Author Peter Janssen

Cruising Life
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Scientists Film Rare Giant Squid Swimming in Gulf of Mexico; First Sighting in Seven Years

A team of scientists funded by NOAA just recorded a video of a giant squid, the largest and rarely seen invertebrate on Earth, swimming in the Gulf of Mexico. It was the first giant squid sighting anywhere in the world in seven years. The deep-sea dwelling giant squid has been the subject of seamen’s lore and literature for centuries. The largest giant squid ever measured was 59 feet long and weighed about a ton. This one was probably a juvenile and only about 10 feet long. It was attracted to the video camera by a ring of LED lights at…

Cruising Life
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Dirona, a Nordhavn 52, Is One of the First American Boats To Cruise the Saimaa Canal in Russia and Finland

Very few Americans make it to the Saimaa Canal, a 26-mile body of water starting near Vyborg, Russia, and ending in Finland’s lake country, with a series of 120 interconnected lakes and canals. Indeed, one local told James and Jennifer Hamilton on Dirona, their Nordhavn 52, that it was the first American boat there in the past 48 years. The Hamiltons, from Seattle, have been cruising since 2012 and already have one circumnavigation on Dirona under their belts. They plan to cruise in the Scandinavian countries this summer. Here is their log of cruising the Saimaa Canal: The Saimaa Canal, connecting Lake…

Cruising Life
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Larry Graf Starts Aspen’s Newest Adventure: 1,120 Miles Down the Mackenzie River to the Arctic Ocean

Larry Graf is at it again. The founder, chief designer and self-described “lead adventurer” of Aspen Power Catamarans is just starting his Aspen Arctic Adventure, cruising some 1,120 miles down the Mackenzie River in Canada’s remote Northwest Territories to the Arctic Ocean. First, he has to trailer his ride, a 34-foot Aspen L107, 1,171 miles from the Aspen factory in Burlington, Washington, to Hay River and the Mackenzie. The Mackenzie River is the longest river in Canada, and the second largest in North America, after the Mississippi. It flows through a region with few people but lots of forests and…

Cruising Life
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“The Maritime Rescue Doctrine” and Other Things to Remember from the Coast Guard

Coast Guard Reminds Mariners of Boating Etiquette Jun 18th, 2019 · 0 Comment A crew member of the 52-foot Motor Life Boat Intrepid heaves a life-ring in Yaquina Bay, Ore U.S. Coast Guard file photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Trevor Lilburn. As the summer heats up and boaters take to the water, the Coast Guard is responding to an increased number of preventable incidents and Good Samaritans are lending a hand. “Most drowning and near-drowning incidents are preventable, if people used proper precautions,” said Capt. Olav Saboe, commander of Coast Guard Sector North Bend. “To reduce the risk of…

Cruising Life
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How To Install Solar Power on Your Boat

Here’s some very good advice, from Brad Roberts at Power Boating Canada, about how to put solar power on your boat. Some basic and easy-to-understand information here: A DIY real-life solution to your power issues. By Brad Roberts Solar panels charge a battery-powered boat lift. I was first introduced to solar power by a boater friend in our marina. This was many years ago, and solar has come a very long way since then, but he had a small rigid solar panel laid on his helm under the windshield and connected directly to his batteries. It worked, admittedly crudely, as a…

Cruising Life
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Mercury Racing Launches New 450-hp Outboards; More Power, More Torque, Less Weight

Mercury Racing just upped the ante in the high-performance outboard engine game, introducing a 450-hp supercharged beast with what it says is the best power-to-weight ratio in the industry. Indeed, the new 450R weighs just 698 pounds, about the same as Merc’s formerly most-powerful 400-hp outboard, and several hundred pounds less than the competition, according to Mercury. “It’s raw performance in a premiere package,” says Stuart Halley, the general manager of Mercury Marine. Outboards are an increasingly popular power choice in a wide variety of boats. Even such traditional Down East builders as Hinckley, Sabre, Wilbur and MJM are building…

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

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…

Cruising Life
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New Absolute 58 Navetta: Aggressive Lines, Italian Styling and IPS Performance

The new Absolute 58 Navetta is an Italian-made cruiser with strong, aggressive lines and Volvo’s IPS pod drive performance. The contemporary European-styled interior is luxurious, bright and made for cruising comfort on board. The Navetta’s large hull-side and salon windows alone give the boat a distinctive look, but so does the plumb bow, the high topsides and super-sized swim platform. And there are major social and entertaining areas basically from stem to stern; it would be hard not to enjoy your time on this boat. You can walk on the 58 Navetta from the teak swim platform and up three…

Cruising Life
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Simrad and B&G Announce New VHF Radios that Transmit and Receive AIS

In a major boost to cruising safety, Simrad Yachting and B&G have just announced new VHF radios that both transmit and receive AIS data. The companies say these are the first radios with this capability. The radios will start shipping in June, with a retail price of $1,099. Both Simrad and B&S are part of Navico, and the new radios look the same and have the same features. The Simrad is called the RS40-B, while the B&G version is the V60-B. They have wireless handset capability, removeable mic, Class D DSC functionality, built-in GPS and a Class B AIS transceiver.…

Cruising Life
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BVI Update: What’s Open (A Lot), and What’s To Come

BVI Update – Latest BVI News Published: June 17, 2019    Tina Huewe   Comments Almost 2 years have passed since Hurricanes Irma and Maria swept through the Caribbean. For many months after, we worried and answered questions like “So how are things?” and “What’s open?” when customers inquired about their favorite snorkeling spots, beach bars, and restaurants in the British Virgin Islands. By now it’s luckily much easier to compose a short list of businesses that have NOT yet reopened than citing the hundreds of establishments that are back to business as usual and that every day welcome yachtsmen from…

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