2008 Nautical News Archive
1/6/08
A) The liquefied natural gas port built 13 miles off Gloucester is now ready to accept deliveries. The $200-million facility will begin off-loading tankers as soon as the Coast Guard issues an operations permit. When the tankers dock, the liquid will be evaporated and discharged through an underwater pipeline which runs from Salem to Quincy. The only thing visible above water when ships are not being unloaded will be a mooring buoy the size of a beach ball. Some of the $23.5 million paid by the energy company for mitigation will be used to support local charities, local fishermen, and for an acoustic system designed to protect the right whales. A second offshore LNG port is planned within five miles of this one with construction of that terminal to be completed next year. A similar mitigation payment of $23.5 million dollars is expected from this energy company as well.
B) Early industry reports about the winter boat shows so far indicate that attendance is down and that the level of sales was disappointing. NMMA President Thom Dammrich said that he welcomed the Federal Reserve's recent move to cut interest rates and is hopeful that further cuts would stimulate sales and build consumer confidence. Right now it is a buyer's market, so that is good news for boat buyers.
C) One of the four crewmen who served aboard the Coast Guard Gold Medal rescue boat CG36500, just passed away at his home in Florida. In 1952, Coast Guardsman Richard Livesey was aboard the CG36500 when it made its historic rescue of the tanker Pendleton crew during a major snowstorm off Cape Cod. Somehow, 32 men plus the four man Coast Guard crew were crammed into the 36 foot Coast Guard boat and made it safely back to the Chatham fish pier. The legendary rescue earned the crew the Gold Lifesaving Medal, and a prominent place in Coast Guard history. Several years ago, another one of the crewmates died so now, only two of those 4 Coast Guard heroes are still alive: the coxswain Bernie Webber and the engineer Andrew Fitzgerald.
D) With exception of striped bass fishing permits, current 2007 fishing permits in Massachusetts will remain valid through January 31, 2008. The state's Division of Marine Fisheries extended the renewal date to February 1, 2008, because of a delay in sending out the new annual state fishing permit renewals.
E) During the recent cold spell in the northeast, the Coast Guard warned fishermen of the danger of ice accumulating on their boats. The danger occurs when the weight of the ice causes the center of gravity to rise rapidly, making the vessel more susceptible to capsizing. Additionally, the added weight makes the boat lower in the water so waves can easily flood the boat in rough seas. To minimize the dangers of icing conditions, the Coast Guard recommends fishermen to keep their lifesaving equipment clear of ice and ready for use, steam downwind to reduce the speed of ice formation, and to keep the scuppers or drain holes on the boat clear of ice to allow for rapid drainage.
F) The Massachusetts Riverways Program and Division of Marine Fisheries will discuss restoring the Neponset River at a meeting January 9th, 7PM, at the St. Gregory School's auditorium on Dorchester Avenue. Plans will be presented for cleaning the river bottom's sediments that are contaminated with toxic industrial chemicals. The cleanup is expected to cost between 7 and 9 million dollars. Also to be discussed will be the elimination of the two state-owned dams in the Lower Mills section of Milton. Removal of the dams would allow for a more natural, free-flowing Neponset River, which in turn would allow herring, shad, and other fish to return to fresh water to spawn. Another benefit would be for kayakers. They would be able to paddle from Walpole all the way to the ocean.
G) Remember a couple of weeks ago we did a story on kitesurfing? The sport is very popular on Nantasket Beach and in Duxbury, and as a matter of fact, kitesurfing has become very popular up and down the east coast. This past week, in North Carolina, the Coast Guard searched all day and all night for a kitesurfer who a witness saw entangled in his kitesurfing lines before disappearing under water. Military planes also participated in the search, but so far the man has not been found. Initial reports said the kitesurfer was alone and that he fell into the water about a quarter of a mile off the beach.
H) And last on today's nautical news, here is an incredible story that twenty-five year old Australian Kristy Brittain swears is true. She told reporters she was kneeboarding behind a boat off the coast of Hobart, Tasmania, when she was tossed from her board in a big and rough surf. The waves made her lose a nose stud from a piercing she had done a week before Christmas. The woman thought for sure that she would never see the tiny stud again, but three days later, the stud turned up in the belly of a fish that was caught by her fiancé. The fish was caught in the same area where the stud was lost. If you think of how many fish there are in the sea, what are the odds that the woman's fiancé would catch the fish that ate her nose stud? Believe it or not!
1/13/08
A) In Los Angeles, U.S. Federal Judge Florence Marie-Cooper has ruled against the United States Navy and their use of mid-frequency sonar within 12 miles of the coast of California. Scientists have longed claimed that the Navy's use of sonar hurt the whales and dolphins, affecting their ability to navigate and causing mass strandings. The Navy agreed that the sonar did cause temporary hearing loss for the animals. The judge said in her ruling she wanted to balance competing interests of "national security and fleet readiness" with "environmental protection." A US Navy spokesman said the navy is considering its options, adding that the judge's order did not strike "the right balance between national security and environmental concerns." The Navy argued that it must train sailors against a new generation of quiet submarines that can't be detected by traditional "passive" sonar, but are picked up by the midfrequency version.
B) The Coast Guard Captain of the port in Boston disagreed with a report released in Washington that stated the Coast Guard was ill prepared and under financed to protect LNG deliveries from a terrorist attack. The US Government Accountability Office, in a report just released, questioned the Coast Guard's readiness to protect the nation's ports against terrorism. However, the report never specifically mentioned Boston. A Coast Guard official said that his agency might be stretched thin, but not in Boston, where the Coast Guard and state police provided security for 22 billion gallons of petroleum and LNG delivered in 2007. The Distrigas LNG facility in Everett is the nation's only urban LNG terminal. A new offshore LNG terminal 13 miles from Gloucester is now ready to accept deliveries and a second offshore LNG terminal will be ready in 2009.
C) 495 cadets and 85 crew from the Massachusetts Maritime Academy boarded the school's training ship, the T.S. Enterprise, for the school's annual winter sea term voyage. This year, the ship is heading for the tropical waters of Panama. The crew will make a stop in Norfolk, Virginia to refuel before heading for the Panama Canal. Other ports of call include Costa Rica and Aruba. The ship departed yesterday and is expected to return in 6 weeks.
D) Massachusetts Energy and Environmental Affairs Office of Coastal Zone Management received a $1 million Coastal Wetlands Conservation Grant from the US Fish and Wildlife Service. The grant will help the town of Plymouth repair degraded, aquatic habitats within that town's Eel River Headwaters conservation area and nearly 40 acres of adjacent wetlands damaged by agricultural operations.
E) Marshfield selectmen have authorized that town's harbormaster to set up a permit and fee system for anyone who wishes to place a dock, float, or mooring on the parts of the North and South Rivers that run through Marshfield. Until now, the town's harbormaster had no jurisdiction over the matter. In a published report in the Patriot Ledger, the harbormaster admitted that this was a revenue producing scheme for the town, and it also enabled him to identify any docks, floats, or moorings that break away and land in the marsh.
F) Dueling state and federal regulations, that each side says are designed to prevent oil spills from happening, are confusing tug boat operators escorting oil shipments through Buzzards Bay. At issue is whether double hulled oil barges passing through the bay must be escorted by tugboats and whether or not a state licensed harbor pilot or a federal licensed pilot can guide the tugboats. The state says tugs must escort single and double hull barges whereas the Coast Guard says tug escorts are not necessary for double hulled barges. The state wants harbor pilots with local knowledge whereas the Coast Guard says any federal licensed pilot is qualified. The court has until February 15 to decide which set of laws will apply. Meanwhile, Attorney General Coakley the state regulations will rule.
G) Buy a custom made boat and want your money back? That's what the Coast Guard is doing. The Coast Guard wants back the $96.1 million it paid two defense contractors to modify 8 110 foot long cutters. The demand for return of their money was made after a long-running dispute between the contractors and the Coast Guard. The project, code named Deepwater, started in 2002, when the Coast Guard ordered the cutters to be modified. However, after work was finished on two of the cutters, the Coast Guard found the hulls warped, the decks buckled, and the propeller shafts misaligned. The Coast Guard said the cutters were a total loss and had them decommissioned. The two contractors, Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman, are reviewing the Coast Guard's claims.
H) The largest crane in North America, known as Goliath at the Quincy Shipyard, is coming down. Automobile dealer Dan Quirk, owner of the crane and shipyard, said the crane will be taken down and shipped overseas to its new owner in Romania. The Romanian shipyard is owned by South Korea's Daewoo Corporation and they are the world's third largest shipbuilder. Hyundai in South Korea is the world's number one shipbuilder.
I) This past week, dense fog stopped all ships on the Houston Ship Channel for about 12 hours according to the Coast Guard's Houston Vessel Traffic Center. Twenty ships were waiting to enter the channel and about 15 ships were waiting to depart. The harbor pilots made the decision to stop guiding the vessels through the channel when visibility was reduced to unsafe levels. Houston is the busiest U.S. petrochemical port on the Gulf of Mexico.
J) And last on today's nautical news, Florida jellyfish, the size of cannonballs, are now very popular in China. For years. Florida fishermen avoided the jellyfish because they would fill their nets. Now, the jellies are a profitable commodity, processed into crispy protein wafers and eaten in China. The cannonballs grow to almost a foot in diameter. A day's work and about $70 in fuel brings in about $1,000 worth of jellyfish, but even the toughest of the fishermen don't like touching them. They are slimy, and even though they don't sting, their mucus-like covering will cause a burning sensation if it gets in your eyes. Asian nutrionists claim the jellyfish, after they are dried and the salt removed, are perfect with salads and cooked vegetables. A four-ounce serving contains only 30 calories, eight grams of protein, and 120 milligrams of sodium. Also, medical researchers think the jellyfish can help people with arthritis because of the collagen they contain. Would you please pass the jellyfish with a little Grey Poupon!
1/20/08
A) The Coast Guard issued an ice and high wind warning to all mariners off the coast of New England. A Coast Guard spokesman said commercial fishermen should especially be aware of ice on the decks and have an understanding of its effect on their vessel's stability. Additionally, the added weight from the ice makes the boat lower in the water and more susceptible to flooding from rough seas. The 110-foot Coast Guard Cutter Grand Isle and the 270-foot Coast Guard Cutter Campbell will be underway off the coast of New England during the cold spell, ready to respond at a moment's notice.
B) The Town of Hull is planning to build a mini wind farm in the ocean. The four new wind mills would each be 430 feet tall, almost twice the size of the windmill next to the high school. The four new ones would be built on Harding's Ledge, about 1.5 miles in front of Nantasket Beach. The proposed four wind turbines, combined with the two existing wind turbines in the town, is said to be capable of producing enough electricity to power the town. Environmental and engineering studies still have to be done before construction begins.
C) Seven months after the start of dredging the Green Harbor channel in Marshfield, the federal government approved the money to finish the job. Congress just approved $1.9 million for the Army Corps of Engineers to dredge the inner part of the harbor. Officials said the dredging will probably begin next November. The inner harbor was originally constructed in 1967 and 1968 and is in a federally managed area maintained by the Army Corps. The last time it was dredged was in 1983. Green Harbor is ranked eighth in the state for it commercial fishing effort.
