Capt McWhirr on Weather Routing

 Captain McWhirr on weather routing:


"But suppose I went swinging off my course and came in two days late, and they asked me: 'Where have you been all that time, Captain?' What could I say to that? 'Went around to dodge the bad weather,' I would say. 'It must've been dam' bad,' they would say. 'Don't know,' I would have to say; 'I've dodged clear of it.'

The whole story is here - Typhoon by Joseph Conrad

K.C.

Rowing in Heavy Weather - Advice I hope I never need.

Photo from Northwest Maritime Institute

"With the double-ender whaleboat type you'll probably find it easier to take the seas over the stern. With stern to the sea and enough motion from the oars to give steerageway, you have an ideal situation under the circumstances. Or at least as ideal a situation as one could have riding out a gale in midocean in a lifeboat"

-From Survival Guide for the Mariner

Labor Day Post with Ramblin' Jack Elliot - Look out, you Fascists!

Labor day is a good time to check out the site Adventures of the Black Gang - Check out Ramblin’ Jack Elliot taking a vacation on a Liberty Ship - with a dish-washing job, on a ship loaded with  TNT.

Lots of good stuff.

music, photos, art, tattoos, history, maritime wackiness says Monkey Fist


K.C.

Disposing of waste oil the easy way - legally.

I came across US Coast Guard Prevention Blog the other day looks like it is a worthwhile site and I have added it to my blogroll.

I have a small beef with one paragraph from the post Catching Polluters: Marine Pollution Enforcement—Part 1

The handling of oily waste is a constant challenge because it is continually produced, and the operation and maintenance of pollution prevention equipment takes time and effort. Additionally, disposal options can be costly. This has led some vessels to discharge oily waste overboard in direct contravention of MARPOL requirements.

Often inspectors assume that a ship produces far more waste oil then it can dispose of or that it is easier to pump oil over the side then it is to disposed of it legally.

Depending how the ship is set up this is not necessarily true. If the ship is set up right the easiest method to handle waste oil is send it to the waste oil tank, decant any water and burn the oil in the incinerator. Jury rigging the system to pump oil directly over the side would be far more effort. In addition a well designed engine room will have more capacity to burn oil in this fashion then is produced.

Think of your toilet at home, have you ever considered removing the waste and disposing of it illegally? No, because it is much easier to give the lever a push.

Aboard a newer, modern ship, Port State Control officers should not necessarily assume that illegally pumping oil over the side  is the practical or desirable option for the crew.

K.C.

PORTFIRE 40

PORTFIRE 40
TradeWinds recently published a list of the 100 most powerful movers and shakers in shipping,  You can't see who they are without a subscription but you can see the image of a big board room table here. The top 100 is about $$$, TradeWinds writes of these top 100:

 Is it the head of the world’s biggest shipping group, the wealthiest owner or someone controlling a top stock exchange listed company? And how will the competing claims of liners, tankers and bulkers be balanced?

The  PORTFIRE 40 on the other hand isn't about big money it is  about ideas, creativity and passion. Let's turn the sea bag upside down and give it another shake and get at the good stuff still hidden in there.

Ryan Skinner of 59° 56' N has more on The PORTFIRE 40 at:
Meet the Portfire40!

Bob Couttie of Marine Acident Casebook with: Enough of the same suits.

Meet the Portfire40. Maritime people making a difference… from Shipping Podcasts which is provided by Coracle Online Ltd: professional development provider with a focus on the shipping and commodity industries.


Amver.com - Announcing Portfire 40 -with a video with by Benjamin Strong

Shiptalk - Meet the Portfire40!

The always focused Sea Fever has a good post on the Portfire 40 True North Leadership and the PortFire 40

gcaptain posts Portfire 40 Launches! Who do you think should make the list?

Any recommendations suggestions nominations or what have you - leave them in comments or send an email. 


K.C.