After Earl, some R.I. weekend events adjust schedules
To give participants in the Museum of Yachting’s 31st annual Classic Yacht Regatta in Newport time to get their boats back in the water in the wake of the storm, races scheduled for Saturday afternoon have been canceled. Continue reading
Hurricane Earl appears not to be likely to make landfall on the US East Coast but the expected winds and seas have rearranged some schedules. The Camden Windjammer Festival originally scheduled to start today has been postponed to 4PM on Saturday. The Gloucester Schooner Festival has cancelled several outdoor activities but otherwise is on course, for now.
Badge of the British Merchant Navy
Happy Merchant Navy Day! In Great Britain, Canada, Australia and New Zealand today, September 3rd, is celebrated as Merchant Navy Day – an official day of remembrance of the sacrifices made by merchant mariners in war-time. In World War I and World War II, over 45, 000 British merchant mariners lost their lives. The observance began in Great Britain in 2000, in Canada in 2001, and in Australia in 2008. This years is New Zealand’s first official observance of Merchant Navy Day. In the United Sates, May 22nd has been celebrated as National Maritime Day since 1933.
Assuming that Hurricane Earl doesn’t interfere, the 3rd annual Fish & Ships Labor Day Weekend Seafood Festival will be held at Mystic Seaport in Connecticut this Saturday through Monday.
The inner harbor of beautiful Victoria, Canada on Vancouver Island will be filled with between 75 to 100 classic boats beginning today and running through the Sunday at the 33rd Annual Victoria Classic Boat Festival.
An oil platform operated by Mariner Energy exploded today near Vermilion Bay in the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Louisiana. One worker was reported injured. No one was killed and no significant oil spill resulted. Mariner Energy has been involved at least 13 offshore accidents since 2006 in Gulf of Mexico waters — including a blowout and four fires.
Oil platform explodes off La. coast; crew rescued
Mariner involved in 13 Gulf accidents since ’06, seven with violations
One Day Before Explosion, Mariner Energy Employees Rallied Against Offshore Oil Drilling Moratorium
The 2010 Port of San Diego Festival of Sail kicks off today with a parade of tall ships on San Diego Bay at 11 a.m. The festival runs runs through September 6th and features more than 20 tall ships and other vessels from around the world, including the Californian, a replica of the original America’s Cup racing yacht America, the gaff topsail schooner Bill of Rights, the Kaisei, a brigantine from Antigua. For a more complete list of participating ships click here. It sounds like a great festival, and unlike the East Coast, the weather is forecast to be beautiful.
Two major maritime festivals on the US East coast, scheduled for the Labor Day weekend, appear to be generally in the path of Hurricane Earl. The organizers of the Twenty-Sixth Annual Gloucester Schooner Festival and schooner race and the Camden Windjammer Festival, both of which are scheduled for September 3 -6, will be watching the Earl’s path closely. So far the Downtown Gloucester Block Party has been cancelled and a note on the website reads: If weather conditions require changes be made to this weekend’s festivities, information will be posted on this website.
The folks in Camden are keeping an eye to weather as well. The Bangor Daily News reports:
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This can’t be good unless it is so bad that it is good. A new movie is coming out whose high concept pitch had to be, “It is Moby Dick but with dragons, instead of whales.” The trailer is below and the plot summary from IMDB is after the jump. Notice that whaleship Rachel in the book has morphed into Ahab’s beautiful daughter and love interest for Ishmael. Danny Glover plays Ahab and while the lovely newcomer Sofia Pernas plays Rachel.
Age of the Dragons
Timeshare Carriers"
What would Lord Nelson have thought of this? There were various news reports out recently that the British and the French may share aircraft carriers.
UK, France closer to carrier sharing deal
Britain and France are moving closer to a deal to share aircraft carriers, a British newspaper reported Tuesday — a move that could save the one-time rivals money in an age of austerity. The possibility of pooling carriers has been suggested before, but The Times of London claimed that French President Nicolas Sarkozy and British Prime Minister David Cameron were due to outline the proposal during a planned November summit.
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Last week, a paddler in a kayak race on the Missouri River was hit on the side of his face by a 20-30 pound jumping carp, almost causing him to capsize. Fortunately he was not seriously injured but had to retire from the race due to a significant headache.
Asian big head and silver carp were first brought to the southern United States back in the 1970s to clean catfish farms, and they have made their way north through the Mississippi River basin spreading to the Missouri River and the Wabash Rivers, also invading Canadian waters, particularly the Great Lakes. Not only are they a threat to native fish, but have proven to be dangerous to recreational boater. Silver carp, in particular, are notorious for jumping when excited.
Flying carp hits racing kayaker in the head
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Intriguing, if it turns out to be true.
Czar’s gold treasure found on Baikal Lake bed
The legendary gold treasure of Russia’s last Czar could have been found by Mir-2 mini submarine on the bed of the world’s deepest fresh water lake Baikal in Siberia, according to reports.
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An intriguing article from the Independent. Elizabeth Wynne was Lord Nelson’s nurse following the loss of his arm. She left 40 volumes of diaries and was a witness to several key events of the 18th century. She married one of Nelson’s “band of brothers”, Admiral Thomas Fremantle. Nevertheless her diaries and the story of her life were almost lost to history. For the first time, a definitive biography of “Betsey” Wynne is being written.
Diaries tell forgotten story of Nelson’s nurse
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Last week the yacht, Making Waves, a 48 foot Sea Ray Sundancer, with its engine running and the autopilot engaged, came ashore on Redding Beach, FL, on the Gulf of Mexico, with no one aboard. The boat is estimated to be worth around a million dollars. Not quite the Mary Celeste but mysterious all the same.
Beached yacht removed, but owner has yet to claim it
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John Glover
On August 29th, 1776, George Washington faced certain defeat. Howe had been able to flank the Americans in Brooklyn, turning the Battle of Long Island into a rout. Washington was left with the remnants of his army on Brooklyn Heights, with the East River at his back and otherwise surrounded by the victorious British army. Only a north-easterly wind kept the British fleet from sailing up the East River and attacking the American forces from behind. The northeaster brought heavy rain. In the evening, the rain abated, replaced by a heavy fog.
Washington called on the 14th Continental Regiment commanded by John Glover to evacuate the army across the East River. Glover’s regiment was largely made up of fisherman and sailors and was called the “amphibious regiment” or simply the “web-footed Marbleheaders”. Over night in the rain and the fog, John Glover’s Marblehead Regiment saved Washington’s Army and the American revolution.
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