“Paddle in Seattle” Protests Around Shell’s Polar Pioneer — Saying “Shell-No” to Arctic Drilling

Posted on by May 18, 2015
Photo: Ellen M. Banner

Photo: Ellen M. Banner

Just over a week ago, the Interior Department’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management granted conditional approval for Shell to begin exploratory drilling in the Chukchi Sea in the Alaskan Arctic. Last Thursday, the Polar Pioneer, a semi-submersible drilling rig, owned by Transocean, but operated by Shell, arrived in Seattle. This weekend protesters, calling themselves “Shell-No kayak-tavists,” joined in the “Paddle in Seattle” in a fleet of hundreds of kayaks, canoes, paddle boards and other small vessels, swarmed near the massive drilling rig, to send a message to Shell opposing their continued attempts at Arctic drilling.  One of the primary concerns about Arctic drilling is that the harsh conditions make oil spills likely and extremely difficult to clean up. The damage to the Arctic environment could be severe.

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The Mystery of Beluga Whales in Narragansset Bay

Posted on by May 17, 2015

Almost a week ago, three beluga whales were spotted in Rhode Island’s Narraganset Bay. Normally the white whales would be expected to stay much farther north.  Teams of scientists from the Mystic Aquarium & Institute for Exploration watched video of the whales and traveled to Jamestown, RI, to see the beluga whales first hand, by boat.  Why the whales are so far south is a bit of a mystery.  They usually do not travel much farther south than the St. Lawrence river in Canada. As reported by WNPR:  “The fact that there are three whales is even more unusual,” said Tracy Romano, a biologist at Mystic Aquarium….

Beluga Whales In Narragansett Bay

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12,000 Visitors to STV Oliver Hazard Perry in Newport

Posted on by May 16, 2015
Photo: Graeme Smith

Photo: Graeme Smith

From May 9th through 13th, Oliver Hazard Perry, the largest civilian Sailing School Vessel in the US, was host to 12,000 visitors during the Volvo Ocean Race Stopover in Newport, RI.  The contrast between the new tall ship and the carbon fiber racing sleds could not have been more stark.  Six high-tech Volvo Ocean racers were tied up on one side of the pier, at Fort Adams in Newport harbor, while on the other side of the dock, the three masted square rigged Sailing School Vessel Oliver Hazard Perry towered over then all.  The  Perry has a sparred length of close to 200′ and her masts soar 120′ from the deck.  The Volvo Ocean 65s are 72′ overall with single masts reaching 99 feet above the water. The contrast didn’t end with the difference between the Perry and the racing yachts. Visitors to the ship had the chance to walk through the ship and see our progress and the contrast of a traditional rig above deck and modern features below.

Rebuilding the Schooner Nathaniel Bowditch

Posted on by May 15, 2015

Last November, we posted about the restoration of the schooner Nathaniel Bowditch, by its new owners, Noah and Jane Barnes at the Lyman Morse Boatbuilders yard in Thomaston. Here is a short article and video about the rather extensive rebuilding of the Nathaniel Bowditch.  Seeing the scope of the rebuilding, one might conclude that wooden schooners are a bit like the axe that never wears out, just as long as you keep replacing the head and the handle.

Historic midcoast schooners get overhaul 

U.S.C.G. Cutter Lilac Re-Opens May 19th with Lilac Arts Series

Posted on by May 18, 2015

lilacstern1The U.S.C.G. Cutter Lilac, America’s only steam-powered lighthouse tender, is reopening on May 19th at her berth on Hudson River Park’s Pier 25 at West Street and N. Moore Street in New York. This season, the historic ship will host the Lilac Arts Series from May 19 to August 15, 2015.  To celebrate the new exhibition, the ship will host a reception on Tuesday, May 19, 2015, 6-9pm.  If you are in the neighborhood be sure to stop by.

The exhibit will focus on three themes inspired by the ship’s story – “Steam”, “Work + Labor” and “Restoration/Reinvention“. The visual art exhibition will feature the work of over 25 artists within the ship’s unique spaces, including several site-specific installations. In addition to the exhibition, the Lilac will host performances, artist talks, film screenings, readings, community activities and educational events. The schedule of events is available on the Lilac Arts Series website at www.lilacarts.org. The exhibition and events are all free and open to the public.

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Swedish Singing Sailor to Russian Subs — ‘This Way if You Are Gay’

Posted on by May 13, 2015

singingsailor1In the general category of “you can’t make this stuff up,” the Swedish Peace and Arbitration Society (SPAS), a group dedicated to the study and promotion of peace, released details of their “Singing Sailor Campaign.”

Last October, we posted about a reported incursion into Swedish waters by what was believed to be a foreign and probably Russian submarine.  See our post “Swedish Navy Still Hunting Mystery Submarine.” The Swedish Navy searched for the submarine but couldn’t locate it. In the wake of this failure to track down the submarine intruder, there have been calls for increased military spending in Sweden.

