Author Peter Janssen

Cruising Life
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Rockland, Maine: Iconic Laid-Back Boat Show, Museums and Lobsters

You really don’t need a special time to cruise to Rockland, Maine, because it’s one of the most interesting spots up there. But if you do need an extra reason to go to Rockland, the annual Maine Boats & Homes Show starts there on Friday, August 9, and runs through Sunday, Aug. 11, in Harbor Park right in town. With its offbeat mix of Down East boats, dogs, straw-hat musicians and totally laid-back vibes, the Rockland show is in a class by itself. For boats, it usually has most of the area’s favorites, including Hinckley and Hunt (its sister company),…

Cruising Life
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New Yamaha Seascooter: How To Have Fun Under the Water

There are still plenty of summer weekends left to enjoy your boat and all the toys you keep there. Here’s one that looks like a lot of fun, particularly if you have anybody who loves to dive or snorkel on your crew: The Yamaha RDS250 Seascooter, an electric-powered scooter that adds a new level of enjoyment to your time on – or under – the water. The RDS250 costs $545 and it can run at speeds up to 2.5 mph for about two hours. (It tops out at 2.8 mph.) It’s rated for 100 feet, so you can explore all…

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Cruising Boat Hits Jetty. Coast Guard Rescues Three

VALLEJO, Calif. — The Coast Guard rescued three people near the Carquinez Bridge in Vallejo, Saturday evening. Coast Guard Sector San Francisco watchstanders were notified that three people aboard a 36-foot pleasure craft had sustained head injuries after their vessel collided with the eastern jetty near the entrance of the Napa River, at approximately 9:40 p.m. Watchstanders launched a 29-foot Response Boat-Small boatcrew from Coast Guard Station Vallejo and an MH-65 Dolphin helicopter crew from Coast Guard Air Station San Francisco. The boatcrew arrived on scene, administered first aid and transferred the three people to Cal Maritime where Vallejo Fire Department personnel…

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Mystic Moon on the Inside Passage: “We Got Salmon!”

When we last checked in with John and Kathy Youngblood on Mystic Moon, their 2004 Selene 53, they were up in Glacier Bay, Alaska (after cruising more than 35,000 miles in the past few years in the Caribbean and the Pacific). They’re now coming down the Inside Passage, and just left Alaska and entered British Columbia. The cruising has been great, despite a fried alternator, and the fishing even better (see the picture of John’s 20-pound, 33-inch king salmon above). Here’s a recent log of their trip: We left Hydaburg on Thursday the 18th around 9am as we had to…

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New Era for Safety at Sea as Iridium Unveils GMDSS Terminal

Written by Yachting Art Magazine The Lars Thrane LT-3100S will be the first terminal to offer Iridium service for the Global Maritime Distress and Safety System. Iridium Communications Inc. and partner Lars Thrane, today unveiled the Lars Thrane (LT) 3100S terminal designed to operate on the Iridium network for Global Maritime Distress and Safety System (GMDSS) vessel carriage requirements, with service targeted to launch in January 2020.   This is the first terminal designed to provide truly global GMDSS services and is the first to be offered after the International Maritime Organization’s decision to recognize Iridium as just the second-ever…

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New Bering 70: Blue-Water Cruiser with 2,500 nm Range

The new Bering 70, the Turkish builder’s first model in its Coastal range, is designed for long-range cruising and exploring, with a 2,500 nm range at 9 knots and a comparatively shallow draft of 4’ 10”. Powered by economical twin 350-hp Cummins diesels, the new 70 has a top speed of 13 knots. With a steel hull and contemporary lines, the Bering 70 is something of a departure from traditional salty blue-water cruisers. It makes extensive use of fabrics and non-traditional woods in the interior, and there’s not an inch of teak to be seen on the exterior. The light-filled…

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“It’s Terrifying:” Boaters Stranded by High Water on Lake Ontario

By Kamil KaramaliReporter  Global News Ron Kirton hops off his boat onto what is usually a dry dock at Bluffers Park Yacht Club — but this year, the entire wooden structure has been submerged completely under water because of high water levels in Lake Ontario. “It’s been a long frustrating year for a lot of people,” said Kirton, while ankle-deep in water with his pant legs rolled up. “Everyone pays a lot of money down here.” “We launched in April and 90 per cent of the boats haven’t even been started.” Kirton said almost all of the club members at…

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Larry Polster: Selling the House and Moving On Board

In the past, we’ve written about Larry Polster’s decision to buy, and then start cruising on, hull number one of the new Kadey-Krogen 50 Open series. Now, Polster, who’s a vice president and partner of Kadey-Krogen, and his wife, Janet, have sold their house and moved on board their new boat, Together, full time. Here’s his story about how they made that decision, and how it’s working out. (As a former liveaboard myself, on a Grand Banks 36, I can just say that all this rings true.) Many of you know that Janet and I are the proud owners of the first…

On Watch with Peter Janssen
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After 5,000 Miles and One Major Mishap, John Hauck, 80, Approaches Chicago on the Great Loop, Solo Once Again, on Grumpy

When we last checked in with John Hauck, the 80-year-old retired Army major and special forces helicopter pilot who is doing the Great Loop on his own, he was down on the Gulf Coast of Florida. That was two months ago. Since then Hauck has driven Grumpy, his 2003 Rosborough RF-246, around much of the Loop, and he’s now near Chicago. All told, Hauck writes from St. Joseph on the eastern shore of Lake Michigan, just 60 miles from Chicago, that he has spent 99 days and put more than 5,000 miles behind him since he left Demopolis, Alabama, on…

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Eight Best Wireless Devices for 2019

Here’s a look at eight of this year’s best wireless devices from the Marine Electronics Journal: Wireless technology is everywhere, and boats are no exception. At Marine Electronics Journal (MEJ) hardly a week goes by that we don’t receive at least a couple news releases from companies that are rolling out a new piece of electronic wireless wizardry. Some of these products help boaters navigate more conveniently or better, while others are tied to onboard communications, entertainment, fishing, system monitoring or another function entirely. Below are eight wireless devices that are worth a look. They’re part of an exercise MEJ…

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