Culture Watch – More Sharknado & Mermaids as the New Vampires

Posted on by August 3, 2013

Waterhouse_a_mermaidIt is a strange world out there. We have previously posted about Sharknado, which recently caused quite a stir on Twitter and other social networking sites. A sequel is planned, apparently, this time set in New York. I am not so sure about that one. Sharks raining from the sky in Brooklyn. Fuggedaboutit. In the mean time, it appears that Sharknado is inching its way toward cult film status, with midnight showings on big screens around the country. Some are predicting that Sharknado will prove to be this generation’s Rocky Horror.  I am skeptical, but time will tell.

For the last several years, vampires have been the cool kids on the block. They have been all over television from reruns of Dark Shadows to Buffy the Vampire Slayer, to True Blood, as well as countless movies.  Vampires established a strong niche in Young Adult books even before Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight saga re-energized the living dead as a teen-aged love interest.

Now it seems, there is rogue wave of predictions that mermaids are replacing vampires as the hot cultural cult icon.  This is not entirely new.  Back in 2011, US Today announced “Mermaids surface as the next big thing,” and last January, Huffign Post predicted, The New Wave for Women and Girls: IN Mermaids, OUT Vampires.

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All is Lost – Robert Redford as Singlehander Struggling to Survive

Posted on by August 2, 2013

Every time I read about a major casualty on a container ship, I think about the containers lost over the side, many of which continue to float, hazards to navigation to any boat about their size. All the evidence suggests that the Irish sail training vessel, Asgard II, sank in the Bay of Biscay in 2008 after striking a semi-submerged container.

In what looks like a truly remarkable movie, All is Lost, Robert Redford portrays a single handed sailor whose 39-foot sail boat is struck by a floating shipping container while 1,700 miles off Sumatra. The unnamed singlehander performs what repairs he can before being overwhelmed by a storm. The 107 minute long movie has essentially no dialog and only one cast member, Redford.  When the movie was screened at the Cannes Film Festival, Redford received a standing ovation for his performance.  The trailer is absolutely gripping. All is Lost is due to be released in October.

On Herman Melville’s Birthday – A Virtual Pilgrimage to His Birthplace

Posted on by August 1, 2013
Meliville Memorial, 6 Pearl Street, Photo: Wally Gobetz

Meliville Memorial, 6 Pearl Street, Photo: Wally Gobetz

Herman Melville was born on this day, August 1, in 1819, in a boarding house on the site of 6 Pearl Street, in the Financial District of lower Manhattan in New York City.  I invite you to join me in a virtual pilgrimage to his birth place.

The boarding house where Melville was born is long gone. A 42 floor gleaming glass and metal skyscraper, 17 State Street, rises where the building once stood. One photographer referred to the building as a “great white whale.” Nevertheless, there is a plaque and bronze bust of Melville roughly on the site of the original structure.

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Joan Druett’s The Elephant Voyage – A Review

Posted on by July 31, 2013

Joan Druett’s The Elephant Voyage is a fascinating historical account of sailors who find themselves castaway on a desolate, wind-swept sub-Antarctic island, while on an ill-fated voyage to hunt elephant seals in the late 19th century.  Their rescue and at least partial redemption also tells a tale of the lively and complex world of colonial New Zealand at the dawn of the 20th century.

In 1883, New Bedford, Captain Sanford Miner and his investors, outfit the schooner Sarah W. Hunt and recruit a crew with no real sailing experience, yet who are nevertheless logged as able seamen. Captain Miner and his green crew set sail and successfully navigate to Macquarie Island, a tiny speck halfway between Tasmania and Antarctica, only to find the beaches deserted, with not an elephant seal to be seen. They sail on to Campbell Island, another tiny but rugged rock in the Southern Ocean, where they find a safe anchorage for the schooner. The captain sends the mates and crew off to search for seals along the shore in two whale boats. A storm blows up and one boat is blown out to sea, never to be seen again, while the other just barely manages to row back to the island.  After several days of arduous rowing, they make it back to where the schooner had been anchored, only to find it gone.

