San Juan 40

In the upcoming June issue of Power and Motoryacht, we’ll give you our full boat test for the new San Juan 40, but here’s a little info to whet your appetite:

The San Juan 40’s classic lobster-boat styling doesn't mean she's confined to classic lobster-boat speeds. The builder reports she runs at 30 knots WOT with a pair of standard turbo-charged and intercooled Yanmar 6LY3A-ETP diesel inboards. To control the machinery at slower velocities, the 40 comes with standard joystick-controlled bow and stern thrusters.

But the 40 is about more than just performance; she’s also about looks. The Gregory C. Marshall firm took great effort in blending traditional aspects like her tumblehome stern with more modern features like the flying bridge. Her looks and speed come with a MSRP of $1,050,000.

Striped Bass Are Here!

One of the greatest success stories in fisheries' management is the striped bass. A commercial-fishing moratorium was imposed more than 10-plus years ago, and since that time this favorite coastal and tasty game fish has rebounded in great numbers for recreational anglers. Strict enforcement of size and bag limits have kept the recreational end of this fishery downright hot. The bass you see here with PMY's Capt. Patrick Sciacca was taken off the South Shore of Long Island during the the striped bass' spring run in earlier this week. To keep a bass in New York it must be at least 28 inches long. This one measured 30 inches and we went great with a side salad. Fifteen of his friends were returned to fight another day.

Fire in the Hole

Some routine spring maintenance recently put a Cape Cod boater in the hospital with third-degree burns.

Matthew Name of Provincetown, Massachusetts, was cleaning out the bilge area of his 30-footer when sparks from the battery ignited gas fumes. Although the resulting explosion caused serious burns to his hands, face and chest, the 39-year-old was able to get out of the boat, which was dry-docked, and stumble for help.

An employee of the Northside Marina in East Dennis heard the explosion and saw Name emerge from the burning boat. He called police and administered first aid. A flight-for-life helicopter later transported the injured boater to Boston. Police said he was in good condition.

The accident serves as a cautionary tale for boaters: Proper ventilation is critical to any area on your boat where fumes can accumulate.

Cruise Evacuation

Tug boats are capable of some highly impressive feats. Push this, tow that—no problem! But earlier this week, four tugs were unable to pull the 660-foot cruise ship Mona Lisa from a sand bank in the Baltic Sea where she had run aground around 10 miles off Latvia's northwest coast.

When removal efforts failed (ballast water and fuel were pumped-out in an attempt to lessen Mona Lisa's weight), Latvia's coast guard spent nearly five hours removing some 650 passengers and taking them to shore in two naval ships. Fortunately, the evacuation was a success: guests descended the ship in ladders sans incident and the ship went unharmed. On Monday, the AP reported that over 330 crew members were also slated to be removed from the ship.

According to the Baltic News Service, Mona Lisa's owner has not lost faith in the awesome abilities of tugs: he's asked a Swedish company with a powerful boat to help free the 30,000-ton cruise ship from her current sandy resting spot.

This Bud's For You

Say hello to Budman, 68 feet of eye-catching, fish-chasing battlewagon from North Carolina's Bayliss Boatworks. This three-stateroom beauty is constructed using cold molding, is comprised of Okume plywood with Corecell coring and is finished off with West System epoxy. She's a jig-built boat and computer-controlled CNC routers are used to cut the jigs that make her hull shape to exacting tolerances.

This vessel, which is just Hull No. 9 for the builder, is powered with twin 1,800-Caterpillar C32 Acert diesels and should easily make a mid- to high-30-knot cruise speed, and top out around 40 knots. The 68's 1,800-gallon fuel capacity means that the fish are always within reach.

If you like to fish, chances are you'll see Budman on the circuit this summer. Of course, it'll most likely be a view of her transom streaking for the horizon.