NAUTICAL LOG

From Maritime New Zealand comes a PR that the MS Steve Irwin has been released from the search for the missing Norwegian yacht SY Berserk. The Rescue Coordination Centre New Zealand (RCCNZ) spoke with the vessel at 2100 NZDT on February 27, 2011 and officially ended their involvement in the search. In that communication RCCNZ expressed their "gratitude" for the five (5) days of searching which included 24 hours of air search. Of the five (5) persons on board four (4) were Norwegian and one (1) was British. Two (2) Norwegians were ashore and made their way to a McMurdo Sound Base and are now being flown to Christchurch, New Zealand, itself the scene of a recent devastating earthquake.

So what happens now to the SSCS fleet since the Japanese whaling fleet is nearing Japan after a strange and confusing, at least to NAUTICAL LOG, season. During the season the SSCS fleet appeared to accomplish nothing worthwhile for the second year running. After the Japanese ended their season en…

With Spring on the horizon in many parts of the country and beautiful boating weather here in South Florida our thoughts turn to - boating! There are many pre-season boating checklists and NAUTICAL LOG is not going to repeat those again, just Google and print the checklists and use them otherwise they are useless to you. During our recent visit to the Miami Boat Show on Miami Beach, FL with Discover Boating we were reminded of several key points that we would like to bring to your attention.

In our previous Post we discussed charts and who and how they are published in the United States. Similarly other countries have excellent Hydrographic Offices such as the UK Hydrographic Office publishing charts of the World as well as their local waters. Nearby both Canada, and Cuba have excellent sets of charts and publications and if going there get the proper clearances in accordance with your vessels Flag State obtain and use local charts. Canada by and large requires Canadian charts in Canad…

Lately there have been intemperate comments from several commenter's on all sides of the issues. As a result the NAUTICAL LOG Assessor has removed their content to indicate that they were not suitable for publication in this Blog. Also the comments should be about the subject matter of the Posts, NAUTICAL LOG while an activist Blog is not a forum for an interchange of opinions between individual commenter's. Indeed petulant remarks received after an Assessor's deletion confirm that the deletion was warranted in the first place.

For the record NAUTICAL LOG does not like whaling in and of itself, we hold the violent anti-whaling tactics of the SSCS in the greatest contempt, and we absolutely abhor racial remarks and terminology. Comments containing any such terminology show only the incredible ignorance of the writer and are now being immediately deleted. If you cannot discuss an issue logically and in an educated manner do not comment on the NAUTICAL LOG Posts because your o…

From the McMurdo Sound Region comes very disturbing and sad news with regard to the SY Berserk. The lone helicopter available for aerial search the Nancy Burnet of the SSCS MS SteveIrwin has found a raft which is most likely from the missing yacht. A report from Paul Watson states, and NAUTICAL LOG quotes in part:
"At 0957 NZT helicopter pilot Chris Aultman spotted an Avon 8-person liferaft in the sea at 76 degrees 40 minutes 43.2 seconds South latitude, 166 degrees 01 minute and 50.7 seconds East longitude".
This position is 45 nautical miles North of the EPIRB distress position and appears consistent with the wind drift and current set. They go on to say that the raft was unoccupied, shore line and sea search turned up nothing further. A grid search has been conducted over the last 24 hours and it would seem the SY Berserk has been lost together with her crew. A full report with conclusions has been sent to RCCNZ as the raft found matches the description of the one reported …

MS Professor Khromov









Some photos from MS Steve Irwin which give an idea of the conditions in McMurdo Sound, Antarctica. Remember this vessel is not ice-strengthened or classed for ice navigation. The weight of ice on the decks like this changes the stability of the vessel which could put her in a very dangerous situation and quite quickly. The MS Steve Irwin is making a serious rescue effort in the best traditions of the sea - lets leave it at that. There is an additional vessel assisting in the search MS Professor Khromov of Heritage Expeditions. Heritage Expeditions is based in Christchurch, NZ which has been devastated by a 6.3 earthquake and numerous aftershocks.

Good Watch.

