Expedition2010.Org Blog

Risk Assessment for Offshore Passagemaking

2012-02-10T15:14:00.000-08:00

See: http://www.stevedmarineconsulting.com/blog/index.php?p=29

Risk Assessment for Offshore Passagemaking

Steve D'Antonio
All photos copyright Steve D'Antonio

Part IIn part one of this two part series I'll discuss the means by which you can assess and minimize risk when cruising.

Cruising affords an uncommonly satisfying way of reaching hidden gems, like this vista in The Faroe Islands.

Cruising and Risk AssessmentAs one might expect, I'm given the opportunity to cruise aboard a variety of vessels making passages in various parts of the world, from icebreakers in Antarctica and naval vessels in the North Atlantic to recreational trawlers and sailing vessels in British Columbia and the Virgin Islands.

Before I take advantage of such an opportunity, however, I carefully assess the likelihood of how "successful" the passage will be. The definition of "success", by the way, varies with the opportunity. I ask myself a series of questions, starting with, 'what do I hope to get out of making this passage?' In the vast majority of cases, the first answer is, 'enjoyment', I love to cruise, particularly to far-off locales, the more remote and the higher the latitude the better (more on that in a moment).This is followed by my desire to stay fresh in my trade with regular sea time, then broadening my experience as there's simply no substitute for doing what you write about or advise others on, and finally in gathering editorial and photographic material.

Even a 30-foot vessel can safely make blue water, offshore passages. The preparation of the vessel and crew, however, are paramount in minimizing risk.

I'm often asked at lecture events, "why did you take that 30-foot, single screw trawler to Bermuda anyway, wasn't it risky?", referring to a passage I made back in 2002 (I authored an article detailing the preparations that were made for the passage in Nov/Dec PassageMaker Magazine). The short answer is, I did it because it was an adventure I wanted to undertake and I believed it could be done while minimizing risk. Indeed, there was risk; however, risk is part of cruising and it increases exponentially every time you cast off your lines. In this case, and in many other passages I've made, I assessed the risk factor and minimized it to the extent I could, and then got underway.

The highest priority was the vessel. While she was diminutive, with the modifications that were made to her she was well found. I made absolutely certain she was seaworthy, reliable and safe and that we had the necessary tools, spares, communication and safety gear aboard. The next priority was the crew, making certain we were prepared mentally and physically and capable of dealing with any manner of failure we could have anticipated. Finally, close attention was paid to weather, sea conditions and the forecast. With those steps, the riskiness of this passage was substantially reduced, and it was completed successfully.

Out-of-the-way destinations require a greater measure of self reliance. Failures or issues often must be resolved with the tools and knowledge aboard. The balancing act is to minimize the possibility of problems while still going cruising.

Is the Vessel and the Crew up to the Passage?
I'm cautious about accepting invitations to cruise aboard vessels owned by others, particularly if I'm making a high latitude passage where conditions are likely to be tumultuous and help not close at hand. In 2010 I accepted such an invitation, and made such a passage, from Scotland to Iceland via the Faroe Islands, aboard Tony Fleming's own Fleming 65, Venture II (I shared details about this passage in the Jul/Aug 2011 PassageMaker)

Because I was intimately familiar with the vessel's design and the manufacturer's workmanship and reputation, as well as Tony's and his crew's experience, I was comfortable signing up for this voyage. We did encounter stretches of extremely unsettled weather, beating mercilessly into head seas north of the Faroes, for an interminable twelve hours. While lying in my amidships berth, airborne much of the time, literally, I distinctly recall thinking, 'I wonder if the hull to deck joint is glassed and through bolted' (I later determined the answer was, thankfully, 'yes'). I also thought, multiple times, 'we have to reach the bottom of this trough eventually', as each fall to the bottom felt truly endless. While on watch in the pilot house, I had to sit Indian style in the helmsman's chair and lock my knees under the arm rests to prevent myself from being ejected. With each passing head sea we summated, Venture II felt as if she were being driven off a cliff.

When the going gets rough, the last thing you want to worry about is equipment failures or systems malfunctions. Even with the best weather forecasting, you may occasionally find yourself in a situation where you must simply hunker down and wait out the storm. These short, steep eight foot seas, encountered between the Faroe Westman Islands, pounded this vessel and her crew mercilessly for over twelve hours. For this and other reasons, the vessel must be well found and her systems rugged and reliable.

