Author Peter Janssen

Cruising Life
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New York Times: An Orca, Her Dead Calf and Us

Here’s a good explanation about why the story of Tahlequah, the mother orca whale who’s been carrying her dead calf on what researchers call a “grief tour” of the San Juan Islands for more than ten days, resonates so clearly with us. The author, Susan Casey, writes: “To learn the orcas’ natural and cultural history is to understand how closely connected a mother and calf are, how tight-knot their bond. Like us, orcas are self-aware, cognitively skilled individuals that communicate using their pod’s signature dialect. Unlike us, their core identity is communal: It encompasses not just themselves, but their family…

On Watch with Peter Janssen
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On Watch

Grieving Mother Orca Carries Dead Baby Around the San Juan Islands for More than Nine Days By Peter A. Janssen A grieving mother orca has been carrying her dead calf through the waters north of Puget Sound and around the San Juan Islands for more than nine days, with her orca family staying close to her, taking turns staying at her side. The calf was the first to be born to the endangered pod of orcas, killer whales, in three years. The death was a setback to the orca population; it numbered 98 in 1995, but it’s down to 75…

Boat Reviews
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Tactical 77: Brand-New, Go-Anywhere, Long-Range Cruiser with an Attitude

Here’s a new long-range cruiser with a different look and an attitude: the Tactical 77 Fast Pilothouse Motoryacht. Serious and military-looking on the outside, the new Tactical 77 is luxurious and comfortable on the inside, ready to take its owner and guests just about anywhere in the world. The boat was designed by William Prince Yacht Design, in Port Washington, Wisconsin, and it’s being built by Tactical Custom Boats in British Columbia. Prince designed the aluminum yacht for a North American client who wanted a military look combined with a contemporary and sleek interior. The superstructure is built with carbon-fiber…

Cruising Life
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A New Cruising Toy: Super-Cool, Limited-Edition Tesla Surfboard

If you’re looking for another toy (particularly a super-cool toy) for your next cruise, consider the new limited-edition Tesla surfboard. The only problem is that you’ll probably have to find one on eBay, since the company sold out the first batch of 200 of them, for $1,500 each, in just one day. The 6’ 8” red-and-black boards are made with carbon fiber and were developed by the Tesla Design Studio and Matt “Mayhem” Biolos, a surfboard shaper from Lost Surfboards in San Clemente. The company says they feature “a mix of the same high-quality matte and gloss finishes used on…

Cruising Life
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From Harbor Cruises, Free Concerts and Pool Parties, Lots Going on at Marina del Rey This Summer

If you’re cruising in Southern California for the rest of the summer, check out the schedule at Marina del Rey next to Los Angeles; there’s a lot going on. For starters, Marina del Rey is one of the largest and most attractive marinas not only on the West Coast but anywhere in the U.S., so a visit at any time is a treat. Over the years I’ve always had a great time there. But this summer the schedule includes Marina Fundays, free concerts, food on the beach, a farmer’s market and more. Throughout August and September, the Marina Fundays offer…

Cruising Life
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State Urges Boaters To Use “Extreme Caution” in the Chesapeake To Avoid Debris

The Maryland Department of Natural Resources is urging boaters to use “extreme caution’ in the Chesapeake after heavy rains and opened floodgates on a dam in the Susquehanna River produced fields of debris in the bay. The department says “marine debris” includes tree limbs and driftwood on the surface and just under the surface that can damage boats. In Annapolis, crews form the Harbormaster’s Office cleared debris that floated into Ego Alley, the city’s marine showcase and downtown center of boating activity. The debris and sediment there flowed from the Susquehanna, Patapsco and Severn Rivers. Last week, operators of the…

Cruising Life
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Florida’s Growing Toxic Algae Bloom: The New Normal?

The toxic algae bloom grew larger in Lake Okeechobee over the weekend, according to the Palm Beach Post. The paper says that scientists had feared this would happen. New satellite images show that over the weekend the algae bloom grew to cover 40 percent of the lake (220 square miles) after falling to a 30 percent level earlier in July. A NOAA oceanographer says the increase could be because calm winds helped the algae collect nearer the surface, where it’s easier for the satellite cameras to detect it. Still, Sachi Mishra, the oceanographer, says the bloom in general is receding, since…

Cruising Life
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More Sharks, and More Shark Attacks, in California. Now the State Is Trying To Figure Out What To Do

Last summer there were so many sharks along the California coast that the NBC station in Los Angeles called it the “summer of sightings.” Boaters, kayakers, surfers, divers and swimmers all reported seeing more sharks, including great white sharks, than ever before. And this year there are more than ever, so many, in fact, that the Shark Lab at California State University, Long Beach, the leading great white shark research organization, has run out of tags to identify them. The historic trend is stark: In the 1950s, there were 12 shark attacks in California waters. So far in the 2010s,…

Cruising Life
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Coast Guard Orders Investigation into Duck Boat Sinking. Victims’ Families Sue, Charging They Are “Death Traps.” NTSB Releases Timeline

The Coast Guard has convened a formal Marine Board of Investigation into the loss of the  duck boat that sank on July 19 with the loss of 17 lives near Branson, Missouri. A Marine Board of Investigation is the highest-level investigation in the Coast Guard, and it’s only the fifth to be convened in the past decade. Meanwhile, two different families of drowning victims in the tragedy have sued Ride the Ducks Branson, the company operating the duck boat fleet there, charging that they are “death traps” and that the operators knew about safety problems for years and did nothing…

Cruising Life
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Boating Industry Upset About Trump’s New Plans for High-Octane Ethanol

The fight over high-ethanol fuel is heading up, with the boating industry warning that President Trump’s plans to let E15 be sold year-round could damage the engines of millions of boat owners. “President Trump’s pledge to allow the year-round sale of E15 will needlessly put consumers in danger,” Thom Dammrich, president of the National Marine Manufacturers Association, said last week. The immediate problem started the previous day when President Trump told Iowa farmers that his Administration is “getting very close” to approving a waiver to allow E15, a fuel blend including 15 percent ethanol, to be sold year round. Currently,…

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