storm, and becoming a Hurricane the morning after of the eighteen. For the next 24 hours Norma will increase speeds from sixty to 112 knots becoming a category four Hurricane and causing chaos in the Southern Western Coast of Mexico.  Norma started to weaken on October 20, but made a second round of seventy knots winds on the 21st doing damage to the West-North-West of Cabo San Lucas, with a third round on the 23rd at Sinaloa near El Dorado.  After this Norma became a remnant low pressure.  

Hurricane Norma has caused major damage to La Paz and Marina Cortez to the East of Baja California Sur, with about fifty boats reported lost or damaged.  Above is a photo screen from a one of the videos circulating on social media showing the damage to La Paz marina.  This video showed a few catamarans and sail yachts sank, with the above motor yacht looking like a Hampton 490 Pilothouse semi-sank, and other motor yachts showing damage to the bathing platforms and hull sides.  

A video on YouTube by Your Saltwater Guide also showed a Cantieri di Pisa Akhir 30 S which was taken aground by the storms surge power.

While Alan Flores Ramos on Twitter showed the 2021 Ferretti Custom Line Navetta 33, hull #16 m/y Ricacha mostly sank vertically with its port side anchor out.  It is reported on some sources that Ricacha sought refuge in La Paz only for it to sustain damage in a collision and then sink.  The crew were rescued, with an operation to salvage Ricacha being underway.

New Model: Dominator Midi Ilumen M35

The smaller Ilumen series has been coming for three years from Dominator, with the first announcement for a mini-sized tender at about seven meters coming in 2020.  In 2022 Dominator announced a slightly larger Midi Ilumen, at over ten meters in length is under construction, and finally the M35 has debuted the past Summer 2023.  A request from a customer who owns a Dominator Ilumen 28M, the Midi Ilumen M35 is a scaled 40% smaller of the bigger super yacht version in both looks and size.  A day cruiser and boat with an exterior layout offering two sun-pads aft with a central passageway which one step down leads you to cockpit with two L-shaped settees, and a wet-bar. The lower deck in the Midi Ilumen M35 offers a V-shaped dinette forward which transforms to a double berth, with a small galley to entrance and well sized shower head opposite to starboard.  In the Midi Ilumen the style versus practicality is a recurring theme, but the M35 has practical details in its own way.  One of the things to like is for example the deep central cockpit wrapped around by the super yacht looking windscreen and radar arch.  The Dominator Midi Ilumen M35 hull one is powered by twin Volvo 300hp diesels for a top speeds up to 37 knots, and a 25 cruise giving an important 350 nautical miles range. 

Technical Data:

LOA - 10.5 m (34.9ft)

Beam - 3.20 m

Draft - 

Displacement - 8.5 t

Fuel Capacity - 

Max Persons - twelve 

Accommodation - two berths

Engines - 2 x Volvo D4 300hp, V8 430hp petrol gas

Propulsion - Volvo DPI dual propeller stern drives

Speed - 37 knots max 25 cruise with twin diesel 300hp, 45 knots estimated with 430hp petrol

Range - 350 nautical miles at 25 knots

www.dominatoryachts.com

Sea Ray Sport Cruiser Beached in Southbourne Beach

A seven meter Sea Ray sport cruiser titled Bone Idle with one person onboard ended beached on the sands of Fisherman's Walk, Southbourne Beach in Bournemouth, Britain South coast on 13:20 of Monday 23rd October.  Bone Idle is reported to have jammed one of its propellers with its own anchor chain as this exited out whilst in navigation that same morning, and then incapacitating the sport cruiser and ultimately ending beached. The one person onboard was not injured with Southbourne Coast Guard rescue team inspecting the vessel, and this planned to be removed on the following day. 

Bone Idle is a second generation Sea Ray 240 Sundancer.  Produced from 1996 to 1999 the 240 Sundancer offered a spacious for its size two plus two accommodation layout and was powered by a single 270hp engine on stern drive.   The second generation 240 was an evolution of the 1993 to 95 230 Sundancer, and evolved into the third 1999 to 2004 third generation 240 which featured a wide body cockpit for more space.

Sunseeker Sport Yacht Runs Aground in Pijavica, Croatia

A 28 meter Sunseeker sport yacht titled Code, with a captain and two crew ran aground in the islet of Pijavica, near Trogir Bay in Croatia at 06:35 hours of Monday 23rd October.  No one was injured in the grounding with Telegram news reporting that the captain of Code deliberately ran the yacht aground in order to save her from sinking. During the preliminary inspection by Split harbour master, Code is reported to have its hull fully resting on the island cliff, and carrying just over 3,000 liters fuel, and as precaution was surrounded with floating dams by the Voluntary Fire Company of Kastela.   

