Rare Breed of Orca May Be New Species

Posted on by July 5, 2013

orcatypeThe title of the paper published in the journal Polar Biology doesn’t help much, unless you are biologist. The paper is titled, “Mitogenomic insights into a recently described and rarely observed killer whale morphotype.” Lara Sorokanich writing in National Geographic translates the news into layman’s English. Her article is titled, “Rare Breed of Killer Whale May Be New Species.” Scientists studying the skeleton of a rare type “D” orca now believe that the unusual type of orca may be its own species or at least a sub-species. As reported in National Geographic:

Scientists used a portion of the whale’s skeleton to map type D’s genome. They then compared their results with the genomes of the more common orcas—types A, B, and C—to determine the genetic differences among all four varieties.

The study revealed that type D’s genetic differences date back nearly 400,000 years. These ancient variations may qualify type D as an entirely new species or subspecies of killer whale, though further evidence will be needed before the proposal is confirmed.

Great Lakes Tall Ships Challenge & the Battle of Put-in-Bay

Posted on by July 4, 2013
portmapCleveland

Click to go to a larger image

This September, a fleet of tall ships will reenact the 1813 Battle of Put-in-Bay, Ohio, also known as the Battle of Lake Erie.  The reenactment is part of the Great Lakes Tall Ships Challenge which kicks off today in Cleveland, OH through the 7th.  The fleet will move to calling at 22 US and Canadian ports through the summer including Bay City, MI (July 11-14),  Duluth, Minn. (July 25-28), (August 7-11) and Green Bay, WI (August 16-18).  The reenactment of the Battle of Put-in-Bay on is the highlight of the Battle of Lake Erie Bicentennial.  The Challenge wraps up with Tall Ships Erie in Erie, PA (September 6 – 8.)

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The Sorry Saga of the Ore/Oiler A Whale – From Miracle Skimmer to Bankruptcy & Abandoned Sailors

Posted on by July 2, 2013

A Whale

Unfortunately, the story is not that unusual. A ship owner in financial trouble and sailors find themselves abandoned on a ship, far from home, with no wages, and running out of food and fuel.  This is what has happened to 21 seafarers stranded on the ore/oiler A Whale, a Liberian-flagged ship in the Gulf of Suez. They have been stuck for six months after the vessel suffered a technical breakdown. The ore-oiler, A Whale, is owned by TMT group which last week filed for bankruptcy protection in a court in Houston.

This is not the first time that A Whale is in the news.  Just three years ago during the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill, we posted about A Whale. The ship was brand new and specially modified to skim up to 500,000 barrels of oil-contaminated water a day.   A Whale was offered as the world’s largest oil skimmer.  A Whale would revolutionize offshore oil skimming, if it had worked, which it didn’t.  It didn’t skim oil.   Now it is the home for 21 abandoned seafarers owned wages by a bankrupt company, and lacking the basics of food and fuel.  Thanks to Phil Leon for passing along the news.

July 4th on Whichever Coast – New York, San Diego & the Adirondacks

Posted on by July 2, 2013

resizedimage190189-4thjuly-comp-190 (1)This year the 4th of July fireworks in New York, sponsored by Macys, will be set off over the Hudson River. The North River Historic Ship Society is sponsoring their Fifth Annual Fireworks Gala offering views from the rooftop of Pier 66 Maritime (a.k.a. the Frying Pan Pier) at 26th Street and the Hudson River in Manhattan. Pier 66 overlooks the fireworks barges and the party includes food, an open bar, table seating and, best of all, no crowds. Click here to learn more and purchase tickets. A few tickets still appear to be available.

On the other coast, the Maritime Museum of San Diego is offering some of the best fireworks viewing on San Diego Bay all for the price of a general admission ticket. They are also offering an Independence Day Picnic Dinner aboard the ferry Berkeley and a fireworks cruise aboard the schooner Californian.

If all goes well, I will be sailing on my new 40 year old catboat on Lake George in the Adirondacks of New York and enjoying the fireworks over the lake.  Hope everyone has a great 4th.

