Gladys West — Pioneer of GPS Technology

Posted on by December 21, 2018

I will admit to being dependent on GPS. I rely on it for both maps and apps on my phone as well as the chartplotters on several tablets on my boat. Nevertheless, until recently I knew nothing of Gladys West, a black female mathematician for the Navy whose work made a major contribution to the development of the Global Positioning System.

This month, Dr. Gladys West was inducted into the Air Force Space and Missile Pioneers Hall of Fame during a ceremony at the Pentagon. The Pioneers Hall of Fame is one of Air Force’s Space Commands Highest Honors. 

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Plastic Collecting Boom Not Collecting Plastics

Posted on by December 20, 2018

Around six years ago, the media went slightly crazy when a fresh-faced 17-year-old Dutch engineering student, Boyan Slat, claimed to have designed a means for using currents to clean plastic from the oceans. He was covered in the major press outlets, was interviewed on television, and gave TED talks. Despite all the enthusiasm, the unanswered question was, would the design work? So far, the results are not promising.

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As the Scandal Rolls on, What Has Become of Fat Leonard?

Posted on by December 19, 2018

Five years ago, Leonard Glenn Francis, aka “Fat Leonard”, was arrested by the US Navy as the center of a major procurement scandal and what has been described as the worst national-security breach of its kind to hit the Navy since the end of the Cold War. The 54-year-old, 350-pound Malaysian national, ran Glenn Defense Marine Asia (GDMA) and two decades had been bribing US Navy officials with cash, lavish gifts, entertainment and prostitutes in exchange for information on ship port calls, bidding information, and for officials looking the other way at GDMA overbilling. 

So far, the Justice Department has filed criminal charges against 32 defendants who worked for the Navy or Glenn Defense Marine Asia. Twenty of the defendants have pleaded guilty in the scandal that cost the Navy at least $35 million. Another 550 people who had contact with Francis — including about 60 admirals — are under investigation.

After all this, what has become of Fat Leonard? Continue reading →

Golden Globe — Igor Zaretskiy Out, Five Sail On

Posted on by December 18, 2018

Sixty-seven-year-old Igor Zaretskiy was in last place in the Golden Globe Race. His mast was seriously damaged, even after jury-rigged repairs. He had lost a hatch, exposing his cabin the elements, and his hull was so fouled that his boat, Esmerelda, was crawling along, at times at just over a knot.

He wisely chose to put into Albany in Western Australia for repairs. By stopping he was no longer in the main race but could still finish in the Chichester Class. Despite everything, he decided that once repairs were completed, he would sail on. Then, a medical checkup changed his mind. He is flying back to his home in Russia where he may need an operation. 

From the Golden Globe website:

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Orcas Swimming with Woman off Coromandel, NZ

Posted on by December 17, 2018

Judie Johnson was swimming alone at Hahei Beach on the Coromandel Peninsula in New Zealand when she saw a huge shape appear from underwater. Initially, she thought that it was a dolphin but the black and white coloration made it clear that it was an orca. She found herself surrounded by three rather playful Orca whales — an adult, a juvenile and a calf.

Remarkably, the encounter was captured on video by a drone launched by an Australian tourist, Dylan Brayshaw, who saw the orcas heading toward Ms. Johnson. (See the video below the page break.)

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Sailboat Drifts Ashore in South Africa, Body of French Sailor Aboard

Posted on by December 16, 2018

A sailboat drifted ashore on a Southbroom beach on the KwaZulu-Natal lower south coast of South Africa on Saturday. The body of a French sailor was found aboard. The yacht, originally from Papua New Guinea, had left Port Elizabeth a few days ago with one person on board. The man is believed to have died of natural causes and no foul play is suspected. The sailor’s name has not been released pending notification of next of kin. Police have opened an inquest docket and SAMSA (South African Maritime Safety Authority). MRCC (Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre) and Police are investigating and assisting in the case.

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Visiting the Titanic in Person For the Cost of An Original First Class Ticket

Posted on by December 15, 2018

OceanGate, a privately owned manned submersible and survey company, recently tested its newest submersible, Titan, at depths of 13,000 feet underwater in the Abacos. Next year, the company plans to use the sub to perform 3D laser surveys of RMS Titanic. For $105,129 per person, which OceanGate represents as the cost of an inflation-adjusted first class ticket on the original Titanic, passengers (referred to as Mission Specialists) can ride along/participate in the Titanic surveys. While this might seem to be a high price for most of us, of the first six voyages planned for 2019, the first four trips are sold out and there is limited availability on the last two. 

