Author Peter Janssen

Cruising Life
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NMEA Makes Best Electronics Awards

The National Marine Manufacturers Association just named the winners of its annual excellence awards at its conference in Anaheim, California. The NMEA presented Products of Excellence Awards in 18 categories. In addition, it gave its Best New Product Award to the Maretron WSO200 Ultrasonic Weather Station, and its Technology Award to Airmar’s SmartBoat System. It also named Actisense as Manufacturer of the Year in the small company category, and Garmin as Manufacturer of the Year in the large company category. The Awards of Excellence were chosen by the NMEA membership, who voted on line before the conference. A panel of…

Boat Reviews
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Sunreef 80 Power Cat To Debut at FLIBS

The  extra-large and luxurious 80 Sunreef Power will make its U.S. debut at the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show, starting Oct. 26. The hull of the new 80 was completely designed from scratch, with the idea that the massive catamaran would serve as an all-around motor yacht that could cruise long distances in safety and comfort. Powered by twin 1,200-hp MAN diesels, the Sunreef 80 has a top speed of about 24 knots and a range of 3,500 nm. Sunreef Yachts have been made in Gdansk, Poland, since 2003. With a massive beam of more than 39 feet (about half…

Charter
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SamBoat, the Rental Giant, Expands to U.S.

SamBoat, the online company that’s leading the European boat rental market, is expanding to the United States. Indeed, it has started a rental fleet in Florida, in a partnership with Dream yacht Charter, and it plans to have a fleet of 2,000 rental boats across the U.S. by the end of 2023. So far, SamBoat has 50,000 boats in the water for rent at 1,400 destinations around the world. It basically is an online boat rental platform that connects boat owners and renters; it works much the same as Airbnb. The idea is that people who don’t own a boat,…

Ft Lauderdale Boat Show
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Largest-Ever Lauderdale Show Starts Oct. 26

The Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show, the largest in-the-water show in the world, starts Wednesday, Oct. 26, and runs through Sunday, Oct. 30. It promises to be bigger and better than ever. This year is the 63rd annual for the show, and it now stretches across seven locations (still centered around the Bahia Mar Yachting Center, just across from the beach), with more than 1,300 boats and 1,000 exhibitors. Last year, 100,000 people attended the show; this year, the organizers expect many more. Fort Lauderdale calls itself the yachting capital of the world, and the show reflects that standing. The…

On Watch with Peter Janssen
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Ian Takes Terrible Toll on Southwest Florida

A week after Hurricane Ian swept across Southwest Florida with an apocalyptic force of 150-mile-hour winds and a six-foot storm surge, the full scope of its damage is coming into focus. So far, 127 people have been killed, including 33 who drowned just in Lee County, the area around Fort Myers, Fort Myers Beach, Pine Island and Sanibel Island. Several hundred thousands of homes and businesses were destroyed. People lost their homes, their cars, their jobs and, if they had them, their boats. The Coast Guard, National Guard and local search-and-rescue organizations rescued 3,800 people by helicopters, boats and emergency…

Cruising Life
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Hyundai To Debut Self-Docking System at FLIBS

Avikus, a subsidiary of Hyundai, the South Korean manufacturing giant, will debut its new autonomous boating and docking system at the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show, starting Oct. 26. At the show, Avikus will introduce its Neuboat, an autonomous system using artificial intelligence for the recreational boating market. It uses the Avikus Navigation Assistant System and the Avikus Docking Assistant System. Those systems let the boat recognize and assess water situations in real time through deep learning and sensor fusion algorithms, without any human interaction. For cruising, the system creates and maintains an optimal route for safe autonomous navigation. An…

Boat Reviews
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New Electric Tiaga PWC: Fast, Fun, and Silent

Tiaga, the Canadian manufacturer of electric ski mobiles, just introduced the first all-electric PWC in the North American market. The new Tiaga Orca Carbon hits 65 mph, is totally silent, and has a two-hour range before it needs recharging. The Orca Carbon has a carbon-fiber composite hull and weighs just 738 pounds. It’s 9’ 6” long with a beam of 3’ 9” and it’s powered by a 120kW, 160-hp motor and a lithium-ion battery system. You can recharge it at a dock or an outlet in your garage, or with a universal Level 2 connector that’s used for electric cars.…

Boat Reviews
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New Pardo 50: Head-Turning Walkaround

Walking around the Norwalk show last week, I passed the Pardo docks and then did a double-take. So did a lot of other people. The new Pardo 50 Walkaround tied up stern-to there had a simply immense aft deck, wide and inviting, with sun pads and sofas and an al fresco dining table that would make it a show-stopper wherever it went. The new Pardo had the company’s signature post-modern European minimalist look; no frills, just straight lines, with a slightly reverse bow and an open foredeck that almost rivaled the aft deck in size and sunning abilities. The large…

Charter
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Four Seasons Building Luxury Yachts

Four Seasons, the luxury hotel brand, just announced that it’s expanding to the high seas. At a press briefing at the Monaco yacht show, Four Seasons said has formed a new venture, Four Seasons Yachts, starting with a “no expense spared” 679-foot long vessel with 96 luxury suites. The first of three Four Seasons Yachts, costing $1.16 billion, will be built at Fincantiere, the large Italian yard that specializes in superyachts and commercial vessels. It’s scheduled to be launched in 2025. “We’re known for creating exceptional experiences,” said Christian Clerc, the president of Four Seasons Resorts and Hotels. “We  plan…

Boat Reviews
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Riviera Launches New 645 SUV in Lauderdale

Riviera, the large Australian builder, just launched its new 645 SUV, the flagship of it’s all-purpose SUV fleet, and it will make its U.S. debut at the Fort Lauderdale show, starting Oct. 26. With its low profile, enormous foredeck and imaginative mezzanine deck connecting to the salon and the cockpit, this latest Riviera seems ready for some serious – and fun – cruising days ahead. Over the past 40 years, Riviera has built 5,700 yachts of various sizes and shapes. More than 170 of them have been in its SUV line, designed to be versatile, all-purpose vessels, similar to their…

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