On Watch with Peter Janssen

What’s Next for Cuba?

By Peter Janssen on December 1, 2016 On Watch with Peter Janssen

What are the chances you’ll ever see the picture above, in person? It’s the entrance to Marina Hemingway, the largest marina in Cuba, lying about eight miles west of Havana and about 100 nm from Key West. Until the past few weeks, I’d say the chances were pretty good, if you had wanted to go there. Indeed, last year President Obama himself went to Cuba in an effort to normalize relations, the U.S. opened an embassy in Havana, and the Administration eased regulations restricting travel, banking and even recreational boating. It seemed that Cuba, with 3,000 miles of coastline, scores…

The First Thanksgiving

By Peter Janssen on November 23, 2016 On Watch with Peter Janssen

. The voyage from Plymouth, England, to Cape Cod took the Mayflower 66 days, and for most of them the 102 passengers and 30 crew on board were cold and miserable. The fall weather was often brutal, the aging 100-foot-long square rigger couldn’t sail into the prevailing westerlies, and it leaked. The Mayflower finally dropped anchor off Cape Cod on Nov, 27, 1620, and everyone spent that winter on the boat; half of them died of malnutrition or exposure. The next spring Squanto, a Pawtuxet who spoke English (he had been kidnapped by a British sea captain), got the Pilgrims…

Greenline 36 Hybrid: The Future of Boating?

By Peter Janssen on November 17, 2016 On Watch with Peter Janssen

Just introduced to the U.S. market at the Fort Lauderdale boat show, the new Greenline 36 Hybrid offers a combination of a totally silent 6.5-knot speed under electric power, or an 18-knot speed under traditional 220-hp Volvo diesel power (boosted to 25 knots with an optional 370-hp Yanmar). The reaction to the boat at the show, said Vladimir Zinchenko, the CEO of SVP Yachts of Slovenia, the new owner of Greenline, was “very good. People are much more comfortable with hybrid technology today. They love the environmentally friendly aspect and the idea behind Greenline.” I tested an earlier version of…

Looking Back at Lauderdale

By Peter Janssen on November 10, 2016 On Watch with Peter Janssen

Now that the largest show in the U.S. (with 1,500 boats worth $4 billion) has ended, it’s time for a recap. Was it fun? Yes, definitely. Over-the-top? Yes, definitely. Crowded? At times, but not all the time. Was it good for people who are buying and selling boats? Yes, no, and maybe. One thing was certain. The overwhelming optimism that grew out of the Newport and Annapolis shows earlier in the fall was not repeated, at least not across the board. The good news first. At Grand Banks and Palm Beach Yachts, Dave Northrop, VP of marketing, said it was…

Lauderdale Show Opens: Good Vibes, $4 Billion Worth of Boats, Plus Ferraris, Helicopters

By Peter Janssen on November 3, 2016 On Watch with Peter Janssen

. The iconic Fort Lauderdale show just got off to a good start, with blue skies, large crowds, and boats, boats and more boats. Indeed, at breakfast just before the show opened, Skip Zimbalist, who runs the show as the head of Show Management, said there were more boats than ever before, including eight over 200 feet, while advance ticket sales were up 20 percent from last year. The Lauderdale show, arguably the largest show in the United States, has seven locations with small boats, big boats, superyachts and all the appropriate toys. Zimbalist noted that a $7 million helicopter…

Welcome – Again

By Peter Janssen on October 27, 2016 On Watch with Peter Janssen

. We had so much fun the first time we decided to do it again. And again and again. Welcome to the second edition of Cruising Odyssey, our new, dynamic, free weekly e-newsletter and constantly updated website. The overwhelming reaction to our launch last week has been heart-warming; it seems that a lot of you share our idea of Living the Dream Under Power. So here we are again, as we plan to be every week for a long time to come. . Our launch of Cruising Odyssey, it seems, hit the right nerve at the right time. Indeed, many…

Welcome

By Peter Janssen on October 20, 2016 On Watch with Peter Janssen

. Welcome to the first edition of Cruising Odyssey, our new, dynamic, free weekly e-newsletter and constantly updated website aimed at celebrating the idea of Living the Dream Under Power. A totally digital enterprise, Cruising Odyssey offers an entirely new way to connect with those of us who cruise under power; we focus on pursuing the dream, whether that leads to the Great Loop, the Inside Passage, the Med, or hanging out on the hook in a favorite nearby cove. And it’s designed for the way we get information today: mobile, digital, immediate, worldwide and through social media. Sign up…

Popular Ranger Rendezvous in the San Juans

By Peter Janssen on September 13, 2016 On Watch with Peter Janssen

Here’s a great picture of the annual rendezvous of some 150 Ranger Tugs and Cutwater Boats at Roche Harbor in the San Juans, one of the biggest gatherings of boat owners in the United States at one of the best cruising destinations in the United States. To continue the superlatives, Fluid Motion, LLC, the parent company for Ranger and Cutwater, is one of the most successful boat companies in the United States – having started with a 21-Ranger Tug in 1999 and now producing hundreds of Rangers and Cutwaters in six factories throughout Washington State. (See our “Boat Reviews” section…

Nordhavns Set Two New Cruising Records

By Peter Janssen on August 23, 2016 On Watch with Peter Janssen

. If you have a Nordhavn, chances are you’re not going to sit home reading a book by the fire. Indeed, ever since a Norhavn 40 circled the world in 2002, Nordhavn owners have been among the most adventuresome of them all. Now, Nordhavns have set two new records: First, the Nordhavn 68 Migration has made it to Svalbard, Norway, at 80 degrees north the fourth-highest spot in the world. This is the farthest north any Nordhavn has ever gone. Migration will stay there for three more weeks or so, exploring the area and taking pictures of its exotic birds and…

Nordhavn’s Far-Flung Cruisers

By Peter Janssen on August 8, 2016 On Watch with Peter Janssen

So you want to go cruising – really go cruising. Not just for a long weekend or a two-week summer vacation, like most of us, but way, way out there. Nordhavns are built to take you anywhere you want to go, anywhere in the world. And Nordhavn owners are among the most adventuresome people on earth. They have goals, and they reach them. The company even has a Distance Pennant Program, launched eight years ago, to recognize – with incremental pennants – the number of miles Norhavn owners have cruised so far (the total: 5.5 million!). So now they’ve made…

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