D) A federal judge scolded the US government and ruled that the feds had no right to seize and auction a 22-foot sailboat that once belonged to a teenage John F. Kennedy. US District Judge William G. Young ordered the government to pay one of the boat's owners more than $125,000 to compensate him for seizing the boat named Flash II, a Star class sloop that the late president owned for six years. Kennedy sold it in 1942 before shipping out to the Pacific in World War II. The U.S. Attorney General said he would appeal, and ironically, the man who was awarded the $125,000 said he would appeal too. He felt the boat was worth ten times more than $100,000 it sold for at auction. He told the government to keep the $125,000 and give him back his boat.
E) And remember we reported a federal judge ordered the U.S. Navy to stop its use of sonar off the California coast. Well, this past week President Bush stepped in and had most of the judge's order against the Navy reversed! The President exempted the Navy from the judge's ruling even though scientists claim the Navy's sonar can damage marine mammals' brains and ears, resulting in the animals dying on a beach. Bush said the Navy's training exercises using sonar "are in the paramount interest of the United States and its national security." Attorneys for an environmentalist group said they would file papers with the court to challenge Bush's exemption.
F) In the Southern Ocean in Antarctica, the Sea Shepherd Society's anti-whaling boat has been interfering with the Japanese whaling boats. Two crew from the Sea Shepherd Society boat actually boarded one of the Japanese whale boats and allegedly threw acid on the whale boat's deck and dropped nets in the water to foul the ship's propellers. The two were ultimately captured by the Japanese and Sea Shepherd founder Paul Watson claimed the two men were tied to the railing of the whaler and then later stripped and bound to the ship's radar mast. The Japanese denied such claims and said that the men were merely being detained in the ship's office. At last report, with the Sea Shepherd Society ship was right on the tail of the Japanese whale ship, the two were released and reunited with their shipmates.
G) For the first and last times, the three Cunard Queen ships - the Queen Mary 2, the Queen Elizabeth 2, and the new Queen Victoria - rendezvoused in the waters off lower Manhattan. The three ships lined up in front of the Statue of Liberty as fireworks lit the sky. Then they slowly moved across New York Harbor with the Queen Mary leading the other two. Thousands of New Yorkers lined the waterfront to watch. This was the first, last, and only time the three Queen ships will ever be together. The QE2 was sold and will be decommissioned in the fall. She will be converted into a floating five-star hotel and remain in the United Arab Emirates. The QE2 is the longest-serving vessel in the 168-year history of the Cunard line. Since its launching in 1967, it traveled more than 5 million nautical miles, including 25 trips around the world and more than 800 trans-Atlantic crossings carrying 2.5 million passengers.
H) Rhode Island boat builder Pearson Composites, LLC will pay $195,000 in penalties for violating the federal Clean Air Act at its facility in Warren, Rhode Island. The fiberglass boat manufacturer released hazardous air pollutants, primarily styrene and methyl methacrylate, which are known to cause respiratory and neurological problems in humans. Styrene is also a possible carcinogen. After EPA notified Pearson of the violations, the company corrected them.
I) And last on today's nautical news, the February edition of Field & Stream magazine named Nantucket as one of the top 10 fishing towns in the U.S. for recreational fishermen. Nantucket took the seventh place on the list. Editors cited striped bass, false albacore, and bluefish as reasons to fish in Nantucket. The only other salt water town higher on the list than Nantucket was in Florida.
1/27/08
A) Three fishermen drowned in New Bedford shortly after their boat docked at midnight. Witnesses said the four men went drinking at a local bar until it closed at 2AM. Upon returning to the boat at around 3 in the morning, two of the men fell into the water. The captain, seeing the two in trouble, dove into the water to save him. Unfortunately, all three drowned. The 4th fisherman called 911 for help. He was treated and released from St. Luke's Hospital for hypothermia and exposure. Divers from the Massachusetts State Police, New Bedford Police, and the Southeastern Massachusetts Law Enforcement Council participated in the search.
B) The Coast Guard completed its investigation into why the fishing vessel Lady of Grace sank in Nantucket Sound last year on January 26th taking with it all four fishermen on board. In a 46 page report, the Coast Guard concluded that the build up of ice on the Lady of Grace was the reason she rolled over and sank. Now the Coast Guard wants to change the regulations that govern ice and stability on fishing boats between 50 and 79 feet long. They want them to undergo stability tests. Currently only vessels 79 feet or longer face stability requirements. Fishermen said the change in regulations would impact a majority of the fishing boats and would be quite costly. Naval architects would have to be hired to determine a boat's stability, and whether or not modifications would have to be made.
C) Not every story has a bad ending. The Coast Guard saved a Massachusetts family from 40 degree water after their boat capsized near Fort Adams Park in Narragansett Bay, R.I. The three men, a father, a son, and a grandson, were duck hunting in a 14 foot outboard boat when wind driven waves swamped their boat. The three made a distress call to the Coast Guard using a hand-held VHF radio and they were rescued in less than 15 minutes by two boats from Coast Guard Station Castle Hill. When the Coast Guard boats arrived, the three in the water were using seat cushions and a bag of duck decoys to stay afloat. The three were treated at Newport Hospital for mild hypothermia and released.
D) The Cape Cod Stranding Network responded to the first mass stranding in 2008 last week. All seventeen Atlantic white-sided dolphins stranded on the beach in Wellfleet died. The attempt to help the dolphins was the first emergency response for the stranding network since the group merged with the Yarmouthport-based International Fund for Animal Welfare last year.
E) A 669 foot tanker collided with a barge that was dredging a channel in New York harbor. The Coast Guard had to close the waterway that provides access to some of the largest shipping terminals on the East Coast. No one was injured in the collision, but the barge started to sink. It took several hours of pumping before the vessel could be towed safely to dock. Damage to the tanker was yet to be determined, but fortunately there was no major oil spill. The tanker was delivering orange juice and not oil.
F) Concerns about the safety of eating sushi were raised this week after the New York Times found high levels of mercury in tuna in 20 Manhattan restaurants and stores. The Food and Drug Administration claims it doesn't have the money or staff to inspect for mercury in the fish. Instead, they focus on dangerous food bacteria. However, the government still recommends that Americans eat fish at least two to three times a week and claim fish is a good source of low-fat protein.
G) The 14 rowers were trained by former special forces troops and they rowed more than 100 miles a day, from the Canary Islands to Barbados across the Atlantic, but nothing could have prepared them for the onslaught of a school of flying fish they encountered just 65 miles from the finish line. Hundreds of fish leapt out of the sea and smacked the rowers in the face. Even so, the 14-man British and Irish team broke the 16 year old record for rowing across the Atlantic Ocean. They did it in 33 days, seven hours and 30 minutes - beating the previous record by two days. Remarkably, the men used the same boat that set that previous record in 1992. Coming in second place, not too far behind, was a brand new high-tech multi-hulled American boat being rowed by 4 New Yorkers. So in the end, the tried and tested design triumphed over the new multihull designed boat.
H) And last on today's nautical news, recently we all heard the news about how dangerous it is to give cold medicines to children. Doctors in Europe now claim the best remedy to treat a child's cold is a spray of salt water. Doctors believe the salt water nasal spray has a simple mechanical effect of clearing the mucus. They said the noses of children given the salt water spray were less stuffy and runny. The U.S. Food and Drug is investigating.
2/3/08
A) Last week's big ocean storm that dumped a foot or more of snow on Cape Cod, also dumped a 19th century schooner on Newcomb Hollow Beach in Wellfleet. 50 feet of keel and oak ribs sat high and dry for the first time since the unidentified schooner sank who knows when. More than 3,500 ships wrecked off Cape Cod between 1850 and 1980, but most of them occurred during the late 1800s before the Cape Cod Canal was finished. Historian Bill Quinn, who has written numerous books on Cape Cod maritime history and Cape Cod shipwrecks, believes it could be the remains of the Logan, a 19th-century schooner refitted as a coal barge. Seashore National Park Rangers are warning visitors that they can look and touch the remains of the shipwreck, but they better not take any of it.
B) Also, last week's storm knocked a cottage in Chatham off its foundation and the heavy surf carried it about a mile away until it landed on the mud flats. The well built cottage held together, but the harbormaster said the house is sitting far enough out in the water that recovering it intact is almost impossible. A barge and a crane would be needed making it financially prohibitive, he said. Plus, by the time all the necessary permits were obtained the house would probably be destroyed. Fortunately for the home owners, they claim they have flood insurance.
C) The local skyline on the South Shore will be changing again. A few weeks ago, we told you the owner of the Quincy Shipyard announced that the North America's biggest crane, nicknamed Goliath, was sold and is coming down. This week Aquarion Water Company said they are taking down the landmark water tower on Strawberry Hill in Hull. Officials from Aquarion Water Company said the tower was too costly to maintain, and that new water pipes would be installed at the far ends of the town to supply their customers.
D) This past Tuesday, The Abandoned Vessel Bill passed the Massachusetts House and Senate and now sits on Governor Patrick's desk awaiting his signature to become law. Once signed, marinas and boatyards will be able to auction or dispose of an abandoned vessel without having to go to court, but still following legal channels involving the state police and the state's marine title division. If the Governor does not sign the bill on or before February 7th, the bill dies.
E) It took almost a year to the day for the Coast Guard to release its report as to why the fishing vessel Lady Luck sank off the coast of Maine. Although the boat was found lying on the bottom at a depth of 530 feet, the two fishermen on board, both of Massachusetts, were lost at sea. After viewing video tape of the boat resting on the bottom, the Coast Guard determined that the fishing boat was not hit by a larger ship, but the exact cause as to why the 52 foot fishing boat sank so rapidly is undetermined. One of the fishermen's fathers, who is a Coast Guard veteran, said that he would continue his investigating into the cause of the sinking.
F) This past week, three more Atlantic white-sided dolphins stranded on a Wellfleet Beach. One was found dead and the other two were euthanized by personnel from the Cape Cod Stranding Network. The dolphins' remains were taken to Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution for further study. Two weeks ago, seventeen dolphins stranded and died on Wellfleet beaches.
G) Coast Guard Commandant Admiral Thad Allen will announce his plans to reorganize and modernize the Coast Guard on February 8th. Advance notice of his speech indicates that Admiral Allen will cover topics ranging from the Coast Guard's increasing involvement in port security and commercial shipping to increased activity in the Arctic associated with climate change.
H) Although the 2007 hurricane season concluded only two months ago, the hurricane forecasting team at Colorado State University is already predicting an above-average Atlantic hurricane season for 2008. Dr. William Gray's team is predicting 13 named storms, seven hurricanes, and three intense hurricanes (category 3, 4, or 5) for the Atlantic coast. That prediction compares with an average of 9.6 named storms, 5.9 hurricanes, and 2.3 intense hurricanes for the period of 1950 - 2000. The researchers, marking their 25th year of forecasting, believe that the Atlantic basin is in an active cycle that will continue for at least another decade.
