harbor-watch.com news

Plastiki crosses Pacific

2010-09-05T17:52:00.000-07:00

Boat made of plastic bottles crosses Pacific - World news - World environment - msnbc.com: "The Plastiki, kept afloat by 12,500 plastic bottles, completes her 8,000-nautical mile voyage from San Francisco as she passes the Sydney Opera House on Monday. Bottles stacked in rows make up the hull, and they are held together with organic glue made from cashew husks and sugarcane. Recycled aluminium irrigation pipe was used for the mast."

The liveaboard life...

2010-09-05T08:52:00.000-07:00

Great article on the pros and cons: "If you want to know what it's like to live on a boat, put everything you own into your living room, close all the doors and try to live in a space that small."

14 year old Laura Dekker sails to the start of her solo voyage with dad.

2010-09-05T08:48:00.000-07:00

Sail-World.com : Dutch teen solo sailor, 14, begins her voyage: "'Laura Dekker steers her boat, with her father, Dick Dekker, at left, as they depart the harbour of Den Osse (AP Photo/Bas Czerwinski)'"

Breaching whale crash-lands on sailboat

2010-07-21T21:12:00.000-07:00

Breaching whale crash-lands on sailboat - CNN.com: "A sailor has described her 'miraculous' escape after a whale leapt out of the water and crash-landed on the deck of her boat off the coast of South Africa.

Giant Killer whale

2010-07-02T11:12:00.000-07:00

Whale named for 'Moby Dick' author: "– This artists' rendering provided by the journal Nature shows a raptorial sperm whale Leviathan melvillei …

LONDON – Scientists have discovered an ancient whale whose bite ripped huge chunks of flesh out of other whales about 12 million years ago — and they've named it after the author of 'Moby Dick.'

The prehistoric sperm whale grew to between 13 and 18 meters (up to 60 feet) long, not unusual by today's standards. But unlike modern sperm whales, Leviathan melvillei, named for Herman Melville, sported vicious, tusk-like teeth some 36 centimeters (14 inches) long."

Take me to the River....

2010-05-24T10:35:00.000-07:00

Topock Marina will be replaced this fall � Route 66 News: "The Topock Marina on Old Route 66 in Topock, Ariz., will be replaced with a $14 million, 102-room hotel, spa, nightclub, microbrewery, restaurant, and conference center starting this fall, owner Chet Hitt told the Mojave Daily News."

Rogers riffs on "Row row row your boat."

2010-05-22T10:05:00.000-07:00

Mister Rogers' Neighborhood - King Friday's Version

Propel, propel, propel your craft
Gently down liquid solution.
Ecstatically, ecstatically, ecstatically
Existence is but an illusion.

The lonliest whale in the world

2010-05-19T07:27:00.000-07:00

Scientists baffled by grey whale sighted off Israel : "Every spring, grey whales head north to the icy Arctic Ocean to feed. But the ice there has been melting at an alarming rate. So the theory is that after the whale left its mating grounds near Mexico, it travelled to the North Pacific, then travelled though the now open Northwest Passage and found itself in the Atlantic.

From there, it must have kept going, turning left when it reached Gibraltar, into the Mediterranean, before finding itself off the shores of Israel.

'If it did in fact go through the Arctic, it would be one of a number of species that are recolonizing the Arctic where they've never been known before in human memory,' says Barrett-Lennard."

Whales, oceans, wildlife rescue

2010-05-13T23:34:00.000-07:00

Gray whale is freed from web of nets, swims off: "It took about four hours for a team of marine animal rescue workers to remove the mesh rope knotted around the whale's head and tail, said Tim Sullivan of the Ocean Institute in Dana Point.

Rescue workers freed the whale from a snarl of fishing nets, and it swam back into the Pacific. The whale was docile and calm throughout the rescue operation, rescuers said.

It was a happy ending to a tense, two-day episode that involved some of the nation's top marine biologists and drew hundreds of spectators to the shore. And it was first time in more than a decade that a whale has been successfully freed from nets in Southern California."

Jessica Watson's homecoming

2010-05-11T10:09:00.000-07:00

Broadcast LIVE this Saturday: "Sydney planners have put it on the scale of New Year's Eve celebrations, but solo adventurer Jessica Watson's weekend homecoming is now officially a national event with the announcement of a live television broadcast.

Network Ten has set aside two hours of programming on its free-to-air and digital channels for the 16-year-old's arrival in Sydney Harbour on Saturday, enlisting some of its leading lights to officiate."

BP Describes Race to Fix Well

2010-05-03T09:54:00.000-07:00

Gulf Oil Spill: "The root of the problem appears to be a towering stack of heavy equipment 5,000 feet below the surface of the gulf known as a blowout preventer. It is a steel-framed stack of valves, rams, housings, tanks and hydraulic tubing that is designed to seal the well quickly in the event of a burst of pressure. It did not work when the Deepwater Horizon oil rig exploded."

Aspiring sailor trying to sail round the UK circles the Isle of Sheppey instead - Telegraph

2010-04-29T07:44:00.000-07:00

There is a hidden lesson in this story. See if you know what it is....: "Aspiring sailor trying to sail round the UK circles the Isle of Sheppey instead"

Just in time for Father's Day-- a mega-yacht with missile defence

2010-04-25T23:22:00.000-07:00

WOW: "Built at an estimated cost of $500 million to $1.2 billion Cdn, the Eclipse is reported to have two helipads, a three-man submarine, multiple hot tubs, a discotheque, a pool, a missile-detection system and a laser shield to deter the paparazzi. The vessel is believed to be 164 metres long (or more), making it the longest private yacht in the world"

Repairs end Abby Sunderland's shot at record nonstop sail - LA Daily News

2010-04-25T20:33:00.000-07:00

That's too bad - I was pulling for her: "'I gave it my best shot and made it almost half way around the world. I will definitely keep going, and whether or not I will make any more stops after this I don't know yet,' Sunderland wrote on her blog Saturday."

