On Watch With Peter Janssen

Outer Reef Introduces New, Steel Expedition-Capable Adventure 780

By George Day on October 9, 2024 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life, On Watch With Peter Janssen, On Watch with Peter Janssen

Here’s an announcement from Outer Reef Yachts that will really catch the eye of cruisers who are seeking true seafaring expeditions to the earth’s far corners aboard a vessel that is a special combination of strength, seakeeping-ability, self-suffiency and luxury. Enter the new Adventure 780 that was introduced to the world this week. The new design, which is the first in Outer Reef’s new Adventure series, is the first new yacht to emerge from the recent merger between Outer Reef and the Dutch shipyard Lynx Yachts. The 780 is now in build in The Netherlands and will be ready to…

New Sabre 51 Salon Express Design Preview

By George Day on October 3, 2024 Cruising Life, On Watch With Peter Janssen, On Watch with Peter Janssen

At the Newport International Boat Show in September, Sabre Yachts announced the design completion of their brand-new Sabre 51 Salon Express. An all-weather couple’s cruising boat, the design emphasizes entertaining, weekending and ultimately long-term living aboard and cruising. It is always exciting news when this highly respected Maine builder of Downeast-style cruising boats comes out with a new design since the company has been a trend setter for more than 40 years. The new boat will fit neatly between the 48SE and the 58SE The new 51 is the fruit of a deep-dive, information gathering process to find out just…

Azimut and Volvo Partner to Create All-New Hybrid Propulsion System

By George Day on September 26, 2024 On Watch with Peter Janssen, On Watch With Peter Janssen

At the Cannes Boat Show in early September, Azimut and Volvo introduced the all-new diesel-electric propulsion system that the engine manufacturer has been working on for years and which Azimut has selected to power its brand-new 72-foot Seadeck 7. Unlike current marine hybrid propulsion systems, the new Volvo engines operate in much the same way automotive hybrids. The engines switch from diesel to electric as the loads change. When you accelerate, the diesels kick in and when you level off at cruising speed and further acceleration is not needed the diesels switch off and the electric motors take over while…

Beneteau Swift Trawler 54 Debuts at Cannes Boat Show

By George Day on September 19, 2024 On Watch With Peter Janssen, On Watch with Peter Janssen

While at the Cannes show last week, I had a chance to spend an hour with Eric LeVine, Benteau’s. director of sales and marketing for all of their in-board power cruisers, aboard the new Swift Trawler 54. The 54 is the sixth model in the Swift Trawler line and fits neatly between the ST48 and the ST62. The 54 is a big boat with high topsides and very full hull sections that create a huge amount of interior volume. Beneteau is stressing their commitment to indoor-outdoot living and a close connection with the marine environment. The aft cockpit is spacious…

Fountaine Pajot Announces New Code 07 Cruising Powercat Series in Cannes

By George Day on September 9, 2024 On Watch With Peter Janssen, On Watch with Peter Janssen

One Monday, September 9, at the Cannes Boat Show in the South of France, French catamaran builder Fountaine Pajot announced that they will expand their partnership with French power-boat builder Couach to create an entirely new line of cruising power cats to be called the Code 07 series. Fountaine Pajot has become one of the largest catamaran builders in the world with over 4,000 cats launched and now employing over 1,000 skilled craftsmen in their ever expanding French facilities. Couach began building boats in 1897 in France, developed some of the first marine engines and has since developed a worldwide…

Tiara to Build All-New 56 LS Luxury Sport Cruiser

By George Day on August 29, 2024 Cruising Life, On Watch With Peter Janssen, On Watch with Peter Janssen

This month, Tiara Yachts of Holland, Michigan, announced the introduction of the all new 56 LS Luxury Sport cruiser with four 600-horsepower Mercury Verado V-12s on it transom. The new 56 will join the 43 and 48LS in the builder’s outboard sport line Weighing in at 39,000 pounds and with a dead rise of 21 degrees in the deep V hull, the new 56 will be both very quick and provide a truly soft ride through chop and larger waves. The addition of an optional SeaKeeper stabilizer will add to that sense of stability. The 56 is designed for indoor-outdoor…

Science Explains the Waterspout that Sank the Bayesian

By George Day on August 22, 2024 On Watch With Peter Janssen, On Watch with Peter Janssen

One of the lead news stories of the week was the tragic and somewhat baffling capsize and sinking of the 183-foot yacht Bayesian near Porticello, Sicily, with the loss of seven souls. Fortunately, 15 of the 22 people on board survived. The consensus among Italian officials has solidified on the likelihood that the yacht was hit by a very local and very powerful waterspout that forced it over onto its side leading to massive flooding and ultimately, in minutes, to its sinking into 180 feet of water. Everyone has the same question: How could this have happened? I have cruised…

Beneteau to Build New Swift Trawler 54 Passagemaker

By George Day on August 15, 2024 Boat Reviews, On Watch With Peter Janssen

This year, Groupe Beneteau is celebrating its 140th year in the boat building business. Known as a builder of sailboats for most of that time, the expansion into the cruising powerboat world three decades ago certainly made waves across the boating market. The company’s Swift Trawler line helped define the market transition from 8-knot trawlers to roomy, ocean-going, trawler-like cruising boats that could run long distances at speeds in the mid-to-high teens. The new Swift Trawler 54 Passagemaker that the builder announced this summer will be the sixth model in the Swift Trawler line and fills a gap between the…

First Look at Hunt Yachts’ New Ocean 56

By George Day on August 8, 2024 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life, On Watch With Peter Janssen, On Watch with Peter Janssen

Here’s some good news. Hunt Yachts of Portsmouth, RI, has introduced the design for a new 56-footer in their Ocean series. The Hunt Associates design, with its patented Deep-V hull, includes all of the classic qualities that have made Hunt Yachts renown for their superb seakeeping abilities in all weather, high cruising speeds and elegant fit and finish. The 56 joins the Ocean 63, 68 and 76. The 56, which is in the final stages of the design process, will be offered with either a flybridge or as a coupe. The flybridge model will have a hard top for protection…

Arksen Nurtures the Spirit of Adventure

By George Day on August 1, 2024 On Watch With Peter Janssen

The British firm Arksen, based on the Isle of Wight, builds a range of aluminum Expedition motor yachts as well as smaller Adventure yachts. They also build custom overland expedition vehicles. In short, while Arksen builds boats and vans, it calls itself an adventure company. The Arksen 85 is their flagship and has been designed to be almost entirely self-sufficient and strong enough to withstand the rigors and the ice of high latitude cruising. Arksen’s philosophy of sustainability is built into each boat and vehicle. They build using 40 percent or more of recycled aluminum. They pitch the material as…

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