Plastic is the Problem. Are Shrimp Shells the Answer?

Posted on by June 2, 2014
Shrilk Plastic Photo: Harvard's Wyss Institute

Shrilk Plastic Photo: Harvard’s Wyss Institute

Discarded plastic is a major problem in today’s oceans. Plastics leach toxic chemicals into the seawater while otherwise not degrading.  Recently researchers at Harvard University have announced they have created a new bio-degrable plastic based on, of all things, shrimp shells.

We have posted for several years now about the vast floating collection of trash in the Pacific Ocean. It goes by a variety of names including the plastic vortex and the great Pacific garbage patch.  It is held together by the circular current, the North Pacific Gyre. Similar garbage patches have formed in the Atlantic and Indian Oceans.  The floating plastic is often deadly to sea birds, fish and whales which inject the trash.  Once tossed in the oceans, the plastic simply does not go away.

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Playing the East River Piano Under the Brooklyn Bridge

Posted on by June 1, 2014

A few years ago we posted about a grand piano which rather mysteriously showed up on a sandbar in Biscayne Bay near Miami.   A few days ago, a grand piano showed up on a sand beach beneath the Brooklyn Bridge in New York City’s East River.  No one is sure how it got there, but it has become a minor tourist attraction.  The piano doesn’t actually play anymore, which, of course, hasn’t stopped many from pretending to give impromptu concerts, sometimes on a rising tide.  For the last several years dozens of “pop-up pianos” have appeared around New York city available for anyone passing by to play. The “pop-up pianos,” which are more formally called the “Sing for Hope Pianos installation,” will not be around this summer. But, at least we now have one “float-up” piano.”

Mystery Piano Ends Up Under Brooklyn Bridge in East River

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Alaric Bond’s The Torrid Zone — A Review

Posted on by May 31, 2014

torridzoneIn The Torrid Zone, Alaric Bond’s latest novel in his Fighting Sail Series, HMS Scylla is due to return to England. Her crew is weary and the ship is in serious need of a refit.  Yet, as soon as the ship reaches home waters, she is dispatched to St. Helena, a tiny island in the distant South Atlantic, with a cargo of East India Company gold and the new island governor, his wife and servants as passengers. What should be a simple mission becomes very complicated and dangerous with the arrival of a French squadron, brutal weather, a reckless diplomat, an enraged widow, and a murderous seaman — all set against the backdrop of one of the most beautiful and remote islands
in the world.

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Gods Mortals and Protectors — Figureheads at Mystic Seaport

Posted on by May 30, 2014

figureheadcropThere is a magic to ship’s figureheads.  In Conrad’s Mirror of the Sea who wrote about the ships and figureheads that he saw on London’s docks:  

It was a noble gathering of the fairest and the swiftest, each bearing at the bow the carved emblem of her name, as in a gallery of plaster-casts, figures of women with mural crowns, women with flowing robes, with gold fillets on their hair or blue scarves round their waists, stretching out rounded arms as if to point the way; heads of men helmeted or bare; full lengths of warriors, of kings, of statesmen, of lords and princesses, all white from top to toe; with here and there a dusky turbaned figure, bedizened in many colours, of some Eastern sultan or hero, all inclined forward under the slant of mighty bowsprits as if eager to begin another run of 11,000 miles in their leaning attitudes. These were the fine figure-heads of the finest ships afloat. But why, unless for the love of the life those effigies shared with us in their wandering impassivity, should one try to reproduce in words an impression of whose fidelity there can be no critic and no judge, since such an exhibition of the art of shipbuilding and the art of figure-head carving as was seen from year’s end to year’s end in the open-air gallery of the New South Dock no man’s eye shall behold again?

We have previously posted about the figurehead of the white witch, Nannie Dee, on the clipper ship Cutty Sark, as well as the figurehead on Galveston’s tall ship, the 1887 barque Ellisa.    Here is a wonderful short video about wood carving and figureheads from the Mystic Seaport.

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Japanese Tanker Shoko Maru Explodes and Burns, One Missing, Seven Injured

Posted on by May 29, 2014
Photo:AFP

Photo:AFP

UPDATE: Between the effects of the explosion, fire, and water put aboard in firefighting the Shoko Maru subsequently sank.

The 2,242 DWT Japanese product tanker, Shoko Maru, exploded and caught fire Thursday morning, local time, while anchored about 5 kilometers off the port of Himeji in western Japan.  The ship had recently finished discharging a cargo of heating oil.  Seven of the eight ship’s crew escaped, although four were reported to be seriously burned. The rest were treated for lesser injuries.  One person, reported to be the ship’s 64-year-old captain, is still missing.

