Coal Ash, Earmarks and the SS Badger – National Treasure or Environmental Menace?

Posted on by December 12, 2012

Photo: Mark Hoffman

The SS Badger is a 410-foot long coal-fired passenger and vehicle ferry operating in Lake Michigan on a four hour shuttle service between Ludington, Michigan, and Manitowoc, Wisconsin. She began sailing in 1953 and is the last coal-fired passenger vessel operating on the Great Lakes. To her admirers, she is a national treasure, while to her detractors, she is an environmental menace that dumps more than 4 tons of toxic coal ash into Lake Michigan daily.  The Badger has been operating on an EPA waiver since 2008  that allows it to continue dumping ash. That waiver runs out  on December 19, 2012.

As reported by the New York Times, the supporters of the Badger have managed to get language to allow her to continue operation indefinitely included in a bill to continue funding the US Coast Guard.

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Single-Handing Minus One – The Strange Voyage of the Bela Bartok

Posted on by December 5, 2012

Here is a wonderful story from Cruising World’s Editor’s Log about the very strange voyage of the 31-foot cruising sailboat, Bela Bartok.

Derk Wolmuth was sailing Bela Bartok in last summer’s Singlehanded TransPac race between San Francisco and Kaua’i, Hawaii when he suffered a life-threatening bout of septic shock and couldn’t continue in the race. He deployed his EPIRB and was rescued by a passing ship, bound for California, about 450 miles short of the finish line. Remarkably, he had the presence of mind to lower the main sail, trim the boat’s jib and set wind-vane self-steering to hold a course for Hawaii, so as Derk was carried east on the cargo ship, the Bela Bartok continued sailing south-west.

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Photo of Iceberg That Sank the Titanic Up for Sale

Posted on by November 27, 2012

No one aboard the Titanic took a photograph of the iceberg that sank the famous ship in 1912, but two sailors made sketches of the berg, which had a distinctly elliptical shape. It so happens that two days before, what appears to be the same iceberg was photographed by Captain W.F. Wood of S.S. Etonian as they, unlike the Titanic,  passed the berg without hitting it. That photograph is coming up for auction, along with 400 articles of Titanic memorabilia by RR Auction. Bidding opens Dec. 13. The photo of the iceberg is expected to go for $8,000 to $10,000. Thanks to Dave Shirlaw on the Marine History list for pointing it out.

Photo of Iceberg That Sank the Titanic Up for Sale

J-15 Fighter Jet Lands and Takes Off from China’s First Aircraft Carrier Liaoning

Posted on by December 15, 2012

At the end of last September, the New York Times quoted un-named “Chinese and other military experts”  regarding the Liaoning, the first Chinese aircraft carrier to go into service, that “China does not have planes capable of landing on the carrier and so far training for such landings has been carried out on land.”  That is no longer the case, as the Chinese released video over the weekend of a J-15,  Flying Shark, fighter jet landing and taking off on the carrier.  Thanks to Alaric Bond for contributing to the post.

China lands J-15 jet on Liaoning aircraft carrier

China Aircraft Carrier Completes Successful Test

Danger Adrift – Vincent Riou Retires From Vendee Globe After Collision with Drifting Buoy

Posted on by November 27, 2012

Vincent Riou was forced to retire from the Vendee Globe over the weekend after his boat, PRG, struck a drifting steel buoy, off the coast of South America.  Riou had been in third place in the race and was considered a favorite. Riou came in first in the 2004-2005 Vendee Globe.  Seven sailors of the orginal fleet of twenty have retired from the race.

Striking floating or partially submerged objects in the water appears to be an increasingly dangerous hazard for sailors.  In February 2011, the max-trimaran Banque Populaire V ended an attempt to win the Jules Verne Trophy by sailing the fastest around the world non-stop, when it struck an “unidentifed floating object” and seriously damaged a dagger board while sailing in the South Atlantic.  (On its second attempt, Banque Populaire V succeeded in capturing the Cup in January of 2012.)

Far more serious was the sinking of the Irish sail-training brigantine, the Asgard II, off Brittany in  2008.  A report by the Marine Casualty Investigation Board determined that a collision with an underwater object, such as a submerged container was the likely cause of the ship sinking.  By some estimates, 10,000 shipping containers are lost at sea yearly. Most, though unfortunately no all, sink to the bottom.  Some, depending on the cargo can float at or near the surface.