I) And last on today's nautical news, a study was done at the University of British Columbia in Canada about ships flying flags of convenience. A ship is said to be flying a flag of convenience if it is registered in a foreign country other than where its owners or crew might reside. Ship owners do this to avoid taxes and to pay lower wages, and passengers on cruise ships should know that the laws on a foreign flagged ship can be quite different than the laws of the country where they live. Abuse of obtaining foreign flags is so bad, that Mongolia, the world's largest landlocked country, provides flags for hundreds of ships at sea. Liberia has the most foreign flagged ships and their flag looks very similar to the United States flag with red and white stripes and a blue field and a star.
2/10/08
A) The Coast Guard's top leader visited Boston this past week to speak to local Coast Guard members and college students. Admiral Thad Allen's first stopped at the Boston Coast Guard base where he spoke about organizational changes and development plans that he has in mind for the Coast Guard. He then took a short ride to Cambridge to speak with students and faculty at both Harvard University and M.I.T. and then answered questions about leadership in government.
B) The commanding officer of the Willow, a Newport, Rhode Island based Coast Guard cutter, was relieved of his duties after allegations he had an inappropriate relationship with a subordinate. The Cutter Willow is part of Sector Southeastern New England, which includes Coast Guard stations on the Cape and Islands. That case remains under investigation.
C) Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick signed into law the "abandoned vessel legislation." The new law makes it easier for Massachusetts boat storage yards to seize, auction, or otherwise dispose of boats left behind by deadbeat boat owners. The new law requires a 90 day notice to the public and to the owners of the abandoned boats before change in ownership of the boat can occur.
D) This was a record year for right whale sightings in Cape Cod Bay. More right whales were sighted and counted this year than in any previous year that the National Marine Fisheries Service and the Provincetown Center for Coastal Studies have been keeping records. Amazingly, the number of sightings this year was nearly twice the annual average! In addition, 34 of these right whales had never before been seen by the survey people.
E) Two new studies published in the journal "Science" claim that clearing large tracts of land to grow crops to make ethanol increases global warming. Both studies warn that stripping native ecosystems into cornfields increases more emissions of carbon dioxide, negating the environmental benefits of using ethanol.
F) A high speed boat chase in Miami had all the makings of a "Miami Vice" script, but this was the real deal. A 26-foot powerboat named "Pursuit" lived up to its name when Miami police on a routine marine patrol tried to stop the boat. Instead of stopping, the boat rammed the police boat and then sped away. Gunshots were fired by the police, but didn't hit the intended target. However, the chase ended abruptly soon thereafter when the fleeing boat crashed into a dock and its occupants ran ashore. Police went aboard the boat and found a half a ton of marijuana worth an estimated $800,000. A 27-year-old Bahamian was later arrested that night after he was spotted trying to walk out of the gated community where police spent hours searching. Police said the suspect matched the description of one of the men seen fleeing the boat. The second person was still being sought.
G) This just in. President Bush has put in for keeping and maintaining an enhanced LORAN C system in his fiscal year 2009 Budget. The President said the existing LORAN C system will be improved and used as a back up to the GPS navigation system. The Coast Guard will continue to maintain the LORAN C system on a reimbursable basis in 2009.
H) The Coast Guard continued to search for a cruise ship crew member who was believed to have fallen overboard about 45 miles north of Nassau, Bahamas. Fellow crew members on the Carnival Glory notified the Coast Guard after reviewing security tapes and determining the man was missing. A spokesperson for the Coast Guard said when someone is lost at sea a model is done taking into consideration weather conditions, the person's physical condition, the water temperature, and whether or not the person was wearing a life-jacket. Those factors determine how long the search would last.
I) Scientists at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography in San Diego believe that the wind and climate are responsible for the fluctuations in the fish population. They reason that the wind causes upwelling, bringing nutrient-rich waters to the surface, causing some species to flourish while at the same time hurting the ocean's bottom feeders. The scientists said their findings explain the booms and busts of fish population cycles around the world and furthers the idea that fluctuations can be explained by natural phenomena rather than by fishing effort. The new study could lead the way for fishery regulators to predict fish populations based on climate change and wind factors.
J) And last on today's nautical news, starting with number 10, here is the 2007 Boat/U.S. list of top ten most popular boat names:
#10) Seas the Day - Seas is spelled S-E-A-S
# 9) The Dog House
# 8) Wanderlust
# 7) Second Chance
# 6) Knot on Call - Knot is spelled K-N-O-T
# 5) Aquaholic
# 4) Amazing Grace
# 3) Second Wind
# 2) Liberty
# 1) Black Pearl - The name of a fast, fictional ship
from the Disney movie Pirates of the Caribbean.
2/17/08
A) A fully loaded Liquefied Natural Gas tanker with 29 crew aboard on its way to Boston, lost its propulsion approximately 35 miles east of Chatham, Cape Cod. A computer that controls the ship's power plant caused the problem. The vessel was never in any immediate danger and was drifting out to sea away from land. Coast Guard and tug boats were on scene to assist. The tanker did not suffer any structural damage nor was any gas released. However, the National Strike Team was alerted in case any threat presented itself. The LNG tanker was towed to the new offshore LNG terminal about seven miles off the coast of Gloucester where technicians repaired or replaced the computer that caused the problem.
B) Fishermen are leaving Maine and joining the dwindling fishing fleet in Gloucester. The Portland, Maine fish auction is now open only two days a week instead of five. The Maine fishermen are moving to Massachusetts because it is legal for them to sell lobsters that they catch in their nets, a practice that is outlawed in Maine. Gloucester businesses said the Maine fishermen are keeping that city's economy alive, especially after so many of its local fishermen have gone out of business. Gloucester benefits from the fish landings as well from what is spent in town by the fishermen on food and supplies.
C) Dr. James W. Balsiger has been appointed as the new Director of the National Marine Fisheries Service. He replaces Dr. William Hogarth who recently retired from that position. Dr. Balsiger has served as the Regional Administrator for the Fisheries Service in Juneau, Alaska since 2000. His new duties include overseeing the federal scientists and regulators who manage commercial and recreational ocean fishing, as well as to protect marine mammals, sea turtles, and their habitat.
D) The family of Sean Cone, one of the fishermen aboard the Newburyport fishing boat Lady Luck that sank last year, is disputing the Coast Guard's accident report on how and why the boat sank. The family disputed at least 6 material facts in the Coast Guard's report and raised several questions. As a result of their questions and disputes, the Coast Guard agreed to amend its 23-page report. A Coast Guard official said he was thankful that the family presented their facts because the Coast Guard wants the report to be as thorough and accurate as possible. However, the official added that since there were no survivors and no witnesses, it will be impossible to know for sure what exactly happened. The sinking occurred in the early morning hours of February 1, 2007 about three and a half hours after the boat had left Portland, Maine for Newburyport. It was found about 30 miles southeast of Portland, Maine, in water more than 500 feet deep. Coast Guard investigators used a remote-controlled video camera to photograph the wreck.
E) A Florida boater in his late 60s fell from his boat just off of Sanibel Island and drowned. The Coast Guard reported that two men were on the boat when the boat owner fell overboard and was pulled away by strong currents. The other man had no boating experience, and could not get the boat started to rescue the man in the water who was holding on to a buoy. The man in the water shouted instructions to his friend on the boat on how to start it, but after a few failed attempts, the man on the boat used his cell phone to call 911. By the time authorities arrived on scene, the man lost consciousness and was found face down in the water.
F) The federal budget for 2009 released by President Bush included $2.2 million to dredge the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway from Virginia to Florida. Mariners who use the waterway say that amount is not nearly enough given that the Army Corps needs approximately $30 million to properly maintain the waterway. Critics further added that President is putting commercial and recreational boaters at risk and threatens the future of the waterway. Economists said that the ICW brings in over $18 billion annually to the state of Florida alone. Studies have shown that the four other states, the Carolinas, Georgia, and Virginia also gain tremendous economic benefit from the waterway.
G) Climate changes along with the melting of ice have caused a new shipping lane to open in the Arctic. Shipping through ice-free waters north of Russia could cut the distance between East Asia and Northern Europe by one-third and give a huge savings to the new giant container ships that are too big to fit through the Suez Canal. The ice free waterways has also brought cruise ships and commercial fishermen, and has created an additional burden for the Coast Guard. The U.S. and Russian fishermen normally fish 15 miles apart, but now are suddenly within a half-mile of each other along a contested international border. The Coast Guard is working the area to make sure no problems develop.
H) Twenty-five years ago, 31 merchant marines died when the ship they were on, the S.S. Marine Electric, capsized in a storm off Virginia. The Coast Guard was unable to reach any of the floundering crew members because, at that time, helicopter rescue crews were not trained or equipped to send rescue swimmers into the water. Instead, the helicopter pilots were trained to lower a basket to the water in the hopes that the struggling victim had the strength and ability to pull himself or herself out of the water. That tragedy prompted the Coast Guard to train rescue swimmers and develop techniques that have saved many lives ever since.
I) Two of the world's richest men are in a bitter battle over what is written in a 120 year old, two page document called the Deed of Gift, which governs the America's Cup races. Ernesto Bertarelli, whose father built the Swiss-based Serono biotech company, and Larry Ellison, the CEO of Oracle Systems are the combatants. They are arguing over what constitutes a "keel yacht" and the definition of simple words, like "weekday." Now a judge will decide if a catamaran style yacht fits the description of e keeled yacht and whether Saturday can be considered a week day. Many believe the judge will force the two billionaires to settle their differences on the water this autumn.
J) And last on today's nautical news, a palatial yacht with swimming pools, opulent salons, and even a minisubmarine is for sale after just being seized by the French government. The 269-foot yacht named Ocean Breeze was built in 1981. It has been docked on the French Riviera, and believe it or not, never been used by its owner. The asking price is $35 million, and who gets the money is a matter of controversy. You see, the yacht's former owner was Saddam Hussein.
2/24/08
A) Year after year another record was broken for the number of lobsters caught in Maine, but no record was set in 2007. The Department of Marine Resources reported Maine's lobster catch in 2007 fell by 23 percent compared to the previous year. Maine lobstermen said they were not surprised. Reporting by Maine lobster dealers didn't become mandatory until 2004, but based on surveys with the dealers and lobstermen, the 2007 harvest was likely the lowest since 1997. But scientists say there could be more good years ahead. Scientific surveys showed that there are now high numbers of juvenile lobsters on the ocean bottom off the coast.
B) A report by a woman walking along the shore claiming she saw a windsurfer in apparent trouble sent Coast Guard boats and aircraft scrambling. According to Gloucester police, the woman told a detail officer that she saw a windsurfer that looked like he was "in distress." After two hours past, and hearing no further reports of anyone in trouble, the Coast Guard suspended their search. Besides, there was little chance of anyone surviving longer than that in 36 degree water.
C) The Coast Guard is on alert patrolling the Florida Straits, but US authorities are not expecting a massive Cuban migration problem from Cuba as Fidel Castro steps down. Cuban-Americans who live in Florida have speculated that Cubans would flee in large numbers for the United States when Castro died or stepped down as US policy grants any Cuban who reaches US land automatic residence with the right to work. In 2006, 3,076 Cubans made it to the United States. 2,800 made it the previous year.
D) The Miami International Boat Show is over and the numbers are in. Attendance slipped seven percent from last year. This was the third consecutive year in which attendance was down. However, organizers of the show blamed a two day rain storm and not the economy as the reason this year's attendance was off, but those dealers who did well said the sales were to people who lived outside of the United States.
