Vestas Wind, Andrea Doria, USS Guardian, Royal Majesty and GPS Assisted Grounding

Posted on by February 23, 2016
Photo: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/

Photo: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/

At least Sir Cloudesley Shovell had an excuse, not that he really needed one. He drowned with the other 1,400 sailors in the Scilly naval disaster of 1707.  The navigators on the four warships that hit the Scilly’s Western Rocks lacked the tools to accurately calculate longitude.  The disaster is credited with inspiring the Longitude Act in 1714, which established the Board of Longitude and offered a large money prize for anyone who could find a method of determining longitude accurately at sea.

Recently, the Team Vestas Wind racing in the Volvo Ocean Race ran aground on the Cargados Carajos Shoals in the Indian Ocean.  In a recent blog post, Elaine Bunting in Yachting World asks the obvious question: How is it possible for a yacht bristling with the latest technology to hit a well-known reef, as Volvo Ocean Race crew Team Vestas Wind did, with catastrophic consequences? How can it happen to one of the world’s top navigators? 

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Update: Queen Elizabeth 2 Rotting Away in Dubai

Posted on by December 3, 2014

Since being sold by Cunard in 2007, the classic liner Queen Elizabeth 2 has been the locus of many plans and schemes, all of which have come to naught.  Sadly, the ship has remained tied up at a dock in Dubai’s Port Rashid for the last six years, where she is falling into disrepair.

Purchased by state-run conglomerate, Dubai World, for about $100 million, the ship was moved to Port Rashid in 2008 to be converted to a 1,000 room luxury hotel. After the recession of 2008, Dubai World was staggering under a huge debt load and plans for the QE2 were put on hold. In mid 2012, Dubai announced a more modest hotel plan for the ship, reducing the number of rooms to 300.  By years end, these plans fell apart as well, and it was announced that the ship was being sold for scrap. In early 2013, the Oceanic Group announced that the ship was not being taken for scrap but would be converted to a luxury hotel in Asia.  A year later, these plans seem no closer to fruition than any of the others.

The only recent activity observed aboard the classic liner were workmen in shorts and T-shirts cooking a pig over a barbecue made from half an oil drum.

The Last Eastbound Transatlantic Run of QE2 Continue reading →

Cruising on Foils? Gunboat’s New G4 Flying Cruiser

Posted on by December 2, 2014
Gunboat G4 with J foil daggerboards and T foil rudders

Gunboat G4 with J foil daggerboards and T foil rudders

Very interesting news. Gunboat, builder of high-end racing/cruising catamarans, has promised the G4, a new all carbon fiber 40 foot long catamaran, in early 2015.  The drawings and video have shown C-foil daggerboards and T-foil rudders. C-foils allow “foil-assisted” sailing. The C-foils develop lift and are capable of supporting most of the catamaran’s weight but will not lift the boat entirely out of the water.  Since at least last Spring, however, there have been suggestions that Gunboat has something more ambitious in mind. They may be offering fully-foiling daggerboards, referred to variously as J or L foils, which would allow the G4 to fly like an America’s Cup AC 70, qualifying as the first flying cruising catamaran.  Gunboat’s founder, Peter Johnstone, has said of the G4 — “It’s the baddest-ass coastal cruiser ever.”

In an interview with Sailing Anarchy from last May, Gunboat team member Rudo Enserink revealed the following:

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The Tjipetir Mystery — Gutta Percha Blocks & the Miyazaki Maru

Posted on by December 2, 2014
Tracey Williams with two washed-up Tjipetir blocks Photo: Tom Quinn Williams

Tracey Williams with two washed-up Tjipetir blocks Photo: Tom Quinn Williams

For the last several years, and perhaps much longer, blocks of a rubber-like substance have been washing ashore on the beaches of Great Britain, France, Spain, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and Denmark. The blocks are rectangular with rounded corners and about the size of a kitchen chopping block. Each is engraved with the letters “THIPETIR.” Where they came from and how they began washing up on British and European shores has been a mystery.  Now, Tracy Williams, a beachcomer from Newquay, Cornwall may have found the answer.

