Hundreds of Seals Dying Along the New England Coast

Posted on by September 1, 2018

While many have been focused on the massive die-offs of fish and sea life off the South Florida coastline triggered by a combined outbreak of red tide and blue-green algae, all is not well along the New England coast either. An unusually large number of seals have been dying this summer.

Close to 600 harbor and gray seals have died along the coasts of Maine, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts since July. The unexpectedly high death rate has caused the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to declare a pinniped unusual mortality event (UME) along the Northeast Coast.

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Invasive Species Riding Plastic Rafts Across Oceans

Posted on by August 31, 2018

Japanese marine sea slugs photo: John Chapman

Another good news-bad news story. The good news is that the fears of radiation spreading across the Pacific from the Fukushima meltdown following the Japanese tsunami of 2011, have been wildly overstated.  Yes, trace elements of radiation traceable to Fukushima have been recorded in Pacific fish, but they are barely above the level of naturally occurring background radiation. Or, as one analysis, described it, “turns out bananas are more radioactive than fish.”

The bad news is that the debris and trash propelled across the Pacific by force of the tsunami have acted as rafts for a wide range of invasive species, mostly invertebrates like mussels, sea anemones and crabs, which have been washing ashore on North American beaches for last seven years. The really bad news is that scientists are observing that many of these species are surviving and may, over time, pose a threat to indigenous plants and animals on the North American Pacific coast.

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Another Sailboat Hits Moored Museum Ship, USS Midway

Posted on by August 30, 2018

The aircraft carrier USS Midway is about a 1,000′ long, 130′ wide and around 55′ high. It has been a stationary museum ship since 2004. Put plainly, Midway is really, really big and doesn’t move. It should be a fairly easy object to avoid, and yet for the second time in only three years, a sailboat has succeeded in running into it.  In both cases, the sailboats attempted to take a shortcut across the carrier’s bow and misjudged the height and extent of the ship’s safety nets.  

This time, the sailboat was dismasted in the process. In 2015, a passing sailboat got the tip of its mast entangled in the carrier’s flight deck safety nets, damaging the nets but leaving the sailboat’s mast standing. 

The good news is that these two allisions are the only such incidents since the Midway became a museum ship fourteen years ago.

Boat crashed to the USS Midway aircraft carrier museum in San Diego

New Owners for Schooner Victory Chimes

Posted on by August 29, 2018

The grand matriarch of the Maine Windjammer fleet, the schooner Victory Chimes, will soon have new owners at the helm. Captain Sam Sikkema will be taking over from Captains Kip Files and Paul DeGaeta, who for the last 29 years, have been in command of the only three-masted schooner in the Maine fleet. From a statement by Captain Kip Files:  

After 29 years of operating the schooner Victory Chimes, Paul and I have found the right person to take the helm and become her next caretaker.

Sam Sikkema who sailed as mate last Fall has stepped up to be the new face of Victory Chimes. Captain Sikkema has great credentials.  He has sailed around the world on a square rigged vessel and has been Captain of a number of large traditional vessels. He is the perfect fit. Captain Sikkema will be taking over the reins of the vessel at the end of the season.  Continue reading →

The Golden Globe Race So Far — Dismasting in the Southern Ocean

Posted on by August 28, 2018

Are Wiig’s Olleanna

The ongoing 2018 Golden Globe Race is a 50th-anniversary homage to the 1968 Sunday Times Golden Globe Yacht Race, the first single-handled nonstop around-the-world sailboat race. In the 1968 race, Sir Robin Knox-Johnston was the winner and the only contestant to complete the race. Last June, 18 solo-sailors set off in sailboats similar in size and equipment to that used by Sir Robin 50 years ago. Each sailor is racing for 30,000 miles, alone, non-stop, with no outside assistance. 

The racers are using sextants and paper charts rather than GPS and chart plotters, judging the weather by reading a barometer rather than getting updates from weather routing services, and relying on wind vanes rather than autopilots. The racers are all sailing on production boats between 32ft and 36ft overall (9.75 – 10.97m) designed prior to 1988. For safety, each boat will have a satellite transponder and an emergency kit, equipped with a race-supplied GPS and satphone.

So, how is the retro-race going so far? Continue reading →

The Rise of the Mountain of Fire and the Birth of the Only Elephant in Iceland

Posted on by August 27, 2018

On the 21st of January, 1973, the island of Heimaey, four nautical miles off the south coast of Iceland, began to tremble. On the 23rd, a large fissure opened up on the eastern side of the island, barely a kilometer away from the center of the town of Heimaey. Volcanic ash began to fall over most of the island and lava began to flow toward the town.

Fortunately, the fishing fleet was in the harbor and most of the population left successfully by the island by boat. Remarkably, within 6 hours close to 5,300 islanders were evacuated to the mainland. A small contingent stayed behind to perform essential duties and monitor the situation. Only one person was killed by the eruption.

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Close Encounters of the Cetacean Kind off the Jersey Shore

Posted on by August 26, 2018

There have been several recent encounters between boats and whales. Fortunately, neither whale nor humans appear to have been injured. The most serious took place off the Jersey Shore.

Two fishermen in a 20-foot boat were fishing approximately one mile off of Deal, Monmouth County when they had a close encounter with a whale. Jonathan Swingle, the boat’s captain, told ABC 6 News what happened: “So, we’re talking a 30 to 40-foot whale, gotta weigh more than 20 tons. 

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Remembering Hilary Lister — Quadriplegic Solo Sailor, Dies at 46

Posted on by August 24, 2018

Hilary Lister has died at the age of 46. She was a quadriplegic from Kent, England who found escape and freedom in solo sailing. In doing so, she set many sailing records and serves as an inspiration to us all.

