On Watch with Peter Janssen

Coast Guard Families “Are Freaking Out” in Shutdown. “Bankruptcy Is a Last Option.”

By Peter Janssen on January 10, 2019 On Watch with Peter Janssen

The government shutdown is hitting the Coast Guard hard. In a week when the Coast Guard started its ice-breaking patrols on the Great Lakes, the 41,000 members of the Coast Guard are wondering whether they’ll get their next paycheck, scheduled for Jan. 15. Right now they’re working without pay. And they and their families are not happy. In Washington, the Coast Guard posted a five-page tipsheet on its website called “managing your finances during a furlough.” It suggested tutoring, “turning your hobby into income,” babysitting and holding garage sales. “Bankruptcy is a last option,” it said. The Coast Guard removed…

Veteran “Commuter Cruisers” Jan and David Irons Complete the Great Loop

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

By Peter A. Janssen Back in 2004, Jan and David Irons left Annapolis and headed south on their Passport 37 sloop. Over the next dozen years or so, they made it as far as Cartagena, Colombia, and back. Along the way, the Irons discovered that cruising year-round wouldn’t work for them. So they developed a schedule of “commuter cruising,” leaving the boat somewhere safe, coming back home for six months of normal family life and then returning for six more months of blue-water cruising. They even started a website, www.commutercruising.com. Somewhere along the way they also dreamed of doing the…

Experienced Cruisers Want To Explore Even More of Remote Alaska on their Nordhavn 52

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

Josh and Natasha Tofield know a good thing when they see it, both in terms of boats and in terms of destinations. They now own their second Nordhavn, a 52 named Samba, which they praise for its build and its seaworthiness, and they’re spending their cruising time in the far reaches of Alaska, in Kodiak, and even farther out, in Dutch Harbor. Indeed, since they bought their first Nordhavn, a 40, in 2005, they’ve cruised more than 30,000 miles between Seattle and Kodiak, spending time at some 450 different anchorages. The Tofields, retired from the practice of plastic surgery, live…

Bertram Continues Its Comeback with a Beautiful New 50 Express

By Peter Janssen on December 13, 2018 Boat Reviews, On Watch with Peter Janssen

By Peter A. Janssen It looks like Bertram has hit a home run with renderings of a beautiful new 50 Express, scheduled to be launched next spring. The 50, the company’s first express in many years, comes as Bertram is enjoying a remarkable turnaround under new leadership and a new plant. Indeed, the 50 will come on the heels of the successful launch of a new 61 in 2017 and the introduction of a new 35, meant to be a modern interpretation of the iconic Bertram 31, in 2016. Bertram once was one of the most celebrated brands in offshore…

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By Peter Janssen on December 6, 2018 On Watch with Peter Janssen

12 Great New Boating Holiday Gifts from $80 to $6,911 By Peter A. Janssen The holidays are rapidly approaching, as is the age-old quandary of what to give to your boat-owning family or friends. Here are some ideas, from big to small, that may help. IRocker All-Around SUP Here’s an inflatable standup paddleboard that fits into a backpack but is stable enough to support 435 pounds (that should be enough for two of you). The board itself weighs just 27 pounds, but when you put it into its big blue backpack with its paddle, pump and fin, the entire package…

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By Peter Janssen on November 28, 2018 On Watch with Peter Janssen

Whatever Happened to Situational Awareness? By Peter A. Janssen Is anybody paying attention out there? A few alarming, and tragic, events recently make that question all too relevant. The most recent, and glaring, accident involved the collision of the 332-foot megayacht Attessa IV, one of the largest private yachts in the world, with a 65-foot wooden charter boat named Prowler, in the Pacific south of San Diego. The Coast Guard airlifted a seriously injured passenger off Prowler (see the picture above), but he died four hours later in a San Diego hospital. The Coast Guard is investigating the accident, but the…

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By Peter Janssen on November 20, 2018 Boat Reviews, On Watch with Peter Janssen

Sabre Moves Up. Here’s Much More About Its Big New 58 Salon Express, a 31-Knot Downeast Cruiser with State-of-the-Art Systems By Peter A. Janssen Sabre just started production of its newest model, the 58 Salon Express, a three-cabin, 31-knot cruiser that keeps the Maine builder’s traditional Downeast lines while adding state-of-the-art power and ship-control systems. The 58, which fits between Sabre’s 48 and flagship Dirigo 66, is scheduled to be launched late next year. The new Sabre has all the salty lines that have made the brand so popular in recent years: a clean, long sheerline, low profile and near-to-perfect…

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By Peter Janssen on November 15, 2018 Boat Reviews, On Watch with Peter Janssen

Beneteau Launches New Swift Trawler 47, Plans Major Expansion in U.S. By Peter A. Janssen Beneteau just launched its new Swift Trawler 47, a three-cabin, 25-knot, user-friendly family cruiser at the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show, where the French company also announced a major expansion in the U.S. market. It plans to build more outboard-powered pocket cruisers, as well as more of its Jeanneau cruisers, in its Michigan factory. But it was the new Swift Trawler that caught my eye, particularly since I had spent a week on board a Swift Trawler 34 a few years ago as part of…

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By Peter Janssen on November 8, 2018 On Watch with Peter Janssen

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By Peter Janssen on November 1, 2018 On Watch with Peter Janssen

Fort Lauderdale Report: First Day at FLIBS By Peter A. Janssen Walking down the Beneteau dock at the opening day of the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show was like running into a new, improved version of an old friend. I could almost hear the new Beneteau 47 Swift Trawler, which was making its U.S. debut at the show, calling my name. After all, I’ve had a soft spot in my heart for Beneteau’s Swift Trawler line ever since I took one around part of the Great Loop a few years ago. But that was a two-cabin, single-diesel 34. The new…

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