NAUTICAL LOG

Bray, Co. Wicklow, Ireland MEMORIAL SERVICE 30th. July 2011. A memorial service will be held in Bray, Co. Wicklow (Ireland) to honour all those who, for whatever reason, have lost their lives at sea, especially those whose last resting place is the sea which claimed their lives. Floral tributes will be taken out to sea by the most suitable craft from among Navy, Naval Reserve, RNLI, Civil Defence, Coast Guard, Fishing vessels and pleasure craft which are invited to join the flotilla in the vicinity of Bray Harbour entrance. Those participating are asked to assemble at the Hibernia Inn (near Bray DART Station) from 1300 hours. At 1400 hours an anchor shaped wreath will lead the procession of wreaths to Bray North pier-head where a memorial service will be held, at which representatives of those in attendance will be invited to speak. This will be followed by one minute's silence, after which those accompanying the wreaths will embark.  The position where the wreaths will

Now that's why they go out!! Here in Florida the Statewide lobster mini-season ends at midnight tonight.  To be honest NAUTICAL LOG has never understood its purpose but it is a real State tradition - it is always unwise to mess with tradition particularly here in the South y'all.  The lobster mini-season is always held the last Wednesday and Thursday of July starting at 0001 Wednesday and ending 2359 Thursday.  One may catch 12 legal sized lobsters in an approved manner for personal use, once that quota is reached that's it until next year.  However the regular lobster season starts August 06 and runs through March 31 each year so enjoy. Each year it seems there are accidents resulting in death and sadly this year once again a life was lost the first morning of fishing.  The weather was quite rough and of course people go out in small boats without too much experience, there were at least two capsizes in areas around Miami, FL.  Fortunately these people were rescu

Australia's South West coast While NAUTICAL LOG is not usually a great fan of Sea Shepherd Conservation Society (SSCS) that does not mean that everything they do is bad.  In fact the young guns of SSCS seem to be making a concentrated effort to appeal on a broader, and indeed more effective, scale to the general public. Some SSCS persons, it would seem, are trying to distance themselves from the actions taken by  'Wats-his-name' and portrayed in 'Whale Wars'® .  In addition the incredible stupidity of their seamanship, actually the complete lack thereof, in most operations has become a laughing point for many professional mariners and experienced seafarers.  This is an entirely different cause and NAUTICAL LOG has signed the Petition and suggests to readers that they may wish to consider signing this worthy Australian Government Proposal.  Just because SSCS supports it does not mean its a bad thing!! The Australian Government recently released a Proposal

PLA Navy Shi Lang (designated) On June 09, 2011 NAUTICAL LOG wrote a Post about the new PLA Navy aircraft carrier based on an existing hull, with the designated name of Shi Lang - the Post was titled " NOW AVAILABLE AT IKEA". Today July 27, 2011 in gCaptain - which is considered a leading maritime Blog by some - there is an article about the PLAN Shi Lang stating that even though she is due to start sea trials this summer she is as yet unnamed.  We are puzzled - has the PLA Navy changed its mind as to the naming, is gCaptain mistaken, or heaven forbid did NAUTICAL LOG get it wrong? We still believe that the PLA Navy aircraft carrier is named PLAN Shi Lang after the Admiral who in 1681 was put in charge of an amphibious operation against Taiwan.  And yes as the gCaptain article says she will be used for training and developing carrier operational skills.  Training ship or not remember she is still an aircraft carrier with all the power that projects - whatever n

Containers have been around for decades now and the 'box ships' have grown in size to hold thousands of them in two sizes TEU (Twenty Equivalent Unit) and 40 footers.  Once the containers are discharged they are placed ready MT for reloading and this is where the problems can start.  How to get all those discharged boxes back to the loading point at one Port from the discharging point at another Port.  In some of the smaller ports using 'shuttle vessels' to do this can quickly start to cost monies in shipping MT boxes. Earlier this year a company named Staxxon®  developed a folding TEU, it is now being manufactured in New Jersey by SeaBox® at a brand new plant.  For example on one Caribbean container ship NAUTICAL LOG sailed in we carried about 100 TEU's and regularly brought MT boxes back to the United States from the smaller Islands.  By shippers using these new folding TEU's we could have carried about 500 MT boxes on any one voyage.  When folded th

