Circumnavigating Ellesmere Island - by Sea Kayak - NYTimes.com

Arctic Adventure - A 1,500-Mile Trip by Sea Kayak - NYTimes.com: "To stave off a breaching 3,000-pound walrus from the cockpit of a small sea kayak, Erik Boomer recommends using the paddle.
“Sort of like a Heisman stiff-arm, hit him in the face and try to feed him the paddle,” he said. “Then start paddling.”
The first 600 miles of the Ellesmere Island expedition had not been so sporting — lots of marching along on skis with skins, towing the boats."

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Seven National All-Time Heat Records Set in 2011 | ThinkProgress

Seven National All-Time Heat Records Set in 2011 | ThinkProgress: "By Dr. Jeff Masters, in a Wunderblog repost:

"The year 2011 was the tenth warmest year on record for the globe, but the warmest year on record when a La Niña event was present (Ricky Rood has a discussion of this in his lastest post.) Seven nations and one territory broke all-time hottest temperature records. This is a far cry from 2010 (which tied for the warmest year on record), when twenty nations (plus one UK territory) set all-time hottest temperature records. One all-time coldest temperature record was set in 2011; this was the first time since 2009 one of these records was set. The all-time cold record occurred in Zambia, which ironically also set an all-time hottest temperature record in 2011."

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USCG Icebreaker Healy aids Russian Tanker Renda

The Renda, a Russian tanker, is bringing fuel to ice-jammed Nome Alaska, aided by our only icebreaker in the arctic.  This is the price of the Tea Party.  We have only the USCG Healy.  The Polar Star has been drydocked since 2006 thanks to federal budget cuts.

Maine Shrimp Boil Recipe | Stephencooks

It's an aromatic, herbal broth!

Maine Shrimp Boil Recipe | Stephencooks

Waiting for the Margaret E

The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission set a short winter shrimp season.  It opened the 30 day trawl a month late on January 2.  MWF only - 3 days/week.  A short day, too: nets on spools at 1 PM.  But last night after  two days of fishing the regulators bent: fishing allowed until 3 PM.  So if you're into the fish you can keep going - maybe get your limit - 5,000 lbs.
So the fleet came in heavy as darkness fell this snowy Friday evening at Friendship harbor - where perhaps twenty lobstermen have rigged their boats to drag nets instead of haul lobster traps. We waited for the Margaret E at Wallace's Lobster for our first shrimp of the season. I like 'em cajun style. Just seems right.

(click on images to enlarge and slideshow)

No. 22 Harvard Loses to Fordham - 60 - 54 NYTimes.com

OTHERWISE: No. 22 Harvard Loses to Fordham - 60 - 54 NYTimes.com:

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Men at work: Friendship harbor at year's end

Friendship harbor (click on photos to enlarge)

rigged for trawling

Friday, December 30, the last workday of the year was a busy day in Friendship harbor.  By a rough estimate of the dinghies at moorings in the morning about 20 fishing boats were out - baiting and hauling traps, or bringing them in for storage in the off season.  Others were getting ready for the shortened shrimp season.  The Department of Marine Resources has declared:

"The 2011/2012 fishing season specifications are a total allowable catch (TAC) of 2,000 metric tons, with the season closing when landings are projected to reach 95 percent of the TAC (1,900 mt). The trawl season will start January 2, 2012 with three landing days a week (Monday, Wednesday, Friday). Vessels may only land once a day. The trap season will start February 1, 2012 with a 1,000 pound landing limit per vessel per day [and no days out]."

Delayed a month, it will be a short season, hard on Friendship's fleet. 

Find the North Star

FindDipper.html:

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Volvo: Somewhere in the Indian Ocean

In one of the strange finishes in the history of yacht racing: leg 2 - Capetown to Abu Dhabi finished not at Abu Dhabi but at an undisclosed Indian Ocean port - to avoid the risk of attack by pirates!  The boats were lifted aboard a freighter and transported for several days to the United Arab Emirates where they will re-start bound for the next port- Abu Dhabi!

Jamie Steeves turns second sardine carrier to new use - Rockland - Camden - Knox - VillageSoup Gazette

by Shlomit Auciello
ROCKLAND — Jamie Steeves has made a mission of finding and restoring damaged old wood-hulled commercial fishing boats and returning them to use on the waters where they were intended to serve. Steeves, who owns J & J Lobsters in Rockland with partner Joanne Campbell, has just brought the former sardine carrier Ida Mae to the railway at North End Shipyard, where it is being scraped, caulked and painted in preparation for a new life.Steeves turns second sardine carrier to new use - Shlomit Auciello - Rockland - Camden - Knox - VillageSoup Gazette:

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