Author Peter Janssen

Cruising Life
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Norway Opens Investigation To Find Out Why Stricken Cruise Liner Ever Left Port

Norwegian officials have opened an investigation to determine why the 745-foot-long cruise ship Viking Sky ever left port despite storm warnings. The ship lost propulsion, requiring helicopters to rescue 479 of its 930 passengers off the western coast of Norway. The ship eventually limped into port after a harrowing day and night in stormy seas. The United States and Britain also are investigating the incident, which easily could have ended in tragedy. The Norwegian Red Cross said that 20 passengers were hospitalized with injuries, including broken bones and cuts. Three suffered serious injuries; one is in critical condition. Videos taken…

Palm Beach Boat Show
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Popular Palm Beach Show Starts March 28 with More New Cruising Boats

The increasingly popular Palm Beach International Boat Show starts next Thursday, March 28, and runs through Sunday, March 31. The show’s location, in downtown Palm Beach along the Intracoastal Waterway, makes it easy to get to and easy to enjoy; it does not have the logistics problems and large crowds that hampered the big Miami shows last month. It also has the reputation as both a buyer’s and seller’s show, as people get ready for the spring and summer boating seasons. As a result, it will have a strong showing of a wide variety of new cruising powerboats. This will…

On Watch with Peter Janssen
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Popular Palm Beach Boat Show Opens March 28 with Strong Showing of New Cruising Powerboats

The increasingly popular Palm Beach International Boat Show starts next Thursday, March 28, and runs through Sunday, March 31. The show’s location, in downtown Palm Beach along the Intracoastal Waterway, makes it easy to get to and easy to enjoy; it does not have the logistics problems and large crowds that hampered the big Miami shows last month. It also has the reputation as both a buyer’s and seller’s show, as people get ready for the spring and summer boating seasons. As a result, it will have a strong showing of a wide variety of new cruising powerboats. This will…

Cruising Life
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New Johnson 70 Brings Large-Yacht Quality and Customization to Owner-Operated Cruiser

Johnson Yachts has started work on a new 70-footer designed to bring superyacht-level quality and customization to an owner-operated vessel. Johnson has been building large yachts in Taiwan for the past 30 years; with the new 70 it wants to bring that experience and expertise to a size where a cruising couple can operate the boat. “Every owner knows his or her needs far better than we do,” said Andy Huang, president of Johnson Yachts. “But we can build a Johnson 70 to suit each one of them and to create something special.” The new 70 can be ordered with…

Cruising Life
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What To Do in Mallorca On Land and On the Sea. See the Video of a Moorings 434 Power Charter

Mallorca, a small, historic island just 50 miles off the east coast of Spain in the Mediterranean Sea, easily ranks as one of the great cruising and chartering destinations in the world. It offers an appealing mix of history, with the walled main city of Palma and its massive Moorish-inspired cathedral (started in 1229), boutique shops, waterfront cafes, glistening water, secluded beaches, hidden coves and soaring mountains. And don’t forget the vineyards, or the paella. You can take a first-hand look of what Mallorca offers on the water, from the vantage point of a chartered Moorings 434 four-cabin power catamaran…

Cruising Life
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Meet Squid, a New Solar-Electric, Dolphin-Watching Charter Boat in Key West

About 14 years ago, Billy Litmer took a Greyhound bus from Kentucky, where he was in college, down to Key West to go snorkeling. He wanted to stay, so he went to work for snorkeling tour companies. Five years ago, he started his own business, Honest Eco Tours, specializing in dolphin watching. Then he got the idea of building his own emission-free boat that would have the least possible impact on the fragile Keys environment. The result: Squid, a 35-foot solar/electric catamaran that can hit 15 knots, but usually travels at half that speed, leaving almost no wake or carbon footprint.…

Cruising Life
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Whale Dies in Philippines with 88 Pounds of Plastic in Stomach

A dead whale in the Philippines had 88 pounds of plastic trash in its body, and a whale expert said in some areas of the whale’s stomach the plastic had been there so long it was “almost like a solid brick.” The body of the whale, 15 feet long and weighing 1,000 pounds, washed ashore near the town of Mabini. It had more than 40 pounds of plastic bags in its stomach (see the picture, above), 16 rice sacks, four banana plantation-style bags, and a variety of other plastic waste. Darrell Blatchley, owner of D’Bone Collector Museum in Davao City,…

Cruising Life
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In a Growth Mode, Grand Banks Starts Work on New 85 Flagship

Grand Banks has started work on its new 85, the largest Grand Banks ever, in its factory in Malaysia. The company is definitely in a growth mode. Mark Richards, the Grand Banks CEO, announced at the Fort Lauderdale show in November that the factory was starting work on a new 52 that will be launched at the Newport show in September. And earlier this year Grand Banks launched its new 60 Skylounge, after the successful introduction of a 60 flybridge version. The big, new 85 flagship will come in both a flybridge and skylounge version. And its 22-foot beam creates…

Cruising Life
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How To Abandon Ship If the Worst Happens. What You Do Then Could Save Your Life

Let’s say the worst happens. You hit a whale, or get clobbered by a terrible storm, or there’s a fire on board. You have to abandon ship. Now what? Knowing what to do beforehand, being prepared for the worst, can be a matter of life or death. Here’s some great advice from All At Sea that will help you make the right decisions all along the line. First, do you really have to abandon ship? The rule of thumb is to stay with the boat if you possibly can, since it is a much larger target for any search and rescue…

Cruising Life
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Scientists May Have Found New Type D Species of Killer Whales Off Southern Chile

An international team of whale experts thinks they may have found a new species of killer whales off the forbidding southern tip of Chile. They took some skin samples from the animals, which they called Type D killer whales, and are now studying their DNA to determine if they are indeed something new. “Type D killer whales could be the largest undescribed animal left on the planet and a clear indication of how little we know about life on our oceans,” said Bob Pitman, a NOAA researcher from La Jolla, California, and a leader of the team. The Type D…

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