The Cousteau family has been treating us to this magic for 50 years. This time it’s in 3d with Darryl Hannah doing the narration. Coming to an IMAX near you.
For a beautiful hi-resolution Quicktime version, click here.
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The 2008 World Economic Forum is currently underway in Davos, Switzerland. In case you aren’t familiar, it’s sort of a convention for world leaders and activist celebrities. It might just be me, but this year there seems to be way less media hype here in the States.
In any case, many, if not all, of the sessions are posted on a special Davos YouTube channel and the one that particularly caught my interest was Future Shifts: The Voice of the Next Generation. On this panel were 6 kids from Sri Lanka, USA, South Africa, Scotland, China and Argentina. They represented a larger group of 60 youth from 43 countries that were brought together by the British Council for a pre-Forum week in Guildford, UK. You can see what these amazing young people are up to over at their website: The Road to Davos 2008.
I’m sure that this one won’t make the nightly news or front pages but it probably should. These kids are smart and articulate and when we are all old, they’ll be responsible for taking care of us. So I’m doing my small part to promote their good work and thoughts. Please watch and pass it on.
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For some strange reason I am fascinated by people who go to Antarctica. It probably has something to do with spending so much time studying leadership lessons of the great polar explorers like Sir Ernest Shackleton. I am also more than a little envious.
Jason Kottke recently posted a great collection of Antarctic blogs on Kottke.org. Let’s talk Antarctica blogs. Great winter reading while hunkered down in front of a fire. Check it out.
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Kimball Livingston, an editor at SAIL Magazine has a great post on his blog Sail West entitled Flying and Crashing Around Cape Horn wherein he takes a look at another sailing speed record attempt. This time it’s New York to San Francisco aboard the Gitana 13. Check it out.
It’s too bad that adventure sailing gets virtually no mainstreet media coverage here in the US. Francis Joyon and these guys are all heros in France.
World Sailing Speed Record Council’s Current Outright and All Other Ratified Records
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Francis Joyon arrived in Brest, France a little after midnight on January 20th and 57 days, 13 hours, 36 minutes and 13 seconds after having left. The Times Online provides this perspective on Joyon’s amazing feat:
(H)e redefined the art of the possible, as Bob Beamon, the long jumper, did with his “leap of the century” in 1968. Joyon took more than 14 fewer days in his 97ft IDEC II than MacArthur needed in B&Q three years ago.
Joyon was the first person to sail around the world alone on a multihull in 2004 but a year later, Dame Ellen MacArthur beat Joyon’s record by a single day. In fact only one other boat has sailed around the world faster and that was Bruno Peyron’s Orange II in March 2005 which took 50 days, 16 hours and 20 minutes. Of course, Orange II had a crew of 13.
It’s amazing to examine how single handed solo sailing has evolved over the past 40 years from Sir Robin Knox Johnston’s first attempt in 1968-69.
Great globetrotters (via Times Online)
1968-69 Robin Knox-Johnston, GB, Suhaili, 313 days
1985-86 Dodge Morgan, US, American Promise, 150 days
1989-90 Titouan Lamazou, Fr, Ecureuil D’Aquitane II, 109 days
1996-97 Christophe Auguin, Fr, Sceta Calberson, 105 days
2000-01 Michel Desjoyeaux, Fr, PRB, 93 days
2004 Francis Joyon, Fr, IDEC, 72 days
2005 Ellen MacArthur, B&Q, 71 days
2008 Joyon, IDEC II, 57 days
This adventure was also undertaken in an environmentally friendly fashion:
Joyon carried no generator and ran his battery from a combination of a wind generator, solar energy and a methanol fuel cell. “There was no engine running, which was nice, and it is a satisfaction knowing you can go around the world with the minimum impact on the environment,” Joyon said. “Imagine circling the world on a windsurf board. The project is built on respecting the elements.” (Times Online)
“The speed part, the sailing passion part, that’s extraordinary. But what is the strongest of all is having precious moments when you can be in harmony with the planet, with the elements. That is what will stay with me,” he said. (ESPN)
Last year I posted about the stresses of that solo sailors face. NY Times: Study of solo sailor stress and how human’s cope. Make sure you watch the videos.
I also posted about the inspiring Dame Ellen MacArthur here: “Lessons I Have Learned” – Dame Ellen MacArthur (via BBC Sport)
To give you an idea about the size and speed of Joyon’s trimaran Idec enjoy this YouTube video:
The Independent: Sailing: Joyon the reluctant hero welcomed home after smashing world record (January 21, 2008)
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I originally wrote the below post for Martin Luther King Jr. Day in 2007. Thought I’d repost it again today in honor and celebration of one of America’s greatest leaders.
