Author Peter Janssen

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…

Boat Reviews
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New Prestige 460: French Lines with Lots of Light, Space and Zip. Plus Video

Just launched at the Yachts Miami Beach show in February, the new Prestige 460 flybridge has the same French lines, creative use of space and large amounts of natural light that have become the company’s hallmarks. Nick Harvey, president of Prestige America, says the two-cabin, two-head cruiser “is the perfect size with outstanding performance and exceptional accommodations.” Prestige makes five flybridge boats, from 42 to 56 feet, all using Garroni Design with engineering from JP Concepts. Part of the powerhouse Beneteau Group, Prestige was created more than 20 years ago. Since then, it has sold more than 2,500 yachts worldwide.…

Cruising Life
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Coast Guard Pulls Up Buoy with 20 Bullet Holes Off Block Island

This is just too weird. During a routine maintenance run, the Coast Guard pulled up a sunken buoy off Block Island, Rhode Island, and found that it had 20 bullet holes in it. The Clay Head buoy number 7 marks a large rock three feet under the surface. Crewmen from the Coast Guard cutter Ida Lewis  were conducting regular aids to navigation maintenance when they pulled up the buoy. It was the second buoy discovered with bullet holes in the past week, the Coast Guard said. “While it may be fun to use a buoy for target practice, it is…

Cruising Life
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Coast Guard Rescue Swimmer Tells How to Survive the Unexpected Offshore

What do you do when the unexpected happens offshore? When the winds build, say, from 40 knots to 60 knots, to 70 knots? When your mental and physical preparation could mean the difference between life and death? And that preparation involves a lot of practice, according to Mario Vittone, a retired Coast Guard helicopter rescue swimmer and instructor and expert on surviving at sea. (In 2007, Vittone was named the Coast Guard’s Enlisted Person of the Year.) Here Vittone uses real world examples of how people survived the unexpected, where a common thread is that those who had successful experiences…

Cruising Life
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Retired Couple, and Their Dog, Tackle the Great Loop in a C-Dory 25

Pat and Patty Anderson, of Birch Bay, Washington, just north of Bellingham, love to go boating. They bought their C-Dory 25 Daydream at the Seattle boat show in 2005, and have spent much of their free time cruising the nearby San Juan and Canadian Gulf Islands. The boat is powered by a single Honda 150-hp outboard, with a backup 15-hp Honda as a kicker. The longest time they have spent on board was about two weeks. But Pat, a retired lawyer, wanted to expand their horizons, so the Andersons decided to tackle the Great Loop. With their dog Baxter, the…

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