San Francisco Capsize Echoes Past Tragedy — Kandi Won & Khaleesi

Posted on by October 13, 2016
Khaleesi, with over 20 people visible on deck

Khaleesi, with 20 people visible on deck

Originally posted by gCaptain. Reposted with permission.

Last Saturday, the 30 passengers aboard Khaleesi, a Silverton 34 power boat, were watching the Navy Blue Angels over San Francisco Bay as part of Fleet Week.  On the way back to the dock,  Khaleesi capsized and sank. Miraculously, no one died, although two children were rushed to a local hospital in critical condition.  (Initial reports, incorrectly described the boat as a recreational sailboat.)  Sadly, this incident sounds far too familiar.

This is not the first time that an overloaded Silverton 34 has capsized. Four years ago, under remarkably similar conditions, another Silverton capsized and sank with tragic results.

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Clipper Ship City of Adelaide — A Short Documentary

Posted on by October 12, 2016

The City of Adelaide is the world’s oldest surviving clipper ship and one of only three remaining composite clipper ships. She was built in 1864, in Sunderland, England by William Pile, Hay and Co. for transporting passengers and goods between Britain and Australia. Between 1864 and 1887 the ship made 23 annual return voyages from London and Plymouth to Adelaide, South Australia. After a long and varied career the City of Adelaide has returned to her namesake city. A short documentary by Tasha Trebeck.

Clipper Ship City of Adelaide

Delta King, the Delta Queen’s Shorebound Sister

Posted on by October 9, 2016
Photo: J.Smith

Delta King — Photo: J.Smith

We recently posted that the National Trust for Historic Preservation has named the 1926 built sternwheel steamboat Delta Queen as one of America’s 11-Most Endangered Historic Places.  In researching the post, I learned several new things. The first was that the “Delta” in Delta Queen, which I had always assumed was referring to the Mississippi River Delta, was in fact, the San Joaquin River Delta.  The other thing I learned is that, in addition to the Delta Queen, there is also a Delta King, now a dockside restaurant, bar, theater and hotel in Old Sacramento, CA.

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San Fran Capsize — 30 People in a 34′ Boat

Posted on by October 12, 2016

sanfranrescueUPDATE: The initial reports of the capsize identified the boat which capsized as a sailboat.  Even the Coast Guard’s website said that the boat named Khaleesi was a 34-foot sailboat.  As initial reports often are, these reports were not accurate. The boat is not being reported to be a Silverton 34′ cabin cruiser.  Thanks to Greg Davids for his eyewitness account in the comments section below.

On Saturday, a 34′ recreational sailboat powerboat with 30 people aboard capsized in San Francisco Bay near Pier 45. All aboard were rescued but eight were injured, with at least one, a child, in critical condition. It could have been much, much worse.

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LCS USS Montgomery Woes Continue — Hull Crack, a Tug and a Hurricane

Posted on by October 8, 2016

montgomery2When Hurricane Matthew approached, the Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) USS Montgomery and several other Navy ships were ordered out of port in Mayport, FL. Unfortunately, in the process of leaving port, the USS Montgomery took a hard knock from a tug, which cracked the hull and bent five hull stringers. The crew was able to control the flooding. This, however, was not the first of the LCS’s troubles.

At the end of September we posted, “Recently, the USS Montgomery, an Independence Class Littoral Combat Ship (LCS), established a new record. The ship broke down, suffering two unrelated engine failures only three days after being commissioned.” The USS Montgomery was able to limp into Mayport, Florida for repairs.

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Navy Amphibious Transport, Aircraft Carrier, & Hospital Ship in Relief Mission to Haiti

Posted on by October 8, 2016
USS Mesa Verde

USS Mesa Verde

The US Navy is sending a flotilla of ships to help the relief effort in the Haiti, devestated by Hurricane Matthew, the first Category 4 storm to hit the island nation in over 50 years. USS Mesa Verde, a San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock,  is steaming toward Haiti. The ship is carrying three heavy-lift helicopters, a landing craft, bulldozers, fresh-water delivery vehicles and two surgical operating rooms.

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Steamboat Delta Queen on the Endangered List

Posted on by February 7, 2017

dqsmThe National Trust for Historic Preservation has named the sternwheel river steamboat Delta Queen as one of America’s 11-Most Endangered Historic Places.  The Delta Queen, built in 1926, is a U.S. National Historic Landmark.  She has been tied to the dock since 2008, a victim of bankruptcy, regulations, and Congressional inaction.  A new owner is attempting to put the riverboat back into overnight service but is waiting on a waiver from Congress.