Lister was able-bodied until she was 15, when she was struck down by a degenerative disease, reflex sympathetic dystrophy. By the age of 19, she had lost the use of her legs and by 27 was a quadriplegic. In addition to paralysis, she was left in near constant pain. Lost in the tedium and pain of paralysis, she considered suicide. Then she discovered sailing. 

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As Hurricane Lane Approaches, Why Hurricanes Are So Rare in Hawaii

Posted on by August 23, 2018

The good news is that Hurricane Lane has been downgraded to a Category 4 hurricane. The bad news is that it is still heading straight for the Hawaiian islands.  The storm’s outer bands have been pounding parts of Hawaii’s Big Island with rain Thursday morning, triggering landslides and threatening serious flooding. The hurricane is the first major cyclone to make landfall in the state in 26 years when Hurricane Iniki caused around $3.1 billion of damage and six deaths. Like Hurricane Lane, Iniki was also a Category 4 hurricane and was the most powerful hurricane to strike the U.S. state of Hawaii in recorded history.

Why are hurricanes so rare in Hawaii? Continue reading →

Carrier Ale, the Queen’s Head Pub and the HMS Queen Elizabeth,

Posted on by August 22, 2018

Carrier Ale

A quick two-question quiz — First question: What do US aircraft carriers have that the newest British carrier, HMS Queen Elizabeth, lacks?  The answer is aircraft. The UK’s new aircraft carrier will be conducting flight trials with two borrowed US planes. Its own planes have begun to be delivered as of last June but are not expected to be deployed on the ship until 2019.

Second Question — What does the HMS Queen Elizabeth have which all US carriers lack? A proper English pub, of course. The pub, known as the Queen’s Head, was christened recently aboard the Queen Elizabeth and will be available to officers and senior enlisted during the ship’s maiden transit of the Atlantic. 

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Claims of Vast Treasure on Dmitrii Donskoi Wreck a Likely Cryptocurrency Scam

Posted on by August 21, 2018

In July we posted about the discovery of the wreck of the Russian armored cruiser, Dmitrii Donskoi, off South Korea. The salvors claimed that the ship may contain 200 tons of gold, which would they said may be worth around $133.4 billion (£102bn) in today’s prices. It now appears that, while the wreck of the Russian cruiser is real enough, the claims of treasure may be part of an elaborate cryptocurrency scam.

The salvage was being backed by the Shinil Group, which apparently also has ties to a new Singapore based cryptocurrency venture, Shinil Gold Coins.

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A Monday Morning Sea Story — Woman Falls off Sailboat, Husband Doesn’t Notice

Posted on by August 20, 2018

Pell Bridge Near Newport

Hope your Monday is going well. If not, you are still probably having a better time than one sailing couple had in Narragansett Bay last Friday and Saturday. A husband and wife were sailing their 38-foot sailboat Alegria from Newport, RI to East Greenwich on Friday. At some point on Friday, the wife fell overboard. The husband was apparently unaware she was missing.

How, where, and why this happened is unclear. The Providence Journal quotes 2nd Class Petty Officer Sam Van Lent from U.S. Coast Guard Station Castle Hill, saying, “The story’s a little cloudy.”

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HMS Queen Elizabeth Sails for US For First Flight Trials

Posted on by August 19, 2018

The HMS Queen Elizabeth set sail yesterday from Portsmouth Naval Base bound for the United States. The 65,000-tonne carrier, the largest warship ever built for the Royal Navy, will embark two US F-35B test aircraft to begin the first flight trials.

The BBC reports that they are expected to carry out 500 landings and take-offs during the carrier’s 11 weeks at sea.

Capt Jerry Kyd, the carrier’s commanding officer, added: “Crossing a major ocean with 1,500 sailors, aircrew and marines embarked and the specter of the first F-35B Lightning landing on the deck in September is very exciting for us all.

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Three More Retired Navy Personnel Charged in Fat Leonard Scandal

Posted on by August 18, 2018

Fat Leonard

Two retired U.S. Navy chief petty officers and one retired captain were charged with bribery and fraud in the multi-year “Fat Leonard” criminal investigation, which has been described as the worst corruption scandal in Navy history.

Leonard Glenn Francis, who at 6’3″ tall and weighing 350 pounds is known as “Fat Leonard,” is the owner of Glenn Defense Marine Asia, a logistics and support firm. He pleaded guilty to bribery and corruption charges related to his dealings with the US Navy in 2015 and has been cooperating with investigators ever since.

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From Beneath the Toxic Black Mayonnaise of the Gowanus, the SS Gay

Posted on by August 17, 2018

Remains of the SS Gy

The Gowanus Canal in Brooklyn is one of the most polluted waterways in the nation. When I went to work for Moore McCormack many, many years ago, their New York terminal was on 23rd Street on the Gowanus. I recall the canal as fetid and vile, a sort of milky green mass, often with a multihued sheen shimmering on the surface. Nothing significantly changed over the intervening decades. Now, however, the first stages of a clean-up have finally begun. The EPA has started dredging the stinking waterway in a $506 million federal Superfund cleanup. 

The bottom of the canal is covered in a ten-foot thick toxic layer of what is described as “black mayonnaise,” a noxious mix of tar, sewage, a variety of chemicals and heavy metals mixed with rotted organic matter and anything else that has had the misfortune to sink in the canal over the past century or so.

In the dredging, a variety of artifacts have emerged from beneath the stinking sludge. The largest and most emblematic so far may be the wreck of a 63-foot long vessel with a storied history.

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