Author Peter Janssen

Cruising Life
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25,000 Barrels Perhaps With DDT Found Near Catalina

Here’s an alarming story from The Guardian. Researchers from the Scripps Institute of Oceanography just found about 25,000 barrels that might contain the toxic chemical DDT in the ocean near Catalina Island off Southern California. DDT has multi-generational impacts on humans and perhaps on marine animals as well. Marine scientists say they have found what they believe to be as many as 25,000 barrels possibly containing DDT dumped off the southern California coast near Catalina Island, where a massive underwater toxic waste site dating back to the Second World War has long been suspected. The 27,345 “barrel-like’” images were captured…

Cruising Life
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How To Dock in Strong Winds

Here’s some great advice about docking from the British magazine Motorboat & Yachting. Whether you’re new to boating, or an old salt, it helps to review some basic maneuvers, particularly docking in less than ideal conditions. Read on: Harbour manoeuvres are a common nightmare among boaters. The anxiety that often characterizes the minutes before the berthing manoeuvre passes with a little experience. But if this is true in normal conditions, things get more complicated when wind (especially crosswind) starts to blowing. The following are some experience-based tips which, however, are subject to an infinite number of variables, such as wind speed and direction, spaces…

Cruising Life
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Sargo Building New Flagship 45 All-Weather Cruiser

Sargo Boats in Finland just announced that they’re building a new 45 flagship, an all-weather, seakindly family cruiser with Volvo power and a top speed of 30 knots. Sargo expects to launch the boat in the summer of 2022. The new 45 is meant for safe cruising, even in rough conditions. The pilothouse offers protection from the elements in all types of weather, and the wide side decks, with high bulwarks, keep the crew safe at all times. I have some personal experience with Sargos. A few years ago, Billy Black, the photographer, and I cruised through mid-coast Maine on…

Cruising Life
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About 160 Right Whales Seen in Cape Cod Bay

At least 160 huge Atlantic right whales, representing more than 40 percent of the entire Atlantic right whale population, were spotted in Cape Cod Bay last week. There were so many that the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries urged boaters to travel at speeds of 10 knots or less in the area until May 15. The migratory whales were spotted from the air by the Center for Coastal Studies as they were skim feeding on, or just below, the surface of the water. That feeding pattern means they are often not aware of their surroundings and they might not see…

Boat Reviews
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Sunseeker Launches New, Aggressive, Predator 55 EVO

Sunseeker just launched its new Predator 55 EVO, a luxurious cruiser with an aggressive low profile, raked windshield and modern-Euro lines. The black cabin top, stainless steel detailing, carbon-fiber cowling and windows that look like slashes in the hull sides all contribute to the new Predator’s eye-catching looks. The design is sporty, but the interior is comfortable and made for relaxing and entertaining. The Predator has cutting-edge bolstered helm seats for support. The salon has seating for six around a fixed coffee table, and a carbon-fiber sun roof lets in lots of light. Artificial lighting is concealed in the headliner…

Boat Reviews
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Cruisers Yachts Expands in Boating Boom

Cruisers Yachts of Oconto, Wisconsin, is on a roll. It’s enjoying rave reviews of its new 42 GLS with its fold-down bulwarks and three outboards, it has a strengthening dealer network, and it just bought the former Carver and Marquis plant in nearby Pulaski so it will have more room to expand. The good news about boating, of course, is not limited to Cruisers. Boat sales across the United States have been booming for the past year because of the pandemic. The National Marine Manufacturers Association just reported that sales of new powerboats in February were up 34 percent, compared…

Cruising Life
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Mystic Moon: How To Clear Customs in Canada

John and Kathy Youngblood are hardly new to cruising, or to crossing international boundaries. Indeed, three years ago they completed a 35,000-mile voyage around the Pacific with stops in Mexico, Colombia, the South Pacific, Malaysia, the Philippines and Japan, ending up in Alaska on their 2004 Selene 53, Mystic Moon. Since then, they’ve been cruising through the Pacific Northwest. Earlier this month, they started their summer cruise from Washington state to Alaska, involving transit through Canadian waters, which are under Covid-19 restrictions. Here’s John’s account on their website, mysticmoonvoyages.com, of their clearing Canadian Customs in Van Isle, just north of…

Cruising Life
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Vision Marine Starts Selling 180-hp Electric Outboards

Vision Marine Technologies in Canada just announced that it will start selling its new E-Motion 180, the most powerful electric outboard in the world, on May 1. You can reserve your new outboard on its website, visionmarinetechnologies.com, with a $300 deposit in bitcoins, Paypal or Stripes. Then you will get your outboard within the next six months. The E-Motion 180 delivers the same power as a 180-hp combustion engine. It provides 650 V and is paired to a 60 kWh lithium battery. Vision Marine Technologies, formerly the Canadian Electric Boat Company, is a high-tech builder, just north of Montreal, and it…

Charter
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Dream Yacht Charter Starts New Flexible Program

The world’s leading yacht charter company, Dream Yacht Charter, just launched a new Sail Pass program to help you plan ahead in these uncertain times. With the Sail Pass, you can charter up to three times a year, twice in high season and once in low season, for one annual price. The actual price varies depending on the size and type of charter yacht you want. The people at Dream Yacht Charter recognize that with the world-wide Covid-19 pandemic in the past year, many people have postponed their vacations and some may be reluctant even now to commit themselves to…

Boat Reviews
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Dromeas Launches New D28 Pocket Cruiser

Dromeas, a Turkish builder, just launched a D28, with the same strong, clean, minimalist lines as those in the increasingly popular Axopar or Nimbus boats. The Dromeas D28 is a little pocket cruiser or weekender, with a protected wheelhouse, a double berth and head below, and outboard power. Dromeas was founded in 2017 in Izmir, on the Med, and it now has a lineup from 28 to 38 feet. It launched a 28 center console and walkaround first, and then recently built the D28 with the fully enclosed wheelhouse, designed by Adam Younger, the British naval architect who has developed fast…

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