Author Peter Janssen

Cruising Life
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Humpback Whales Enjoying Baby Boom in the Antarctic

Here’s some good news: Humpback whales are making a comeback in the Antarctic; in fact, they’re enjoying something of a baby boom. A new study under Ari Friedlaender of the University of California at Santa Cruz reports that female humpback whales are having higher pregnancy rates and giving birth to more calves in recent years than previously. The whales were almost hunted out of existence in the late 19thcentury and for most of the 20thcentury, until international treaties were signed to protect them. The whales, which grow to the size of a school bus, have life spans similar to ours.…

Cruising Life
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New Garmin inReach Mini Fits in the Palm of Your Hand, but Can Provide Worldwide Two-Way Messaging and SOS

The new Garmin inReach Mini, a powerful two-way satellite communicator, is so small that it fits in the palm of your hand. But it lets you send and receive messages through the Iridium satellite network and it has an emergency SOS function that operates 24/7. Not bad for a device that weighs 3.5 ounces and is 4 inches tall and 2 inches wide. With the inReach Mini, you don’t have to worry about being out of cell range or off the grid, as long as you have a subscription to the worldwide Iridium network. And you can pair it with…

Cruising Life
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New York Gov. Cuomo Promises to Organize a “Citizens’ Fleet” to Block Offshore Drilling; Cites Winston Churchill at Dunkirk

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, a Democrat, just promised to organize a “citizens’ fleet” to block offshore drilling proposed by the Trump Administration. “I’m going to commission a citizen fleet to stop it just as Winston Churchill did at Dunkirk,” he said, recalling the heroic rescue of British and Allied troops from France in the early days of the Second World War. Cuomo called Trump’s decision to permit offshore drilling “an unacceptable risk,” and said he would organize fishing and recreational vessels to stop it in a speech attacking the Administration’s environmental and energy policies. The Administration’s policy would open…

Cruising Life
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Meet the New Albemarle Loop: Slow Down and Enjoy North Carolina

A group of North Carolina marinas and businesses has formed a new organization aimed at cruising boat owners called The Albemarle Loop, making it easier to enjoy the waterfront towns, culture and history that surround Albemarle Sound. Now you can stray away from the magenta line marking the middle of Intracoastal Waterway on most charts and explore the many rivers, creeks, coves and communities on Albemarle Sound, or take advantage of The Albemarle Loop to make it an important part of your journey. There are now 12 marinas in The Albemarle Loop program, offering free or low-cost slips, fresh water…

Boat Reviews
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Palm Beach Motor Yachts Announces New Flagship 70 with Same Beautiful Lines but More Room Inside

Palm Beach just started building its new flagship, a Palm Beach 70, at its factory in Malaysia. The new 70 is scheduled to be launched later this year, and the company has already sold the first two hulls. The Palm Beach lineup now has six models, from 42 to 65 feet. The new 70 will have more interior volume than the 65, particularly in the midships master stateroom and the other guest staterooms, although the company emphasizes that the boat’s interior can be completely customized to fit the individual owner’s desires. One of the first hulls features four staterooms and…

Cruising Life
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Meet Untold Horizon, a New Voyage-Planning Service from Professional Mariners

Wondering where to go on your next cruise, or the best way to get there? Now you can get help from a new voyage-planning service from Untold Horizon that will help you prepare so you will arrive safely and securely. I just found out about this new effort myself when I stopped by the Untold Horizon booth at the Connecticut Spring Boat Show in Essex, and met Jeremy Dann, the president of the company. A graduate of the Maine Maritime Academy, Dann holds a 500-ton Master Domestic license and a 300-ton Master International license and has worked as the captain…

On Watch with Peter Janssen
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On Watch

Lake Erie Boater Fights $75 Fine for Missing PFD, Says State Violated His Fourth Amendment Rights By Peter A. Janssen Here’s a court case that challenges our thinking about our constitutional right against unlawful search and seizure vs the enforcement of standard boating safety. But first, the facts: On May 23, 2016, Frederick W. Karash, 37, of North East, Pennsylvania, was fishing with four friends on Lake Erie on his 23-foot boat. At 7:30 p.m. James Smolko, an officer with the Pennsylvania Fish and Game Commission, who was patrolling the lake, stopped Karash’s boat to check for fishing licenses. After…

Cruising Life
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Three Commercial Fishing Boats Collide in Alaska; One Captain, a Former Pro Skier and Model, Faces Charges

Commercial fishing in Alaska can be a rough business. See this video of a collision involving three competing fishing boats on Aug. 16, 2016, in Prince William Sound. As a result, Kami “Bananas” Cabana, the skipper of one of the boats, a former professional skier and model for North Face, is facing felony charges for allegedly ramming a competitor’s boat, injuring a member of its crew. A Coast Guard investigation said the incident started when Jason Long, the captain of the F/V Temptation, saw a school of salmon in Hidden Bay, and he also saw an opening to reach the…

Cruising Life
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New Honors for Volvo’s Most-Powerful-Ever D13 Engine and IPS1350 Pod Drives

Volvo Penta’s new 1,000-hp D13 diesel engine, it’s most powerful ever, and its IPS1350 pod drive propulsion system just won new honors from Boating Industry, the boating business magazine, which named them among the top boating products of the year. The engine and drive system were introduced to the North American market at the Fort Lauderdale International Boat show last November. “With Volvo Penta’s major redesign to create the D13-1000 engine and its integration with IPS pod drives, the company created an impressive system with the consumer end result in mind,” the magazine said. The engine and drives result in a…

Cruising Life
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Hit Hard by Maria, Laid-Back but Beautiful St. Croix Has Almost Fully Recovered

St. Croix, the largest, and arguably the most laid-back of the U.S. Virgin Islands, has mostly recovered from Hurricanes Irma and Maria last September. As it turned out, Irma wasn’t too bad, but Maria was devasting. But that was then. Now 90 percent of the island’s businesses have reopened, power is restored, and the island’s oldest hotel, the Buccaneer, which housed relief workers for many months, is open for visitors. For visiting boaters, the St. Croix Marine Center in Gallows Bay next to Christiansted Harbor is fully functioning. It’s a full-service marina with 44 slips for boats up to 150…

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