On Watch with Peter Janssen

On Watch

By Peter Janssen on November 23, 2017 On Watch with Peter Janssen

Will Boat Owners Lose a Tax Break? Or Will Tax Reform Put More Money in Your Pocket? By Peter A. Janssen Is owning a boat – or taking out a loan to own a boat – about to become more expensive? The answer is yes, according to the tax reform bill recently passed by the House. It would end the mortgage interest deduction for second homes (which also applies to boats and RVs, as long as they have facilities for sleeping, eating and bathing). The Senate version of the bill, passed by the Finance Committee last week, retains the current…

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By Peter Janssen on November 16, 2017 On Watch with Peter Janssen

The Best Boats for Cruising the Loop: From 86 to 25 Feet By Peter A. Janssen The wide – and healthy – variety of U.S. cruising, particularly Great Loop cruising, has come into focus recently with two unrelated events. On the one hand, at the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show, Outer Reef celebrated the debut of its 86-foot Deluxbridge Skylounge yacht, designed specifically for the Great Loop. On the other, Pat and Patty Anderson, a retired lawyer and school teacher from Birch Bay, Washington, celebrated their completion of the Loop, after 226 days, on their 12-year-old, 25-foot Cape Dory Daydream…

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By Peter Janssen on November 9, 2017 On Watch with Peter Janssen

Ensenada’s the Place to Be, with Pendana, Knot Wafflen’ and the CUBAR Boats All There at the Same Time By Peter A. Janssen One of the best things about cruising is the serendipity of it all. You never really know what’s going to happen next. One of the pleasures of cruising on a well-found boat is that you can act on a feeling, an impulse, or just a hope, and change course to take in something that looks new, different, enchanting. And you never know who you’ll run into along the way. That was certainly the case with James Ellingford,…

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By Peter Janssen on November 2, 2017 On Watch with Peter Janssen

Report from Fort Lauderdale: More Boats, More People and More Toys than Ever Before By Peter A. Janssen Put aside the super yachts with helicopters, or the 208-footer with six small boats (including a mahogany sloop) sitting as toys in the cockpit, or the 190-footer with the personal gym that slides out of its superstructure, or all the new Ferraris and Lambos parked along the face dock, the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show actually has a lot going on the for the rest of us. In fact, the opening day, helped along with gorgeous weather and a lot of people…

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By Peter Janssen on October 26, 2017 On Watch with Peter Janssen

Looking for Fort Lauderdale – and More Memories I couldn’t possibly count the number of times I’ve flown down to Fort Lauderdale. I know that I’ve been going to the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show for more than 30 years, and the new one, starting Nov. 1, will be one more trip there. And in the old days, before Twitter, my magazine, Motor Boating & Sailing, had an office in Lauderdale, so I flew down from New York about every other week. (Actually, for many years the office was in very good hands; Peter Truslow, now the president of Bertram,…

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By Peter Janssen on October 19, 2017 On Watch with Peter Janssen

SPECIAL REPORT: Fort Lauderdale Show, Plus Our Reviews of 34 New Boats You Can See There By Peter A. Janssen With new owners, new docks, new signs to help you get around and more boats than ever before, the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show will open at a new time this year, starting on Wednesday, Nov. 1 and running through Sunday, Nov. 5. And you need to put on your walking shoes. This year the show will have 1,500 boats at seven different locations, although the main event is still centered at the Bahia Mar Resort and Yachting Center, where…

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By Peter Janssen on October 12, 2017 On Watch with Peter Janssen

Enthusiasm Grows Across the Board Heading into Big Fort Lauderdale Show By Peter A. Janssen Now that the fall boat show season is well underway, it’s easy to see some trends, and to get a look at what cruising is going to look like in the years to come. For people who’ve been paying attention at least half-way, the trends are obvious: More outboard-powered boats, even among the most traditional of blue-blazer brands; more trailerable boats; more buyers who are downsizing; more cruisers who are seeking adventure; more attention (finally) to the ease-of-use factor, and more emphasis on enhancing the…

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By Peter Janssen on October 5, 2017 On Watch with Peter Janssen

Annapolis Powerboat Show: More New Boats Than Ever in Same Terrific Spot. See Our Reviews of 23 of Them By Peter A. Janssen The United States Powerboat Show Annapolis is always a popular show – for a whole lot reasons. It’s fun, it’s easy to get to, and it’s easy to enjoy. And it’s in Annapolis, the hub of the Chesapeake, a cruising mecca with boatyards and marinas – and waterfront restaurants and bars – all around. Centered around City Dock in the middle town, this year the show, the 46th annual, runs from Thursday, Oct. 12 through Sunday, Oct.…

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By Peter Janssen on September 28, 2017 On Watch with Peter Janssen

We Test the New Grand Banks 60: Fast and Smooth with Some Very Long Legs By Peter A. Janssen This is all you need to know about the gorgeous, all-new Grand Banks 60, the flagship of the legendary builder’s fleet: As we were cruising down Long Island Sound at 24 knots a few days ago, the ride was so smooth, so quiet and so comfortable, that Sue Weisman, the owner’s wife who had just spent a busy day provisioning her new boat, went below to take a shower. She emerged 15 minutes later, smiling and happy. No fuss, no muss,…

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By Peter Janssen on September 21, 2017 On Watch with Peter Janssen

Report from Newport: “Best Show Ever,” “Outstanding” and “Fantastic” By Peter A. Janssen The first show of the fall season, the Newport International Boat Show can serve as a bellwether for the coming year. And this year all the signs were good. Many new boats were introduced at the show – the Grand Banks 60, Sabre 45 Salon Express, Hinckley Dasher all-electric boat, MJM 35Z, Nordhavn 59 Coastal Pilot, Outer Reef 610, Beneteau Swift Trawler 35, and Hampton Endurance 658, among them. Nancy Piffard, the show director, said attendance was up 10 percent over the previous year. The show “was…

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