Author Peter Janssen

Cruising Life
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Site of the Miami Boat Show, Virginia Key Also Is the Center of a Local Dispute

Virginia Key, the site of the Miami International Boat Show since 2016, is also the site of a local dispute, pitting developers against some local officials who want more public access and environmental sensitivity. The one thing everybody agrees on is that the 1,000-acre key on the Rickenbacker Causeway offers beautiful views of Biscayne Bay and the downtown Miami skyline. Former Miami Mayor Manny Diaz says Virginia Key should be Miami’s version of New York’s Central Park. And the key’s master plan seemed to be heading in that direction. But the city already has allocated $750,000 to design a mooring…

Cruising Life
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What Does It Really Cost To Drive an Electric Boat 1,000 Miles at 10 mph? Here are Some Answers from Stephens Waring Yacht Design

We all know that electric-powered boats are cheaper to operate than gas- or diesel-powered models, right? But exactly how much cheaper are they? Now the creative people at Stephens Waring Yacht Design up in Belfast, Maine, have come up with some numbers to answer that question. Oddly enough, hard figures are hard to come by. So, Stephens Waring started their research at the Alternative Fuels Data Center at the Department of Energy, which has a lot of drop-down menus with information about cars, comparing the costs of an all-electric Chevy Volt, for example, to the costs of a combustion-engine-driven Volkswagen…

Cruising Life
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Killer Whale Learns to Mimic Human Speech, Even Counting up to Three

Say “hello” to Wikie, a 16-year-oll orca whale, pictured above. Better yet, let Wikie say “hello” to you. Or “good bye.” If that’s not enough, Wikie also can count, at least as far as “one, two, three.” New research, just published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B, says that Wiki is able to mimic a variety of human sounds on command, adding to the growing body of evidence that killer whales learn new sounds through social interaction. In the wild, orcas live in tight-knit pods with unique vocal traditions. Now scientists believe that the whales acquire these dialects…

Cruising Life
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Once Overlooked, the Miami River Waterfront Now is Hot with $50 Million Condos and a $229 Seafood Special

If you’re going to Miami any time soon, for the boat show or otherwise, you might want to check out the new boom of upscale waterfront restaurants, condos and retail stores along the Miami River, an area that was getting pretty seedy not long ago. But things change, and now “the Miami River is hot,” as one real estate broker told The New York Times. Indeed, the Miami River downtown, just above the booming Brickell area, no longer looks like a Miami Vice outtake. It used to be filled with decrepit vessels, small bait-and-tackle shops and nefarious dealings. In 1985,…

On Watch with Peter Janssen
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On Watch

Cruising the Bahamas on Bumfuzzle: The Schulte Family Stays on the Move By Peter A. Janssen Pat Schulte says that he and his wife Ali are “not ones to settle down.” That’s a considerable understatement. In fact, ever since they quit their jobs in Chicago in 2003, they’ve been on the move, sailing around the world, driving from Alaska to Argentina, and now cruising the Bahamas on their 1986 Grand Banks 42 Bumfuzzle with their two children. And loving every minute of it. While he was still in college in Chicago, Schulte started working in the commodities pit as trader.…

Boat Reviews
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New Prestige 630S Will Launch in Miami, a 30-Knot Cruiser with Contemporary French Flair

The new, aggressively styled Prestige 630S with a light-filled interior and proud French pedigree will be launched in the U.S. at the Miami Yacht Show on Collins Avenue, starting Feb. 15. The newest in Prestige’s SportYacht lineup, the 630S has three cabins (plus a captain’s quarters) and a 24-knot cruising speed powered by twin 725-hp Volvos with IPS950 pod drives. Inside, the 630S has a clean, contemporary, European-styled salon, with luxurious settees and a dining table where guests can enjoy 360-degree views from windows all around. In addition, a large sliding glass sunroof lets in more light and fresh air…

Charter
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The Moorings Reopens in St. Martin, but from a New Charter Base in Marigot

The Moorings and Sunsail, the world-wide charter companies, just reopened operations in St. Martin on Feb. 1, only four months after the Caribbean island was devastated by Hurricane Irma. They are now working out of a new charter base at Marina Fort-Louis in the island’s French capital of Marigot. The charter base there will have a diverse fleet including many powerboats, and more boats are expected to arrive as part of the companies’ $66.5 million investment in their Caribbean fleet after last fall’s hurricanes. Boats are available for bareboat and crewed charters, and one-way charters also are possible. Marina Fort-Louis is…

Cruising Life
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Argos Nautic to Launch New 11-foot Semi-Custom RIB at Miami Yacht Show

Argos Nautic will unveil its new 11-foot semi-custom tender called the 330 JET at the Miami Yacht Show on Collins Avenue starting Feb. 15. Powered by a Textron 850 MPE intercooled, turbocharged, four-stroke engine, the new RIB tops out at 48 mph. The new 11-footer is the smallest of the Miami-based company’s three models, which go up to 13’ 6.”  With a beam of 5’ 8” and weighing only 750 pounds fully rigged, the 330 JET is designed to fit into many cruising boats’ garages. It has a built-in, 10-gallon fuel tank, and lots of storage for luggage, coolers and…

Cruising Life
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Seakeeper Gets More and More Popular, Expands Production. See Videos of Its Gyro Stabilizers in Action

Seakeeper is on a roll. Well, that’s a terrible misstatement. Actually, Seakeeper reduces rolling on recreational boats by 80 to 90 percent. It makes boating fun again for many, many people who don’t want to roll from side to side while underway or at anchor. It’s the Seakeeper company that’s on a roll. Indeed, Seakeeper is a modern success story, finding new owners across many diverse boat lines and making more and more gyro stabilizers each year. In fact, Seakeeper is going to increase its capacity so it can produce 6,000 new gyros in its factory in Mohnton, PA this…

Cruising Life
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Fight Over Marina Expansion Involves Boaters at Liberty Landing, Just Across Harbor from New York

The view from Liberty Landing Marina, in Jersey City, New Jersey, is simply spectacular, particularly at night. You look across New York Harbor to see all the lights of lower Manhattan, a sight that never gets old. I was there two years ago at the start of a trip up to Quebec City on a Cutwater 28 (pictured above),  and I didn’t want to go to bed. And when you leave the marina, you can see the Statue of Liberty just off to your right, while the Hudson and the entire West Side of New York unfold before you. As…

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