Ted Hood – Sailor, Yacht Designer, Sailmaker Dies at 86

Posted on by July 1, 2013

Ted_Hood_at_Little_Harbor_Marina_in_Portsmouth,_RI_circa_1990sIn 1955, Ted Hood founded Hood Sailmakers at the back of Maddie’s Bar in Marblehead.   Hood Sailmakers would grow to be a premier sail maker in the 1960s and 1970s.   Hood was also a boatbuilder, designer and sailor. In 1974 he built the 12-meter yacht Courageous and sailed it to victory in the America’s Cup.  Ted Hood was inducted into the America’s Cup Hall of Fame and the National Sailing Hall of Fame. Ted Hood died last Friday at the age of 86.

America’s Cup: Ted Hood dies at 86

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The Boat Factory – A Complicated Love Story about a Shipyard: A Review

Posted on by July 1, 2013

My wife and I recently saw “The Boat Factory” a two actor play, starring Dan Gordon and Michael Condron, which celebrates the sprawling Harland & Wolff shipyard in Belfast, Northern Ireland.  That’s right, a play about a shipyard. But not just any shipyard.  Harland & Wolff is best remembered as the yard that built the Titanic, but the yard also built something like 1,700 other ships and at its peak employed 35,000 people.  It was a city within the city of Belfast.

The play, written and performed by Dan Gordon, is based on his family experiences of growing up in Belfast in the shadow of the shipyard where his father and other relatives worked.  The play follows the career of “Davy Gordon” from his apprenticeship in the shipyard to his death.  Gordon refers to the play as his “long song to Belfast”  and it reflects a fascinating mixture of kinship and pride in what the shipyard workers accomplished, while honestly recounting the often brutal conditions in the shipyard, where concerns for safety were secondary, at best. In many respects, it is a clear-eyed tribute to a time and place that no longer exists.   A wonderful play, well acted and staged. The play finished its run in New York and is moving on to performances across Ireland during July, and then on to London from July 23 to August 17th and then to Caithness, Scotland from August 21-24.  Definitely worth seeing if you are nearby.

THE BOAT FACTORY – A love song to Belfast 

Last Voyage of the Schooner Nina

Posted on by June 29, 2013

nina2The schooner Nina, a 70′ Burgess designed yacht built in 1928, was last heard from on June 4, when it was battling a storm off New Zealand. The yacht had sailed from Opua in the Bay of Islands bound for Newcastle, Australia on May 29. On board were the Dyche family, Captain David Dyche, 58, his wife Rosemary, 60, and their son, also named David, 17. Four other crew sailed with the family – Evi Nemeth, 73, a a retired Colorado University professor and computer engineer; as well as two other Americans, a man aged 28, a woman aged 18; and a British man aged 35.

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King James Jesse Strang and the Mormon Pirates of Beaver Island

Posted on by December 1, 2020
James Jesse Strang

James Jesse Strang

We recently posted about the Michigan State Senate passing a resolution which officially recognized “International Talk Like a Pirate Day”. (It appears that they nothing better to do, in a state with a gaping budget deficit, collapsing cities and failing schools.  Oh well.)  The only pirates that they appear to be honoring are the Disney variety that wear funny hats and say “Aarrgghh.”   This nonsense made me wonder whether or not the state senators were familiar with the history of the real pirates in Lake Michigan.  One fascinating band was said to be led by King James Jesse Strang from his base on Beaver island.

James Jesse Strang was the leader of a group of Mormons who split from the church not long after the death of Joseph Smith. After falling out with Brigham Young, Strang moved his sect to Beaver Island in northern Lake Michigan where he reigned for six years as the crowned “king” of an ecclesiastical monarchy attracting upwards of 12,000 followers, until he was assassinated in 1856.

According to the newspaper accounts of the day, Strang’s group also practiced piracy on the lake and along the shoreline. Continue reading →

Historic Schooner Nina and Crew of Seven Missing Off New Zealand

Posted on by June 27, 2013
Nina in 1928 Photo: Paul Gilbert

Nina in 1928 Photo: Paul Gilbert

The 70′ schooner Nina and her crew of seven have been reported missing. They sailed on May 29, from Opua in the Bay of Islands, New Zealand bound for Newcastle, Australia.  They were last hear from on June 4th, 370 nautical miles west of New Zealand.  David Dyche is reported to be the captain of the yacht.  Two other American men and three American women are aboard, aged between 17 and 73 as well as a British man, aged 35.