After finding a “THIPETIR” block while walking her dog on a beach near her home in 2010, Ms. Williams began her own investigation. She learned that Thipetir was the name of a rubber plantation in Indonesia which was in operation in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The blocks themselves, however, are not rubber. They appear to be a tree gum known as gutta-percha, which was used as an electrical insulator and an alternative to plastic in the early 20th century.

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Team Vesta Wind Runs Aground on Mauritius Reef in Volvo Ocean Race

Posted on by November 30, 2014

Team-Vestas-WindOn Leg 2 of the Volvo Ocean Race, the Team Vesta Wind boat ran aground Saturday on a reef in the Cargados Carajos archipelago about 430 km to the northeast of Mauritius in the Indian Ocean. There are no reported injuries and the nine members of the crew are reported to have abandoned the stricken sail boat on Sunday morning.  They were rescued by local coast guard shortly after dawn.  Fellow Volvo racer,  U.S.- based Team Alvimedica, which had been standing by to render assistance as necessary, was released to continue racing toward Abu Dhabi.

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Humpback Whales Dramatic Return to New York Waters

Posted on by August 9, 2016

In 2009, a humpback whale sighting in New York Bay was a surprise. In 2011, there were 5 whales sighted over the course of the season. By 2012, there were 25 whales sighted, then 43 whales in 2013, and in 2014, the number reached 100.   Gotham Whale, a volunteer non-profit founded by naturalist, Paul Sieswerda, has been tracking the influx of whales in New York water, in partnership with American Princess Cruises, which runs seasonal whale-watching three times a week.

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Antoine Vanner’s New Novel, Britannia’s Shark Out Dec. 5th, Available for Pre-Order

Posted on by November 28, 2014

britsharkLast month we posted about the third book in Antoine Vanner’s Dawlish chronicles, published by Old Salt Press. The new novel titled Britannia’s Shark is due out on December 5th, and is available for pre-order in the US and the UK.

Joan Druett recently interviewed Antoine Vanner about his new book:

Britannia’s Shark, interview with the author

J.D.: Nicholas Dawlish is a fascinating character in the classical mode, a hero with a fatal flaw. Who or what was your inspiration for such a complex person?

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Thanksgiving, Whaling Ships, Sarah Josepha Hale, Mary’s Lamb & a Liberty Ship

Posted on by November 29, 2014
"The Gam," 1926 oil on canvas by Clifford W. Ashley.

“The Gam,” 1926 oil on canvas by Clifford W. Ashley.

Happy Thanksgiving!  Thanksgiving is one of the central creation myths of the founding of the United States. The story is based on an account of a one time feast of thanksgiving in the Plymouth colony of Massachusetts in 1621 during a period of atypically good relations with local tribes. Thanksgiving only became a national holiday in 1863.  Before the celebration spread across the country, Thanksgiving was most popular in New England. On 19th century American whale ships, which sailed from New England ports, they celebrated only the Fourth of July, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. Of the three holidays, Thanksgiving may have been the most popular. On Norfolk Island in the Pacific, they also celebrate Thanksgiving, the holiday brought to the island by visiting American whaling ships.

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The Board of Longitude Project — Digitizing 18th Century Science and Technology

Posted on by November 24, 2014

The Board of Longitude Project, a partnership between Cambridge University Library and the National Maritime Museum at Greenwich in the UK, has digitized the complete papers of the Board of Longitude from its founding in 1714 until its abolition in 1828.  Embedded below is a playlist of five very well done videos about the project.

The Commissioners for the Discovery of the Longitude at Sea, popularly known as the Board of Longitude, was established following the Scilly naval disaster of 1707 which resulted in the loss of four Royal Navy warships and more than 1,400 sailors. The disaster was blamed on the inability to accurately determine longitude.

Board of Longitude

Rare ‘Black Seadevil’ Anglerfish Caught on Video in Monterey Bay

Posted on by November 25, 2014

The video below is footage of a ‘black seadevil’ anglerfish.  The fish in the video is only about 9 cm (3.5 inches) long, but is still fairly terrifying regardless. Other varieties of angler fish can grow to over 3 feet. Living in the deep sea, they are called angler fish because of a long dorsal spine with a luminous bulb which they use like a fishing pole to attract their prey.