E) American fishermen hear about boats getting run over by large ships and wonder how it happens with all the electronics and computers on board. This time it happened off the coast of Japan. One of the Japanese's most advanced Naval destroyers rammed and sunk a fishing boat. Both fishermen on board, a father and his son, were killed. Officials said even a high-tech vessel cannot prevent an accident unless its crew members operate the ship properly and pay full attention. The captain of the naval ship was immediately relieved of his duties.
F) The Coast Guard is seeking to relax the rules concerning who can operate a tugboat. The agency is considering cutting from 30 months to 30 days the experience needed to qualify for a barge towing endorsement on a master's license. Coast guard officials said the move would increase the ranks of aging tugboat captains. However, long time mariners say the change could lead to more accidents.
G) Atlantic Striped Bass were seized from a charter boat fishing illegally off the coast of Virginia. The Coast Guard said the charterboat was fishing in the exclusive economic zone, the EEZ, an area that separates federal and state waters. In Virginia, it is legal to fish for Atlantic Striped bass, but once a vessel crosses over the EEZ, it is prohibited. The fish were donated to a local food pantry.
H) And last on today's nautical news, a cruise ship on its way to Puerto Rico rescued three men from their 39 foot sailboat after they were caught in a storm off of Cape Hatteras. The three were sailing to Key West, Florida from Baltimore. Strong winds destroyed the sails and damaged the mast and radio antenna. The three remained on the boat for 11 more days before their distress call was heard. By then, they had been without food or water for three days. The captain of the cruise ship heard the mayday call and headed toward the sailboat. The captain of the cruise ship said the men were hungry, very thirsty, and very happy to be alive. Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines gave the men new clothes, a stateroom, and even airline tickets to Key West, but that's a heck of a way to go on a cruise ship!
3/2/08
A) Gorton's Inc. of Gloucester recalled about 1,000 cases of frozen fish being sold in 10 states after confirming consumers reported finding pills in the food. Gorton's said it ordered the recall as a precaution and will determine the nature of the pills. Those tests should be completed early next week. Concerned consumers can call Gorton's at 800-896-9479.
B) Fish fraud is on the increase in the United States. The substitution of one type of fish for another, the mislabeling of a fish calling it wild when it's farm raised, and falsifying the weight of the fish are all examples of fish fraud. The crime is so rampant that there are now companies that specialize in DNA testing of the fish. At the Boston International Seafood Show, Andy Cohen, a special agent-in-charge for the NOAA Fisheries law enforcement agreed that fish fraud was widespread, but in New England, it either happened infrequently or simply was not reported. Fish fraud came to the forefront three years ago when a group of Florida state fisheries officials at a convention in Key West were served fish that was not the grouper as advertised. The same thing happened to the officials at three different restaurants that same weekend.
C) Three lobstermen on a boat out of Portland, Maine were ordered back to port because their boat had no life raft or fire extinguishers on board. The Woods Hole Coast Guard Cutter Hammerhead on routine patrol stopped the 38-foot lobster boat Ninatoria II for a safety check and found the violations. The lobster boat's voyage was terminated and a 47-foot Coast Guard boat escorted it and its crew back to the dock. The boat must stay at the dock until violations are corrected and inspected by the Coast Guard. A Coast Guard officer at the command center in Boston said, "Working at sea is dangerous in any instance, but to be out there without safety gear could be deadly."
D) Crew aboard the Norwegian Jade cruise ship rescued a sailor in distress whom they came across on their voyage. Dennis Reddy, a Duxbury resident and a Mass Maritime Academy graduate was part of the crew that saved the sailor. In just a little while, we will hear Dennis Reddy tell the story.
E) An Austrian tourist died from a shark attack in the Bahamas. Doctors at a Miami hospital were unable to save him after he was brought there by a U.S. Coast Guard helicopter. The victim was part of a diving group on a Florida charter boat that advertises shark-diving excursions without cages. Crew aboard the charter boat attract the sharks by throwing pieces of bloody fish into the water. The charter boat's web site warns divers about the dangers of their dive, but anyone who is scuba certified can go. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission banned shark-feeding dives in 2001 -- one reason charter boat skippers go to the Bahamas for their dives. The attack marks the first shark-bite death this year in Florida.
F) The Hull Lifesaving Museum hosted its signature-rowing race, the 27th Annual Hull Snow Row. The Snow Row covers a 3 3/4 mile triangular course starting off the beach at Windmill Point, across from Hull High School. This year, 57 boats registered for the event with rowers coming as far away as Cornwall, England. Other teams included rowers from all over New England and New York.
G) The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced the start up of new web site for fish consumers. The site, fishwatch.noaa.gov, includes information to help consumers choose between different types of seafood. NOAA brought in representatives from the public health sector and the seafood industry to educate the public about farm raised fish and to dispel some of the misinformation about mercury in fish.
H) An Atlanta, Georgia man wanted for murder tried to escape on a cruise ship, but U.S. Marshals on a 47-foot Coast Guard cutter stopped the Carnival Celebration cruise ship just before the ship entered international waters. The cruise ship crew helped the marshals quickly locate the alleged murderer and his girlfriend in their cabin, where he was arrested without incident. Officials said that it is a lot easier to leave the country by cruise ship than by airplane.
I) The fossil of a 50 ft. long "sea monster" was found in Arctic Norway, 800 miles from the North Pole. Scientists said the creature was a pliosaur, and that it was the biggest of its kind known to science. Its mouth contained dagger-like teeth the size of cucumbers and was large enough that a small car could fit in it. The fossil of this reptile lived in the deep during the Jurassic era. It was estimated to be 150 million years old.
J) And last on today's nautical news, leave it to Cuban ingenuity! 24 Cuban migrants landed in Key West in a boat made from a Mercedes Benz automobile. The two dozen Cubans arrived after Fidel Castro announced that he was stepping down. Previously, we heard of Cubans converting an old Buick and a Chevy pick-up truck into boats, attaching a propeller to the car's driveshaft. The U.S. has a "wet foot/dry foot" policy regarding Cuban exiles. If the Cuban migrants make it to shore, they are allowed to stay in the U.S. If they are discovered en route on the water, the Coast Guard returns them to Cuba.
3/7/08
A) The Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries voted for tougher regulations for fluke, black sea bass, scup, and monkfish even though fishermen say these fish stocks have been sufficiently replenished. For example, the region's fluke population, estimated at about 93 million pounds, is the highest it has been in more than 10 years. Fishermen further complained that the number of fish the feds want to see in the water is unrealistic and impossible to attain. State officials admitted that the fishermen might be right, but said they had no choice but to comply with the federal laws which drastically reduced the quotas for these fish.
B) The Cape Cod National Seashore has decided that it would be too expensive to save the 19th-century coastal schooner shipwreck that was found on Newcomb Hollow Beach in Wellfleet. National Park Rangers said they will let nature take its course. The wreck is already being buried by sand, but some think it will be washed back out to sea the next big storm. While officials will let nature take its course, it is still illegal for anyone to destroy or remove any part of the wreck.
C) Although hearings our scheduled this week for the Cape Wind Farm in Nantucket Sound, "Nautical Talk Radio" has learned that another developer will unveil plans tomorrow afternoon for a deep-water wind farm off the coast of Massachusetts. The new plans call for a floating deep-water wind energy project 23 miles off the coast of Martha's Vineyard and 45 miles off New Bedford. Details about this project will be made available 2:30PM tomorrow, March 10, 2008 at a press conference at the John F. Kennedy Hyannis Museum. The parent company of this latest proposal has already built a floating wind turbine farm off the coast of Italy.
D) Two new seats were added to the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary's Advisory Council. The two new members will represent diving and maritime heritage interests. Sanctuary superintendent Craig MacDonald said that with the help of the new members, the sanctuary will have the opportunity to become a world class diving destination.
E) A Boston based fishing crew aboard the "Miss Lindsey II" had to be rescued by the Coast Guard. The boat became disabled off the coast of Chatham with a five-person crew on board. At 3:15 in the morning, the fishermen reported they were adrift with a major engine problem. The fishing boat wasn't in any immediate danger, but without an engine, in strong winds and heavy seas, the Coast Guard decided not to take any chances and towed the boat back to port.
F) The Weymouth Herring Run Committee will be holding its annual clean up day on Saturday April 5th this year. Volunteers should meet at Herring Run Park, Jackson Square, Weymouth at 8 AM rain, shine or snow. Expect to pick up trash, debris, and cut some brush. Dunkin Donuts will provide refreshments. Unfortunately due to the small numbers of returning Herring the last few years, there can be no taking of any fish.
G) Coast Guard commandant, Adm. Thad Allen, is asking Congress for a 7% raise in the Coast Guard's budget. In 2007, the Coast Guard saved more than 5,000 lives, seized $4.7 billion worth of cocaine, and prevented 6,000 illegal immigrants from entering the country. 2007 also marked the one-millionth life the branch saved since its inception in 1790. In his plea for more money, Admiral Allen said the Coast Guard's priorities and focus shifted suddenly and dramatically toward protecting the nation's waterways. Homeland security became its number one mission.
H) New-boat sales declined again in January, with the important 14- to 30-foot fiberglass segment down 16.5 percent from January of 2007. Florida led the decline with a 29.3 percent drop in sales. Personal watercraft sales also were down 14 percent for January. With low interest rates and large dealer inventories, experts say this is a great time to buy.
I) And last on today's nautical news, a scrawny, black and white female kitten survived a trip across the Pacific Ocean and then a trip across the United States. Records showed that the container was sealed in Singapore and loaded on to a ship the first week of February. When the container finally made it to its destination in Cleveland and was opened, the poor little kitten was found. The kitten was brought to a veterinarian and has responded well to being fed. It will be kept in quarantine for about three weeks to make sure it doesn't have any infectious disease and then, if everything is OK, offered for adoption.
3/16/08
A) Officials at Raytheon's headquarters in Waltham, Massachusetts announced this week it put together a team to compete for a new U.S. Coast Guard cutter contract. Raytheon, along with VT Halter Marine Inc. and EG&G Technical Services, have put their resources together in a bid to offer the Coast Guard a proven, reliable and cost-effective vessel that meets the requirements of the Fast Response Cutter-B program. Officials said Raytheon has extensive experience and proven performance in marine electronics systems and VT Halter Marine is a leader in the design and construction of medium sized ships.
B) Last week, Gorton's seafood company in Gloucester announced a recall of its frozen fish fillets after pills were found in one of their packages. This week Gorton's officials announced that the pills were harmless, "over the counter," herbal supplements, but they were still investigating how the pills got inside the package. In an unrelated case, another Boston seafood company issued a voluntary recall of its cooked langostinos this week because of possible listeria contamination. 450 1 pound packages of "Icybay Cooked Langostinos" distributed in Massachusetts and Maryland had to be recalled.
C) The Coast Guard warned all mariners, especially the ferry boat captains, to be on the lookout for sandbags up to 12 feet in length floating around the island of Nantucket. The exact number of sandbags that washed off of the island is unknown, but the most recent n'oreaster caused extensive erosion. The Coast Guard said the floating sandbags have the potential to inflict serious damage on any vessel that hits one.
