Author Peter Janssen

Destinations
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Burlington, Vermont: Historic, Lively Cruising Center of Lake Champlain

Named after French explorer Samuel de Champlain, who first went there in 1609, Lake Champlain is one of the premiere cruising destinations in the United States. First off, it’s enormous, some 163 miles long and 14 miles wide, with Vermont on the eastern shore and New York to the west. One of the many things that make it interesting, however, is that the northern tip is part of Quebec province, and if you want to practice your French (but with a distinct Quebec flair), or cruise through a part of the country that could have come from a Monet painting,…

Cruising Life
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Join the Fun: Winterfest and Other Holiday Boat Parades in Florida

Who doesn’t love a boat parade, particularly in the holiday season, and particularly if you live in Florida? Holiday boat parades have been big there ever since the 1920s when owners decorated their boats with candles and cruised the waterways singing Christmas carols. Now the parades have more candlepower, in every sense, and boats are decked out with lights and decorations of all kinds. The largest parade is the Winterfest Boat Parade in Fort Lauderdale, which is Dec. 10 this year. (See the video below for scenes from last year’s event; it’s huge.) But if that’s too much for you,…

Cruising Life
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Christmas Gift Ideas from the U.S. Coast Guard: Start Early

If you’re looking for a Christmas gift for your favorite boat owner (or for yourself), you can’t go wrong with this list from the U.S. Coast Guard. You (or your favorite boater) probably have a lot of these things already, but take a look at the entire list, ranging from life jackets and a handheld VHF to a new life raft. My personal favorite from the Coast Guard’s list: a new seamanship book, particularly the 67th edition of Chapman Piloting and Seamanship (since I edited much of it). But take a look at the full list here: http://gcaptain.com/coast-guards-gift-ideas-nautical/

Cruising Life
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As Delays Pile Up, An Aging, Heavily-Used Ohio River Lock and Dam Turn Into “A Ticking Time Bomb”

You may want to rethink any plans to cruise down the Ohio River any time soon after reading this. Lock and Dam 52, in a corner of southern Illinois near the mouth of the Ohio River, get more traffic than any other spot on the inland waterway. Built in 1929, the 600-foot chamber is desperately in need of repairs; the lock walls are cracking and sagging, the hydraulic pipes are paper thin, the seals are leaking and metal is rusting. The average delay this fall was between 15 and 20 hours. The lockmaster says the only thing keeping it going…

Gear
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Can This Buoyant Glow-in-the-Dark Rope Save Your Life?

Now here’s something truly new: Buoyant rope that glows in the dark. A man overboard at night? With this rope, which comes in yellow, orange, pink and green,  at least you – and the man overboard – will be able to see the lifebuoy or whatever else you’re throwing his way. Called Night Saver Rope, it’s supposed to be 10 times stronger than standard buoyant rope. Certainly worth a second look: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/glow-in-the-dark-rope-a-lifesaver-at-sea-halifax-maker-says/article33022968/

Cruising Life
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Incredible New Video of Coast Guard Surf Training: You Don’t Want To Be There

You’ve got to see this. You think you’ve been in heavy seas? Or that you’re properly salty? Well, you may want to think again. Here’s a Coast Guard video of their heavy weather surf training off the Oregon and Washington coasts on their 47-foot Motor Life Boat. It’s certainly good to know that these men and woman are going to be well-trained if you ever need them, but wow, this isn’t easy. Take a look: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-7Evav3KlMA&feature=em-subs_digest

Engine Room
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Three New, Easy-to-Use Portable Outboards from Honda

If you need a new outboard for your dink, inflatable or small RIB, take a look at Honda’s new 4-, 5- and 6-hp portables. Each one weighs about 60 pounds, and they come with 15” or 20” shafts. Honda is hardly new to the outboard market; they’ve been making outboards since the ‘60s. These newest models are carbureted four-stroke engines with overhead valves. They all have a 1.5L onboard gas tank, but the 5- and 6-hp models also offer a connection to an external tank. They all have a tiller handle that swings all the way up, and all the…

On Watch with Peter Janssen
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The First Thanksgiving

. The voyage from Plymouth, England, to Cape Cod took the Mayflower 66 days, and for most of them the 102 passengers and 30 crew on board were cold and miserable. The fall weather was often brutal, the aging 100-foot-long square rigger couldn’t sail into the prevailing westerlies, and it leaked. The Mayflower finally dropped anchor off Cape Cod on Nov, 27, 1620, and everyone spent that winter on the boat; half of them died of malnutrition or exposure. The next spring Squanto, a Pawtuxet who spoke English (he had been kidnapped by a British sea captain), got the Pilgrims…

Gear
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SEABOB: Swim Like a Fish, Over and Under the Water

Take a look at the new SEABOB, which I just saw in action at the Fort Lauderdale show. It’s not complicated, it’s not salty, it’s simply fun. SEABOB basically is an electric-powered, jet-propelled water sled or scooter that lets you glide on top of the waves at up to nine mph or dive underwater like a fish. The basic SEABOB, the F5, is easy to handle; you steer by shifting your weight. It has two control grips and you just squeeze the trigger to keep going. This SEABOB weighs only 64 pounds and you pick it up with a…

Cruising Life
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New Orleans Volunteers Restore WWII PT Boat, Offer Rides

Who doesn’t want a ride on a PT boat? Think power, speed, history, glamour (JFK and PT 109). Now, thanks to a nine-year restoration by a group of volunteers at the National WWII Museum in New Orleans, that will be possible starting next April. During the war, PT  305 served in the Med. The two restored decals with swastikas  on her hull means it sank two Nazi ships. After the war the 50-ton, 78-foot-long patrol boat went through a series of reincarnations until it was in total disrepair. Then the New Orleans volunteers stepped in. Now it is fully restored,…

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