Thomas Boyle, the Chasseur and the Blockade of Britain

Posted on by June 29, 2011

Captain Thomas Boyle

Today in 1775 in Marblehead, Massachusetts, Thomas Boyle was born.  Going to sea at age 10, he would become one of the most successful and most famous privateering captains in the War of 1812.  After several successful cruises as captain of the sharp-built “Baltimore clipper” Comet, Boyle took over command of the brig Chasseur, reported to be on of the fastest vessels of the time.   In 1814, he slipped through the British naval blockade of New York and sailed for Britain, where he took 18 merchant ships in three months.
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Waterford, Ireland Welcomes the Tall Ship Racers with a Quayside Festival

Posted on by June 29, 2011

Starting tomorrow, upwards of 50 tall ships will sail up the River Suir and berth along Waterford’s famous quayside, before setting sail for the first leg of the famous Tall Ships Races on Sunday, July 3rd.  During their stay, they will be greeted by a festival featuring street theater, fireworks, music and food.   The tall ships and the festival are expected to attract half a million visitors to Ireland’s oldest city.

WATERFORD: HOST PORT FOR THE TALL SHIPS RACES 2011
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Update: Bruce Power Puts Radioactive Waste Move through St. Lawrence on Hold

Posted on by June 28, 2011

Last February we posted about the the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission approval of a plan for Bruce Power to ship 1,600 tonnes of radioactive waste,  in 16 decommissioned nuclear reactors, across the Great Lakes, though the St. Lawrence Seaway and across the Atlantic Ocean to Sweden for recycling.  Shortly thereafter, complaints were raised by the Mohawk community, whose reservation straddles the St. Lawrence River.  Bruce Power has announced that it has put the project on hold while it schedules talks with Mohawk and other native groups in Canada.  The project has also raised concerns about the safety of other hazardous cargoes that now routinely travel through the Seaway.

Is the St. Lawrence Seaway safe for nuclear shipments?

Thanks to Phil Leon for passing the news along.

Progress on the SSV Oliver Hazard Perry

Posted on by June 28, 2011

What is harder than clawing to windward off a lee shore?  I suspect that trying to raise funds, almost from scratch, to fund a new tall ship during a major recession can make a lee shore and a foul wind look like  a minor problem.   Nevertheless, the folks at  Oliver Hazard Perry Rhode Island are making excellent progress.

The group’s goal is to build and maintain Rhode Island’s own tall ship, a three masted replica of a 19th century warship, offering sail training programs for all ages.  They have raised $2.2 million in donations and has another $1.7 million in loans already committed to the project which should take approximately $6.6 million to complete.  Last week the Rhode Island Senate passed legislation that would allow the state’s Industrial Recreational Building Authority to provide loan guarantees on the project.

Legislation would allow IRBA to fund ship
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Update: Deadly Distraction Led to Duck Boat Deaths

Posted on by June 28, 2011

Not quite a year ago, a tourist amphibious “duck boat” was run down on the Delaware River  by barge on the hip of  the tug boat, Caribbean Sea.  Two passengers died in the collision.   The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has issued a press release regarding their findings.  The press release suggests that  the tug’s mate on watch was distracted  by his use of his cell phone and laptop computer which led to his failure to maintain a proper look-out.   The mate reportedly was also in the tug’s  lower wheel house which had limited visibility, rather than in the tug’s upper wheel house.

MATE’S DISTRACTION LEAD TO FATAL 2010 “DUCK BOAT” ACCIDENT
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Found: $500k Emerald Ring from the Nuestra Señora de Atocha

Posted on by June 27, 2011

Last week, divers from Mel Fisher’s Treasures found an emerald ring, valued at $500 thousand dollars, believed to be from the wreck of the 1662 wreck of the Spanish treasure ship, Nuestra Señora de Atocha, which sank in 1662.

If anyone thinks of treasure hunting as a “get rich quick” scheme, they should look to one of the world’s most successful treasure hunters, Mel Fisher, who began his search for the Atocha in 1969.   In 1985, his team discovered part of the wreck and located over 40 tons of silver and gold, including over 100,000 Spanish silver and gold coins, Columbian emeralds, silver and gold artifacts and over 1000 silver bars.  Nevetheless, after forty years of searching, they have yet to find the ship’s stern castle, which many experts believe would hold  gold and rare Muzo emeralds stored in the Captain’s cabin for safekeeping.   Until they find the rest of it, the divers at Mel Fischer’s Treasures will keep searching the ocean floor for the illusive treasure of the Atocha. For these treasure hinters, last week was a very good week indeed.

Now that’s buried treasure! $500k emerald ring found by divers in wreck of 17th century Spanish ship
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U.S. Coast Guard Punishes 7 for Sexual Hazing Aboard Cutter Venturous

Posted on by June 28, 2011

Navy Times is reporting that seven US Coast Guard personnel have been found guilty of various charges; including indecent exposure, assault and disorderly conduct; related to tying down and stripping fellow crew members aboard the cutter Venturous.  The hazing incidents took place between summer 2007 and winter 2009.    Hazing has been an ongoing  concern in the Coast Guard which has had anti-hazing awareness training in place for the last two decades.

Sex hazing aboard U.S. Coast Guard cutter

Coast Guard punishes 7 for hazing aboard ship
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The Queen Mary 2 – Dirtier than a Queen Ought to Be

Posted on by June 25, 2011

The RMS Queen Mary 2,  flagship of the Cunard fleet,  recently failed a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Vessel Sanitation Program inspection.  A scores of 86 or higher is considered “satisfactory.”  Anything below is considered “not satisfactory.”  The Queen Mary 2 received a score of  84.

