Author Peter Janssen

Boat Reviews
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MJM Provides More Details, Renderings, Diagrams and Specs for New Flagship 53z with Four Outboards

MJM Yachts has just released more details, with renderings, interior diagrams, layouts and specs for its new flagship, the 53z, which it plans to launch in July, 2019, powered by four 350-hp Mercury Verado outboards. It will be the third outboard cruiser launched by MJM recently (after the MJM 35z, with twins, and the MJM 43z, with triples), and the company says it will be the largest outboard express cruiser ever. The new 53z (the “z” stands for Doug Zurn, the Marblehead, Massachusetts, designer who’s drawn all the MJMs) is an outgrowth of the MJM 50z, which is powered by…

On Watch with Peter Janssen
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On Watch

Fatigue and Outdated Watch System Caused Sinking of U.S. Tug in British Columbia, Investigation Says By Peter A. Janssen In a new report that resonates with all of us who go cruising, the Transportation Safety Board of Canada said that fatigue, caused by the 6-on, 6-off watch system, was the major factor in the grounding and ultimate sinking of the 95-foot-long tug Nathan E. Stewart near Bella Bella, B.C. in October, 2016. The tug ran aground on Edge Reef on the Inside Passage, about 10 nm west of Bella Bella, just after 1 a.m. when the second mate, the only person on…

Cruising Life
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Best Spots To Watch the Fourth of July Fireworks from Your Boat

Any time is a great time to have a boat, of course, but the Fourth of July is perhaps one of the best times of all, particularly if you use your boat to watch the fireworks. Somehow the celebration of the nation’s birthday seems more festive from the water; it seems to connect us to the past, and to remind us that it really wasn’t all that long ago that we declared our independence from a government and an empire located across the Atlantic. If you do watch the fireworks from your boat, you won’t be lonely. Almost 12 million…

Cruising Life
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Legendary Party Barge Willie T Will Reopen in BVI, but Now on Peter Island

The good news is that Willy T, the iconic party barge in the British Virgin Islands, is coming back soon. Just don’t look for it at its old spot anchored off The Bight on Norman Island. Instead, it will be moving almost next door, to Great Harbour on Peter Island. The problem is that Willy T was seriously damaged in Hurricane Irma last September; it washed up the beach. Now it’s found a new home. Ewan Anderson, Willy T’s owner, announced the move after meeting with the local government. The necessary paperwork and permits are now being processed so…

Cruising Life
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Hatteras 58 Hits Jetty and Sinks in Upper Delaware Bay, Same Area Where Nordhavn 47 Hit Jetty and Sank Two Years Ago

Just after 6:30 on a recent early June evening, a Hatteras 58 sent out a distress call. It had hit a jetty in the area of the Reedy Island Bar on the upper Delaware Bay and was sinking with six people on board. Fortunately, a passing vessel rescued all six people, because the boat had already sunk by the time local and state rescue crews arrived; a Coast Guard helicopter hovered overhead. All six had been wearing life jackets, and were safe on board the good Samaritan vessel. The Hatteras sank in the same area where Ghost Rider, a Nordhavn…

Cruising Life
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Furuno’s New Point-and-Shoot Autopilot: Just Aim It Where You Want To Go

Furuno has just developed a new handheld autopilot remote that lets you point where you want to go and the boat will take you there. It’s called the NavPilot-300 with Gesture Control, and it’s made for outboard-powered boats from 24 to 50 feet. You can see a video of it in action below. The key to the new NavPilot is the 4.1” Gesture Control remote with color LCD that lets you control the boat’s heading if you’re standing anywhere within 32 feet of the helm (and the processor). You hold a button in the middle of the remote, point it…

Cruising Life
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Whale Dies on Beach in Thailand After Eating 18 Plastic Bags Weighing 80 Pounds

An ailing pilot whale that washed up in a beach in southern Thailand had 18 plastic bags weighing 80 pounds in its stomach. Despite attempts by marine conservationists to save the whale, it died five days later. They say the plastic bags clogged up the whale’s digestive tract and it wasn’t able to eat. In essence, the whale starved to death. After the whale died, a necropsy showed the extent of the plastic in its stomach. Stories and pictures of the whale promoted an outrage in social media. Each year, more than 300 endangered sea turtles and 150 dolphins and…

Boat Reviews
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Fountaine Pajot Building New 40 Power Cat, Based on Success and Awards of Its 44

Fountaine Pajot, the prestigious French builder, has just released details about its new MY 40 power catamaran, with three cabins, two heads, Volvo IPS performance and simply space and more space everywhere. The 40 is built on the success of the MY 44, which has won three awards, including “European Powerboat of the Year 2018,” at the Düsseldorf show in January. The hull is designed by naval architect Daniel Andreu, who specializes in motor yachts and who designed the 44, and it’s made for performance and seakeeping. Standard power is twin 260-hp Volvos, with IPS350 pod drives; optional power is…

Cruising Life
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Where To Find the Best Lobster Rolls in Maine. Yes, There’s Red’s – Plus 16 More

If you’re heading Down East to Maine this summer, take this story with you. It’s a great list of the best lobster rolls you can buy in the state of Maine, stretching from the border with New Hampshire to the border with Canada. Put together by Coastal Living, the list has 17 spots where you’ll find Maine’s best lobster rolls; most are along the water, in one way or another, but all of them serve fresh lobster almost right off the lobster boat. Number one on the list is The Clam Shack in Kennebunk, which features locally caught lobsters on…

Boat Reviews
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Greenline Launches Eco-Friendly NEO Line with Twin Gas or Electric Outboards: 42 Knots or 16 Knots

Greenline Yachts is celebrating its tenth anniversary by creating a new NEO line, which consists of three deck plans for a 36’ 5” eco-friendly boat that can be powered either by twin 300-hp gas outboards or twin Torqueedo electric outboards and Lithium-ion batteries. With the big gas outboards, the NEO cruises at 36 knots and tops out at 42 knots. With twin 80-hp Torqueedo Deep Blue electric outboards, the NEO tops out at 16 knots with a range of 20 nm; at 6 knots, it has a range of 40 nm. Made in Slovenia, the NEO line comes in Open,…

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