Matt Rutherford – Resupplied off Recife, Sailing North

Posted on by March 7, 2012

We recently posted about Matt Rutherford needing to be resupplied to continue his attempt to sail single-handed entirely around the Americas in the St. Brendan, a 27′ Albin Vega.  Last week, Matt rendezvoused with a small boat, two miles off the coast of Recife, Brazil, which supplied him with a handheld VHF radio for communication, putty to fix a leak, two small solar panels to power his electronics, a hand crank for starting his engine, 15 gallons of diesel fuel, 20 gallons of drinking water, and some fresh food.  With luck, these supplies should allow him to complete the last on the last 3,000 mile leg of remarkable voyage.  Matt has now been sailing for 268 days and has logged 23,433 miles.

Thanks to Gillian Pommerehn for passing along photos of the resupply at sea. For more photos click here – Matt Rutherford Resupply.   To follow Matt’s progress and/ to donate to support his efforts, go to Solo Around the Americas.

Titanic and the “Supermoon” – Did the Moon Sink the Titanic? The Answer is No.

Posted on by March 7, 2012

The headline writers have been having fun.  The Daily Beast headline reads – Moon to Blame for Titanic Sinking?  Reuters asks and answers its own question – “What sank the Titanic? Scientists point to the moon.”  The Times of India gets alliterative – “Cosmic curse: Did the moon sink Titanic?”  National Geographic introduces the “supermoon” but hedges their bet with a question mark – “Titanic Sunk by “Supermoon” and Celestial Alignment?”  The Telegraph reverts to a simple declarative statement, “Titanic disaster blamed on Moon.”  And on and on.

Did the moon sink the Titanic? The answer is no. And no one is actually claiming that it did, worldwide headlines notwithstanding.
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Faces of the USS Monitor – Using Forensic Reconstruction to Identify Unknown Civil War Sailors

Posted on by March 7, 2012

Lost Sailors from the USS Monitor - Samuel A. Lewis & Robert Williams?

When the revolutionary ironclad warship USS Monitor sank off Cape Hatteras, NC during the Civil War, in December of 1862, 16 of her crew of 62 were lost.  One hundred and forty years later, in August of 2002, when the turret of the ship was raised from the bottom, divers found the skeletons of two sailors. Despite DNA and other testing, all attempts to identify the two sailors were unsuccessful.  Now using forensic reconstruction techniques, Eileen Barrow, an imaging specialist  from Louisiana State University has literally given faces to dead. The reconstructed faces were revealed today.  Lisa Stansbury, a genealogist working with NOAA, may have also put names to the reconstructed faces.

Names and Faces Suggested for Monitor Sailors
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Why PortSide New York & the Tanker Mary A. Whalen Must be Saved

Posted on by March 6, 2012

Portside New York, based on the historic tanker Mary A. Whalen, has been putting on fantastic educational, cultural and and community programs and events on the Brooklyn waterfront front for the the last six years, without ever having a permanent berth.  Now PortSide is in crisis. It needs to find a permanent, publicly accessible berth or else it is likely to be shut down and the Mary A. Whalen scrapped.  Here is a short video that demonstrates what the New York waterfront would lose if we lost the PortSide New York & the tanker Mary A. Whalen.

Why PortSide NewYork should be saved
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Thieves Steal Lord Nelson’s Personal Items from Norwich Castle

Posted on by March 5, 2012

Personal items owned by Lord Nelson, valued at £37,800, were stolen from a display case at Norwich Castle in a daylight robbery.

Plundered! £37,800 worth of Lord Nelson’s personal artefacts stolen from Norwich Castle

The items stolen, which have been on display at the museum because of Lord Nelson’s numerous links with the area, include a £25,000 mourning ring and a £10,000 saucer.  The ring, believed to have been made between 1803 and 1806, is enamelled and bears the letters N and B. The box, dated 1805, the ring was kept in was also taken. The saucer was from an 1802 tea service which was part of the inventory at Lord Nelson’s home.
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Decommissioned Staten Island Ferry Herbert H. Lehman Sinks in Hudson River

Posted on by March 5, 2012

The Staten Island ferry Herbert H. Lehman was decommissioned in 2007 and put up for sale last year on EBay for $500,000.  The 297′ foot Kennedy class ferry boat apparently sprang a leak on Friday at her berth in Newburg, N.Y. and is now listing and partially flooded, sitting on the Hudson River bottom.

Decommissioned Staten Island Ferry Herbert H. Lehman sinking in Hudson River

Sarah Hebert – Sailing Across the Atlantic by Windsurfer?

Posted on by March 5, 2012

Sarah Hebert, a young French athlete with a heart condition, is now in her 12th day of attempting to sail across the Atlantic Ocean on a stock “off the beach” windsurfer.   Fortunately, this is not quite as crazy as it sounds.  Ms. Hebert is being accompanied by a 15 meter sailing catamaran.  She windsurfs all day and them sleeps on board at night.  She restarts her sailing the next day at the same GPS coordinates at which she ended the night before.   She began her voyage in Dakar, Senegal and hopes to finish in Saint-Francois, Guadeloupe.