65.45 Knots! 75.32 MPH ! 121.21 KPH – Vestas Sailrocket 2 Smashes World Speed Records – Including its Own

Posted on by November 25, 2012

Just six days after Paul Larsen in the Vestas Sailrocket 2 broke the world speed record in Walvis Bay, Namibia, subject to confirmation by WSSRC, he has now sailed a 500 meter course at an average speed of 65.42 knots!  This is close to ten knots faster than the previous record set by kiteboarder Rob Douglas of 55.65 knots – a record that stood for two years.  In just over a week, the Sailrocket 2 has broken that record three times. The Sailrocket 2 peaked at 68 knots during the record breaking run, sailing in winds of 27 to 32 knots.   Yesterday, we posted about the attempt to by the kiteboarding community to reclaim the record.  The Sailrocket team has now set the bar very, very high. Thanks to Nunzio for passing on the news.

Sailrocket runs 65.45 knots (75 mph) to smash World Speed Sailing Record

Kite With the Wind – A Quest to Reclaim the World Speed Record

Posted on by November 24, 2012

When thinking of sailing speed records, the first vessels that come to mind are Alain Thébault’s hydrofoil trimaran, l’Hydroptere or the aptly named VESTAS Sailrocket 2. Both are highly engineered high tech craft which have been under developement for years. I tend to forget kite sailors, even though, Robert Douglas held the 500M world record for two years, for sailing his kite surfer at 55.65 knots.  Now that the Sailrocket appears to have captured  the record, the kite sailors are back to try to regain it.

Kiteboarder Plots New Course for Speed Sailing Record

Un-Discovering Sandy Island : the Well-Charted Pacific Island That Isn’t There

Posted on by November 23, 2012

Scientists from Australia have just returned from a voyage of un-discovery.  They have proven that Sandy Island, which appears on many nautical charts and on Google Earth and Google Maps, does no exist. The island which is depicted on Google Earth as a dark oval, roughly 14 nautical miles long by 3 miles wide in the Coral Sea between New Caledonia and Australia,  simply isn’t there. Instead they found water over 4,600 feet deep.  Sany Islad has apparently appeared with some regularity on marine charts since at least 2000. The un-discovery took place onboard the RV Southern Surveyor, Australia’s Marine National Facility research vessel, during a 25-day research trip in the eastern Coral Sea.  Thanks to Alaric Bond, Phil Leon and Erik Abranson for pointing the storyout.

Where did it go? Scientists ‘undiscover’ Pacific island

On Thanksgiving – A Look at the Mayflower II

Posted on by November 19, 2018

In the United States, today is celebrated as Thanksgiving, commermorating a 1621 feast of thanks-giving at the Plymouth colony in present-day Massachusetts. The year before in November of 1620 the ship Mayflower had carried a group of just over 100 English and Dutch Separatists, known as Pilgrims, across the Atlantic to the new colony.  Here is a short video about the Mayflower II, a replica of the original built in Devon, England, in a collaboration between  Warwick Charlton and the Plimoth Plantation.  On April 20, 1957, Mayflower II recreated the original voyage, sailing across the Atlantic under the command of Alan Villiers.

Mayflower II: A National Treasure

Vendée Globe: Leaders Cross the Equator & ‘Gutek’ Retires due to Autopilot Failures

Posted on by November 21, 2012

Zbigniew Gutikowski

The six boats leading in the Vendée Globe non-stop round-the-world single-handed yacht race have all crossed the equator and are heading for the Southern Ocean.  The leaders are, respectively – Armel Le Cléac´h,  François Gabart, Bernard Stamm, Vincent Riou, Jean-Pierre Dick, and Alex Thomson.  Meanwhile, Zbigniew Gutikowski, known as ‘Gutek,’  has retired from the race after facing repeated autopilot failures. ‘Gutek’ is the sixth of the original 20 racers to have retired from the race in the first eleven days of sailing.   ‘Gutek’ came in second overall in the 2010-2011 Velux Five Oceans singlehanded around the world race.

