Author Peter Janssen

Cruising Life
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Fishing Boat Captain Sentenced for Interfering with Coast Guard in “Codfather” Case

The Codfather saga continues. A federal court in Boston just convicted the former captain of a New Bedford, Massachusetts, fishing boat owned by Carlos Rafael, also known as The Codfather, for interfering with a Coast Guard inspection of the vessel. When the Coast Guard boarded the vessel, the Bulldog, off the coast of Massachusetts two years ago for a routine inspection, the captain, Thomas D. Simpson, 57, of South Portland, Maine, ordered the crew to cut the ship’s net loose. As a result, the steel cables securing the net swung across the boat, endangering the boarding team. Simpson then continued…

On Watch with Peter Janssen
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On Watch

Whatever Happened to Situational Awareness? By Peter A. Janssen Is anybody paying attention out there? A few alarming, and tragic, events recently make that question all too relevant. The most recent, and glaring, accident involved the collision of the 332-foot megayacht Attessa IV, one of the largest private yachts in the world, with a 65-foot wooden charter boat named Prowler, in the Pacific south of San Diego. The Coast Guard airlifted a seriously injured passenger off Prowler (see the picture above), but he died four hours later in a San Diego hospital. The Coast Guard is investigating the accident, but the…

Boat Reviews
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New Vanquish 26: A Fast, Stable, Premium Center Console with a Downeast Look

The new Vanquish 26 Center Console is a user-friendly, hand-crafted, all-purpose boat with a Downeast look and a fast, fuel-efficient and stable hull, all designed by Doug Zurn, one of the best in the business today. It has a long, straight sheerline, bow flare, generous tumblehome and enough teak accents to keep a purist happy, while its 53-plus mph top speed, driven by a state-of-the-art 250-hp Mercury Verado outboard, will give an adrenaline rush to even the most jaded boat owner. In its new 2019 model, Vanquish has added a modest forward cabin to the 26, making it a center-console-plus.…

Charter
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St. Barts: A Magnet for the Rich and Famous for New Year’s Eve and an Island Paradise for the Rest of Us All Year Round

It’s only a few weeks until St. Barts, the eight-square-mile island in the West Indies that seems like a part of France, becomes the yachting center of the world. Well, the rich-and-famous yachting center of the world, that is. Because between Christmas and New Years the gorgeous, protected harbor at Gustavia, the island’s capital, is filled wall-to-wall with beautiful yachts and beautiful people. That’s all well and good, but if you’re like me and the rest of us, that means you’ll probably be spending your holidays somewhere else. But it also means that there are 50 or so other weeks…

Cruising Life
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Here Are the Main Points on Ocean and Coastal Changes from the New Federal Report on Global Warming

The 1,656-page federal government’s report on climate change, called the National Climate Assessment, was mandated by Congress and written by 13 federal agencies and more than 300 scientists and climate experts. You can read the entire report via the link at the bottom of this story, but here are direct excerpts from the part that’s relevant to us. It’s the section on “Climate-Related Drivers of Ocean Change,” dealing with ocean temperature, sea and water levels, and storms. Here are the main points: “Sea surface temperatures are rising and are expected to rise faster over the next few decades, with significant…

Cruising Life
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How To Choose An Anchor Snubber: Longer Is Better, Probably Longer Than You Think

Anchor snubbers, generally a length of nylon line, are meant to reduce shocks on your anchoring system. After the anchor is set, one end of the snubber is hooked in the chain between the boat and the water surface, and the other end is made fast to a strong point on deck. It is not attached to the windlass, which is a weak point, but preferably to a cleat or other strong point. After the snubber is attached, the tension is slacked so that the load is carried by the stretchable snubber. Most snubbers are made with three-strand nylon, which…

Cruising Life
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Leaders of Slowboat Flotillas Buy a New, Bigger, Not-So-Slow Boat

Laura Domela and her husband, Kevin Morris, leaders of the popular Slowboat Flotillas from Seattle to Alaska, just bought a Nordic Tug 44 to replace their old Nordic Tug 34. And they’re more than pleased with the deal. The new boat, Domela wrote on their blog, has “SO MUCH ROOM.” They heard about the 44 while they were leading a Flotilla around the outside of Vancouver Island in September. They worked with Seattle Yachts to both buy their new boat, a 2006 Nordic Tug 44 flybridge, and to sell their old boat, a 2013 Nordic Tug 34. They actually closed…

Cruising Life
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Holiday Boat Parades Now Underway. See Complete Listings of Parades All Across the U.S.

It’s that time of the year again, with holiday boat parades being planned and enjoyed in all parts of the U.S., even in the north. Some have already occurred; about 50 boats were decked out in lights and holiday themes for the annual parade along the St. Johns River in Jacksonville, Florida, for example, carrying on a 30-year tradition. The Fort Lauderdale Winterfest is probably the largest parade, which is no surprise, given the city’s 165 miles of waterway. It attracts hundreds of boats, and more than a million viewers. Across the country, the Newport Beach Christmas Boat Parade in…

Cruising Life
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Ferry Crashes into Ferry Building in San Francisco. See the Video

A ferry carrying 53 passengers from Marin County across the bay crashed into a dock at San Francisco’s famed Ferry Building. Two passengers were slightly injured. You can see a video of the accident below. The ferry, the M.S. San Francisco, originated in Larkspur, in Marin. Witnesses said the ferry bumped into one dock before crashing into a larger one, sending people who were dining and shopping nearby running. It came to a stop when it hit a concrete walkway. The Coast Guard is investigating. I feel that I have a personal connection with the ferry. Many years ago, I…

Boat Reviews
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Ocean Alexander Building Totally New Line, Divergence, a 45-Foot Luxury Sport Boat with Four 350-hp Outboards

Ocean Alexander is stepping way outside its box and is building a totally new line, called Divergence, a 45-foot luxury outboard powered by four 350-hp Mercury Verados. The new boat, being built at the old Sea Ray factory on Merritt Island, Florida, will be ready for the Miami show in February. So far, Ocean Alexander has earned a reputation for quality and customer service in the large yacht and megayacht worlds. Its existing lineup stretches from 70 to 155 feet. But the 40-to-50-foot segment is hot now, as is the outboard market. The new Divergence fits into both of those…

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