D) Scientists have long considered tsunamis a threat to the west coast of the United States, but now a recent study claims the east coast is just as vulnerable, especially Montauk and the Hamptons in New York and Mystic and Old Saybrook in Connecticut. Those areas could get hit by a tsunami caused by a seaquake off Puerto Rico. Tsunami studies are now in the works for southern Florida and Massachusetts as well.
E) For the second week in a row, the Coast Guard had to tow a fishing boat back to shore. This time it was a 73 foot scallop boat that had trouble about 70 miles east of Chatham. The fishermen reported their fishing net got wrapped around their boat's propellers. Last week, a different fishing boat had to be towed back 30 miles off of Chatham because of a blown head gasket.
F) A state bomb squad was called to dispose of three military grade cans of white phosphorus that washed ashore on a Cape Cod beach. Falmouth fire officials said the Coast Guard lost four phosphorus canisters while conducting flare training exercises offshore. A Coast Guard spokeswoman confirmed the training exercises, but denied the Coast Guard lost any canisters at sea. White phosphorus is a volatile chemical that can ignite if a person or animal touches it, causing serious burns.
G) Times are tough for the boating industry as gas and diesel fuel prices skyrocket and consumer confidence drops along with the value of the dollar. However, those who make their living selling boats in states along the Canadian border said demand is high from Canadians buying new and used boats. Apparently, everything in the United States is a bargain to foreigners. Even the Canadian dollars is worth more than the American dollar.
H) A Florida casino boat got caught in heavy weather and its crew had to call the Coast Guard for help. At the time, there were no passengers on board, only the 5 man crew, as the boat was being towed from Fort Lauderdale to Jacksonville for repairs. Big waves broke the tow line and left the gambling boat adrift. A Coast Guard helicopter from Air Station Savannah was sent to rescue the five crewmen, but left the gambling boat behind. Owners of the casino boat said they would hire a salvage company to retrieve their boat.
I) And last on today's nautical news, spring must be around the corner as the Mayflower II has returned to its pier near Plymouth Rock after spending the winter in drydock. The wood hull ship underwent seasonal maintenance at Kelley's Shipyard in Fairhaven, Massachusetts. This past week, the Mayflower II was towed back to Plymouth through the Cape Cod Canal where hundreds of spectators lined the banks to watch her passage. A crew of 12 employees and volunteers rode aboard the ship. The Coast Guard will now inspect the ship prior to the March 22 seasonal opening of Plimoth Plantation.
3/23/08
A) Unless Congress acts soon, every recreational boater in the country will have to obtain a federal or state permit as early as this summer in order to use their boat. These permits would apply to deck run-off, bilge water, engine cooling water and any other water discharge from a recreational boat. The permits mean fees, bureaucratic red tape, confusing and potentially different state-by-state regulations, and $32,000 per day penalties for non-compliance. However, "The Clean Boating Act of 2008" which was just filed this past week, exempts recreational boats, fishermen, and charter boats from applying for a permit. Every boater is urged to contact their congressmen to ask for their support of S.2766. This important bill preserves recreational boating and the boating industry, and recognizes that pleasure boat discharges are completely different from land-based industrial facilities and commercial ships.
B) Gorton's Inc., of Gloucester, recalled about 1,000 cases of its 6 Crispy Battered Fish Fillets after reports of pills were found in a Pennsylvania family's fish dinner, but U.S. Food and Drug Administration investigators determined the pills were put there after the food was purchased. Apparently a child put the harmless herbal supplement pills on the fish, so no criminal charges will be sought. Again, investigators determined neither Gorton's or the grocery store where the food was purchased were at fault, but the incident still left a sour taste with both company's officials.
C) A city in New England will finally receive the designation of a "Coast Guard City." Rockland, Maine has received congressional approval to be officially designated a "Coast Guard City." Senator Olympia Snowe said Rockland, Maine and its residents have had a longstanding and special relationship with the Coast Guard. The "Coast Guard City" designation is aimed at recognizing cities that have regularly reached out to Coast Guard members assigned to their area and made them feel at home. So far, there are only seven "Coast Guard Cities" in the nation. They are: Eureka, Calif.; Mobile, Ala.; Morgan City, La.; Wilmington, N.C.; Newport, Ore.; Alameda, Calif., and Kodiak, Alaska. Now, Rockland, Maine will be number eight.
D) Coast Guard Station Brant Point is still warning mariners approaching Nantucket of floating sandbags up to 12 feet in length. The bags belonged to island homeowners who used the sand bags to stave off erosion and flooding. According to the Nantucket Conservation Commission, the geotextile fabric covers the sand is wrapped in, have been outlawed the last three years since it does not break down quickly in the water and acts more like a durable plastic. The Conservation Commission now permits sandbags made from jute or hemp. The Coast Guard is now on patrol pulling sand bag covers out of the water walking along the beaches to pick up the covers.
E) A 57-year-old woman, riding in the front seat of a 25 foot bow rider powerboat in Florida, was struck in the face by a giant leaping stingray fish. The impact of the fish knocked the woman backward onto the floor of the boat. Doctors said they couldn't find any puncture wounds from the stingray's barb, so released a statement claiming the impact of the fish hitting her in the head was the cause of death. Spotted eagle rays can weigh up to 500 pounds and have a wingspan of up to 10 feet. They are known to occasionally jump out of the water and use the venomous barb at the end of their tail for defense.
F) The Coast Guard said higher fuel prices have already brought an increase in the number of boats illegally carrying passengers for hire on charter fishing trips down south. The Coast Guard urges consumers to avoid boats that do not have licensed captains or have not been inspected by the Coast Guard. The Coast Guard advises passengers to ask boat captains to show their original Coast Guard issued license. If the boat is carrying more than six passengers, it is required to be inspected by the Coast Guard and the Certificate of Inspection should be displayed in an area visible to passengers. Charter boats that operate illegally typically do not have formal training for the captain and crew, do not conduct safety drills and exercises or passenger safety, may not carry proper lifesaving and fire-fighting equipment, nor meet the minimum required standards for machinery, hull construction, stability, and safety.
G) Sophisticated submarines are being used more and more by drug smugglers to bring cocaine north from Colombia to the United States. The submarines are becoming faster, more seaworthy, and able to carry bigger loads of drugs. The subs are unmanned and being towed behind another boat. In other cases, they are unmanned and being operated by remote control. Some are made of steel and are bullet proof. In the past three months, the Coast Guard has caught more submarines smuggling drugs than it did in the previous six years, when they were first spotted. Coast Guard intelligence officers predicted 85 cases this year and 120 next year.
H) Scientists surveying New Zealand's Antarctic waters were surprised by the size and number of new species they found. Jellyfish with 12-foot tentacles, large sea spiders, giant sea snails, and 2- foot-wide starfish never seen before were captured. The survey was part of the International Polar Year program involving 23 countries. Scientists said high levels of oxygen in the sea water, and lack of fishing effort might be the reason some of the specimens were able to grow so large.
I) And last on today's nautical news, in an effort to conserve oil, on Saturday, March 29th, from 8 to 9 in the evening local time, hundreds of thousands of lights around the world will go dark for Earth Hour. The one hour event is intended to send a powerful message around the world about how important it is to save energy. Sydney, Australia was the birthplace of Earth Hour in 2007 when its skyline purposefully went dark. A year later, more than 24 cities around the world joined the campaign and followed Sydney's lead. This year, more than 30 million people are expected to take part. The following cities will turn off their lights on March 30th between 8 and 9PM: Atlanta, San Francisco, Phoenix, Chicago, Bangkok, Ottawa, Vancouver, Montreal, Dublin, Sydney, Perth, Melbourne, Canberra, Brisbane, Adelaide, Copenhagen, Aarhus, Aalborg, Odense, Manila, Suva, Tel Aviv, Toronto, and Christchurch.
3/30/08
A) The Coast Guard picked two fishermen out of the water moments after their 42-foot fishing boat, Miss Sonya, rolled over three miles off of Gloucester. Fortunately, the fishermen were able to make a mayday call and tell the Coast Guard their location and that their boat was sinking. The Coast Guard said the radio call was critical to the success of this rescue case. Because the boat remained afloat upside down, Coast Guard Sector Boston has issued a hazard to navigation warning to all mariners off the coast of Gloucester.
B) In Alaska, five fishermen were not as lucky. The Alaska Ranger, a Seattle based factory ship working in Alaska, was in serious trouble. She was taking on water faster than the pumps could handle. With a crew of 46, and a federal fishery observer who was the only woman aboard, the captain gave the order: "Abandon ship!" A life raft big enough for 20 people in survival suits was quickly launched, but the painter line snapped and the life raft quickly blew away in the darkness of the night. There were two other life rafts aboard, but their location on the leaning side of the ship made them very difficult to launch. Survivors said the ship went down very fast. Five men including the captain, a former Weymouth, Massachusetts resident, were killed. The captain was said to be the bravest of them all, helping everybody else off the ship, while constantly using the marine radio on the ship, calling for help.
C) A late-night crossing for the captain of the Chappaquiddick ferry on Martha's Vineyard turned into a harrowing experience for himself and his three passengers on board. The passengers were riding the ferry across Edgartown Harbor while sitting in their 2006 Mercedes SUV. The person sitting in the driver's seat of the car made believe she was steering the ferry by turning the car's steering wheel back and forth. She also admitted that she never shut off the car's engine nor put it in park. Apparently the turning of the car's steering wheel dislodged the wooden blocks the captain had placed in front of the car's wheels and the car rolled off the Chappaquiddick ferry, sinking like a stone into Edgartown Harbor. When rescuers arrived, the three occupants of the Mercedes had already escaped and were out of the water. Two of them had no injuries, but one of them was transported to the hospital, treated and released. Police said they expect to file charges against the driver of the car. Chappaquiddick became famous around the world after Senator Kennedy drove a car off the Chappaquiddick bridge, killing Mary Jo Kopechne.
D) Scientists on Cape Cod will soon train fish to catch themselves by swimming into a net when they hear a sound that signals feeding time. If the training works, the fish would then be released into the open ocean, to grow to market size, then swim into a net to be caught when they hear the feeding signal. The Marine Biological Laboratory at Wood's Hole received a $270,000 grant for this project from NOAA. A big plus for fish farmers is they could save the expense of feeding the fish because the fish would eat for free in the wild, and then be called back to the farm. Another plus is that the amount of fish excrement released would be dispersed in the ocean instead of in a confined area. The key questions are how many fish would actually return, and how many would be eaten by other fish. The project starts this spring when 5,000 black sea bass will be put into an "AquaDome," a structure about 33 feet across and 16 feet high, anchored underwater in Buzzards Bay.
E) Two America's Cup sailors from the champion Swiss Team Alinghi were airlifted to a hospital after their boat capsized during a training session. The other sailors on board hung on to the overturned boat waiting to be rescued. America's Cup winning skipper Ed Baird was at the helm at the time of the accident. The team was training for a practice race against America's Team Oracle. Latest reports said the two sailors were treated for minor injuries and released.