SPAS is suggesting a different approach. They have proposed the “Singing Sailor subsurface defense system,” which would involve lowering submarine message buoys featuring an animated dancing sailor attired only in underwear and a sailors cap, with the messenge, “Welcome to Sweden, Gay Since 1944.” The buoy would also send the Morse code message, ‘This way if you are gay.’  Given that Russia has recently been increasingly homophobic in its policies, this otherwise welcoming message might be enough to turn Russian subs away.  See the video after the page break.

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Diving Pigs Join Dock Dogs and Diving Horses

Posted on by May 12, 2015
divingpigs

Pigs leap from a diving platform at Shiyan Lake in Changsha, Hunan Province. Photo: Hunan Daily

A few years ago, we posted about a new competitive sport in which dogs compete by jumping off docks. Apparently, the competitions are continuing. The DockDogs website describes it as the “The World’s Premier Canine Aquatics Competition.” As no other canine aquatics competitions come to mind, they are probably right. Dogs diving off docks is definitely preferable to the old American carnival attraction, diving horses.  Now we hear that Chinese farmers have introduced diving pigs into the mix.  Apparently, in addition to being a source of entertainment, the farmers claim that it provides exercise and makes the pigs healthier, as well as making the pork taste better.

The New York Times Sinosphere blog reports: Images on the Internet and reports in newspapers suggest that creating a leaping, amphibious pig is another realm where China, which raises more than half the world’s pigs, can claim global pre-eminence. Online photos show piglets prodded to dive off a bridge into a lake. Others show a spotted-pig triathlon of diving, swimming and hurdling.

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The End of Falls of Clyde? Too Many Broken Promises?

Posted on by June 30, 2015

The State of Hawaii has notified the Friends of Falls of Clyde, the organization responsible for rescuing the historic ship of the same name, that the state plans to terminate its permit which allows the ship to be docked for free.  “They received the ship from the Bishop Museum with the understanding it would go into dry dock quickly. It has been 6 years and it doesn’t appear we are any closer to putting it into dry dock,” said Hawaii State Department of Transportation Deputy Director Darrell Young.  If anything, the organization’s finances have grown worse over time and the ship continues to deteriorate.

Falls of Clyde is the last four-masted full-rigged iron ship and the only surviving sailing oil tanker. The ship was launched in 1878 in Port Glasgow, Scotland, for the Fall Line. She became a museum ship in Honolulu, Hawaii in 1971, but was never properly maintained. In 2008, the Bishop Museum, which had control of the ship, was preparing to tow her out sea and scuttle her. In September 2008, the Friends of the Falls of Clyde, a non-profit group of volunteers, acquired the ship. Unfortunately, the organization has been longer on promises than on performance.  For six years, they have been promising that they would be dry docking the ship, as the first step toward restoration, yet nothing seems to be happening.

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Sailors’ Tattoos on Mother’s Day

Posted on by May 10, 2015

momtat1Sailors choose their tattoos for various reasons. Among the most popular sailor tattoos are anchors, hearts and swallows.  Not infrequently, “Mom” also made an appearance as a reminder of loved ones and home.  On Mother’s Day it seems appropriate to look at sailors’ tattoos which reminded them of “Mom.”

Remy Melina, in the Live Science blog, writes about the popularity of “I Love Mom” tattoos:  The “I Love Mom” tattoo first became popular during World War II. As they traveled around the world, U.S. Navy sailors got tattoos to document their achievements and memories. Tattoo parlors began to pop up near military bases and patriotic tattoos came into vogue, according to John Gray’s book “I Love Mom: An Irreverent History of the Tattoo.”

Aside from wanting to express their patriotism, the homesick sailors started to request “mom” or “mother” tattoos as a sentimental reminder of home.

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USS Recruit — The Unsinkable Warship

Posted on by May 9, 2015
recruitunionsquare

USS Recruit, 1917, Union Square, NYC

Perhaps no warship is unsinkable, but the several USS Recruits came close, primarily because they were based entirely on land.  In 1917, the 200′ USS Recruit, also known as the Landship Recruit, was built in Union Square, in the middle of New York City. USS Recruit was a wooden dreadnought battleship, commissioned as vessel of the U.S. Navy and manned by a crew of trainee sailors. She was used for recruiting and training during World War I.  The New York Times reported at the time that the “Landship” helped the U.S. Navy recruit 25,000 men or enough to crew twenty-eight Nevada-class battleships.  In 1920, with the end of the war, the ship was dismantled.

Almost 30 years later, a second USS Recruit was built, this time on the West Coast of the United States. The second landbound USS Recruit was built at the Naval Training Center in the Point Loma area of San Diego. Not a dreadnought like her predecessor, she was a two-thirds scale Dealey-class destroyer escort.  She was used to train recruits from 1949 until the base was closed in 1997.  The Recruit still stands, unused, adjacent to a retail area of Liberty Station, as the redeveloped base is known.