“Our records show that conditions at the last known position for the vessel… were very rough, with winds of 80km/h (50 mph), gusting to 110km/h (70 mph), and swells of eight metres (26 ft),” said Kevin Banaghan, rescue mission co-ordinator for the New Zealand maritime authorities.

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Update: Mitsui OSK Reports MOL Comfort Stern Sinks

Posted on by June 27, 2013

Mitsui OSK Lines has announced: “President: Koichi Muto) reports the aft part of the containership MOL Comfort sank in the open sea near 14’26”N 66’26”E (water depth about 4,000m) at 16:48 JST (11:48 Dubai time) on June 27.

The 8,100-teu container ship, MOL Comfort, broke in two last week while under way from Singapore to Jeddah. The forward section of the ship is reported to still be under tow.

Update: MOL Comfort – Towing Begins of Bow, Six Sister Ships Inspected

Posted on by June 26, 2013
MV Capricorn is towing the forward section of MOL Comfort

MV Capricorn is towing the forward section of MOL Comfort

M/V Capricorn, a tug owned by Sri Lanka Shipping, is reported to have the forward section of the MOL Comfort under tow. The 8,100-teu container ship broke in two last week while under way from Singapore to Jeddah. The forward section of the ship is reported to be trimmed 3 meters by the head, but the water tight bulkheads appear to be intact. The tug Pacific Terrier is reported to be preparing to tow the after section of the ship. The after section is also said to be in relatively good condition with the engine rooms bullheads intact. An oil sheen is visible around the after section of the ship but MOL is reporting “there is no large volume of oil leakage confirmed.”

The MOL Comfort‘s six sister ships, the MOL Creation, MOL Charisma, MOL Celebration, MOL Courage, MOL Competence, and MOL Commitment, are all being inspected “as quickly as possible” by engineers from the shipbuilder, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and the classification society, Nippon Kaiji Kyokai.

Statement on Museum of City of New York’s Oversight of South Street Seaport Museum

Posted on by June 25, 2013

Many of us are still realing from the news that the Museum of the City of New York is withdrawing from managing the South Street Seaport Museum as of July 5, 2013.  The future of New York’s premier maritime museum is at best uncertain.

Susan Henshaw Jones, Ronay Menschel Director of the Museum of the City of New York and President of the South Street Seaport Museum, issued the following statement today:

Twenty-one months ago, the Museum of the City of New York wholeheartedly and enthusiastically took over the South Street Seaport Museum. A dedicated, seven member Seaport Museum Board of Trustees was formed, and during these 21 months, a small but mighty staff at the Seaport Museum downtown worked with many staff members from the City Museum uptown, with the uptown component literally doing double duty. But we were on a mission and we had a vision.

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Horrible News for New York’s South Street Seaport Museum

Posted on by June 25, 2013
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Photo: Nicole Bengiveno/The New York Times

Back in 2011, there was new hope for the New York’s South Street Seaport Museum when the struggling institution was rescued by the City Museum of New York.  A $2 million grant from the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation gave the City Museum 18 months to put the Seaport museum back on solid footing. The period was extended for an additional nine months. Things appeared to be going well until lower Manhattan was devastated by Hurricane Sandy. Now, in the wake of the devastation wrought by the storm, the City Museum of New York is calling it quits and giving up on operating the seaport museum.

Seaport Museum Loses an Institutional Backer

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World’s Largest Solar-Powered Vessel in New York City

Posted on by June 25, 2013

I would argue that the wind is, in fact, created by the sun, so all sailing ships are also solar powered, perhaps once removed. The Turanor Planetsolar is, nevertheless, a fascinating vessel. Following her successful circumnavigation, she is now engaged in solar research.  See our previous posts. She recently visited New York. Thanks to Irwin Bryan for contributing to this post.

 

Update: MOL Comfort – Salvage Tugs Arriving Today & the Crazy Conspiracy Theories

Posted on by June 24, 2013

MOL_COMFORTMitsui O.S.K. Line has announced that “one patrol boat and three tugboats are heading to the site, and all of them are expected to arrive within June 24.”  The fore and aft sections of the ship’s hull are drifting near 15”12N 66’53”E and 13’38”N 64’10”E respectively in an east-northeast direction.

