Author Peter Janssen

Cruising Life
By

Ship With New VWs and Porsches Catches Fire

If you ordered a new Porsche, Audi, VW or even a Bentley or Lamborghini lately, you may have to wait a while. Last week, a 650-foot cargo ship named Felicity Ace carrying 3,965 cars from the Volkswagen Group in Germany to the United States caught fire about 90 nm southwest of the Azores. As the fire spread, the 22 members of the crew abandoned ship. (You can see a video of their rescue below.) The Felicity Ace was on its way from the Port of Emden on the North Sea, where Volkswagen has a factory, to Davisville, Rhode Island. It…

Miami Boat Show
By

Miami Show Opens: A New Normal?

The big Miami boat show just opened, with a mix of enthusiasm, innovation, high-tech and an undercurrent of worries about inflation, high prices, and supply-chain capabilities. On the tradition front, the show returned to the Miami Beach Convention Center for the first time since 2015, and everyone seemed happy about that. It also is on three locations in downtown Miami and on Watson Island (for superyachts). The entire show was cancelled last year because of the pandemic. If the Convention Center was a return to normal, there were lots of signs pointing to a new normal. Large dealers were accepting…

Cruising Life
By

Yachts, Charters, Easy Targets for Cybercrime

Large yachts and charter yachts are increasingly vulnerable to attack from cyber criminals, a cyber-security expert warns, while new regulations require large vessels to prove that they have cyber protections on board. The new regulations, intended to fight the growing cyber threat, come from the International Maritime Organization (IMO); they went into effect on January 1. The IMO now requires vessels to prove they have taken cyber-security precautions. The regulations apply only to vessels over 500 tons, but cyber experts warn that the threat applies to much smaller private yachts, and charter yachts in particular. Cyber attacks on yachts increased…

Charter
By

Le Boat Starts Owners’ Program in Canada

Now you can own a luxury Le Boat canal cruiser in Canada, as well as in Europe. Le Boat already has the largest fleet of self-driving river and canal boats for charter in Europe and Canada. It recently expanded its Boat Ownership Program to American and Canadian clients who want to have their own vessel to cruise on the historic Rideau Canal in Canada, or on any of Le Boat’s eight destinations in Europe, including the Canal du Midi in France, the Thames in England, and Venice in Italy. “Expanding into North America gives the dream of boat ownership to…

Cruising Life
By

Coast Guard: New Rules for Fire Extinguishers

The Coast Guard has new rules for disposable fire extinguishers on your boat, starting April 20. Extinguishers now must have a 12-year expiration date stamped on the bottom, and they must meet a new Underwriter Laboratory classification to be carried on certain boats, depending on the model year. Read an explanation here from BoatUS: ANNAPOLIS, Md., Feb. 15, 2022 – A rite of passage for every boater is the annual spring commissioning. Newly added to the boat owners to-do list this spring will be to check all disposable (non-rechargeable) fire extinguisher dates of manufacture, as well as the label for…

Cruising Life
By

Tow This New Sub Behind Your Truck

U-Boat Worx, the Dutch company, just introduced the lightest personal submarine ever at its facility in Curacao. It weighs just 4,400 pounds, and you can tow it behind your truck, launch it from land, or deploy it from your yacht. The new sub, called Nemo, comes in one- and two-person versions, and can dive down to 330 feet. The two-seater weighs 5, 510 pounds. The company says that it has the same footprint as two jet skis. The actual dimensions are 9’ 2” long, 7’ 8” wide, and 5’ 1” high. Nemo is built to be owner-operated, so now you…

Cruising Life
By

Let’s Celebrate: It’s Whale Week!

You may have missed the news here (there’s a lot going on in the world), but this is Whale Week. Who knew? But the good people at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric  Administration, who keep track of these things, say this is the time to celebrate whales, among the largest and oldest animals on Earth who can be found on every ocean on Earth. NOAA has put together a lot of stories and videos about whales in the link at the bottom of this story, but I particularly enjoyed this one: 11 Cool Facts About Whales, Dolphins and Porpoises, marine…

Boat Reviews
By

New Greenline 40 Hybrid: A Cruiser’s Boat

The new Greenline 40 Hybrid is a cruiser’s boat. It’s user-friendly, easily handled by two people, but not too big to be overwhelming. And it has a state-of-the-art hybrid power system, delivering 22-knot speeds under twin Volvo diesel power, while also providing silent running at 11 knots under solar-electric power. The two staterooms and one head make it large enough to hold a family, or another couple, on an extended cruise, and its bridge clearance of just 12’ 2 inches are meant to slide under those structures on the Great Loop or the Intracoastal Waterway in the Southeast. Greenline started…

Cruising Life
By

Silent Launches New 60, Expands Business

Silent-Yachts, the pioneering Austrian builder, is in a major growth mode. It’s launching its first Silent 60 solar/electric luxury catamaran this month (pictured above), and its rebranding itself to start new businesses – from tenders to resorts – all centered around its renewable energy theme. In the past few years, Silent has staked out a leading position in the global electric yacht market. It now makes yachts from 60 to 120 feet. Last week, it announced that it had a record 21 orders for new boats in 2021. Now the company is rebranding itself as well as expanding. Because of…

Boat Reviews
By

New Walker Bay 525: A RIB with Style

Walker Bay is showing its line of luxury RIBs at the Miami show, including the new Generation 525 DLX RIB, with elegant styling and deep-V handling. You can see the Walker Bays in the water at the Sea Isle Marina or on land at the Miami Convention Center. Walker Bay makes several series of RIBs, both open and center console models, from eight to 21 feet. At 17’ 2”, the 525 DLX is the flagship of the Generation series, which starts at 11’ 3”. The 525 can hold up to ten people, and up to a 115-hp outboard. The boat…

1 … 99 100 101 102 103 … 389