Author Peter Janssen

Cruising Life
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Retired Vancouver Couple, Veteran Boat Owners, Cruise Gulf Islands on New Axopar 37

Klaus and Mary Priebe from Vancouver, British Columbia, are hardly new to boating and cruising. Over the years they’ve owned a Nordhavn 62, an Ocean Alexander 55, a Sabre 48 and a Grady-White 36. Now that they’re retired (he was a lawyer, she was an accountant), they’re cruising the gorgeous Gulf Islands on a new Axopar 37 Cabin. And they’re loving it. When they started looking for a new boat, the Priebes decided to go with outboard power. Klaus said he wanted a boat that “required no more crawling around in engine rooms any longer.” The Axopar 37 is powered…

On Watch with Peter Janssen
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Living the Dream: Mystic Moon Cruises Up to Glacier Bay, Alaska

John and Kathy Youngblood have just left Glacier Bay, one of the most beautiful spots in the world, on their 2004 Selene 53 Mystic Moon. The picture above shows Kathy in front of Reid Glacier, one of the 50 named glaciers there; it’s 11 miles long. The Youngbloods have cruised some 35,000 nm on Mystic Moon in the Caribbean and the Pacific, so they’re not easily impressed by the works of nature. But when they were leaving Glacier Bay a few days ago they quoted one of their friends who talked about “such beauty so close to home.” They wrote on…

Cruising Life
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Top Ten Beach Bars in the Bahamas. Think Cold Beer, White Sand, and No Worries in the World

Just in case you needed an extra excuse to head for the Bahamas, take a look at these waterfront bars and restaurants that are scattered throughout that island nation. Here’s a list of the Top Ten Waterfront Bars there from outislandlifebahamas.com, chosen because of their island ambience, food and drink, and also because they’re all on terrific beaches. Eat, drink, and then take a swim or a walk on the beach. When all that is an alternative, who wants to stay home? The picture above is of Chat ‘N’ Chill on a sandbar on Stocking Island in the Exumas. It’s…

Cruising Life
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Grand Banks Working on Elegant and Efficient New 54; Will Launch in September

Grand Banks has started construction on its new 54, an elegant, efficient two-or-three stateroom cruiser that will make its debut at the Cannes Yachting Festival next September. In earlier announcements, Grand Banks had called the new boat a 52, but it’s grown a bit. It also comes in the middle of a growth spurt for iconic builder, following on the heels of the Grand Banks 60 and Grand Banks 60 Skylounge. The new 54 also will have the high-tech, lightweight, warped-hull design as that on the 60; it stays in the water and leaves little wake throughout the speed range.…

Cruising Life
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Walker Bay Launches Venture 14 RIB, First in Its New Explorer Series

Walker Bay has  just launched the first RIB in its new Explorer series, a 14-foot Venture, that is rated for eight passengers and tops out at 30 knots with a 70-hp outboard. The company, based in Union Gap, Washington, says the Venture 14 has a range of 140 miles. The new Venture is nothing if not adaptable. It can serve as a tender to a larger boat, a sport boat, a picnic boat, or you can just use it for fishing, diving and generally having fun. You’ll be comfortable on board since all the seating has thick cushioning, and the…

Cruising Life
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New Rhode Island Pilot Program Recycles Unwanted Old Fiberglass Boats into Concrete

Where do old boats go to die? Getting rid of old, unwanted boats has been a problem ever since fiberglass replaced wood in production boat building half a century ago. Old boats are a blight at the edges of many boat yards and marinas; some are simply abandoned at water’s edge, turning into eyesores and environmental problems. Now, in a new Rhode Island pilot program, they’re dismantled and recycled into cement. The program, called the Rhode Island Fiberglass Vessel Recycling Pilot Project (RIFVR), was started last year. The state has limited landfill area, where people often discard boats at the…

Cruising Life
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Iceberg Twice the Size of New York City in Final Stages of Splitting Off from Antarctica

An iceberg twice the size of New York City is in what scientists call “the final stage” of breaking off from the Brunt Ice Shelf on the Weddell Sea on northwest Antarctica. The final separation will occur when two cracks meet, separating an iceberg measuring some 580 square miles and up to 820 feet thick from the mainland. Anticipating the separation, the Halley VI Research station, manned by the British Antarctic Survey, has been moved 14 miles inland, on the other side of the cracks. The separation, or calving, of an iceberg is a normal part of the life cycle…

Cruising Life
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Rare Right Whales Enjoying a Baby Boom off Cape Cod

Right whales, so the story goes, got their name because they were the “right” whales to kill when whaling ships were active, due to the large quantities of oil and baleen they could provide. The killing was successful. Right whales are among the rarest species of whales; there are only 411 of them in the world. But now right whales seem to be enjoying a baby boom in the waters around Cape Cod. Last year, no calves were seen there. So far this year, seven right whale calves have been seen there, including three in Cape Cod Bay just this…

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Cruising to Hawaii? Get Ready for Unpredictable Winds and a Shortage of Slips

If you’ve ever thought of cruising to Hawaii, or spending time cruising among the islands once you’re there, you’ll want to read this eye-opening story in Sea by Capt. Pat Rains. Hawaii, at least for cruising in recreational boats, may not be the island paradise you’ve dreamed about. She knows. Rains and her husband have cruised there six times, starting some 40 years ago. Their most recent trip was on a Nordhavn 57. Here’s her account of what you’ll find there: The sight of Hawaii’s green peaks piercing the horizon was thrilling, especially after 2,300 miles of chugging along at eight…

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Fountaine Pajot Wins Another Prize with Its New Spacious and Light-Filled 40 Power Cat

Fountaine Pajot power cats just keep on winning prizes. The new Fountaine Pajot 40 MY was just voted the Asia Boating “Best Multihull Motor Yacht up to 50 Feet” at the Singapore boat show. The jury of 15 Asian journalists and boating experts gave the award to the cat for its “excellent design and outstanding capabilities.” The new Fountaine Pajot 40 is based on the company’s 44, which won three awards last year, including European Powerboat of the Year at the Düsseldorf show. The Fountaine Pajot 40 power cat has three cabins and two heads and is marked by an…

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