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How Secure is Shipboard GPS? Not Very – GPS Spoofing Takes Control of $80MM Yacht

Posted on by July 29, 2013
whiterose

White Rose Photo: Michael Evans

In June, the navigation system of the 213′ yacht White Rose was taken over by a team of University of Texas students. Using only a laptop, a small antenna, and a GPS “spoofing” device, the team fed a stronger signal to the yacht’s steering system than the genuine GPS signal, effectively over-riding  the incoming signal from the actual GPS satellites.  Fortunately, the students were not pirates, and they readily relinquished control of the $80 million yacht.

The students were lead by Professor Todd Humphreys who recently also hijacked a surveillance drone, much to the chagrin of the FAA and the Department of Homeland.  The GPS spoofing equipment only cost around $1,000. The only good news is that the software itself is rather complicated and took the University of Texas team around four years to develop.  Nevertheless, the prospect of the GPS navigational systems of planes, ships and even automobiles being in danger of being hijacked is troubling, to say the least.  Thanks to Phil Leon for contributing to this post.

Spoofing on the High Seas

Historic Spitbank Fort Reborn as Luxury Hotel

Posted on by July 28, 2013

The Spitbank Fort is a sea fort constructed in 1878 in the Solent near Portsmouth, England.  Now the 162 feet in diameter sea-granite fortification which once hosted 12-inch breechloading guns, reopened last year a luxury spa hotel and retreat.

Spitbank Fort – UK’s most exclusive private island – Solent

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Tragedy on the Hudson – Speed Boat Hits Construction Barge, Bride-to-be Dead, Fiance Injured, Best Man Missing

Posted on by July 27, 2013

A woman scheduled to be married in two weeks was killed on on Friday night around 10PM, when the 21′ long Stingray speedboat she was aboard hit a construction barge anchored off the Tappan Zee bridge in the Hudson River, 13 miles north of New York City.  Lindsey Stewart, 30, was thrown from the boat in the collision. Her body was recovered on Saturday.  Her fiancé, Brian Bond, 35, suffered head injuries and is reported to be in fair condition at a local medical center.   Mark Lennon, 30, who was to be Bond’s best man, was also thrown from the boat, and remains missing.  Three others who were not thrown from the boat were also hospitalized for head injures.

The operator of the boat, Jojo K. John, 35, was arraigned at an area hospital on one count of first-degree vehicular manslaughter and three counts of second-degree vehicular assault.  “We have probable cause to believe that he operated the boat while intoxicated,” said Robert Van Cura, undersheriff of the Rockland County Sheriff’s Office.

Boat accident in Hudson River Bride and Best Man Missing

“Shellshocked: Saving Oysters to Save Ourselves” at the Noble Maritime Collection

Posted on by July 26, 2013

This Sunday, July 28, 2013 at 2 PM, the Noble Maritime Collection at Snug Harbor will host the Staten Island premiere of the documentary Shellshocked: Saving Oysters to Save Ourselves.

Bob Wright and his musical group Harbortown will perform songs from their album Oyster Aristocracy featured in the film.  The film’s director Emily Driscoll and historian Barnett Shepherd, author of Tottenville: The Town that Oyster Built, will participate in a discussion after the screening.

SHELLSHOCKED: Saving Oysters to Save Ourselves

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The Tsunami, the Trimaran and Transpac – Lending Club Damaged by Debris

Posted on by July 25, 2013

We recently posted about the 83 year old yacht Dorade, which won the 2013 Transpac.  it was not however the first yacht across the finish line.  That honor goes to Lending Club, a racing trimaran; specifically an ORMA (Offshore Racing Multi-hull Association) 60 lengthened to 73′.  She is sailed by Long Beach business owner John Sangmeister and his Tritium racing team with the sponsorship of Lending Club, which describes itself as “an online financial community that brings together creditworthy borrowers and savvy investors.”  Sangmeister had hoped to set the race record for a multihull in the 2013 Transpac.  They came very close, but were defeated by, oddly enough, the Japanese tsunami of 2011, or more specifically debris from the tsunami.

