Author Peter Janssen

On Watch with Peter Janssen
By

On Watch

The Gardyne Family Cruises to Alaska on Their Nordhavn 40: Next Stop, the World By Peter A. Janssen The Gardyne family from Alameda, California, across the bay from San Francisco, didn’t want to wait for their retirement to start cruising around the world. Two years ago, they bought a 2002 Nordhavn 40 in Seattle and drove it home, on something of a trial cruise. And they were hooked. On April 17, the Gardynes – Dougal and Jen and their daughter Cassidy, 7 – passed under the Golden Gate Bridge on their Nordhavn, appropriately named Cassidy, and turned north. “Our goal…

Boat Reviews
By

New Beneteau Swift Trawler 47: The Fifth Model in its Popular Cruising Lineup

Beneteau will introduce its new Swift Trawler 47 at the Cannes Yachting Festival on Sept. 11, the fifth model in its popular Swift Trawler line. It has three staterooms, two heads, a light-filled salon and galley, a low profile even with its flybridge, and a contemporary French look that will appeal to cruisers around the world. Full disclosure: I have a soft spot for Beneteau’s Swift Trawlers. A few years ago, George Sass, Sr., the photojournalist, and I spent a week on a new Beneteau Swift Trawler 34, The Greatest Loop, cruising from the top of Lake Michigan down to St.…

Cruising Life
By

Ben Lecomte Already Swam Across the Atlantic. Now’s He’s Swimming Across the Pacific. Only 4,795 Miles To Go

When Ben Lecomte, a French-born long-distance swimmer who now lives in Texas, swam across the Atlantic in 1998, he said, “never again.” But that was then. Now Lecomte, 51, is trying to swim across a much larger ocean, the Pacific, and he’s off to a good start. Lecomte started in Tokyo on June 5, aiming for San Francisco, some 5,000 miles away. His swim across the Atlantic took 73 days. The Pacific will take six months. So far, he’s come 205 miles. If he makes it, he will be the first person to swim across the Pacific Ocean. Lecomte says…

Cruising Life
By

69 Boats Compete in Bass Harbor Lobster Boat Races in Maine; Winner Clocks 57 mph

The lobster boat racing season is off to a good start, with 69 boats competing in the eighth annual races all the way up in Bass Harbor, Maine. Wild, Wild West, a 28-foot West with a single 1,050-hp Isotta diesel, won the prize for the Fastest Lobster Boat (it’s a regular winner, usually clocking about 57 mph), while in the more specific geographic category, Rachel Irene, a Mitchell Cove 35 with a single 500-hp Cummins, won the Bass Harbor’s Fastest Lobster Boat race. In the picture above, Band-it, right, nosed out Just Colby 11 in its class (for boats 34 feet or…

Boat Reviews
By

Hinckley Launches New Picnic Boat 40, the Largest Yet, but with Same Iconic Lines and Appeal

Hinckley just launched its all-new Picnic Boat 40, the largest Picnic Boat yet, with sea trials off Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard on the weekend before the Fourth of July. With a hull designed by the highly acclaimed Michael Peters, the new Picnic Boat retains all the drop-dead iconic Down East looks and waterjet performance that have made the brand famous around the world. The new layout in the 40 offers a seamless flow from the transom to the helm, with large social areas, a wet bar, overhead protection from Sureshade and great visibility, whether you’re sitting at the helm or…

Cruising Life
By

How To Enter a New Harbor Safely Using Large-Scale Chart Insets

How many times on a cruise do you end up coming into a harbor or a cove or an anchorage where you’ve never been before? Probably a lot; discovering new places, embracing new adventures, is pretty much what cruising is all about. But you need to prepare. You need to know where you’re going, particularly if you’re entering a new harbor at night, in reduced visibility, or even at the end of a day when you’re tired and not at your best. Sure, you can peer at your chartplotter and zoom in and hope for the best. That’s fine, when…

Cruising Life
By

Looking for a New Spot in the Bahamas? Try the Beautiful Beaches of Rose Island, Four Miles from Nassau

If you’re cruising near Nassau in the Bahamas, you may want to head about four miles east to Rose Island, an 11-mile-long thin strip of land with some of the best beaches in the islands. Rose Island once was a pineapple plantation, but that was hundreds of years ago. Now it has no infrastructure or roads, and a shallow lagoon lies in the middle. The highest point of land is just 52 feet above sea level. Rose Island doesn’t have much in the way of civilization. What it does have, in spades, is terrific beaches. Before you get to the…

Cruising Life
By

One American Killed, Several Others Seriously Injured, in Boat Explosion in the Bahamas

A tragic explosion and boat fire about 130 miles south of Nassau in the Bahamas left one American woman dead and nine others injured. The Royal Bahamas Police Force said one of the two outboard engines on the 40-foot tourist boat exploded, engulfing the boat in flames. The boat was carrying ten Americans and two Bahamians. The boat was off Barraterre Island in the Exuma Cays at the time. At least three people from a nearby boat jumped into the water to help; they were able to pull one person to safety. The explosion occurred after 9 in the morning.…

On Watch with Peter Janssen
By

On Watch

Trade Wars Already Hurting U.S. Boating. Sales Are Cancelled, Layoffs Are Threatened By Peter A. Janssen The Trump Administration’s trade wars are already hurting U.S. boat manufacturers, as European and Canadian sales are cancelled because of higher tariffs. Some manufacturers say they will have to cut production and lay off workers if the trade wars continue. In retaliation to the tariffs that President Trump imposed on some imports, the European Union has imposed a 25 percent tariff on sail- and power-boats built in the United States. For its part, Canada will start a 10 percent tariff on U.S.-made boats starting…

Cruising Life
By

Raymarine Launches New Axiom XL MFDs with Larger Screens, Faster Integration

FLIR has just introduced a new flagship Raymarine Axiom XL multifunction display, with larger screen sizes, better system integration and user-friendly simplicity. The largest displays in the award-winning Axiom lineup, the MFDs are designed for larger cruising boats and glass bridge installations. The new Axiom XLs are available in 16-, 19-, 22- and 24-inch displays and are constructed with edge-to-edge glass, so boat builders can create a seamless helm. They also are fully waterproof, designed to perform in extreme conditions. They even can be installed in open cockpits, as well as enclosed bridges and helm stations. Each Axiom XL uses…

1 … 277 278 279 280 281 … 390