Author Peter Janssen

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…

Cruising Life
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Ten Things that Annoy Boat Owners. Pay Heed

Here’s some great advice from Captain Frank Taylor about ten things that annoy boat owners. They ring true; we’ve all been there. (You can find him at www.theshipslogg.com.) Here’s his list: If you ask me, boaters are some of the best people in the world.  I’m not sure why, but they are.  Maybe it is because they have more fun than most people or maybe it is because they don’t worry themselves with trivial issues such as getting their wills together before they die.  After all, the only thing that will be left is a well-used boat, a few life…

Cruising Life
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For a New Charter Destination: Try the Turks & Caicos on an Axopar 37

Here’s a fresh charter idea: Try a new Axopar 37 Sun-Top with twin 300-hp Mercury Verado outboards in the gorgeous waters of the Turks & Caicos. The Axopar, named MV Bonita, is run by Ocean Frontiers, a private charter company, and it can reach all the hidden cays, dive spots and soft white-sand beaches throughout the Turks & Caicos. The Turks & Caicos, at the southern tip of the Bahamas, are a paradise for divers, with the third largest coral system in the world. Scuba sites include a 14-mile-long barrier reef on the north shore and a 7,000-feet-deep underwater wall…

Cruising Life
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Save Your Engine: Watch for More E15 at Gas Pumps This Summer

As a result of a recent Environmental Protection Agency ruling, you’ll see more E15 at gas pumps this summer. And E15 (fuel with 15 percent ethanol) can damage your boat’s engine. Previously, the EPA had banned E15 from June 1 to Sept. 15 over concerns that it contributed to smog on hot days. Many outdoor and boating groups, including BoatUS, wanted the EPA to keep the summer blackout. The problem is that E15 is proven to damage boat engines and fuel systems; federal law also prohibits its use in recreational boat engines, and using E15 can void the engine’s warranty.…

Cruising Life
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Florida Passes “Carfax for Boats” Title Law To Protect Used Boat Buyers

Florida has just passed a new “Carfax for boats” law designed to keep people from unwittingly buying a stolen or damaged vessel. It’s the Uniform Certificate of Title for Vessels Act and it will protect you when you buy a used boat there. Read about it from WJXT News4Jax here: By Brittany Muller – Reporter Gov. Ron DeSantis has signed a law that is being called the “Carfax for boats.” The Uniform Certificate of Title for Vessels Act is designed to help prevent boaters from buying a stolen or damaged vessel. The law will provide title protection, meaning it will help the…

Cruising Life
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New 20-foot Bay Breeze Boat: An Inflatable Party Float

The new Six-Person Inflatable Bay Breeze Boat isn’t exactly the typical blue-water cruising boat we usually write about, but it does seem like a hoot. And you certainly won’t have to worry about the fuel and maintenance costs. The new inflatable is about 20 feet long with a 10-foot beam and it weighs 62 pounds when it’s not inflated. It comes from Sun Pleasure Inflatable, the same people who build those unicorn and pink flamingo floats you may have seen recently. The Bay Breeze is built to resemble a real boat; it has a swim platform, comfortable U-shaped seating in…

Cruising Life
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Help the Coast Guard Find a Hoax Caller

BALTIMORE – The Coast Guard would like the public’s help to identify a suspected hoax caller, who has been transmitting distress calls since late March around Ocean City. Sector Maryland-National Capital Region watchstanders have been receiving a steady stream of suspected or confirmed hoax radio calls, believed to be from the same individual. Listen to the hoax call HERE The calls in Ocean City were made on VHF-FM marine band channel 16, a channel designated only for hailing and distress calls. The caller has stated that they were “going down with the ship” and regularly broadcasts “mayday, mayday, mayday,” along with…

On Watch
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Bumfuzzle Cruises Up the Rio Dulce in Guatemala for Hurricane Season

There won’t be any more blue salt water for Bumfuzzle, the well-traveled 1984 Grand Banks 42 owned by Patrick Schulte and his wife, Ali, for a while. The boat’s now on the definitely green and fresh water of Rio Dulce in Guatemala, surrounded by a steamy tropical rain forest, and they’ll stay there for the rest of the hurricane season. The Schultes and their children, Ouest, 9, and Lowe, 7, cruised down to Mexico from Key West six months ago. When we last checked in with them in April, they were heading south from Isla Mujeres, looking for a change…

Cruising Life
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First Look: New 50-mph MJM 53z Flagship with Four 400-hp Mercury Verados

Here’s a first look at the brand-new MJM 53z with four 400-hp Mercury Verado outboards, just launched at the Boston BoatWorks. In its initial trials in Boston Harbor, the new Doug Zurn-designed, Down-East beauty topped out at 50 mph with full fuel and five people on board. The acceleration, for a luxurious 53-foot yacht, was a pleasing 0 to 20 mph in six seconds. After the trials, MJM posted the picture above on social media. The 53z is MJM’s new flagship and its latest outboard-powered boat, after the 35z and the 43z; the company says it’s the largest outboard express…

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