For the last two years, we have been posting about the debris washed out to sea by the tsunami which struck Japan in 2011, triggered by an 8.9, on the Richter scale, earthquake. Everything from the wreckage of homes to a 150′ fishing trawler have been found drifting in the Pacific. An estimated 400,000 tons of debris is believed to be still drifting eastward.

Lending Club struck patches of debris thee times during the race, damaging the yacht and gear. Comments by Skipper John Sangmeister:

Sailboat hits Japanese tsunami debris

Dutch Sail Training Ship, Astrid, Lost off Cork, Ireland – Crew of 30 Rescued

Posted on by July 24, 2013

The Dutch Sail Training Ship, Astrid, a 136′ (41.65 M) brig, was lost this morning after running aground on rocks on the western mouth of Oysterhaven, on the Cork, Ireland coast, shortly after leaving the anchorage this morning.  Thirty crew and trainees were rescued  by the the RNLI Courtmacsherry all-weather lifeboat and a local sail training vessel, Spirit of Oysterhaven, after the Astrid began to sink in force five to six winds.

Thirty crew rescued after tall ship hits rocks off Cork coast

Wreck of the STV Astrid

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Vintage Yacht Dorade Wins Transpac Again, 77 Years After First Transpac Victory!

Posted on by July 23, 2013

vsbr2012-day5-3421Modern sailing racing yachts tend to have plumb bows and broad flat sterns. The Transpacific Yacht Race, a 2,225 nautical miles race from Los Angelos to Honolulu, Hawaii, has been dominated for several decades by these lightweight, high speed, sailing “sleds.” Remarkably, almost unbelievably, this year’s Transpac was won not by a modern speedster, but by Dorade, a yacht designed by Olin Stephens II in 1929 and delivered in 1930. This is actually the second time that the Dorade has won the Transpac. It last won in 1939, seventy seven years ago.

Compared to modern boats, Dorade appears to be a beautiful anachronism. With a yawl rig, graceful overhangs, a narrow beam, and built of wood, she seems an artifact of a more graceful time. Nevertheless, she beat her closest competitor, Roy Disney’s Pyewacket, to Hawaii by just over two and a half hours.

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Odyssey Retrieves Additional 61 Tons of Silver from SS Gairsoppa, Three Miles Deep

Posted on by July 23, 2013

Almost exactly a year ago, we posted that Odyssey Marine Exploration had recovered approximately 48 tons of silver  from the wreck of the SS Gairsoppa, a 412-foot British cargo ship which was torpedoed in February of 1941 by a German U-boat.   The wreck lies almost three miles below the surface and is one of the most valuable and  deepest ship wrecks ever salvaged.  Odyssey has recently announced that they have now recovered an additional 61 tons of silver bullion from the shipwreck.

Odyssey Recovers 1.8 Million Ounces of Silver From Shipwreck Three Miles Deep

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The Charles W. Morgan and the Synchrolift

Posted on by July 22, 2013
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Charles W. Morgan on the Synchrolift Photo: Mystic Seaport Museum

The Synchrolift is a wonderful invention. It is a shiplift and transfer system which according to Rolls Royce, the Synchrolift firm’s owner, is “used to increase efficiency and reduce drying-docking times at many of the world’s leading shipyards.”  Mystic Seaport Museum has a Synchrolift of its very own, the Hays and Ros Clark Shiplift, which was used yesterday to launch the whale ship, Charles W. Morgan, after its five year restoration.

For all its other virtues, a Synchrolift does not make for an exciting launch. After the Morgan was christened by Sarah Bullard, Saturday, it took another twenty minutes for the shiplift to slowly lower the ship into the Mystic River.  Then again, slow and careful is probably not a bad idea when handling a 172 year old ship.

For those who missed the launching, the music, ceremony speeches and slow lowering of the mighty ship is available on-line :  CHARLES W. MORGAN Launch

Fighting Whaling in Court and in Port as Iceland Resumes Fin Whale Hunting

Posted on by July 22, 2013

After a two year suspension, Iceland has resumed hunting endangered fin whales.  Photographs taken by undercover Greenpeace activists show a harpooned fin whale being cut up for meat, likely to be exported to Japan.  Meanwhile, environmentalists are fighting whaling in the courts and the world’s ports.