I've been in much less severe conditions and have emerged from my cabin to find the vessel a shambles, broken crockery, cracked windows, appliances adrift and the stench of diesel fuel and, well, you get the idea. I'm happy to report that the causality list aboard Venture II after that jaunt was insignificant; all of the reading lamp bulb filaments had broken (these were the only non-led lamps aboard, and the bulbs themselves remained intact), one bottle of very good Berserker Scottish bear exploded in the drinks fridge and a wine glass shattered. Not bad considering the squareness and steepness of the seas. It was bone jarring, filling rattling and not very fun. To make matters worse, I suffer from seasickness and tried a new, to me at least, medication, the scopolamine patch. Not only did it fail to prevent me from feeling awful, that I've grown accustomed to, it made my mouth taste as if I were sucking on an aluminum lollypop and, I couldn't stop sneezing. Ugh. Yet, I'd return for this or a similar passage without hesitation. Why? Because adventure and cruising are deeply satisfying to me, there's nothing like it in the world and while it has its regrettable moments, whenever I'm not doing it I wish I were.

One thing is for certain, after the storm, there will be a calm. The sea can seem fickle and capricious at times, but oh so beautiful when the mood strikes her.

In the next installment, I'll discuss a recent passage I made in Newfoundland, as well as reviewing key elements for the technical side of successful cruising.
The following photo montage encampasses a small sampling of over two thousand images captured during this month-long passage. Enjoy!

For more information on the services provided by Steve D'Antonio Marine Consulting, Inc. please e mail Steve at info@stevedmarineconsulting.com

or call 804-776-0981

Risk Assessment for Offshore Passagemaking - Part II
Steve D'Antonio
All photos copyright Steve D'Antonio
Newfoundland Bound

Fair winds, clear skies, and a well-found vessel makes for picture perfect cruising

When I received an invitation to cruise aboard a Nordhavn 68, it had the making for a perfect passage, for me. I knew the boat and the owner very well; as a consulting client, I worked closely with him during the vessel’s build and commissioning. When he mentioned he was bound for Nova Scotia and Newfoundland, there was little else I needed to know. Both places are high latitude, and I count them among my favorite cruising grounds, particularly the latter.

However, had I not known the vessel so well, I would have posed a long list of questions before agreeing to make the passage, starting with, how many miles did she have under her keel since commissioning? All new vessels, especially complex vessels as this one was, have breaking-in periods. Shakedown cruises are designed to shake out defects, flaws and problems in new and refit vessels, and they should occur in relatively protected water, close to homeport, where skilled help is readily available. This vessel had several thousand miles, including an offshore passage to Bermuda and over a year under her belt, giving her a clean bill of health for cruising to a remote location.

Cruising to far off locals has a quality all its own, and if isolation and limitless natural beauty is your goal, high latitudes offer it many times over. Self-sufficiency under these circumstances, however, has a price and the first step is knowledge.

I would also want to know how she was equipped and provisioned. Because all of my passage making is aboard vessels belonging to others, I always travel with my own PLB (Personal Locator Beacon, a mini-EPIRB) and handheld GPS. Beyond that, however, I have to be certain the vessel has the right stuff where important gear and equipment are concerned. Properly installed and thoroughly tested navigation and communication gear, up to date safety equipment including life rafts, PFDs, and flares are, of course vitally important.

M.S. Endeavour traveled to some of the least populated (with the exception of these fur seals) and most remote places on earth, Antarctica and the Arctic among them. Assistance, if available at all, could take weeks to arrive. As a result, this vessel is extremely well-equipped and operated by an exceptionally knowledgeable crew.

