Author Peter Janssen

Cruising Life
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Boston Boater Indicted in Fatality

The owner of a 37-foot Pursuit that hit a day marker in the Boston Harbor at 3 a.m. last July, killing a woman, has been indicted for involuntary manslaughter. The Suffolk District Attorney, Rachael Rollins, announced that the boat owner, Ryan Denver, 38, was also indicted on counts of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon. Denver was driving his Pursuit 365 named Make It Go Away in the early morning of July 17 when it hit day marker “5” off Castle Island head on. The boat, powered by three outboards, sank and Denver and his seven passengers were thrown into…

Ft Lauderdale Boat Show
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FLIBS Opens on Wave of Enthusiasm

The iconic Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show, the largest in-the-water show in the United States, is underway, riding a wave of enthusiasm and pent-up demand. The show officially has 647 exhibitors and 712 boats, from Absolute to Zeelander; the largest is a 252-foot Feadship named Boardwalk. Fort Lauderdale calls itself “the yachting capital of the world,” and the show does not lack for excess. Not all the boats had fenders as large as those on the megayacht in the picture above, or the helicopter on the upper deck, but in Fort Lauderdale it’s just a matter of scale. The show…

Boat Reviews
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Nordhavn Launches New 80 at FLIBS

Nordhavn is having the world-wide debut of its new 80 at the Fort Lauderdale show, as well as displaying its new 41, the smallest cruiser in its legendary blue-water fleet. The new Nordhavn 80 is something of a departure for the company; it looks a bit more like a superyacht than like most previous Nordhavns. Jeff Leishman, Nordhavn’s design chief, drew the 80 with straighter lines, larger windows, thinner mullions, and generally more of a contemporary European influence than was visible in Nordhavns in the past. If you think this Nordhavn is different, consider the hot tub on the extended…

Cruising Life
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New Maori 80 Catches Fire, Sinks. See Video

A brand-new 80-foot Maori motoryacht, just introduced at the Cannes Boating Festival in September, caught fire, burned and sank a few days ago off the coast of Sardinia. (See the video of the fire below.) The crew of the yacht, named Mama-G, sent out a Mayday distress call just after 7 p.m., while on their way to Porto Corrallo on the southeast coast of the island. The local Coast Guard, stationed in Olbia, raced to the yacht and picked up the four crew who were on a life raft. No one was injured. The Coast Guard fought the fire for…

Cruising Life
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Boat Stuck on Chain of Rocks Is…Gone

The Hunter 44 that was stuck on the Chain of Rocks in the Mississippi outside St. Louis for more than two weeks is…missing. And both the owner and local boating authorities think it probably sank. The problem started back on Oct. 5, when Michael Weber, a retired businessman and former Marine, and his girlfriend missed the exit for the Chain of Rocks navigation channel about three miles above St. Louis and kept going down the river until they actually hit the rocks. The St. Louis Fire Department rescued both of them, but their boat, named White Widow, was stuck (see…

Cruising Life
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Garmin Launches New Handheld GPS, Radar

Garmin is making a lot of news at the big Fort Lauderdale show, with the introduction of a new series of marine handheld GPS models, as well as two new solid-state dome radars. The handheld GPSMAP 79 has an all-new appearance with a modern display to help you navigate safely and enjoy your time on the water. It has a rugged, floating design with a suite of easy-to-use nav tools that fit in the palm of your hand. The new Garmin has a larger, optically-bonded display and a scratch-resistant glass lens that prevents fogging, improves contrast and enhances clarity, even…

Cruising Life
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Get the Snow Off Your Boat: Coast Guard

It’s getting to be that time of year again, and that means that those of us in the northern states need to get ready for the snow, ice and generally lousy weather we know is coming. For its part, the Coast Guard is stressing the importance of getting snow off your boat as soon as you can, and preventing any ice to build up on docked boats. The accumulation of snow and ice can reduce a boat’s stability, and even cause it to sink. The Coast Guard also urges everyone to wear appropriate personal protective equipment if they’re boating in…

Cruising Life
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Coast Guard, NOAA, Find Historic Wreck

Researchers from the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Coast Guard have found the wreck of the legendary U.S. Revenue Cutter Bear, which was lost at sea in 1963, about 90 miles south of Cape Sable in Nova Scotia. NOAA and the Coast Guard, as well as some academic institutions, had been searching for the wreck for decades. The Bear had been one of the most significant ships in Coast Guard history. It was used by the Navy as part of the rescue for the Greely Expedition to the Arctic in 1884, and it actually saved a few…

Boat Reviews
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New Retro Reward 17: A Fun, Soft Ride

The third week of October is pushing the boating season in Connecticut, but there we were, heading out of Mystic Harbor at about 35 mph in hull number one of the head-turning Reward 17, grinning from ear to ear. Even though we were going into a 15-knot or so headwind, with 3-foot seas, the Reward 17, driven by a 170-hp Rotax engine and a waterjet, delivered a ride that was soft and easy.  To show the boat’s maneuverability, Chris Ashley, who designed it and built it, turned the wheel and put us into a jet-drive turn; an immediate turn. But…

Cruising Life
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Video of Dog Rescue at Sea Goes Viral

A group of boating friends, and the dog they rescued a mile off the Florida coast, became social media stars when a video of their exploits went viral. Dylan Berian was boating near Fort Lauderdale with his friends when they suddenly saw a small dog swimming, alone, struggling to stay afloat. No other boats were nearby. Berian jumped in, fully clothed, to rescue the dog and bring him back to the boat. Once on board, the friends saw the dog’s collar with his name, Zuko, and his owner’s phone number on it. They called the owner, who said it was…

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