On Watch With Peter Janssen

On 85th Anniversary of Operation Dynamo, 75 ‘Little Ships’ to Return to Dunkirk

By George Day on May 1, 2025 On Watch with Peter Janssen, On Watch With Peter Janssen

In May of 1940, at the start of World War Two, the British Expeditionary force that had been transported to France to fight the invading Nazi army, was quickly overwhelmed and driven back to the shores of the English Channel. What followed was one of the most heroic civilian efforts ever undertaken in a time of war. The call went out to boat owners across England to register with the British Admiralty and to join what would become the mass evacuation of the British army from Dunkirk, France to England. This month, 75 of those Little Ships as they became…

J Craft’s Pursuit of Timeless Perfection

By George Day on April 24, 2025 On Watch with Peter Janssen, On Watch With Peter Janssen

Since 1999, the Swedish builder J Craft has been building classic ultra-luxury speedboats on an island near Gotland. Their 42-foot Torpedo is a hand-made collector’s item that evokes La Dolce Vita from the Riviera and the Gatsby Days on Long Island, New York. Torpedos have advanced, cored-fiberglass hulls and classic mahogany decks that are finished with 18 coats of hand-rubber lacquer and varnish. Her leather seats and bolsters are made from the finest leather and hand-stitched to perfection. At the end of a dock the boat shines like a precious jewel. But, with Swedish DNA –think sea-going Vikings—each Torpedo is…

Marex Introduces New 390 Family Cruiiser

By George Day on April 10, 2025 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life, On Watch With Peter Janssen, On Watch with Peter Janssen

The Norwegian boat builder Marex, which launched its new partnership MarexUSA at the Palm Beach show last month, announced last week that they are adding a new 39-footer to their line. The new design will be known as the Marex 390 and will complement the 330 and 430. While this two-cabin express cruiser bears the family resemblance of her sister ships, her lines are more futuristic and the salon windows and the hull glazing have been endowed with curves and angles in the modern European style. Founded in 1973 and still family owned, Marex has long been a respected player…

Innovative Sirena 60 to Launch in July 2025

By George Day on April 3, 2025 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life, On Watch With Peter Janssen, On Watch with Peter Janssen

Following the announcement in January that Sirena Yachts was retiring the 58 and replacing it with the all-new 60, few details were available so our initial preview was brief. Since then, Sirena has released more information and a host of renderings of the new design that reveal its character and many interesting details. Designed by German Frers, the new 60 is a long-range cruiser with a three-cabin, three-head layout. Plus, a crew’s cabin can be tucked in under the cockpit. Sirena is striving for a boat that can operate in three different modes. At efficiency speeds, the 60 will have…

Regent Craft Sea Trials Prototype of the All-Electric Viceroy Seaglider

By George Day on March 28, 2025 Cruising Life, On Watch with Peter Janssen, On Watch With Peter Janssen

Here’s a story that piques my imagination since I am a fan of all things nautical and love innovation. In early March, Regent Craft, a Rhode Island based start-up, launched its first full-scale protype of the all-electric, 12-passenger Viceroy seaglider. They named the craft Paladin, i.e., a defender of a noble cause. At 55-feet in length and with a wingspan of 65 feet, the design is the largest all-electric flying machine ever built and represents a significant technological breakthrough. The prototype will initially spend several months of in-the-water and foiling trials as all systems and critical software are tested and refined.…

Marex Launches in USA at Palm Beach Boat Show This Week

By George Day on March 20, 2025 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life, On Watch With Peter Janssen, On Watch with Peter Janssen

The Norwegian builder of fine family cruisers has a fleet of its unique and innovative designs at the Palm Beach International Boat Show this week as they launch Marex USA with American partner Chris Hughes. In the fleet at Palm Beach, the Marex 330 Scandinavian is a perfect example of what makes the Marex line so special. First of all, at 35-feet overall, the 330 packs a huge amount of living space and relaxing areas into a relatively compact envelope. This is accomplished in a number of subtle ways. The hull form has full sections forward and fairly high freeboard…

Hinckley Feeds the Need for Speed, Introduces 53-knot 41 Outboard

By George Day on March 13, 2025 Cruising Life, On Watch with Peter Janssen, On Watch With Peter Janssen

This week, Hinckley Yachts of Portsmouth, Rhode Island Introduced a Hinckley Picnic Boat on steroids. The new 41-footer, based on the successful launch of the 39 last summer, has all of Hinckley’s classic Down East looks with the gleam of an impeccable hull finish and the teak trim and tables shining with a dozen coats of varnish. But it also has three outboards that will give it a top end of 53 knots. “The Hinckley 41 is for those who desire the thrill of outboard power while embracing the artistry and pedigree that define our brand,” said Gavin McClintock, CEO…

Stylish, New Grand Banks 62 to Debut at Palm Beach Show

By George Day on March 6, 2025 Cruising Life, On Watch With Peter Janssen, On Watch with Peter Janssen

The new Grand Banks 62 that will make its American debut at this month’s Palm. Beach Boat Show was designed to replace the highly successful GB 60 and continues the evolution of the Grand Banks design philosophy that began when CEO Mark Richards, founder of Palm Beach Yachts, assumed leadership of the brand. Founded in 1953, Grand Banks pioneered the trawler-cruising market with handsome, traditional designs that cruised efficiently at eight knots. The Grand Banks 36, the original model, became the archetype for all the cruising trawlers that followed. Today, eight knots does not meet the needs of all modern…

USS United States Nears Destination in Alabama. Track Progress

By George Day on February 27, 2025 Cruising Life, On Watch with Peter Janssen, On Watch With Peter Janssen

Last week, the USS United States was towed from her berth in Philadelphia, where she has been moored since 1997 and began her last journey to a shipyard in Mobile, Alabama. The greatest ocean liner ever built in America, the majestic ship, now in disrepair, will spend a year being stripped and decontaminated before being scuttled off Destin-Fort Walton Beach, Florida, to become the largest man-made reef in the world. The ship is being towed by a mighty ocean-going tug with a 5,600 horsepower engine and shepherded by two assistant tugs. The route took them down Delaware Bay, south to…

Outer Reef Introduces New 540 Adventure

By George Day on February 20, 2025 Cruising Life, On Watch with Peter Janssen, On Watch With Peter Janssen

This week Outer Reef Yachts announced the introduction of the new 540 Adventure. The new boat follows in the wake of the 780 Adventure that was introduced last summer. Like the bigger model, the new 54-footer will be built in The Netherlands. The new 540 was designed by the Dutch firm Bern Weel Design and carries the same purposeful, expedition styling as the 780. It will be built in fiberglass, with Divinicell coring above the waterline and in the deck and super structure. Powered by twin Volvo D8-600 engines with conventional straight shafts, the new boat will have a range…

Browsing: On Watch With Peter Janssen