Fatal Crash in Sidney Harbour

This is a strange accident resulting in nine injuries and five deaths. ABC News has a pretty detailed account of the accident; the photo above is from their site.

The accident occurred at night between a boat that was a mere 23' long and a fishing vessel named the Jordan. The smaller boat was also a commercial vessel. Judging by the name on its side it was a harbor service vessel.

One report I read stated the smaller vessel had been stolen. The ABC report didn't mention anything about a stolen vessel.

Fourteen people aboard a 23' boat (see picture) is a lot. But the boat -- believe it or not -- can handle it. As long as it's a short trip in calm waters, and nobody aboard is under the influence.

What I find mysterious is the condition of the vessel after the accident, as pictured in the above photo. If this is the actual vessel that was involved in the accident, it doesn't seem to be in very bad shape. It didn't sink. It didn't founder or capsize. And actually, from the photo, it looks like it withstood the collision quite well.

I've heard that what happens in a car crash is people get seriously injured by passengers who aren't wearing their seat belts. The force of the collision sends unrestrained bodies into each other, causing serious injury. Maybe this is partially what happened in Sydney Harbour.

We tend to think of injury and fatality aboard a boat as being a consequence of a foundering or sinking. In this case, it looks like the crash itself caused blunt force trauma to the passengers.

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Autopsy Confirms 15' to 16' Great White Killed Swimmer

Great white
shark, lateral viewJeff Rotman / naturepl.com

It's official now that the autopsy is complete: A fifteen to sixteen foot great white killed retired veterinarian and triathlete Dave Martin while he was training with nine others off the coast of Tide Beach in San Diego. As there are plenty of well-written and researched articles on the Web pertaining to this story I'm not going to go into specifics. Instead, I'll offer a few sound bites and comments.

1. Dave Martin died of blood loss. His leg was almost severed and reports confirm he died in less than an hour after the attack. Based on comments made by his son and other members of his family, he was not afraid, nor was he the type of person who would want what happened to him to cause people to be afraid of the beaches and waters he so loved.
   
2. The thought of being attacked by a huge predator is probably considered the scariest of all prospects to most people. However, survivors of large predator attacks typically speak of the actual occurrence as a painless experience. This is because the fear impulse is so strong it basically thrusts us into a state of shock. It's not until afterwards that it hurts.
3. Someone in the media apparently suggested that the shark attacked Dave Martin because it was protecting its pups. You would be hard pressed to find a more ludicrous statement. As one shark expert responded: "Great whites are more likely to eat their young." For the most part, they spit them out and take off.
4. The wires were carrying updates about how the Coast Guard and Marine patrol were out looking for the shark. I'm wondering why. How would they know if they were looking at the right shark, and even if they were, what were they planning to do once they found it. Great whites are s protected species.
5. I can't speak more highly of this man's family for the way they have been dealing with this tragedy. I don't know them from Adam but their interviews and statements to the press project an air of understanding and acceptance. We're guests in the ocean. It is a wilderness. Anything can happen.
6. I have seen two great whites in my day, both very small and both off mid-coast of Maine.
   

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The Politics of Fighting Piracy

As promised, a UN draft resolution has been sent to the Security Council by France and the US, also sponsored by Great Britain and Panama, that would give foreign vessels a role in actively thwarting piracy off the Somali coast. This would include boarding, searching, seizures, arrests and, I assume, permission to engage in military interdiction and combat-type operations.

The resolution still must pass a majority vote of the security council, which won't be easy. I think there are more than a few countries who will think twice about giving foreign governments permission to violate their sovereignty.

But it's really a moot point anyway. Ships and their crews are their own country at sea and as such have a right and obligation to defend themselves against piracy by any means possible. Vessels transiting between the Somalia and Yemen coasts should simply announce that the slightest provocation, intrusion or threat from any vessel, no matter how large or small, will be met with deadly force.

The resolution, if passed, will give countries a chance to act pro-actively against terrorism and piracy in the area, set up patrols, etc.

As usual, countries like the US, France, and the UK will be footing the bill for these patrols.

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Discovery Cove Dolphin Dies in Accident

I don't know how I feel about Sea World and it's daughter site Discovery Cove. At best, I'm ambivalent about the need for man to manipulate nature in a way that permits entertaining human-animal interactions. Watching dolphins and killer whales perform for an audience is not exactly the best our living planet has to offer. On the other hand, advocates for these sites claim the dolphins and orcas appreciate their contact with humans and that the educational outreach is worth the cost of freedom. That's if you can put a price on freedom.

The accident occurred during a session with the public. Two dolphins jumped from the water at roughly the same time and collided. One of the dolphins in the collision died as a result.