Sail Canada!

2010-04-23T13:08:00.000-07:00

This year its Sailing the San Juans and Canadian Gulf Islands for us!

Congressional resolution

2010-04-23T00:05:00.000-07:00

Promote recreational fishing & boating: "So all over the nation, if the resolution passes, the House will want us to get out our power boats, fishing boats, yachts, houseboats and others. We'll get an official blessing for sport fishing, walleye fishing, fly fishing, salmon fishing, saltwater fishing, trout fishing, lake fishing, etc. Get out your fishing reels, lures and tackle! Earth Day can mean Ocean Day too."

Charter in the Galapagos Islands

2010-04-22T01:25:00.000-07:00

Eco-luxury Tour of Galapagos Islands on 210-foot Yacht: "Luxury Cruising: Island hopping the Galapagos Islands is a unique way to put nature and luxury on the same map in equal measures. Thinking big, we selected the Eclipse as our yacht charter of choice. This 210-foot Eclipse accommodates up to 48 passengers with 26 cabins and has a crew of 35."

World marine debris totals 10 mln pieces in 1-day cleanup

2010-04-21T21:22:00.000-07:00

Reuters: "'We saw flip-flops washing ashore on these islands in far northern Norway near the Arctic Circle,' Cousteau, a conservationist and grandson of famed oceanographer Jacques Cousteau, said in a telephone interview.

Cousteau was commenting on marine debris statistics released Tuesday by the Ocean Conservancy group.

'People don't wear flip-flops in the Arctic, at least not if they're sane,' Cousteau said. 'I think people are starting ... to realize that this is a global problem.'"

Nature-Inspired Yachts

2010-04-16T10:40:00.000-07:00

Rivers and Waterfalls on my boat? "The Aliz Yacht would feature a deck to deck waterfall. The top deck would have a river running through it. The hydraulic lift surrounded by gardens. The gardens change deck to deck, giving you a foresty feel even when you’re out at sea. I think I’d rather walk around the Aliz Yacht than walk around an actual forest. Sorry forest."

Sail Timer now for iPhone, iPod or iPad AND with a waterproof bag

2010-04-08T04:35:00.000-07:00

I remember when windows apps were always leading the charge, now I've got to get an iphone, to keep up with the Jones': "The SailTimer app - a quick and simple way to get your Tacking Time to Destination - from iTunes can now be used on the new iPad tablets, in addition to iPhone and iPod, and currently comes at a marked-down price of US$3.99.

Ordinary GPS units do not account for the fact that sailboats zig-zag, when calculating ETA. The SailTimer app does, and can also show you the optimal tacking angles."

Remote Controlled Fishing Boat

2010-04-04T09:04:00.000-07:00

Delivers the bait right to the fish: "Most fishers know that the best spot is always beyond the casting range of an average person, so normally you need to have a boat to be able to fish further. Well not anymore! Our RC Fishing Boat can help increase your casting range to drop your bait at any spot of your choice. Why spend days in frustration while trying to cast to the best spot when you can simply get a RC Fishing Boat that does all that hard work for you …"

Teen sailor clears hurdle in voyage

2010-04-02T04:49:00.000-07:00

Go Abby! “I rounded Cape Horn today!!” a Thousand Oaks teen wrote in her blog Wednesday, sharing news of a feat that she and her supporters say is a record.

Rounding Cape Horn makes Abby Sunderland the youngest person in history to sail through one of the most treacherous places in the ocean, Abby and her supporters believe.

Located at the tip of South America, “Cape Horn is considered by some the Mount Everest of sailing and I believe I am the youngest person to ever sail around it alone,” Abby Sunderland wrote."

Ellison's goal to market the America's Cup to the U.S. - CNN Money

2010-04-01T06:08:00.000-07:00

Oracle's Larry Ellison talks about winning the America's Cup: "Oh yeah. It shouldn't be about money. It should be a little bit about technology and a lot about sailing. And it's got to be a great experience for viewers. It's got to be something kids want to watch. Quite frankly when I'm watching the Olympics I watch downhill racing. My kids watch the snowboarders. Okay. We've got to pay attention to that.

I kind of like monohulls. All my racing experience is on monohulls. But if what the kids want to watch is multihulls because it's more exciting, we'll go multihulls. We've got to make this a great sport from the point of view of the participant, especially the kid who's just getting into the sport, and from the point of view of the viewer on television."

New round the world record.

2010-04-01T02:58:00.000-07:00

The Jules Verne Trophy: "French skipper, Franck Cammas and his nine-men crew onboard their 105 ft trimaran, Groupama 3, has broken the around-the-world sailing record by finishing in 48 days, 7 hours, 44 minutes and 55 seconds late Saturday afternoon, March 20 in Brest, France. With achieving this they took the Jules Verne Trophy."

Boating Suite • Log Book & Expense Log for iPhone,

2010-03-27T13:26:00.000-07:00

Attention boat/geeks: "Boating Suite is a professional, full-featured app for the iPhone and iPod Touch that is designed to help you manage all aspects of your boating life. But it’s not just a boating app. It’s the first and only app designed by boating enthusiasts, for boating enthusiasts."