Hudson River Sloop Clearwater Teaches Kids Unplanned Lesson in Water Depth by Running Aground

Posted on by October 18, 2012

I have chaperoned my son’s class on a trip on the Hudson River Sloop Clearwater. They have a wonderful program for school groups – teaching kids history, ecology, and a bit of seamanship while also having great fun on a river cruise. On Monday afternoon, they added a new element to the curriculum while sailing near Yonkers and finding unexpectedly shallow waters near the Saw Mill River. The Clearwater ran aground, no doubt for neither the first nor the last time. There were no injuries nor damage to the sloop. As the executive director of Hudson River Sloop Clearwater, Inc., Jeff Rumpf, said, “The school group got an extra experience to see how you handle a sailboat in that sitation.”

Clearwater runs aground on Hudson River, students safe

Here is a video from around four years ago of a class trip on the Clearwater.

Hudson River Sloop Clearwater

Sailor Drowns After Being Knocked Overboard Following Great Chesapeake Schooner Race

Posted on by October 15, 2012

On one schooner, the 2012 Great Chesapeake Schooner Race ended in tragedy.  Shortly after the 43-foot Cuchulain crossed the finish line at Windmill Point, at just after 4 p.m. on Friday, Paul Stephen Case, 68, of Racine Wisconsin was knocked overboard and drowned, while handling sails in gusty and choppy conditions.  Case was an avid sailor who had participated in sailing races around the world.  This was his second time racing in the Great Chesapeake Schooner Race. Our condolences to his friends and family.  Thanks to Gareth Hughes for passing along the sad news.

Sailor in Bay schooner race knocked overboard, dies

Kings Point’s Summerwind Wins Great Chesapeake Bay Schooner Race Followed by Pride II and Virginia

Posted on by October 15, 2012

In the 22nd Great Chesapeake Bay Schooner Race, thirty nine schooner raced from 127 nautical miles down the Chesapeake Bay from Baltimore, Maryland to Portsmouth, Virginia.  Summerwind, the 100′ 1929 John Alden designed schooner owned by the United States Merchant Marine Academy at Kings Point, NY, won first place, followed by the Pride of Baltimore II and the schooner Virginia.  For a complete list of results and awards click here.

This race represents a real comeback for the schooner Virginia. In 2007 the Virginia won the Great Chesapeake Bay Schooner Race, but by 2010 she had fallen on hard times. See our previous post – Cash-strapped Schooner Virginia appears dead in the water.   As we posted in July, the schooner Virginia is back and doing quite well. Third place is nothing to be scoffed at, particularly as simply getting to the starting line can be the greatest challenge in these difficult economic times.

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Windjammer Peking – Disappointment in Hamburg

Posted on by October 15, 2012

On Friday, we posted that the windjammer Peking is in need a new home.  The 101 year old four masted steel ship has spent the last 37 years as a museum ship at New York’s South Street Seaport Museum.  The seaport museum is recovering from a serious financial crisis. The museum manangement believed that they had reached an agreement with a German maritime museum in Hamburg to take the Peking off their hands.  That deal apparently has collapsed over concerns about the cost of ship transport and renovation.

While many in New York are seriously concerned about the future of the Peking, it also seems that many in Hamburg are very disappointed that the ship appears not to be destined to return to the port city where she was built in 1911.  A survey by the newspaper NDR.de showed that 70% of the respondents supported returning the ship to Hamburg.  The local Chamber of Commerce is expressing its support and there are reports of merchants offering funding.  On the other hand local politicians are concerned about the considerable costs involved in moving and repairing the ship.   The Peking is reportedly in such poor condition that towing may not be practical and would require using a heavy lift ship to transport the ship.

May be “Beijing” but return home to Hamburg?

Aegis Cruiser USS San Jacinto Collides with Nuclear Sub USS Montpelier in Atlantic off Florida

Posted on by October 14, 2012

USS San Jacinto (CG-56)

This has not been a good few months for Aegis missile cruisers.  In August, USS Porter collided with a VLCC (a large tanker) near the Strait of Hormuz. Yesterday at around 3:30 PM, during routine operations, the Aegis cruiser USS San Jacinto collided with nuclear submarine USS Montpelier off the northeast coast of Florida.  A statement issued by the Navy says that there were no injuries aboard either ship and that the submarine’s nuclear powered reactor “was unaffected by this collision.”

Navy Submarine and Cruiser Collide Off Florida

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Windjammer Peking Needs a New Home – South Street Deal with Hamburg Falls Through

Posted on by October 13, 2012

Photo: DNAinfo/Julie Shapiro

The Peking, a steel-hulled four-masted barque built in 1911, which has been a largely neglected fixture at New York’s South Street Seaport for almost the last 40 years, is now in desperate need of a new home.

The South Street Seaport Museum thought that they had an agreement with the city of Hamburg to take the grand old ship. That deal apparently fell through and the future of the old ship is again in doubt.  Susan Henshaw Jones, president of the South Street Seaport Museum, said she will hear proposals from anyone with a berth for the old ship. “The ultimate alternative, which is to scrap her, it’s unthinkable,” she said.

