Author Peter Janssen

Boat Reviews
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XO Boats Unveils EXPLR 44

XO Boats in Finland just announced that they will unveil their EXPLR 44, their first yacht, at the big Düsseldorf show starting Jan. 20. In the past, XO has made smaller all-aluminum adventure boats, but the EXPLR 44 is designed as a true family cruiser with forward and aft cabins, two heads, and room for two more people sleeping in the pilothouse. But it will still have XO’s durable aluminum build, with 8 mm aluminum stringers and 5 mm in the deep-V hull so it can go anywhere. Indeed, the company says it’s “the ultimate exploration yacht.” The new 44,…

Cruising Life
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Warmest Summer Ever in Arctic: NOAA

The past summer was the warmest ever in the Arctic, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s annual Arctic Report Card. In fact, the Arctic is now warming almost four times faster than the global average as a result of climate change primarily caused by humans burning fossil fuels. The warmer summer contributed to disasters in wide areas, NOAA, said, including flooding in Juneau, Alaska, and a record wildfire season in Canada. The work of 83 authors from 13 countries, the Report Card said that changes in the Arctic can predict what the rest of the world can expect…

Boat Reviews
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New All-Electric Maine Commuter

The creative people at Stephens Waring Design in Belfast, Maine, just came up with an all-electric 26-foot commuter boat with lines inspired by the iconic and glamorous Italian-made Rivas of the 1950s. Stephens Waring developed the boat for a long-time (five boats over 20 years) client who wanted a boat to reach her vacation home on a remote island in Maine. She also wanted the boat to reflect the quiet and serenity of the lake itself, while having enough performance to reach a 25-mph speed for water sports. And the boat had to be big enough to carry passengers and…

Boat Reviews PrestigeX60factory
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Prestige X60: More Outdoor Space

The new Prestige X60 flybridge is a French-styled luxury cruiser with a creative “infinity deck” aft and an extra sliding glass door in the salon leading to an innovative mix of indoor and outdoor space. The aft deck, with modular furniture that can be moved around, has a low glass see-through transom so the views, even from inside the salon, reach out to the horizon aft. Most of the aft deck is protected by the overhang from the flybridge up top. A lounge and convertible sun pad provide relaxing and lounging space. Steps on both sides lead down to the…

Destinations
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Manatees Return to Crystal River, Florida

The manatees are back in Crystal River, Florida, offering a treat for anyone cruising on the Gulf Coast. The peak season is from now through February when as may as 600 manatees migrate there for the warm water, and Crystal River has more than 45 permitted guides who can help you enjoy them there. Crystal River, which calls itself the manatee capital of the world, is the only place in Florida where it’s legal to swim with the gentle sea cows. Crystal River is about 70 miles north of Tampa, on a seven-mile long waterway that connects Kings Bay with…

Boat Reviews
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New Alen 77 Flagship Now in U.S.

The new Alen 77, the flagship of the Turkish builder, is distinguished by its elegant long, straight sheer and clean lines, and that’s before you see the wide side decks and the extended swim platform with teak all around. Alen has been making boats, starting at 44 feet, for the past 20 years. The new 77 is available in flybridge or sedan models. The sedan was on display at the recent Fort Lauderdale show with a price of $4.5 million, a very competitive number for a solid, comfortable, well-built 77-foot yacht. Powered by twin 1,000-hp Volvo IPS1350 pod drives, the…

Cruising Life
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Superyacht Crashes into Dry Dock

Sooner or later, we all have a misunderstanding with a dock; a sudden shift in the wind, a misjudgment of current, or simply a day when things don’t go well, and the boat and the dock have a meeting sooner that we’d planned. But a recent incident at the Lürssen yard in Germany put that sort of thing on an entirely new level. Indeed, a 446-foot yacht, one of the largest in the world under construction, ran into the steel door at the Lürssen dry dock in Bremen from the inside, damaging the door and then wiping out part of…

Engine Room
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Yamaha Making Hydrogen Outboard

Yamaha just announced that they will unveil their new hydrogen-powered outboard prototype at the big Miami show, starting. Feb. 14. This will be Yamaha’s first entry into the hydrogen-powered marine market, and we don’t have many details so far. The Japanese company says it is using “a multi-directional development” approach, and that Yamaha USA will focus on boat development, while Yamaha Japan will focus on engine development. Most hulls would have to be redesigned to hold a fuel cell for hydrogen power. Yamaha entered a partnership with Toyota in 2022 to develop a hydrogen engine for cars, ending up with…

Boat Reviews
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Sealine S390: Well-Designed Cruiser

Sealine’s new S390 is a versatile sportcruiser with lots of space for a day or weekend on board and even has room to sleep five on its accommodations deck below. Powered by twin 380-hp Volvo D6 diesel sterndrives, the new Sealine tops out at about 34 knots while providing a fun, safe ride for everyone on board. Designed by Britain’s Bill Dixon, who often works in the superyacht space, the new Sealine seems to have more room for relaxing and enjoying a cruise than is usual in this size range. The foredeck, for example, has 48 square feet of lounging…

Cruising Life
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Chesapeake Light Sells for $150,000

After a flurry of last-minute bidding, a 150-year-old lighthouse marking the entrance to Baltimore from the Chesapeake was auctioned for $150,000 earlier this week. The lighthouse is still an active aid to navigation, operated by the Coast Guard, but no one has lived there since 1964 when it was automated. The auction involved only the lighthouse, and not the water under it, and the interior needs some work. The auction notice says that there are no public utilities available. The lighthouse is officially the Craighill Channel Lower Range Front Light Station, marking the mouth of the Patapsco River, about two…

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