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Death on the Historic Ketch Amicitia Caused by Bad Mast Repair?

Posted on by October 6, 2016

amicitiaGermany’s Federal Bureau of Maritime Casualty Investigation has released a preliminary report suggesting that a mast repair on the ketch Amicita may have been the cause of a fatal accident in which three male passengers were struck and killed by falling rigging on August 21th.

The ketch Amicita was built in 1889 and worked as a sailing cargo carrier. In the 90s, she was converted for passenger service. A German family of twelve had chartered the ketch with the captain and his wife, for a family vacation on the Wadden sea.  On a Sunday in the early afternoon, on the last day of their vacation, the main mast broke. The falling mast and rigging killed three men aged 19, 43 and 48.

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24th Annual North River Tugboat Race & Competition! Sunday, October 9th

Posted on by October 5, 2016

24thtugraceThe 24th Annual North River Tugboat Race & Competition was originally scheduled for Labor Day, but Tropical Storm Hermine interfered. The rescheduled event, sponsored by the Working Harbor Committee will be held on Sunday, October 9th from 9am-2pm at Pier 83, West 43rd Street and Hudson River Park, in New York City.  For those who wish to see the race up close and personal, there will be a Circle Line Spectator Boat. Click here for more information and tickets.

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Saltwater Brewery “Edible Six Pack Rings” Saving Marine Life

Posted on by June 2, 2017
ediblesixpack

Photo: We Believers

A craft brew beer company and an ad agency have come up with a brilliant solution to problem of plastic six pack rings. What is the problem with six pack rings, you might ask? The plastic rings that hold six cans of soda or beer together in a standard six pack are so common, they are barely noticeable, and yet every year millions of birds, fish and turtles get caught in the clear plastic after the rings are discard in rivers, bays, and oceans. And the problem is huge. Americans drank 6.3 gallons of beer and around 10 billion gallons of soda, roughly half of which was in cans.

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HMS Warrior — Saving the Last Wreck From Jutland

Posted on by October 3, 2016

hmswarriorjutlandOn August 24, 2016, an Anglo-Danish team found the wreck of armored cruiser HMS Warrior in the northern North Sea in 83 meters of water where it sank in 1916 following the Battle of Jutland in 1916. HMS Warrior is last wreck of the ships sunk during from the Battle of Jutland to be located. Now, the challenge is to protect the wreck of the Warrior and other ships from illegal metal scavengers who are believed to have pillaged up to half of the wrecks from the battle. Based on Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) video footage, (see below) HMS Warrior remains largely intact and untouched, overturned on the ocean floor.

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A Glimmer of Hope for the Historic Falls of Clyde?

Posted on by October 2, 2016

Things look grim for the 1878 sailing ship Falls of Clyde, the last surviving iron-hulled, four-masted full-rigged ship, and the only remaining sail-driven oil tanker.  There is still a glimmer of hope that she can be saved, but time is running out. Recently, a campaign has gotten underway to return the ship to Scotland where it was built 138 years ago.

On Friday, an administrative hearing upheld the State of Hawaii’s Department of Transportation’s right to take control of the ship from its current owners, the nonprofit Friends of the Falls of Clyde. In June, the DOT revoked the ship’s permit to moor at Pier 7 in Honolulu harbor and then impounded the ship in August. The Friends of the Falls of Clyde has owned the ship for the last eight years but has not raised the necessary funds to drydock her, as the first step in ship’s restoration. The concern now is that the State of Hawaii may choose to scrap or sink the Falls of Clyde.

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Street Signs of the Times — Peking, Gone But Not Forgotten

Posted on by October 1, 2016

pekingstreetsignThe windjammer Peking has left the South Street Seaport for the last time.  Nevertheless, the grand old windjammer has left her mark, both on those who cared for the beautiful, if decrepit, Flying P liner, and also on the street signs of the Seaport District.

I was walking toward the Pier 17 to see the Peking for the last time, when I glanced up at a street sign. And there was the Peking, or at least an image of the iconic ship, on a street sign on John Street. I do not know how many times I have walked these streets without noticing and yet there it was. As soon as I saw the first sign, I started seeing the image of the Peking at every street corner, on Nassau, and Cliff, and Pearl, and Water Street.  All across the Seaport District, the image of the Peking still graces the street signs. Even though she is no long alongside the dock, she lingers awhile longer for those who take a moment to glance up at the street signs.

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Black Moon on the Rise

Posted on by September 30, 2016

8_moonphaseswWe have posted before about the blue moon, which is the name given to the second full moon appearing in any given month. Tonight, September 30th in the Western hemisphere, there will occur the darker version of the blue moon — a black moon. A black moon is whenever there are two new moons in a given month. This black moon will officially occur on Friday, Sept. 30, at 8:11 p.m. Eastern Time (5:11 p.m. Pacific Time).

