On Watch with Peter Janssen

Norway Euthanizes Freya. Questions Follow

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

The Norwegian government euthanized Freya, the 1,300-pound walrus who became a beloved media celebrity by climbing on boats around Oslo, earlier this week. They said they acted because too many people insisted on getting too close Freya, including people swimming near her to take selfies and throw things at her. The Norwegian Directorate of Fisheries said that euthanizing Freya was their only option when people did not heed the directorate’s warnings to leave the wild animal alone. “We have great regard for animal welfare,” said Frank Vakke-Jensen, the head of the directorate, “but human life and safety must take precedence.”…

Elling Launches New 65 Long-Range Cruiser

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

Elling Yachts in The Netherlands has launched its new flagship, a 65-foot, luxurious long-range cruiser. Powered by a single 900-hp Volvo, the new E6 has a range of 2,500 at 9 knots, and 1,000 nm at 15 knots. That’s enough, the company says, to cruise from Amsterdam to Iceland on one tank of fuel. Even if Iceland is not on your cruising plans, you can still go from New York to Miami, say, without bothering to stop at a fuel dock along the way. And, with Elling’s low-slung profile, you could even duck inside and go under some bridges on…

Seakeeper Launches New Boat Leveling System

By Peter Janssen on August 2, 2022 On Watch with Peter Janssen

Seakeeper just launched its new Ride, a boat-leveling system that eliminates up to 70 percent of a boat’s pitch and roll underway on boats up to 35 feet. Seekeeper is calling Ride a Vessel Attitude Control System; it uses two controllers that are mounted on the transom below the waterline and generate lift by intercepting the flow of water as it leaves the hull. They use proprietary sensing to measure how the boat is behaving and then deploy rotary blades to counteract the boat’s pitch, roll and yaw. They are different from trim tabs or vertical interceptors. The Seakeeper’s rotary…

Fluid Motion Launches New Solara Line

By Peter Janssen on July 27, 2022 On Watch with Peter Janssen

Fluid Motion, the Kent, Washington, company that makes Ranger Tugs and Cutwater Boats, just announced that it’s launching a new brand, called Solara, starting with four trailerable models with innovative and versatile layouts. “Solara is our new luxury adventure line of boats that are fast, fun, and ready for action,” says John Livingston, the president of Solara Boats (and Fluid Motion). “These new boats are turn-key, so owners can start having fun the moment their boat hits the water.” The first four boats are the Solara 250 Coupe (pictured below), Solara 250 Center Walkaround, Solara 250 Dual Console, and the…

Sabre Launches New (Classic) 43 SE

By Peter Janssen on July 20, 2022 Boat Reviews, On Watch with Peter Janssen

Sabre just launched its brand-new 43 Salon Express, a classic Sabre with Downeast lines outside and state-of-the-art power and high-tech networking inside. To introduce it latest cruiser, Sabre held an open house for dealers and customers in Portland, Maine, not far from the Sabre factory. My Cruising Odyssey partner, George Day, was there, and reported back that the 43 has everything you’d expect in a new Sabre, while “the fit and finish of hull number one are impeccable.” The new 43 is designed for a couple or a small family, and it can handle everything from cocktail cruises around the…

Nordhavn 40 “Embracing Life” Crosses Atlantic

By Peter Janssen on July 13, 2022 On Watch with Peter Janssen

On Tuesday, Philippe Guglielmetti, 50, landed in Barcelona, Spain, some 4,300 nm from his starting point in Miami, on his Nordhavn 40 Embracing Life. An Atlantic crossing is a major event for anyone, but particularly for Guglielmetti, who has been in a wheelchair since May, 2015, when he suffered a hemorrhagic stroke. An adventuresome spirit, Guglielmetti, who lives next to a canal in Miami, wanted to cross the ocean on his own boat. He bought the Nordhavn, a 2001 model, in February, and had it outfitted so he could be comfortable on board, adding a helm chair, active stabilizers and…

Driver Ejected; Boat Circles. See Video

By Peter Janssen on July 12, 2022 On Watch with Peter Janssen

Two boaters who were ejected from their 24-foot center console in Marshfield, Massachusetts, were rescued by a good Samaritan nearby, but their boat kept running in a “circle of death” until Sea Tow managed to foul the prop and pull the emergency cut-off switch. A dramatic video by the Marshfield Police Department shows the boat continuing to run in a tight circle after the boaters were ejected and saved. (You can see the video below.) The police said the problems started about 10 in the morning when the harbor master got a call from Dana Blackman, the captain of the…

Iguana Launches New 30-foot Sport Amphib

By Peter Janssen on July 5, 2022 On Watch with Peter Janssen

Iguana just launched its latest amphibian, a 30-foot Sport model that can hold 12 passengers and hit a top speed of 4 mph on the ground and 48 knots on the water. The new Iguana from the innovative French builder is designed with an open deck layout and is meant to be able to cruise in comfort and style. There’s seating all around, with two at the helm, more forward, and even more in the U-shaped settee aft. The Sport has a 10-foot beam, so it offers a stable ride offshore, and it can hold up to twin 350-hp outboards.…

U-Boat Worx Plans 115-foot Super Sub

By Peter Janssen on June 29, 2022 On Watch with Peter Janssen

U-Boat Worx, the Dutch company that’s been making personal submersibles since 2005, just unveiled plans for a 115-foot electric super-sub that it says “has been designed to host the most prestigious and memorable events on the planet.” That may be a bit of hyperbole, but the new UWEP, or Under Water Entertainment Platform, would certainly let you channel your inner James Bond, at the very least. It can hold 120 passengers (plus crew), cruise underwater for up to 24 hours at 4 knots, and dive down to 650 feet, all under battery power. The company suggests that the UWEP could…

Sleek New Q52 from Vripack and Qnatic

By Peter Janssen on June 22, 2022 On Watch with Peter Janssen

The sleek, stunning, head-turning Q52 from Vripac, the Dutch design studio, was originally meant to be a superyacht tender, but it can just as easily serve as a weekend (or longer) luxury cruiser. The boat was built by Qnatic, the Dutch family-owned yard, and it has a large owner’s cabin that can sleep two (with a double bed that can be converted to two twins, if necessary), plus a forward dinette that can sleep two more on a U-shaped couch that converts to a double bed. A glass shading wall separates the large shower from the day head. Vripack says…

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