Author Peter Janssen

Cruising Life
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New VanDutch 55: Elegant, Cutting-Edge – and Fun. See the Video.

There’s nothing complicated here, just fun, fun on the water, on an elegant, cutting-edge 55-foot VanDutch whose captain is having a great time carving turns in front of the camera in Fort Lauderdale recently. Designed by Frank Mulder, the VanDutch 55 has two cabins, one head with shower, and two 900-hp Volvo diesels that propel it to a top speed of about 40 knots. The company says it rides like a luxury sports car, which I believe from this video. Take a look: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VVmiRLYKwLs

Cruising Life
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Canadian Couple Completes Great Loop, Tells All in New Book

You can’t say that Carole Duval and Michel Mailloux aren’t adventuresome. Indeed, the couple from Brossard, Quebec, near Montreal, recently completed more than 6,100 nm on the Great Loop and the Bahamas on their 1990 Carver 41, named Emotion III. During those 13 months, they ran through just about every kind of experience – and emotion – you’d expect on such a long cruise, including getting stuck for three days on a dredged inlet in the Suwannee River near the Gulf of Mexico (see picture above). When they got home, Duval wrote a book about their trip, appropriately called “The…

Cruising Life
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Great Guide to Soper’s Hole: Welcome to the British Virgin Islands

It’s hard not to want to go back to the British Virgin Islands once you’ve cruised there. In fact, I keep going back again and again, discovering something new in some of the best, easiest and most welcoming cruising grounds on the planet. Here’s a guide to Soper’s Hole, at the end of Tortola, the largest island there and the base of most of the BVI’s charter fleet. The story is geared a bit toward sail, but all the points apply to powerboats as well. Indeed, the last time I was there was to clear Customs on a trawler my…

Engine Room
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New, More Precise, Electronically-Controlled Power Steering from Twin Disc

Twin Disc’s new E-STEER power steering should make steering easier, less tiring and more precise on cruising powerboats. This state-of-the-art control connects the helm electronically to hydraulic-powered rudders, and reacts immediately to changes in speed with adaptive resistance. As speed increases, the helm becomes finer and more agile; Twin Disc says it’s like driving a luxury car. When you throttle back, the wheel is light and highly responsive. Adaptive resistance makes driving easier since the wheel doesn’t react to every single rudder movement. Driving becomes smooth and vibration-free; it’s easier to hold a steady course, particularly in a choppy sea.…

Destinations
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Old Bahama Bay Resort & Marina Set to Reopen after Matthew

The Old Bahama Bay Resort & Yacht Harbour on Grand Bahama Island was hit hard in October by Hurricane Matthew, with wind gusts over 100 mph. But now the resort and marina, with 72 slips, will reopen on December 19. During the storm, Old Bahama Bay lost electricity and water service and sustained some minor damage, but now it will have a renovated pool, Dockside Grille and shopping deck. The marina has a fuel dock, eight feet of water at mean low tide, and on-site customs and immigration service. For more: http://megayachtnews.com/2016/12/old-bahama-bay-reopen-hurricane-matthew/

Boat Reviews
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First Look at New, Super-Exclusive Mercedes-Benz 46-footer Sea Trial

Yes, I know this isn’t the typical cruising boat that we usually write about, but I think it’s just too cool to ignore. The first-ever Mercedes-Benz boat, here on a sea trial, will be ready for sale next spring. With twin 480-hp Yanmars, the new 46-foot-long Benz is supposed to top out at 40 knots (I had a Mercedes many years ago that did that in second gear!), but then this boat is both multi-national and super-exclusive. The German Mercedes-Benz boat is being built by Silver Arrows Marine Project in Monaco, although construction is in Switzerland. And they’re only going…

On Watch with Peter Janssen
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What’s Next for Cuba?

What are the chances you’ll ever see the picture above, in person? It’s the entrance to Marina Hemingway, the largest marina in Cuba, lying about eight miles west of Havana and about 100 nm from Key West. Until the past few weeks, I’d say the chances were pretty good, if you had wanted to go there. Indeed, last year President Obama himself went to Cuba in an effort to normalize relations, the U.S. opened an embassy in Havana, and the Administration eased regulations restricting travel, banking and even recreational boating. It seemed that Cuba, with 3,000 miles of coastline, scores…

Electronics
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New Navionics Video Shows How They Can Take You Where You Want to Go

Here’s a great new video showing all of Navionics’ charting and sonar capabilities. I’ve been using a Navionics Boating app on my iPhone for several years, on the East Coast, West Coast and  Great Lakes, and it’s a perfect navigation backup or even planning tool. At this point, I wouldn’t leave home without it. Take a look at what Navionics can do today: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wmW8m_MUDY8 http://www.navionics.com

Cruising Life
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Cruise to Alaska, Then Cross the Pacific, with the Bradshaws on Their Nordhavn 52

Phillip and Gerri Bradshaw from Fremantle, Australia, bought their Nordhavn 52, Mermaid Explorer, at Dana Point, California, two years ago, and they haven’t stopped cruising since then. First they headed down to Mexico, then up to Alaska, all the way to Glacier Bay, meeting other cruising couples and locals along the way. (One Alaska cruising tip: don’t miss Rose’s Bar, a local watering hole, in Pelican). Then the Bradshaws cruised back down to San Francisco and, after much thought, decided to cross the Pacific, just the two of them. It took 14 days to reach Hawaii, and Gerri says…

Gear
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A New Entry: Williams Minijet Tender Off to a Good Start

If you’re looking for a new tender or RIB or just another boat to zip around in, the new Williams Minijet 280 may be just the thing. Designed for cruising boats under 45 feet, the new, compact Minijet 280 is only 9’2″ long, with a beam of 5’1′. It’s relatively light, weighing only 460 pounds. The real distinction, of course is that it is powered by a 45-hp BRP Rotax Ace 900 jet engine. There’s no outboard to put on and take off every time you launch it; no prop to worry about, a major safety advantage. The Minijet 280…

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