Author Peter Janssen

Cruising Life
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Aquila, Beneteau, Introduce Foils on Cruising Powerboats

Foils, it seems, are coming to powerboats. Introduced on America’s Cup and other racing  sailboats a few years ago, they are now being tested and launched on recreational powerboats. At the Miami boat show, Aquila announced it would offer foils as a $27,000 option on their 36-foot cruiser, while in France, Beneteau announced that they had just tested foils on a 31-foot prototype. In Miami, Lex Raas, the president of Aquila (part of MarineMax), displayed a model of the foil that sits between the hulls of the Aquila 36 catamaran. There’s a relatively large foil in the middle of the…

Cruising Life
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MarineMax Vacations Opens New Charter Base in the Abacos

MarineMax Vacations just announced at the Miami boat show that they’re opening a new charter location at Boat Harbour Marina, part of the Abaco Beach Resort, on Great Abaco Island in the Bahamas. The new operation, with crewed and bareboat power charters, will open on April 1. The Abaco Beach Resort is in a prime location on the Bahamas’ Out Islands, just 165 miles off the coast of Florida. I’ve been there several times, and it would be hard to find a better, or easier, place to unwind and relax. The resort and marina, pictured above, are in the little…

Cruising Life
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Greenline 48 Hybrid Coupe: Great New, Light-Filled Diesel or Electric Cruiser

The new Greenline 48 Hybrid Coupe caught my eye as I was walking down the dock at the Miami Yacht Show, and I decided I had to take a closer look when I saw that it was called “the Great Loop edition.” Now that’s what I call target marketing. But whether you want to take the Great Loop or simply cruise anywhere in the coastal United States or Canada, you’d be well served to take a good look at this attractive, light-filled, well-laid-out hybrid cruiser from Slovenia. Powered by two 220-hp Volvo diesels with straight shafts, the new Greenline Hybrid…

On Watch
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Report from Miami: More Power, More Smart Boats

The big Miami shows just opened with a new emphasis on high-tech, artificial intelligence and power and more power. Mercury introduced a brand new 400-hp outboard, it’s most powerful yet for recreational use, while Volvo teamed up with Tiara to launch a new outboard version of its revolutionary IPS pod drives for inboards (see the picture at top), and Raymarine showed off its artificial intelligence assisted docking system that I just tested – and I’m still smiling. To celebrate Mercury’s 80th anniversary, Mercury President John Pfeifer unveiled the new 400-hp Verado, which he said was an upgrade from the 350-hp Verado,…

Cruising Life
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The Best Places To Go in Miami, After the Shows, of Course

Miami is truly one of America’s great cities – lively, vibrant, multi-cultural, and warm. For many years, it’s been a magnet for Europeans, South and Central Americans, people from all over the world. It’s also a magnet for boat owners, as a destination in its own right, as a stopover on the Great Loop, or as a stepping off point for a cruise to the Keys or over to the Bahamas. Now, of course, it’s a magnet for the more than 100,000 people who will attend the two enormous boat shows in town. The question is, what to do once…

Cruising Life
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After 35,000 Miles Around the Pacific on Their Selene 53, the Youngbloods are Wintering Over in Sitka, Alaska, and It’s Cold

After circumnavigating the Pacific Ocean on their 2004 Selene 53 Mystic Moon, John and Kathy Youngblood have spent the past two months in Sitka, Alaska. And the title of their latest blog says it all: “Captain’s Log: Freezing in Sitka.” The Youngbloods have been cruising on Mystic Moon, usually at 7 or 8 knots, since the spring of 2005. Starting in Seattle, they’ve gone to Alaska, Mexico, Colombia, the Caribbean, the South Pacific, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Japan. They finished their six-year, 35,000-nm circumnavigation of the Pacific last fall when they reached the Aleutians, and then continued down to spend…

Cruising Life
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Something New: Cetera 60, with Vertical Repositioning and Lots of Light All Around

It’s not often that you see some new concepts in yacht design, but the Italian-built Cetera 60, just unveiled at the Düsseldorf show, has more than its share. Francesco Guida, who usually designs larger yachts, created what Cetera calls “vertical repositioning” on its new 60, meaning that each of the three decks serves a distinct purpose, with the goal of making life on board easier and even more private. The main change is that that the accommodations–  three staterooms all with en suite heads and showers – are centered on the main deck. A central passageway then leads to a…

Cruising Life
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A Tragic Story of Life – and Death – on the Bering Sea

The Seattle-based, 92-feet-long crab-fishing boat Destination left Dutch Harbor, Alaska,on Thursday, Feb. 9, 2017, with six men on board. The weather forecast was dicey at best, calling for 40-mph wind gusts, 13-foot seas and 18-degree temperatures. But Jeff Hathaway,60, the captain, was a veteran of the Bering Sea crab fleet, and he was under time and money pressure to deliver his catch. He also was a driven man; he ran his ship his way. Two days later Destination suddenly sank, taking all six men with her. There was no Mayday, just an EPIRB signal. Later, tracing images from the boat’s transponder,…

Cruising Life
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Aquila Launches New 30 Power Cat with Twin Outboards at Miami Show

Aquila is introducing its newest power cat, a 30-footer with twin Mercury outboards, at the Miami International Boat Show. The latest entry into the Aquila fleet, which goes up to 48-feet, the new 30 has a single cabin and a head and shower, and will go into the MarineMax Vacation charter fleet as well as into the large MarineMax dealer network for sale to individual buyers. The new Aquila 30 come on the heels of the Aquila 36, which had two cabins. The 30 is simply a smaller version of its larger sibling. An overnight cruiser for two, the 30…

Cruising Life
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For a Different Cruise, Try the French Canals on a Luxurious Belmond Barge

If you want a different kind of cruise this summer, one where you can relax while someone else does the driving, cooking and planning, you might want to take a look at the Belmond River Cruises in France. They’re luxurious, relaxed, and they wind through some of the most beautiful parts of the French countryside. Belmond, a luxury hotel and river cruise operator, has a fleet of seven barges in France, offering a variety of routes and experiences. The Hirondelle, pictured above, has four staterooms, all with en suite heads and showers, and it cruises through the heart of the…

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