On Watch with Peter Janssen

Newport International Boat Show New Boat Preview 2025

By George Day on August 21, 2025 Cruising Life, On Watch with Peter Janssen, On Watch With Peter Janssen

The first big boat show of the fall season, the Newport International Boat Show gets underway in Newport, Rhode Island on September 11 and runs through Sunday the 14th. As usual, boat builders use the Newport show to debut their newest models. This year there are seven new designs that fit into Cruising Odyssey’s cruiser-oriented forma from 38 to 60 feet. And, the new boats come from all around the world, including Norway, France, Malaysia, Australia and China. Here’s our annual quick look at the new designs for 2025. MJM 38 This summer MJM Yachts undertook a rebranding of…

Hinckley Yachts Opens Advanced Inside Storage and Service Facility

By George Day on August 14, 2025 On Watch With Peter Janssen, On Watch with Peter Janssen

Yesterday, August 14, Hinckley Yachts based in Portsmouth, Rhode Island held a ribbon cutting ceremony for the newest addition to the company’s expanding storage and service businesses The building that was the focus of the event is a brand new 24,000 square foot steel structure that was designed and built to withstand the winds and floods of a hundred-year storm. Hinckley’s CEO Gavin McClintock addressed the crowd with a vision for the company’s future. “After almost 100 years in business, the Hinckley company is investing heavily in the future, and this new structure is a significant part of where we…

Let’s Go FLOOP’in on Florida’s Southern Loop

By George Day on August 7, 2025 On Watch With Peter Janssen, On Watch with Peter Janssen

We all know the Great Loop, one of America’s most famous year-long cruising adventures. And, we know the Great Eastern Loop that leads from New York City up the Hudson River and then out the St. Lawrence Seaway and around the Canadian Maritimes before closing the circle back in the city. But what about the FLOOP or what’s better known as Florida’s Southern Loop? For snowbirds heading south in the fall along the Intracoastal Waterway to the Sunshine State, the FLOOP is a natural cruising attraction. Why stay plugged into a marina all winter when you can go exploring and…

The Bahamas Jacks Up Fees for Visting Cruisers

By George Day on July 24, 2025 Cruising Life, On Watch with Peter Janssen, On Watch With Peter Janssen

On July 1, the new Port Authorities Amendment Bill, which was passed by the Bahamian parliament earlier this year, went into effect and drastically increases the fees visiting cruisers will have to pay on entering the country. Plus, the authority has added new fees for anchoring, fishing and a new crew head tax. The new fees for private boats under 34 feet increase from $300 to $500; boats 34 to 100 feet will now pay $1,000 instead of $500; and, yachts over 100 feet will face a $3,000 fee. The new crew head tax is $30 per person over the…

Cruising the Mighty Mississippi’s Upper Reaches

By George Day on July 17, 2025 On Watch With Peter Janssen, On Watch with Peter Janssen

As a Mark Twain fan and a lover of his memoir Life on the Mississippi, where he was for several years a river pilot, the charms of the river’s upper reaches have long held an allure. So, when we came across Paula and Paul Yantorno’s story of a week-long cruise from Dubuque, Iowa to Minneapolis, Minnesota and back, we knew we needed to share it. (Paula and Paul Yantorno) The Yantorno’s trailered their Monterey 27 Navetta from their home in Denver, Colorado to Dubuque, a trip of some 18 hours, where they launched at the public boat ramp. Interestingly, a…

Exploring France’s Historic and Beautiful Canal du Midi by Boat

By George Day on July 10, 2025 Destinations, On Watch With Peter Janssen, On Watch with Peter Janssen

Picture yourself at the helm of a 40-foot cabin cruiser motoring at 5 knots or so along a narrow canal that is bordered on both sides by towering plane trees whose roots form the natural reinforcement for the canal’s sides. Beyond, there are wide open fields of ripening wheat and sunflowers and huge rolling vineyards. It is hot and the air is still. You are on the Canal du Midi in the south of France and you are very close to heaven. For many a cruiser, a week or two on this ancient and historic canal ranks high on their…

Boating Education Required for a Great Loop. Adventure

By George Day on June 25, 2025 On Watch With Peter Janssen, On Watch with Peter Janssen

Preparing a boat to tackle the year-long adventure of circling America’s Great Loop, or any of the smaller cruising circles in the country, takes time and often a bit of money. But what about preparing ourselves for such an adventure? As it happens the Loop passes through up to 20 U.S. states, depending on your route, and into Canada and back. Many states require skippers to have certificates of competency and proof that they have taken and passed a range of courses on seamanship, boat handling and safety. Completing the required courses takes time so it should not be left…

Cheoy Lee Yachts Marks 150 Years of Continuous Boatbuilding

By George Day on June 19, 2025 Cruising Life, On Watch With Peter Janssen, On Watch with Peter Janssen

In the world of yacht building, Cheoy Lee stands alone as the oldest continuous builder of boats, yachts, ships and working craft. This year, the company, which has been owned and run by the same family since its founding, is celebrating 150 years in business. Now managed by the fourth and fifth generations, the company is marking the anniversary with several striking and innovative new designs. At Australia’s Sanctuary Cove Boat show in May, the brand new CLB 65 SUV (above) was launched as part of the expanding B Series line of boats. Martin Lo, a fourth-generation director of the…

Spacious, Fast, Marex 310 Sun Cruiser Sea Trial

By George Day on June 12, 2025 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life, On Watch with Peter Janssen, On Watch With Peter Janssen

It was a beautiful day for a boat ride. On Wednesday this week, the rain that had covered the Northeast on Tuesday moved out to sea, leaving us a warm and sunny afternoon to take the new Marex 310 Sun Cruiser out for a spin on Long Island Sound. I met Hal Slater and Dan Trusty of Brewer Yacht Sales at their offices at Safe Harbor Marina in Westbrook Connecticut, the yard known for years as Pilot’s Point. Hal is the president and owner of Brewer Yacht Sales and has decades of experience in marine brokerage and new boat sales.…

New Krogen 60 Open Long-Range Voyager Does It All

By George Day on June 5, 2025 On Watch With Peter Janssen, On Watch with Peter Janssen

The new Krogen 60 Open was introduced at the Palm Beach boat show earlier this spring and proved to be a real show-stopper. The 60 Open is simply huge and offers all the space and accommodation a family might need for extended living aboard and far-flung adventures. While the 60 Open carries all of the Krogen trawler DNA, the new design has really pushed the envelope on the size of the living and working spaces. It looks and feels like a much bigger boat. The afterdeck is truly an outside living room with a hard cover for sun and rain…

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