It may at first seem counter-intuitive, but an empty tanker is far more likely to explode than a loaded tanker.  While an empty tanker does not contain significant oil, the oil vapors left in the tanks when mixed with oxygen can form an explosive mixture which, if ignited by a spark, can go off like a bomb. There were unconfirmed reports that a sailor was using a grinder on deck just before the explosion. If this turns out to be accurate, a spark from the grinder may have set off the explosion.

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Friendly Floatees — What 29,000 Yellow Ducks, Red Beavers, Blue Turtles and Green Frogs Tell Us About Ocean Dumping

Posted on by May 29, 2014

rubber-ducks-seaYesterday, we posted about the Big Rubber Duck, which is scheduled to lead the Tall Ships Grand Parade of Sail at the Tall Ships Festival L.A., August 20, 2014. One commenter suggested that we needed more rubber ducks while another suggested that we needed a ship load. This brought to mind a sea story from more than 22 years ago.

On January 10, 1992, the container ship Ever Laurel, on a voyage from Hong Kong bound for Tacoma, Washington, lost twelve 40-foot containers over the side in a North Pacific storm near the 45th parallel and the International Date Line. One of the containers contained 28,800 bath toys, marketed as ‘Friendly Floatees’ by the company The First Years, Inc.  The ‘Friendly Floatees’ were yellow ducks, as well as red beavers, blue turtles, and green frogs.  The container carrying the bath toys broke open and an armada of ducks, beavers, turtles and frogs was cast loose upon the stormy Pacific. Unlike many bath toys, Friendly Floatees have no holes in them so they do not take on water.

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Big Rubber Duck Bound for Tallships Festival LA 2014

Posted on by May 27, 2014

RubberDuck_slideWe have followed the peripatetic wanderings of the Big Rubber Duck as it has made its way around the globe. The series of inflatable sculptures by  Dutch artist Florentijn Hofman, is named “Spreading Joy Around the World” but is universally known simply as “Rubber Duck.” The Big Rubber Duck was recently in Norfolk, VA but will be sailing into the Port of Los Angeles leading the Tall Ships Grand Parade of Sail at the Tall Ships Festival L.A., August 20, 2014.  It will be the first West Coast appearance of the Big Rubber Duck which has visited more than seventeen cities in at least 10 different countries.

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Remembering the Brig Unicorn

Posted on by May 26, 2014

Last week, the brig Unicorn sank after apparently hitting a submerged object on her way from St. Lucia to Saint Vincent and the Grenadines for dry docking. The captain and nine crew escaped by boat and were rescued by the Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Coast Guard a few hours later. The brig was built in Finland in 1949 and has been sailing in the St. Lucia charter business for many years. Unicorn was also known for appearing in movies and television programs.

The Unicorn was often said to have played the ship Black Pearl in the Pirates of Caribbean series of movies, which was not the case. Instead, she reportedly played the Henrietta. Nevertheless, the brig was employed in three Pirates movies. It was also used in the movie, Muppet’s Treasure Island and played a slave ship in the television mini-series Roots. Here is a clip of the Unicorn from Roots.  Thanks to Robert Kennedy for contributing to this post.

Brig Unicorn in “Roots”

After a Brutal Winter, a Late Season for “Floaters”

Posted on by May 29, 2014

April is usually the month for “floaters” in New York harbor.  This year, after a particularly brutal winter, most seem to be popping up in May.  “Floaters” are the bodies of the dead who ended up in the harbor over the winter and sank in the icy waters.  Around spring time as the waters warm, allowing decomposition to accelerate, the bodies float to the surface.  Of the typically 25 bodies pulled from the harbor in an average year, around half make their appearance in the spring. (To put this in perspective, the New York metropolitan area has over 20 million residents, so the ratio of bodies in the harbor to residents is around 1-1,000,000.)

Here Captain Bjoern Kils of the New York Media Boat explains it to Kate Mosso of Fox News.

My9 New Jersey

Update: Cheeki Rafiki Hull Found, No Sign of Missing Sailors, Coast Guard Ends Search

Posted on by May 24, 2014
Photo of capsozed boat taken from Maersk Kure

Photo of capsized boat taken from Maersk Kure

In a statement Friday afternoon, the US Coast Guard announced that a U.S. Navy warship helicopter crew located the overturned hull of the Cheeki Rafiki 1,000 miles offshore Massachusetts and within the U.S. Coast Guard’s search area.   A Navy surface swimmer confirmed the name on the boat was Cheeki Rafiki and determined the boat’s cabin was flooded and windows were shattered, contributing to the complete flooding inside.  The swimmer also knocked on the hull and reached an arm’s length below the waterline with no results.

The Coast Guard subsequently announced that the yacht’s life raft was found undeployed beneath the overturned hull, ending hope that the crew escaped the capsize.  As had been previously announced, Coast Guard ended its search on midnight, local time Friday.