M/y Code is a Sunseeker Predator 92 Sport from 2009 powered by twin MTU 2434hp engines for top speeds up to 38 knots.  Designed by Don Shead the Sunseeker Predator 92 offers an eight double cabins, plus two crew layout.  The Sunseeker Predator 92 was produced from 2008 till 2010 in ten units, with the same hull evolving into the slightly shorter Predator 84 in 2009.

Project: VanDutch 75

VanDutch present the project for a new 75 flagship model, which will expand the size of the Italian, Pardo owned brand since 2020 by just one foot short of twenty feet from the current 56 flagship. Designed by Mulder, who is also responsible for naval architecture the 75 is an evolution of the 70 project which VanDutch announced back in 2014.  The Van Dutch 75 is to be available in standard three or optional two large double cabins layout.  In both layouts a galley and dinette is located in between the cabins.  In the optional two suites layout, the master stateroom is full beam midships.  A crew cabin is located in between the cabins area and the engine room.  The exterior of the VanDutch 75 will offer a large central sun-pad, followed by a central C-shaped settee, while a step up will lead you to two C-shaped dinettes with the one to port side also offering a mezzanine settee looking aft.  A helm station is to port side, with an L-shaped wet bar located opposite.  The VanDutch 75 as has been the range from its founding in 2009 is to be a classic open yacht, with clean uncluttered lines and a bow which echoes the early twentieth century fast commuters, as used by the super rich to move around the bays of New York. The VanDutch 75 is offered with an optional light open hard-top as pictured above or the standard full open version.  The VanDutch 75 is standard powered by triple Volvo 800hp engines with IPS pod drives, which can go up to the optional 1000hp units.  Speed estimates are for a max of forty knots.

www.vandutch.com

Ghost Motor Yacht Ends Aground in Fregenae Beach

This starts as a ghost thriller, when an eighteen meter motor yacht titled Carpe Diem under French flag and without crew, ended aground in-front of Controvento, on the sands of Fregenae beach, to the outskirts of Rome on the Eastern water-front at about 16:00 hours of Sunday 22nd October.  At the grounding the crew-less motor yacht gathered a group of curious persons, with a first under-water inspection coming from the Centrovento establishment staff, and then later in the afternoon followed by that of the Police.  Finding some clothes and a confused messy interior, with a fishing rod at the stern, and following the yacht registration the Italian police found that Carpe Diem was previously owned by a Croatian who sold it in 2022, to the current ownership.  Later on in the evening the thriller was partly solved with the investigation telling that the yacht was navigating to Marseille with three Croatian crew, when it developed a mechanical problem seventy nautical miles offshore from Anzio on the fifteen of October.  Calling a May-Day also due to the rough seas, the three crew abandoned the yacht with assistance and boarding on the Excelsior ferry, who dropped them in Genova harbour.  Following further investigations by the Rome Coast Guard and of receipts found onboard it was also discovered the itinerary for the yacht before it was abandoned, berthing in Lecce, and Marina di Camerota harbours.  The coast guard is now organizing the removal of the yacht from Fregenae beach to avoid any environment and pollution damage.

Carpe Diem the yacht in this grounding is a Guy Couach 185 Fly from 1999.  Produced from 1996 to 2000 the Guy Couach 185 Fly offers a three double cabins layout with a full beam owners stateroom, plus a crew cabin located forward, and is powered by twin MTU 767hp for top speeds up to 28 knots. A replacement to the 1901, the 185 Fly was replaced by the Guy Couach 1900 model in 2001.  Guy Couach or as is known recently as Couach Yachts is a yacht builder from Cujan Mestras to the West of France, which started in 1897 by building the World first marine engine, and entering production boat building with the Arcoa brand in 1947, and then with Guy Couach in 1968 and the 1200 model for bigger boats.  Two years after this, in 1970 Couach also entered into the supply of military and surveillance vessels, which is still a part of its business today.

