Author Peter Janssen

Cruising Life
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Regent’s Foiling, Flying, Seaglider

Here’s something new to get you around on – and above – the water: The gull-winged Regent Seaglider, an all-electric vessel with a hydrofoil that can fly about 180 miles using the ground effect principle to stay just 30 to 60 feet above the water. Regent has about $100 million in venture capital funding, with much of it coming from Mark Cuban, owner of the Dallas Mavericks and Shark Tank participant, and James Park, founder of Fitbit. That’s just pocket change compared to the $8 billion that Regent says it has on its pre-order books. The Seaglider is a unique…

Boat Reviews
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Beneteau Gran Turismo 41: A Social Express Cruiser

Beneteau, the large French builder, will be displaying its new Gran Turismo 41 at the big Miami show, starting Feb. 14. The two-cabin, one-head express cruiser with sporty lines is made for entertaining and enjoying time on board, whether on a week-long cruise or an evening in the harbor. Standard power comes from two 380-hp Volvo diesels, producing a top speed of about 38 knots. The Gran Turismo 41 has Beneteau’s Air Step hull for faster acceleration, performance and efficiency. The hull has V-shaped steps and rear pads for an air-cushion effect. Beneteau’s Gran Turismo line has three other models,…

Cruising Life
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NOAA Maps Largest Coral Reef in the World

A new multiple-year mapping of the sea floor coordinated by NOAA has found the largest known deep-sea coral reef habitat in the world. The coral reef covers 6.4 million acres, larger than the state of Vermont, on the sea floor of the Blake Plateau, about 100 miles off the southeast coast of the U.S. With a depth of 2,600 to 3,200 feet, the Blake Plateau stretches from Miami up to Charleston. It is bordered on the east by the Blake Escarpment, which drops down to 16,000 feet. The new study, published in the journal Geomatics, says scientists identified 83,908 individual…

On Watch with Peter Janssen
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Meet Winners of Best Powerboat Awards

The Azimut Magellano 60, Marex 440 Gourmet Cruiser, Omikron OT 60, and Leopard 40 PC were all winners of annual European Powerboat of the Year awards in their various categories. The awards were made in a ceremony on Flagship Night at the opening of the Düsseldorf show. The winning boats were chosen by a jury of editors from eight European powerboat magazines. The judging started with sea trials of boats introduced during the year and included each boat’s quality, workmanship, handling, layout, safety, innovation, and value for money. The judges started with more than 250 new boats and then narrowed…

Boat Reviews
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New, Fast, Eclipse 605 Shadow Express

Eclipse, the South African luxury express cruiser that’s sold in the US by HMY, is now making a 605 Shadow that’s powered by four 600-hp Mercury V12 outboards. The regular Eclipse 605, with just three of the same outboards, tops out at more than 60 mph, so the new Shadow should gain at least another 5 mph or so, making it a very fast cruiser indeed. The new Eclipse is designed by Michael Peters, the prolific Sarasota designer, who most recently has drawn hulls for Summit, Outback and Hinckley, among many others. The Eclipse 605 has Peters’ patented SVVT (Stepped…

Cruising Life
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No Anchoring Out in Miami?

The state of Florida may make it harder to anchor out in Miami, according to legislation pending there. The problem is to create a balance between the rights of responsible boat owners and the actions of owners of poorly maintained or derelict boats that can wash ashore or are abandoned after storms, making taxpayers pay the bill for a cleanup or removal. Now, two bills recently introduced in the Florida legislature lump those two groups of boat owners together by restricting them all. Indeed, Senate Bill 192 and its companion House Bill 437 would go into effect on July 1…

Cruising Life
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Quick Introduces New Series of Stabilizers

Quick, the Italian marine component company, just introduced its new Intercepta series of stabilizers at the Düsseldorf show. Designed for yachts from 50 to 130 feet, the new Intercepta X Series of stabilizers can be fully customized to fit any model and hull shape. They are part of Quick’s MC² brand that includes Viator fin stabilizers and Quick gyro stabilizers. Quick already offers a plug-and-play series of Intercepta stabilizers for boats as small as 20 feet. The new stabilizers come in four standard units, the X50, X65, X80 and X100, and the width can be customized to the centimeter. The…

Engine Room
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New eLite Electric Outboard: 14.7 Pounds

ePropulsion, the major marine electric-propulsion company, just launched its new 500W eLite electric outboard motor at the Düsseldorf show. The new eLite is compact, less than three feet long, and lightweight, coming in at just 14.7 pounds, including the battery. It’s designed for the tender, RIB and smaller boating market, offering clean, quiet and eco-friendly propulsion. It has a direct-drive motor and an advanced propeller design, and it requires very little maintenance. Danny Tao, co-founder and CEO of ePropulsion, called the new eLite “a game-changer in marine propulsion. With its innovative features and commitment to sustainability, we believe the eLite…

Charter
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The Moorings & Sunsail Buy 78 New Boats

There’s good news from The Moorings and Sunsail charter fleets in the British Virgin Islands, some of the best cruising grounds in the world. The Moorings and Sunsail, its sister company, already run the largest fleet of charter sail and power boats in the BVI. But now they’ve made a $70 million investment in new boats that will bring their combined fleet to a record 254 yachts. The $70 million accounts for a total of 78 new yachts – 19 sailing monohulls, 35 sailing catamarans, and 24 power catamarans – all arriving just in time for the peak sailing season in…

Boat Reviews
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Pardo To Build New GT65 with IPS1350s

Cantiere del Pardo, the large Italian builder, just announced at the Düsseldorf show that it’s planning a new Pardo GT65 cruiser with a walkaround deck, flexible layout, and Volvo IPS power. The 65 will be the third model in Pardo’s GT series, falling between the existing 52 and the 75 that’s coming later this year. The new GT65 will carry all of Pardo’s signature lines, with its reverse bow and low profile. It has wraparound glazing, a folding aft window in the salon that opens to the cockpit, a sliding glass sun roof in the salon, and large windows and…

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