On Watch with Peter Janssen

Twin Disc’s New Thruster Panel Makes Your Helm Look Good

By Peter Janssen on January 8, 2016 Cruising Life, Gear, On Watch with Peter Janssen

Twin Disc’s New Thruster Panel Makes Your Helm Look Good We all know about the trend toward making docking easier, with pods, joysticks, thrusters and much more. But now Twin Disc has come up with something to make your helm station look better while you’re using this new technology: a new Digital Thruster Panel, which works with the company’s Express Joystick System and Power Commander electronic propulsion control, that not only looks good but is also easy to use. The new upscale panel is made of polished stainless steel, designed for the marine environment, and works equally well with lower…

Nordhavn’s Alaska Rendezvous

By Peter Janssen on January 3, 2016 Cruising Life, Destinations, On Watch with Peter Janssen

It’s no secret that Nordhavn owners are an adventuresome group. After all, the brand has built its reputation on crossing oceans and circumnavigating the world. Now a group of Nordhavn owners is organizing a rendezvous this July in Alaska, and they already have commitments from owners coming from Africa, Australia, the Caribbean and various ports in the U.S. So far some 30 owners have signed up for the Nordhavns2Alaska rendezvous (N2AK, for short) from July 8-10 in Petersburg, which is about halfway between Ketchikan and Juneau along the Inside Passage. Petersburg is a small (pop: 2,824), old commercial fishing village…

Severe Shoaling Along the ICW in North Carolina

By Peter Janssen on January 3, 2016 Cruising Life, Destinations, On Watch with Peter Janssen

It’s not getting any easier to cruise down the Intracoastal Waterway this winter. Indeed, the Coast Guard is reporting four more spots with dangerous shoaling conditions from mile marker 237 to mile marker 321 along the Waterway in North Carolina. The new shoals are at: Mile marker 237, Browns Inlet intersection near Bogue Sound, where a 200- yard shoal extends into the channel with depths from less than one foot to five feet at mean low water. Mile marker 271, Howards Creek Intersection near the New River-Cape Fear River buoy 99A, where a 350-yard shoal extends into the channel with…

Yanmar Updates A Popular Cruising Engine

By Peter Janssen on December 31, 2015 Cruising Life, Gear, On Watch with Peter Janssen

Yanmar has just introduced a new common-rail diesel engine in the popular 400-500-hp range for larger cruising boats. The new in-line, six-cylinder 6LY440/400 is the fourth generation of classic Yanmars dating back to 1989, all designed specifically for marine use. Since it has the same slim block as earlier engines in the series, it’s a good choice for both OEM and refit applications. The new 5.8 litre engine develops 440-hp at 3300 rpm, getting extra boost from a water-cooled turbocharger; other engines in the series are rated at 400 and 370 hp. Like all Yanmars over 45 hp, the 6LY440/400…

Don’t Tie Up Your Dinghy in Miami Beach

By Peter Janssen on December 31, 2015 Cruising Life, On Watch with Peter Janssen

There’s some bad news if you’re thinking of anchoring out and want to take your dinghy ashore to visit Miami Beach. The City of Miami Beach has passed an ordinance prohibiting anchoring along Collins Canal, a beautiful, upscale stretch of water that runs northeast from Biscayne Bay starting at mile 1088. The good news is that the bay there is fairly protected and has good holding, sensational views of the Miami skyline and access to Miami Beach’s famous beach, restaurants and other tourist attractions. The ordinance makes it illegal to tie a dinghy to the public sections of the seawall…

New No-Smells Freshwater Head

By Peter Janssen on December 30, 2015 Gear, On Watch with Peter Janssen

We’ve all been there at one time or another. That odor of rotten eggs drifting up from the head is every boat owner’s headache. Is it coming from the toilet itself? The hoses? The holding tanks? Whatever it is, it’s no fun. The problem is that you can’t have a cruising boat without having at least one, or preferably two, heads on board. Bowing to the trend to make boats more family-friendly (and particularly more friendly to the ladies of the family), manufacturers are packing heads into smaller and smaller boats, even center consoles. The new Hunt 32cc, for example,…

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