At the moment, officials haven't said whether the jump was part of a rehearsed performance. I'm guessing it was.

Having an animal killed during the execution of a rehearsed performance is different than having it die as a result of the two animals engaging in random play.

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Alaska Ranger: Hull and Bulkhead Cracks

Press Release

Date: April 17, 2008
Contact: USCG Public Affairs
206-220-7237

MARINE BOARD OF INVESTIGATION INTO SINKING OF ALASKA RANGER SINKING TO CONTINUE FRIDAY

SEATTLE - The Coast Guard (USCG) and National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) Marine Board of Investigation into the March 23 sinking of the Alaska Ranger reconvened here today in the San Juan-Whidbey Room of the Red Lion Hotel at 1415 5th Ave.

The goal of the Marine Board is to identify the causal events of the casualty and provide recommendations to prevent or mitigate future casualties.

The board heard testimony from Cmdr. Chris Woodley, Dan Hardin, Martin Teachout and Lt. Prudencio Tubalado. Today's testimony will help the board evaluate the safety standards required of the Alaska Ranger and whether the vessel met those standards.

Cmdr. Chris Woodley, a former Coast Guard Marine Safety Officer in Alaska, testified to his experience working with the commercial fishing industry and his participation in the implementation of safety regulations for all commercial fishing vessels in Alaska. Cmdr. Woodley explained that the Alternative Compliance and Safety Agreement (ACSA) regulations were put into place as a result of the industry's loss of lives and property after the sinking of the fish processing vessel Arctic Rose, April 1, 2001, and the fish processing vessel Galaxy, October 20, 2002. Cmdr. Woodley also spoke of how adhering to many of the ACSA regulations likely prevented further loss of life in the sinking of the Alaska Ranger.

Dan Hardin, a Thirteenth Coast Guard District Fishing Vessel Safety Inspector, oversaw the implementation of ACSA and spoke about issues regarding the approval of the regulations. As part of the program, vessels would need to be ACSA compliant by Jan. 1, 2008 with some vessels being allowed extensions based on a case-by-case basis. Hardin stated the Alaska Ranger was not fully compliant with the ACSA regulations at the time of its last inspection.

Martin Teachout, also a Thirteenth Coast Guard District Fishing Vessel Safety Inspector, performed an inspection aboard the Alaska Ranger during a dry dock period in November 2007 in Japan. During that inspection, cracks and fractures were found in the bulkhead and tanks of the boat. Three valves were found to be deficient and were ordered to be repaired. Repairs were also ordered for the hull of the vessel. Teachout stated some of the work had yet to be completed when he left Japan.
Lt. Prudencio Tubalado, a Coast Guard safety examiner stationed in Japan, attended the dry docking of the Alaska Ranger along with Teachout. Lt. Tubalado participated in an external structural exam of the vessel and conducted an internal inspection of the port and starboard aft ballast tanks. There, he observed cracks he deemed necessary of repair.

The hearing will continue at 10 a.m. Friday at the same location, and is open to the public and the media. The proceedings will not be broadcast on television, radio or conference call. Video recording devices including still cameras are prohibited for the duration of the hearing. Cell phones are prohibited at all times. The use of unobtrusive audio recording devices is permitted to document the proceedings.

Press releases will be sent out during the hearings notifying media of conference and interview schedules.

The Board intends to take testimony from the following people when the hearing resumes Friday:

Original Report.

Playa De Bakio and Crew Released by Pirates for $$$

It appears that Spain buckled and paid off the pirates for the release of the boat and crew. BBC story here.

This is not the way to fight the war against piracy and high seas lawlessness.

We all have to be on the same page.

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Somali Pirates Beware!

It's heating up for the pirates on the Somali coast. Spain, France, the U.S., and even forces from Somalia's own Puntland region are fed up and fighting back. The BBC has a good report here.

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Capt. John Cota Charged

The pilot of the tanker that spilled 53,000 gallons of oil into San Fransisco Bay has been charged with two felony counts of lying to Coast Guard officials about his prescription drug use. Originally, he was facing misdemeanor charges.

This ups the stakes for professional mariners and proves how far authorities are willing to go to placate the wishes of an outraged public and media. Again, as I've mentioned before, it's knee-jerk politics.

