Author Peter Janssen

Destinations
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Illinois Waterway Will Close This Summer

There’s some bad news for anyone contemplating the Great Loop, or just cruising in the Midwest, this summer. The Army Corps of Engineers is closing three locks on the Illinois Waterway that connects Lake Michigan to the Mississippi for repairs all summer. The entire Waterway along the Illinois River has eight locks and dams that the Army Corps says are long overdue for repairs. The Corps had a short closure in 2019 and a longer one in 2020. This summer will also be a long one, but the closures are scheduled to occur simultaneously to lessen the impact to the…

On Watch
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New Princess F65 Making Debut in Palm Beach

The new Princess F65, the flagship of the British builder’s popular F Series, is making its U.S. debut at the Palm Beach show this week. A four-stateroom, three-head flybridge cruiser, the new Princess is powered by twin 1,200-hp MAN diesels, producing a top speed of about 33 knots. The trip should be comfortable at any speed; the Princess F Series has earned a reputation in the luxury cruising market for providing a safe and easy ride. The F Series now consists of the new 65 plus a 55, 50, and 40 flybridge yachts. The 65 is marked by its sculpted…

Cruising Life
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$2 Million Suit in Hawaii Yacht Grounding

It didn’t take long, but now the other shoe has dropped. Last week, we reported on the 94-foot Sunseeker that was rescued and then scuttled after drifting onto a reef and leaking diesel oil off Maui, Hawaii. Now the owner and the captain of the 2004 yacht, named Nakoa, are being sued for $2 million by the people who sold it to him last year. Kevin and Kimberly Albert, trustees of the Albert Revocable Trust in New Mexico, filed suit in U.S. District Court in Honolulu. They are seeking at least $1.45 million in damages for the yacht from Jim…

Cruising Life
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Boating 101: How To Throw a Line

You certainly already know this, but does your crew, or the guest you just invited on board for the first time who wants to help out with docking? Here’s some great advice about the best way to throw a line from BoatUS.: Based on the number of failed attempts we all see on any given day at the marina docks, it seems there has to be some sort of mystical trick to throwing a line. Not really! It’s all in practice, and a few simple techniques. Make a few practice throws to verify the technique below and you’ll have a…

Cruising Life
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5,000-Mile-Long Blob Heading for Florida

A 5,000-mile-long blob of sargassum algae is floating in the Atlantic, heading from Africa to Florida and the Gulf of Mexico, fouling propellers, clogging sea strainers, and entangling fishing lines along the way. Then, when it washes up on beaches, it can pile up several feet high, releasing a noxious odor and derailing the tourist trade everywhere from Caribbean islands to Miami. Scientists have been studying and measuring the Great Sargassum Belt since 2011. The floating brown blob has been getting bigger and bigger every year, and it doubles in size every month from November to January. When they measured…

Boat Reviews
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Azimut Unveils New Hybrid Seadeck Series

Azimut just announced that it’s starting a new line of luxury hybrid cruising yachts that will cut emissions by 40 percent. Azimut said the new line, called Seadeck, will be built with lightweight carbon exteriors and planing hulls for efficiency. The new Seadecks, starting with the Seadeck 6, a 56’ 7” motoryacht, will be fitted out with recycled and recyclable materials. The yachts will have solar panels on the roof tops, and a battery pack that’s strong enough to power the boat’s systems for four to eight hours at anchor. They also will have energy recovery systems to create hot…

Boat Reviews
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Sunreef Building New Line of Fast Ultima Cats

Sunreef, which has been making luxury catamarans in Poland for the past 20 years, just announced that it’s building a new Ultima line of fast, high-tech, hybrid cats, starting with a 45 and a 55. Francis Lapp, the yard’s founder and president, said the new cats will have “the ultimate hull shape for all those who are looking to enjoy quick getaways in speed, comfort, and style.” The new line, he said, is “all about fast cruises, vast living space, and energy efficiency.” The new cats have sleek, aerodynamic lines and bulwarks that fold down from the aft decks to…

On Watch
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Riva Launches Sleek New 76 Perseo Super

Riva just launched its sleek and glamorous new 76 Perseo Super at the Düsseldorf show in January, where it got a lot of attention, with at least one British magazine calling it “Europe’s coolest superboat.” It’s easy to see why. Rivas have been the boats of choice for kings and movie stars ever since Pietro Riva, a local craftsman, started the yard on Lake d’Iseo in northern Italy in 1842 (think King Hussein, Prince Rainier, Sophia Loren, Brigitte Bardot and Sean Connery in the past; today, George Clooney keeps one at his home on Lake Como). Riva won some awards…

Boat Reviews
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New Electric Hovercraft Hits 50 mph

Michael Mercier built his first hovercraft when he was 13 years old, working with plans from Boy’s Life magazine. Mercier’s now 36, and after studying mechanical engineering at Virginia Commonwealth University and  years of dreaming and tinkering, he’s launched his first personal hovercraft. It’s the VonMercier Arosa, an all-electric craft that can hover about six inches above the surface (ground, water, or a combination of the two) and cruises at 20 mph but can top out (briefly) at 50 mph. The Arosa is powered by three electric motors producing 240-hp. Potential owners can choose either an 18 kWh battery that will…

Boat Reviews
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Numarine Building Explorer Yacht with a Pool

Numarine, the upscale Turkish builder, just announced that they’re building a new 40MXP global explorer yacht with transatlantic range. Standard power on the new 128-foot 40MXP is twin 800-hp MAN diesels, producing a range of 6,000 miles at 8 knots. Numarine says it has already sold the first two hulls of the yacht, and both clients, who are existing Numarine owners, have ordered the optional 900-hp MANs for a bit more power. Numarine specializes in high-performance, luxury explorer yachts. Umberto Tagliavini, the Italian naval architect who has worked on many of the company’s yachts, drew the hull for the 40MXP.…

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