Author Peter Janssen

Boat Reviews
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New Vicem 65 IPS Classic: A Cold-Molded Turkish Beauty with Downeast Looks

The cold-molded, all-mahogany Vicem 65 IPS Classic, just displayed at the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show, is a Turkish-built beauty with Downeast lines powered by twin 800-hp Volvo Penta IPS1050 pod drives for superior performance and ease of maneuvering around a dock. It’s the largest Vicem to be fitted with IPS, and it has a cruising speed of 23 knots and a top speed of 26 knots. The optional 1,000-hp Volvo Penta IPS1350 drives add a few knots to the top speed. The long sheerline, low profile and beautiful tumblehome of the Vicem 65 all mark it as a timeless…

Cruising Life
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John Travolta Plays the Legendary Don Aronow in New Movie. Hmmmm

As the editor of Motor Boating & Sailing, I met Don Aronow (pictured above) many times in the 1980s. I wrote about him; I tested his boats. A three-time U.S. powerboat racing champion and the founder of Cigarette, Formula, Donzi, Magnum, Squadron XII, USA Racing and a larger-than-life figure, Aronow was known as the King of Thunderboat Row, a short stretch of 188thStreet in North Miami where most of his companies were located. Aronow was known for his boats, and for his friends, including future President George H.W. Bush, the Shah of Iran, and Malcolm Forbes, among many others. He…

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On Watch

Beneteau Launches New Swift Trawler 47, Plans Major Expansion in U.S. By Peter A. Janssen Beneteau just launched its new Swift Trawler 47, a three-cabin, 25-knot, user-friendly family cruiser at the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show, where the French company also announced a major expansion in the U.S. market. It plans to build more outboard-powered pocket cruisers, as well as more of its Jeanneau cruisers, in its Michigan factory. But it was the new Swift Trawler that caught my eye, particularly since I had spent a week on board a Swift Trawler 34 a few years ago as part of…

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Silent Yachts Introduces New 79-foot, Solar-Powered, Long-Range Catamaran

Silent Yachts is building its new ocean-going Silent 79 solar-powered catamaran, a long-range cruiser with unlimited range at 6 or 7 knots and a top speed of 20 knots. The luxurious cat with a minimalist design is Silent’s largest solar yacht yet, and is designed after the Silent 55, which made its debut at the Cannes Yachting Festival this past September. An Austrian company, Silent is building its first three 79s at an Italian yard in Marotta, near the major shipbuilding town of Ancona on the Adriatic. The first is scheduled to be launched in 2020. The standard Silent 79…

Cruising Life
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Cruising in Mexico This Winter: Nine Destinations, Strung Like Jewels on a Golden Crown

If you’re on the West Coast, you may want to think about taking a cruise to Mexico this winter. The weather’s great, the anchorages and marinas aren’t crowded, and you can enjoy a different kind of cruising vacation. Here’s a compelling story about the advantages of taking such a cruise this winter, with a sample itinerary, from Sea magazine. Take a look: Mexico’s Gold Coast: a series of nine beautiful boating destinations and pristine anchorages strung like jewels on a golden crown. Together they provide several months’ worth of winter cruising pleasure. Here’s one winter cruising itinerary for Mexico’s Gold…

Cruising Life
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New Crewsaver Life Jacket Has a Double-Halo Hood To Keep Water Out of the Mouth and Nose

Crewsaver, the British company, just introduced a revolutionary new life jacket with a halo-like hood that’s designed to keep water from entering a man overboard’s mouth or nose. The new spray hood also retains heat and enhances the man overboard’s visibility, making it easier to accomplish a safe recovery. The new jacket, called the Ergo-Fit+, was just introduced at the big METSTRADE show in Amsterdam. Crewsaver called it the next level in man overboard protection. It will be available in the worldwide market in March. The hood was inspired by developments the aviation industry. “We work closely with organizations across…

Cruising Life
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Missing for a Year, a Floating Dry Dock Turns Up in the Bahamas

If you think that there’s a lot of stuff floating around out there that you don’t want to hit, you’re right. Partially submerged containers that have fallen off container ships, debris, lines in the water, they’re all out there. But how about a floating dry dock? Here’s a great story from gCaptain about a section of a dry dock that’s been missing for more than a year that was just spotted floating in the Exumas: The saga of the  unlit section of dry dock that has been floating around the Atlantic Ocean for more than a year now may finally be…

Cruising Life
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35 Facts You (Probably) Didn’t Know About The Titanic

By this time, we probably think we know most of what there is to know about RMS Titanic, at least all the relevant details. But here’s an interesting story from The Standard News with 35 facts about the sinking of the Titanic on its maiden voyage when it hit an iceberg in the North Atlantic on April 14, 1912; you probably already know some of them, but I think many will surprise you. The largest ship at the time, the Titanic was carrying 2,224 people at the time; only 710 survived. The Titanic was supposed to be unsinkable, but it sank in less than three…

Boat Reviews
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New German Frers-Designed Sirena 58 Makes U.S. Debut: A 25-Knot Comfortable Cruiser

Sirena just introduced its first 58 designed for the U.S. market at the recent Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show, a German Frers-designed semi-displacement cruiser built for performance and easy living. The interior, by Tommaso Spadolini, is filled with natural light from large windows; the main deck is on one level to make moving around easy. Explaining the appeal of the Turkish-built yacht, Constantinos Constantinou, the head of Sirena’s North American operations, said, “We’ve seen that the  priorities of U.S. yacht owners have changed in recent years. Build quality is considered a given, but yacht owners are now putting much more…

Cruising Life
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Cox Introduces New 300-hp Diesel Outboard with More Torque, Greater Range

Cox Powertrain, the British engine company, just introduced its new 300-hp diesel outboard at the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show, calling it “the highest power-density diesel outboard engine ever developed.” Cox says the diesel outboard offers more torque, 25 percent more range, and three times the lifespan than gas outboards with comparable horsepower. The new diesel builds on the continually growing popularity of outboard power, even for large cruising boats. Indeed, the new MJM 53Z, scheduled for next summer, will be powered by four 350-hp Mercury Verado gas outboards, with a predicted top speed of 50 mph. The demand for…

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