F) The last World War II warship still in government service, the Coast Guard Cutter Acushnet, will soon be decommissioned. She started out as a Navy rescue and salvage vessel and won three battle stars. She was at Iwo Jima and Okinawa and assisted the torpedoed battleship Pennsylvania. Then she was converted into a Coast Guard cutter and that is how she served most of her career. As a Coast Guard Cutter, the Acushnet rescued seaman from the doomed tankers Fort Mercer and Pendleton off Cape Cod. Folks are hoping the Acushnet will find a new home, either moored near Old Ironsides and the USS Cassin Young at the Charlestown Navy Yard or in Fall River's Battleship Cove.
G) Canada's annual seal hunt started this weekend, but tragedy soon struck one of the boats. The accident happened after the seal hunters in a 40 foot boat lost their rudder and called the Canadian Coast Guard for help. A Canadian Coast Guard ice breaker arrived on scene to tow the seal hunting boat back to port. While underway in a side tow, the boat in tow struck an iceberg and quickly rolled over. Of the six hunters aboard the boat, three were killed and one is still missing. The two others were quickly rescued by a following fishing boat. Because of the accident, many of the seal hunting boats decided to return to port. Weather conditions have been extremely cold with several of the boats becoming stuck in ice. Canada set the limit for this year's kill at 275,000 harp seals, but so far only 800 seals have been killed.
H) A man and his dog in Alaska were beachcombing along the Bering Sea when a plastic bottle caught his attention. There was an envelope with writing inside the bottle. After cutting the bottle in half, the man was able to read the message. It was written 21 years ago by a 4th grader who lived 1800 miles away in Seattle. It read: "This letter is part of our science project to study oceans and learn about people in distant lands. Please send the date and location of the bottle with your address. Your friend, Emily Hwaung." After some searching, Emily Hwaung, who is now 30 years old, was found, still living in the Seattle area. She vaguely remembered the experiment, and thought she was going to be in trouble for throwing plastic into the ocean when contacted. "My have times changed," she said.
I) And last on today's nautical news, sharks may soon be used to predict severe storms such as hurricanes. According to a college student who is close to completing her PhD studies in marine biology, she said sharks are sensitive to atmospheric pressure changes and will move to deeper water as a storm approaches. She said that sharks can sense a change in pressure from the reaction of their hair cells.
3/6/08
A) Another boat buy back program is in the works for New England ground fishermen. This one could cost $100 million, but would sort of be in the form of a loan. The government would lend the money to buy out the fishing permits, while those who continue to fish would cover the loan by paying 4 percent of the value of the fish they catch over the next 30 years. Owners of the large draggers support the plan, saying they would surrender their fishing permits and destroy their boats. But the fishermen on the smaller boats fear that the buyout would shrink the industry so much that the Portland Fish Exchange and the state's last two ice suppliers would go out of business.
B) A group of kids was nearly swept out to sea while fooling around on a dock in Harwichport, Cape Cod. The five children were playing on a floating dock in Saquatucket Harbor, when the rope securing the dock to the pier untied. The outgoing tide began to carry the dock away into Nantucket Sound. Two of the kids jumped into the water and managed to swim back to shore. A third couldn't make it so swam back to the dock and hung on. Fortunately, someone on shore spotted the kid clinging to the dock and called for help. Firemen arrived in a small boat to save all the kids. Officials said the water temperature was only 39 degrees, and that the dock could easily have capsized in rough seas.
C) Canada's seal hunt is on with a quota of 275,000 seals to be killed, but animal lovers and eco-terrorists are trying to intervene with water cannons and helicopters, trying to push and blow the seal hunters off the ice. The seal hunters claim the actions of these groups are putting their lives in danger. The Canadian Coast Guard is protecting the hunters, but we received word that the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society's boat, the Farley Mowat, was involved in a collision with the Coast Guard cutter. Sea Shepherd founder Paul Watson said the crew of the Mowat have video proving they did nothing wrong.
D) A section of board walk near the Coast Guard base in Boston's North End will re-open to the public. The board walk had been closed for security reasons since September 11, 2001. The walk goes from Puopolo Park on Commercial Street in the North End, around the Boston Coast Guard base, all the way to Rowes Wharf and the Boston Harbor Hotel. However, the section bordering the Coast Guard base will be open only during daylight hours and closed during the winter.
E) With each uptick in the world's population, the Earth becomes a noisier place, not just above ground, but also under the sea as more large tankers and freighters cruise the world's oceans. The impact of this traffic noise on marine animals and fish is poorly understood, but scientists are hoping that a network of acoustical buoys on Stellwagen Bank will help them find out how these sea creatures respond to the noise. The buoys will be tethered to the ocean bottom by sandbag anchors, recording ocean sounds for three months at a time. All mariners should stay away from these buoys.
F) New commercial fishing safety regulations are being discussed in Washington. The Coast Guard has identified several areas that have repeatedly made commercial fishing the country's most hazardous occupation. They say stability and watertight integrity issues have accounted for the majority of vessel losses. Also, the lack of maintenance has been identified as a significant issue leading to vessel losses, but fishermen claim they are in a catch 22 position. They claim the tough government regulations that prevent them from fishing are preventing them from funding their maintenance projects. Combine that with a soft economy and the high cost of fuel, and you know something has to give.
G) The widow of Peter Benchley, the author of Jaws, is now speaking out against the annual Monster Shark Tournament on Martha's Vineyard. At last Tuesday's selectmen's meeting in Oak Bluffs, Wendy Benchley said stringing up the sharks for spectators to gawk at is wrong. Steven James, president of the Boston Big Game Fishing Club - the tournament's sponsor - said, "It is ironic that she and her husband reaped untold monetary rewards by portraying sharks as bloodthirsty, grotesque, senseless killing machines and now she has the audacity to stand up and pretend she is concerned about sharks." James added that there was one way to end his involvement in the shark tournament. Buy him out! The annual tournament is scheduled for July 17-19 this year.
H) Worried that other states' quotas will increase demand for Massachusetts horseshoe crabs, the commonwealth was expected to cut the horseshow crab quota by half this week. Horseshoe crabs have survived 400 million years on earth and some feel they now must be protected. They are mainly used for bait and medical research. However, the ones used for medical research do not count as part of the quota because they are put back after some of the crab's blood is taken. Horseshoe crabs also eat worms that prey on shellfish and act like a farmer, plowing the hard sea bottom. Their eggs are a key food for some migratory bird species. Massachusetts' current annual horseshoe crab quota is 330,377.
I) The famous clipper ship Stad Amsterdam will be visiting Boston and will be open to the public next Sunday, April 13th between 10AM and 1PM. The ship will be docked at Rowes Wharf behind the Boston Harbor Hotel. Unlike other large tall ships, the Captain of the Stad said there are a few berths available to anyone who would like to experience an open ocean, blue water passage across the Atlantic to Portugal. It's a 21 day experience and you'll be part of the crew. For more info, go to the Stad Amsterdam's website. Stadamsterdam.com
J) And last on today's nautical news, a Florida charter boat company offering fishing trips with topless mates was asked to leave the city owned marina at Fort Pierce. The city's marina manager said the charter boat skipper could not use that kind of lure on city property to attract business. Now the company's husband and wife owners are suing the city claiming discriminating against women. The female mates simply go topless, while serving food and drinks and putting the bait on the hooks.
4/13/08
A) Last Sunday's strong winds caused a 388-foot freighter to drag its anchor and run aground in Narragansett Bay. The freighter was carrying yachts and scrap metal when the incident occurred. About 6 hours later, high tide freed the ship. There were no reports of any pollution. The Coast Guard escorted the ship to a secure location to inspect for damage to the ship's hull and try to determine what went wrong.
B) An unusual high number of right whales between Provincetown Harbor and Race Point has prompted the Division of Marine Fisheries to issue an advisory to all mariners. Skippers are advised to reduce speed to 10 knots, post lookouts, and proceed with caution to avoid a collision with a right whale. State and federal laws prohibit and vessel from approaching within 500 yards of a right whale.
C) Excelerate Energy will be pumping natural gas from its new LNG buoy system off the coast of Gloucester. Excelerate's first full LNG tanker is expected to tie up to the buoys and unload s into the pipelines before the end of this month. The Coast Guard has prevented the company from saying what specific day the tanker will arrive for security reasons. Suez SA, which owns the Distrigas LNG facility in Everett, is also planning to open a second offshore buoy system sometime next year.
D) The Coast Guard suspended its search for the pilot of a small plane that crashed into the ocean waters off Belfast, Maine last week. The Coast Guard received a call stating a plane with one person aboard crashed into Belfast Bay near the Belfast airport. The Coast Guard responded and found an oil slick and debris field located about a mile offshore. The commander of Coast Guard Sector Northern New England said it's never easy to end a search for a missing person, but after searching for more than 15 hours, there was no sign that the missing pilot survived.
E) A teenage boy was attacked and killed by a shark while he and a friend were bodyboarding off Australia. The 16-year-old was only a few yards from shore when the shark attacked. The boy's friend was already out of the water when he looked back and saw his friend in distress. The victim suffered two large bites, one to the leg and one to the body. He died of extreme blood loss while lifeguards and paramedics tried to save him. There are about 15 shark attacks a year in Australian waters - one of the highest rates in the world - but on average only one attack per year turns out to be fatal.
F) A California law firm has filed a class action lawsuit against several major oil companies that sell ethanol-blended fuel, charging that the fuel causes serious damage to marine engines and fuel tanks. The class action suit names BP, Chevron, ConocoPhillips, ExxonMobil, Shell, and Valero as defendants. The lawyer who filed the suit said, "The price of gas is bad enough, but selling gasoline that dissolves gas tanks is a new low - even for the oil companies. The cost to the consumer is thousands of dollars in repairs."
G) Hurricane experts at Colorado State University are again predicting an above-average Atlantic hurricane season. This time Dr. William Gray and his team are predicting 15 named storms and eight hurricanes - four of them major. The prediction is based on warmer ocean temperatures. The Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 through November 30.
H) April 13 marks the 100th birthday of American boat designer Olin Stephens. Olin retired from the design business in the 1980's, after designing over 2,000 boats, including eight America's Cup winners. Olin Stephens' most famous America's Cup yacht was the 12 Meter Courageous which Ted Turner steered to victory in 1974. She won again in 1977. Olin and his brother Rod were partners in the boat design firm called Sparkman & Stephens, which was formally created on November 11, 1929. Happy birthday, Olin!
I) Hollywood is setting up shop on Peddocks Island. Movie crews have built sets on the island as they film the movie version of Dennis Lehane's novel "Shutter Island." The movie is called "Ashecliffe" and is being directed by Martin Scorsese. It stars Leonardo DiCaprio. The book follows the journey of a US marshal who travels to an island in Boston Harbor to search for a patient who escaped from the Ashecliffe Hospital for the Criminally Insane. Paramount Pictures began looking at sites in Boston Harbor several months ago, and in the past few weeks negotiated with the town of Hull for the rights to use the parking lot and boat ramp at Pemberton, across from Peddocks Island.
J) And last on today's nautical news, American Robert MacDonald and his nine person crew safely finished the maiden voyage, from the Netherlands to London, aboard his 50 foot homemade sailboat built completely of popsicle sticks - 15 million popsicle sticks. MacDonald admitted that it took him years to build the Viking designed boat, and that he got lots of help from kids as well as from a local popsicle factory, supplying the sticks. MacDonald claimed he got the idea to build the boat after his wife said all the popsicle sticks left on the floor of his home by his son were a problem.