I'm not saying Cota should be given a free ride, because he's clearly guilty of something, but the only reason he's being charged with these felonies is because his license application -- as does all our applications -- has a statement or caveat written on it whereby the applicant's signature attests to the authenticity and accuracy of what has been listed above it. It's part of the Certification and Oath in Section VI, which reads as follows:

Section VI - Certification and Oath Certification (Mandatory) Whoever, in any manner within the jurisdiction of any department or agency of the United States, knowingly and willfully falsifies, conceals or covers up by any trick, scheme, or device a material fact, or makes any false, fictitious or fraudulent statements or representations, or makes or uses any false writing or document knowing the same to contain any false, fictitious or fraudulent statement or entry, violates the U. S. Criminal Code at Title 18 U. S. C. 1001 which subjects the violator to Federal prosecution and possible incarceration, fine or both. I certify that the information on this application is true and correct and that I have not submitted any application of any type to the Officer-in- Charge, Marine Inspection in any port and been rejected or denied within 12 months of this application.

Until now, I am not aware of any charges by the Coast Guard brought against a professional mariner for lying on license application.

What does this mean for professional mariners? It means the Coast Guard will be scrutinizing upgrades and new applications even more thoroughly than they do now. It might mean personalized follow-up investigations similar to what they do for employment with a high security federal job, e.g. Sea-Lift Command, whereby they send an FBI guy to talk to your neighbors, associates and teachers.

It also means any accident or casualty you are involved in will bring the equivalent of a professional proctology exam to your doorstep.

So don't have any accidents, and don't have any skeletons in the closet.

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Somali Pirates in News Again

Four Somali pirates with grenade launchers boarded and seized a Spanish fishing boat, the Playo De Bakio, with 26 crew members. The vessel was reportedly damaged in the attack but still able to operate under its own power. It's currently en route to an undisclosed location on the Somali coast. The Spanish government has redirected one of its frigates from the Red Sea to the area. This happened on Sunday.

Yesterday, Somali Commandos for the Somali transitional government stormed The Dubai-flagged Al-Khaleej and rescued it and its crew of 16. The Khaleej, a pocket cargo ship of 500 ton, was carrying cars and food to Somalia. Several pirates and one commando were injured in the exchange. The ship and its cargo was riddled with bullets. Somali authorities say the seven pirates will be charged and executed in accordance with Somali law, which is strange when you consider the fact that the country -- without a government -- is considered lawless.

Meanwhile, in another attack yesterday, a Japanese vessel carrying chemicals was attacked off the coast of Yemen. Word from the region is the crew escaped.

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Former Captain of Alaska Ranger Testifies

Steve Slotvik, former captain of the Alaska Ranger, testified to Coast Guard Investigators on Friday. As far as I'm concerned, the testimony, at least what was distributed and/or reported to the press, was inconsequential. What happens under one captain's leadership has nothing to with with what might happen under another's. Even if Slotvick was always in charge, it doesn't mean the fish master wasn't pushing his weight around with the other captain.

If you ask me, calling in the former captain of the Alaska Ranger for questioning has a grabbing-at-straws feel to it. Wouldn't you rather talk to the people who last took care of the vessel in dry dock? And how about telling us if the watertight doors were open or closed prior to the sinking.

USCG April 18 Press Release.

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Governors Island Makeover

From Wiki GFDL/CC-BY-SA
Castle Williams

The island is slated for a huge makeover according to this AP story.
On-line Chart View of Outer New York Harbor Including Governors Island here.
Governors Island Preservation and Education Corp.

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Deadliest Catch Editing Gaff

Reuters has the story here.

Very interesting and worth reading. The upshot is that Deadliest Catch admitted to climbing a slippery documentary slope when they patched together two dramatic sequences from two separate events. They say there was a wave that hit the Wizard that caused a leak. They had the shot of the vessel leaking but not a shot of the actual wave that caused the leak, so they went and filmed a big wave hitting the Wizard a month later and patched the two shots together.

The show bills itself as a documentary, which means it isn't entitled to take the same kind of liberties a reality show like the Amazing Race can take. Certain shots are allowed in documentaries, like pick-up shots. Re-enactments, staging and any manipulation of programming are considered taboo.

I've always suspected some re-enacting and staging on the show but the producers swear the they are a true documentary program.

There was one time they were changing a propeller, and another time when one boat rescued a crewman who had fallen off another boat. In both of these instances I thought I detected some re-enacting going on.

In the case of the broken propeller, I thought the shot taken underwater of the vessel leaving the dock was staged or a re-enactment.

In the case of the man overboard, I just wasn't sure how the actual lead-in shot, the one where the guy on the other boat was a couple of hundred yards away, and the one(s) with the actual man who fell overboard and was rescued, fit together. It was as if the shot of the guy yarning down the pot pile was a pick-up shot of somebody else. I also thought some of the frantic action on the boat during the rescue was staged. I'm not saying for sure that it was, just that it seemed it to me.

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