Cruising Life

New Challenges to Georgia’s “Draconian” Anchoring Regulations

By Peter Janssen on February 9, 2020 Cruising Life

Here’s the latest on Georgia’s controversial new anchoring restrictions, which went into effect on January 1. Ron Stephens, a veteran cruiser and a Georgia State Representative, has filed a bill in the General Assembly to address the worst of the restrictions. His bill would take away the power of the state’s Department of Natural Resources to determine where boats can anchor. And it would change the rule that prohibits anchoring within 1,000 feet of structures, including public and private docks, wharves, bridges, piers and pilings except in areas near marinas. His proposal would change that distance to 150 feet. As…

New Sub from U-Boat Worx: Cruise at 6 Knots

By Peter Janssen on February 9, 2020 Cruising Life

If you’re looking for a new toy, think about the U-Boat Worx HiPer Sub 2, a two-person sports sub that goes 6 knots on the surface or under the surface and that provides what the Dutch builder calls “the ultimate underwater experience.” In the HiPer Sub 2, you can glide along and admire the view, or you can engage in underwater acrobatics, performing loops, steep turns and vertical ascents and descents. The intuitive joystick controls let you, along with your trained pilot, maneuver the sub like a fighter jet, all in air-conditioned comfort. The sub comes with a depth sounder,…

Antarctica Hits Historic 65 Degrees, “Doomsday Glacier” Melting

By Peter Janssen on February 8, 2020 Cruising Life

Here’s a disturbing story from USA Today, with a video, about a historic high of 65 degrees in Antarctica. Scientists also found warm water under the “Doomsday Glacier” there, which could accelerate its melting. The temperature was recorded at an Argentine research base on the tip of the Antarctic Peninsula. It beats the previous record of 63.5 degrees Fahrenheit, set in 2015. The Antarctic Peninsula is among the fastest warming regions on Earth. A balmy temperature of nearly 65 degrees was recorded in Antarctica on Thursday, and if verified, it would be an all-time record high for the normally bitterly…

See Spectacular Shots of Coast Guard Surf Training

By Peter Janssen on February 6, 2020 Cruising Life

Here are some of the best pictures I’ve ever seen of Coast Guard motor lifeboat crews training in rough surf. The photographer is Jeremy Burke, and the story, from USA Today Sports, was shared on social media. Burke took the pictures of two boats from Coast Guard Station Yaquina Bay training in 20- to 25-foot waves off Newport, Oregon. The station schedules training days when the surf or winds are high. Watch the crews, who are all experienced, challenge the waves head on. Take a look: Pete Thomas February 4, 2020 12:24 pm When a massive swell slammed Oregon recently,…

Kayaker, 67, Missing in Everglades for 12 Days; Rescued by Cell Phone

By Peter Janssen on February 4, 2020 Cruising Life

A 67-year-old on a solo kayaking expedition was missing in the Everglades for 12 days. But then sheriff’s deputies found his cellphone on the banks of a river, recovered his last know GPS coordinates, and found him the next morning. As it turned out, they found the man, Mark Miele, from Virginia, just in time. “When we found him it didn’t look like he was moving and we didn’t know if it was going to be a rescue or a recovery,” Ed Henderson, the rescue helicopter pilot told CBS affiliate WINK. Miele had severe hypothermia and was dehydrated. Originally, Miele…

Best New Electronics: NMEA Technology Award Winners

By Peter Janssen on February 4, 2020 Cruising Life, Electronics

If you’re thinking about buying new electronics for your boat, either as part of a new vessel or as an upgrade on your existing one, you’ll want to take a look at this review of some of the best from NMEA Boater. It lists the winner and four other finalists for the National Marine Electronics Association Technology Award in 2019, and it’s certainly a good place to start. It has the manufacturers’ own descriptions of their entries. The overall winner was Raymarine/FLIR ClearCruise (pictured above). The entry says it “is an industry-first navigation technology that brings leading-edge Augmented Reality to…

Coast Guard Warns of Dangerous Bar Conditions in Pacific NW

By Peter Janssen on January 28, 2020 Cruising Life

If you’re thinking of cruising in the Pacific Northwest any time soon, you need to read this warning from the U.S. Coast Guard: SEATTLE – The Coast Guard advises all mariners of the dangers related to crossing hazardous bars in the Pacific Northwest. Recent incidents have highlighted the challenges of attempting to cross waterway bars in heavy weather and at night. The marine casualty of a commercial fishing vessel on the Coos Bay bar resulted in the loss of a vessel, but miraculously all three crew members were saved. Unfortunately, in a similar incident on the Yaquina Bay bar, both…

4 of 8 Killed in Alabama Marina Fire Were Children

By Peter Janssen on January 27, 2020 Cruising Life

Alabama boat dock fire: Four of the 8 who died were children, authorities say NATIONAL/WORLD NEWS by: CNN Wire At least four of the eight people killed in Monday morning’s boat dock fire in northeastern Alabama were children ranging in age from 7 to 16, a coroner said Tuesday. The other four who died at Jackson County Park Marina at Guntersville Lake are presumed to be adults, county Coroner John Jordan said. The victims’ names have not been released, and dental records are being used to identify the remains, he said. The preliminary investigation is focused on “one boat in particular,” Scottsboro…

Weather Forecasts Revisited After Duck Boat Disaster

By Peter Janssen on January 27, 2020 Cruising Life

Here’s a thorough and thoughtful story from the Washington Post about the dangers and difficulties of reading weather charts, particularly in light of the duck boat disaster on Table Rock Lake near Branson, Missouri, in July, 2018, when a tourist boat sank, killing 17 people, in 70 mph winds: Boat captain ‘reviewed radar’ data six minutes before his vessel was swallowed by angry waves By Matthew Cappucci January 26 It has been 18 months since a fully loaded duck boat plunged beneath turbulent whitecaps atop Table Rock Lake near Branson, Mo. The ill-fated tour took place despite warnings of dangerous weather.…

EPA: Cities Now Can Dump More Raw Sewage in Rivers

By Peter Janssen on January 27, 2020 Cruising Life

Here’s a disturbing story from The New York Times: By Christopher Flavelle The Environmental Protection Agency has made it easier for cities to keep dumping raw sewage into rivers by letting them delay or otherwise change federally imposed fixes to their sewer systems, according to interviews with local officials, water utilities and their lobbyists. Cities have long complained about the cost of meeting federal requirements to upgrade aging sewer systems, many of which release untreated waste directly into waterways during heavy rains — a problem that climate change worsens as rainstorms intensify. These complaints have gained new traction with the…

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