Author Peter Janssen

Cruising Life
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19 of the Best Islands in the World To Visit in 2019

Wondering about what to do or where to go in the coming year? Or you just want to make an addition to your bucket list?  Here’s a list of the 19 best beach and island destinations to visit in 2019, from the from Islands magazine. They’re all over the world, with some of the usual suspects, such as St. Barts, Antigua (pictured above) and Crete. But how about a trip to the Whitsunday Islands, the 74-island archipelago (only four of which are developed), with some of the most beautiful beaches in the world?  The Whitsundays serve as the gateway to the Great…

Cruising Life
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Floating Boom, Designed to Clean Up the Pacific Garbage Patch, Isn’t Working

Here’s some unsettling news. The much-heralded, 2,000-foot-long floating boom that was supposed to clean up the massive Pacific Garbage Patch isn’t working. The boom, part of Ocean Cleanup, was designed to be deployed from its mothership and float in a U-shape on the surface of the ocean. The idea was that the wind and waves would push the boom faster than it pushed the floating trash, so the trash would be trapped in the middle. But now that the boom, which left San Francisco three months ago, is actually deployed, it turns out that the trash doesn’t stay trapped inside…

Cruising Life
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First Floating Supermarket Opens in Dubai. Will Your Harbor Be Next?

Just in case you, or someone your boat, develop an insatiable desire to go shopping the next time you’re on a cruise, consider this: Carrefour, the huge French-based multinational retailer, is just opening a floating supermarket in Dubai. A company statement said the floating store, named Carrefour Bites and More By the Shore, is “aligned with our vision to create great moments for everyone, every day.” The store is on a custom-built Aqua Pod, and is designed to serve customers from megayachts, jet skis and even those on three nearby beaches. It will sell more than 300 products, including food,…

Boat Reviews
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Bertram Continues Its Comeback with a Beautiful New 50 Express

By Peter A. Janssen It looks like Bertram has hit a home run with renderings of a beautiful new 50 Express, scheduled to be launched next spring. The 50, the company’s first express in many years, comes as Bertram is enjoying a remarkable turnaround under new leadership and a new plant. Indeed, the 50 will come on the heels of the successful launch of a new 61 in 2017 and the introduction of a new 35, meant to be a modern interpretation of the iconic Bertram 31, in 2016. Bertram once was one of the most celebrated brands in offshore…

Boat Reviews
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New Norseman 48: A Traditional Trawler Layout with Teak and Twin Yanmars

Walking down a dock filled with trawlers and Downeast boats at the recent Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show, something new (at least new to me) caught my eye. There, in an area filled with Sabres, Grand Banks, MJMs and Hinckleys, was a Norseman 48, a traditional-looking trawler with clean and classic lines that was almost beckoning me to step aboard. This Norseman, brought to the show by Schooner Yachts of Fort Lauderdale, is a twin-diesel, two-stateroom, two-head relatively fast trawler with a standard trawler layout and enough teak to keep a traditional trawler owner happy. Powered by two 440-hp Yanmars,…

Cruising Life
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Good News for Loopers, New York Cruisers: Erie Canal Will Not Charge for Tolls in Next Three Years

Here’s some good news if you’re thinking about cruising in the Northeast or taking on the Great Loop in the near future. The Erie Canal will not charge any tolls for the next three years. The New York State Canal Corp. just announced it will not charge recreational boats to use the Canal or its locks and  lift bridges through 2021. The tolls were lifted in 2017 to mark the 200thanniversary of the start of construction on the canal; the no-charge policy was continued this year. As a result, the Canal Corp. said, boat traffic increased. Indeed, it said 71,529…

Charter
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NW Explorations Adds a Flagship Nordhavn 60 to Its Charter Fleet

Northwest Explorations, the charter company in Bellingham, Washington, that specializes in running summer flotillas to Alaska, the San Juans and Desolation Sound, just added a 60-foot Nordhavn to its 18-boat fleet. Puffin Quest is the first Nordhavn and the largest boat in the Northwest fleet, which has more Grand Banks than any other brand. Puffin Quest, like all Nordhavns, is a true blue-water expedition boat (a Nordhavn 40 circled the globe in 2001 and 2002), and is powered by a single 330-hp John Deere diesel. It cruises at 8 knots and tops out at 10 knots. The boat also has an 80-hp…

Cruising Life
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NOAA: Arctic Just Had Second Hottest Year Ever; Temperatures Rising, Sea Ice Melting

The Arctic just had its second hottest year on record in 2017, falling behind the record set in 2016. This is the sobering conclusion of the annual scientific assessment of the Arctic from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.  The warming trend is inescapable; temperatures for the past five years have been higher than for all previous years, going back to 1900. At the same time, sea ice is melting at a faster rate than any time in the past 1,500 years, while the Arctic has continued to warm at twice the global average. In the past three decades, the…

Cruising Life
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New Problem with E15: Finding the Warning Labels at the Pump

It’s not news that E15 is a problem for marine gas engines. In fact, it voids many marine engine warranties, the federal government prohibits its use in recreational boat engines, and the Environmental Protection Agency prohibits it for sale in many states during the summer months because it contributes to smog. But now it turns out that finding an E15 warning label on a gas pump can be an even bigger problem. (Question: Can you see the E15 warning label on this pump near Cedar Lake, Indiana, in the photo above? It took us a while, too. For the answer,…

Cruising Life
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Coast Guard Rescues Three from Burning 60-foot Boat 30 Miles Off Miami Beach

The Coast Guard rescued three boaters recently after their 60-foot boat caught fire about 30 miles east of Miami Beach. Fortunately, a Coast Guard cutter was on patrol not far away, and it rescued all three, uninjured. The incident started about 3:20 on a clear afternoon, when the Coast Guard in Miami Beach received a VHF radio call from the owner of Family Time, a 60-foot yacht, saying that a fire had started in his engine room. The fire was spreading quickly, and the three men on board were going to abandon ship into a 23-foot tender. At it happened,…

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