On Watch with Peter Janssen

Aspen Power Cat Cruises 1,092 Miles Through Canada’s Wild Northwest Territories to the Arctic Ocean

By Peter Janssen on July 11, 2019 On Watch with Peter Janssen

You don’t need to ask Larry Graf what he did on his summer vacation this year. Graf, the president and “chief adventurer” of Aspen Power Catamarans, and Peter Robson, a Canadian journalist, drove a new 34-foot, twin outboard Aspen 1,092 miles down the Mackenzie River through Canada’s remote and wild Northwest Territories – where there are more bears than people – to the Arctic Ocean. The trip took six days and 22 hours. The Mackenzie is the largest river in Canada, and the second largest in North America, after the Mississippi (see the map, below). There are no electronic charts for…

We Test the New MJM 53z: Fast, Fun and Elegant

By Peter Janssen on July 3, 2019 On Watch with Peter Janssen

It’s one thing to read about a new boat. It’s quite another to actually drive it. I certainly had expected to enjoy the new long, low, elegant MJM 53z, with its four 400-hp Mercury Verado outboards. After all, I’d already driven its predecessor, the MJM 50z, with three 435-hp Volvo IPS600 pod drives, as well as every other MJM model. But once I got behind the wheel of the 53z I realized it was even better – and a lot more fun – than I had anticipated. One of the main reasons outboards have become so popular lately, even on…

Nordhavn Building New 41 in Turkey. Around the World, Anyone?

By Peter Janssen on June 27, 2019 On Watch with Peter Janssen

Here’s big news for Nordhavn fans. The company is building a new Nordhavn 41 in Turkey, and it’s going to be ready to cruise around the world. Indeed, Nordhavn says the new 41 will be “the most capable, efficient, safe and sea-kindly passagemaker ever built.” The 41 certainly comes with a rich heritage. Nordhavn put power cruising on the map when its 40 went 24,000 nm around the world in 2001-2002. Since then Nordhavns, with models now ranging from 47 to 120 feet, have gone more than seven million nm in ocean crossings. In keeping with that tradition, the new…

Silent-Yachts Launches New Solar-Electric, Ocean-Going, 55-Foot High-End Cat

By Peter Janssen on June 20, 2019 On Watch with Peter Janssen

Silent-Yachts is introducing the new version of its Silent 55 solar-electric catamaran at the Cannes Yachting Festival starting Sept. 10, with a revised drive train, more battery power, lower noise levels, and e-motors that are twice as powerful as the ones on the original boat. The Austrian company says it’s the first and only ocean-going solar-electric production catamaran in the world. The new cruiser is self-sufficient with virtually unlimited range and silent propulsion. It has no vibration, fumes or lingering carbon footprint. Michael Köhler, the company’s founder and CEO, says, “Silent-Yachts sets the standard for an entirely new dynamic in…

Bumfuzzle Cruises Up the Rio Dulce in Guatemala for Hurricane Season

By Peter Janssen on June 13, 2019 On Watch with Peter Janssen

There won’t be any more blue salt water for Bumfuzzle, the well-traveled 1984 Grand Banks 42 owned by Patrick Schulte and his wife, Ali, for a while. The boat’s now on the definitely green and fresh water of Rio Dulce in Guatemala, surrounded by a steamy tropical rain forest, and they’ll stay there for the rest of the hurricane season. The Schultes and their children, Ouest, 9, and Lowe, 7, cruised down to Mexico from Key West six months ago. When we last checked in with them in April, they were heading south from Isla Mujeres, looking for a change…

Vintage cars drive by the passengers cruise ship MSC Opera in Havana, Cuba, September 30, 2017. REUTERS/Alexandre Meneghini - RC19C7F489E0

New Travel Ban on Cruising to Cuba

By Peter Janssen on June 6, 2019 On Watch with Peter Janssen

About 20 years ago, I cruised to Cuba with Scott Porter, the president of Formula, on one of his new 40-foot cruisers, and it was one of the best trips ever. We did it right. From the time we docked at Marina Hemingway, when were checked in by two Cuban officers in combat boots and Fidel-type fatigues, to when we were checked back into the U.S. by the Coast Guard in Key West, we played by the rules; we had all the proper paperwork, the appropriate clearances. I’ve always wanted to go back to Cuba, but the rules kept changing,…

Beneteau Swift Trawler Hits Log Off Oregon, Gets New Prop from France, Cruises to San Diego

By Peter Janssen on May 30, 2019 On Watch with Peter Janssen

The Beneteau Swift Trawler 47 just arrived in San Diego, completing its Swift Pacific Adventure down the Pacific coast from Seattle, but not without a hiccup – or more precisely, a run-in with a submerged log – that caused some delay. The Swift Trawler left Seattle in early May and headed up Puget Sound, across the Strait of Juan de Fuca and into the Pacific. All was well for the first few days, even when running through 12-14 foot rollers on the nose, until the boat headed into Newport, Oregon, for a crew change. The original plan was to refuel…

Six Boats in Slowboat Flotilla Cruising Up Inside Passage to Sitka, Alaska

By Peter Janssen on May 23, 2019 On Watch with Peter Janssen

The annual Slowboat Flotilla is heading up the Inside Passage, expecting to reach Sitka, Alaska, around June 5. The trip up the Inside Passage, from Seattle to Alaska, is an awe-inspiring voyage, with majestic vistas of snow-capped mountains, tumbling waterfalls, deep-blue water, remote coves and the possibility of the sudden appearance of whales, eagles and bears. And then there are the open water passages where the next land to the west is across the Pacific in Asia. You can do the Inside Passage on your own, or in a group, such as the Slowboat Flotilla. I’ve done it both ways,…

Palm Beach Launches New Flagship 70: An Elegant, Fast and Efficient Cruiser

By Peter Janssen on May 16, 2019 On Watch with Peter Janssen

Palm Beach Motor Yachts just launched its new flagship 70 in Malaysia, with the same beautiful lines as the 65, but with more room inside. It also has the signature Palm Beach warped hull, which cuts through the water so efficiently that it leaves almost no wake behind. Powered by twin 1,000-hp Volvo IPS1350 pod drives, the new 70 is expected to top out at 38 knots, and cruise at 32 knots. “The Palm Beach 70 was born from customer demand – they wanted a larger Palm Beach Motor Yacht,” said Mark Richards, the founder and CEO of Palm Beach…

Brand New Ranger Tugs 41 Flagship: Two-Stateroom, Two-Head Family Cruiser with IPS Performance

By Peter Janssen on May 8, 2019 On Watch with Peter Janssen

Ranger Tugs has just launched its new flagship, a 41-foot family cruiser with two staterooms, two heads, and Volvo Penta IPS performance. The R-41 also has enough amenities to furnish a New York apartment, including standard washer and dryer, three AC units and three refrigerators. The 41 is Ranger’s largest boat yet – by a long shot. Until now, the Ranger Tugs line went from 23 to 31 feet. Ranger Tugs, along with Cutwater Boats, are made by Fluid Motion in Washington State, one of the most successful builders in the U.S. Ranger and Cutwater have well-earned reputations for building…

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