PMY - Power&Motoryacht

A Florida boater was ordered to forfeit his boat and serve one year’s probation for killing a manatee near Merritt Island.

In February, Joseph Miata, Jr., 62, pleaded guilty to misdemeanor charges for speeding through the Sykes Creek Manatee Refuge last summer and killing a female manatee who was nursing a ten-month-old calf. The case marks Florida’s first conviction for striking and killing a manatee in the 40 years since the Endangered Species Act was passed.

A beloved Rhode Island yacht club was destroyed by a fire in January. Although investigators do not know what caused the 102-year-old Edgewood Yacht Club in Cranston to go up in flames during a blizzard, they do not believe it was foul play. The building stood on pilings overlooking Narragansett Bay, which made the blaze difficult to fight from land, so fireboats battled the flames from the water. The club’s building, which was built in 1908 after the former building burnt down, was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1989.

Bealls Department Stores has donated more than $200,000 to the Guy Harvey Ocean Foundation for oil spill-related research. The Bradenton, Florida-based retail chain raised the funds following the April 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill. The store solicited donations from customers and raised funds through “Save Our Gulf” branded merchandise. “Last year’s oil spill is an ongoing issue that needs serious research and resolve in the immediate short-term,” said Mary Beth Fox, vice president of marketing for Bealls.

Audiences eager to see Capt. Jack Sparrow return to the big screen next month in Pirates of the Caribbean IV should check out a new discovery left behind by the real-life pirate of all pirates: Blackbeard.

Liberty Associates appointed John Walker president and CEO of Fountain Powerboats in December just days after Reggie Fountain, who founded the company more than 30 years ago, resigned.

Volvo Penta and Yamaha have signed an agreement to develop control systems for outboard-powered boats, including a remote-control system that would improve maneuverability and ease of docking for larger boats. “We are excited about the opportunity to combine the talents of Yamaha and Volvo Penta engineers to achieve new levels in state-of-the-art marine control design,” said Clint Moore, president and CEO of Volvo Penta of the Americas.