UPDATE February 23, 2011, 1945 EST. The SSCS MS Steve Irwin has reported to NZRCC the finding of a liferaft empty of people or supplies. It is possible that this may be one of three liferafts lost overboard in the recent heavy weather by HMNZS Wellington (P55). Readers may recall that NAUTICAL LOG remarked that three raft capsules appeared to of a different make in the starboard side rack forward of the funnel/stack visible in the photo from Dunedin, NZ. There were no numbers or marks on the raft which seems rather strange if it is from a naval vessel, the Royal New Zealand Navy should clarify that as soon as possible. The raft is reported to be black which is also unusual as they are normally have an International Orange canopy. The MS Steve Irwin was able to recover the raft which may well help with its identification. As of yet there is no report of or from the SY Berserk however a helicopter search is underway.


The New Zealand Rescue Coordination Centre (RCCNZ) is asking vessels to…

So has whaling finally ended in The Southern Ocean, NAUTICAL LOG believes that it has. With the Japanese Whaling Fleet now headed northwards home to Japan followed by the Sea Shepherd vessels this strange 2010-2011 season has ended. While we have always been very much against whaling we have always been very much against the nautical thuggery of the SSCS Pirate Group. The NAUTICAL LOG criticism has been strong and at times downright rude to the pirate group as a whole and their cult leader in particular. But even we can admit that the end result of their campaigns has been the cessation of whale hunting, at least for now. Does this mean that the end justifies the means? This you will have to judge for yourselves.

NAUTICAL LOG does not believe it does, these people will always be stained with the mark of violence on the High Seas wherever they go in the future. It will be very difficult for them to obtain seafarers papers and if they already hold them to renew them at the next five (5) …

Agencies:

Thoughts from the Miami Boat Show which NAUTICAL LOG is attending courtesy of Discover Boating. One of the things we picked up was Chart Catalog #1 covering the Atlantic Coast, ours was borrowed and never found its way back home. As the boating season is gradually getting underway for those of you who do not live in South Florida it is time to prepare. There is much to choose from in navigational software and electronic charting systems but who are the people behind the actual cartography. Federal Agencies in nautical charting are four (4) principals with some very important divisions - lets have a look.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in the U.S. Department of Commerce is considered the lead agency. It is responsible for conducting research, making predictions, and gathering data about the oceanic and atmospheric components of the environment. NOAA's division National Ocean Service (NOS) is the primary civil agency responsible for the health and…

The Big Guy speaks
From The Southern Ocean comes the realisation that the Japanese Whaling Fleet has turned for home and so, as can be seen above, Buddha 'Wats-his-name' speaks to his tame media. Sitting in his special supportive chair in the Radio Room he states the obvious to those who listen. There is a lot more drivel in his communication about how Chile and now France have been involved with SSCS. It would seem he is really straining for something to talk about and keep the fund raising attention focused on the needs of Buddha 'Wats-his-name'. Overall it is another pathetic 'grasping-at-straws' Press Release by someone who has definitely lost his touch. Now he must find somewhere to hide until next year - he will be back do not worry about that; what else is he going to do? It seems that one thing that was accomplished by Buddha 'Wats-his-name' speaking is that just before noon here in the Eastern Time Zone there was a breathless report by Lori Roth…

IS Alvand
IS Kharg


UPDATE: February 18, 2011, the Egyptian Authorities stated today that the two Iranian Warships had withdrawn their application to transit the Suez Canal northbound. They were not part of a 28 ship convoy heading from the Red Sea to the Mediterranean Sea in current transits. The Suez Canal Authority reported this afternoon that two Iranian warships had requested transit of the Suez Canal from the Red Sea to the Mediterranean Sea. The two warships are said to be the frigate IS Alvand and the support ship IS Kharg. Requests for transits by warships must be made 48 hours beforehand and they are usually in a lead position in the convoy. For passage through the Suez Canal there is a system of two Southbound (N1 & N2) and one Northbound (S1) convoys and each vessel must make use of the Suez Canal Pilots. The convoys are numbered in accordance to where they are formed so the northbound convoy is numbered S1. Since the Egyptian Military is now ruling Egypt the final perm…

19th. Century World Whale Chart

It is clear that the last desperate days of the SSCS Pirate Group loom and they are already concerned about what trouble they can continue to make in the nautical world. The latest is that they are offering a 10% discount on their clothing items purchased from the e-shop. What are these people Times Square hustlers or a Conservation Society supposed to be saving whales - something they have not effectively done for a least a couple of seasons.

