More of this Feature • Part 1: Carpe Mayhem, Things We Like, and more • Part 2: A Word With... John Leek, and more
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A Word With...John Leek
Perhaps more than anyone, John Leek, president of Ocean Yachts, has boating in his blood. With a family that's been building boats for three generations, Leek knows the industry from the bottom up. Business aside, PMY recently asked him what he enjoys most about his own time on the water.

Q. What for you is the best part about boating?
A. It's how people change when they're out on the water. They become more sincere. Boating truly brings people together: families, friends, strangers. You see older folks talking to younger couples. You see millionaires talking to guys handling the lines. Everyone's enthusiastic. It doesn't matter if you're worth $25 million or 25 cents, you leave it all at the dock.

Q. Do any trips stand out for you?
A. I had a fishing experience several years ago that was absolutely perfect. It was the year my son and his three closest friends graduated from high school. They'd grown up together and were all going to different colleges. We did an overnighter out of New Jersey. It was their last go-around, and it was perfect.

Q. Were the fish biting?
A. It was incredible. I think we caught five whites [marlin], two blues [marlin], and about 25 to 30 tuna. One of the guys caught his first blue marlin--a 300-pounder.

It was a gorgeous night, the moon was out, no wind. You couldn't have written a better story. That's what boating is about for me: good times and good people.

96 Days In a Row
A Norwegian doctor has racked up a ton of frequent rower miles.

In August Stein Hoff set off from Lisbon, Portugal, and rowed across the Atlantic Ocean by himself. Braving choppy seas and dicey storms, he arrived in Parika, Guyana, 96 days later as the first person in history to cross the Atlantic in a rowboat without assistance, according to the Ocean Rowing Society.

The 57-year-old Oslo native actually made it to South America a few days earlier than planned. After rowing across 3,700 NM of unforgiving ocean in his 23-footer, Star Atlantic II, he landed exhausted but in good health.

Hoff said the end of the voyage was the toughest. He was trying to land at Guyana's capital, Georgetown, but was overpowered by the currents.

"The last two nights were the most treacherous," Hoff said, according to the (Associated Press). "The currents were pushing me sideways, and I didn't know where I was going."

In the end, however, Hoff was proud of his oceanic endeavor. "It was pretty scary out there," he said. "I am glad I made it, but I had some pretty scary moments."

Total Recall
SOS, maker of SOSpenders PFDs, has recalled 7,200 of its self-inflating PFDs so it can replace 300 defective inflator mechanisms. The company said most of the PFDs being recalled were sold through retailer West Marine under the Millennium model name.

The U.S. Coast Guard issued an alert on the faulty vests in August and said only those models that use the Hammar model "MA1 Manual/Automatic Inflator" need to be returned.

No injuries or malfunctions have been reported since the alert was issued, and SOS said it moved quickly to recall the vests.

If you own a Millennium model SOSpenders PFD, contact the company immediately at (800) 858-5876 to find out if the unit has been recalled.

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