Celebrate MARY A WHALEN’s 75th Birthday!

Posted on by May 17, 2013

PortSide NewYork is hosting an open-house (open-ship?) on the historic tanker MARY A WHALEN this Tuesday, May 21, at Pier 11, Atlantic Basin, Red Hook, Brooklyn, from 1-7pm, with cake and remarks from 5-7pm.  May 21 is  also the 75th anniversary of the launch of the coastal tanker.  Access to the MARY A. WHALEN  on Pier 11 in Atlantic Basin is via the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal pedestrian gate at Pioneer Street and Conover Street.

The National Maritime Historical Society is honoring PortSide’s Founder & Director Carolina Salguero with their “New York Harbor Historic Ship Steward Award of Excellence.”   The MARY A. WHALEN is on the the National Register of Historic Places and is considered to be the only tanker cultural center in the world.

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The Mysterious Disappearance of Richard Decker, and Yes, His Boat is for Sale at Auction

Posted on by May 17, 2013

end37All the reporting on this story talks about a “ghost ship” for sale by auction in Newburyport, MA.  “Newburyport ‘ghost ship’ on the block,” is pretty typical.  The “ship” in question is, in fact, an Endeavour 37 sailboat, a bit small to be termed a ship.  No one is thought to have died on board the boat and there are no report of a haunting of the vessel, though a presumed death is the cause of the boat’s sale.  The most interesting part of the story may be the disappearance and presumed drowning of the sailboat’s owner, Richard Decker.

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Twice Forgotten: Story of the WWII Submarine R-12

Posted on by May 16, 2013

An interesting Kickstarter fundraiser to complete the documentary “Twice Forgotten: Heroes of the R12 Submarine,” about the WWII submarine USS R-12, which sank off the coast of Key West, Florida on June 12, 1943 with the loss of 40 American sailors and 2 Brazilian officers.  The wreckage of the submarine was located in 2011 in 600 feet of water.

Twice Forgotten: Story of the WWII Submarine R-12

Free Books from Old Salt Press – Hell Around the Horn, The Beckoning Ice and A Love of Adventure

Posted on by May 16, 2013

osplogo2thumbbw copyTo celebrate the upcoming publication of Joan Druett’s Promise of Gold trilogy, Old Salt Press will be running a free book promotion for Rick Spilman’s Hell Around the Horn, and Joan Druett’s The Beckoning Ice and A Love of Adventure over the next two weeks. Starting today May 15th and running through Sunday, May 19th, Hell Around the Horn will be free on Kindle. From May 18 – 20, The Beckoning Ice will be free and from May 21-23, A Love of Adventure will be also be free.

To read the books, you do not need a Kindle e-reader. With the free Kindle app, the books are readable on iPads, Blackberries, android tablets, smart phones and desktop and laptop computers. Help us celebrate by downloading free copies of these three wonderful books.

Joan Druett Publishing with Old Salt Press

Posted on by May 15, 2013

Joan-210Joan Druett, the award winning maritime historian and novelist, will be publishing her Promise of Gold trilogy with Old Salt Press.  The three novels; Judas Island, Calafia’s Kingdom, and Dearest Enemy; will be be published as e-books on Amazon in the next few days.   Joan’s A Love of Adventure and The Beckoning Ice – the fifth in her Wiki Coffin nautical mystery series, have been re-released under the Old Salt imprint. The Old Salt Press also publishes Rick Spilman’s novel Hell Around the Horn and short story, Bloody Rain – Murder, Madness and the Monsoon.

Old Salt Press, LLC is an independent press catering to those who love books about ships and the sea. We are an association of writers working together to produce the very best of nautical and maritime fiction and non-fiction. We invite you to join us as we go down to the sea in books.

Murder of a Tall Ship Sailor – Kyle Bruner, Chief Mate on Liberty Clipper, Gunned Down in Nassau, Bahamas

Posted on by May 14, 2013

Sadly, the world is a dangerous place, both at sea and ashore. Over the weekend, Kyle Bruner, chief mate on the schooner Liberty Clipper  was murdered in Nassau, Bahamas while attempting to stop a mugging.  As reported by NBC Chicago:

Kyle Bruner, 34, was working as first mate on the Liberty Clipper when he witnessed three men mugging two women on the streets of Nassau, Bruner’s father, Rick, confirmed with NBC Chicago.

