On Watch with Peter Janssen

New Bering 70 Takes 1,200-nm, 12-Day Summer Cruise

By Peter Janssen on August 25, 2020 On Watch with Peter Janssen

In a successful effort to show what’s possible in a 12-day cruise, the leaders of Bering Yachts took a new Bering 70 steel-hulled expedition yacht on a 1,200 nm trip around Turkey’s Turquoise and Aegean coasts earlier this summer. With a two-person crew moving the yacht at night, they spent the days exploring historic sites, visiting waterfront restaurants, swimming in remote coves, and generally having the time of their lives. (See the video below.) Berings are built in Antalya, Turkey, and the cruise started and ended there. Alexey Mikhailov, the company’s president, said, “We wanted to demonstrate that a fast…

New 60-foot Luxury Cat Carries a Mini Sub

By Peter Janssen on August 19, 2020 On Watch with Peter Janssen

Officina Armare, the upscale Italian design firm, has just unveiled its latest head-turning custom yacht: a 60-foot luxury catamaran called Project Aquanaut that carries its own two-person submarine. The design studio says it was “heavily influenced” by the looks of a Ford Bronco, and calls the new 45-knot cat an SUV of the sea. The cat does have a low, sporty, boxy, and very aggressive profile, and it’s clearly meant for versatility and adventure. It will be built to order by Licia Yachts in Turkey. Powered by twin 800-hp Volvo IPS1050 pod drives, the Aquanaut tops out at 45 knots…

No Boat Shows? The Boats Will Come To You

By Peter Janssen on August 13, 2020 On Watch with Peter Janssen

No boat shows? No problem. Many of the traditional fall boat shows have been closed, or changed to virtual, on-line versions of their past lives, fallen victim to the coronavirus pandemic. But boat companies are nothing if mobile, and if you can’t go to shows to see their new boats, they’ll bring their new boats to you. Or at least to a controlled space that’s relatively close to you. Here’s a look at what some of them are doing: Hinckley Yachts is hosting showcases in Portsmouth, Rhode Island, Stamford, Connecticut, and Annapolis. These will be semi-private, limited-access events, using Hinckley…

New 48 Wallytender: 55-Knots with 4 Merc Verados

By Peter Janssen on August 11, 2020 On Watch with Peter Janssen

The new 48 Wallytender X, powered by four 450-hp Mercury Verado R outboards, is designed for the U.S. market, particularly for the South Florida area, where its aggressive styling and 55-knot performance make it an easy fit. The 48 is the first Wally built since the Ferretti Group took over the Monaco-based company. An earlier version was powered by twin 480-hp Volvo IPS600 pod drives, and it topped out at abut 38 knots. Wally’s shift to outboard power is part of a major trend that’s been growing in the past few years, and includes such Downeast builders as Hinckley, MJM,…

“A Giant Pile of Broken Boats” in Southport, NC

By Peter Janssen on August 6, 2020 On Watch with Peter Janssen

Hurricane Isaias made landfall near Southport, North Carolina, and left a trail of damage and broken boats at two marinas there. WRAL News reported “a giant pile of broken boats” at the marinas, and boat owners reported looking around and trying to find their vessels in the debris. The storm skirted Florida; Sean Collins, the dockmaster at Vero Beach Municipal Marina, said one boat had a cleat pulled out there, and largely avoided Georgia, but it then slammed into the Southport area with 94-mph winds and a five-foot storm surge that simply stacked up water at Southport Marina and South…

Antique Boat Museum Holds Annual Boat Parade

By Peter Janssen on August 3, 2020 On Watch with Peter Janssen

Some traditions continue, even in a time of coronavirus. One of these is the annual boat parade in the Thousand Islands sponsored by the Antique Boat Museum in Clayton, New York. The parade this year, held last Saturday, involved some 20 boats, not quite as many as usual, and it had to operate only in American waters, since the border with Canada is still closed. And the Museum’s annual live auction of antique boats, which listed about 100 boats last year, only had seven this year, and it was virtual. Still, an antique boat parade is something to celebrate. The…

Cruising Through Alaska in a Time of Coronavirus

By Peter Janssen on July 29, 2020 On Watch with Peter Janssen

Jeff and Susie Parker hadn’t really planned it this way when they left Idyll Time, their 48-foot Kadey-Krogen, in Petersburg, Alaska, last October and flew home to Tennessee. They simply figured that leaving it there would give them a head start on cruising through Alaska once the season opened again this summer. As things turned out, that decision meant that they are able to enjoy the boat, and to cruise in Alaska now, even during the COVID-19 pandemic. Most cruisers in the Pacific Northwest aren’t able to go to Alaska because the U.S/Canadian border remains closed to nonessential travel. But…

New Saxdor 320: A Blend of Looks, Pedigree, and Price

By Peter Janssen on July 22, 2020 Boat Reviews, On Watch with Peter Janssen

Here’s a new boat that’s bound to get a lot of attention at the boat shows this fall, because of its looks, its pedigree, and its price. Take a first look at the head-turning Saxdor 320 GTO from the new Finnish company, Saxdor Yachts, founded just last November by Sakari Matilla, who previously was a founder of Axopar and several other boat companies. The Saxdor 320 GTO also is a product of the award-winning firm of J&J Design, which has worked on some of the best-selling sail and power boats for the past 36 years. And the Saxdor 320 GTO…

New Arksen 85 Expedition Yacht from Innovative Builder

By Peter Janssen on July 14, 2020 On Watch with Peter Janssen

Here’s a new expedition yacht from a fresh player in that market with deep pockets and a well-developed appreciation of both innovation and adventure. The Arksen 85, now being built on the Isle of Wight, is the brainchild of Jasper Smith, the tech entrepreneur who founded PlayJam, the world’s largest TV games network; he now wants to build an environmentally friendly series of expedition yachts that can take on rough waters anywhere in the world. The Arksen 85 is a different kind of yacht from a different kind of company. Arksen is planning three models, 70-, 85- and 100-footers that…

After One Baja Bash and 4,000 nm, Red Rover Comes Home

By Peter Janssen on July 8, 2020 On Watch with Peter Janssen

One Baja Bash and 4,000 nm later, Red Rover, the well-traveled 2005 Nordhavn 55, is back home in the United States after cruising in Mexico both before and during the time of coronavirus. Back in 2016, Kevin and Allison Jeffries, lifelong boaters, sold their house in Seattle and moved aboard Red Rover full time with their two shelter dogs, Zoe and Max. Their children were grown, and they’ve been cruising ever since. Last October, the Jeffries cruised down to Mexico; they went as far south as the far side of Puerto Vallarta before heading back to the Loreto in the…

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