Author Peter Janssen

Cruising Life
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New High-Tech Man Overboard Systems Can Keep Your Crew Safe

Man overboard – every captain’s nightmare scenario, when seconds can mean the difference between life and death. The point, of course, is to locate the man overboard absolutely as quickly as possible and then start the recovery effort. Now three new high-tech systems make it possible to find that person faster and easier. Developed by a French start-up, the Sea-Tags MOB wristband alarm system starts with downloading a free app to all smartphones on board the boat to monitor the wristbands. When anyone wearing the wristband goes overboard and the wristband is submerged, the smartphones will sound an alarm and…

Boat Reviews
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American Tugs Designs New Large Stateroom for Owner of 395. See Pictures

Most American Tugs 395 models have two staterooms forward, a master in the bow with a walk around queen bed and lots of storage, and a guest a bit aft with a single upper and double lower berth. But the LaConner, Washington-based company also specializes in building what an owner wants, and here’s a case where the owner wanted just one extra-large stateroom. Take a look at the results below. We previously published a story about the American Tugs 395, calling it a sturdy cruiser, with its raised-pilothouse design, comfortable salon, and 15-knot cruising speed with a single 380-hp Cummins…

Cruising Life
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Coast Guard Closes Mississippi Near St. Louis: Flooding

Bad news for Loopers trying to get an early start or anyone else cruising on the Mississippi River: Due to heavy rain and flooding, the Coast Guard has closed the Mississippi to all traffic near St. Louis, from mile marker 184.5 to mile marker 179, near the MacArthur Bridge. More rain has raised the possibility of other river closings in the Upper Mississippi, Missouri and Illinois River basins, and the Coast Guard is worried about rising water levels near the Cape Girardeau area this week. For more: http://coastguardnews.com/coast-guard-closes-portion-of-upper-mississippi-river-to-all-vessel-traffic/2017/05/02/

Charter
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Ten Most Outrageous Charter Guest Requests

We all know that the goal of a charter vacation is to relax and have fun, and that generally the goal of the captain and crew is to keep everybody safe and happy. But what happens when the guests make outrageous requests? How outrageous? Well, try this top ten list, including calls for a seaplane to deliver more champagne when the onboard stock is running low, or the guest who demanded that the breakfast cucumbers be cut into exactly 10-millimetre cubes. And those are just for starters. Read the list: http://www.boatinternational.com/charter/luxury-yacht-charter-advice/the-most-outrageous-charter-guest-requests–30013/frame-2

Cruising Life
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A Fast Guide to the Best Bars, Marinas and Fun Spots in Key West

If you’ve ever been there, I think you have to admit that Key West is unique, a one-off, there’s nothing like it. Ernest Hemingway, for one, loved it, writing that “it’s the best place I’ve ever been, anytime, anywhere.” The southernmost point in the United States, Key West is the heart of the Conch Republic, a jumping off point for Cuba for a lot of cruisers (including me, more than a decade ago), a sportfishing mecca, and the center of parties and celebrations that go on and on – from the evening gathering at Mallory Square to catch the…

Cruising Life
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Coast Guard Rescues Five from Sinking Boat in Mona Passage

The first sign of trouble came in to the Coast Guard in San Juan, a Mayday call from a 38-foot recreational power boat with five men on board that was taking on water in the often-treacherous Mona Passage, the strait between Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic. The boat already had taken on three feet of water and more was pouring in. The five men had put on their life jackets and were abandoning ship, and they did not have a life raft. The Coast Guard immediately dispatched a Dolphin helicopter while sending out an urgent message to vessels in…

Engine Room
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How to Bleed Your Diesel Engine: A Simple Guide

There are many reasons why you might need to bleed your diesel engine, and few of them are good: You’ve run out of fuel, the fuel filters are clogged with dirty fuel, you’ve had to replace a secondary filter. If bleed you must, and sooner or later, unless you have a new high-tech common rail engine, you’ll probably need to get the air out of the system manually sooner or later. Take a look at this fast guide and then practice bleeding your diesel while you’re still at the dock, so you have this drill down perfectly. It will be…

Cruising Life
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Why Are So Many Humpback Whales Dying on the Atlantic Coast?

What’s killing so many humpback whales? In an average year, eight humpback whales are stranded somewhere along the Atlantic Coast from Virginia to Maine. But in the past 15 months, 41 whales have died from North Carolina to Maine. Scientists at NOAA are baffled by such a large increase, calling it an “unusual mortality event.” We do know that ten of the 41 humpbacks were killed by ship collisions; they suffered from blunt force trauma or large propeller cuts. But the scientists also are puzzled about this increase, since there has not been a proportional increase in ship traffic in…

Cruising Life
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Outer Reef 880 Rounds Cape Horn: You-Are-There Photo Gallery

It’s not often that we get to see some great pictures of a recreational powerboat going round Cape Horn, one of the most treacherous cruising grounds in the world. But when Argo, an Outer Reef 880, conquered the Horn a few months ago, photographer Andrew Ulitsky was on board, as was Argo owner Paul Hawran and Outer Reef Yachts president and CEO Jeff Druek. Take a look below as some shots of the adventure of a lifetime. And for more, go to: http://www.outerreefyachts.com/expedition-yacht-adventure-to-cape-horn

On Watch with Peter Janssen
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On Watch

A Man with a Plan Richard Bost, 66, a meteorologist and retired New York City high school principal, plans ahead, and so far he’s planned well. He left Providence, Rhode Island, on his 1989, 42-foot Kadey-Krogen Dauntless on July 20, 2014, and he’s been at sea ever since, crossing the Atlantic to the Azores, then cruising up to Ireland, the North Sea, the Baltic, and finally down the coast of Europe to Spain and the Canary Islands. He then crossed the Atlantic again, making landfall in Martinique before transiting the Panama Canal. Dauntless is now at Fish Hook Marina in…

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