Wednesday, November 24, 2004

Guns on yacht: arrested if you do and robbed if you don't

The plight of Perth's international sailing legend and adventurer Chris Packer arrested in Bali for possessing small calibre non-military firearms aboard his vessel, highlights the dilemma faced by all Australian cruising yachties today.
After being boarded and robbed by pirates off Peru 18 months ago and repelling a second attack with gunfire, the 52-year-old Perth champion yachtsman felt justified in carrying weapons on his 55-metre 500-tonne converted freighter, Lissa.
Indonesian police in speedboats boarded the Lissa as it left Benoa harbour on Friday and confiscated a pistol, two rifles, two shotguns and 2500 rounds of ammunition which Mr Packer had not declared when he sailed into Indonesian waters a month ago.
"Mr Packer acquired the weapons after his friend, yachtsman Sir Peter Blake, was killed by pirates on the Amazon River in December 2001" says friend Peter Robinson a Yachtmaster Offshore Instructor/Examiner with Yachting Australia.
"Having ocean raced extensively in south east Asia since his early twenties and patrolled an oil pipeline off Sarawak to defend it against pirates between 1980 and 1983, Chris understands better than most the potential pirate dangers lurking in these waters.
"The decision facing him and any other captain visiting these areas is whether to go defenceless and rely on the local police to protect you or to be armed in a way sufficient to protect your vessel and crew."
"Under Australian law the master of any vessel owes a duty of care to protect and keep safe all on board their vessel" Mr Robinson said.
"To go defenceless through the ever increasing hazardous areas of the world that are subject to piracy, ill-prepared, must surely be in dereliction of this duty, exposing all aboard to the horrors and cowardly brutality of these violent people."
Mr Packer won the Sydney-to-Hobart race in 1975, was an Admirals Cup yachtsman for England the same year and for Australia in 1979 aboard Police Car. He spent the weekend in a Bali jail cell, its walls smeared with excrement.
His first mate, New Zealander Kenneth Brewster, 47, accused police of stealing equipment from the Lissa, including an $850 dive watch, sunglasses, mobile phones and pens.
Even being armed is no guarantee of surviving an encounter with these seaborne thugs (the pirates) as the tragic murder of Chris's kiwi friend and fellow sailing legend Sir Peter Blake attests.
A part solution surely is for Australia to formalise agreements with these countries to allow safe transit of one or two small calibre firearms that are properly licensed in Australia. To be kept, as is now required in Australia, in a proper gun safe on board at all times.
With our close proximity to and good relationship with Indonesia we would do well open the dialogue with them soon.
The images currently in the media of a highly respected Australian sporting hero sweeping up cockroaches in a Bali jail is doing neither of our countries any good at all.

Fish net swimmer netted

Setting a 55-metre net at Frogmore Lagoon to catch barramundi has cost a 19-year-old woman $450 plus court costs.
Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries Boating and Fisheries Patrol prosecutor Brenda Stevenson said Patrol officers had responded to call from a member of the public to find two young women swimming to retrieve the net containing ten undersize barramundi.
Ms Stevenson said it was fortunate the women did not entangle themselves in the net in a lagoon that was potentially home to estuarine crocodiles.

Swim safe

The Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries is urging people to swim safely this summer following sightings of a shark in the Noosa River.
DPI&F Shark Control manager Baden Lane said people should avoid swimming near river mouths, in canals, artificial lakes and waterways, particularly early in the morning, evening and at night.
Mr Lane said fatal attacks in Gold Coast canals in recent years highlighted the dangers of swimming in these areas and he encouraged bathers to use patrolled beaches as an alternative.
"Sharks do inhabit these areas and swimming at patrolled beaches is a safer option," he said.
Mr Lane said although swimming was a risk other activities such as fishing, sailing, rowing and kayaking were still safe.
"People need to exercise caution and think sensibly about their activities. For example, cleaning fish at the waters edge is not the most sensible thing to do," he said.
Reckon there are still a couple of good-sized crocs in the Prossie River too!

Mystery solved

The World Toilet Organization, having completed the 2004 World Toilet Summit in Beijing and now preparing for the 2005 World Toilet Expo and Forum in Shanghai, would like you to know that the Chinese invented toilet paper 3,395 years ago.

Unholy smoke

Health researchers in the Nederland's have issued a warning to Dutch churchgoers about inhaling secondary incense smoke

'Aphrodite' stolen

$5000 reward to the person that provides information leading to the recovery of the yacht 'Aphrodite' a 2003 Beneteau Oceanis 311 white in colour with a cream deck. Registration number 0Q915Q is displayed across the transom.
On 6th October, skipper Adam J Clarkson was hired to deliver the yacht to Port Douglas. The boat was to be delivered within 15 days. The yacht was last seen in Cairns November 4 says owner Paul McLachlan Mob: 0403 584 808.

