Author Peter Janssen

Cruising Life
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Maine Adopts New Protocols For Cruising There

Cruising in Maine will be a little different this summer, at least for the start of the summer. The state has a mandatory 14-day quarantine for people arriving from other states, while some Maine builders and marina operators have adopted new protocols of their own. “It’s important to understand that Maine is open,” said Stacey Keefer, executive director of the Maine Marine Trades Association. And Maine remains one of the most iconic and desirable cruising destinations in the United States, if not the world. But this year officials in Maine, just like officials in many other states and localities, have…

Cruising Life
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Fishing Boat Burns, Sinks, off Point Judith, RI. See Video

A 40-foot fishing boat caught fire and sank about 2.5 miles southeast of Point Judith, Rhode Island, last week. The Coast Guard rescued all three people on board; they were not injured. The Coast Guard station in Point Judith heard a VHF Mayday call on Channel 16 at 11:01 a.m. saying that the boat was on fire. It dispatched two boats, and other boats were scrambled from the Narragansett Fire Department, Newport, and North Kingston. After the three crew members were taken off the fishing boat, the firefighters fought the blaze, pouring water onto the vessel. After two hours, it…

Cruising Life
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NOAA Update: Busy Atlantic Hurricane Season Coming

May 21, 2020 An above-normal 2020 Atlantic hurricane season is expected, according to forecasters with NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center, a division of the National Weather Service. The outlook predicts a 60% chance of an above-normal season, a 30% chance of a near-normal season and only a 10% chance of a below-normal season. The Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 through November 30. NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center is forecasting a likely range of 13 to 19 named storms (winds of 39 mph or higher), of which 6 to 10 could become hurricanes (winds of 74 mph or higher), including 3 to…

On Watch with Peter Janssen
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What Better Place?

Memorial Day weekend is the normal start of the boating season for a lot of us, but there’s nothing normal about the season this year. In many parts of the country, people are just starting to emerge from their stay-at-home restrictions, trying to figure out where and how to get back to their normal boating and cruising lives again. In the Miami area, some people had an early start. The boat ramps were filled, and overflowing, when the COVID-19 restrictions were lifted; the pictures were evidence of pent-up demand in action. It is a good time to have a trailer…

Cruising Life
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Florida Keys Open to Visitors on June 1

The Florida Keys will open to visitors on June 1, after being closed for almost two months to prevent the spread of COVID-19. The checkpoints on the access roads in the upper Keys will be lifted; the roads had been blocked off since late March to anyone who did not live or work there. The Keys are a major cruising destination, for people cruising on the Great Loop and for people who simply want to enjoy some of the best boating, fishing, diving, and most exotic locales, in the continental United States. Marinas that had been closed are now scheduled…

Boat Reviews
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Invictus Launches New 37 with Outboard Power

Invictus Yachts, the innovative Italian builder, is just introducing a new GT370S, with twin 425-hp Yamaha outboards, to the U.S. It had launched a sterndrive version of the boat at the Miami Yacht Show in February, but now it is offering an outboard version because outboards have become so popular here. If the view of the Invictus’ stern has changed, the view of the bow remains the same. Invictus yachts are designed by Christian Grande, the Italian designer who has won many international awards for his out-of-the-box thinking. All Invictus GTs have what the company calls a “half-reverse” bow, which…

Cruising Life
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Parts of Erie Canal Set To Reopen by July 4

The New York State Canal Corporation just announced the schedule for reopening the locks on the historic – and much-travelled – Erie Canal and the system’s other canals in the state. The corporation said it planned to have most of the locks open by July 4, but some may not be open until much later. On its website, the corporation said, “Maintenance work that needs to be completed at specific canal facilities varies by location, and locks along the Erie, Champlain, Oswego and Cayuga-Seneca Canals will open for passage on a staggered fashion.” The locks had been scheduled to open…

Boat Reviews
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New Fountaine Pajot Power 67 Long-Range Cruising Cat

Fountaine Pajot just launched its Power 67 flagship, and the big French cat is now on its way to Greece; it’s off Gibraltar in the picture at top. The Power 67 is a long-range, blue-water cruiser with massive social and entertaining areas, and its lines show off Fountaine Pajot’s usual elegant and innovative design. The flybridge is covered by a hardtop with a sunroof, and it extends aft to protect the cockpit and port and starboard to cover the side decks. The teak swim platform lowers for access to the water, while the cockpit has several sunbathing areas, a grill…

Charter
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Charters Can Reopen in the U.S. Virgins on June 1

Good news: The U.S. Virgin Islands can open up their charter operations on June 1. The Virgins, of course, include some of the best cruising grounds around, with beautiful water, white-sand beaches, and great dive sites. And you’re still in the United States; no passport needed. Albert Ryan, Jr., the Governor of the U.S. Virgins, just issued an executive order spelling out the protocols for when and how the islands will reopen in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. It was his sixth executive order about the crisis. Reopening the charter business is good news for those of us who love…

Charter
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Now: Cruise the Arctic Circle on a Luxurious Charter Yacht

If you’re tired of feeling hemmed in, think about taking a charter to the Arctic Circle this summer on a luxurious 253-foot, ice-breaking yacht, fully equipped with a helicopter, a submarine and a 16-person Jacuzzi. Ariodante Travel has just announced Arctic Circle tours on Legend, an expedition yacht with a Lloyds 1A ice-class hull. The tours start in the Svalbard archipelago (pop: 2,642), midway between mainland Norway and Iceland. From there, Legend can go just about anywhere in the Arctic Circle, including the North Pole, Greenland, the North Cape and Spitsbergen. We have to wait for international travel restrictions to…

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