The anglerfish: The original approach to deep-sea fishing

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Update: US Navy Deploys Laser Weapon on USS Ponce in the Persian Gulf

Posted on by November 24, 2014

Last February, we posted that the US Navy planned to deploy its first laser weapon on one of its oldest ships. The new laser weapon has now been deployed on the 43 year old USS Ponce, an Austin-class amphibious transport dock, for field testing in the Persian Gulf. The prototype 30-kilowatt-class Laser Weapon System (LAWS) has been aboard since late August, according to officials.  The laser is designed to be able to destroy planes, drones and small boats at a range of ten miles.

U.S. Navy Deploys Its First Laser Weapon in the Persian Gulf

Older Sailors and the Sea — Robin Knox-Johnston, Stanley Paris & Jeanne Socrates

Posted on by November 23, 2014
Sir Robin Knox Johnston

Sir Robin Knox Johnston

An update on previous posts involving sailors of a certain age.  Sir Robin Knox Johnston, 75, sailing Grey Power, placed third in the highly competitive Class 40 fleet in the Route Du Rhum race between St. Malo in Brittany to Guadeloupe.  In 1968, he was the first sailor to circumnavigate the world non-stop in the Sunday Times Golden Globe Race. Sir Robin was also the the second winner of the Jules Verne Trophy (together with Sir Peter Blake) and in 2006, became the oldest yachtsman to complete a round the world solo voyage in the VELUX 5 Oceans Race at the age of 67.  He is also the founder and chairman of the Clipper Round the World Race.

Stanley Paris

Stanley Paris

In December and January last year we posted about the attempted solo-circumnavigation by Dr. Stanley Paris, then 76, on the Kiwi Spirit.  After a rig failure, Paris was forced to abandon the attempt. Now Captain Paris, 77, is back at sea after restarting his voyage, south of Bermuda in the mid-Atlantic. As reported by Scuttlebutt Sailing News:

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America’s Cup to be Sailed in Bermuda

Posted on by November 21, 2014

Unless I am mistaken, when the Oracle Team US AC 72 sailed to victory in 2013, there was only one American citizen in the crew. The members of Emirates Team New Zealand, which needed the sponsorship of Emirates Airlines to fund the costly venture, were all sailors from New Zealand, except for two Aussies, who both had family ties in New Zealand.  So, I guess it wasn’t all that much of a surprise that the next America’s Cup in 2017 will not even be sailed in America. For the first time in history, an American defender has chosen a foreign port to race in, specifically, Bermuda. So, the crew sailing the “American” boats may not be actually American and now, neither will be port where the races are held. The Oracle Team will still be funded by Larry Ellison’s greenbacks, so at least the cash behind the defense of the America’s Cup is still largely American.

120 Year Old Schooner Ernestina to be Restored at Boothbay

Posted on by November 21, 2014

Great news!  The Massachusetts of Department of Conservation and Recreation has signed a contract with Boothbay Harbor Shipyard for $6,048,025 for the restoration of the schooner Ernestina, ex-Effie M. Morrissey.   As we posted in July, private donors, Bob Hildreth and Gerry Lenfest, contributed $2.8 million, more than matching the State of Massachusetts’ $2.5 million contribution to the project.  The Schooner Ernestina-Morrissey Association has also raised a considerable sum toward the refurbishment of the schooner. The restoration is expected to start this winter and take around two years. The work will allow the 120-year-old schooner, a National Historic Landmark and Massachusetts’ official tall ship, to to sail for the first time since 2004.

As reported by the Bangor Daily News: Launched on Feb. 1, 1894, the vessel, originally called the Effie M. Morrissey and owned by Capt. William E. Morrissey and the John F. Wonson Co. of Gloucester, was named after Morrissey’s daughter.

