Month: February 2010

White Squall is not as good as the tall ship Concordia story but entertaining nonetheless

I enjoy White Squall, but PLEASE note (especially parents of prospective sail trainees) many parts of it are pure fiction and over the top Hollywood. However,  it does capture the spirit of sail training and the camaraderie of going to sea.

Ridley Scott’s White Squall is a much fictionalizsd version of the true story of the Albatross, a “step” sistership to the SSV Tabor Boy, a ship on which I sailed during my 4 years of high school. Captain Dan Parrott’s great book Tall Ships Down, devotes a chapter to the Albatross and  is a must read for anyone interested in tall ships and safety at sea.

Here’s the official trailer for White Squall. Order it from Netflix before the winter’s over. It’s an entertaining movie for a snowy weekend evening.

The Tsunami: What Happened

Thankfully Hawaii was spared from the tsunami from the Chile earthquake this afternoon.

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But there seemed to be slightly more effect in Mexico.

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Finally, did you know that there was a 7.0 earthquake 50 miles off Japan yesterday that could have caused a pretty significant tsunami. I didn’t.

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Surviving a Tsunami: Lessons from Chile, Hawaii, and Japan (1960)(via USGS)

Hawaii Tsunami 1960 via USGS

Eerily useful, but potentially late, USGS reference as we await the arrival of a tsunami on the shores of Hawaii from the coast of Chile.  Great graphics and explanations about earthquakes and tsunamis.

Surviving a Tsunami—Lessons from Chile, Hawaii, and Japan compiled by Brian F. Atwater, Marco Cisternas V., Joanne Bourgeois, Walter C. Dudley, James W. Hendley II, and Peter H.Stauffer – 1999; Reprinted 2001; revised and reprinted 2005

Prepared in cooperation with Universidad Austral de Chile, the University of Tokyo, the University of Washington, the Geological Survey of Japan, and the Pacific Tsunami Museum

Ocean Energy Distribution Map from Chile Earthquake Tsunami (via NOAA)

Ocean Energy Distribution from Chilean Earthquake via NOAA

8.2-foot tsunami wave expected to strike Hilo, Hawaii 11:05 a.m. local time (4:05 p.m. ET) according to the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center. Tsunami advisory extended to Oregon, Washington, parts of Alaska, coastal British Colombia by West Coast Alaska Tsunami Warning Center

Here is the map of the Chilean earthquake and aftershocks from the USGS.

Tall Ship Concordia Medical Officer Survival Story (Video)

It’s alway helpful to hear the story directly from those involved.

David Teegarden was part of the professional crew onboard the SV Concordia and served as her medical officer. In this video interview he tell his story of resetting his dislocated shoulder so that he could climb out of his cabin and escape the sinking vessel.  Interestingly, he used the light from the screen of his laptop to navigate his way through the dark, overturned vessel.

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69° South: The Shackleton Project

This looks and sounds interesting.

The Shackleton Project is a series of dynamic tableau vivants inspired by Sir Ernest Shackleton’s 1914 Trans-Antarctic Expedition. Co-conceived by The Phantom Limb Company and The Kronos Quartet, this narrative installation-in-motion melds theatrical performance, puppetry, photography, and film with original contemporary music and an unconventional acoustic palette to create a stunning—and unprecedented—artistic and emotional journey.

69° South: The Shackleton Project

MassMoca

Saturday, March 13, 2010, 8:00 pm

Interview with Tall Ship Concordia Captain Bill Curry on Sinking

Here is the first interview I have been able to locate with tall ship Concordia’s Captain Bill Curry regarding the sinking. (via CBC Radio – Feb. 24, 2010)

It’s always good to hear directly from the person in charge.