On Watch with Peter Janssen

Ever Forward Pilot on Cell Phone: Coast Guard

By Peter Janssen on December 7, 2022 On Watch with Peter Janssen

There’s a moral here for all of us. The Coast Guard just issued its report about the grounding of the 1,095-foot-long Ever Forward in the Chesapeake last March, and it’s devastating. Its conclusion: The grounding was caused by the “failure to maintain situational awareness and attention while navigating, and inadequate bridge resource management.” The problem: The pilot was on his cell phone. But he was hardly alone. The ship’s master had left the bridge half an hour before the grounding to get dinner, but still on the bridge, along with the pilot, were the Third Officer, a Deck Cadet, and…

Hurricane Season Ends. Good Riddance!

By Peter Janssen on December 1, 2022 On Watch with Peter Janssen

The deadly and devastating 2022 Atlantic hurricane season just ended on November 30, and hundreds of thousands of people (or more) are saying none too soon. The impact from Hurricanes Ian, Nicole and Fiona in Florida and Puerto Rico will last for years. In Florida, 148 people died from Hurricane Ian alone, and the destruction was estimated at $50 billion. NOAA says the hurricane season this year produced 14 named storms (with winds of 39 mph or more); eight of them became hurricanes (with winds of 74 mph or more), and two became major hurricanes (with winds of 111 mph…

Magnolia Building New Retro-Trawler

By Peter Janssen on November 14, 2022 On Watch with Peter Janssen

Magnolia Yachts, a new Turkish yard, just announced that they’re building their first boat, a 78-foot mahogany trawler with some retro looks and what the company calls “megayacht ergonomics” throughout. The new yacht, called Magnolia One, has three cabins below for six guests plus two more for three crew. It’s powered by twin 600-hp Cummins diesels, producing a top speed of 14 knots, a cruising speed of 12 knots, and a range of 2,200 nm at 9 knots. Magnolia was started in 2019 by the fourth generation owners of the Yardimci Shipping Group, a commercial ship builder. With a yard…

Prize-Winning Bronson 50 Comes to U.S.

By Peter Janssen on November 9, 2022 On Watch with Peter Janssen

The prize-winning and tough Bronson 50 from the Dutch builder Steeler Yachts just made its U.S. debut at the Fort Lauderdale show. The high-performance cruiser was already named the Dutch Powerboat of the Year when it was launched two years ago, and it was a finalist for the European Powerboat of the Year last year. The Bronson comes with a back story. The CEO of Steeler is a big fan of Charles Bronson, the American tough-guy actor. In 2008, he wanted to spin off a new company, making tough, aluminum-hulled luxury cruisers, and Bronson Marine was the result. The Bronson…

Report from FLIBS: An “Incredible” Success

By Peter Janssen on November 2, 2022 Ft Lauderdale Boat Show, On Watch with Peter Janssen

The five-day Fort Lauderdale boat show, billed as the largest in-water boat show in the world, is now in the rear-view mirror, and it was a resounding success. Despite its massive numbers, about 1,000 boats from megayachts to 9-foot RIBs and some 100,000 visitors, I always think of the Lauderdale show as fun. It usually has more superyachts than most other shows, and it has more over-the-top toys and yachting accoutrements than other shows, and this year was no exception. When the show opened, for example, I visited with Roy Heijdra, the marketing manager for U-Boat Worx, the Dutch company…

Zeelander Rebrands with a New Sensuous Look

By Peter Janssen on October 24, 2022 Boat Reviews, On Watch with Peter Janssen

Zeelander, the high-end Dutch yard, is going for what it calls a sensuous new contemporary look, starting with its new almost-56-foot Zeelander 6. It just delivered hull number one with a paint job that matched the color of the owner’s Ferrari Superfast 812. “Our boats still offer the unmatched comfort and performance for which Zeelander is known across the world,” said Sietse Koopmans, who founded the company in 2008. “But with the launch of the first Zeelander 6, we are shifting the dial from retro classic towards a more timeless contemporary design.” After consulting with clients, Zeelander decided to undertake…

Crab fleet in Dutch Harbor, Alaska. Photo: US Coast Guard; Holly Hugunin

Alaska Cancels Snow Crab Season

By Peter Janssen on October 18, 2022 Cruising Life, On Watch with Peter Janssen

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game just cancelled this year’s snow crab season in the Bering Sea for the first time ever. It said that 90 percent of the snow crab population has been lost in the past few years, probably as a result of warmer waters and climate change. The current number of crabs, the department said, is below the threshold for opening the fishery. The annual season usually opens on Oct. 15. The snow crab fleet consists of about 65 boats; some of them are in the Coast Guard’s picture of Dutch Harbor, above. The crabbers and…

Hunt Launches New Ocean 68 Flybridge

By Peter Janssen on October 16, 2022 On Watch with Peter Janssen

Hunt has launched its new Ocean 68 Flybridge yacht, the latest in the legendary builder’s line of classic, sea-kindly Down East cruisers.The Ocean 68 has a large extended flybridge, a custom interior, and the deep-V hull that provides a fast, safe and soft ride offshore in all kinds of conditions. Hunt’s Ocean series already has a 56, 63, and 76; the new 68 is designed to fill the gap between the 63 and the 76. All the boats are designed to provide the best ride in their size range. The 68 gets up on plane easily, and provides a dry,…

Largest-Ever Lauderdale Show Starts Oct. 26

By Peter Janssen on October 9, 2022 Ft Lauderdale Boat Show, On Watch with Peter Janssen

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…

Ian Takes Terrible Toll on Southwest Florida

By Peter Janssen on October 6, 2022 On Watch with Peter Janssen

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…

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