Author Peter Janssen

Cruising Life
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Magnetic North Pole Moving 31 Miles a Year. Scientists Rush To Update Charts

The magnetic North Pole is moving so fast that scientists are issuing an emergency update to maps used by electronic navigation systems. Magnetic north has crept from the coast of northern Canada a century ago to the middle of the Arctic Ocean now, and it’s moving at what scientists say is “an unusually high speed” of about 31 miles a year. As a result they are making an unprecedented early update of the World Magnetic Model, which fixes the pole and is responsible for the accuracy of GPS and all modern navigation on everything from nuclear submarines to your latest…

Cruising Life
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Three Fishermen Killed When Boat Pitch-Poles Trying To Cross a Stormy Bar in Oregon

Three commercial fishermen on an old wooden 42-foot crabbing boat were killed when they tried to cross the Yaquina Bay Bar near Newport, Oregon, at night in breaking seas even as a Coast Guard motor lifeboat tried to lead them to safety. In a harrowing account, the Coast Guard said it tried to warn Stephen Biernacki, 50, the skipper of the Mary B II crabbing boat that he was drifting outside the channel, exposing it to 16-foot breakers. The Mary B II was among a group of crab boats that tried to cross the bar about 10 at night to escape a…

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Massive New Study: Ocean Temperatures Rising Faster Than Expected

Here’s a thorough and important story from The New York Times about a new scientific analysis showing that ocean temperatures are warming much faster (up to 40 percent faster) than had been previously predicted, with serious implications for marine life, sea levels and future hurricanes: Scientists say the world’s oceans are warming far more quickly than previously thought, a finding with dire implications for climate change because almost all the excess heat absorbed by the planet ends up stored in the waters. A new analysis, published Thursday in the journal Science, found that the oceans are heating up 40 percent faster…

On Watch with Peter Janssen
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Coast Guard Families “Are Freaking Out” in Shutdown. “Bankruptcy Is a Last Option.”

The government shutdown is hitting the Coast Guard hard. In a week when the Coast Guard started its ice-breaking patrols on the Great Lakes, the 41,000 members of the Coast Guard are wondering whether they’ll get their next paycheck, scheduled for Jan. 15. Right now they’re working without pay. And they and their families are not happy. In Washington, the Coast Guard posted a five-page tipsheet on its website called “managing your finances during a furlough.” It suggested tutoring, “turning your hobby into income,” babysitting and holding garage sales. “Bankruptcy is a last option,” it said. The Coast Guard removed…

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New Search for Shackleton’s Endurance, Not Seen Since It Sank in the Antarctic in 1915

It’s one of the greatest sea stories of all time. How Ernest Shackleton, the British explorer, organized the survival and ultimate rescue of the 28-man crew on the Endurance after it was trapped in ice in Antarctica and sank in 1915. Now a team of British scientists is looking for the wreckage while carrying out climate change research there. The S.A. Agulhas II is now cruising toward the Larsen C Ice Shelf, the fourth largest in Antarctica. They hope to put an autonomous underwater vessel under the ice there to measure the shelf’s consistency and thickness. They also hope to find the…

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New Fast Tactical T-40: Tough on the Outside, Luxurious on the Inside

Tactical Custom Boats has just delivered its first T-40 Adventure boat, powered by twin 627-hp Seven Marine outboards,  to a new owner in the Pacific Northwest. The tough-looking, aluminum-hulled, go-anywhere new Tactical 40 with a luxurious interior (and a superyacht heritage) is said to cruise at 35 knots. A fast cruiser with an attitude, the new T-40 was designed by Greg Marshall in Victoria, B.C., who usually works with expedition cruisers and superyachts. For its part, Tactical is part of Platinum Marine, with a plant in Richmond, Vancouver. Platinum also owns Crescent  Yachts, which builds luxury superyachts over 100 feet.…

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New Report: “Human Error” When 528-foot Ferry Hit Anchored 964-foot Container Ship

If you’re wondering how a 528-foot ro-ro ferry hit an anchored 964-foot container ship in the Med last October, driving its bow into the container ship’s starboard hull so far that the two vessels remained tethered together for three days, the answer is easy. No one was paying attention. Indeed, an international investigation just said the collision was caused by “human error” involving officers from both ships. The accident occurred just before dawn on Sunday, October 7, about 17 miles north of Corsica. The Tunisian roll-on, roll-off ferry Ulysee, with a top speed of 19 knots, was underway from Genoa to…

Cruising Life
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Palm Beach To Launch New Fast and Elegant GT50 Open at Miami Show

The new, striking Palm Beach GT50 Open, with its low lines, long sheer and elegant tumblehome, will make its U.S. debut at the Miami Yacht Show, running from Feb. 14 through 18. It comes on the heels of the successful introduction of the Palm Beach GT50 Salon Express, which was named Best New Powerboat at the Newport International Boat Show last September; the judges said the beautiful, fast and light new Palm Beach yacht was just plan “sexy.” Palm Beach developed the new GT series after it found a void in the high-performance market – a luxurious cruiser with a…

Cruising Life
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Hunt Unveils Two New Bluewater Cruising Boats, a 63 and a Flagship 76

The Hinckley Company, which bought Hunt Yachts in 2013, just announced it has integrated Hunt in its day-to-day operations and unveiled two new expedition-ready yachts, a Hunt 63 and a Hunt 76 (pictured above), in Hunt’s Ocean Series. Both new Hunts were drawn by the legendary Ray Hunt Design firm, with an emphasis on bluewater performance, safety and cruising comfort. The first of the new Hunt expedition yachts, a 76, has already been delivered to an owner in Europe, and two others are currently under construction. For cruising boats, Hinckley’s Talaria Series now runs from 43 to 55 feet. The…

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Winter Gale Destroys Historic Lake Michigan Nav Beacon

You don’t see this very often, but heavy winds and waves on Lake Michigan just destroyed a historic 20-foot navigational beacon near the entrance to Manitowoc Harbor, Wisconsin. “We don’t know where the tower went,” said Coast Guard Chief Eric Olson. “It most likely has been pushed into the lake.” The fiberglass beacon, known as the South Pier Light Navigational Beacon, was built on top of a concrete platform and has served as a nav aid for decades. But early one January morning the area was under a gale warning, with 12- to 15-foot waves and wind gusts up to…

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