Brampton light restored

Mariners are advised that the lighted beacon at Brampton Island has been restored to normal. Charts affected: AUS 251, 824

Evil?

"The world is a dangerous place, not because of those who do evil, but because of those who look on and do nothing"
-- Albert Einstein

Fair winds to Ye!
Cap'n Dan

Tuesday, November 16, 2004

What people do in little and big boats

In 1986, Airlie Beach sailor Tony Laurant and Frenchman Daniel Pradel sailed an 18-foot Hobie catamaran from Dakar, Senegal, the westernmost country on the African continent to the island of Guadeloupe in the Caribbean and became the first to sail across the Atlantic in a small catamaran.
Next week, Australian Greg Homann will set sail single-handed in his attempt to cross the Atlantic in a tiny catamaran, the type normally seen at beach club resorts.
Sailor Greg Homann, 41, will make the world record attempt on crossing the Atlantic from the Canaries and Guadeloupe in under 28.5 days on the 18-foot Catamaran.
The current single-handed record is held by Alessandro Di Benedetto from Italy who completed the journey in 28 days 11hours and 36 minutes.
The cat Greg will be sailing is a modified F18 18-feet/5.52m, incorporating an enclosed pod, reefable sails, water-tight compartments, wings/seat, mast float, safety gear including an Iridium sat phone, EPIRBS, VHF, and water-maker, freeze dried food and survival suit.
"If everything goes well and I enjoy the experience, I'd like to see a race happen in the next couple of years, a mini cat transatlantic, solo from the Canaries to Guadeloupe."
Have a nice sail!

Other yachts of note

Following the Waterfront column last week about the Gigayacht visiting Whitsunday, owned by Microsoft co-founder billionaire Paul Allan, here are some snippets of other yacht notables.

Budget: $200 million

Rising Sun is a 393-footer (120-meter) built for the CEO of Oracle Corporation, Larry Ellison. Ellison couldn't resist discussing the yacht in his biography Softwar including the fact that the budget was $200 million.

Tough being Tiger

Tiger Woods and his new Swedish model wife were briefly held aboard their 155-foot private yacht by U.S. Coast Guard officers at San Juan's port because they failed to notify authorities of their arrival ahead of time, an official said.
Since July 1, new U.S. security regulations require many boats to submit an arrival notice at least four days in advance before entering a U.S. port, a Coast Guard spokesman said.
The 28-year-old golfer and Swedish model Elin Nordegren, 24, were married October 5 at a luxury resort in Barbados and later set out on Tiger's new yacht 'Privacy'.
So what's onboard Tiger's love boat? We can give you plenty of juicy details from an insider's tour reported by yacht watchers.
It has to be tough being Tiger Woods. Woods paid $20-million for the yacht, but he never once visited the yard before her delivery. Instead, his fiancée visited several times. "She's a quick decision-maker," the project manager notes. "No haggling around."
Interior designer Carol Williamson said of the yacht. "There was a desire to have very clean, simple, understated lines to the furniture. The idea was to contrast the modern against the traditional wood detailing."
To that end, Privacy features tone-on-tone beige marble where other yachts might have intricate mosaics; polished chrome and stainless steel where other owners might choose gold. The carpeting that runs throughout is soft white, and the walls in all the staterooms are covered in white silk.
There is a concave ceiling treatment with multicolour fibre-optic lighting above the master suite's king-size bed.
The Honeymoon is not over yet. “We’re having so much fun on the honeymoon, I don’t know if I’ll be back or not,” Woods said.
Tiger Woods is taking a swing at a Vancouver yacht company, claiming it violated a confidentiality agreement by distributing photos of a boat that the newlywed golf star purchased.
Woods, is suing Christensen Shipyards for allegedly distributing photos of Woods's luxury 155-foot, $20 million yacht, "Privacy," and thus breaking an agreement to keep mum on the purchase.
Pretty hard to hide a 155-foot, $20 million yacht. On waterfront wag said maybe Woods was "more blonde than was previously thought".

Latest News

Isn't she a beauty? No, not the glamorous blonde. That's his wife Sarah O'Hare, this is about the boat. Lachlan Murdock has been swanning around Sydney Harbour on his 80 footer Ipix Una recently. Young Lachlan's Swan 80 worth about $4 million and built in Finland and moored at the CYC. Ipix Una visited Whitsuday earlier this year.

'Reformed' dictator

Moammar Khadafy of Libya has a favourite vessel, a 131-foot luxury yacht created nearly a decade ago by designer Arthur De Fever. Sitting on a sunny deck at San Diego Yacht Club, De Fever grins wryly, "I guess it just wouldn't be appropriate to protest Yankee imperialists from your six-million dollar luxury yacht."