The Shantyman, Quarterdeck Editor’s Choice, Reviewed by George Jepson

Posted on by May 28, 2015

Yesterday we posted an interview by George Jepson from the May/June issue of the McBooks Press newsletter “Quarterdeck.”  Here is Jepson’s review of my latest novel “The Shantyman” from the same issue.

The Shantyman by Rick Spilman  

George Anderson, retired from a lifetime at sea, recalls a voyage from New York to Australia and back in 1870 in the wooden Kennebec-built clipper Alhambra. Anderson was barely seventeen when he signed aboard as an A.B. or able seaman (able to hand, reef and steer).

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Happy 250th Birthday HMS Victory!

Posted on by May 7, 2015

In honor of the 250th anniversary of the launching of HMS Victory, here is a rolling  broadside, fired by none other than HMS Victory.  The ship is beginning a £50million restoration project in an attempt to preserve Nelson’s flagship for future generations.  For an excellent look at the ship’s history check out Julian Stockwin’s  VICTORY TURNS 250 in the May/June issue of Quarterdeck by McBooks Press.

HMS Victory Broadside!

Update: Iran Reported to Release Container Ship Maersk Tigris

Posted on by May 7, 2015

Iran is reporting that it has released the container ship Maersk Tigris.  The ship had been seized on April 28th as it transited the Strait of Hormuz. Neither Maersk Line, which is the ship’s charterer, nor Rickmers Shipmanagement, which manages the ship, could confirm the ship’s release. Iran had claimed that the ship was seized related to a decade’s old commercial dispute.

Quarterdeck Interview of Rick Spilman by George Jepson

Posted on by May 5, 2015

quarterdeckmj2015I am very pleased to have been interviewed by George Jepson in the May/June issue of the McBooks Press‘ newsletter “Quarterdeck.”  If you haven’t run across “Quarterdeck” you should take a look. (A subscription is free.) This issue includes my interview and a review of my novel The Shantyman as well as an article, Victory Turns 250, by Julian Stockwin. It also includes news of nautical fiction by James L. Nelson, J. D. Davies, Jan Needle, Steve Harrison, John Cahill,  Joseph Heywood, and David Gilman, among others.  Definitely worth taking a look.

Rick Spilman by George Jepson (reposted with permission.)

Rick Spilman resides in a lovely late nineteenth century brownstone on a tree-lined street in Jersey City, New Jersey, just across the Hudson River from Lower Manhattan.

During the period when Spilman’s home was constructed, New York Harbor teemed with sailing and steam vessels from around the world. By the early 1870s, the prows and bowsprits of the clippers were common sights along piers in the East River, the area known as South Street Seaport.

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Does Iran Have Any Conceivable Case for Seizing the Maersk Tigris?

Posted on by May 4, 2015

mtigrisstern1Does Iran have any conceivable case for seizing the Maersk Tigris?  The short answer is “no.” The slightly longer answer might be “absolutely not” or “under no circumstances.”

Iran is claiming a decade old cargo dispute as the basis for seizing the ship. Admiralty law does allow a nation to arrest a foreign ship for maritime liens resulting from the sort of cargo dispute existing between Maersk and an Iranian shipper.  So far so good. The problem is that the arrest of the ship in “innocent transit” is generally not allowed.  The ship needs to be in port. More than that, the ship arrested has to be the ship against which the claim was filed. The Maersk Tigris  was not that ship.  Iran cannot simply go after any ship operated by Maersk.

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Update: Tragedy at Dauphin Island — Six Dead or Missing

Posted on by May 1, 2015
(Photo: Sharon Steinmann/AP

(Photo: Sharon Steinmann/AP

A week ago, tragedy struck at the Dauphin Island Regatta on Mobile Bay,  when a powerful squall packing winds of almost 70 knots struck the assembled fleet. Six sailors were lost. The bodies of five sailors have been found.   The Coast Guard has now suspended the search for the sixth sailor who is still missing and presumed dead. Officials said the Coast Guard has spent more than 180 hours searching more than 9,527 miles of water and 164 miles of shoreline.

The Coast Guard and the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency are conducting a joint investigation into the circumstances surrounding the events in Mobile Bay on Saturday during the Dauphin Island Regatta.

Lending Club 2 Shatters Newport to Bermuda Speed Record

Posted on by May 3, 2015

On April 20th, the 105′ trimaran Lending Club 2  sailed from Newport, Rhode Island to Bermuda in an amazing 23 hours,  9 minutes and 52 seconds, beating the previous record by a 15 hours. Lending Club 2 sailed the 635-nautical mile passage at an average speed of 27 knots. Here is a video about the record breaking voyage.

Newport to Bermuda World Speed Sailing Record

International Scurvy Awareness Day — Really?

Posted on by May 1, 2015

scurvy-awareness-dayOnce again, May 2nd is International Scurvy Awareness Day! The festivities appear to be sponsored by a group calling itself Lime Strong. I am not sure whether this is an individual or a marketing arm for lime growers. Nevertheless, there is nothing wrong with awareness. Squeeze some extra lime juice in your rum today. Thanks to Bob McKane for the heads up.