This vessel was well equipped indeed. In addition to the essentials, she has some goodies as well. Among the most interesting is one that is particularly well suited for high latitude cruising, a retractable Wesmar Sonar. The first time I used this sonar was in Antarctica. The vessel I cruised aboard had one, enabling her to make her way into poorly charted, rock strewn inlets, bays and channels. Newfoundland’s rockbound coast was made for sonar of this sort, and we tested it on several occasions. At one point, while entering an extremely narrow passage in a location called Ireland’s Eye, I privately debated if we should continue. As if he were reading my mind, the owner said, “This is why I installed the sonar.” With that, we safely threaded the eye of the needle, of Ireland’s Eye. The following day, once again with the aid of the sonar, we made our way into and dropped the hook in yet another rocky cove. After setting the anchor, I looked at the sonar screen and noticed an odd blip and thought perhaps it was a rock or pinnacle. Only after a moment did I realize that I was looking at the return from the vessel’s own anchor chain. That served to further reinforce my confidence in the sonar as a superb piece of gear.

Having the ability to confidently "see" what is happening below and ahead of your vessel is a stress-reducer when cruising in unfamiliar, or poorly charted waters. This "searchlight" sonar enables this vessel to enter poorly charted, infrequently visited inlets and bays, which is part of the attraction. Charts for many remote areas often rely on surveys made by early explorers and whalers, with lead line and sextant.

In addition to the gear and the vessel, I was also confident in the crew. The owner had hovered over this project during her build and on several occasions I told him that I believed he likely knew her and her systems, having personally selected nearly all of them, better than the folks who had built her. That’s high praise and I don’t offer it without careful forethought. In my experience, few vessel owners know their vessel well enough, and rest assured, you can never know your vessel too well.
The importance of this, intimacy with your own vessel, cannot be over stated. Knowing your systems very well is an essential aspect of successful, trouble-free cruising, whether in home waters or afar. In my experience, far too few vessel owners make the effort to know all the gear aboard their vessel and this lack of familiarity often proves to be a liability. At the very least, there should be no piece of gear aboard your vessel that you can’t identify. If any equipment is a mystery, make it your business to determine not only what it does, but you should also understand its maintenance needs and likely failure modes and how to prevent them.
Speaking of service, this vessel also utilizes Wheelhouse Technologies maintenance program (www.wheelhousetech.com ). Wheelhouse guides users through predictive and preventive maintenance procedures for every piece of gear aboard. Additionally, their SeaKits program can kit-out and replenish a vessel with spare parts and rebuild kits for all of that same equipment. I’ve written about Wheelhouse Technologies, I believe in its value, and it’s the only product I endorse. Therefore, when I’m invited to cruise aboard a vessel that has this program and it’s up to date, I immediately have a greater sense of confidence in the vessel’s systems and their reliability.

This vessel maintains a well-organized, interactive electronic systems documentation program as well as a complete set of equipment manuals and vessel systems schematics. The value of having this information readily accessible, on board, cannot be overestimated.

Carrying a warehouse-load of spares will be of little value to you if you don’t have the tools to diagnose problems and then replace components that fail. Folks frequently ask me in lectures, “How do I know what tools to have aboard.” The short answer is, you know which tools you need by using them as often as possible. There are tool lists; I’ve written article on this subject and I provide a list to my clients. If you want to know what you might need to change a serpentine belt on your engine, while dockside change it, and if you want to know what tools you need to replace an impeller, while dockside, replace one. While you can never have enough tools in my opinion, the vessel I cruised aboard for this Newfoundland passage was extremely well equipped with a wide variety of hand tools and diagnostic equipment, including a multimeter and infra red pyrometer (both should be in every vessel’s tool kit.)

No task is insurmountable provided the correct tools, spares and knowledge are at hand. Having the confidence to say, "I can fix that" and knowing that the equipment and manuals are aboard the vessel should be the goal of the truly self-sufficient cruiser.

During our passage there were minor failures, as there are during every cruise. Thanks to the tools and spares we had aboard, as well as the “crew’s” knowledge of the systems, we were able to contend with them quickly and easily.