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Yesterday was Martin Luther King Jr. Day and in recognition of the holiday last night I reread his Letter from a Birmingham Jail (April 16, 1963). I am sure that I must have read it previously in a highschool or college civics course but I more recently became re-acquainted with it when I participated in Aspen Institute’s Executive Seminar last May. If you have not read it or need a refresher like me, you can find online and downloadable versions here.
I believe that King’s letter is an amazing work for many reasons with one of the most important being that it effectively frames the difficult conversation. This is no small feat. Sitting in a jail cell presents a limited range of options for leadership but King quickly responds to the opportunity created by the Alabama clergymen’s public statement (April 12, 1963) directed at him regarding the nonviolent demonstrations taking place in their community. It is a very powerful piece of writing and worth the time it takes to read closely.
When I think of Martin Luther King Jr., I immediately think of the words vision, mission and values. To me King clearly demonstrates the power and importance in connecting these three concepts in order to accomplish what he set out to do. As a leader, King takes advantage of opportunities to communicate his vision, mission and values to wide audiences. His letter from a Birmingham jail may have been written to the Alabama clergymen, but his intended audience was anyone who was concerned about racial injustice in Alabama and across the nation.
To me the jumping off point for all of this in the need to identify the core values that will guide the creation of a vision and the setting of a mission for an organization or cause. In establishing Sea-Fever LLC, and a new nonprofit organization to be called Sea-Changes Foundation, I have spent a lot of time thinking about what core values are important to me. (Sea-Fever LLC’s Core Values.) I will be writing more about Core Values in the future. Please check back in and feel free to join in the conversation.
Finally, it had been a while since I watched Dr. King’s “I have a dream” speech (August 28, 1963). Like reading Letter from a Birmingham Jail, I believe it is worth taking the time to watch this video.
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Filed under: Education, Experiential education, life, sail training, tall ships, work
Here’s a link to an article entitled Young Bermudians get chance for careers at sea written by Tari Trott of the The Royal Gazette. It’s a great recap of what we were working on all last week in Bermuda.
This is a very exciting program which has strong support from both government and maritime interests on the island. As with all at risk youth programs, one of the biggest challenges could be recruiting participants. But, we are fortunate to be aligned with the Bermuda Sloop Foundation, the owners and operator of the beautiful new sail training vessel, Spirit of Bermuda.
Stay tuned for regular reports about what’s new with Northeast Maritime Institute’s new Maritime Apprentice Training and Employment (MATE) program which will be offered to youth locally and internationally.
Here’s an informative video about the Spirit of Bermuda and the Bermuda Sloop Foundation.
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Filed under: maritime heritage
Tugster (here and here), gCaptain, Gothamist and many other bloggers covered the recent three Cunard Queens (Mary 2, Elizabeth 2 and Victoria) first and last rendezvous in New York City.
But here’s an interesting Flickr photoset by Bonito Club called Mid century ship interiors. Check it out to see what it really meant to cruise in style.
One of my favorites (below) is the Pop Inn.
A postcard of the Tourist Class teenagers room from the P&O liner “Canberra” of 1961. “There is a juke-box stacked with ‘pop’ records to give full scope to exuberance. There are soft-drink dispensers too – even in shape this room is far from square!” Designed by John Wright and featuring murals and artwork by David Hockney.
The Cunard website is chockful of information including live bridge webcams; its worth a visit.
(Thanks Coudal Partners Blended Feed)
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Will over at tugster has a great series of posts about his recent voyage on the Peking from the shipyard to her berth at South Street Seaport. Wonder how that passage was negotiated?
Clearly the most eloquent maritime blogger, tugster writes:
What thrilled me most was that Peking was alive again. I felt her pulse steady and heard some deep breaths.
(Above photo by Elizabeth via tugster.)
To celebrate the return of the Peking, here’s the second part of Irving Johnson’s amazing video Round the Horn on Peking. I posted the first part here. (Thanks to Mitchmiller123 on YouTube) If you watch nothing else, go to the 6:30 mark and check out Johnson’s climbing down the edge of the sail. PLEASE DO NOT ATTEMPT THIS AT HOME! I also love the part where, looking down from the topmast, he declares , “we got sails!“
NOTE (January 25, 2008): The below video is no longer available via YouTube due to a copyright claim by Mystic Seaport. The version that Mitchmiller123 posted on YouTube appeared to be different than Mystic version that I had previously watched although clearly the Irving Johnson footage and narration was the same. Seems a little short sighted to me.
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Filed under: Education, Experiential education, Leadership, sail training, sailing
Sorry I haven’t posted lately but I’ve been in Bermuda all week working on an exciting youth maritime education, training and employment program. I previously posted on this here and will have more in the future.
In the meantime, here’s a picture of the brigantine Fritha which was my home for the week. She’s one of many amazing resources that we have at Northeast Maritime Institute. I’ll be developing some leadership and educational vacation programs for Buzzards Bay this summer. Send me an email if you are interested in learning more.
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