Author Peter Janssen

Destinations
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U.S. Issues Warnings for Bahamas, Jamaica

The State Department has issued travel advisories for the Bahamas and Jamaica, warning about crime and water safety in the islands. The advisory for the Bahamas was Level 2, meaning “exercise Increased caution.” The advisory for Jamaica ratcheted up to Level 3, meaning “reconsider travel.” The top level is 4, which basically means don‘t go there. The Bahamas advisory mentioned gang-on-gang violence, but said that “violent crime, such as burglaries, armed robberies and sexual assaults occurs in both tourist and non-tourist areas.” It said travelers should “be vigilant when staying at short-term vacation rental properties where private security companies do…

Boat Reviews
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Sleek Itama 62RS Debuts in Miami

If you liked the looks of classic Rivas, you’ll certainly love new Itama. Indeed, the Itama 62RS, making its U.S. debut at the Miami show from Feb. 14 through 18, takes more than a few design cues from the iconic wooden Rivas whose ownership ranged from Brigitte Bardot and Sophia Loren to the Aga Khan. In the U.S., the new Itama also touches the fast-driving, fast-living world of Miami Vice days but with a lot more room and amenities than Sonny Crocket ever dreamed of. The teak foredeck, for example, goes on forever, and has luxurious sun pads for lounging…

Boat Reviews
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Lazzara Building Wide-Open 85-Foot Cat

The new Lazzara LPC500 gives a whole new meaning to the idea of an open layout. On the lower deck of the 85-foot luxury power cat, both sides drop down from the owner’s massive, full-beam midships stateroom, so you can eat breakfast, lunch or dinner sitting out over the ocean, while enjoying the breeze from the other side. On the main deck, the port, starboard and aft glass walls slide open to provide a massive open area so you can enjoy the view, or the weather, in three directions. The cat’s 35-foot beam ensures a lot of fresh air moving…

Boat Reviews
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First WiLder 60 Launches in Italy

WiLder, the new brand from Wider Yachts, just launched its first hull, a 60, in Italy. Wider says the new WiLder, a semi-custom cruiser, is designed “to appeal to the wilder side in us all.” Wider usually builds superyachts. The idea behind WiLder is to bring superyacht-quality fit and finish and construction to a wider market with a 60-foot yacht. In the new 60, the hull is all aluminum, and all the amenities are indeed what you’d usually find in much larger vessels. The new boat “represents a leap forward in what a 60-footer can offer and how it can…

On Watch with Peter Janssen
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Palm Beach GT60 Turns Heads in Miami

The long, low, lean and unmistakably luxurious Palm Beach GT60 is on display at the big Miami show, running from Feb. 14 through 18. The new sleek, fast and low-slung motor yacht with its long sheerline and low center of gravity is bound to turn heads everywhere from Malaysia (where it’s built, just outside Singapore) to Monaco and the Herald Plaza docks in Miami. Looks, of course, are one thing; performance is another. And it’s in performance that the GT60 shows its stuff. The new Palm Beach has the builder’s proprietary V-Warp hull, with a fine entry to slice through…

On Watch with Peter Janssen
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Nordhavn Splashes Much-Heralded 51-01

Lots of new boat buyers, particularly those who sign up for hull number one, go to far lengths to visit the factory as the actual construction goes along, to check on the progress, to make final decisions, or simply to become part of the process of creating a brand new yacht. But Mark and Fiona Rammell, who described themselves as lifelong Kiwis, have taken all this to an entirely new level. Mark, a retired Air New Zealand pilot, has created a series of videos of their new Nordhavn, hull number one of the 51 series, being built in Turkey. The…

Boat Reviews
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Swan Unveils New 76-foot Arrow Cruiser

Finland’s Nautor Swan, one of the most iconic names in luxury sailboats, just unveiled a new 76-foot Swan Arrow, their largest powerboat yet. Last fall, the 43-foot Swan Shadow made its U.S. debut at the Fort Lauderdale boat show. A dayboat powered by three 350-Mercury Verado outboards, it had a top speed of 55 knots. The new Arrow is a very large leap up, in size and function. With two or three cabins below and a salon that can be open or enclosed, it’s a highly styled cruiser powered by two or three 1,000-hp Volvo IPS1350 pod drives. With two,…

Destinations
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Miami: Beyond the Show

For years and years, Miami has been one of the most vibrant, lively and warm of all American cities, with people coming from all over the world for its culture, water, beaches and, in the middle of February, the boat show. But Miami is a great place to visit at any time. For cruising boat owners, it’s a destination in its own right or a waypoint on the Great Loop or the starting point of a cruise to the Bahamas,  Caribbean or the Keys. Miami’s wide choice of restaurants will make you want to stay a while. For a waterfront…

Boat Reviews
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Sunreef Unveils New 77 Ultima Cat

Sunreef just unveiled its new 77 Ultima luxurious power catamaran with a sleek hull, sporty lines, a Jacuzzi on the flybridge, a spectacular master cabin that stretches between the two hulls, and an aft deck that folds out with a Jet Ski garage that doubles as a giant sun pad. And it’s eco-friendly, with a solar skin to provide clean energy, custom batteries that Sunreef says are 30 percent lighter than others on the market, and hybrid electric/diesel power. The slim, aerodynamic hull is designed to reduce drag, and the new Sunreef can be fitted with computer-controlled hydrofoils to fly…

Cruising Life
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Two Women Set New Atlantic Record

An American and a Canadian woman just broke the world’s record by rowing  3,000 miles across the Atlantic in 45 days, 1 hour and 27 minutes. They beat the old record, set in 2021, by 5 hours and 58 minutes. Called “the world’s toughest row,” the race starts in La Gomera in the Canary Islands and ends in English Harbour, Antiqua. Lauren (“Nini”) Champion, from Annapolis, and Lisa Roland, who was born in Canada but now refers to herself as a citizen of the world, took roughly 1.5 million oar strokes crossing the Atlantic. For the entire trip each one…

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