Do the Math
The size, value or complexity of your vessel is irrelevant. Before you set out on any passage, whether it’s to one of my favorite high-latitude locales like Iceland or South Georgia, or if it’s simply a weekend cruise, do the math. Make certain your vessel is seaworthy, reliable and safe, make sure she is fit for the type of conditions you may encounter, and make certain you and your crew are prepared for those conditions and any problems that may arise. Leave as little to chance as possible and you will have reduced, but not eliminated, the risk. Then, have fun.
Images from the Newfoundland passage…

For more information on the services provided by Steve D'Antonio Marine Consulting, Inc. please e mail Steve at info@stevedmarineconsulting.com

or call 804-776-0981

‘Arctic Man’ premieres in Government Camp Friday

2012-02-08T05:20:00.000-08:00

A documentary about Arctic Man, and featuring Mount Hood skiers Petr Kakes and Keree Smith, will premiere at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 10, at the Ratskeller Bar in Government Camp, 88335 E. Government Camp Loop Road.

“Arctic Man” features historical footage from Alaska’s Arctic Man Ski and Sno-Go Classic, a 26-year-old event that is considered the world’s toughest downhill ski race and draws more than 10,000 fans and sponsors to the remote area of Summit Lake each April.

Competitors begin the race at an elevation of 5,800 feet before dropping 1,700 feet in 1.75 miles. There they meet their teammates, who tow the racer uphill behind a snowmobile at speeds of more than 80 mph for 2.25 miles. After they crest another mountain, the racers ski down the final 1.75 miles of the course.

Kakes, 54, owner of Hurricane Racing at Mt. Hood Skibowl, has competed 18 times, won the race three times, placed second six times and still holds course records. In 2010, he was paired with Todd Palin, husband of former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin.

“As long as I can walk, I’ll be there,” Kakes says of the race.

Smith, 19, was the youngest person to win the race last spring. She’s now skiing and working in Salt Lake City. Eventually, she plans to race Arctic Man again.

“It’s the ultimate race down the mountain between man and machine,” Smith says. “It’s the most adrenaline-pumping experience ever.”

Howard Thies, the race’s founder and director, will attend the premiere, along with Kakes and other Mount Hood area skiers who’ve participated in the race.

“What started on a bet 26 years ago has emerged into an amazing experience featuring the top professional skiers, snowboarders and snow machine drivers from around the world,” Thies said in a press release. “When you see this film, you’ll understand the amazing athleticism and courage it takes to compete in the Arctic Man race and the effort involved in staging it.”

This is the first screening of the movie outside Alaska. The film, produced by Unified Productions in Bend, includes clips from ESPN, ABC, Warren Miller productions and commentary from notable participants.

Event organizers will give away “Arctic Man” items and copies of the DVD during Friday’s screening.

http://www.sandypost.com/features/story.php?story_id=132866591902438500

Report: More safeguards needed for Arctic oil drilling BEFORE DRILLING

2012-02-04T06:29:00.001-08:00

Report: More safeguards needed for Arctic oil drilling

by Bob Berwyn

Most experts agree that, given existing resouces, it would all but impossible to stop an Arctic oil spill on the scale of the Deepwater Horizon disaster. U.S. COAST GUARD PHOTO.

Conservation group advocates for an international Arctic response plan

By Summit Voice

SUMMIT COUNTY — With oil drilling activities in the American Arctic on the horizon, concerns are mounting about the lack emergency response capabilities, as well as information about environmental conditions in the area.

A new report by the Center for American Progress highlights some of those concerns, pointing out that several federal agencies have called for more studies of baseline environmental conditions. Oil spill cleanup experts also say more resources are needed for the U.S. Coast Guard to fulfill its mission in the region.

The report also explains that even the well-developed infrastructure and abundance of trained personnel in the Gulf of Mexico couldn’t prevent the Deepwater Horizon tragedy — and the country’s Arctic response capabilities pale by comparison.

Drilling for oil in the Arctic should not be pursued without adequate safeguards in place. If the Deepwater Horizon disaster had any lessons to offer, it’s that the importance of preparedness cannot be overstated. That’s why the report strongly recommend specific actions be taken by the federal government, by Congress, and by Shell and other companies before beginning exploratory drilling in the Arctic.

Recommendations in the report include:

Ensure adequate response capabilities are in place before drilling operations commence

Require and oversee oil spill response drills in the Arctic that prove the assertions made in company drilling plans prior to plan approval

Engage other Arctic nations in developing an international oil spill response agreement that includes an Arctic Ocean drilling management plan

Appropriate adequate funds for the Coast Guard to carry out its mission in the Arctic, including increasing our icebreaking capability

Significantly increase the liability cap (currently $75 million) for oil companies in violation of drilling safety rules

Comments are welcome.

