Author Peter Janssen

Engine Room
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Yamaha Tests Revolutionary New Electric Motor. See Video

Yamaha is starting sea trials on Aug. 7 on its revolutionary electric drive system that provides greater maneuverability, faster turning, and less vibration and noise than possible on most conventional drives. Yamaha says its new HARMO drive package is a “next generation control system platform” with an electric motor, a remote-control box, and a joystick. It generates about 10-hp and is available in single or twin applications. A major innovation is that the  prop is not driven through a central axle, as it is in conventional motors. Instead, HARMO has a Drive By Rim motor, where a ring of sequentially-activated…

On Watch with Peter Janssen
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Cruising Through Alaska in a Time of Coronavirus

Jeff and Susie Parker hadn’t really planned it this way when they left Idyll Time, their 48-foot Kadey-Krogen, in Petersburg, Alaska, last October and flew home to Tennessee. They simply figured that leaving it there would give them a head start on cruising through Alaska once the season opened again this summer. As things turned out, that decision meant that they are able to enjoy the boat, and to cruise in Alaska now, even during the COVID-19 pandemic. Most cruisers in the Pacific Northwest aren’t able to go to Alaska because the U.S/Canadian border remains closed to nonessential travel. But…

Cruising Life
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How To Use Flares in an Emergency. Take Heed…

Here’s some great advice about how to use flares safely from Skipper Tips.  Take a look now; these tips could help save you and your boat in an emergency: You cannot fire flares without permission from both the US Coast Guard and local authorities (check regulations in your area if outside of the US). But, you can train your crew before you cast off for cruising. Hold mock simulated drills out in the cockpit.  Follow these five steps: 1. Face Downwind Move to the edge of the boat. Put your back to the wind. Brace yourself as the vessel pitches and rolls. Double…

Boat Reviews
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New Entry-Level Ferretti 500: Just Like Home

Ferretti is making its new entry-level 500, the first in a complete redesign of Ferretti Yachts, and it’s  scheduled to debut at the Cannes Yachting Festival starting Sept. 8. The new 500 is the start of a new era the company says, adding “a domestic dimension” to life on board a traditional cruising yacht. The idea is to make living on board feel just like living at home – that is, if you’re living in luxurious home with three bedrooms, two bathrooms, and extra social areas upstairs, downstairs, on the front porch and out back. Not to mention the swimming…

Cruising Life
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Great White Shark Kills Woman – in Maine

On Monday afternoon, about 3:30, Julie Dimperio Holowach, 63, a retired New York fashion industry executive, went swimming with her daughter off Bailey Island in Casco Bay, Maine, near her family’s vacation home. She was about 20 yards offshore, and she was wearing a black wet suit. She was happy and laughing. Suddenly, she was flailing around. Her daughter swam back to shore and screamed for help. Some kayakers brought Ms Holowach’s badly injured body back to shore, while someone called paramedics. She was pronounced dead by first responders. Shark attacks are extremely rare in Maine. Indeed, this is the…

Cruising Life
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Russian Hackers Shut Down Garmin Flying, Fitness Programs

You couldn’t make these names up, but it turns out that a Russian group called Evil Corp. and its subsidiary, WastedLocker, managed to shut down some Garmin flying and fitness programs last week. For a few days, pilots who use flyGarmin were not able to access up-to-date aviation databases, as required by the FAA, and thousands of runners and cyclists around the world were not able to access Garmin Connect. Earlier this week Garmin, the GPS giant, was able to get a decryption key to start to bring its services back on line. Some reports said that Garmin had been…

Cruising Life
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Boston Man Dies When His Jet Ski Hits Moored Sailboat

A 43-year-old Boston man was killed when his jet ski hit a moored sailboat in Boston Harbor on Sunday afternoon. Massachusetts State Police said they received a call about 4:20 p.m. that a man was in distress near Malibu Beach in the Dorchester area. He had been riding on a jet ski that ran into a sailboat on its mooring. The Boston Police Department harbor unit was able to reach the man, Curtis Raper, who was unresponsive in the water. They brought  him to shore and administered CPR. He was taken to Boston Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.…

Boat Reviews
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New Protector 410: Redesigned Inside and Out

Protector has launched its new and improved 410 Targa flagship, with a fresh hull design for better performance and a new cabin for more creature comforts. With three 450-hp outboards, the new super-strong RIB tops out at about 70 mph, while maintaining Protector’s reputation for superb rough-water performance. For the new 410, the New Zealand company has widened the hull by 14 inches, using a winged flare to increase the interior space and improve the walk-through area. It extended the deep-V hull all the way aft for cutting through the rough stuff; it has an 18-degree deadrise at the transom.…

Destinations
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Cape Cod Island Open to Public, First Time Since 1711

Sipson Island on Cape Cod just opened to the public – for the first time since 1711. The 24-acre island was the last one in Pleasant Bay in Orleans that had been privately owned. Much of the island was purchased in June by the Sipson Island Trust in partnership with Richard and Cheryl Nadler, who live in Orleans, to be used by the public for conservation and education programs. At the closing, the trust took ownership of six lots on the island, the Nadlers kept 2.2 acres for themselves and will temporarily hold two more until a fund-raising drive…

Boat Reviews
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Mazu Launches New High-Tech 82 Flagship

Mazu, the high-end Turkish builder, just launched its new low-profile 82 flagship with aggressive styling, a “bulletproof” windshield and a custom terrace out back. Powered by three 1,000-hp Volvo IPS1350 diesels and pod drives, the new 82 tops out at 40 knots. At its cruising speed of 33 knots, the 82 has a range of 400 nm. The new Mazu is nothing if not high tech. The hull is made from a light, carbon composite sandwich. The windshield is tempered and laminated. Custom glass windows surround the salon, providing almost 360-degree visibility; they also are cut into the hull sides…

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