Author Peter Janssen

Boat Reviews
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Fall Boat Show Special: Boats 51 Feet and Up

Here’s a look at just some of the new cruising boats, 51 feet and up, that, in normal times, you’d probably see at the fall boat shows this year: KROGEN EXPRESS 52 Even with a flying bridge and raised pilothouse, the Krogen Express 52 manages to carry a classic low profile, enhanced by a long, flowing sheer line that emphasizes the boat’s distinctive profile. And the “Express” part of its name is not a misnomer: With twin 480-hp Yanmars the Krogen Express tops out at about 22 knots. Dial back to 8 knots and the boat has a range of…

On Watch with Peter Janssen
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Fall Boat Show Special: We Preview 48 New Boats

This is usually my favorite time of year. The boat show season has started, I can see all the new cruising power boats, catch up with my friends, and feel good about notching one more year on the belt – a combination of a sense of survival and renewal. Well, not this year. In normal times, this would be the second day of the Newport International Boat Show, and I’d be sitting in a tent early in the morning, waiting to find out the winners of the best boats in the show contest. Not this year. The COVID-19 pandemic has…

Cruising Life
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Lauderdale Show Plans To Keep You Safe

Most boat shows have been cancelled this fall because of the COVID-19 pandemic, but the Fort Lauderdale show has announced that it will open, as planned, for five days starting Wednesday, Oct. 28. But the show, the largest in-water show in the world, won’t be the same. This year will be the 61st annual boat show in Fort Lauderdale; the show has never been cancelled. Last year, about 100,000 people attended the show; some 1,300 boats were on display.  The show is estimated to have a $1.3 billion impact on the state. Last week, the Broward County Commission announced that…

Cruising Life
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Why Are Orcas Attacking Boats Off Spain?

Orcas, aka killer whales, have attacked several boats off the coasts of Spain and Portugal in the past few months, and marine scientists are trying to figure out why. The black and white orcas, the largest in the dolphin family, are high intelligent social animals. They’re also very powerful; an adult male can grow to be 26 feet long and weigh 10,000 pounds. They often play in the bow waves of boats. But in the past two months several captains of boats off Spain and Portugal have issued distress calls after orcas have damaged their vessels. One attack, off Cape…

Engine Room
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Cat Builds More Powerful 2025-hp High Performance Engine

If you’re looking for power, pure power, the new CAT C32B’s got it – in spades. Indeed, this latest high-performance marine diesel from Caterpillar has 2025-hp, or 5 percent more than previous C32 engines. But it looks the same and has the same connection points and footprint, making it attractive for both new builds and repowering options. New from the block up, the C32B is built to run at wide-open throttle up to 8 percent of the time. Cat says this is at least 3 percent longer than competing engines can run at that speed. The C32B also delivers more muscle…

Cruising Life
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Croc Races Boat: See Video

Here’s a fairly frightening story about a crocodile racing next to a powerboat in Australia from republicworld.com. See the video: An incredible footage of a tiny crocodile racing along the speedboat like a dolphin has caught the attention of the internet. Almost 4.5metre long, the saltwater crocodile named ‘Tommy’ was filmed by a North Queensland fisherman on the Bloomfield River who said the little crocodile didn’t seem ‘very happy’. Shared by the page named Gators Daily on Twitter, the 13 seconds footage originally shot by Alec Dunn, shows the miniature reptile pop besides Alec in Queensland’s Cape York, as it dipped and reappeared,…

Boat Reviews
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Aspen Launches All-New 35-Foot Power Cat

Aspen Power Catamarans just launched its all-new 35-foot C108 cruiser, powered by asymmetrical Yamaha outboards, and it hit a top speed of 25 knots and a fuel-efficient cruising speed of 19 knots, producing 2 nmpg. Larry Graf, Aspen’s founder and “chief adventurer,” designed the new proa-type cat so it could be trailered to new cruising grounds It has a beam of 10’ 8” and a combined boat and trailer weight of 12,500 pounds, so it could be towed by a ¾ ton pickup. Aspen owners are an adventuresome type, and some wanted a three-cabin boat that they could trailer easily…

Boat Reviews
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Axopar Launching New 22-Foot Starter Boat

In the past few years, Axopar has gained a large following by thinking outside the box, building its 28- and 37-foot models with their iconic looks and head-turning performance. Now, it seems, Axopar wants to become even more popular by thinking inside the box or, to put it more accurately, delivering its new 22-foot starter boat to you in its own box. That move alone would save several thousands of dollars over the usual shipping costs from the Axopar factory in Finland to the east coast of the U.S. In every other respect, the 22 carries on with the traditions…

Boat Reviews
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Beneteau Swift Trawler 41: A 24-knot Family Cruiser

Beneteau’s new Swift Trawler 41 is the Goldilocks of coastal cruisers: It’s large enough to hold a crowd, but it’s small enough to be handled easily by a couple. The Swift Trawler 41 does indeed have a lot of living and entertaining space, inside and out, but it’s also a seaworthy cruising boat, giving a stable and comfortable ride throughout the speed range. And it’s easy to handle around a dock, with bow and stern thrusters. Experienced cruisers also will appreciate the side door next to the helm that gives immediate access to the starboard side deck, for help with…

Cruising Life
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Orca Who Carried Dead Calf Gives Birth Again

Here’s a story with a happy ending, from The New York Times: An orca that once spent 17 days carrying her dead calf — a dramatic saga of apparent mourning — has become a mother once again. The orca, identified by researchers as J35 and also known as Tahlequah, became a symbol in 2018 of the plight of the Southern Resident whales, which were 88 in number when they were listed as endangered in 2005 and have dwindled further since then. The birth of the new orca, which was seen for the first time by researchers on Saturday, brings the…

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