Yacht Berserk owner shanghaied repair man by sailing for South Pole without permission

2012-02-01T04:50:00.000-08:00

Repair man accidentally joins South Pole expedition

A New Zealand repair man is on his way to Antarctica after a renegade Norwegian yachtsman set sail unaware he was still on board.

The marine mechanic was reportedly working on an anchor aboard the 52ft Nilaya in Auckland harbour, when the yacht hurriedly cast off as immigration officials tried to serve deportation papers on the skipper, Jarle Andhoy, 34.

Mr Andhoy and three crew members have embarked on an unpermitted voyage to Antarctica 's Ross Sea, in defiance of both the Norwegian and New Zealand governments.

A previous trip he made to Antarctica almost a year ago ended in disaster when his yacht Berserk sank in a fierce storm and three men died.

Declaring himself "a Viking", the Norwegian adventurer says he is seeking the wreckage of the Berserk, which was serving as a supply ship for an attempt to reach the South Pole on quad bikes.

New Zealand authorities, who co-ordinated an extensive search and rescue operation last year in which Mr Andhoy and a companion were airlifted to safety, are furious about his return voyage.

They are trying to track down the Nilaya.

Mr Andhoy told the Norwegian public broadcasting service NRK that the presence on board of the unnamed New Zealander was not part of his plan, but was the result of "a hectic departure" from Auckland last week.

He said it was "a somewhat tricky situation" because the man did not have a passport or papers with him.

But Mr Andhoy insisted: "Everything is on schedule and the atmosphere is good on board.

"We are well prepared for what may befall us."

The broadcaster reported him as saying that the Nilaya was not carrying a locator beacon so it would not put rescue services at risk.

Murray McCully, the New Zealand foreign minister, spoke to Norwegian government officials on Tuesday to express concern over the Auckland man understood to be on board.

"It's fair to say the actions of the skipper are of some concern to the New Zealand government and have been for some time," Mr McCully said.

A Foreign Ministry spokesman added: "The Southern Ocean is one of the most remote and inhospitable areas in the world.

"New Zealand government agencies are obviously concerned about any possibility that there could be a repeat of last year's events in the Ross Sea.''

Marine experts said the workman was unlikely to have adequate clothing and would put an extra strain on the yacht's provisions.

Skier sets record for solo Antarctic trek

2012-01-30T06:22:00.000-08:00

British adventurer Felicity Aston completed her crossing of Antarctica on Monday, becoming the first woman to ski across the icy continent alone.

Felicity Aston takes a picture of herself at Union Glacier days before she traveled to her starting point on the Ross Ice Shelf for a solo trek across Antarctica. Aston, 34, crossed Antarctica in 59 days, pulling two sledges for more than 1,084 miles from the Leverett Glacier to the Hercules Inlet on the Ronne Ice Shelf. On Monday morning, she tweeted that she has completed her journey.

British adventurer Felicity Aston skied across Iceland during a pre-expedition training trip. Aston skied by herself across Antarctica, completing the journey of more than 1,000 miles. She became the first human person to cross Antarctica alone under her own power. She also set a record for the longest solo polar expedition by a woman, about 70 days.

She did it in 59 days, pulling two sledges for 1,084 miles (1,744 kilometers) from her starting point on the Leverett Glacier on Nov. 25.

“!!!Congratulations to the 1st female to traverse Antarctica SOLO.V proud,” her Twitter message said.

She announced her achievement from Hercules Inlet on Antarctica’s Ronne Ice Shelf, where she waited alone in her tent for bad weather to clear so that a small plane could pick her up and take her to a base camp. Other expeditions also have gathered there, preparing for the summer’s last flight off the continent.

Aston also set another record: the first human to ski solo, across Antarctica, using only her own muscle power. A male-female team already combined to ski across Antarctica without kites or machines to pull them across, but Aston is the first to do this alone.

A veteran of expeditions in sub-zero environments, Aston, 34, worked as a meteorologist in Antarctica and has led teams on ski trips in the Antarctic, the Arctic and Greenland.