Good News — State of Pennsylvania Commits $4.8 Million to Overhaul Brig Niagara

Posted on by May 23, 2014

niagara-pgGood News — the State of Pennsylvania has committed $4.8 million for a major overhaul of the Brig Niagara.  As reported by YourErie.com: 

“Maintaining the Brig Niagara, a sea-going legacy of American freedom and the sacrifices of the men who sailed her into battle almost 200 years ago,” said Gov. Tom Corbett. “This will keep her seaworthy but it is also an investment in the history of our great state, in the continuing, hands-on education of the young who can come here and walk her decks, examine her cannons and hear a story of freedom’s struggle.” The re-fit will increase the Niagara’s stability. The depth of the vessel will be increased by twenty inches and approximately sixteen tons of internal ballast will be added. These changes will greatly improve its safety, allow it to meet stability regulations and improve its capabilities.

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Bad News — Bank to Auction Schooner Spirit of South Carolina

Posted on by May 23, 2014

spiritsouthcarolinaThe Sailing School Vessel Spirit of South Carolina is finally going to auction. As we posted in late 2011, the now defunct South Carolina Maritime Foundation ran into financial problems only a few years after the 90′ on-deck schooner went into service. For the last several years, the schooner been owned by TD Bank, which intends to auction it in four weeks.  The schooner was inspired by the pilot schooner, Frances Elizabeth, built by the Samuel J. Pregnall & Bros. Shipyard in Charleston, SC in 1879. Thanks to Irwin Bryan for contributing to this post.

See also our post — The Unfortunate Economics of Tall Ships

90′ Yacht Sinks at Launch

Posted on by May 22, 2014

Yacht-Capsizes-in-WashingtonHow is your day going? It has to be better than the unfortunate folks at Northern Marine in Anacortes, Washington, who had a 90′ expedition motor yacht roll over and sink when it was launched last Sunday. Rescuers and first responders had to smash a window open and pull five men trapped inside a $10 million capsized yacht. Fortunately, no one was hurt and no oil was leaked. The yacht has since been righted and the Coast Guard is investigating the cause of the casualty. Two videos of the capsize and rescue after the page break. Thanks to Robert Kennedy for contributing this post.

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Update: Search for Cheeki Rafiki Continues

Posted on by May 22, 2014
Click to go to larger image

Click thumbnail to go to larger image

If the sea were influenced by public support and social media, the four missing sailors on the lost Beneteau 40.7, Cheeki Rafiki,  would be home with their families by now. Unfortunately, that is not the case.

One week ago today, the captain of the yacht, Cheeki Rafiki,  reported that they boat was taking on water in the Atlantic roughly 600 miles off Cape Cod.  Contact with the yacht was lost of Friday. On Saturday, the container ship, Maersk Kure, spotted a capsized vessel, generally of the same size as the sailing boat. The boat’s keel had broken off and there was no sign of anyone aboard, so the ship continued without stopping.  On Sunday, the Coast Guard called off the search.

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Sailing in Sewage — Olympic Sailors in Guanabara Bay at Rio de Janeiro

Posted on by May 21, 2014

Sailors in the upcoming Olympics in Rio de Janeiro will face more than just tough competition. They will be sailing in Guanabara Bay, a body of water thoroughly befouled with garbage and sewage.  Falling overboard is not recommended.  As reported by the New York Times: “It can get really disgusting, with dog carcasses in some places and the water turning brown from sewage contamination,” said Thomas Low-Beer, 24, a Brazilian Olympic hopeful who sails in the bay. He shuddered when recalling how his dinghy crashed into what he believed was a partly submerged sofa, capsizing him into the murky Guanabara. 

Yacht Cheeki Rafiki Feared Lost, Four UK Sailors Missing, Controversy as Coast Guard Calls Off Search

Posted on by May 23, 2014
Photo of capsozed boat taken from Maersk Kure

Photo of capsized boat taken from Maersk Kure

UPDATE:  The US Coast Guard has resumed the search for the missing crew from the Cheeki Rafiki.   Over 200,000 signed petitions asking that the search be resumed.  British Prime Minister David Cameron thanked the Coast Guard on Twitter after it made the announcement.

The Cheeki Rafiki, a Beneteau 40.7 sailing yacht, is feared lost and the four British sailors aboard are missing. The yacht was described as well equipped and the sailors; Andrew Bridge, 21, James Male, 23, Paul Goslin, 56 and Steve Warren, 52; were all very experienced.  They were delivering the boat to Europe following Antigua Sailing Week.

