Author Peter Janssen

Boat Reviews
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Iguana Launches New, Luxury Version of Amphibious RIB

Iguana’s amphibious RIBs made quite a splash when they were first introduced to the United States at the Fort Lauderdale boat show in 2019. And not only in the U.S. So far, Iguanas with deep-V hulls to cruise through the water and tractor drives to climb onto beaches on land, have been tested on all six continents of the world. Now, Iguana is launching a new, improved luxury model, called the Iguana Knight. After its initial success, said Antoine Brugidou, the French company’s founder and president, “Iguana experienced an unprecedented demand for a more luxurious RIB built to a higher…

Cruising Life
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Raymarine Launches New Line of Faster, Smarter, Axiom+ MFDs

Raymarine just unveiled its new Axiom+ multifunction navigation displays plus new, updated Lighthouse electronic charts. Axiom+ is the successor to Raymarine’s award-winning Axiom line of MFDs. Raymarine says the new Axiom+ displays are smarter, brighter and tougher than ever before. The new displays come in 7-, 9-, and 12-inch sizes, and they have a quad-core processor for fast chart redraws, multi-channel sonar views, and augmented reality navigation. Storage is increased to 16 MB. (The 12-inch display is shown above.) Axiom+ displays are up to 25 percent brighter than previous models. And they are more user-friendly, with HydroTouch impact-resistant glass that…

Cruising Life
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Florida Man Charged with Stealing, Crashing, Jeanneau Cruiser

Donnovan Russell Jester may have plenty of time to study up on his boathandling skills in the days ahead. Jester, 28, from Largo, Florida, was just arrested and charged with stealing a 46-foot Jeanneau cruiser from its slip in St. Petersburg three months ago. He then hit four channel marker pilings before he abandoned it. He now faces up to 30 years in jail. The Pinellas County Sheriff’s office says that Jester stole the boat from its slip at Thunder Marine at 2:15 a.m. on Friday, March 20. After he hit the pilings and abandoned the boat, it drifted into…

On Watch with Peter Janssen
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New Hunt Ocean 63 Expedition Yacht Now in Rhode Island

The Hunt Ocean 63, the latest yacht to be launched by the Hinckley Company, has been commissioned at the company’s yard in Portsmouth, Rhode Island. With its iconic Hunt deep-V hull, the Ocean 63 is designed as an expedition yacht that will perform well in any sea conditions anywhere in the world. The new Hunt has the clean, classic lines that define the brand, with an aggressive bow, a long sheerline, and a low profile for a 63-foot flybridge yacht. It was designed by the C. Raymond Hunt Design studio in New Bedford, Massachusetts, which has been developing and refining…

Boat Reviews
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Nordhavn Launches Long-Awaited 41 World Cruiser

Nordhavn just launched its new 41 entry-level passagemaker, the long-awaited successor to its world-circling 40, in the Aegean Sea off Turkey. Sea trials will start on Monday, and the boat is scheduled to be shipped to its new owner in the Northeastern part of the U.S. in mid-July. “We are very pleased with the way the boat has turned out,” said Drew Leishman, the 41’s project manager. The 41 is the smallest boat in the Nordhavn fleet, and it’s the only one made in Turkey. It has already found wide acceptance with cruisers around the world. Indeed, 14 of the…

Cruising Life
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Lock Closures on Illinois River Start on July 1

The Illinois River stretches 327 miles, from Chicago down to Grafton, Illinois, where it connects to the Mississippi. It’s a major part of the Great Loop; in fact, it’s the only way to get from the Great Lakes to the Mississippi and ultimately the Gulf of Mexico. But there are eight aging dams and locks on the river, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has scheduled closings this summer and fall for long-overdue maintenance. Some of the closings, when no vessels will be able to transit, start on July 1 and run as long as Oct. 29. Here’s the…

Destinations
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Bahamas Reopen on July 1. Here’s What You Have To Do

The Bahamas will reopen to international travelers on July 1. All visitors must present a negative COVID-19 test, taken in the past 10 days, and complete an electronic health visa. Here’s the official word about what you have to do from the Bahamas Ministry of Tourism & Aviation: NASSAU, Bahamas, June 19, 2020 /PRNewswire/ — The Bahamas Ministry of Tourism & Aviation is preparing for Phase 2 of the Tourism Readiness and Recovery Plan, which will begin on Wednesday, July 1 and allow for the resumption of international travel to The Bahamas, with the exception of visitors from China, Iran, Italy…

Engine Room
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New 3-hp Electric Outboard. It’s lightweight, and It Floats

The innovative ePropulsion Spirit 1.0 Plus 3-hp electric outboard is now available in the United States. Mack Boring is the distributor on the East Coast; Four Seas on the West Coast. The new outboard is lightweight, easy to use, and produces no vibration, emissions or exhaust. The company says it provides enough power to match a four-stroke 3-hp gasoline outboard, and that it’s capable of powering a 10-foot tender or up to a 3,000 pound daysailor. Better yet: It floats! The ePropulsion outboard has an innovative prop design and significant battery capacity. Indeed, it has a 1276Wh battery, the largest…

Cruising Life
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Toyota and Yanmar Develop Hydrogen-Powered Concept Cruiser

Toyota and Yanmar have joined forces to create a hydrogen-powered, zero-emissions concept yacht. The new boat uses the high-pressure hydrogen fuel-cell from Toyota’s Mirai sedan as its powertrain. The two companies say the yacht will have smooth, emission-free cruising with “a superior cruising range.” For its part, Yanmar says its goal is to develop an environmentally friendly hydrogen fuel-cell system for a variety of marine vessels. It hopes to install the new H2 system and start demo testing later this year. The Mirai system is well-proven in the automotive market. Toyota launched its Mirai (which means “future” in Japanese) sedan…

Cruising Life
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Dozens of Massive Blue Whales Feasting in the Farallons

Dozens of blue whales, the largest creatures on earth – ever – have been feeding off the Farallon Islands, about 30 miles west of San Francisco. In one hour-long period, scientists counted 47 of the animals there, the largest group seen in Northern California since they started keeping records in 1968. Beautiful creatures with backs that seen to shine metallic blue when they surface, blue whales can grow to be more than 90 feet long and weigh more than 150,000 pounds. (The largest ever measured was 98 feet long and weighed 346,000 pounds.) They are larger than a Boeing 737-800…

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