Author Peter Janssen

Cruising Life
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A New Owner for Hooper Island Lighthouse

Last August, the Government Services Administration announced that it was holding an online auction to sell the Hooper Island Lighthouse, a sparkplug-type structure in the lower Chesapeake that had fallen into disrepair. Built in 1902, the lighthouse lies in 18 feet of water about 3.75 miles west of Middle Hooper Island; it’s a bit south of Solomons and closer to the eastern shore, and it’s 63 feet high. The GSA said it required a starting bid of $15,000, and  “inspection of the structure must be done at a safe distance.” The bidding deadline was Sept. 21. As it turned out,…

Cruising Life
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Rolls-Royce Tests Hydrogen-Powered MTU Engine

In a major advance for hydrogen power, Rolls-Royce announced last week that it completed testing a hydrogen-powered MTU engine, and it worked. The bench test was on a 12-cylinder MTU Series 4000 gas engine (pictured above) using 100 percent hydrogen fuel. For the test, Rolls-Royce engineers had to modify some MTU components, including fuel injection, turbo-charging and piston design, because of the different combustion of hydrogen, compared to gas. The test lasted several months, but then Rolls-Royce announced it was successful in terms of efficiency, performance and combustion. MTU has been making engines in Germany for more than a century.…

Boat Reviews
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New Delta 48: Upscale Fast Cruiser

The new Delta 48 Coupe from Sweden is a sharp-looking, upscale, lightweight cruiser that comes with either twin diesel sterndrives or twin outboard power. Delta has been building clean, elegant powerboats for the past 20 years. The new 48 Coupe is the result of a collaboration with Mannerfelt Design, which specializes in fast race boats as well as high-performing recreational boats. The Delta 48 is built with an all carbon-fiber hull and deck to keep its weight down and to boost performance. You can order it with either twin 440-hp Volvo diesel sterndrives, or twin 600-hp Mercury V12 Verado outboards.…

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New Electric Persico Zagato 100.2

Let’s face it: A lot of the early electric-powered boats were, well, to put it charitably, aesthetically challenged. Not so the new Persico Zagato 100.2, unveiled last week at Zagato’s headquarters in Milan. Zagato’s announcement called it “an innovative hyperboat featuring aesthetic purity of design,” combining Persico’s technology, electric jet propulsion, and Zagato’s supercar-like looks. A little history: The boat’s100.2 nomenclature celebrates Zagato’s second century in business. It was founded “to dress cars and planes with customized bodywork,” and its most famous designs include work for Aston Martin, Lamborghini, and Alfa Romeo, among many others. The new 26-foot Persico Zagato…

On Watch with Peter Janssen
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New Silent 120 Cat Has Airplane, Submarine

Silent Yachts has just taken the idea of adventure or explorer yachts to an entirely new level by announcing that its new 120 Explorer will have both a vertical takeoff and landing airplane and a personal submarine. The all-electric powered catamaran also will have trans-oceanic capabilities and virtually unlimited range. The plane, an eVTOL (electric vertical takeoff and landing) named the XP4, is made by the British startup VRCO. It can hold four people, cruise at 160 knots, and fly for an hour. Large solar panels on the yacht’s roof slide out to port and starboard to open a touch-and-go…

Cruising Life
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European Boat of the Year Awards

The winners of the annual European Boat of the Year Awards were just announced at the Düsseldorf show. The winners are chosen by a panel of judges from 12 European boating magazines, and they consider each boat’s workmanship, handling, layout, safety, value, and new ideas and concepts. For this year’s contest, the judges looked at more than 250 new boats, and ultimately choose the winners, and multiple finalists, in six categories. (The Prestige M 48 is shown at top.)  The winners are: Sportboats up to 8 Meters (26’): Winner: Askelladen C 78 Cruiser (above) Finalists: Bayliner M19, Beneteau Flyer 8…

Cruising Life
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Family Rescues Missing Florida Diver

Dylan Gartenmayer, 22, has been diving in the waters near his Key West home for the past 11 years. As it turns out, a few days ago his own fast thinking and his family’s fast rescue efforts probably saved his life. Gartenmayer was free diving in about 35 feet of water off Western Sambo Reef, when a strong current swept him away. When he surfaced, he realized he was about a mile from his boat, with two friends on board. He could see the boat; his friends couldn’t see him. The friends searched for half an hour and called the…

Cruising Life
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Peter B. Wright

I was immensely saddened to learn that Peter B. Wright, my friend, former colleague, and one of the best blue-marlin fishermen of all time, just died at his home in Stuart, Florida. Peter passed away a few days after his 79th birthday, with his wife, Erin, and daughter, Bimini, at his side. Peter grew up in Fort Lauderdale and started fishing when he was 11 years old, working on charter boats out of Hillsboro Inlet. He never stopped. In 1968, after college, with degrees in marine biology, he went to Cairns, Australia, and caught his first grander (a marlin weighing…

Boat Reviews
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C-Dory TomCat: Stable Pocket Cruiser

If you’re thinking about an outboard-powered pocket cruiser, the 25-foot C-Dory TomCat has a lot going for it. Per its name, the C-Dory TomCat is a catamaran, so it has a cat’s stability and space; indeed, the cockpit is a full 7 feet long and 7 feet wide, not bad for a 25-foot boat. And the twin outboards are mounted pretty far apart on the transom, so docking and low-speed maneuvering are relatively painless. The ride is flat and fairly dry, and the TomCat doesn’t bank in turns. You can run it up on a beach for a picnic, if…

Boat Reviews
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Pardo Unveils New 72 Long-Range Cruiser

Pardo just unveiled plans for its new Endurance 72 at the Düsseldorf show, the second in its line of long-range cruisers. The Italian yard introduced its first Endurance, a 60, at the Fort Lauderdale show last October, and the new 72 has the same slightly reversed bow, raked windshield, tinted wraparound windows, and barely visible flybridge as the original. It’s scheduled to be launched in the spring of 2024. Standard power on the new 72 comes from twin 800-hp Volvo IPS1050 pod drives. With optional 1,000-hp IPS1350s, the boat has a range of 900 nm at 12 knots. The large…

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