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Hell Around the Horn – the History (and Fiction) Behind the Novel

Posted on by October 12, 2012

In writing historical fiction, researching the history can be challenging. When researching my novel, Hell Around the Horn, I discovered that the three primary sources for the history behind the novel, two memoirs and the Official Ship’s Log, disagreed with each other in significant details and events. There is no agreement between the three accounts as to even how many died on the voyage, for example.  I had to ask myself where the history ended and the fiction began and how that mattered in writing my own fictional account of the deadly voyage of a British windjammer around Cape Horn in the disastrous winter of 1905.

Next Tuesday, I will be speaking at the New York’s Shiplore and Modelmaker’s Club on “Hell Around the Horn – the History (and Fiction) Behind the Novel,”  at 7:30  p.m. at 79 Walker Street, 5th floor in Manhattan. Please stop by if you are in the neighborhood.

What is Italian for “Chutzpah”? Schettino Sues to Get His Job Back

Posted on by October 12, 2012

Francesco Schettino, captain of the Costa Concordia, who steered his ship into a reef off the island of Giglio and then delayed the order to evacuate the sinking ship, resulting in or contributing to the deaths of 32 passengers and crew, was fired by Costa Cruise Lines in July.  Captain Schettino faces charges of multiple manslaughter and abandoning the ship.

Schettino is now suing Costa. He wants his job back, with back pay, of course. Does anyone know the Italian word for “chutzpah”?

Costa Concordia Shipwreck Captain Sues To Win Back Job

Derek Hutchinson – Legendary Sea Kayaker, Designer and Author

Posted on by October 12, 2012

The Sea Kayaker Magazine blog is reporting that Derek Hutchinson, often referred to as the father of sea kayaking, died on Wednesday at the age of 79. Hutchinson literally wrote the book on sea kayaking, even before it was universally called sea kayaking. The first addition in 1976 was called “Sea Canoeing.”   Hutchinson’s The Complete Book of Sea Kayaking is now in its fifth edition and is joined by a small bookshelf of works on expedition kayaking and Eskimo rolling also penned by Hutchinson.

Hutchinson also designed kayaks and paddles. His kayaks were often designed with lower back decks to make them easier to perform an Eskimo roll, to right the kayak if it capsizes.  Beyond writing and design, Derek Hutchinson was a paddler. He completed the first crossing of the North Sea in a kayak in 1970 and would later paddle in the Aleutian Islands and other areas around the globe.

Last September, Eric Soares wrote a profile of Derek Hutchinson in the Tsunami Rangers blog. In it he wrote:

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Congratulations to Richard Bailey – Official Captain of SSV Oliver Hazard Perry

Posted on by October 11, 2012

Congratulations to Richard Bailey who has been appointed captain of the SSV Oliver Hazard Perry, which, when commissioned next summer, will be among the largest and most sophisticated school ships built in America in recent decades.  The Oliver Hazard Perry Rhode Island organization has made an excellent choice. Captain Bailey, who has been part of the project from the onset, has also commanded more than six tall ships since 1972, including the HMS Rose (now the HMS Surprise.)

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Sea Songs in New York – Sailing to Staten Island: The Immigrant Experience, and Other Events

Posted on by October 11, 2012

This will be a great couple of weeks around New York harbor for lovers of the music of the sea.  “Sailing to Staten Island: The Immigrant Experience” is a free concert Saturday night at the Noble Maritime Collection at Snug Harbor in Staten Island with a fantastic line up of singers, songwriters and musicians.  The concert will feature famed Liverpool maritime singer & songwriter, Hughie Jones; All-Ireland sean-nos singer, Jim MacFarland; influential interpreter of nautical song & lore, Frank Woerner; singer & actor, in the role of William Main Doerflinger, Frank Hendricks; noted Staten Island singer & songwriter, Bob Wright; transatlantic singer & instrumentalist, Bob Conroy; singer of American ballads, Bill Grau; and singer,songwriter & sailor, Jan Christensen.  The concert will be held at the Noble Maritime Collection, Snug Harbor Cultural, Building D, 1000 Richmond Terrace Staten Island, New York 10301 at 7:30 PM on Saturday October 13th, 2012.

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50′ Fin Whale Found Dead in Boston Harbor

Posted on by October 10, 2012

As we have posted about previously, the greatest threat to many species of endangered whales is from ship strikes and entanglement in fishing nets. The dead 50′ fin whale that drifted into Boston harbor recently is a reminder of this.  Researchers are not sure how the whale died but extensive bruising suggests that the whale may have become wrapped in some sort of line or cable. A ship strike has also not been ruled out as a possible cause of death. Thanks to Irwin Bryan for passing the news along.

Schooner Silva Takes Unexpected Cruise in Halifax Harbor

Posted on by October 9, 2012

Video surveillance footage on the dock shows a group of people boarding the 130′ three masted schooner Silva in Halifax harbor at about 1:30 am, early Monday morning. They raised one sail and untied all but one mooring line.  Around 5am, the remaining line parted and the schooner set out across the harbor on an unplanned cruise. By around 6am, the drifting schooner was sighted and towed back to her berth with minor rail and gangway damage. No other damge to other vessels was reported. The police are investigating the incident.