Queen Mary 2 fails sanitation inspection
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Work Begins on Transporting the Clipper Ship City of Adelaide

Posted on by June 24, 2011

The clipper ship City of Adelaide (later HMS Carrick), the oldest surviving composite clipper ship in the world, was at serious risk of being broken up until a deal was  struck last August to move the ship from the Scottish Maritime Museum in Irvine, Scotland, back to its namesake city in Australia – Adelaide.   Next week, the fabrication of a 100-tonne steel cradle, to support the historic clipper will begin.   See our previous posts about the efforts to save the City of Adelaide.

City of Adelaide work to begin
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20th Annual Mystic Seaport Wooden Boat Show

Posted on by June 24, 2011

For anyone in the area, the Mystic Seaport Wooden Boat Show, which starts today and runs through Sunday,  is well worth stopping by.   The show is sponsored in partnership with WoodenBoat  Publications.

The WoodenBoat Show

A video about the show: 20th Annual WoodenBoat Show

[iframe: width=”475″ height=”300″ src=”http://www.youtube.com/embed/eJWJq98Ep78″ frameborder=”0″ allowfullscreen]
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Day of the Seafarer – What if the Ships and Seafarers Just Vanished?

Posted on by June 24, 2011

Tomorrow is the IMO “Day of the Seafarer.”  Around here we think that every day should be the day of the seafarer.   Seafarers and the ships that they sail are the connective tissue that keeps our world turning.  Seafarers UK , has produced a video that asks the question – “What would the world be like if ships and those who sailed them simply vanished?”

The Vanished

[iframe: width=”475″ height=”300″ src=”http://www.youtube.com/embed/XW_85PaHS28″ frameborder=”0″ allowfullscreen]

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A Meandering Maiden Voyage for the World’s Largest Bulk Carrier, Vale Brasil

Posted on by June 23, 2011

The Vale Brasil is the world’s largest dry bulk carrier with a deadweight of over 400,000 tons.  The Singapore flag ship is currently on her maiden voyage with a cargo of 391,000 tons of iron ore.   This is enough iron ore to make about 261,000 tonnes of steel, or almost three and a half times the amount used to build San Francisco’s Golden Gate bridge.   The original port of call for the ship was changed in the last several days from the Chinese port of Dalian to an Italian port.  Early speculation was that dredging hadn’t been completed to allow the ship to dock or that China would not accept ships over 300,000 dwt.  Vale SA, the ship’s owner denies that this is the case and says that redirecting the ship in mid-voyage was strictly a commercial decision.

Vale diverts China ore ship for commercial reasons
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The Folly of the MV Wisdom

Posted on by June 22, 2011

The MV Wisdom is a small 26-year-old container ship.  She has had 14 name changes in her life and no one knows how many owners. The current owner may be unknown as well.  She was being towed from Colombo to the scrap-yard in Alang, India when the tug lost control and the MV Wisdom ended up off the beach  in Bandra, in suburban Mumbai.   She very nearly drifted into the Bandra-Worli Sea Link, a major bridge, but seems to have missed it, as much by luck, as anything else.   No one can explain why the tow was so close to shore in the first place.  The course was reportedly inshore of several oil rigs.    Indian police have detained 15 crew members of the tug,  Minerva, for negligence.
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Timelapse of New York Harbor

Posted on by June 22, 2011

I love sitting and just watching the harbor; watching the boats go by and the turn of the tide.   But who has the time these days?  For those too busy and/or  not geographically convenient, here is  about four hours of New York harbor just off the Battery in 42 seconds from John Huntington’s blog.   Thanks to bowsprite for passing the clip along

[iframe: src=”http://player.vimeo.com/video/25437171?title=0&byline=0&portrait=0″ width=”400″ height=”225″ frameborder=”0″]

Time Lapse of New York Harbor www.controlgeek.net from John Huntington on Vimeo.

Channel Island Tall Ships Festival June 24-26, 2011

Posted on by June 22, 2011

An impressive fleet of schooners and brigantines will be featured in the the Channel Islands Harbor Tall Ships Festival, this Friday through Sunday at Channel Islands Harbor in Oxnard, California.    The visiting vessels include the topsail schooner Californian, topsail schooner Amazing Grace, schooner Curlew, topsail schooner Bill of Rights, topsail schooner The Spirit of Dana Point, brigantine Irving Johnson, and the schooner Patricia Belle.

Tall Ships Return to Channel Islands Harbor
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The Maritime Museum of San Diego

Posted on by June 27, 2011

The first you notice about the Maritime Museum of San Diego are the ships.    When I  visited last week, the 1863 windjammer Star of India was  hove to with two staysails and her spanker set and drawing, and with her main topsail backed, tied up on the seawall  right alongside North Harbor Drive in downtown San Diego.   Directly off the Star of India‘s stern is the HMS Surprise, the replica of the a 24 gun British frigate the  HMS Rose. The Surprise is tied up alongside the steam ferry Berkeley. Down the dock the masts of the replica Revenue Cutter Californian are visible rising above the ferry.  Taking a closer look, there are also two submarines, a steam yacht and a pilot boat in the collection. Overall, a very impressive collection of ships and boats, all well maintained and cared-for.
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USC Container Ship Al Rawdah Aground on the Reefs off Batam

Posted on by June 21, 2011

Photo:Tribun Batam/Zabur Anjasfianto

Just in case you think you had a bad Monday, yesterday the USC container ship Al Rawdah ran aground on a reef in the waters of Pulau Sambu Stone Chain, Rear Padang, Batam, not long after leaving Port Klang, Selangor, Malaysia.   The ship was bound for China.

Al Rawdah Hit Ship Reefs in Batam