Author Peter Janssen

Cruising Life
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Mercury Launches New 500-hp Outboard

Marking its 50th anniversary, Mercury Racing just introduced its new 500-hp outboard designed for fast luxury sport boats. The new 500R V8 has Mercury Racing’s exclusive supercharger, and it not only has 50 more horsepower but also 10 percent more torque than the company’s 450R. It has a 4.6 liter, 64-degree FourStroke powerhead and is designed for pump fuel with an 89 octane rating.  The company says the 500R is “the most exciting production outboard to ever emerge from Mercury Racing.” The 500R tops out at 6,600 rpm. To handle all that power, it has upgraded its powerhead, cooling system,…

On Watch with Peter Janssen
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Just-Launched Akula: “A Boat for Cruising”

There are cruising boats and there are cruising boats. And then there’s Akula, the just-launched 195-foot-long, luxury expedition yacht built by Rossinavi in Italy. Don’t worry about running into Akula on your next cruise on the Great Loop. It won’t slide under the 19’ 6” fixed bridge on the Illinois River outside Chicago. And it certainly won’t be able to navigate the thin waters of the low countries on the ICW, where I’ve managed to make contact with the bottom on my 36-foot Grand Banks. Akula is a blue-water vessel, with a steel, ice-class hull meant to cruise safely to…

Cruising Life
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Apreamare Building New 35 Cabin Cruiser

Apreamare, the Italian builder of modern-day cruisers based on centuries-old Sorrento gozzo boats, just announced that it’s building a new 35 Cabin cruising boat that can be ordered with either straight-shaft or stern-drive power. The 35 Cabin is a slightly larger and certainly much more protected version of the Apreamare 35 Open that’s already on the market. The Cabin version makes the boat more attractive for owners who cruise in northern areas, or who simply want all-weather protection no matter where they live. The new boat also looks larger than the open version because of the exterior glazing that provides…

Cruising Life
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Orcas Spotted South of Nantucket

Orcas, it seems, are moving north. Last Sunday, a group of scientists from the New England Aquarium on an aerial survey spotted a pod of four orcas about 40 miles south of Nantucket. They were surprised to see orcas that far north; they usually stay in warmer water farther south. “It’s always unusual to see killer whales in New England waters,” said Orla O’Brien, who led the Aquarium’s team. Katherine McKenna, another scientist on the plane, said, “As we circled the area, two whales surfaced too quickly to tell what they were. On the third surfacing, we got a nice…

Cruising Life
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Silent-Yachts Planning New Resort in Fiji

Silent-Resorts, the partner of the innovative Austrian electric catamaran builders Silent-Yachts, just announced that it’s planning a new collection of luxury off-the-grid homes in Fiji. Construction of the new totally solar-powered homes is set to begin at the end of the year. And new owners will have exclusive use of Silent-Yachts’ solar-electric tenders, speedboats and catamarans. The Fiji project will be the second solar-powered marina and residence resort built by Silent-Resorts. The first, in Exuma, the Bahamas, is now under construction and the company says it’s “progressing rapidly.” Owners there have use of a Silent 55. The Bahamas resort is…

Charter
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The Moorings Base in Tortola Gets a Facelift

One of the largest charter operators in the world, The Moorings has just given its base in the British Virgins Islands a major face lift. The Moorings’ base there, in Road Town, Tortola, now has more than 300 charter yachts, power and sail, bareboat and crewed. And almost everything that has to do with making a successful charter vacation – the provisioning, restaurants, lodging and other amenities – has been spruced up, if not opened from scratch. The Moorings says it has a “rejuvenated fleet” in Tortola, with lots of new yachts, including the Moorings 4200, 4500 and flagship 5000…

Cruising Life
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Another Dive Boat Fire: 3 Dead

A sudden fire on a luxury dive boat killed three British divers on the Red Sea earlier this week. The fire broke out about 8:30 in the morning on the last day of a week-long dive trip, and the flames quickly engulfed the yacht, named Hurricane. The 12 Brits who were diving that day were starting a briefing on deck when the fire began. They escaped on RIBs, along with 14 Egyptian crew and dive guides; they were picked up by another dive boat nearby. The three who died were apparently trapped below deck, but we don’t  have any details.…

Boat Reviews
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New Prestige 420S Low-Profile Cruiser

It’s easy to use, and to like, the new Prestige 420S cruiser, a low-profile coupe with stylish lines and  an open, flowing interior. The 420S is the smallest in the upscale French builder’s S series that also has a 46S and a 520S. They’re all designed by the Garroni studios in Genoa; Garroni Design’s portfolio includes everything from sailboats and motoryachts to cruise liners. The Prestige 420S is a two-cabin, two-head cruiser that would be at home in coastal waters around the U.S. as well as on the Great Lakes. Its air draft is only 14′ 9” so it can…

Cruising Life
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Maine’s Lobster Lady: 103 and Still Working

Virginia Oliver, Maine’s celebrated Lobster Lady, just turned 103 last week. And she renewed her fishing license for the 2023 season, her 95th year on the water. At a birthday party at the Rockland Historical Society, where she’s a lifetime member, Oliver ate some cake and talked about lobstering. It’s not work, she said. “It’s just what I do.” Someone asked her about her favorite part of the job. “I like to go by everybody,” she said. “I don‘t stop. Wave. Keep going. No lingering around.” Oliver has been working since she was 8, when she went out on her…

Destinations
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Big Waterfront News from Fort Lauderdale

Fort Lauderdale, already known as the yachting capital of America, is going to get bigger yet. The city government just approved a $1 billion redevelopment of the Bahia Mar complex, home of the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show, to include four condominium towers, a 23-floor luxury hotel, a marina village with restaurants and bars, and a park with a public waterfront promenade. Then, across town, the Port 32 Fort Lauderdale Marina, a new development, opened this week on the Marina Mile on the New River, just west of I-95. It has room for 32 yachts in a three-acre yacht basin,…

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