Great Deal On A Power Cat

Check this out. For $169,000  (give me $34,000 down and I'll get you financed with $900/month payments) and you get a 2002 Maryland 37' power catamaran with new 240hp twin Yanmar diesels which will propel you along at up to 26 mph...It's got two staterooms and two heads...it's got a galley-up (which doubles as a bar at night which makes for great parties!) and both inside and flybridge steering. All for $169k. If I were still in the boat speculation business I'd buy this in 2 seconds flat. I took one of these to the Florida Keys for a week and had a ball. This is a fabulous couples-cruiser.

No More U.S. Customs Clearing-In (In Person)

This is really cool. I heard about it from some yacht delivery captains. There's a new program called the Small Vessel Reporting System. When you arrive in the US from a foreign port in a boat, you just call an "800" number, give the names/passport numbers of everyone on board and you're cleared in. No need to physically go to Customs and Immigration any more. I've used it a number of times and it takes about 3-4 minutes. What a great time-saver and it's free to register. You have to Pre-Register online and interview with Customs to get pre-approved and it's good for 5 years.