David Molyneaux The Sunday newspaper Travel Section often brings some different information.  Under the title 'CRUISING' was an article, quite a long article actually, by David Molyneaux of The Travel Mavens.  Somehow NAUTICAL LOG after over twenty years in cruise ships can just imagine The Travel Mavens crossing the gangway to arrive on board for a week or so.  This Post is about wearing lifejackets or maybe not wearing lifejackets at the compulsory passenger lifeboat drill required to be held at the beginning of each cruise.   Lets start at the beginning.   Lifeboat drills are still held at the beginning of each cruise however many cruise lines do not require passengers to wear their lifejackets during this drill.  Why not?  The reason is actually quite reasonable it is due to the vast numbers of 'guests' now carried in these vessels as many as 5000 plus the crew to look after them.  It is therefore possible to have 7000+ persons onboard.  Those of you who have

Benedictus PP XVI Perhaps here at NAUTICAL LOG we may be forgiven a little pride as it is not every day that one gets a papal visitor.  Our daily Sitemeter ® record of visitors showed the Flag of Sancta Sedes, the Holy See - Vatican City State  www.vatican.va .  Of course we have no idea who our visitor actually was but we hope any information sought by whomever was found.   If not perhaps we might have the opportunity to supply it via an e-mail. Thank you and Good Watch Please remember and pray for, our fellow seafarers held captive by pirates off Somalia.

Dumping crevice Diver at dumping site Diver with pilot whale skull Pilot whale skull PHOTO UPDATE: UPDATE: We would refer commenter MJW, who quotes the Bern Convention exceptions by the Kingdom of Denmark, to this photo and perhaps he may be able to suggest to all of us a use for this 'meat'.  To NAUTICAL LOG it looks very much like a slaughtered pilot whale  and fetus.  One can find an excuse for just about anything - but would one really want too? Many times at NAUTICAL LOG we criticise the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society (SSCS) so when they do something important we should also recognise that too.  Noticeably in the last couple of years the negative actions have been mostly conducted under the orders of 'Wats-his-name'.  When left to their own decision-making the young guns of SSCS seem to do better.  According to the latest SSCS report this is one of those occasions. Currently the RV Brigitte Bardot is in the Faeroe Islands covering the slaug

STV Asgard II SV Celtic Mist The importance of Sail Training is realised in Ireland however at the moment there is no Class A vessel available under Irish Flag State.  Why? One has to go back to March 07, 1981 when the STV Asgard II was commissioned.  She was operated by the Department of Defence under a para-civilian company called Coiste an Asgard .  She served well training cadets and opening up sailing in a Brigantine to several generations of Irish youth.  Then on September 11, 2008 she sank in the Bay of Biscay.  It was later determined that most likely she had struck a semi-submerged container, flooded and sank.  Fortunately all hands got off safely.  What is not so fortunate is that due to politics and indecision by the Irish Government and Coiste an Asgard the vessel was not salvaged.  By most nautical standards there were at least two opportunity windows to have done this but sadly it never happened.  At this late stage it is a rather pointless discussion and the t

Resulting from actions taken by the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society last year in the Mediterranean the Maltese Company Fish & Fish have filed a civil lawsuit.  On applying for her "Clearance" to leave a British Port the RV Steve Irwin was refused.  Shortly afterwards the vessel received a "Detention Order" from British Authorities and must now remain in the Port of Lerwick, Scotland until further notice.  However under British Law she may post a bond of United States $1.4 million, she would then be released, free to receive her "Clearance" and proceed to sea. Letting no good opportunity go to waste 'Captain Wats-his-name' has turned this incident into a fund raising effort to refill his coffers.  According to his recent statement unless SSCS post the bond of $1.4 million the RV Steve Irwin will be held indefinitely and possibly sold.  This latest sob story from this person, while having the merest grain of truth to it, is not likely in

