Author Peter Janssen

Electronics
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Simrad GO9 XSE: Radar and SiriusXM Weather Radar on a 9-Inch Display

Simrad’s new GO9 XSE brings radar and SiriusXM Weather radar to one 9-inch multi-touch display in an integrated system designed to expand the navigation capabilities of cruising boat owners. The new display is built for plug and play with Simrad’s broadband and Halo Pulse Compression radar systems, and it can connect with SiriusXM weather radar. The unit comes with built-in GPS, WiFi and NMEA 2000 connectivity. You can also connect the display with your tablet or smartphone, control the onboard sound system and even monitor engine data.  For a look at how all this works, see the video below or…

Boat Reviews
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Sirena Yachts 64: First of a New Brand of German-Frers Designed Cruisers

Just introduced at the large Dusseldorf boat show, the new Sirena Yachts 64 offers a world-class design pedigree and the promise of comfortable long-range cruising on a three-stateroom, three-head thoroughly modern yacht. The new Sirena 64 is designed by German Frers, one of the best names in naval architecture, with an interior by Spadolini Design Studio. It is built in Turkey, the first hull produced by Sirena Yachts, the powerboat arm of Sirena Marine. Founded in 2008, Sirena Marine has built some 250 powerboats so far, including the Magellano brand for Azimut. The new 64 has been an immediate hit.…

Boat Reviews
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Sunreef 60: A New Power Cat with a Luxurious Master Stateroom

One of the larger and more luxurious power catamarans, the new 60 Sunreef Power Ocean’s 11 comes with a seaworthy hull, spacious public and private areas (inside and out) offering panoramic views, and a cruising range of some 3,000 nm. Sunreef was started in 2003 by Francis Lapp, who was then running a catamaran charter company; he wanted to build his own large custom cats to supply his fleet using the historic shipyard in Gdansk, Poland. Today, more than 90 large Sunreef cats, power and sail, are cruising in waters around the world. But the new 60 Sunreef Power Ocean’s…

Miami Boat Show
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Big Changes for Both Miami Shows: More Boats More Accessible. Plus Reviews of 36 New Boats Here

The Miami boat shows, yes, both of them, won’t be the same this year. The big yacht show along Collins Avenue in Miami Beach, which has been free for years, now will charge $20 admission, and it will have both new boat and brokerage boat sections. Meanwhile, the Progressive Insurance Miami International Boat Show, down on Virginia Key, will have more boats than before (including many more in the water), and it will be much more accessible via more free shuttle buses and larger water taxis. Both shows run over Presidents’ Day weekend, from Feb. 16-20. The renamed Yachts Miami…

Charter
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Avoid the Crowds and the Roads: See the Gorgeous Amalfi Coast by Boat

By all accounts, the Amalfi Coast of Italy, stretching along the southern coast of the Sorrentine Peninsula south of Naples, is one of the most beautiful spots in the world. Sheer cliffs seem to tumble down to the azure-blue waters, while small towns are scattered along the coastline, filled with red-tile-roofed homes and inviting small hotels with outdoor patios opening up to incredible vistas. A tourist mecca in the season, over the years the Amalfi Coast has been celebrated in writing by John Steinbeck, in film by Federico Fellini, and in music by, well, Beyoncé and Jay-Z. The only problem…

Cruising Life
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Summer Cruise from Manhattan to Quebec City on a Cutwater 28: Great Video

Two years ago, George Sass Sr. and I drove a Cutwater 28 from New York City up the Hudson to Lake Champlain, into Canada and the Chambly Canal, and finally down the St. Lawrence to Quebec City. We took a week and, in a tribute to the easy livability of the 28-foot Cutwater, we were still as good friends at the end of the trip as we had been at the start. The first half of the Downeast Loop, this trip offers easy cruising through some beautiful countryside, great places to stay and even a bit of Europe once you…

Cruising Life
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Cloud 9 in Fiji: A Bar with a Reef – and a View

Well, we all  can dream. Take a look at the video, below, of Cloud 9, a floating bar and wood-fired pizza oasis near the Ro Ro Reef in Fiji. It looks like it’s almost worth a cruise to Fiji by itself. Cloud 9 opened four years ago, originally for surfers working the break nearby; now it’s popular with the cruising and chartering crowd as well who want to snorkel or explore the reef. House drinks and music are a speciality; so is the view. See for yourself: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QlNA3H-8xKs&t=10s

Electronics
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NOAA Report: EPIRBs Accounted for 300 Rescues in America Last Year

If you’re thinking of going offshore without an EPIRB, don’t. As emergency distress signals, EPIRBs are an absolutely major safety item that could save your life, and the lives of everyone else on board. And they work. In fact, NOAA just reported that EPIRBs were responsible for more than 300 rescues in America last year, an enormous number. For more, read this: http://www.maritime-executive.com/article/epirb-signals-contributed-to-300-rescues-in-2016

On Watch
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Report from New York: The Start of a Golden Age I’ve had a special fondness for Beneteau powerboats ever since I spent a week on a Beneteau Swift Trawler 34 a few years ago, cruising the Great Loop from the top of Lake Michigan down to St. Louis. There were two of us on board, and the living was easy, the 18-knot cruising speed sure and steady, and the boat’s contemporary French looks drew compliments everywhere we went. So, when I learned that a new Beneteau, the Grand Turismo GT49, was this year’s queen of the Progressive Insurance New York…

Cruising Life
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Top Ten Tips for Boating with Pets

I still get twinges of pain in my back every time I remember lifting my 75-pound yellow Lab from the dock into the cockpit of my Grand Banks. And it was even worse in reverse, lifting him from the cockpit back up to the dock. Fortunately, labs are so good natured that he put up with all of this, eventually just curling up next to me on the boat. There’s no question that pets and boats can be a tough combination. But there are things you can do to make it easier for your pet – and for yourself -…

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