“Kyle intervened and they grabbed the bags and ran off, and as they were running off, one turned and fired a shot at him and hit him in the neck,” Rick Bruner said.

View more videos at: http://nbcchicago.com.

Thanks to Robert Kennedy for passing along the sad news. Our deepest condolences to Kyle Bruner’s family and friends.

Amorita’s Unlucky Day

Posted on by May 13, 2013

The first time I saw Billy Black‘s photo of the collision, I had to look twice to believe what I was seeing. It show two white yachts, both under full sail, one slicing half-way through the other.  The collision took place on 07/07/07.  The losing boat in the collision was the 107-year-old NY30 Herreshoff yacht Amorita of Newport, RI.   “07-07-07, Amorita’s Unlucky Day” is a film, directed by French sailor-director Pierre Marcel, which recounts the history, dramatic sinking and resurrection of the classic yacht Amorita.

“07-07-07, Amorita’s Unlucky Day” Film trailer

http://www.classicboat.co.uk/news/amorita-and-sumurun-the-most-dramtatic-yacht-racing-crash-of-recent-history-video/

“Whisky Galore” Bottles fetch £12,050

Posted on by May 13, 2013

whiskytwoTwo bottles of whisky salvaged from the wreck of the cargo ship SS Politician have been sold for £12,050 after an online auction.   The wreck inspired the novel “Whisky Galore” and the movie of the same name.

Whisky Galore bottles fetch £12,050

On February 3, 1941, the SS Politician, an 8,000-ton general cargo ship departed Liverpool and sailed into history. More precisely, she sailed into a gale and ran aground off the Island of Eriskay in the Outer Hebrides.  Her crew escaped unharmed and were cared for by local islanders, who learned that the Politician’s cargo included 264,000 bottles of Scotch whiskey.  The locals, whose whiskey had run out due to war time rationing, decided to claims rights of salvage and help themselves to the cargo. Customs officials took a different view and considered the pilfering of the cargo to be simply stealing. Local fisherman are believed to have taken around 24,000 bottles of whisky, before the wreck was sunk with explosives. Compton Mackenzie wrote a novel, Whiskey Galore, based on the events, published in 1947. In 1949, the novel was made into a movie, titled Whiskey Galore! released in the United States as Tight Little Island.

In 1987 Donald MacPhee, a local South Uist man, found eight bottles of whisky in the wreck.  Recently two of the eight bottles were sold at auction. Sadly, the whiskey is not believed to be fit for human consumption.  Thanks to Irwin Bryan for passing the story along.

Charles W. Morgan Restoration

Posted on by May 10, 2013

We posted yesterday about the “shutter plank” being fastened to the whaleship Charles W. Morgan in Mystic Seaport in Connecticut.  The Morgan, built in 1841, is America’s last surviving wooden whaleship and has been undergoing a fiver year restoration.   I came a across  a wonderful short video by Ed Dzitko, which gives a good idea of the scope of that restoration, as well as providing  a bit of the ship’s history.

Charles W. Morgan Restoration

Is the AC72 the Boat That Could Sink the America’s Cup?

Posted on by May 12, 2013

artemisWired Magazine ran a weirdly prophetic article that appears to have been published almost immediately before the tragic death of British Olympian, Andrew Simpson, in the capsize of the Swedish Artemis Racing AC72 catamaran yesterday in San Francisco Bay.  In the article, titled “The Boat That Could Sink the America’s Cup” Adam Fisher suggests that the AC72 catamarans, in which the race will be sailed and on which Simpson died, may be too expensive, too dangerous and too fragile.

The article focuses primarily on the capsize of an Oracle AC72 last October, which at the time was dismissed by some as “a freak chain of events” while others worried that such a catastrophic capsize might happened again .  Fisher quotes Paul Cayard, CEO and tactician of Artemis Racing who said “It will be a miracle if we get through the summer without it happening to somebody… We’re going to start pushing harder, we are going to race, and those kinds of boats — catamarans — tip over.”   Cayard’s prediction proved sadly accurate when the Artemis Racing AC72 capsized yesterday and killed Olympic gold medalist, Andrew Simpson.