To edited quote from the WTSF Official Souvenir Brochure: " Sail Training is a outdoor adventure for young people it is defined as a programme of instruction in sail handling, navigation, passage making, safety at sea and ship management".  Indeed it does all that extremely well and a great deal more.  It may well be that the "more" is the most important part in our modern society with its several social problems not the least of which is inter-generational animosity.  The experience of sail training allows young people to discover their own hidden talents and strengths.  It opens up the value of others both their own age group and older and to work as a team.  Most importantly it develops and inspires self-confidence as they get the opportunity to be the "person-in-charge" of a situation at sea under sail.  Many times it is a positive even live changing experience. Having spent my entire life on the water of which some 50 years was as a professio

This seems to be the week of walk outs.  At two meetings this week key figures or figure walked out of meetings when they did not get their way.  The first was at a White House meeting and the second at the International Whaling Commission's (IWC) annual meeting at the 'Hotel de France' on the island of Jersey, UK.  The first meeting has been widely reported in the United States and International Media and this petulant behaviour needs no further mention from NAUTICAL LOG , the second meeting is a different kettle of fish or perhaps one should say whales.  The IWC meeting frankly was a complete waste of time and as usual accomplished nothing for the whales.  The pro-whaling nations walked out when a vote was called in the childish behaviour of taking their ball and going home.  This petulant performance mind you is from supposed mature and experienced diplomatic negotiators - quite extraordinary.  So is the White House performance, perhaps both groups missed that class a

Hope you enjoy these photos of the people of WTSF which was a great success : Good Watch Please remember our fellow seafarers held captive by pirates off Somalia.

Mir across river Suir; patrol boats in foreground Eendracht across river Suir Europa, Pogoria, Eendracht, Sorlandet Christian Radich Mir across river Suir; patrol boats in foreground Gloria and Mir across river Suir; survey vessel and patrol boats in foreground Something about the ships in these photos.  The Russian Mir is a three masted Fully Rigged Ship of 110 metres.  Operated by the Admiral Makarov State Maritime Academy of St. Petersburg she is a waterborne school to hundreds of cadets. The Netherlands Eendracht is a gaff rigged schooner of 55.3 metres homeported in Rotterdam owned and operated by the Dutch Foundation and National Society 'Het Zeiland Zeeschip'.  She offers active sailing experience to both adults and young people.  She was commissioned by H.M. Queen Beatrix of The Netherlands in August 1989. The Netherlands Europa 54.6 metres is a three masted Barque homeported in The Hague and is operated by Rederij Bark Europa. The P

The Waterford Tall Ships Festival (WSTF) was held from June 30, 2011 to July 03, 2011 in Ireland. This was a grand excuse for NAUTICAL LOG to return home for a visit and we spent two weeks in Ireland visiting with relatives, contacting old shipmates and friends.  The ships starting arriving on Wednesday some coming upriver to berth at the floating pontoons on the South Quays of the Port of Waterford.  The Armada de Columbia Gloria was anchored off Dunmore East earlier coming to berth at the North Quays on the afternoon tide with her Waterford Harbour Commission Pilot.  By Thursday evening just about all the vessels had arrived ready to party!!  There was some disappointment in Waterford that not so many of the larger Tall Ships were in port as the previous time.  This was due to several reasons the Germans were not represented at all due to their sail training programme being in disarray.  Due to piracy concerns and local politics the Arabian nations also had no rep

The name Aoife is a Gaelic name given to female children.   There have been several famous Irish woman with this name and associated with Waterford.  It was Aoife the daughter of the Rí of Leinster that married Richard de Clare, known as Arc-Fort in Cambro-Norman or Strongbow in English, and joined the two branches of Viking descended peoples to form the people of Waterford in 1170.  In fact they were regarded at one time by the remainder of the Irish population as "foreigners".  The other Aoife, from more ancient times, is the stepmother of the children of Lir whom she turned into swans ( an Irish story worth reading ) and it is this Aoife that LÉ Aoife P22 is named after.  LÉ means ' Long Éireannach' or ' Irish Ship' and is the designation for all Irish Naval Service vessels.  LÉ Aoife P22 has a special relationship with Waterford and regularly fund raises for the Children's Ward of the Waterford Regional Hospital.  It therefore received ord