Her journey took her from the Ross Ice Shelf, up the Leverett Glacier and across the Transantarctic Mountains to the continent’s vast central plateau, where she fought headwinds most of the way to the South Pole. Then she turned toward Hercules Inlet and a base camp where the Antarctic Logistics and Expeditions company provides logistical support to each summer’s Antarctic expeditions.

She arranged in advance for two supply drops so that she could travel with a lighter load, one at the pole and one partway toward her final destination. Otherwise, her feat was unassisted.

Aston tweeted that she’s been promised red wine and a hot shower after she gets picked up. “No plane tonight but I have my last Beef and Ale Stew to enjoy for my final evening alone — yum!” she wrote.

And while she pondered her achievement in her last hours of solitude Monday, she shared more of her thoughts in a phone call she broadcast live online.

“It’s all a little bit overwhelming. After days and days to get here, I seem to have arrived all in a rush. I don’t really feel prepared for it. It feels amazing to be finished and yet overwhelmingly sad that it’s over at the same time,” she said. “I can’t quite believe that i’m here and that i’ve crossed Antarctica, just over 1700 kilometers, just under 1,000 nautical miles, 14.5 degrees and 59 days and here I am.”

“I’m just going to sit here and enjoy these last precious moments on my own, and running through my mind all those days behind me, the plane leaving me on my own ... the awful day when I thought I was going to get blown away, all those days of bad weather, slogging through those mountains, up those hills with my sledges, arriving at the pole, leaving the pole again, more bad weather and just empty horizons...”

“I remember all the bad times, sitting in my tent, thinking ‘what on Earth am I doing?’, but despite all that, this has been the most amazing privilege, to have the opportunity to do this, and just a huge thank you to all those people who made it possible.”

Read more: http://www.timesleader.com/features/Skier_sets_record_for_solo_Antarctic_trek_01-29-2012.html#ixzz1kx2wuhor

Thwarted on US oil pipeline, Canada looks to China. Did China tell Obama they hold the USA trump debt cards?

2012-01-29T08:22:00.000-08:00

http://www.boston.com/business/articles/2012/01/28/thwarted_on_us_oil_pipeline_canada_looks_to_china/

KITAMAAT VILLAGE, British Columbia—The latest chapter in Canada's quest to become a full-blown oil superpower unfolded this month in a village gym on the British Columbia coast.

Here, several hundred people gathered for hearings on whether a pipeline should be laid from the Alberta oil sands to the Pacific in order to deliver oil to Asia, chiefly energy-hungry China. The stakes are particularly high for the village of Kitamaat and its neighbors, because the pipeline would terminate here and a port would be built to handle 220 tankers a year and 525,000 barrels of oil a day.

But the planned Northern Gateway Pipeline is just one aspect of an epic battle over Canada's oil ambitions -- a battle that already has a supporting role in the U.S. presidential election, and which will help to shape North America's future energy relationship with China.

It actually is a tale of two pipelines -- the one that is supposed to end at Kitamaat Village, and another that would have gone from Alberta to the Texas coast but was blocked by the Obama administration citing environmental grounds.

Those same environmental issues are certain to haunt Northern Gateway as the Joint Review Panel of energy and environmental officials canvasses opinion along the 1,177-kilometer (731-mile) route of the Northern Gateway pipeline to be built by Enbridge, a Canadian company.

The fear of oil spills is especially acute in this pristine corner of northwest British Columbia, with its snowcapped mountains and deep ocean inlets. People here still remember Alaska's Exxon Valdez oil spill of 1989, and oil is still leaking from the Queen of the North, a ferry that sank off nearby Hartley Bay six years ago.

The seas nearby, in the Douglas Channel, "are very treacherous waters," says David Suzuki, a leading environmentalist. "You take a supertanker that takes miles in order to stop, (and) an accident is absolutely inevitable."

Prime Minister Stephen Harper says Canada's national interest makes the $5.5 billion pipeline essential. He was "profoundly disappointed" that U.S. President Barack Obama rejected the Texas Keystone XL option but also spoke of the need to diversify Canada's oil industry. Ninety-seven percent of Canadian oil exports now go to the U.S.

"I think what's happened around the Keystone is a wake-up call, the degree to which we are dependent or possibly held hostage to decisions in the United States, and especially decisions that may be made for very bad political reasons," the Conservative prime minister told Canadian TV.

Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich quickly picked up the theme, saying that Harper, "who, by the way, is conservative and pro-American ... has said he's going cut a deal with the Chinese ... We'll get none of the jobs, none of the energy, none of the opportunity."

He charged that "An American president who can create a Chinese-Canadian partnership is truly a danger to this country."

But the environmental objections that pushed Obama to block the pipeline to Texas apply equally to the Pacific pipeline, and the review panel says more than 4,000 people have signed up to testify.

The atmosphere has turned acrimonious, with Natural Resources Minister Joe Oliver claiming in an open letter that "environmental and other radical groups" are out to thwart Canada's economic ascent.

He said they were bent on bogging down the panel's work. And in an unusually caustic mention of Canada's southern neighbor, he added: "If all other avenues have failed, they will take a quintessential American approach: Sue everyone and anyone to delay the project even further."

Environmentalists and First Nations (a Canadian synonym for native tribes) could delay approval all the way to Canada's Supreme Court, and First Nations still hold title to some of the land the pipeline would cross, meaning the government will have to move with extreme sensitivity.

Alberta has the world's third-largest oil reserves after Saudi Arabia and Venezuela: more than 170 billion barrels. Daily production of 1.5 million barrels from the oil sands is expected to increase to 3.7 million in 2025, which the oil industry sees as a pressing reason to build the pipelines.

Critics, however, dislike the whole concept of tapping the oil sands, saying it requires huge amounts of energy and water, increases greenhouse gas emissions and threatens rivers and forests. Some projects are massive open-pit mines, and the process of separating oil from sand can generate lake-sized pools of toxic sludge.

Meanwhile, China's growing economy is hungry for Canadian oil. Chinese state-owned companies have invested more than $16 billion in Canadian energy in the past two years, state-controlled Sinopec has a stake in the pipeline, and if it is built, Chinese investment in Alberta oil sands is sure to boom.

"They (the Chinese) wonder why it's not being built already," said Wenran Jiang, an energy expert and professor at the University of Alberta.

In a report on China's stake in Canadian energy, Jiang notes that if every Chinese burned oil at the rate Americans do, China's daily consumption would equal the entire world's.

Harper is set to visit China next month. After Obama first delayed the Keystone pipeline in November, Harper told Chinese President Hu Jintao at the Pacific Rim summit in Hawaii that Canada would like to sell more oil to China, and the Canadian prime minister filled in Obama on what he said.

Jiang reads that to mean "China has become leverage."

But oil analysts say Alberta has enough oil to meet both countries' needs, and the pipeline's capacity of 525,000 barrels a day would amount to less than 6 percent of China's current needs.

"I don't think U.S. policymakers view China's investment in the Canadian oil sands as a threat," says David Goldwyn, a former energy official in the Obama administration.

"In the short term it provides additional investment to increase Canadian supply; that's a good thing. Longer-term, if Canadian oil goes to China, that means China's demand is being met by a non-OPEC country, and that's a good thing for global oil supply. Right now we are spending an awful lot of time finding ways for China to meet its demand from some place other than Iran. Canada would be a great candidate."

Pipelines are rarely rejected in Canada, but Murray Minchin, an environmentalist who lives near Kitamaat Village, says this time he and other opponents are determined to block construction. "They are ready to put themselves in front of something to stop the equipment," Minchin said. "Even if it gets the green light it doesn't mean it's getting done."

Enbridge is confident the pipeline will be built and claims about 40 percent of First Nation communities living along the route have entered into a long-term equity partnership with Enbridge. The communities together are being offered 10 percent ownership of the pipeline, meaning those which sign on will share an expected $400 million over 30 years.

But of the 43 eligible communities, only one went public with its acceptance and it has since reneged after fierce protests from its members.

Janet Holder, the Enbridge executive overseeing the project, says pipeline leaks are not inevitable, new technologies make monitoring more reliable, and tugboats will guide tankers through the Douglas Channel.

At the Kitamaat hearings, speakers ranged from Ellis Ross, chief of the Haisla First Nation in British Columbia, to Dieter Wagner, a German-born Canadian, retired scientist and veteran sailor who called the Douglas Channel "an insane route to take."