Meanwhile the right-wing blogosphere has been going crazy (crazier?) having picked up a post from a Russian blog  claiming that the MOL Comfort was carrying “4,500 containers of arms and ammunition for the Syrian rebels.”   The report allegedly originated with the Syrian newspaper Sham Life.  There is, of course, zero evidence to support the claim but then there rarely is in these sorts of conspiracy theories.

SSV Oliver Hazard Perry Arrives in Newport, RI

Posted on by June 22, 2013

ohp1The SSV Oliver Hazard Perry, still not quite finished but nicely taking shape, has arrived in Newport RI to be hauled and to get a fresh coat of paint. She will then will be dockside at the Newport Shipyard for a fund raising event on Friday July 5. She will be open to the public at Fort Adams on Saturday and Sunday July 6 and 7. A formal dedication of the ship, also open to the public will be held on Saturday morning at 11:00 a.m. at Fort Adams.  To learn more, click here.

Rhode Island’s official Sailing Education Vessel, the 196-foot, three-masted, square rigged SSV Oliver Hazard Perry, has been under construction at Senesco Marine in North Kingstown, R.I. She is expected to be completed in 2014.

Watch out for the Super Supermoon!

Posted on by June 22, 2013
Supermoon over Manhattan 2012

Supermoon over Manhattan 2012, Photo: Julio Cortez, AP)

This evening, watch out for the supermoon; well actually, a super supermoon, which on the East Coast of the United States should be rising in the East around sunset.  As reported by USA today:

A supermoon occurs when the moon is slightly closer to Earth than it typically is, and the effect is most noticeable when it occurs at the same time as a full moon, according to James Garvin, chief scientist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md.

This full moon is not only the closest and largest full moon of the year, according to astronomy website EarthSky. It’s also the moon’s closest encounter with Earth in all of 2013. So it’s not just a supermoon — it’s the closest supermoon of the half-dozen or so that will occur this year, EarthSky reports.

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Summer Camp Aboard the Schooner A. J. Meerwald – Openings Still Available

Posted on by June 22, 2013

I wished that I could have sailed aboard a classic schooner when I was a kid.  For those in the New York/New Jersey Area, The Bayshore Discovery Project is sponsoring two five-day summer sailing camps aboard the classic oyster schooner (and the official Tall Ship of the State of New Jersey) A.J. Meerwald for teens from 13-17.  Campers will learn to raise and furl sails, coil lines, navigate, and steer the boat. With deckwashes, sea chanteys, knots, and standing watch, campers will truly become tall ship sailors.

The first sail departs on July 8 from Liberty State Park, traveling north toward New York, ending in New London, CT. The second departs on July 22, traveling south ending in Beach Haven on New Jersey’s Long Beach Island. The cost is $750 per camper and includes meals and on board lodging. For more information, call (856)-785-2060.  Or click here to learn more.

There is also a Sailor for a Day program for kids from 10-16 years old.   The one day program will include hoisting the sails, hauling in the trawl line, learning about local marine life, navigating the ship, tying knots, swabbing the deck, and singing sea shanties. The cost is $70. Call (856) 785-2060 ext. 100 to make a reservation. Click here to learn more.

Judas Island by Joan Druett – a Review

Posted on by June 21, 2013

Joan Druett’s Judas Island, the first book of her Promise of Gold trilogy, is a delightful mix of nautical adventure, romance and droll comedy.

In the novel, Harriet Gray, an eighteen year old British actress, finds herself abandoned on the deck of the brig Gosling, a ship whose ownership is unclear and which is under the command of Jake Dexter, a captain who technically may be a pirate, even if he does not think of himself as such. The crew is a motley band of treasure seekers, now highly distracted by the lovely young actress who stands before them. The Gosling is anchored off the brooding Judas Island. Captain Dexter and his crew are trying to unravel the island’s mysteries and find the treasure that is rumored to be be hidden somewhere on its shores, although to no avail. Harriet impetuously buys her way into the band of adventurers and induces them to sail to Valparaiso in search of her brother, who is rounding up a herd of alpaca, which she promises the crew will bring them all riches.

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