Windsurf TransAtlantic 2012

Sarah Hebert is a world class windsurfer whose titles include, four French championship, 2006 European championship, and the 2007 Vice-World championship.  She also has a heart condition which required the installation of a  defibrillator in 2006.  One of the stated goals of her attempted crossing is to ‘be the subject of scientific study in cardiology on the theme of “extreme sport with a defibrillator”.’   Boston Medical, who built her defibrillator, is one of her major sponsors.

Sarah’s motto is “with the heart, everything is possible.”
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The Really, Really Ancient Mariners – Solutreans, Neanderthals & Hobbits

Posted on by March 4, 2012

For most, a river or an ocean is a boundary. For a sailor, each is a highway.  But, when did the first sailor set out across the water? Recent research suggests that the early man may have gone to sea, and indeed, crossed oceans, much earlier than previously thought.  European Solutreans may have crossed the Atlantic over 20,000 years ago, while Neanderthals may have been crisscrossing the Mediterranean by boat over 100,000 years in the past.  The earliest record of human, or near human, ocean voyaging may be the arrival of Homo floresiensis, nicknamed the ‘hobbits’  on the island of Flores in Indonesia around 1,000,000 years ago.
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Costa Concordia Pre-Trial Hearings Begin – Has Anything Changed in Cruise Operations?

Posted on by March 3, 2012

In a hearing today in the Tuscan city of Grosseto, Italian Judge Valeria Montesarchio will ask court appointed experts to examine the “black box,” which contains digital recordings of the night of the grounding and sinking of the Costa Concordia off Giglio Island on January 13, 2011.  Just as the salvage of the ship could take up to a year, the court proceedings are expected to be lengthy.  The analysis of the data recorder itself could take three months, according to an Italian prosecutor. Captain Francesco Schettino and eight others, including three executives from ship owner Costa Crociere, are under investigation disaster although no-one has yet been charged.
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No Aircraft Carrier for Post-Apocalypse Wyoming

Posted on by March 3, 2012

This is not really a nautical story, which is why it is amusing. The Billings Gazette reports that “the Wyoming House of Representatives on Monday advanced legislation to launch a study into what Wyoming should do in the event of a complete economic or political collapse in the United States. Before passing House Bill 85 by a voice vote on second reading, lawmakers struck out language directing the task force to study Wyoming acquiring strike aircraft and an aircraft carrier.” (Emphasis added.)
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Pirates and Privateers, Documentary on CBCs “Land and Sea”

Posted on by March 3, 2012

This Sunday at noon, CBCs “Land and Sea” has another very interesting documentary scheduled – Pirates and Privateers.  (We recently posted about “Rum Running,” a excellent documentary which is now available on-line.)  The Pirates and Privateers trailer, below, looks interesting.  I will be watching with a certain degree of skepticism as too often these days folks tend to blur the line between privateering and piracy.  Based on their previous work I suspect that “Land and Sea” will do a better job than most.   If you are like I am and out of the range of the CBC, the documentary will be available on-line a few days after the broadcast.

Pirates and Privateers Trailer

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Giving Away HMS Victory? A Smart Move? Not All Are Happy

Posted on by March 2, 2012

The British Ministry of Defense (MoD) is giving Admiral Lord Nelson’s flagship at the Battle of Trafalgar,  HMS Victory to the National Museum of the Royal Navy (NMRN) in Portsmouth.  The ship would stay a commissioned warship and thus will be able to retain bragging rights as the “oldest commissioned naval vessel in the world.”  The motivation appears to be primarily financial. As a gift to the museum, the ship and its new owner could benefit from charitable donations and lottery funding instead of being maintained using MoD funds.

HMS Victory ‘gifted to navy museum’
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Ocean Acidification – Worst in 300 Million Years and the Consequences

Posted on by March 2, 2012

White coral skeleton, Cocos Island, Pacific Ocean. Coral bleaching is one consequence of ocean acidification. Photo: OXFORD SCIENTIFIC / GETTY IMAGE

Two recent articles suggest a grim future if ocean acidification is allowed  to  continue  at current rates. Oceans absorb much of the carbon in the atmosphere and as we increase atmospheric CO2, the oceans grow progressively more acidic. A new study published in Science suggest that ocean acidification is now, in all likelihood, occurring faster than it has for at least 300 million years.

Sea Changes: Ocean Acidification Is Worse Than It’s Been for 300 Million Years

Why does ocean acidification matter? The UK’s Dr Jason Hall-Spencer has been studying volcanic vents in the ocean floor. These vents naturally acidify the waters around them. Dr Hall-Spencer has been documenting the effects of acidification on local life.  His work suggests that suggests our oceans could lose perhaps 30% of their biodiversity within this century.

‘Jacuzzi vents’ model CO2 future
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Costa Allegra Arrives Safely, but Can Costa Crociere Survive?

