Author Peter Janssen

Cruising Life
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New Cruising Course from America’s Boating Club and BoatUS

Whether you’re new to cruising or you consider yourself an old salt, you might want to take advantage of a just-launched online course called “Cruising Boats and Systems” from America’s Boating Club and the BoatUS Foundation for Boating Safety and Clean Water. If you’re new, the course will help you charter or cruise safely and confidently, armed with accurate information. If you’ve done this before, it never hurts to get a refresher course or brush off some cobwebs. The online course is designed to be user-friendly, and you can take it anytime you want at home, your office or even…

Boat Reviews
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Tiara Launches New 43 LS with Three Yamaha Outboards

Tiara just launched the largest of its outboard boats, the Tiara 43 LS, powered by three 425-hp Yamahas. The upscale new Tiara tops out at more than 46 knots, and it has more than enough creature comforts, including accommodations for four below, to make cruising easy and comfortable as well as fast. The 43 is Tiara’s third model in its LS series, and is one of the latest entries in the ever-growing outboard-powered cruising boat market. Back Cove, for example, just announced that it’s working on a new outboard 39, while MJM, Hinckley, Ocean Alexander, Wilbur and Ranger Tugs, among…

Cruising Life
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Largest Owners’ Rendezvous in World for Ranger and Cutwater

Ranger Tugs and Cutwater Boats just held the largest owners’ rendezvous in the world, with about 220 boats and 500 people at the Roche Harbor Marina and Resort in the San Juans. Many Ranger and Cutwater owners regard the annual three-day rendezvous as a highlight in their cruising year. This year the rendezvous, as usual, was filled with fun events, although I’ve found that it’s hard not to have fun at Roche Harbor, which is on the northern tip of San Juan Island about 100 miles above Seattle; it’s one of the most inviting cruising destinations in the Pacific Northwest,…

Cruising Life
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Florida Man Who Dragged Shark To Death Gets Ten Day Sentence

A Florida man who dragged a shark to death behind a friend’s boat has just been sentenced to ten days in jail. Robert Benac, 3rd, who is 30 years old, made a plea deal where he will serve time in the Hillsborough County jail over five weekends, pay a $2,500 fine, perform 250 hours of service at an animal shelter, and lose his fishing license for three years. In pleading guilty to a misdemeanor charge of animal cruelty, Benac avoided going on trial for a more serious felony charge of aggravated cruelty to animals. The dragging incident occurred in July,…

Gear
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New, Prize-Winning UGO Waterproof Dry Bag that Floats

The new UGO Tablet, a waterproof dry bag that floats, just may be a better mousetrap. Indeed, it was just recognized as the best new product for boating operation and safety at the Newport International Boat Show. With the UGO, you don’t have to worry about dropping your cellphone in the water, or getting your key fobs, cash and credit cards wet. The UGO is 100 percent waterproof. It’s built with three high-tech layers on the outside, plus a flotation layer to keep it from sinking. In any event, it is waterproof up to 20 feet below the surface. The…

Charter
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Cruise to Downton Abbey on the Luxurious Magna Carta

You watched the TV series, and you may be planning to see the movie (it opens in theaters across the U.S. on Sept. 20). Now you can sign up for a luxury cruise on the eight-passenger hotel barge Magna Carta on the River Thames to Highclere Castle, the setting for Downton Abbey, and you can put yourself in many of the rooms you’ve seen on the show or wander around the estate’s 1,000 acres of parkland. There are still some cabins available for the rest of this season, and they start at $4,750 per person based on double occupancy. But you…

Cruising Life
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MJM 53z and Solace 345 Big Winners at Newport Show

The MJM 53z, the largest outboard-powered production cruising boat, and the innovative Solace Boats 345 both just won prestigious best new boat awards at the Newport International Boat Show. At an awards breakfast at the second day of the show, the MJM 53z won the award for Best New Powerboat Over 35 feet, while the Solace 345 won the award as Best New Powerboat Under 35 Feet, as well as the award for Best New Powerboat. Five judges selected the winners among all the boats making their U.S. debut at the Newport show, the opening of the fall boat season…

Boat Reviews
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Back Cove Building New 390 with Twin 425-hp Yamaha Outboards

Back Cove just announced that it’s building a new 390 Down East cruiser with twin 425-hp Yamaha outboards. The boat is expected to have a top speed of 37 knots, and a cruising range of more than 300 nm at its cruising speed. The Maine company says that it will offer optional outboard power that will push the Back Cove 390 up to the 40-knot range. The announcement came on the opening day of the Newport International Boat Show, where Back Cove is displaying, among other boats, its popular Back Cove 340, its first outboard-powered boat. That boat was named…

Cruising Life
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Possible Criminal Charges in Tragic Sinking of California Dive Boat

Various federal agencies are considering criminal charges in the tragic fire on board the 75-foot dive boat that burned on Labor Day, killing 34 people who were sleeping on a lower deck. The boat, Conception, was anchored off Santa Cruz Island, one of the Channel Islands about 20 miles off the coast of Southern California. Five people, the captain and four crew members, were able to escape off the boat. They had been sleeping on an upper deck. They told investigators that flames kept them from helping the 34 people (33 passengers and one crew member) who were sleeping below.…

Boat Reviews
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Palm Beach To Launch New Flagship 70 at Lauderdale Show

Palm Beach Motor Yachts will launch its new flagship 70 at the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show, starting Oct. 30. The newest Palm Beach will have the same beautiful lines as the popular 65, but with more room inside. It also has the signature Palm Beach warped hull, which cuts through the water so efficiently that it leaves almost no wake behind. Powered by twin 1,000-hp Volvo IPS1350 pod drives, the new 70 is expected to top out at 38 knots, and cruise at 32 knots. The company says it will have a range of 793 nm at 24 knots. “The…

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