What was the cost of a first-class ticket on the ill-fated maiden voyage of the Titanic in 1912? OceanGate quotes the price of first-class passage as $4,350. Is this the right figure? How much did passage on the Titanic actually cost? And how much has the price increased due to inflation? As is so often the case, it depends on who you ask. 

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And Then There Were Six — Sinclair Retires From Golden Globe Race

Posted on by May 29, 2022

Last week we posted about the rescue of Golden Globe racer Susie Goodall, whose boat pitchpoled and was dismasted in the Southern Ocean. Goodall was the eleventh of the original eighteen sailors in the race to either withdraw or require rescue.  Now, one more sailor, Mark John Sinclair, has withdrawn from the Golden Globe Race.  Sinclair, a 60-year-old Australian, sailing Coconut, a Lello 34 Masthead sloop, had reached Australia when he chose to retire from the race. 

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Update: Norwegian Frigate and Tanker Collision — What Happened?

Posted on by December 13, 2018

On November 8, just after 4 AM, the Norwegian navy frigate, KNM Helge Ingstad, collided with the Maltese flag, Aframax tanker, Sola TS, near the Sture terminal in the Hjeltefjord near Bergen, Norway. The night was clear. Local traffic control and the tanker both communicated with the frigate by radio. The frigate’s radar and AIS receiver were operational and yet the frigate cut across the bow of the tanker, resulting in the collision. The tanker was traveling at around 6 knots, while the frigate was operating at 17-18 knots. Eight sailors aboard the frigate suffered minor injuries but the frigate subsequently sank.

What happened? The Accident Investigation Board Norway has issued a preliminary report answering at least some of the many questions surrounding the collision. 

How could this have happened?

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Brexit & the Scallop Wars May Save RN Patrol Vessels

Posted on by December 12, 2018

The Royal Navy Offshore Patrol Vessels (OPVs), HMS Tyne, HMS Mersey, and HMS Severn had been scheduled to be decommissioned. Now, however, the three River Class patrol vessels, which support the Fishery Protection Squadron, have been given extended lives, potentially until 2027.  The rationale for the operating extension is that after the Fishery Protection Squadron may be even more critical after Brexit. 

The so-called scallop wars also demonstrated the need for the fisheries patrol vessels. In September a conflict between RFrench and British scallop fishermen erupted.  The shellfish battle centered around the Baie de la Seine, a stretch of water off the coast of Normandy where scallops are plentiful.  Current regulations state British ships have the legal right to fish there all year round but the French are banned from doing the same between May 15 and October 1 to allow the mollusks to repopulate. The region has been a source of conflict since 2013 when larger British boats agreed to avoid the area in return for larger fishing opportunities.

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Amanda Sparrow & Her Ghostly Pirate Hubby Split Up

Posted on by December 11, 2018

Sadly, it apparently wasn’t a relationship meant to last. Earlier this year, Amanda Sparrow Large, 46, from Loth, Ireland was married to a Haitian pirate named Jack. Jack and Ms. Large were married by a shaman priest in a boat off the Irish coast in international waters. Now they are apparently spitting up. While no specific reasons were given for the parting, irreconcilable differences may have played a role.  For one thing, while Amanda is by all appearances alive and well, Jack is said to be a ghost, having been executed for piracy in the 1700s. 

If anyone was suited to marry a 300-year-old dead pirate’s ghost, it would appear to be Amanda Sparrow Large, a Jack Sparrow impersonator, who gave up on living and breathing men and chose a spirit companion. But then the course of true love never did run smooth, especially when marrying the non-corporeal.

Wreck of John Paul Jones’ Ship USS Bonhomme Richard Located Off Yorkshire

Posted on by December 11, 2018

Researchers believe that wreckage found off the coast of Filey in Yorkshire is from the American warship USS Bonhomme Richard.  The ship, under the command of John Paul Jones, fought a four-hour battle with HMS Serapis off nearby Flamborough Head in 1779. Maritime historian Tim Akers, 60, working with British specialist satellite firm Merlin Burrows, located the wreck last month.

Mr. Akers spoke to the UK’s Express, saying, “On our very first dive we knew we had found the BHR. From the finds and identifiable evidence, combined with the descriptions of the battle and both ships logs, we are convinced this is indeed the famous ship.”