The big 'O'

In 1954, Aristotle Socrates Onassis created the greatest yacht of all at the time, Christina. Named after his beloved daughter, she was a sleek, 325-foot, shimmering-white masterpiece proudly displaying the Onassis signature, the yellow funnel.

Strange vanishing client

Some years ago, yacht designer Donald Starkey was approached by a secretive overseas client to design what would have been the largest motoryacht in the world, some 150 meters or about 492 feet overall. Following measuring some discreet initial inquiries, Starkey determined that the client was credible, and therefore he set to work on the project.
Over the course of the following 18 months there were numerous phone calls, faxes, and e-mails. Designs, drawings, and specifications were prepared, forwarded to the client, reviewed, and approved.
However, there was never a face-to-face meeting with the client, who maintained that he was heavily engaged in business dealings and wanted Starkey to manage the entire project.
Finally, after a year and a half, the design was agreed upon, and contracts were to be signed. Starkey was to be given power of attorney to represent the owner in all dealings related to the project.
At last, they would meet to close the deal. The date was set, and the day before the meeting the client sent an e-mail confirming his plans and advising he would be calling for directions to Starkey's office. But he never called and never showed up, and that's the last time the client was ever heard from.
Strange.

Pest fish spread

Queenslanders are encouraged to join in the fight against exotic pest fish by reporting any catches or sightings.
The Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries (DPI&F) says pest fish are being reported more regularly and public assistance is needed so early action can be taken to control their spread.
DPI&F policy officer Aimee Burton said pest fish were hard to control and difficult to eradicate once they had become established.
However, Ms Burton said if discovered early enough there was a chance the fish could be destroyed or contained.
"Pest fish compete with native fish for food and space and in some cases they are aggressive," she said.
DPI&F has produced an Exotic Pest Fish Reporting Form to assist people to compile the necessary information.
"The more information collected, the better picture we can build about where the pest fish populations are and what control strategies may work."
Ms Burton said if possible the fish should be caught and killed humanely in an ice slurry and then stored in a freezer.
Alternatively, a photo of the fish and a close up of its head can help with identification.
As a rule, native fish have two dorsal fins while many exotic fish only have one.

God save the queen

There is a movement in Britain to replace the term "British Isles" with "Islands of the North Atlantic" because "British Isles" is potentially offensive to the Irish.

Fitzalan Passage light altered

Mariners are advised that the light on the lighted Special Mark buoy in approximate position latitude 20°18.4223' S, longitude 148°55.3803' E in Fitzalan Passage has been altered to Q.Y. Charts affected: AUS 252, 253, 254, 824


"The smallest good deed is better than the grandest good intention."
--Duguet

Fair winds to Ye!
Cap'n Dan

Wednesday, November 03, 2004

Giga yacht graces Whitsunday port


The sleek brilliantly white 199-foot motor yacht that graced Abel Point Marina at the weekend is not the largest vessel owned by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen, merely the third largest.
Allen, called the "accidental zillionaire" in his unauthorized biography, also owns the world's largest private yacht the 414-foot (125 metre) Octopus and the 302-foot Tatoosh worth a rumoured price of $100 mil.
While the jet helicopter on Meduse' aft deck and the five communications domes are an indication of what's onboard the Giga-toy, that's not all.
There is extraordinary headroom, enough for seven-foot-plus-tall members of the Portland Trailblazers basketball team, which Allen owns. Should a vertically challenged individual be aboard and be unfortunate enough to sit behind one of the basketball players in the main-deck cinema, fear not: The rear settee can rise hydraulically. A Surround Sound system enhances the viewing experience.
Built by Feadship/De Vries Scheepsbouw, Holland, Meduse is powered by two 1,700-hp Caterpillar diesels.
Meduse has slowly slipped down the world size rankings to currently hold seventeenth spot. Her name means "jellyfish" in French.

So, what is number one?

Yacht-watchers worldwide have been catching a glimpse of the behemoth, Octopus the biggest private vessel in the world and owned by Paul Allen
At 414-feet, it has a permanent crew of 60 people, contains a theatre/cinema and a basketball court, two helicopters, an 18 metre landing craft and a private 10-person submarine and swimming pool.
There are more than enough diversions to keep him busy. Maybe he's rocking out in the onboard music studio, watching one of his favourite movies in the private theatre, or slam-dunking on the basketball court located on the main aft deck.
Allen and friends can explore the undersea world in the personal submarine Octopus houses in a specially designed garage. Talk about a feat of engineering: The submarine launches via an underwater hatch, and when the sub returns to the yacht and the hatch closes, the water drains from the garage.

Number 2 is . . .

