Author Peter Janssen

Cruising Life
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Mercury Builds New 300-hp V-8 Outboards, Great for Larger Cruising Boats

Mercury is continuing to up the ante for its big outboards for cruising boats, introducing new Verado and FourStroke V-8 and V-6 models from 175- to 300-hp. The new 4.6L V-8 engines are part of the largest new product development in the Wisconsin company’s 80-year history. “These new V-8 engines, like the V-6, will set a new benchmark in the marine industry,” said John Pfeifer, president of Mercury Marine. Indeed, the engines just won the Most Innovative Product award at the Hutchwilco New Zealand Boat Show, the largest in that nation, where they were displayed for the first time anywhere.…

On Watch with Peter Janssen
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On Watch

Unlawful Search, Part 3. A Lot of You Wrote Us About Your Own Experiences Being Stopped and Searched for No Apparent Reason. Are These a Violation of Your Fourth Amendment Rights? By Peter A. Janssen We have written two stories now about the case of a Lake Erie boat owner whose 23-foot boat was searched by a Pennsylvania Fish and Game Commission officer who gave him a citation with a $75 fine for having only four life jackets for the five people on board. The boat owner, Frederick Karash, 37, fought the fine in court, saying the search violated his…

Cruising Life
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Slowboat Flotilla Now About A Third of the Way up the Inside Passage to Juneau, Alaska

The annual Slowboat Flotilla up the Inside Passage to Alaska is well underway; indeed, more than a week after they left Roche Harbor on San Juan Island in Washington state the five boats on this year’s cruise are about a third of the way up to Juneau, their final destination. The Flotilla this year is made up of the Nordhavn 40 Cassidy; Ranger Tug 29 Rhapsody; Nordic Tug 37 Safe Harbour; Nordic Tug 34 Airship, and Nordic Tug 37 Fortunate, and so far they have run the gamut of Inside Passage experiences: whales, eagles, dolphins, fog, squalls, sunny days, rapids,…

Cruising Life
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Reliant Builds New Creative Luxury 40-Foot Tender that Does Just About Everything

So far, Reliant Yachts has specialized in making classic Down East-style cruisers like the Reliant 40, a traditional boat with a long sheer, low profile and gorgeous tumblehome. But the company, launched by two of the most respected names in the business, David MacFarlane, the former president and CEO of Alden, Cal, Ranger and Rampage, and Jim Ewing, the former VP of Alden and president of Trumpy, is nothing if not creative. Indeed, take a look at their newest project, the X40L, a Swiss Army-knife approach to yachting that’s part tender and part SUV on the water. “When yacht builders…

Cruising Life
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72 Boats Cruise Up to Puget Sound Grand Banks Owners Association Rendezvous in Roche Harbor

Some 72 boats, and 200 owners, guests and sponsors turned out for the Puget Sound Grand Banks Owners Association rendezvous at Roche Harbor in the San Juan Islands, one of the most successful events the organization has ever held. This year the rendezvous had a Jimmy Buffett theme, and during the course of the rendezvous most people managed to tackle a margarita or two and enjoy a Cheeseburger in Paradise lunch. Almost everyone attended the workshops, seminars, dinners, dances and cooking demos. Even an early-morning BOGA (boat yoga) session was popular. The weather was great, and the Grand Banks owners…

Charter
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Five Best Places To Snorkel in the BVI: Grab Your Mask and Fins

The British Virgin Islands have been a cruising and chartering paradise for generations; the waters are clear blue, the winds usually mild, the navigation easy and often line of sight, the people are friendly, and when you get tired of one island, it’s easy to head for another one. And then there’s the snorkeling. The BVI were hit hard by the hurricanes last fall, but now things are getting back to normal. The only problem with snorkeling in the BVI now is deciding where to go first, or second, or…To help you decide, here’s a list of the top five snorkeling…

Cruising Life
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For Cruising Off the Beaten Track, Head Way Down East. When You Hit Canada, Turn Left into Passamaquoddy Bay

If you want to get away from the crowds and experience some cruising in deep-blue waters, where rocky green coastlines are dotted with small coves, islands and potential anchorages, head all the way up to the top of Maine to the U.S.-Canada border and turn into Passamaquoddy Bay, New Brunswick. And as you pass Eastport, Maine, the last town in the U.S., take a look a mile across the strait to Campobello Island, the summer home of FDR and the site of the East Quoddy Lighthouse with its absolutely iconic red Cross of St. George. I took this trip a…

Cruising Life
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Record-Breaking 78-Foot Wave Just Measured in Southern Ocean Off New Zealand

A furious 65-knot storm just produced a record-breaking 78-feet-high monster wave in the Southern Ocean, the largest wave ever recorded there. The wave, measured by a MetOcean Solutions buoy near Campbell Island, 430 miles south of New Zealand, is 15 feet higher than the previous highest wave, recorded in the same spot just a year ago. The 78-foot wave was recorded on the night of May 9 by a single solar-powered buoy that samples wave conditions for 20 minutes every three hours. The buoy measures wave height, period and direction, and uploads that data to a satellite. The scientists at…

Cruising Life
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Eight Months Later, Canals in the Florida Keys Are Still Clogged from Hurricane Irma

Eight months after Hurricane Irma, canals in the Florida Keys are still choked with debris, while county and Federal officials are debating how to pay for the cleanup. Meanwhile, according to the Miami Herald, the aftermath of the hurricane has also complicated the recovery of seagrass in Florida Bay. To date, only 16 canals in the Keys have been cleared, involving about 3,000 cubic yards of debris, leaving another 97,000 cubic yards (with everything from awnings to RVs) to go. The debris is blocking boats from using the canals; it also is blocking the canals for manatees and other marine…

Cruising Life
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Coast Guard Cadets Design New and Improved Helicopter Rescue Basket

Your chances of surviving a rescue at sea just got a lot better, thanks to some creative cadets at the Coast Guard Academy. A group of mechanical engineering seniors spent the last year working at the Coast Guard Research and Development Center in New London, Connecticut, to improve the existing helicopter rescue basket, which is limited in its ability to rescue a large number of people quickly and safely. The cadets came up with a new design that is large enough to hold two people at a time sitting in the basket, but is still small enough to fit into…

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