Coronet New Web Site

Coronet presents its new web site.  Founded in 1951 by Botveld in Denmark, Coronet first model was the 18 Hardtop Sedan debuting in 1956 to a design of Richard C.Cole, produced in two other versions this five meter cabin cruiser will sell 483 units in a nine year production run.  Coronet became a global boating name in the sixties and seventies for a few reasons with the most important being that the Danish production boat builder models where used to test, and then the first to commercialize the Volvo Aquamatic stern drive on its boats, with the 20 Explorer debuting the new inboard-outboard propulsion system.  The other is Coronet's 21 Day Cruiser designed by the famous Jim Wynn and Walt Walters combo, this model debuting in 1965 became an instant classic and sold 1406 plus another 505 hulls in the other Playmate, Sunrunner, and Explorer II variants.  Coronet had other models selling one thousand plus units with the 20/21/22 Explorer from 1959 to 65 selling 1480, and the 24 De Luxe/Cabin produced in 875 hulls plus another 1217 in the five other variants.  Unknown to many is that Coronet also tried its luck in sail boats building two models, the nine meter LA Cruiser produced from 1958 to 67 and the 38 Elvstrom from 1974 to 86.  With a fame for seaworthiness Coronet got also to build patrol boats for the army, customs, navy, police authorities all over the World, delivering over five hundred units from 1964 to 79 of the 21, 24, 27, and 30 Wynn-Walters designed deep-Vee hull models.  Coronet will expand till the seventies with a decline starting in the end of that decade, and an ownership change happening in the eighties.  Coronet will close in 1992 when it was producing four models from 24 to the 45 feet 450 Fly flagship, which is the Danish largest build to date. From 1993 to 2005 Coronet disappeared returning again for the three year 2006 to 2009 Tuco ownership who reoffered the 240 Day Cruiser and two new 290 models debuting in 2008, with a project for a 35 footer which never materialized.  In 2020 Coronet returned with a new ownership headed by Pal Thore Krosby, who debuted the new 35 Suncruiser model in the fall of 2022, as designed by chief designer Andreas Lind.  Coronet new website is available in Danish, Norwegian, and English language and takes you around with the following buttons; Home, About the Boat, Equipment, About Us, and Contact Us.  Coronet is also on social media with buttons on the bottom of the page taking you to its Facebook and Instagram pages.

www.coronetboats.com

Production History;

18 Hardtop Sedan 1956-59 (483 all three versions)

16 Hardtop Convertible 1957-58 (111 both versions)

20 Explorer 1959-60 (1480 includes 21/22 Explorer) *first in the World to debut Volvo Aquamatic stern drive

18 Sedan 1959-65 (483 all three versions)

16 Convertible 1959-61 (111 both versions)

21 Explorer 1959-60 (1480 includes 20/22 Explorer)

18 Runabout 1961-65 (483 all three versions)

18 Viking 1961-65 (312)

22 Explorer 1961-65 (1480 includes 20/21 Explorer)

22 Runabout 1962 (4)

26 Seafarer 1962

Wynn-Mill 5,50m 1962-65

27 Seafarer 1963-67

24 De Luxe / Cabin 1964-68/73 (455/420)

21 Day Cruiser 1965-77 (1406)

21 Explorer II 1965-68 (362)

30 Oceanfarer 1966-68 (112)

24 Weekender 1967-69 (221)

27 Seafarer.ii 1968-75 (426)

24 Flybridge 1968-71 (59)

21 Playmate 1969-73 (120)

32 Oceanfarer 1969-79 (483)

24 Family 1970-75 (445)

33 Houseboat 1970-74 (33)

24 Midi 1971-78 (449)

17 Runabout 1971-74 (631)

24 Family Flybridge 1972-75 (43)

32 Deep Sea 1972-78 (138)

31 Aft Cabin 1973-86 (148)

44 Yacht 1973-77 (15)

31 Seafarer 1974-78 (100+-)

26 Family 1975-78 (264)

26 Family Flybridge 1975-76 (8)

22 Sport 1976-80 (155)

22 Day Cruiser 1978-85 (179)

26 Family Sport 1978-80 (151)

38 Commander 1978-87 (18)

32 Sedan Flybridge 1979-87 (38)

32 Oceanfarer Wing 1980-88 (27)

21 Sunrunner 1981-86 (23)

26 Family De Luxe 1981-85 (30)

38 Mediterranean 1981-86 

26 Silver Spur 1985-87

22/230 Silver Sun 1985-89 (14)

33 Silver Star 1985-90

42 Silver Squire 1985-90

270 Family 1987-91 

280 Fly 1988-92

240 Day Cruiser 1990-92,2006-08

350 Day Cruiser 1991-92

450 Fly 1991-92

290 Sport 2008

290 Weekend 2008

35 Suncruiser 2022-

Coronet 21 Daycruiser 1965-77 / 1406 units made