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The “Shutter Plank” Goes on the Whaleship Charles W. Morgan Today at Mystic Seaport, CT

Posted on by May 11, 2013

morgan1Correction:  The original post listed the wrong date for the anticipated launching of the  Charles W. Morgan. The correct date is  July 21, 2013.

Congratulations to the Mystic Seaport Museum and all those working on the whaleship Charles W. Morgan.  This afternoon at around 2PM,  the final plank, the “shutter plank” fastened to the hull of the historic whaleship.  The plank is called the “shutter plank” because it shuts in and completes the hull.  The Charles W. Morgan, built in 1841, is America’s last surviving wooden whaleship and has been undergoing a five year restoration at the Henry B. duPont Preservation Shipyard at the Mystic Seaport in Mystic, CT.  If all goes well, the Morgan will be re-launched on July 21, 2013.

British Olympian Dies in Artemis Racing AC72 Capsize Practicing for the America’s Cup

Posted on by May 9, 2013

artemis-capsizeAndrew Simpson, a British double Olympic medalist and a sailor with the Swedish Artemis Racing team, has died in the capsize of an AC72 catamaran while practicing in San Francisco Bay for the upcoming America’s Cup races. One other sailor is reported to be seriously injured There were 11 crew on the boat when it capsized.  The boat is reported to have been completely destroyed in the crash.

The AC72 catamarans are 72′ on the waterline with a beam of 45′ and a rigid wing sail 13 stories high, or roughly the length of a 747 wing.  Each boat is estimated to cost roughly $10 million. The Artemis is the second AC72 to have capsized.  An Oracle AC72 crashed and capsized last October, though no one was injured.  Both the Oracle and Artemis teams have been practicing sailing the huge catamarans on hydrofoils, which lifts both hulls out of the water.  “Foiling” as it is called, can increase boat speed but is also considered to be very dangerous.

Crewman dies in Artemis America’s Cup accident

South Street Seaport Museum’s Schooner Pioneer Sails Again

Posted on by May 9, 2013
SeaportPioneerRichardDorfman

Captain Richard Dorfman at the helm of the schooner Pioneer – Photo by Terese Loeb Kreuzer

This weekend,  the South Street Seaport Museum’s schooner Pioneer set sail again from the seaport in New York’s East River.  After two summers of sitting tied to the dock the venerable old schooner, built of iron in 1885, is again carrying passengers on regular sails in New York harbor.  With all the problems facing the museum,  the Pioneer sailing again is another small, but important, victory.  Recently, we posted about the museum’s success in raising $250,000 to repair the 1893 built, Freedonia class fishing schooner, Lettie G. Howard

Seaport’s Pioneer ship sails into the new season

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Container/Ro-Ro Ship Jolly Nero Topples Genoa Port Tower, At Least 7 Dead

Posted on by May 8, 2013
genoaship

Genoa port control tower before and after allision with Jolly Nero. Photo:Photo: AP Photo/ AR/Studio6/LaPresse

The container/ro-ro ship Jolly Nero  slammed into the port control tower in Genoa, Italy on Tuesday night around 11PM, destroying the 165 ft-tall cement tower and killing at least seven.  Four people were reported to be injured  and at least two are still missing.  The 31,000 DWT Italian flag ship was being escorted by two tugs and had a pilot aboard in clear and calm weather at the time of the allision.  There are reports of mechanical failure aboard the ship that interfered with steering of the ship. The port of Genoa port, on Italy’s western Ligurian coast, is Italy’s largest commercial port. Thanks to Alaric Bond and Phil Leon for contributing to this post.

Seven dead in Genoa shipping accident

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Cannibalism on Land and Sea

Posted on by May 7, 2013
17th-century remains of a young girl excavated from Jamestown, Virginia, show evidence of cannibalism in the colony.

17th-century remains of a young girl excavated from Jamestown, Virginia, show evidence of cannibalism in the colony.