Greenpeace Whaling Action, Hamburg

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Somali Pirates on Facebook? UN Complains of Pirates on Social Media

Posted on by July 21, 2013

Are Somali pirates and their affiliates using Facebook to organize and support ship hijackings?  Experts at the United Nations say that this is the case and complain that Facebook has been ignoring their requests for information on Facebook accounts belonging to individuals involved in hijackings and hostage-taking.

UN report slams Facebook for ignoring requests for information about suspect Somali pirates using the site

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1841 Whaleship Charles W. Morgan Launching July 21st – Watch it Live on Webcam!

Posted on by July 20, 2013

Charles-W.-Morgan4After a five year restoration, the 1841 built whaleship Charles W. Morgan is returning to the water at the Mystic Seaport Museum, tomorrow at 2 PM. The museum has set up a live web cam for those of us who can’t make it to Mystic, Connecticut to see the launch in person.  Award-winning documentary filmmaker Ric Burns will deliver the keynote address at the public ceremony, at which point the ship will be lowered into the Mystic River. Once launched, museum shipwrights will complete the restoration with the vessel in the water in preparation for her ceremonial 38th Voyage to historic ports of New England in 2014.

Click here to go to the live webcam – WATCH THE LAUNCH LIVE

Five Guilty in Costa Concordia Sinking; Captain Schettino’s Trial Continues

Posted on by July 20, 2013

An Italian court has convicted five people of manslaughter related to the sinking of the cruise ship Costa Concordia in January 2012, which killed 32 passengers and crew.  Each of the five agreed to plea bargains and none may serving jail time.  Captain Schettino is being tried separately. His trial is ongoing.

Five guilty in Costa Concordia trial

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SeaWorld – Blackfish, Blackstone & the Fight Over a Documentary

Posted on by July 19, 2013
Tilikum Photo: Suzanne Allee/Magnolia Pictures

Tilikum Photo: Suzanne Allee/Magnolia Pictures

In February of 2010, the orca, Tilikum, attacked and drowned senior trainer, Dawn Brancheau, at SeaWorld Orlando.  This was the third human death that Tilikum has been involved in, in captivity.  Ironically, even though orcas are best know as “killer whales,” there has never been a recorded killing of a human by an orca in the wild.  Sadly, the same cannot be said of orcas in captivity.

Blackfish, a new documentary, which opens today, “tells the story of Tilikum, a performing killer whale that killed several people while in captivity. Along the way, director-producer Gabriela Cowperthwaite compiles shocking footage and emotional interviews to explore the creature’s extraordinary nature, the species’ cruel treatment in captivity, the lives and losses of the trainers and the pressures brought to bear by the multi-billion dollar sea-park industry.”

Blackfish Official Trailer

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The Mystery of North Korea’s Chong Chon Gang – Smuggling What, to Where, and Why?

Posted on by July 17, 2013

CHONG_CHONGANGThe story is dramatic. The North Korean 14,000 dwt bulk carrier Chong Chon Gang was stopped by the Panama Canal Authority. A container, believed to carry undeclared military weapons was found hidden in a cargo of bagged sugar. The Korean crew of the ship allegedly violently resisted the Panamanian searchers. The captain of the Korean ship was reported to have attempted suicide when the ship was boarded.

Initially, this story sounds reasonably predictable. North Korea has been caught repeatedly smuggling arms and narcotics in recent years. The case of the Chong Chon Gang, however, quickly get strange. The ship, when arrested, had not come from North Korea, but from Cuba, and the military equipment found aboard was odd. As reported by the New York Times, “Cuba’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement saying the cargo stashed in the vessel, the Chong Chon Gang, consisted of “240 metric tons of obsolete defensive weapons” bound for North Korea, where it was to be repaired and then sent back to Cuba.” They described the equipment as ““two anti-aircraft missile complexes Volga and Pechora, nine missiles in parts and spares, two Mig-21 Bis and 15 motors for this type of airplane, all of it manufactured in the mid-twentieth century”.

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