They also continue to pretend that they working in conjunction with the Government of Chile, who could care less about this group of nautical hustlers some of whom have outstanding warrants against them from Interpol and Canada in the case of Alex Cornelissen. He is in fact the person reported to be contacting the Armada de Chile from the MS Bob Barker. Should these persons enter Chile it is quite possible the Chilean Judicial Police would detain them under those warrants, as they did on behalf of Peru in the case o…

Now that the Japanese have announced that the Japanese Whaling Fleet will cease operations for this season 2010 - 2011 what will the SSCS do? It seems try to foment trouble where none exists since there is no purpose for their continued existence. However those TV cameras must roll taping mostly absolute rubbish about the cult leader and his motley crews.
The latest is contacting the Government of Chile to report the presence of the JWF. In our Post PIRACY - HOA AND ? we wrote about the capabilities of the Armada de Chile. It would seem from the SSCS PR today that they took that post to heart. Taking it upon themselves they claim to have contacted the Chilean Cancilleria to report the nautical position of themselves and the JWF. Why? NAUTICAL LOG has no idea but it is claimed that in the event that the JWF enters Chile's EEZ they will know about it. Such arrogance is simply beyond belief, does the SSCS seriously think that to know what is going on in their country the Chilean Canc…

Well not quite but its making a very good start in at least one area - The Southern Ocean. From BBC News Asia-Pacific this morning comes a report of the announcement by Tatsuya Nakaoku of the Japanese Fisheries Agency;

"Putting safety as a priority, the fleet has halted scientific whaling for now. We are currently considering what to do hereafter".

Japans fleet involves 180 people on four ships this year and set a quota to kill whales. Achieving this quota depends on finding the whales and then being able to hunt and kill them. This 2010 - 2011 season has been rather difficult and the number of whales slaughtered appears, thankfully, to be quite low. Relatively few Japanese now eat whale meat but it is available in Japanese food markets. Due to pride of culture Japanese object to what they regard as foreign interference in a cultural tradition.

Maybe it is just coincidence that this decision jibes with the arrival of the RNZN ship HMNZS Wellington (P55) this weekend in the RCCN…

From the Gulf of Aden comes news of the British Royal Navy capturing a group of pirates and then releasing them. While on NATO anti-piracy patrol HMS Cumberland (F85) came across a Yemeni fishing boat being used as a mothership by pirates. The fishing boat was boarded and five Yemeni fishermen were discovered being held hostage. The fishermen were released and took over their dhow to return home. The 17 pirates were taken to Somalia to be released there, why? The Rule of Law is that unless the pirates are actually engaged in an act of piracy then they really cannot be prosecuted. There they are disarmed, pirating equipment is destroyed, the small skiffs used in boarding are also destroyed and the fuel is removed. The RN's HMS Cumberland (F85) is operating as part of the Combined Maritime Force which patrols the pirate area of operations.

Good Watch

Aloha. February and the whales on migration in the Kaiwi Channel pass Makapu'u ('bulging eye'in Hawaiian) Point, Oahu, State of Hawai'i. These were taken on Saturday February 12, 2011 unfortunately no telephoto (makapu'u?) lenses available but it is still nice to see them. Hopefully more in the days ahead this season. Mahalo and
Good Watch.

