Author Peter Janssen

Boat Reviews
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Hudson Launches Two New Power Cats

The large Hudson Yacht Group in China is building a new line of power catamarans, starting with a 63 and a 48. The new Hudson Powercats have lightweight wave-piercing asymmetrical hulls for performance and long range. The 63 (pictured (without a flybridge) is powered by two 1,000-hp CAT diesels and has a retractable foiling system. It has a top speed of 35 knots and a range of more than 1,000  nm at 27 knots. An optional model made with carbon fiber and powered by water jets will top out at 40 knots, according to the company. It has a full-beam…

Boat Reviews
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Fast & Sleek New Infiniti 60 Power Cat

Infiniti Yachts, a Gibraltar company with a history of building racing sailboats, just unveiled its first powerboat, a sleek, fast and lightweight 60-foot catamaran powered by two 600-hp Mercury V8 outboards. Equipped with retractable foils, the Infiniti 60 cruises at 28 knots and tops out at 40 knots, according to the company. Electric propulsion is an option. With its large, raked windshield, a flybridge set far aft and covered by a carbon-fiber hardtop with an opening sunroof, reverse bows for extra waterline length, an enormous sun pad covering most of the foredeck, and an open aft deck with terraces folding…

On Watch With Peter Janssen
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Did Electrical Problems Cause Bridge Crash?

Federal officials are investigating whether electrical problems caused the 984-foot-long container ship Dali to lose power and crash into Baltimore’s Key Bridge at 1:30 a.m. on March 26, sending it falling into the Patapsco River and closing the harbor. The crash killed six construction workers filling pot holes on the bridge. Meanwhile, FBI agents were on the ship last week, interviewing some of the 21 crew members, investigating whether any federal laws were broken. The City of Baltimore filed a suit against almost everyone involved, and the Dali’s owner and operator filed their own suit trying to limit their damage.…

Boat Reviews
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Safehaven’s Sea Trial in a Storm

Don’t try this at home. But Frank Kowalski, the head of Safehaven Marine, wanted to give his new Voyager T-2000 70-foot explorer yacht a good sea trial, so he took it straight out of Cork Harbour in Ireland in a storm with 70-mph winds and 13-foot waves (see the video below). The Voyager, and Kowalski, escaped unscathed, and returned safely to the factory. The idea was to give the Voyager, a recreational vessel, the same real-world testing that Safehaven gives its commercial, military and search-and-rescue craft. Founded in 1998, Safehaven has made more than 160 vessels so far. The Voyager…

Boat Reviews
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Maserati Unveils New All-Electric Tridente

Maserati, the Italian luxury car builder, just announced that it’s making a new 34-foot, electric-powered day boat with low, elegant lines and a matte rose-gold paint job. Maserati introduced the new boat, called Tridente, at a company event in Rimini, on the Adriatic, where it also unveiled a new electric convertible, the GranCabro Folgore, with a matching color scheme. For the Tridente, Maserati teamed up with Vita Power in England for a state-of-the-art electric drivetrain. The Tridente was built by Hodgdon Yachts in East Boothbay, Maine. Hodgdon, a 200-year-old family company, worked with Vita last year to make its revolutionary…

Cruising Life
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Owner Sues To Dock Yacht Behind House

When can you dock your boat behind your house? Or more specifically, how big is too big to be able to dock your boat behind your house? What if it’s a 164-foot Westport megayacht? Those are the questions driving a suit that Michael Bozzuto has filed against the Village of North Palm Beach, Florida (pop:13,000), where he’s lived for 20 years. Bozzuto has been fighting for several years for the right to dock his yacht, named Honey, behind his house at 932 Shore Drive there. He bought the house in 2014 for $840,247. He also bought Honey about that time,…

Boat Reviews
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New Galeon 450 HTC Family Cruiser

The new Galeon 450 HTC (Hard Top Cruiser) is a comfortable family cruiser with a full-length glass roof and a “beach mode” aft with large terraces that fold out of the bulwarks. Powered by twin 480-hp Volvo diesels with straight shafts, the Galeon tops out at 28 knots. It’s easy for a couple, or even a solo captain, to handle, and a door next to the helm opens to the starboard side deck so the captain can help with docking. The railings open on both sides for easy boarding from a dock. The Galeon’s salon has panoramic windows that are…

Charter
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Cruise the Galapagos with a Private Butler

If you want to visit the Galápagos in style, take a look at the just-launched 157-foot-long Hermes luxury catamaran. It holds a maximum of 20 guests per cruise there, and its five-star service includes a personal butler on call 24/7. The crew-to-guest ratio is about one-to-one. Hermes (no relation to the French luxury brand Hermès) has a beam of more than 45 feet.  It has six double and two single cabins on the main deck, and six double cabins on the upper deck. Each cabin has floor-to-ceiling windows, a walk-in closet, minibar, head, and private balcony a Jacuzzi. The accommodations…

Boat Reviews
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Sunseeker Building New Predator 55

Sunseeker, the major British builder, just unveiled a new Predator 55 with a low-profile and aggressively sloping hardtop that tops out at 36 knots. Meanwhile. Bloomberg reports that the same Miami holding company that bought Cigarette three years ago is now in the process of buying Sunseeker. Sunseeker says the new Predator 55 is a blend of luxury and performance. It certainly has all the latest bells and whistles, including Garmin’s high-tech Surround View that has six cameras built into the hull to provide 360-degree views and computerized assistance in docking. And an optional gyro stabilizer will keep everyone on…

Cruising Life
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Oceans Warming: Storms Ahead

Ocean temperatures are setting records all around the world, according to new reports, and the rising temperatures will probably lead to more storms ahead. The average global sea surface temperature in February was the highest for any month ever measured, according to Copernicus, a climate arm of the European Union. February also set the record for any single month, 69.9 degrees Fahrenheit. The previous record was just in August, at 69.7 Fahrenheit. Copernicus measured the temperatures in all the oceans of the world between 60 degrees north and 60 degrees south. The World Meteorological Organization reports that “Every month since…

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