Author Peter Janssen

Cruising Life
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Sandy Hook Harbor Pilots: “Lords of the Harbor”

Ever since 1694, the Sandy Hook Pilots Association has been helping ship captains safely navigate the shifting currents, sandbars, fogs, and other marine traffic in and out of New York Harbor, the busiest harbor on the East Coast. Often, simply getting to or from the large ship becomes a matter of skill, timing and courage. But, over the years, these pilots have done their jobs so well that they are often called “Lords of the Harbor.” Here’s a look at one pilot who recently helped the Queen Mary 2 safely navigate the harbor and head out to sea: http://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/20/nyregion/at-sea-with-new-york-harbors-channel-masters.html

Boat Reviews
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Aspen C120: A Cat with a Difference

The new 42-foot Aspen C120 power cat is anything but just another pretty boat. Developed by Larry Graf, one of the more creative people in boating, the new C120, like all Aspens, has an asymmetrical proa hull (think of native boats in the South Pacific), where the port side is 35 percent narrower than the starboard side, which houses the single 330-hp Volvo diesel. The point: Stability, performance and above all, fuel efficiency. Graf says the boat burns just 11 gph at 17 knots. Graf founded Aspen Power Catamarans in Burlington, Washington, in 2008; he had founded Glacier Bay Power…

On Watch with Peter Janssen
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Greenline 36 Hybrid: The Future of Boating?

Just introduced to the U.S. market at the Fort Lauderdale boat show, the new Greenline 36 Hybrid offers a combination of a totally silent 6.5-knot speed under electric power, or an 18-knot speed under traditional 220-hp Volvo diesel power (boosted to 25 knots with an optional 370-hp Yanmar). The reaction to the boat at the show, said Vladimir Zinchenko, the CEO of SVP Yachts of Slovenia, the new owner of Greenline, was “very good. People are much more comfortable with hybrid technology today. They love the environmentally friendly aspect and the idea behind Greenline.” I tested an earlier version of…

Charter
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Plan a Winter Break: New Moorings Power Charters in the Seychelles

The Moorings has just started power charter vacations in the Seychelles, the series of secluded, sandy islands with incredible marine life in the heart of the Indian Ocean. You can now book a memorable charter on a Moorings 514PC (power cat), with four staterooms, five heads, air conditioning and two 350-hp Yanmar diesels. Depending on your desires and experience, you can charter the big cat as a bareboat or with a captain. It has a fully furnished salon, with a convertible sofa sleeping two adults and access to the huge foredeck that takes advantage of the full 25-foot beam. Up…

Cruising Life
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Catch Up with the Parkers, If You Can

You’d be hard put to find more couples with more cruising miles under their belts on the same boat than Jeff and Suzie Parker, from Chattanooga, Tennessee. Ten years ago they bought their Kadey-Krogen 48, Idyll Time, and they – with their two dogs and two Amazon parrots – have been going strong ever since. The Parkers have already completed the Great Loop and now they’re cruising a bit closer to home. In their latest blog, covering a short cruise from Manteo to Ocracoke near the Outer Banks in North Carolina, Jeff learns that even the most experienced cruiser can…

Electronics
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New Smaller Garmin Touchscreen and Keyed Chartplotters

Designed for people who don’t have a lot of space at their helms, Garmin just introduced at the Fort Lauderdale show a series of smaller, less expensive touchscreen and keyed chartplotters and combo units. The new models are additions to Garmin’s popular GPSMAP series and are  7- to 12-inch plotters available with or without built-in sonar. The new units are GPSMAP 7×2 and 9×2 touchscreen chartplotters and GPSMAP 10×2 and 12×2 keyed chartplotters. Dan Bartel, Garmin’s VP of worldwide sales, says the new units “are designed for the budget-conscious customer who desires premium features typically found only in a higher-end…

Destinations
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Martha’s Vineyard, Off Season, Better than Ever

On our summer cruises, we often put into Edgartown on our way to, or from, Nantucket, as a way of spending a night or two on Martha’s Vineyard, one of the premiere cruising destinations on the East Coast, or anywhere else, for that matter. Or, if I had a vote, we’d head for Menemsha, the small fishing village on the other end of the island (think Jaws); not as well-known, but that’s one reason I like it. During the summer, however, anywhere on the Vineyard is crowded. Now, in the off season, the entire island has a quiet charm of…

Engine Room
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How To Change a Fuel Filter on a Diesel Engine, Video

Do you remember the falling feeling in the pit of your stomach when the tach for your diesel engine suddenly shows the rpms falling, or surging and falling, or just acting erratically? Not a good time, on any boat. Problems with dirty fuel, water in fuel, whatever. You don’t want to be there. Protect yourself and your diesel by periodically changing the fuel filter, before there’s a problem. Here’s a good look at  how to do just that: https://youtu.be/e2VCNPCKQrA

Cruising Life
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Columbia River Bar Pilot: Toughest Job in the World?

Next time you start to worry about your commute to work, remember this video of a Columbia River Bar pilot climbing down a pitching ladder from a large ship in a storm to get back to his own pilot boat. This is not for the faint of heart. Hang on to your chair; this is one of the most dramatic videos I’ve ever seen. All in a day’s work: http://www.opb.org/news/article/columbia-river-bar-pilot-weather-goes-wrong/

Cruising Life
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Once Proud Presidential Yacht Sequoia, Now “Home to Raccoons,” Sold to Foreign Investors for $0

The former Presidential yacht Sequoia, a classic 104-foot, 1926 Trumpy, is being sold to a group of investors in India for zero dollars to settle a  lawsuit filed in Delaware. First used by President Hoover, the yacht was sold in 1977 by President Carter and was last bought by a Washington lawyer who used it for private charters. He ultimately borrowed money from the Indian group for repairs, which resulted in the lawsuit. In his ruling, the Delaware judge said, “The Sequoia, an elderly and vulnerable wooden yacht, is sitting on an inadequate cradle on an undersized marine railway in…

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