Author Peter Janssen

Cruising Life
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Baltimore Ship Channel Now Fully Open

The main shipping channel leading to Baltimore’s port officially reopened to its full depth and width on Monday, following the March 26 collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge when it was hit by the 984-foot-long container ship Dali, killing six construction workers. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Navy Supervisor of Salvage and Diving announced the reopening after crews were finally able to remove wreckage of the bridge at the 50-foot mud line. The channel then was restored to its original dimensions of 700 feet wide and 50 feet deep. Since the crash, crews removed more than…

Cruising Life
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Ship Hits “Something” in Lake Ontario

The Coast Guard says a 689-foot ship hit “something underwater” in Lake Superior and started taking on water Saturday morning. The Coast Guard received a call at 6:53 a.m. that the bulk carrier Michipicoten, with a load of taconite, a low-grade iron ore, was taking on water about 35 miles southwest of Isle Royale, and it was listing 15 degrees. The Coast Guard then dispatched two helicopters from Traverse City, Michigan, and a boat from Bayfield, Wisconsin. They also coordinated with a National Park Service boat from Isle Royale to take 11 of the 22 crew members off the ship…

Cruising Life
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Seaplane Hits Boat in Vancouver Harbour

A seaplane with six people on board crashed into a boat while it was taking off in Vancouver, British Columbia, on Saturday. Two of the six were taken to the hospital after the plane sank. The accident occurred in Coal Harbour, the main seaplane area in Vancouver’s large harbor, just before noon. The plane, a popular De Haviland Beaver, was carrying five passengers and the pilot on a sightseeing tour. Seaplanes are a major part of life in the Pacific Northwest, and operate in most major harbors there. The plane was operated by Harbour Air, and was starting its takeoff…

Charter
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Beneteau Building 400 New Boats for Le Boat

Beneteau just announced that it’s signed a 100 million Euros contract with Le Boat to supply it with a fleet of 400 new Delphia boats for its international boat rental fleet over the next ten years. Both companies said they wanted to expand their business in North America; Le Boat, which claims to be the largest boat rental company in Europe, already has an active boat rental and ownership program in Canada. Delphia is a Beneteau Group brand in Poland that makes river-cruising boats. The announcement said that Delphia will deliver 100 new boats to Le Boat in the next…

Cruising Life
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New Plans Floated for Miami Marine Stadium

A high-powered investment firm has been meeting with Miami city officials to explore redeveloping the historic, but now decrepit, Miami Marine Stadium on Virginia Key into a water-themed sports and amusement park. The Miami Herald reported that the group’s interest has come as the city is set to announce a potential operator for the stadium, which has been closed since 1992, later this year. Apparently there’s growing political support for renovating the landmark stadium. The city’s current plan is aimed at renovating and operating the stadium as a concert and performance center. But the new proposal, from the Crxsspark group,…

Destinations
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New Luxury Marina Coming to Bahamas

A massive luxurious marina and resort is being developed in the Bahamas, at the southwest point of Great Abaco Island. Called Porto Habacoa, it’s meant to be a stopping point for yachts traveling from the U.S. to the Caribbean, cruising in the Bahamas, or just as a destination in its own right. The location, at the intersection of the Northwest and Northeast Providence Channels, is on the main cruising route in that part of the world. It’s about 160 nm east of Fort Lauderdale, and 50 nm north of Nassau. It’s also next to Abaco National Park, with 20,000 acres…

Cruising Life
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New Pix of Sunseeker Sinking After Hitting Marker

We now have new photos and details about the $1 million, 80-foot Sunseeker Predator that sank three miles off St. Augustine Beach, Florida, on Memorial Day weekend. The St. John’s County Fire and Rescue has a picture that shows the bow of the sinking yacht with a gaping hole. It also has a picture of a rusted box-like metal structure, an offshore drain pipe marker, with what appears to be a piece of white fiberglass wedged in a rubber strip. The top edge of the marker also has a large scrape, and the sign on top has been pushed back.…

Boat Reviews
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OTAM Launching New 90 GTS Flagship

OTAM, the boutique Italian builder, is completing its new 90 GTS the flagship of its Fast and Iconic series. The new OTAM will make its public debut at the Cannes Yachting Festival in September. OTAM, with its  yard in Genoa, is celebrating its 70th anniversary this year; it’s made about 90 fast and iconic performance yachts, with a fleet that now stretches from 45 to 130 feet. The company says the new 90 GTS is a combination of space, style and luxury, with a lot of custom touches. The  helm, for example, is inspired by Formula 1 race cars, with…

On Watch with Peter Janssen
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Valhalla Building V-55 Sport Luxury Cruiser

Valhalla Boatworks just announced that it’s building a V-55 Sport that will emphasize comfort,  style and accommodations in a high-performance luxury cruising yacht. The V-55 represents a major move by Valhalla, part of Viking Yachts, which has concentrated on center console fishing boats since it was started in 2019. Pat Healey, the Viking president, made the announcement this week at a Viking and Valhalla dealer meeting in Atlantic City. “The V-55 Sport represents our ability to diversify within a model to meet the needs of more owners,” he said. “It takes the proven  performance of our 55 hull and merges…

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