Last week, the news broke that evidence of cannibalism had been found at the Jamestown colony in Virginia. Cut and sawing marks have been found on the skull and leg bones of a young woman, suggesting that her flesh was stripped and eaten after death.  Jamestown was the first permanent English settlement in the Americas.  The cannibalism is thought to date from the “starving time” of 1609–1610.  The findings were a confirmation of what had been recorded in various accounts of the “starving time, ” when only Only 61 of 500 colonists survived.  Nevertheless, there was considerable disagreement among historians whether the accounts were accurate, or merely propaganda spread by various factions associated with the settlement.  The physical evidence appears now to have largely settled the dispute.

Evidence of Cannibalism Found at Jamestown Colony

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Voyage of the Mobro 4000 – Wandering Garbage Barge Helps Usher in the Era of Recycling

Posted on by May 6, 2013

On March 22, 1987, the tugboat Break of Dawn, towing the barge Mobro 4000, loaded with 3,168 tons of trash, set sail from Islip, New York, bound for Morehead City, North Carolina. The plan was to convert the trash to methane in a pilot recycling program. Things did not go as planned. Based on reports that the garbage may have contained medical waste, the barge was turned away in North Carolina. The barge was later turned away from ports in Louisiana, Mexico and Belize before finally returning to New York, where the garbage was ultimately burned in a Brooklyn.

The wandering garbage barge became a national and international joke but is credited with fostering increased interest in recycling. Likewise, the conversion of garbage to methane at garbage dumps to be used to generate electricity has become increasingly common. This morning, the New York Times featured its first “Retro Report” video: “The Voyage of the Mobro 4000.”

Fly Fishing in NYC’s Central Park & the Hunt for the Snakehead “Monster” Fish

Posted on by May 5, 2013
snakehead

Photo: Ed Wray/AP

When I think of fly fishing, the wilder rivers of North Carolina come to mind, or even Hemingway’s Big Two Hearted River, in Michigan.  I don’t think of Central Park, which is literally the center of New York City, a metropolis of eight million people, in a metropolitan area of over 20 million.  I have recently learned, however, that there is indeed fishing in Central Park.

But not all is well. There have been reports of a toothy predator, a northern snakehead in the lakes of the park. The snakehead, often referred to as a  “monster” fish, can live for days out of the water and will eat just about anything including other fish, frogs, lizards and even rats.

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Update: Chinese Vessel Did More Damage to Tubbataha Reef than USS Guardian

Posted on by May 4, 2013

Despite being smaller than the USS Guardian and spending less time aground on the Tubbataha reef, the Chinese fishing vessel F/V Min Long Yu, which ran aground on the protected reef on April 8, apparently did more damage than the US Navy minesweeper.  In addition to damaging the reef, the Chinese vessel was also found to be loaded with an illegal cargo of 22,000 pounds of of pangolin meat, a protected species of scaly anteater. The 12 Chinese aboard the vessel had been charged for poaching and possession of protected species, as well as for attempting to bribe park rangers. The Philippines’ Tubbataha National Marine Park is a UNESCO-designated World Heritage Site in the centre of the Sulu Sea.

Chinese vessel did more damage to Tubbataha than USS Guardian –TMO

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Moby Dick on a Barge and the Card Game

Posted on by August 5, 2013

For those near New York harbor, the Brave New World Repertory Theatre is presenting MOBY DICK–REHEARSED by Orson Welles, co-directed by John Morgan and Alexander Harrington at Red Hook’s Waterfront Museum & Showboat Barge on May 3-5 & 10-12 at 7:30. Click here for more details. Thanks to Brian Frizell for passing along the news.

Sadly, Moby-Dick, or, The Whale, arguably Melville’s masterpiece, only sold around 3,700 copies during the author’s lifetime and earned him only around $1,300. Fortunately, Moby Dick, or the Card Game, a new “dynamic and action-packed card game for 2-4 players, lovingly adapted from Herman Melville’s classic novel,” is doing considerably better. The card game developers are raising money on Kickstarter to finish the project. With 26 days to go in the fundraiser, they have exceeded their $25,000 target, raising $43,988, so far, from 1,171 backers.

Moby Dick, or, The Card Game