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TS Royalist Decomissioned, Smooth Sailing to the New Royalist

Posted on by November 20, 2014

royalistThe TS Royalist has sailed into Portsmouth for the final time. The 43 year old sail training ship owned by the UK Marine Society & Sea Cadets is being decommissioned. Since her delivery in 1971, TS Royalist has taken 30,000 cadets to sea. Hundreds of sea cadets gathered at Petrol Pier in Gosport to say farewell to the old ship.

A new training ship, a 32-metre (105ft) brig also named Royalist, is under construction at the Spanish shipyard Astilleros Gondan S.A. and is expected to be delivered in March. The new ship is reported to offer greater use of space, with better all-round sailing ability and performance. Faster and easier to handle, the new Royalist is also expected to be more economical to run. Following the example of her namesake, the new Royalist is expected to be taking cadets to sea for the next 40 years. So, farewell to the Royalist and may the new Royalist have smooth sailing for decades to come.

The Wreck of the Antares on Australia’s Shipwreck Coast 1914

Posted on by November 19, 2014

Here is a short video by Sean and James McAnulty, narrated by Rex Mathieson, telling of his family history with the wreck of the full rigged sailing ship Antares, which came ashore in 1914 on Victoria, Australia’s “Shipwreck Coast.”

The story of the Antares from sean on Vimeo.

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The Grand Banks Tsunami — 85 Years Ago Today

Posted on by November 18, 2014

19291118_1929_75anncovThe word tsunami usually brings to mind seismic waves in the Pacific or the Indian Oceans. Eighty five years ago today, an major earthquake, in the Atlantic, approximately 250 km south of Newfoundland along the southern edge of the Grand Banks, caused a tsunami that slammed into the Newfoundland coast.

On November 18, 1929, at 5:02 PM local time, the Grand Banks was rocked by a magnitude 7.2 earthquake.  The earthquake triggered a large underwater landslide, which severed 12 submarine transatlantic cables.  The landslide also generated a tsunami which raced towards Newfoundland at speeds of up to 140 km/hr, before slowing to about 40 km/hr in shallower water. Three waves would crash into Newfoundland’s Burin Peninsula, flooding dozens of communities and washing entire homes out to sea. Twenty eight residents would die in tsunami’s path.

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Norovirus Outbreak on the Crown Princess

Posted on by November 17, 2014

450px-Crown_PrincessA month long Pacific cruise on the Princess Cruise Line Crown Princess has been disrupted by a norovirus outbreak.  158 of 3,009 passengers were sickened by highly contagious stomach virus, while 14 of 1,160 crew members were affected.  The ship will return to the port of San Pedro Sunday. It set off from Papeete, Tahiti to Los Angeles on Oct. 18.

The outbreak on the Crown Princess pales compared to the 700 person outbreak on RCCL’s Explorer of the Seas last January in which more than 20% of the passengers were stricken.

Thanks to Irwin Bryan for passing the news along.

Here Comes Lafayette’s Hermione — Voyage 2015

Posted on by November 18, 2014

hermoinebannerTwenty years ago, a small group of enthusiasts conceived a plan to build a replica of the French frigate, l’Hermione, the ship which carried the Marquis de Lafayette, to America in 1780 with the news of French support for the American revolution. The new l’Hermoine has now successfully completed two months of sea trials and in April 2015 will sail across the Atlantic and visit 12 ports on the US East Coast and Canada.

On Saturday, I was fortunate to attend a presentation by Miles Young, President of Friends of Hermione-Lafayette in America (FOH-LA) and Chairman and CEO of Ogilvy & Mather.  He described the planned voyage, as well as the education & outreach programs being developed to support the arrival of the ship. The programs are intended to highlight the too often overlooked French contribution to the American Revolution.

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Australian Rides Dead Humpback Whale

Posted on by November 15, 2014

Let’s hope this sort of stupidity doesn’t become popular. Recently, 26-year old Australian, Harrison Williams, thought that it would be a good idea to jump onto the back of a dead and decomposing humpback whale, drifting in the ocean off Australia’s west coast, as tiger and great white sharks were feeding on the carcass. Reportedly Williams’ mom has opined that her son is an idiot. It is hard to disagree with mom.

Australian man rides dead whale