4/20/08
A) An unusually large bloom of zooplankton - tiny shrimplike animals that the right whales strain through the baleen in their mouths - have brought unprecedented numbers of whales to Cape Cod Bay in the past two weeks. Officials and professional whale watchers have never before seen this record number of right whales in Cape Cod Bay.
B) In a related story, the Environmental Police have been busy removing ghost lobster gear and fishing nets not made of sinking "whale safe" lines. Several cases are now pending against fishermen who were identified as the owners of the illegal gear. If convicted, they could face huge fines and loss of their fishing licenses. However, lobstermen claim because of the cost of each trap, they would never leave gear behind on purpose. They claim the gear simply gets lost in the storms or their lines get cut from boats and ships running over them.
C) The Massachusetts Senate has passed a bill banning the sale, possession, and distribution of lead fishing sinkers and jigs ½ ounces or less. The bill now goes before state's House of Representatives for consideration. Opponents to the legislation claim there is no scientific evidence that lead fishing sinkers are a threat to the status of loon or other water bird populations. Furthermore, they claim the prohibition of lead sinkers will increase the cost of sportfishing for Massachusetts anglers.
D) A 40-foot scallop boat from Maine capsized while docked overnight at the Provincetown town pier. Fortunately, no one was on board at the time of the accident. The boat apparently sprung a leak and rolled over during the night after a crew member had inadvertently turned off the bilge pumps earlier in the evening. The boat as discovered on its side the next morning. A local diver and crane operator righted the boat the following afternoon. The harbormaster reported minimal pollution, but the boat owner will be fined $50 for violating pier regulations that prohibit a transient vessel left unmanned at the pier. Ironically, the fishermen had left the boat unmanned to get supplies needed to comply with recent Coast Guard warnings.
E) Richard and Raymond Canastra are opening a seafood display auction in Boston that builds upon the success of their New Bedford Seafood Display Auction. The new Boston display auction is located at the Marine Industrial Park in Boston's seafood district. Fish and seafood landed in Boston and trucked from Gloucester, Provincetown, Chatham, and ports in Rhode Island, New Hampshire, New York, and Maine will be displayed to seafood inspectors in a refrigerated room. Buyers can bid on the seafood from their home or office computers during a live auction on the Internet.
F) Boston Harbor Cruises, which runs daily commuter boat service between Boston and Hingham and Boston and Provincetown, is now adding a new route between Gloucester and Provincetown. The 100-foot-long passenger boat can hold up to 250 people and can make the 40-mile trip between Cape Ann and Cape Cod in 2 1/2 hours. A round-trip ticket will cost $80. Boston harbor Cruises expects a minimum of 550 people each week to use the new service in its first year - considerably less than the company's established Boston-Provincetown ferry, which carries 75,000 people between May and October.
G) As of May 1st, passengers wishing to go to the islands on the Woods Hole, Martha's Vineyard, and Nantucket Steamship Authority ferry boats will have to pay more. The Steamship authority blamed the increase in fares and parking rates on rising fuel costs. The increase in fares is expected to decrease the number of daytrippers to Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard.
H) The Coast Guard is reminding recreational boaters to avoid approaching large passenger vessels, such as cruise ships and ferries, whether these vessels are underway, moored, or at anchor. A large passenger vessel is defined as any cruise ship, auto ferry, or passenger ferry over 100 feet in length. The security zone enforced by the Coast Guard is a 500-yard radius around all such vessels. The zones are in effect at all times whether or not the Coast Guard is present.
I) An Oxford University professor claims coastal powerplants are killing billions of fish every year. The impact is so severe that death rates are half the commercial catch for some species. Coastal power plants have cooling systems that extract sea water, and In that water are billions of fish eggs, larvae, and small fish. The impact on fish populations is compounded by the loss of vegetation and baby shrimp that make up the diets of young fish. The solution is to build dry cooling power plants.
J) The seal hunt continues in Newfoundland and Labrador, but at a much slower pace than last year. So far, less than 50 per cent of the quota has been taken. Some of reasons given for the decline in the slaughter of the seals are the high cost of fuel for the boats, the heavy ice floes that have prevented the boats from accessing the hunting grounds, and the protests by the animal rights groups causing lower prices for the fur.
K) The Canadian Coast Guard has seized the Sea Shepherd Society's boat that has been harassing the Canadian seal hunters. Paul Watson, the head of the Society, said his vessel was illegally seized by the Canadians because the boat was in international waters. He called the boarding and seizure by armed Canadian officers both an act of piracy and an act of war. Watson exclaimed "We're a Dutch-registered vessel in international waters with a Dutch captain, Swedish first officer, and European crew. The ship's logs and GPS records will prove the ship never strayed into Canada's 12-nautical-mile territorial limit. Meanwhile, the Canadian officials counterclaimed that protest ship was putting the lives of the seal hunters and the Canadian Coast Guard in danger.
L) Junior Ranger Day is happening on Boston Harbor Islands April 26th. Families are invited to take part in a celebration of National Park Week and Junior Ranger Day on Spectacle Island in Boston Harbor. If you are interested in joining the National Park Service rangers on Spectacle Island on Saturday, April 26 from 10am to 1pm for a special event, where children can earn their Junior Ranger badge, call 617-223-8666 or email a ranger for additional information. Boats will depart from Long Wharf in Boston. Tickets are $5 for adults, seniors, and children.
4/27/08
A) There could be an unusually intense outbreak of red tide this spring according to researchers at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. A wet winter and high numbers of "seeds" of the toxic red tide algae off the coast of Maine are setting the stage for a large outbreak. Woods Hole Oceanographic biologists say the field of these algae "seeds" is 30 percent larger than normal. A northeast storm could broadly disperse that algae and cause problems, but if southwesterly winds dominate and the region remains free of storms, the red tide could remain offshore.
B) A 39-year-old Cape Cod man was flown to Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston with serious burns after his boat exploded while stored on land at the Northside Marina at Sesuit Harbor. The man was installing a new bilge pump on his 29-foot 1965 Columbia sailboat at the time of the accident. Apparently sparks from the boat's battery ignited fumes in the bilge. The boat, named Tranquility, sustained minor damage, but the man suffered first- and second-degree burns. At last check, the hospital reported him to be in good condition.
C) The state's perennial argument about mooring fees between Senator Mike Morrissey of Quincy and Senator Robert O'Leary of Cape Cod, over whether locals should be charged lower mooring fees than out-of-town residents, took place at the state house. Senator Morrissey was victorious again. The current law on the books stands! "No disparate fees based on residency allowed." In other words, municipalities cannot charge out of towners more money for their mooring fee. Any town that charges resident and non-resident boaters a different fee is violating the law, and will be subject to refunding those overcharged fees.
D) Local commercial fishermen received some good news. They were told they will be receiving nearly 10 percent of the $13.4 million federal aid package that was passed by the feds for the state's fishing industry. The state's Division of Marine Fisheries approved the final plan for the distribution of the funds last week. The money will go directly to the owners of vessels with groundfish permits, and financial grants will be made available to their crew members. The federal aid package was passed by Congress after the Bush administration denied Massachusetts' request to declare the state's fishing industry an economic disaster because of the new stricter fishing regulations.
E) Recreational fishermen won a big victory over the environmentalists who failed to impose their proposed moratorium on the porbeagle shark fishery. The National Marine Fisheries Service just completed its Final Environmental Impact Statement regarding its Consolidated Highly Migratory Species Fishery Management Plan and accordingly, recreational fishermen can still catch and keep one porbeagle shark 4.5 feet long or larger per day per vessel. This was good news for the annual Monster Shark Tournament held in Oak Bluffs on Martha's Vineyard.
F) The US Army Corps of Engineers denied the state's Department of Conservation and Recreation a permit to dredge 500,000 cubic yards of sand from the ocean bottom to replenish Winthrop Beach. The proposal called for dredging of sand 8 miles offshore and hauling it by barge to the shore. Residents blamed erosion of the beach for their flooding problems, but the North Atlantic Division commander of the Corps said that the decision to deny the replenishment of ocean sand was made because of the availability of less environmentally damaging alternatives. The National Marine Fisheries Service, the state's Division of Marine Fisheries, and the Massachusetts Lobstermen's Association all objected to the project based on the possibility the dredging would threaten lobster and other species.
G) A retired Californian veterinarian, training for a triathalon, was attacked and killed by what authorities believe was a great white shark. The shark was estimated to be about 17 feet long. The attack took place about 150 yards offshore where several swimmers were in a group. There were 71 confirmed unprovoked shark attacks worldwide last year, up from 63 in 2006, according to the University of Florida.
H) Eleven crew members on a cargo ship were forced to abandon ship after rough seas caused their cargo to shift. The ship listed badly, and eventually, waves flooded the ship causing it to sink. An emergency signal was received by the Coast Guard, and a Coast Guard Air Station Cape Cod jet plane crew, while on assignment in the Caribbean, was the first to spot the crew in a life raft, some 300 miles south of Puerto Rico. The jet plane crew then spotted a tanker nearby and directed them to the life raft's location. According to a Coast Guard spokesman, Air Station Cape Cod regularly sends jet plane crews to the Caribbean to participate in law enforcement and search-and-rescue missions.
I) Defying President Bush's threat of a veto, the House of Representatives overwhelmingly approved a bill requiring the Coast Guard to enforce security zones around eight liquefied natural gas terminals and any arriving tankers. The President complained that the requirement would divert the Coast Guard from other high-priority missions and provided an "unwarranted subsidy" to the energy companies. The bill now heads to the Senate for debate.
J) In a related story, the House mandated cruise ship lines to post crime statistics that occur on their ships on an Internet site maintained by the Coast Guard. The cruise lines last year announced a voluntary agreement with the FBI and the Coast Guard to improve and standardize their crime reporting, but so far, the crime statistics provided by the cruise industry were said to be inaccurate and inadequate. That is because the crimes occurred either on foreign flagged vessels or in international waters, and they do not have to comply with American laws.
K) The Coast Guard suspended its search for a Florida business man who was reported missing from a Carnival Cruise Lines ship in the Caribbean Sea. The man was celebrating his 44th birthday with his wife of 8 months and was last seen at 1AM. However, he was not reported missing by his wife until 7PM the next day. The ship's crew searched the boat and notified the Coast Guard and FBI per the cruise line's procedure. An FBI spokeswoman in Miami said it appeared that the man simply fell overboard and do not suspect foul play.
L) And last on today's nautical news, Earthrace, the futuristic looking 78 foot, trimaran, biofuel powerboat is now on its second attempt to break a 75-day record for circumnavigating the world. The boat is designed to pierce through the waves instead of riding over them. During its first attempt to break the around the world record, Earthrace was plagued with problems. One time the boat filled up with a bad batch of biofuel. Another time its carbon fiber propeller disintegrated. The worst of its problems was a collision at night with a small fishing boat that killed a fisherman. Owner and skipper Peter Bethune said the problems they suffered had toughened them up. He said this time around they are much better prepared and equipped to deal with things as they happen.