More Woes for the HMS Astute: Rusty, Slow & Leaky

Posted on by November 21, 2012

HMS Astute, the first of seven new submarines, was delivered two years late, was well over budget and thus far is not yet in service, despite being delivered in 2009.  Her career has been marked by elements of both comedy and tragedy.  In October 2010, the Astute was practicing dropping off commandos when it ran aground off Skye in full view of the Skye Bridge.  Embarrassing and not very stealthy. When it was towed off, it collided with a tug boat. Then on her first day back at sea following repairs, she broke down and had to be towed back to port.   In April of 2011, a sailor aboard the Astute killed on officer and wounder another in a shooting rampage during a goodwill visit to Southhampton.  Only a month later, the sub was gain under tow back to port after a major hydraulic failure.

It s now being reported that the submarine cannot maintain design speed and could have trouble keeping up with the fleet that it is supposed to protect.  There have also been reports of flooding during a routine dive, corrosion in   equipment, nuclear reaction monitoring instruments of the wrong type and concerns that the periscope is flawed.

HMS Astute: nuclear submarine beset by design problems and construction failures

Update: VESTAS Sailrocket 2 Shatters 500M Speed Sailing Record Averaging 59.38 Knots!

Posted on by November 21, 2012

Update: On Sunday, the VESTAS Sailrocket 2 set a new speed record for 500M of 59.38 knots and a new one nautical mile record of an average of 55.32 knots. Both records are subject to confirmed by the WSSRC.  The current holder of the nautical mile record is Alain Thébault on l’Hydroptère at 51.36 knots in Hyères, France, set in September 4, 2009.  If confirmed, the Sailrocket 2 will have beaten that record by almost 4 knots.

Vestas Sailrocket 2 Blitzes 500 Metre Record

Last year, we posted about the attempts by the VESTAS Sailrocket to break the sailing speed record. On Friday off Ludertiz, Namibia, they did just that over a 500M course, averaging 59.23 knots (109.69 Kmh, 68 Mph) with a peak speed of over 63 knots (116 Kph, 71 Mph). The record is still subject to World Speed Sailing Record Council (WSSRC) ratification.  The previous kiteboard record was 55.65 knots set by Rob Douglas in 2010.  A video of the record speed run:

VESTAS Sailrocket 2 Outright world speed sailing record holder. (subject to WSSRC ratification)

More Vendée Globe Gear Problems – Jérémie Beyou Drops Out After Keel Failure

Posted on by November 20, 2012

A week ago last Sunday, 20 boats sailed by 20 sailors set off in the Vendée Globe non-stop round-the-world single-handed yacht race. Now only 15 remain in the race.  Jérémie Beyou dropped out yesterday after the hydraulic ram on his articulating keel broke on his Open 60 class boat, Maître CoQ.   Of the five boats that have dropped out, there have been two keel failures, a dismasting and damage related to two collisions with fishing boats.

Alex Thompson sailing Hugo Boss has stayed in the race despite damage to a rudder tie bar.  Thompson successfully  performed emergency repairs while underway and sailing at 18 knots. Zbigniew “Gutek” Gutkowski sailing Energa, is having autopilot problems and considering his options. In today’s radio call he commented, “I’m very confused because the autopilot isn’t working. I’ve stopped and right now I’m fishing while I think about how to solve my problems. To be honest, right now, I have no idea what to do next.“

BOUNTY Reminiscences by John Fitzhugh Millar

Posted on by November 19, 2012

John Fitzhugh Millar is a historian, author, tall ship captain and the force behind the construction of the replica HMS Rose.  Here are his reminiscences of the HMS Bounty.  Reposted with permission of the author.

BOUNTY Reminiscences by John Fitzhugh Millar

Many Hampton Roads residents will remember fondly the jaunty blue Tall Ship Bounty, which was present here for many Harborfests and for last summer’s Operation Sail. She will now never return, but local artist Bob Holland painted a lovely portrait of her, from which prints are available.

Bounty was built for MGM Films in 1960 at Lunenburg, Nova Scotia in the same shipyard that built my own ship, the 24-gun Revolutionary War frigate Rose, in 1969 – another frequent participant in Harborfest until she moved to San Diego in 2002 to star in the Russell Crowe film Master & Commander: to the Far Side of the World. By amazing coincidence, the original Rose (built 1756) and the original Bounty (built 1784) were produced by the same shipbuilder, Hugh Blaydes, at Hull, Yorkshire.

