Author Peter Janssen

Cruising Life
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Incredible Coast Guard Rescue in Alaska

This is one of the best Coast Guard rescue videos ever. It’s all in a day’s work for these people, but here a Coast Guard helicopter crew put their own swimmer the water in Alaska to hoist four fishermen to safety as their boat sinks behind them. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S12DrHyQXUg

Engine Room
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Volvo’s New Engines, IPS Drives and Joysticks for Cruising Boats

Volvo Penta has good news for cruising powerboat owners. It just introduced a new D8 diesel engine for boats in the 45- to 55-foot range, larger IPS pod drives for that engine, and new joystick controls for traditional shaft drives, all under the company’s theme of “Easy Boating.” The new D8 diesel is designed for both IPS and inboard shaft drives, giving cruising powerboat owners a broader selection of power systems. The D8 is an eight-liter, six-cylinder, inline diesel; it’s new to the recreational boating market, although it’s been used in Volvo trucks and buses for the past three years.…

Cruising Life
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Navionics Makes New Features for Raymarine MFDs

Two of the strongest names in marine electronics, Navionics and Raymarine, have collaborated to offer powerful, information-rich and user-friendly features for Raymarine multifunction displays using Lighthouse 2 operating systems. The new features let Raymarine owners take advantage of Navionics’ sophisticated algorithms to make navigation easier and safer by creating their own detailed routes, mark hazards, and even design their own bathymetry maps in real time. The new features involve Dock-to-Dock autorouting, SonarChart Live, and Advanced Map Options. Dock-to-Dock lets you plot courses taking into account nav aids, narrow channels, water depth and other hazards from from start to finish. SonarChart…

Cruising Life
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Chris-Craft Builds New 42-Foot Cabin Cruiser

One of the most famous names in boating, Chris-Craft will launch its first cabin cruiser in many years, a 42-foot Commander, at its dealer meeting this July. The new 42 also is the first in a new joint venture between Chris-Craft, based in Sarasota, Florida, and Austin Parker, the stylish boat builder in Pisa, Italy. With Chris-Craft’s distinctive lines, the Commander 42 will be powered by twin Volvo IPS 600 drives and 435-hp Volvo diesels. It will feature two cockpit areas for entertainment – one in the open area aft, and one under the hardtop, which can be fully…

Electronics
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Garmin’s New Fast, Hi-Res MFDs

If you’re fitting out a new boat, or doing a major update on your existing one, take a look at Garmin’s new GPSMAP 8400 and 8600 series multifunction displays. With touchscreen control and read-in-any-light display, they have the highest screen resolution in any marine MFD, according to Garmin, and deliver the fastest map drawing ever due to a new high-performance processor. They also have full HD switching to provide accurate colors, as seen from all viewing angles. Garmin’s new MFDs come in 17-, 22- and 24-inch sizes, and start at $7,499.99. They can be networked via NMEA 2000 to…

Cruising Life
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Boat Crashes off Trailer on Salem, MA Bridge

For the owner of this 24-foot Wellcraft, the Beverly-Salem Bridge in Salem, MA, was one bridge too far. After a sharp turn leading to the bridge, the boat tipped off the trailer, landing on its side in the road. A used boat, the Wellcraft was on its way to a sea trial. For more: http://www.salemnews.com/news/local_news/boat-flips-on-beverly-salem-bridge/article_6492f717-7aff-5244-ae90-5c70a5297f25.html

Cruising Life
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Logs, Swirling Currents on Erie Canal

Several cruisers have reported problems on the Erie Canal in the past few days, the result of heavy rain and flooding in the areas of Locks 9, 10 and 11 near Amsterdam, NY. Locks 10 and 11 were closed for a while at the start of the Memorial Day weekend, although they have reopened. And one captain reported on the America’s Great Loop Cruisers’ Association blog that “the swirling current going 9 was vicious.” Another,  Clay Logan on SaSea Sally, a Mainship 43, said he encountered “LOTS of logs and debris” in the area. On Seasons, a Tayana 42 trawler, John…