Tall Ship Silva set adrift by pranksters

Sea Education Association Brigantine Robert C. Seamans on Pacific ‘Garbage Patch’ Cruise

Posted on by October 9, 2012

SSV Robert C. Seamans

The brigantine Robert C. Seamans, owned and operated by Sea Education Association (SEA) is off on a 37 day  Plastics at SEA: North Pacific Expedition 2012 into the “Great Pacific Garbage Patch” to examine the effects of plastic debris, including debris generated by the 2011 Japanese tsunami, in the ocean ecosystem.

“This expedition will be one of the first to unravel the impact that plastic pollution is having on our ocean’s ecosystem. SEA has over 25 years of experience sampling marine debris and, using this knowledge, we will further investigate the health of our marine ecosystem,” said Emelia DeForce, the expedition’s chief scientist. “Those onboard will have a productive and eye-opening experience with long lasting effects. We will extend this experience to the public at large through our outreach program that will take place during and after the expedition, with the goal to raise awareness of the impact that this long-lived pollutant is having in our oceans.”

Sea Education Association tall ship departs on major marine debris research cruise

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Update: Honk Kong Ferry Sinking – the Two Minute Tragedy : Why Did the Lammna IV Sink So Fast?

Posted on by October 9, 2012

Update:  The death toll from the ferry collision has risen to 39 after a nine year old girl, Tsui Hoi-ying, who had been of life support in a Hong Kong hospital, is reported to have died.

It only took about two minutes for the ferry Lammna IV to sink in Hong Kong harbor off Victoria after being struck by another ferry boat around 8pm October 1st.  Of the more than 120 passengers on the Lammna IV, 38 are believed to have drowned. It was the worst harbor accident in Hong Kong in more than 40 years.

How could the ferry have sunk so fast?  Currently, there are far more questions than answers.  The Lammina IV was built of fiberglass by Cheoy Lee Shipyard in 2003. The other ferry, the Hong Kong ferry The Smooth Sea, is built of aluminum. Both vessels were believed to be traveling at close to their full speed of 15-20 knots at the time of the collision. Two water tight bulkheads are believed to have ruptured in the collision, rapidly flooding the stern of the ferry causing it to sink rapidly with its bow pointed skyward.  There is some question as to whether the watertight doors in these bulkheads were open which would have accelerated the rate of the flooding.

Why the Lamma IV sank so quickly

Seven officers and crew from both ferry boats have been arrested.   The investigation into the tragic accident is expected to take six months.

Thanks to Christina Sun and Phil Leon for contributing to the post.

Figureheads – Galveston’s Tall Ship Elissa, the Living Figurehead and the Yellow Rose

Posted on by April 23, 2014

Elissa Figurehead
Yesterday we posted about Nannie Dee, the erotic yet frightening witch figurehead on the composite clipper Cutty Sark.   The figurehead on Galveston’s tall ship, the 1887 barque Eliisa, is quite different.

When the ship was restored in the early 1980s, she was lacking a figurehead.   Eli Kuslansky, a sculptor and woodcarver was hired.  Two different women were used as the model.  From Kurt Voss’ Galveston’s the Elissa:: The Tall Ship of Texas, “As a tribute to the generous support of the Moody Foundation, the face of the sculpture was styled in the likeness of a young Mary Moody Northen.”   The life model for the rest of the figurehead was a part-time rigger and cadet at Texas A&M Maritime Academy, Amy McAllister.

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Figureheads – Nannie Dee and the Cutty Sark

Posted on by October 7, 2012

Photo: R. Spilman

The figurehead on the Cutty Sark is dramatic – a woman, all in white, wearing a flowing robe which leaves her upper body uncovered.  He face is fixed in a scowl or grimace and she is reaching out with one arm, the hand holding, oddly, a large tuft of hair.  She is the witch, Nannie Dee, from Robert Burn’s poem, Tam o’Shanter.  The figurehead itself tells the story of why the grand old ship is named Cutty Sark.

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Pamela Talese and the Open Studio Tour at the Brooklyn Navy Yard

Posted on by October 5, 2012

The Baltic Sea by Pamela Talese

For close to two hundred years, the Brooklyn Navy Yard was a center for shipbuilding. These days the sprawling site is home to a museum as well as a wide range of light industry. It is also host to quite a few artist’s studios.  This weekend, October 6-7, there will be an Open Studio Tour at dozens of artists’ studios at the Brooklyn Navy Yard from 12-5pm.  One of these artists, Pamela Talese, who is also one of our favorite artists of maritime themes in New York City, was recently featured in a profile in the Wall Street Journal.

Artist Finds Safe Harbor in Brooklyn

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Harbor Week at Narratively|NYC

Posted on by October 5, 2012

Narratively|NYC is a new web magazine with a focus, as the name implies, on narrative journalism involving New York City. For the past week, Narratively|NYC has run new features each day on New York harbor. Worth checking out.  Thanks to Carolina Salguero at Portside New York for pointing it out.