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Drone Footage from Sultana Downrigging Weekend

Posted on by December 9, 2018

Sultana Education Foundation‘s Downrigging Weekend Tall Ship and Wooden Boat Festival has evolved into one of the largest annual Tall Ship gatherings on the East Coast. Here is some lovely drone footage by Shore Studios from the 18th Sultana Downrigging Weekend in Chestertown, MD from the end of October. Next year’s Downrigging festival is scheduled for November 1-3, 2019.

Downrigging Weekend Tall Ships Parade Home

Susie Goodall Rescued by Cargo Ship Tian Fu

Posted on by December 8, 2018

After spending two days in heavy seas, snap-rolling in her dismasted, leaking, sailboat, Golden Globe racer Susie Goodall was rescued by the Hong Kong-flagged geared cargo ship, MVTian Fu, in the Southern Ocean approximately 2,000 miles west of Cape Horn.  Unable to get keep the engine running on the sailboat, DHL Starlight, Goodall set a sea anchor and was approached by the 38,000 DWT ship. The seas state made launching the ship’s rescue boat unsafe, so the ship’s personnel used one of the 4 ship’s deck cranes to lower a hook to Goodall, who attached her safety harness and was hoisted aboard.

The ship, Tian Fu, was sailing from China to Argentina when it was diverted to reach the distressed sailor. The ship’s name has a number of meanings. It is a geographical region and an acupuncture point. It can also mean “heaven’s palace.” After spending two days in the hell of a dismasted sailboat, the ship, no doubt feels like heaven’s palace to Susie Goodall. 
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USS Arizona Memorial Remains Closed, Expected to Reopen Late March 2019

Posted on by December 7, 2018

On National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day, the iconic USS Arizona Memorial remains closed to the public. As we posted last June, the memorial close indefinitely after structural cracks in the memorial dock were reported in early May. The National Park Service (NPS) is now estimating that the necessary repairs will not be completed before the end of March 2019.

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Golden Globe Race — Susie Goodall’s Boat Pitchpoled and Dismasted

Posted on by December 6, 2018

British sailor Susie Goodall‘s Rustler 36 yacht, DHL Starlight, is reported to have been pitchpoled and been dismasted in the Southern Ocean, approximately 2,000 miles west of Cape Horn. Goodall was racing in the Golden Globe single-handed around the world race and was knocked unconscious when the boat rolled end over end. When she came to, she activated her EPIRB (Emergency Position Indicating Beacon) and sent the following message to race officials:DISMASTED. HULL OK. NO FORM OF JURY RIG, TOTAL LOSS Position: 45′ 27.787 S 122′ 23.537 W.

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Introducing “Britannia’s Mission” by Antione Vanner

Posted on by December 4, 2018

A short video introduction by Antione Vanner to his latest historical naval adventure novel, Britannia’s Mission, set in 1883. Vanner’s “Dawlish Chronicles” series of naval adventures are set in the late Victorian era when technological progress was more rapid than at any previous time in history.

Introducing “Britannia’s Mission” – the Seventh “Dawlish Chronicles Novel”

Remembering Naval Aviator George H.W. Bush in WWII

Posted on by December 3, 2018

Regardless of what one may think of the political career of the late President George H.W. Bush , who died recently at the age of 94, it seems worthwhile to remember his service as one of the youngest pilots in the US Navy during World War II, service for which he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for heroism under fire. 

When he heard of the attack on Pearl Harbor, George H.W. Bush, a student at Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts, decided that he wanted to be a Navy pilot.  Immediately after graduation, on his 18th birthday, George Bush enlisted in the Navy and began preflight training at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. After completing the 10-month course, he was commissioned as an ensign in the US Naval Reserve on 9 June 1943, several days before his 19th birthday, making him one of the youngest naval aviators.  

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U.S. Navy Admiral Scott Stearney Found Dead in Bahrain

Posted on by December 2, 2018

Vice Adm. Scott Stearney, commander of US Naval Forces Central Command and of the US Navy’s Bahrain-based Fifth Fleet, was found dead on Saturday in his residence in Bahrain. The Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) and the Bahraini Ministry of Interior are investigating Stearney’s death, the Navy said, but foul play is not suspected. CBS News reports that Defense officials are calling the death an “apparent suicide.”

Admiral Stearney took charge in May of the Navy’s Fifth Fleet in Bahrain, as well as a broader naval coalition there that includes more than 20,000 United States and allied maritime forces.

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