Author Peter Janssen

Gear
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New Compact Cool Air Handling Systems from Webasto Fit Almost Anywhere

If you want to keep cool on your boat but don’t have room for an air conditioning system, or a lot of extra room, period, take a look at these new compact, self-contained air handling units from Webasto that don’t take up a lot of space. They’re all designed for a small footprint so you can install them almost anywhere. All three units are in the company’s BlueCool A-Series. The Compact Unit puts out from 4,000 to 36,000 BTU/hour and is meant for universal installation. The Low Profile unit delivers from 6,000 to 18,000 BTU/hour and is designed for horizontal…

Cruising Life
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Top Ten Tips from BoatU.S. for Getting Best Boat Loan

Heading for the Miami boat shows this week, or just in the market for a new boat? Unless you have a lot of extra cash, chances are you’ll apply for a loan to finance that new  boat of your dreams. Here’s some very good advice from BoatU.S. about how to get the best loan possible. Check your credit: Before applying for a loan, ensure your credit report is accurate, and get your current credit score. The closer to 700 and higher, the better the rate you’ll get. A free copy of your credit report is available annually from each of…

Cruising Life
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Beautiful – and Frightening – Winter Waves on Lake Erie

Winter waves on Lake Erie can be beautiful, as you can see in these photographs, but they also can be extremely dangerous. They can build to be more than 25 feet tall, but NOAA says Lake Erie is particularly known for its powerful seiches, which occur when all the water in the lake sloshes from one shore to another – think of what happens in your bathtub, writ large. Seiches and other waves don’t build up every day, of course, so photographer Dave Sandford often has to wait a long time to get the perfect shot. But his patience pays…

Cruising Life
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Lost Continent Found – Under Mauritius

About 1,200 miles off the coast of Africa, east of Madagascar, the tropical island of Mauritius in the Indian Ocean is often celebrated as one of the most beautiful spots on earth. Indeed, Mark Twain once said, “Mauritius was made first, and then heaven; and that heaven was copied after Mauritius.” A beckoning paradise for cruising boat owners, Mauritius seems to have it all: pristine waters, white beaches, deep-sea fishing, scuba diving, an exotic location. But now it has something truly unique: It’s sitting on top of the lost continent of Mauritia that scientists say broke up and sank about…

Destinations
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Formentera: A Gorgeous, but Not-So-Famous, Cruising Destination in the Med

Tired of the same old, same old? Want to cruise or take a crewed or bareboat charter to a slightly-off-the-beaten-track destination in the Med? Then head for Formentera, the fourth largest of the Balearic Islands, just off the southern edge of Ibiza, with sensational beaches, great waterfront restaurants and bars, and a much more relaxed vibe than its more famous neighbor. About the same size as Manhattan, Formentera has tourists, but not too many. It does not even have an airport. If you want to fly there, go to Ibiza and take the ferry over to the port town of…

Boat Reviews
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Fountaine Pajot MY 44: Brand-New Large and Luxurious Power Cat

You won’t be lonely on this new Fountaine Pajot MY 44 power catamaran. It comes with three staterooms, all with en suite heads, an absolutely enormous salon and flybridge, and lounges fore and aft. You can embark on some blue-water extended cruising with a lot of your friends, and you can do some serious entertaining with a larger crowd closer to home. The Fountaine Pajot MY 44 was just introduced at the Dusseldorf boat show in January. It is now undergoing sea trials off La Rochelle, France, and it’s scheduled to appear in the U.S. before the end of the…

Boat Reviews
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New Sabre 45 Salon Express: Made in Maine, Delivered in March

One of the reasons that Sabre Yachts has built, and maintained, a leadership position in the power cruising market is that the Maine-based company keeps introducing new models, in good times and bad. Now it has just delivered hull number one of the 45 Salon Express to its new owner in Florida. The 45, fitting between the company’s existing 42- and 48-foot models, is an all-new design with two staterooms, two full heads, and the built-in-Maine lines and craftsmanship that help define all Sabres. The master stateroom is forward, with an island bed and several lockers and drawers for storage…

On Watch with Peter Janssen
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On Watch

Countdown to Miami I can’t say, or more accurately, I don’t want to say, how many Miami boat shows I’ve been to over the years. Let’s just say, a lot. I do remember vividly the first one; it opened my eyes, and blew my mind. I know it started with dinner with the president of Hatteras and moved on to boat tests in Government Cut and raft-ups in Stiltsville. I previously had been a writer and editor at Time and Newsweek, sitting in corporate offices in New York. Now I was the editor of a boating magazine, taking off on boats,…

Cruising Life
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Fast Growing Crack in Antarctic Ice Shelf Will Soon Create One of Largest Icebergs Ever

A crack in the Antarctic ice shelf, now more than 100 miles long and two miles wide, may soon break off, creating one of the largest icebergs ever recorded. And it is growing quickly, increasing 17 miles in the last two months, and the length of five football fields a day. Since the ice is already floating, its separation won’t raise sea levels. But the glaciers behind it will then melt more quickly, and that will add to a rise in global sea level. And because of warming temperatures, other large amounts of ice in West Antarctica could be vulnerable…

Cruising Life
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Heading for the Miami Show? Take a Weekend in Bimini

If you’re heading to the Miami show, or just cruising in Florida, you may want to think about taking a 50-mile side trip (with your passport) over to Bimini. Even at 15 knots, you could leave Miami after breakfast and be sitting down for conch chowder at the Big Game Club (founded in 1936 and a Hemingway hangout) for lunch. Or dive, or explore Alice Town (that will be fun but it won’t take long), or fish, or just relax. For me, Bimini has been a favorite for a fast change of scene, and drop of blood pressure, for many,…

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