Yacht number two in Paul Allen's fleet is Tatoosh at 302-feet. Given that Forbes magazine estimates his worth at $20 billion, what else is he to do with all of that cash?
Just like Octopus, Tatoosh has been keeping a busy itinerary. This five-decker spent time in Victoria, BC before moving on to Portland, Oregon, in October for a party honouring the Portland Trail Blazers, which Allen owns. Bora Bora and Moorea were next in February, and then it was the Mediterranean in May, this time to entertain celebs during the Cannes Film Festival.
After Panama, the yacht was docked in San Diego, causing quite a stir among the locals when a local paper reporting that a live lobster tank was among the yacht's features.
While that would indeed be an interesting feature, we think it's more notable that the yacht is capable of toting two helicopters, one on the top deck, the other on the deck directly below, a custom 40-foot powerboat, and a sailboat of about the same size. She is additionally equipped with a shaded swimming pool and a private cinema, just the normal accoutrements, really.
Allen's simply too busy figuring out where to send his globetrotting yachts next. Having spent the early part of the year travelling everywhere from Norway to Curaçao, Octopus cruised around the Med this summer, visiting Croatia before pulling into Greece in time for the Olympics. Add parties during the Cannes Film Festival and the Monaco Grand Prix.
Some of his celebrity friends aboard, expect people like tennis great Monica Seles and of course, Bill and Melinda Gates will roam her decks.

Other yachts of note

Rising Sun is a 393-footer (120-meter) built for the CEO of Oracle Corporation, Larry Ellison. Ellison couldn't resist discussing the yacht in his biography Softwar including the fact that the budget was $200 million.

Shhhhh...

We can't tell you the name of Tiger Woods' new motor yacht, only Hull 026, but we can give you plenty of juicy details from an insider's tour.
It has to be tough being Tiger Woods. Woods paid $20-million for the yacht, but he never once visited the yard before her delivery. Instead, his fiancée visited several times. "She's a quick decision-maker," the project manager notes without actually confirming her identity. "No haggling around."
Oregon-based interior designer Carol Williamson, who also wouldn't confirm or deny ownership of the yacht. "There was a desire to have very clean, simple, understated lines to the furniture. The idea was to contrast the modern against the traditional wood detailing."
To that end, Hull 026 features tone-on-tone beige marble where other yachts might have intricate mosaics; polished chrome and stainless steel where other owners might choose gold. The carpeting that runs throughout is soft white, and the walls in all the staterooms are covered in white silk. There is a concave ceiling treatment with multicolour fibre-optic lighting above the master suite's king-size bed.

'Reformed' dictator

Moammar Khadafy of Libya has a favourite vessel, a 131-foot luxury yacht created nearly a decade ago by designer Arthur De Fever. Sitting on a sunny porch at San Diego Yacht Club, De Fever grins wryly, "I guess it just wouldn't be appropriate to protest Yankee imperialists from your six-million dollar luxury yacht."

The big 'O'

In 1954, Aristotle Socrates Onassis created the greatest yacht of all at the time, Christina. Named after his beloved daughter, she was a sleek, 325-foot, shimmering-white masterpiece proudly displaying the Onassis signature, the yellow funnel.

Reef fish closure starts Saturday

The second annual spawning season closure for coral reef fin fish begins next Saturday (November 6) ending on November 14.
The Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries (DPI&F) says that while coral reef fish are protected other fish species can still be taken.
DPI&F reef line manager Mark Elmer said there had been some confusion over what fish could and could not be taken during these spawning closures.
Mr Elmer said coral reef species including cods and gropers, coral trout, emperors, fusiliers, parrotfish, surgeonfish, sweetlip, tropical snappers and sea perch, and wrasses could not be taken.
However, other fish species such as all the mackerels, mangrove jack, snapper and pearl perch could be taken, along with estuary species such as salmons, bream, whiting, flathead and, for some of the period, barramundi.
"The closures apply to both commercial and recreational fishers and a full list of the coral reef fin fish species can be found either in the DPI&F Reef Fish Field Guide or online through the Reef Fish Web Guide," he said.
"The closure starts on and from Saturday, November 6. This means no reef fish can be taken from 12.01am on November 6," he said.
"It continues for nine complete days until midnight Sunday November 14. Fishing may restart on Monday, November 15."
The third and final reef fish spawning closure for 2004 is from 12.01am December 6 to midnight December 14.
"During these periods numbers of mature fish aggregate in certain locations on the reefs to spawn, generally corresponding with the new moon phase," Mr Elmer said.

Knockin' on heaven's door

'A man is a success if he gets up in the morning and goes to bed at night and in between does what he wants to do.'
--Bob Dylan

Fair winds to Ye!
Cap'n Dan