Author Peter Janssen

Cruising Life
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New Powerful AquaDart 770 Dive Scooter

You may not know you need this, but the new AquaDart Pro 770 Xtreme dive scooter seems like a toy that’s just waiting to be used. The AquaDart’s builder, iAqua, says the 770 is the most powerful sea scooter in the world, and is so powerful that it can pull two boats full of passengers. More specifically, it produces more than 52 kW of power and has a thrust of 770 Newtons, so it actually can move a lot. It’s also fast, reaching a top speed of 15 mph in just three seconds; that would be fun indeed. The Chinese…

Cruising Life
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Ferry Rescues People from Stricken Axopar

A 362-foot-long Washington State ferry and the Coast Guard rescued six people and two dogs after a wave smashed the windshield of their 37-foot Axopar in the San Juans earlier this week, shorting out the boat’s electronics and cutting some of the passengers. The Coast Guard in Bellingham says it got a distress call from the boat asking for help just before their fixed VHF radio shorted out. The crew on the Axopar was able to give the Coast Guard their GPS position, which was on Rosario Strait near Decatur Island. The seas were running at 4 to 6 feet…

Boat Reviews
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Parker Launches Versatile Sport Cruiser

Parker just launched its new 34-foot Sorrento, a versatile outboard-powered sport cruiser with an innovative second cabin located all the way aft. Parker is a proud Polish builder that traces its roots back to 1886. Its modern incarnation dates to the early 1970s. It now makes 12 models of family boats that have won prizes in Europe and are popular there. It unveiled the new Sorrento at the Düsseldorf show in January. You can order the Sorrento with twin outboards up to a total of 700 hp. With standard twin 300-hp Mercury outboards, it tops out at 46 knots; with…

Cruising Life
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3 Charged with Killing U.S. Sailing Couple

The three convicts who escaped from jail in Grenada last month and then allegedly hijacked a catamaran with an American couple on board were formally charged with killing them last week. The three men, Ron Mitchell, 30, a sailor, Atiba Stanislaus, 25, a farmer, and Trevon Robertson, 23 and  unemployed, were all charged with two counts of capital murder “by intentionally”  causing the death of Ralph Hendry, 66, and his wife, Kathy Brandel, 70, on their 48-foot St. Francis catamaran named Simplicity. The three had escaped a holding cell at the South Saint George police station in Grenada on Feb.…

Boat Reviews
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Outer Reef Launches New 620 Trident EVO

Outer Reef just launched its first 620 Trident EVO long-range motoryacht, and it will be on display at the Palm Beach show starting March 21. The new 620 Trident EVO has been redesigned for performance and efficiency in collaboration with Volvo Penta. Outer Reef first launched a 620 Trident in 2014; designed by Ward Setzer, who has worked on everything from superyachts to Hinckleys, it had a distinctive plumb bow and contemporary cruiser look. Now, ten years later, the EVO version features Volvo’s Electronic Vessel Control system and the SeaTorque enclosed shaft drive. The result is smoother joystick controls, faster…

Destinations
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Palm Beach Marina: Location, Location, Location

If you’re going to Palm Beach for the show on your boat later this month, or simply cruising in south Florida at any other time, take a look at the freshly renovated Town of Palm Beach Marina. You’ll be impressed. Most important is its location. It’s on the Intracoastal Waterway, just across Lake Worth Lagoon from the mainland and the show venue. In the other direction, it’s within walking distance of all the boutiques, galleries, restaurants and watering holes of Worth Avenue. The iconic Breakers hotel and resort is only eight-tenths of a mile away. It’s also just north of…

Cruising Life
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Charlie Griffin Killed Off Oregon Inlet

Charlie Griffin, a star of the Wicked Tuna TV series, his dog Leila, and a friend, Chad Dunn, 36, left Virginia Beach, Virginia, last Sunday on his 35-foot recreational fishing boat Jay’s Goodrun. They were heading for Pirate’s Cove Marina on Manteo on North Carolina’s Outer Banks, for repairs. They were last heard from about 6:15 p.m. The seas around Oregon Inlet, where Pamlico Sound joins the Atlantic on the Outer Banks, are notoriously rough. The Coast Guard says that on Sunday they were running at 4 to 6 feet, and the winds were 10 to 15 knots. About 11:30…

Cruising Life
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Rare Gray Whale Sighted South of Nantucket

The New England Aquarium in Boston just said that its survey team sighted a gray whale off the southern New England coast last week. The gray whale species has been extinct in the Atlantic for more than 200 years. The Aquarium’s survey team was flying 30 miles south of Nantucket when they saw the whale. They said it repeatedly dove and then resurfaced, appearing to be feeding. The team’s plane circled for 45 minutes, as the scientists took pictures. They later reviewed the images and confirmed that they had indeed seen a gray whale. “I didn’t want to say out…

Boat Reviews
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Shannon Unveils New Amphfoils

The Shannon Boat Company in Bristol, Rhode Island, recently unveiled its plans for a new series of Amphfoil hydrofoils that are designed to revolutionize boating. Shannon says it developed the Amphfoils after eight years of R&D and it has patented the design and technology in 40 countries around the world. They use new hydrodynamic and aerodynamic technologies to redefine a traditional hydrofoil and deliver speeds of up to 70 mph and a range of 350 nm. They also use 75 percent less energy than a traditional gas- or diesel-powered boat, according to the company. The Amphfoils combine the stability of…

Boat Reviews
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Williams Launches SOLAS-Approved Tenders

Williams Jet Tenders just launched the first models of its 18-foot DieselJet 565 and 20-foot 625 models with SOLAS approvals, meaning they are fully certified rescued tenders under the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea. The certification means the standard Williams tenders  have been customized to meet the SOLAS requirements and testing, which include a three-meter drop, self-righting capability and an endurance trial. For owners, it means they can have all the advantages of a high-quality Williams DieselJet tender plus the safety and rescue capability recognized by the SOLAS certification. A yacht owner would not have to…

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