Issuma's Journey NW Passage = Sail World

Sail World reports on Issuma's navigating the northwest passage.  I hadn't known that Richard's great uncle Huberht was Shackleton's navigator.  Talk about coming from good stock! - gwc

"In 2011, Issuma, a 15m centreboard steel staysail schooner, sailed from east to west, skippered by Richard Hudson, who comes from a long line of sailing adventurers. His great-uncle [Huberht Hudson was navigaor aboard Endurance] Ernest Shackleton's ship on his famed, but ill-fated expedition to Antarctica in 1914-16. 
When undertaking the journey Richard, who had begun sailing at 12, had already sailed over 40,000 nautical miles and had been a teacher with the New York Community Sailing Association. His 7,500 mile journey started in Toronto on May 2, 2011, and ended June 3, 2012, when he docked in Victoria. Giant icebergs, pack ice, gales, fierce headwinds and equipment failures had not deterred him, but it was not as icy as they had anticipated and the journey was relatively trouble-free."

h/t Jesse Fradkin 

Vendee: Thomson hits object, generator, rudder damaged

Alex Thomson, sailing Hugo Boss was flying in the Indian Ocean, 150 miles from the leader, on day 31, about halfway round the globe when his boat struck an object. The damage to his starboard hydrogenerator is so severe that his ability to finish is doubtful. These boats use a lot of power - lights, computers, SAT phones, GPS. All those have to go into power save mode, weakening his links to his shore team, depriving him of information. And the rudder repairs sound dubious to me. Nonetheless he is again back on track, doing 19 kts., having lost only one position.

The rudder repairs were harrowing. Alex reports:

"On inspection the starboard rudder fuse had broken and the rudder had lifted with minor damage. The hydro generator blade was damaged and one of brackets was in pieces and eventually lost overboard. The rudder tie bar (the previously unbroken one) was also smashed in 3 pieces.

I set to work swapping tie bars to get the leeward rudder operational so I could steer safely in the right direction. The waves were very big and were coming up and over the transom and mainsheet traveller and were hitting the rudder blade while lifted. Both rudder cassettes sustained some damage while doing this and it was pretty dangerous hanging off the transom while being completely submerged by the waves.

Eventually I got the working rudder connected and started sailing again with the port rudder in the air. I contacted the team and started affecting a repair to the tie bar. I have been unable to sail at 100% while managing this repair. The repair has been done in a similar way to the previous tie bar but it has been more difficult and time consuming as the breaks were not clean and the conditions to affect a repair less forgiving. I will not be able to repair the cassette damage until it is dry on deck but the team feel that these repairs are not critical right nowI expect to have both rudders working bythis morning.:

Marjorie L. Riley (1921-2012)

Marge at her 90th

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Marjorie L. Riley, 91, of Califon Borough died on December 8, 2012.  She passed peacefully at home in the company of her son Gary K. Armbruster of Cranford, and her daughter Marilyn J.  Armbruster and son-in-law  George Conk of New York City.  Born on August 4, 1921 in Roselle, to Gertrude and Ernest Hanson, she was a long time resident of Scotch Plains where she raised a family with her late husband Hans L. Armbruster.  He enlisted in the United States Army for the duration of World War II, served in the Philippines,  and was honorably discharged with the rank of Sergeant. 

Marjorie’s second husband the late Vernon Riley, Jr. was a native of Califon, and member of the Fire Department.  Mrs. Riley was a stalwart volunteer at the Top of the Barn, Califon United Methodist Church, and regularly served as a poll watcher in the Borough.   She was predeceased by her sister Charlotte Murray and is survived by her elder sister Dorothy Johnson.  She is fondly remembered by Theresa Conk, daughter of Marilyn, by Charlotte’s son Thomas Murray, Dorothy’s children Deborah Meehan, Charles Johnson, and Robert Johnson.  She is also warmly remembered by Vernon’s daughter Diane Conlin and his grandchildren Patrick, Shiree, and Shaena.  

The family is grateful for the end of life care provided by the staff of Anita’s Angels, and the Hospice staff of Hunterdon Medical Center.

Viewing will be held 7 – 9 PM on Friday December 14, and memorial service 9:30 AM sharp  Saturday December 15 at Coughlin Funeral Home, 15 Academy Street, Califon, NJ 07830; followed by interment at Fairview Cemetery, 1100 East Broad Street, 1100 East Broad Street, Westfield 07090.

Vendee - 27 Days out - into the Indian Ocean

27 days out the 13 remaining boats in the Vendee Globe fleet are strung out over 2,600 nm.  Leader Bernard Stamm is south of Madagascar (39 South, 50 East), 16,000 nm to go, 24 hour speed 13.9 kts.  Alex Thomson (GB) is in 4th 129 nm behind the leader.

Bernard Stamm leads the Vendee Globe

Spuyten Duyvil Creek, New York

Spuyten Duyvil Creek (Wikipedia) Harlem River Ship Canal (Wikipedia) Tides Spuyten Duyvil Creek Entrance, Hudson (North) River

Arctic Ice in Record Decline - NOAA

The Arctic Report Card

The Grand Canyon

Older than they thought.  Definitely more than 6,000 years

Whizz Bang southbound Marion, MA to St. Martin IBoat tracker

iBoat Track - Cruising Boats:
WhizzBang departed Marion, Massachusetts November 25
'via Blog this'

Vendee: 7th boat withdraws after collision

Vincent Riou aboard PRB collided with a harbor buoy in the dark some 500 miles from land.  He later withdrew. There was a one meter gash in the hull and a whisker pole outrigger was fatally compromised.  It's an easy repair in the yard - but outside assistance is disqualifying in the Vendee Globe.  Only 13 of the 20 starters are still racing after only 15 days out, with the fleet just nearing Brazil. - gwc

"At 0700hrs (French time) on Saturday morning, Vincent Riou (PRB) warned his shore team that he had collided with a floating object. The skipper was at his navigation station at the time was able to get on the deck immediately after the impact and see that the object that had struck PRB was a harbour buoy (a large metal buoy). Following the collision, Riou found that the hull of his boat was torn and delaminated for about one metre. The impact was on the starboard side of the boat and the torn area is three metres from the bow. Riou was not injured in the collision. He will wait until daybreak to assess the damage and the possibility of repair. Conditions in the area are good and the wind between 12 and 15 knots. At the moment of impact, Riou immediately called the race office in order to report the position of the buoy to other competitors."

Go Navy - Gangnam style

The U.S. Naval Academy take-off on Psy's viral `Gangnam Style' video.