Don’t rush outside to see it, the new moon is the moon phase where the moon is entirely in the earth’s shadow, so it is dark. There is literally nothing to see.  Black moons are moderately rare, occurring about once every 32 months.

For those in the Eastern hemisphere, the new moon will rise on October 1, making it the first new moon rather than the second. Rather than encountering a black moon in September, those in Asia, Japan, Australia or New Zealand will have a black moon on October 31, which happens to be Halloween. That should make for an even slightly spookier evening.

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Nathan Carman’s Strange & Tragic Voyage — Rescued After 8 Days at Sea

Posted on by September 29, 2016
Chicken Pox

Chicken Pox

On Monday, Nathan Carmen, 22, was rescued 115 nautical miles from Martha’s Vineyard in the Atlantic Ocean by the Chinese freighter Lucky Orient. He had spent eight days in a life raft after his 32′ center cockpit aluminum boat sank suddenly while on a fishing trip. His mother, Linda Carman, 54, who was also on the boat when it sank, is presumed to have drowned.

On September 17th, Nathan and his mother set off from the Ram Point marina in Point Judith, RI on a fishing trip in a boat named Chicken Pox. He said that they were fishing for tuna roughly 100 miles offshore in the area known as Block Canyon.  He said he heard a strange noise in the engine compartment and saw water in the boat, which sank quickly. He managed to get into the life raft, whereas his mother did not. There was no distress call. When the mother and son were reported missing, the Coast Guard began a search covering some 60,000 square miles but found nothing and gave up after six days. Two days later, Nathan Carmen’s raft was spotted by the Lucky Orient.

Up to this point, the story sounds like just another needless tragedy on the water. But, it takes a strange turn. Continue reading →

Cruise Ships vs Gondolas — the Continuing Battle of Venice Lagoon

Posted on by June 3, 2019

veniceprotestOver the weekend, protesters, in a flotilla of small boats, including Venetian gondolas, attempted to block the passage of cruise ships, including one owned by Thomson, through the Venice lagoon.  The battle between local residents and environmentalists and the cruise industry has been going on for years.  Critics claim that the ships are too large to call on Venice and bring pollution and increased congestion to the ancient city.  During peak season some 30,000 day-tripping cruise ship passengers disembark in Venice every day, which locals claim is ruining their city.

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Miami Marlins Pitcher Jose Fernandez Dies in Boating Accident

Posted on by September 26, 2016

miamijettyboatOn Sunday morning, some time around 3AM, a 32′ powerboat slammed into the rocks at high speed at the Governor’s Cut jetty off South Beach, Miami, FL. The three men aboard, including Miami Marlins ace pitcher Jose Fernandez, 24, were all killed. Fernandez was considered to be a rising star in Major League baseball.

What happened? The accident investigation is only beginning but several factors appear to have contributed to the tragedy. Based on photographs, the boat struck the jetty at full speed. The accident happened at night. Although the channel was well marked by lighted buoys, the rock jetty was unlit. The night was clear and the waves were not high.

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Welcome Home Wavertree !

Posted on by September 25, 2016

wavertreepioneertugsmall1Yesterday the 1885 windjammer Wavertree returned home to New York’s South Street Seaport after a $13 million, sixteen month restoration in Caddell Drydock in Staten Island. She was escorted home by the 1885 schooner Pioneer, the 1893 schooner Lettie G Howard and the 1931 fireboat John J. Harvey.

The Wavertree, an full-rigged iron-hulled windjammer, has been a museum ship in at New York’s South Street Seaport Museum since 1969. She is one of the largest iron-hulled sailing ship afloat. Wavertree was built at Southampton, England in 1885 for R.W. Leyland & Company of Liverpool.

Here is a short video of her return to the seaport.

Welcome Home Wavertree

St. Helena Islanders May Sue over New £285m Airport — Too Windy for Planes to Land

Posted on by September 24, 2016

rmssthelena1Last June we posted about the new airport on St. Helena. The airport was meant to allow commercial airlines to land on St. Helena, bringing tourists and commerce to the beautiful but rocky and remote island in the South Atlantic. The British government spent £285m to build the airport, which was supposed to open in May of this year.  There was and is only one problem. The runway is too windy for commercial airliners to land. Specifically, there is too much wind shear on the northerly approach.

Now, the island’s residents are threatening to sue the government of Great Britain for compensation related to the so-far unusable airport. St Helena is a British Overseas Territory.

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