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PORTS & SHIPS took a keen interest in the Borobodur Ship Expedition of 2003/04, particularly when the ship – a replica of an 800 AD Indonesian sailing ship called at South African ports and harbours while recreating the course of a journey from Indonesia to Ghana in West Africa.
Now we bring you news of another new adventure, a recreation of the world’s first recorded epic journey by sea – undertaken by the Phoenicians who sailed round Africa over 2,500 years ago. |
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On April 4, 2008, the luxury French yacht Le Ponant was crossing the Gulf of Aden between Yemen and Somalia when a swarm of speed boats surrounded the 32-cabin, three-masted vessel. A band of Somali pirates stormed the yacht, hijacking the vessel and taking all 30 of its crew members hostage.
A week of intense negotiations followed, ending with the release of the hostages to French military officials on April 11 in exchange for an undisclosed ransom. Shortly after the exchange, a team of French commandos tracked the pirates to a remote location in the Puntland, a breakaway region in northern Somalia. The commandos overtook them on an open stretch of desert road, attacking from helicopters and capturing six of them. |
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Russ George is the founder and current President of Planktos Science, a privately held San Francisco-based eco-restoration and ocean eco-technology company, whose mission is the restoration of damaged habitats. Here he offers a lucid and alarming account of the real problem for the survival of the world's oceans as we know them, and, literally blowing in the wind, an approach to a solution:
“I have read some of the many news reports on the ocean acidification and reef crisis that are presently extant. I beg to differ with the position that reducing our global carbon footprint will help save our ocean bathing beauties, the reefs. It's not that I don't fully support reducing our carbon footprint, I am rather more concerned about the role of the present deadly dose of anthropogenic CO2 already in the air on its way to our surface ocean waters. Those hundreds of billions of tonnes of anthropogenic CO2, the bulk of which we've prescribed and put en route in the past 75 years, are slowly dissolving into the surface ocean. |
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Maloy, Norway: More vessels in The Tall Ships' Races finished overnight and arrived in Maloy to a warm welcome with their national anthems played and flags raised. The small fishing town of Maloy is about to be doubled in size with the arrival of the fleet and everyone is involved in some way or other. Two cruise ships have been brought in to cater for the numbers of people expected, as the one hotel with its 48 rooms would not be able to cope!
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In every ocean there are gyres, ocean vortices caused by the rotation of the earth. The North Pacific Gyre contains the world's worst example of pollution. Here there is a vast floating soup of plastic bags and other goods which has collected over many years because the circular current and lack of wind drives floating debris into its centre.
In addition to this swirling vortex of trash - twice the size of Texas - the UN Environment Program estimates that there are 46,000 pieces of plastic litter in every square mile of ocean. |
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| More than 150 yachts are in a marine 'traffic jam' on the Caribbean side of the Panama Canal, awaiting transit to the Pacific Ocean. Many have been told it will be 'weeks' - in one case two months - before they will be able to get through. This delay could put them in danger of meeting the cyclone (hurricane) season in the South Pacific. Manager of vessel transit operations for the Panama Canal, Abraham Saied, told YM that the peak time for canal transits is between February and April, but for reasons still being analysed the commercial traffic this year is much heavier than usual. |
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Ahoy again after a short break, we always have lots to report about the news heard on our ssb radio net run at 7am and 5pm every day. Norman on the catamaran regal told us he discovered a very nice island paradise just 40nm north of Bazaruto he went there on a explorative break to Batholomeu diaz at 21.16 s and 35.06 e a lagoon and estuary idyllic beautiful area with only 8 residents out of season. The resort Rioazul at www.rioazullodge.com welcomed them and is a friendly getaway spot with rewarding fishing and diving and no red tape.
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World ARC, the new circumnavigation rally organised and managed by the UK-based cruising rally experts at World Cruising Club (WCC), set off from Rodney Bay, St.Lucia on Wednesday 23 January with a group of enthusiastic sailors beginning a 15-month cruising adventure of a lifetime.
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NINJA Mobile, a leading developer and publisher of innovative mobile applications, and Tidelines announced the release of Mobile Tides, a new mobile application that offers user-friendly tide information for over 4,500 locations world wide. Powered by NINJA Mobile’s content distribution platform, Mobile Tides displays up to 30 one day graphed tide images, downloaded, and stored for quick access on a mobile phone. A default tide location can be chosen for the user’s local coastline. When traveling, destination tides can be substituted and carried on the phone with no need for network coverage anywhere worldwide. -- Complete announcement
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| Cruising World and Sailing World magazines have nominated the Morris 45 for their 14th Annual Boat of the Year contest. In 2007, Morris’ M42 Won Best Special Purpose Cruiser; In 2006, the Morris 42 Won Best Domestic Boat of the Year. In prior years, Morris has been nominated five times and won three times: In 1999, Morris 34 - Overall Winner & Best Midsize Cruiser; In 1995, Morris 40 - Overall Winner & Full Size Winner; In 1994, the Morris 44 took home the Bristol Award. Results to be announced in January issues. -- http://www.morrisyachts.com/news |
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