And what country can preserve its liberties if their rulers are not warned from time to time that their people preserve the spirit of resistance? Let them take arms. The remedy is to set them right as to facts, pardon and pacify them. What signify a few lives lost in a century or two? The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants.
Sunday, May 15, 2022
Marin-Marie, (1901-1987, French)-Three-master and cruise ship on a choppy sea
That which scared me on the oceans was a steamer coming towards me. You could plot their course and make your adjustment as need. But it did not mean they'd keep course or speed. Here are but two examples:
1) About 100 nm south of the latitude of San Francisco, and about fifty nm offshore. We're hove to, to take a dinner break. A steamer come upon us from the south headed north. He's calling us, Which way Sun Flansico?
Then, two miles directly upwind of us, he stops. He keeps calling. Most apparent, he does not understand my response. Turn on your radar, I sez. Steer 015, I sez. He doesn't understand. Meanwhile he's drifting down on us rapidly. He gets to half a mile and we sail out from under him with the engine on for good measure.
2) Beating westbound in the Santa Barbara channel in a fog, I eye a steamer 30 nm to the west, eastbound. He doesn't answer my calls. The miles countdown. I make a course change (big and obvious) to port, closer to the Channel Islands. I am perplexed, our bearing remains unchanged.
I put us as close to wash rocks as I dare. Still he comes, no change in bearing. I have the radar now set to 1/4 mile rings. Our blips have merged. I'm past the dry mouth and pit in stomach.
In flat water, we pitch through his bow wake and about 20 seconds later the frothy expanse of his wake. Only years later, after talking with others, did I understand how it happened.
Often will steamers leave out of the Traffic Separation Scheme (TSS) to make a shortcut on the turn south which they will have to make. That's how we were pinched between the rocks and him.
I knew of a man who'd got run over, sunk and died. He was able to get out a short Mayday. And his EPIRB activated. USCG tracked the likely ship to Los Angeles. Captain denied it was him. The evidence was found entagled on his bow and anchor.
My dad and friends barely escaped collision. In the home of my parents hung a painting gotten from his memory of the event. Very frightening.
The Law of Gross Tonnage remains in effect. Under sail, or fishing, or not constrained in a channel, you stand on only on paper.
Even only the wake may cause damage. Some miles of San Diego, the USS Enterprise came upon us. She was landing aircraft and had a good head. Our crossing was not less than five miles yet her wave was five feet or so. That's added to the swell of that day. We took green water over the foredeck on a 40' cutter.
A friend was stationed at the turbine. He said things like whenever they lost a tool they would check the screen at the air inlet. Turbines suck a lot of air.
A long time ago I read a story from WWII. A California surfer was fond of bodysurfing behind his DDS. It was quite a show for the gang. Yes, one time they had to go back to find him.
That which scared me on the oceans was a steamer coming towards me. You could plot their course and make your adjustment as need. But it did not mean they'd keep course or speed. Here are but two examples:
ReplyDelete1) About 100 nm south of the latitude of San Francisco, and about fifty nm offshore. We're hove to, to take a dinner break. A steamer come upon us from the south headed north. He's calling us, Which way Sun Flansico?
Then, two miles directly upwind of us, he stops. He keeps calling. Most apparent, he does not understand my response. Turn on your radar, I sez. Steer 015, I sez. He doesn't understand. Meanwhile he's drifting down on us rapidly. He gets to half a mile and we sail out from under him with the engine on for good measure.
2) Beating westbound in the Santa Barbara channel in a fog, I eye a steamer 30 nm to the west, eastbound. He doesn't answer my calls. The miles countdown. I make a course change (big and obvious) to port, closer to the Channel Islands. I am perplexed, our bearing remains unchanged.
I put us as close to wash rocks as I dare. Still he comes, no change in bearing. I have the radar now set to 1/4 mile rings. Our blips have merged. I'm past the dry mouth and pit in stomach.
In flat water, we pitch through his bow wake and about 20 seconds later the frothy expanse of his wake. Only years later, after talking with others, did I understand how it happened.
Often will steamers leave out of the Traffic Separation Scheme (TSS) to make a shortcut on the turn south which they will have to make. That's how we were pinched between the rocks and him.
I knew of a man who'd got run over, sunk and died. He was able to get out a short Mayday. And his EPIRB activated. USCG tracked the likely ship to Los Angeles. Captain denied it was him. The evidence was found entagled on his bow and anchor.
My dad and friends barely escaped collision. In the home of my parents hung a painting gotten from his memory of the event. Very frightening.
The Law of Gross Tonnage remains in effect. Under sail, or fishing, or not constrained in a channel, you stand on only on paper.
ReplyDeleteEven only the wake may cause damage. Some miles of San Diego, the USS Enterprise came upon us. She was landing aircraft and had a good head. Our crossing was not less than five miles yet her wave was five feet or so. That's added to the swell of that day. We took green water over the foredeck on a 40' cutter.
Many a time I stood on the fantail 30 feet above waterline looking straight out at the "rooster tail" as we tore along at Full or Flank.
DeleteJet turbine on a Frigate?
DeleteA friend was stationed at the turbine. He said things like whenever they lost a tool they would check the screen at the air inlet. Turbines suck a lot of air.
A long time ago I read a story from WWII. A California surfer was fond of bodysurfing behind his DDS. It was quite a show for the gang. Yes, one time they had to go back to find him.
Cod hand liners. Many of them died by being run down by ocean liners.
ReplyDeleteThat is an express liner, or Mail Boat. They didn't slow down for anything.
ReplyDelete