Author Peter Janssen

President George H.W. Bush, who just passed away at 94, loved to go fast. He was the youngest pilot in the Navy during the Second World War when he was shot down near Iwo Jima; he was rescued after he bailed out by a passing submarine. Later in life he loved to get behind the helm of speedboats in Florida and then off his family’s compound in Maine. He lived life to the full. Indeed, at his memorial service at the National Cathedral, his son, former president George W. Bush, said his father “was born with two settings: full throttle…

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…

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…

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…

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…