5/4/08
A) Six female rowers from the South Shore will be making history this weekend as members of the first U.S. women's rowing team to compete in a world championship event in England. The 6 rowers are all members of Team Saquish and will be the first women's U.S. team to compete in the 19th World Pilot Gig Championship in the Isles of Scilly, England. The rowers' names are Hilary Moll, 44, of Brockton; Beth Howard, 27, of Hull; Karin Kaczorowski, 43, of Marshfield; Mary-Patrice Ruocco, 50, of Rochester, and Jessica Rowcroft-McKenna, 37, of Boston, and Michelle Hughes, 35, of Hanson.
B) Island Creek Oysters was the overall winner of the Invitational Oyster Tasting Event in Providence, topping a field of 19 "Eastern oyster" varieties. The victory gives the company the right to boast that they have the best oysters in America. The oysters were judged on their shells, shuckability, internal appearance, aroma, flavor, and aftertaste. The event was the first national competition held by the National Shellfish Association and the East Coast Shellfish Growers Association.
C) The First Coast Guard District is launching Operation Paddle Smart to bring greater awareness to canoeists and kayakers in the Northeast. Fifteen canoeists and eight kayakers died last year in the Northeast. Since 1998, canoe and kayak fatalities have averaged 1/3 of the area's boating fatalities. That is more than double the national average. The primary goals of Operation Paddle Smart are to promote the wearing a life jacket, warn of the danger of falling into cold water, and to stress the importance of being a prudent mariner, knowing the rules of the road. Paddlers on the waters of Massachusetts are required to wear a life jacket while underway through May 15, 2008.
D) A Plymouth man is going to jail for damaging lobster pots and gear off Plymouth's harbor last August. A Plymouth District Court judge sentenced the man to 60 days in jail and ordered him to pay $1900 to the two lobstermen whose pots he damaged. According to the state's environmental police, they came upon the man in a boat dragging a grappling hook ruining the lobster pots. At the time, the man told police he was salvaging an underwater cable to sell to a junk yard. Police said the cable was removed many years ago.
E) Secretary of Commerce Carlos Gutierrez has declared a commercial fishery failure for the West Coast salmon fishery due to historically low salmon returns. Hundreds of thousands of fall Chinook salmon typically return to the Sacramento River every year to spawn. This year, scientists estimate that fewer than 60,000 adult Chinook will make it back to the Sacramento River. The California Department of Fish and Game will truck nearly 17 million hatchery-raised salmon directly to the ocean in an effort to revive the states salmon population. However, marine biologists worry that trucking salmon smolts from their home river will eliminate the instinct that draws the fish back to their native waters to spawn.
F) The Bush administration wants America's 80 million recreational boaters to help reduce the chances that a small boat could deliver a nuclear or radiological bomb somewhere along the 95,000 miles of US coastline and inland waterways. While the United States has so far been spared this type of strike in its own waters, terrorists have used small boats to attack in other countries. According to an April 23 intelligence assessment, the use of a small boat as a weapon is likely to remain Al Qaeda's weapon of choice in the maritime environment, given its ease in arming and deploying, low cost, and record of success.
G) In a related story, the Coast Guard will begin operating a new international data exchange center starting January 1st, 2009, to track the positions at sea of about 3,000 ships per day. Under an agreement with the International Maritime Organization, the Coast Guard will run the data center for the Long Range Identification and Tracking system until December 31, 2010. The service's identification and tracking applies to ships on international voyages that come within 1,000 nautical miles of U.S. territories.
H) The U.S. government announced it will conduct a detailed review of the loggerhead sea turtle population in the Atlantic Ocean to decide whether they should be declared "endangered" under the Endangered Species Act. The U.S. government will also determine whether further habitat protections are warranted. These studies are in response to a formal petition filed by the environmental group, Oceana.
I) And last on today's nautical news, a 44 year old New Zealand scuba diver had a long swim after the dive boat he hired left him behind. Officials said the operators of the dive boat were an 18-year-old woman and a 20-year-old man. The young couple told authorities they didn't realize that their boat's anchor wasn't holding after the diver went overboard, and their 14-foot boat actually drifted back to the harbor entrance. They said they tried to return to pick up the diver, but their engine would not start. The young couple then called a relative who in turn notified the police about the scuba diver. Fortunately, after 1 1/2 hours in the water, the diver was found. Police said he was exhausted, but revived pretty quickly once he got on the police boat.
5/11/08
A) The world's second largest salmon fish farm company, Norwegian-owned Cermaq released its first quarter financial report, citing losses of $7.2 million compared to the same quarter last year. The company blamed the slowdown on disease and parasite problems affecting production centers in Chile. The company reported it couldn't stop a virus called Infectious Salmon Anemia from spreading. The virus is highly contagious that can be lethal to fish, but they claim does not affect humans. Overall, Chilean authorities have confirmed ISA outbreaks in 25 different salmon farms. Another disease plaguing the Chilean salmon industry is sea lice. Some scientists are concerned that these diseases could easily affect the wild stock if the farm raised fish escape into the wild.
B) NOAA released a comprehensive draft management plan and environmental assessment for Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary for public review and comment. The new draft plan is a major revision to the sanctuary's original management plan that was published in 1993. The new management plan focuses on what environmentalists consider key issues affecting the sanctuary such as commercial fishing, large vessel traffic, threats to marine mammals, water quality, and invasive species. However, at this time, no changes to sanctuary regulations are proposed in this new plan, but that could change after public comments are received. The deadline to make a comment is August 4, 2008. Public meetings will be held throughout the region between now and then including a hearing, June 11th in Plymouth at the Hilton Garden Inn and June 12th in Hyannis at the Cape Codder Resort.
C) Aerial surveys, vessel reports, and acoustic buoys in the areas where the whales have been feeding in Cape Cod Bay indicated that the whales have moved on. Scientists said this year's bumper crop of zooplankton in the bay attracted nearly one-third of the total North Atlantic right whale population. The right whales swim with their mouths open, catching the zooplankton in their baleen, and then use their tongues to force the zooplankton in their mouths.
D) A young couple in their 20s were playing ball on a Cape Cod beach when an errant toss sent the ball into the water. So, they borrowed a row boat in Saquatucket Harbor to retrieve the ball, but the wind and current was too strong for them to row back. Witnesses called for help, and rescue boats found the two, cold and shivering, about a half mile offshore, but otherwise in good condition. Neither one was wearing a lifejacket.
E) The Queen Mary II will be making a stop in Boston on Sunday, Memorial Day weekend. The Queen Mary II is one of the biggest cruise ships in the world. She will be docked at the Black Falcon Pier and should be quite visible to those who would like to take a ride into the Boston.
F) The Coast Guard will soon be testing high-tech buoys that will serve as an offshore early warning system against a terrorist attack by sea. If the buoys work as plan and endure the sea, then a string of them will be placed 200 miles offshore to form an invisible fence around the United States. Any sound from a ship's engine will be detected. That information would then be transmitted by satellite to the Internet and read by security officials on land or at sea. Much of the surveillance done so far has been by aircraft and satellites, which is very costly.
G) The Department of Homeland Security is calling for stepped-up security of all recreational boats, noting that terrorists have used small boats elsewhere in the world for attacks. They want all boaters to carry photo identification and possibly a federal boating license. However, Coast Guard officials said no such license is in the works. Instead, they said they want to piggyback on existing state licensing and safety programs and tap into local boat registration databases, rather than creating their own.
H) One man, one boat, one ocean. The Artemis Transit Race, one of the oldest single handed trans Atlantic sailing races, got underway today from Plymouth, England. The finish line is Marblehead, Massachusetts and the boats will be docking at Rowes Wharf, Boston. The race course is hazardous. Sailors will encounter icebergs, fog, huge waves, and storms. Some make it and some don't. We will be there the day they arrive in Boston.
I) And last on today's nautical news, scientists at a London university have designed a robotic boat that they hope will soon become the first robot to cross an ocean using wind power. The unmanned boat is named Pinta and is currently undergoing tests. It is estimated that Pinta could sail non-stop and unassisted for three months at a maximum speed of 4 knots. The boat uses solar panels to provide the power to operate a robot arm on the tiller and a pulley system to change the angle of the sail. If the tests are successful, Pinta will sail across the Atlantic the end of this summer.
5/18/08
A) The Coast Guard suspended its search for a 46-year-old Maine lobsterman after his 40 foot boat named Sav-a-buck capsized near the Isle of Shoals off the coast of Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Coast Guard Station Portsmouth received a call from the missing man's daughter who reported that her father, his teenage son, and a third crewmember had not returned from their trip and were overdue. The son and the crewmember were eventually found on Duck Island, off the coast of New Hampshire, by another fishing boat. Winds were gusting up to 40 knots, sea and air temperatures were in the 40s, and waves were as high as 12 - 20 feet.
B) The Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries ordered a halt to shellfishing on the North Shore after tests from Newburyport to Gloucester revealed the presence of the toxin-producing algae in bivalves. Red tide has also closed all shellfishing in Nauset and parts of Orleans on Cape Cod. Red tide algae contain toxins that become concentrated in shellfish, and if eaten in sufficient quantities by humans, can cause paralysis of their respiratory system, and possibly death.
C) 60 years ago, President Eisenhower proclaimed the seven-day period prior to Memorial Day weekend as "National Safe Boating Week," so this year National Safe Boating Week began May 17th. Coinciding with this event, the Coast Guard announced that there were fewer recreational boating fatalities in 2007 than the previous year. The number dropped from 710 in 2006 to 688 in 2007. That is the lowest number since 2004 and third lowest number of fatalities since the Coast Guard began collecting statistics specifically related to recreational boating. The big question is whether boaters are really more responsible, wearing their lifejackets at all times today, or were there simply fewer boats on the water because of higher fuel prices.
D) The boyfriend of a New Jersey woman who is presumed dead after falling from a cruise ship is now back in the United States after being questioned by the FBI. The man's girlfriend fell from a balcony on the Norwegian Dawn cruise ship about 40 miles off the coast of Atlantic City. The FBI said agents have seized the railing and glass partitions of both staterooms on the cruise ship and will analyze the items at their headquarters. The FBI is probing whether a crime occurred when Jordan fell from the side of the Norwegian Dawn just hours after it took off from New York City en route for the Bahamas. Norwegian Cruise Lines officials said that surveillance cameras had captured the woman's fall and indicated that she was alone just prior to the incident, but the woman's family is asking authorities for a full investigation rather than simply relying on the word from the cruise line.
E) The shipping industry did what Maine's lobster industry could not. It stopped the part of the federal plan that had required ships to slow down when entering an area where the North Atlantic right whales congregate. The shipping industry stopped that requirement by challenging the plan's scientific conclusions according to documents recently released. However, fishermen claim that ship strikes cause more whale deaths than their fishing gear, and that it would be unfair to let the shipping industry escape while burdening fishermen with costly restrictions. Lobstermen will have to spend millions of dollars this summer to buy "whale safe" gear to comply with the new federal rules. This is another case of divide and conquer!
F) Brunswick Corp., the world's largest recreational boat manufacturer, announced that it will cease production of four of its boat lines: Sea Pro, Sea Boss, Palmetto, and Laguna boats. As a result of this action, Brunswick will close its production facility in Newberry, S.C., by the |
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