Posted on by March 1, 2012

After 72 hours without power,lights, air conditioning or hot food, the disabled Costa Allegra was towed safely to the island of Mahe in the Seychelles this morning. The fire in the engine room was extinguished by the ship’s force and despite being  inconvenienced and made uncomfortable, no passengers or crew were injured.  Nevertheless,  the fire and blackout on a Costa Lines ship so soon after the tragic sinking of the Costa Concordia is raising questions whether the Costa brand has been irreparably damaged.

Costa is a subsidiary of Carnival Corporation, the largest cruise operator in the world.  Today the Associated Press reported what had been widely rumored: “Industry experts said Costa’s survival after 60 years in the passenger ship business could depend on the company changing its name or getting a bailout from its parent, U.S.-based Carnival Corp.”
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George H. Moffett Jr. – Educator and Longtime Captain of the Mystic Seaport Schooner Brilliant

Posted on by March 1, 2012

Sad news. George H. Moffett Jr., the captain of the Mystic Seaport Museum schooner Brilliant for 25 years, has died of melanoma at his home in Connecticut. He was 66.

Moffett was from a naval family. His grandfather, Admiral William A. Moffett, was known as the “father of naval aviation.”  George Moffett  studied engineering at  the Naval Academy during the Vietnam War, but questioned the morality of the conflict and transferred out. He would later earn a Master’s in Divinity from the University of Berlin and before moving back to the United States, would become headmaster of a small boarding school on the south coast of England.

From his obituary in the Day.com:  In 1981, George found a position that allowed him to combine his love of sailing and background in education on the schooner Brilliant at Mystic Seaport. During the 25 years that he served as her captain, he introduced over 3,000 teenagers and adults to sea as part of the museum’s sail-education program. The job turned out to be a perfect match: as a teacher and mentor, he inspired self-discovery and courage by motivating his crew members to challenge themselves, persevere in hardship and never do things halfway. As an engineer, artist, and steward, he maintained the classic vessel to perfection. As a preservationist and communicator, he garnered appreciation for the yacht’s mission and craftsmanship and raised an endowment to make its operations sustainable. As a wanderer and tactician, he took the boat to ever further waters and won races on the New England Coast and to Bermuda. Most notably, he raced Brilliant across the Atlantic from Halifax to Amsterdam in Tall Ships 2000 and won first in class and first overall.

George H. Moffett Jr
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Thursday Daydream : the Mayan – David Crosby’s Legendary Schooner

Posted on by January 20, 2023

On one hand, this is a very interesting use of Youtube by a yacht broker selling a classic yacht.   Here Bob Craven gives us a tour, a bit of history and low key sales pitch on David Crosby‘s legendary schooner – the Mayan.   Beyond that the video makes for a nice daydream for those of us lacking the ready cash to buy such a boat but who still enjoy the music and the images.  The Mayan has been on the market since around 2009. See our post  from April 2010 when we posted about Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young bandmate, Neil Young’s Baltic trader being for sale.

The Mayan – David Crosby’s legendary schooner

Galleon San Jose, the “Holy Grail of Ship Wrecks”

Posted on by December 5, 2015

Scott – Action off Cartagena, 1708.

Yesterday, we posted about the lawsuits still ongoing related to the wreck of the Nuestra Senora de las Mercedes and quoted Cecilia Rodriguez, writing for Forbes.  Today Ms. Rodriguez has a wonderful article about the Galleon San Jose, often referred to as the “Holy Grail of Ship Wrecks.”  It is a tale of treachery, betrayal and deceit, and that refers to just the last 30 years of litigation.
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Update – Costa Allegra: A Big Catch for the Fishing Vessel Trevignon

Posted on by February 29, 2012

The 275′ French tuna purse seiner Trevignon has made a much bigger catch than normal – the 28,430 gross tonne cruise ship Costa Allegra.   The Trevignon is slowly towing the cruise ship to Mahé, in the Seychelles, and is expected to arrive early Thursday.   The passengers and crew will have been aboard the ship without power, lights and air conditioning for almost 72 hours. Fresh food  and supplies are being airlifted to the ship by helicopter.  Two tugs are said to have arrived but the Trevignon has continued the tow.  Captain D. Peter Boucher, Kt. SMOM, Dip. LA., MN (Ret.) has interesting commentary on salvage rights and Lloyds Open Form (LOF) as applied to the Trevignon and the Costa Allegra on his blog, Nautical Log.

Costa Allegra passengers endure 72-hour ordeal on deck as ship is towed to safety

Danish Warship Absalon Rescues 16 Hostages from Hijacked Ship, 2 Hostages Die in Attack

Posted on by February 28, 2012

HDMS Absalon

Sixteen hostages were freed when the Danish warship HDMS Absalon attacked pirates in control of a hijacker vessel off the coast of Somalia late Sunday.  Two crew from the hijacked ship were found to have severe injuries and subsequently died.   The circumstances of their injuries were not immediately known nor were their nationalities given.  Seventeen suspected pirates were also taken into custody.
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