Last Thursday an EPIRB (Emergency Position Indicating Beacon) was activated and the captain reported that the yacht was taking on water. The yacht was reported to be roughly 620 miles (998km) east of Cape Cod in Massachusetts. Contact with the yacht was lost in the early hours of Friday while they were diverting to the Azores. On Saturday, the container ship Maersk Kure, spotted a capsized vessel that matched the boat’s description about 1,000 miles east of Cape Cod, Massachusetts, but did not stop to inspect it because no one was seen on board. US and Canadian aircraft as well as three merchant vessels looked for the yacht on Friday and Saturday but called off the search Sunday at 5am local time.

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Prepping for the Panama Canal Expansion — New York Raising a Bridge and New Container Cranes

Posted on by September 14, 2020
Photo: Michael Dempsey/The Jersey Journal

Photo: Michael Dempsey/The Jersey Journal

The expansion of the Panama Canal, which will allow the transit of much larger ships through new locks,  is like a large stone dropped in the center of a quiet lake. The ripples are being felt on every shore.  This Saturday, the semi-submersible heavy-lift ship Zhen Hua 10 steamed under the Varrazano-Narrows and Bayonne bridges in New York harbor, with three new container cranes on deck to accommodate the larger container ships which will be soon able to transit the expanded canal. The new cranes cost $40 million and are  part of the investment being made in response the expansion of the Canal.  Drivers bound to or from Staten Island this weekend were reminded of the largest component of the project.  The Bayonne Bridge, which is being raised to allow larger ships to pass under at a cost $1.3 billion, was closed again for construction this weekend.

The canal expansion is having an impact on ports around the US and the world.  Ports upgrading their facilities iinclude Miami; Baltimore; Savannah; Los Angeles; Jacksonville, Fla.; Lake Charles, La; Freeport, Bahamas and Charleston, S.C.  The Panama Canal expansion is currently scheduled to be completed around the end of 2015.

Whale Ship Charles W. Morgan on the Move — Shifts to New London to Load Ballast

Posted on by May 18, 2014

The whaleship Charles W. Morgan left the dock at Mystic, CT for the first time since her arrival in 1941.  On Saturday, she was towed down the Mystic River into Long Island Sound and up the Thames River to City Pier in New London, where she will load ballast. Over an 80-year whaling career, the Morgan embarked on 37 voyages between 1841 and 1921, most lasting three years or more.  Over the last six years, the ship was undergone a $12 million restoration and will soon depart on her 38th voyage to historic ports of New England this summer.  The Morgan will be open to the public at the New London City Pier from May 24-25, 31, and June 1.

Charles W. Morgan begins 38th voyage

The Charles W. Morgan, launched in 1841, is the last of an American whaling fleet that numbered more than 2,700 vessels. The Morgan is now America’s oldest commercial ship still afloat and the last of her kind. Thanks to Irwin Bryan for contributing to this post.

Wreck of Steamer Planter Found On South Carolina Coast — Commanded by Robert Smalls

Posted on by May 17, 2014

Two years ago, we posted about the the 150th anniversary of the seizure of the Confederate armed transport, CSS Planter, by Robert Smalls, a 23 year old mulatto slave, and eight fellow slaves. Smalls, who had served as the pilot of the transport, steamed it out past the batteries and forts of Charleston harbor and turned it over to the Union naval blockade.  Smalls would go on to become the first black Captain of a U.S. Navy vessel, a South Carolina State Legislator, a Major General in the South Carolina Militia, a five-term U.S. Congressman and a U.S. Collector of Customs.  This week archaeologists announced that they believe to have found the buried wreck of the Planter, off Cape Romainon the South Carolina coast, where the vessel later sank in 1876.

Ship taken by slaves 152 years ago found off South Carolina coast

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Update: SS Port Nicholson — No Platinum So Far

Posted on by May 16, 2014

In early 2012, we posted about claims made by Greg Brooks of Sub Sea Research that they had found “the worlds richest shipwreck,” the British freighter, SS Port Nicholson, carrying a secret cargo of 71 tons of platinum, sunk by the German submarine U-87 on June 16th, 1942, northeast of Cape
Cod, MS. The claim was met with skepticism, as there was no platinum on the ship’s Bill of Lading or any other evidence of the precious metal. The platinum could be worth $3 billion once salvaged, if it exists at all. There were also claims made about jewels, gold and silver aboard the ship.  At the time, we commented that “press releases are not platinum.”

Since then Brooks and his group have retrieved artifacts from the ship, including a broken compass, a fire extinguisher, and a brick.  As Michael Kaplan, an attorney represented the United Kingdom’s interest in the ship, commented to the Bangor Daily News, the salvors are missing the claimed “jewels, gold, platinum, and silver.” Kaplan also pointed out that world platinum production in the years prior to World War II averaged around 15.5 tons per year, so it is unlikely that a single ship would be carrying 71tons, roughly equal to 4.5 years of worldwide platinum production.

After reportedly spending $8 million of his investor’s money, Brooks may now be considering ending his hunt and selling off expedition assets, including the main salvage vessel.