Armada de Chile Antarctic vessel
Current pirate area of operations

From BBC News Africa comes a report on one of the latest counter-piracy operations. Surprising to NAUTICAL LOG the Danish Navy has been one of the most active NATO navies against Somalian pirate groups. Together with the Indian Navy they have executed some very effective operations in this overall mission. On reflection though since the Maersk Line is a Danish maritime corporation it is not really surprising at all. Maersk operates the largest container ships in the world and the largest fleet sailing worldwide with many very high value contracts both military and civilian. Denmark is therefore no doubt encouraged to utilise its RDN in effective counter-piracy patrols in the Horn of Africa (HOA). In the report today CMDR. Haumann of HDMS Esbern Snare stated that they had eliminated one of those threats. His warship has captured a suspected pirate mother-ship off Somalia after warning shots had been fired. Sixteen armed …

Mission confirmed. From New Zealand Dunedin Television Channel 9 www.ch9.co.nz/ comes this report. The offshore patrol ship HMNZS Wellington (P55) is berthed at Harbour Basin Dunedin, South Island, NZ for the weekend. On Monday, February 14, 2011 she will travel southwards to the Ross Sea undergoing ocean trials to test her capabilities. So this would seem to confirm the waterfront gossip of her being detached by the Government of New Zealand to patrol in the Ross Sea an area of responsibility of NZRCC. HMNZS Wellington has a service speed of 22 knots and as a warship is armed with both heavy and light automatic guns. A couple of things NAUTICALLOG noticed in studying the photos of P55 this morning. In the original photo the naval grey looked dark and the three liferaft capsules in the starboard rack, just forward of the funnel/stack, were also dark grey. However in the video from Channel 9 the vessel looks to be painted a lighter grey overall and the two lower starboard rack capsules…

On the international waterfront today there is talk that the Government of New Zealand has detached HMNZS Wellington (P55) to patrol the Ross Sea. While this is a normal duty of that naval vessel the timing might appear to some a little unusual. Now NAUTICAL LOG has not been able to confirm this with a second report so it remains waterfront gossip from New Zealand.
However from a documented source, the latest Press Release from the SSCS Pirate Group, comes word that they and the JWF are in the area of 74 degrees 34 minutes South latitude, 149 degrees 9 minutes West longitude. This is about 2500 nautical miles from New Zealand on the southeast side of the Ross Sea in the area of responsibility of the NZRCC. For a mission of the possibly departed HMNZS Wellington (P55) it would be reasonable to think this is where she is headed. Unless of course she has been sent to detain the MS Steve Irwin on the high seas for something that happened at Wellington, NZ during her visit there, this too i…

Co-Pilot Andrew Cantle

CAPT. Michael Evans, Deputy Harbour Master Belfast


Yesterday morning, February 10, 2011 at 1000, there was a crash at Cork, Ireland Airport of a Manx2 Airline flight from Belfast, Ireland to Cork. Of the twelve (12) persons aboard the commuter flight six (6) were killed and six (6) survived of which four (4) have serious injuries. The aircraft was making its third attempt to land in heavy fog, NAUTICAL LOG has no knowledge of the Irish Flight Rules or the Cork Airport Rules but this does not seem the way to do things.
Amongst those killed was the Pilot, his Co-Pilot and a cousin, Brendan McAleese, to the husband of the President of Ireland. Co-Pilot Andrew Cantle was a volunteer in the RNLI, the Rescue Service of the coasts of the United Kingdom and Ireland, who had been on 65 rescues in RNLI service. Also on board and killed was CAPT. Michael Evans the Deputy Harbour Master in Belfast, Ireland.
NAUTICAL LOG would like to express to the families of those lost our …

TOWLINE going Red hull as well?

In the world of American business it is usually thought that competition improves service, with todays economic situation competition is eroding and it is survival of the fittest.
From the Northwest maritime world comes news from the San Juan Islands, in particular Friday Harbor, WA where for those of you who do not know it, the SSCS cult leader 'Wats-his-name' has a home. No this Post is not about him - you do need some relief - it is about a takeover, merger, purchase, whatever, of two local assistance towing companies. The skippers of one used to work for the other and had a falling out, change-of-heart not really any business of NAUTICAL LOG but having lived in a small fishing village we know everybody knows every other body's business. Such news travels and all the way to South Florida the boating world being surprisingly small.
Now it seems in the coming season the operators of TOWLINE, the breakaway company, have joined with the Vessel A…