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PortSide NY, the Tanker Mary A. Whalen, Superstorm Sandy and Redhook

Posted on by November 19, 2012

Rubber gloves drying – Portside & the Tanker Mary Whalen help in Red Hook recovery

Like most of the historic vessels in and around New York harbor, the tanker Mary A. Whalen survived Superstorm Sandy Sandy better than her shore based neighbors. The tanker, which weathered Sandy at the inshore end of Pier 9B in the Red Hook Container Terminal, suffering damage to their shore power supply and the flooding of some of their historic paper records, but otherwise was relatively unscathed. Their shore-side neighbors in the Red Hook section of Brooklyn were not so fortunate. In response, PortSide NY, the waterfront educational organization based on the Mary Whalen led by Carolina Salguero, set up a Recovery Center at 351 Van Brunt Street shortly after Sandy swept through Redhook. They moved computers, tables, chairs, modems and a printer off the tanker and set charging stations and phone landlines,  The Recovery Center has become a focal point for recovery advice and contacts and serves as a meeting space for volunteers and community groups. Click here to learn more – PortSide-Hurricane-Sandy-Recovery-Effort.

Remembering HMS Bounty

Posted on by November 18, 2012

The last image of HMS Bounty was brutal – sinking off Cape Hatteras with broken spars, most of the crew in lifeboats and the captain and one crew member missing. Here are a few photos from another time, way back in 1996, on a repositioning leg between New York and Newport Rhode, Island. The wind was light from the southwest and the sea was calm. All photos by Rick Spilman. Click on the thumbnails for a larger image.

Schooner Bessie A. White – Hide & Seek Beneath the Sands of Fire Island

Posted on by November 20, 2012

Bessie A. White – 1922 & Today

Last Wednesday, we posted about the wreck of a wooden ship uncovered by Superstorm Sandy beneath the dunes of Fire Island, east of Davis Park.  The remains are thought to be the Bessie A. White, more than 90 years old, said Paula Valentine, public affairs specialist for the park. The Bessie A. White was a four masted Canadian schooner carrying a cargo of coal.  This apparently is not the first time that the wreck of the schooner has made an appearance from beneath the sands.  The schooner was also exposed by the late October nor’easter which brought the North American blizzard of 2005. Previously the schooner had been uncovered by another nor-easter in the mid 1980s.

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Dismasting and Collision – Sam Davies & Louis Burton Drop Out of Vendée Globe

Posted on by November 16, 2012

Photo: Sam Davies / SAVEOL

After only a week into the Vendée Globe non-stop round-the-world single-handed yacht race, four of the twenty original sailors have dropped out due to casualties or gear failure. The latest include Louis Burton, who was in a  collision with a fishing boat off Portugal, and Samantha Davies whose boat suffered a dismasting last night.  Previously, Kito de Pavant also withdrew from the race following a collision with another fishing boat. Marc Guillemot was forced to withdraw after the keel on his boat Safran broke on the first day of the race.

Vendee Globe 2012-2013: Sam Davies crashes out after Saveol dismast as casualties mount

Update 2: Explosion on Oil Rig in Gulf of Mexico – Eleven Injured, Four Critically and Two Missing

Posted on by November 17, 2012

Update 2: Current reports say that eleven were injured, four critically. Two workers are still missing.

An oil and gas rig in the Gulf of Mexico, about 20 nautical miles southeast of Grand Isle, La., was hit by an explosion and fire this morning, injuring four and leaving two missing. The US Coast Guard is now searching for the missing crew members. The injured crew have been airlifted to a hospital for treatment. The production platform is owned by Black Elk Energy.

The explosion comes only a day after BP agreed to pay $4.5 billion dollars and plead guilty to 14 criminal charges related to the fire and explosion on the Deepwater Horizon in 2010, which killed 14 and caused the largest accidental marine oil spill in the history of the petroleum industry.  Thanks to Phil Leon for contributing to the post.

Oil Rig Explosion and Fire in Gulf Coast, Two Missing