Ross used to work on whale-watching boats, and refers to himself as a First Nation, a term applicable to individuals as well as groups. He testified that the tanker port would go up just as marine life decimated by industrial pollution was making a comeback in his territory.

He held the audience spellbound as he described an extraordinary nighttime encounter last summer with a whale that was "logging" -- the half-doze that passes for sleep in the cetacean world.

"... Midnight I hear this whale and it's right outside the soccer field. ... It's waterfront, but I can hear this whale, and I can't understand why it's so close, something's got to be wrong.

"So I walk down there with my daughter, my youngest daughter, and I try to flash a light down there, and quickly figured out it's not in trouble, it's sleeping. It's resting right outside our soccer field.

"You can't imagine what that means to a First Nation that's watched his territory get destroyed over 60 years. You can't imagine the feeling."

Gilles Elkaim aboard S/V ARKTIKA and his sled dogs - Arctic Adventures

2012-01-28T07:06:00.000-08:00

Ocean Village in Gibraltar recently had an unusual vessel tie up when Arctic explorer Gilles Elkaim arrived aboard his aluminum expedition vesselArktika on the way to La Rochelle, France, to winter over. Base camp for Elkaim is usually about 185 miles north of the Arctic Circle in Finnish Lapland, where he breeds endangered species of sled dogs and runs a camp that teaches survival skills to a half-dozen visitors at a time. Elkaim’s adventures have included sailing round Australia, trail walking across New Zealand, climbing mountain peaks in Papua New Guinea, cycling across India and camel riding through Mongolia. But Elkaim is best known for a four-year, 7,500-mile solo dog sled and kayak trip from Norway’s North Cape across the Bering Strait and Eurasian Arctic.

Elkaim has spent six months refitting the 47-foot Voyager-built boat Arktika, which will add a new dimension to his Arctic exploration offerings. Now visitors can sign up for sailing tours of up to a fortnight with four or five people and a small team of huskies on board. www.camp-arktika.org

More of the Gilles Elkaim story...

http://www.camp-arktika.org/article-126-croisieres-explorations-en-arctique

Why a boat?

Territories wild are still the best . Because of their remoteness from civilized areas of difficult access, they kept their pristine beauty where landscapes, fauna, flora, and (more rarely) Indigenous peoples have still not been disturbed by the omnipresence of man. How to reach them? if not by logistics and low cost environmentally friendly such snowmobile, airplane, helicopter, ship touring that go against the harmonythat we, explorers and travelers trying to establish with the environment.

In the High Arctic, communication channels, and therefore the logistics are mainly maritime . In summer, the lands discovered by the snow are swampy, too steep or barred river impassable. In winter, the ice provides a surface acceptable for travel by sled. So by the sea, boat and sleigh , I chose to continue my explorations.

The dog sledding is my specialty. For over ten years, I raised my dogs and conducted special on the vast territories of the Far North. The expedition Arktika me across a continent (Eurasia) in its entirety, from the Atlantic to the Pacific halfway around the world four years and 12 solo 000km north of the Arctic Circle.

Following on from this long and rich experience, balancing the boat dog sledding, I wanted to gain independence (almost) complete, autonomy (almost) perfect in the Arctic. My idea was therefore to adapt and equip a solid ship navigation in ice, shelter dog sled and independent living in extreme conditions to make it a platform for polar exploration as summer qu'hivernale.

The concept

The boat "ARKTIKA" is somehow an extension of CAMP ARKTIKA, sled dog camp located in Finland, whose originality is to propose raids committed by dog-oriented learning of wildlife in the North companions with exceptional Siberian huskies primitive (Nenets and Taimyr Laika).

This global approach to the polar environment demand at a time, a physical commitment because we do not support motorized, some mental strength because you have to accept the hazards associated with the real adventure and finally philosophy to understand the why the first two points and grasp the meaning of things in Nature. On this last point, our dogs, well trained and extremely affectionate, are the best guides. So it is with them that we intend to explore the shores of the polar seas.

The boat

Under sail ARKTIKA is a b ateau Shipping designed to sail, live and overwinter in a stand-alone in the Arctic, by hosting six people on board and 10 sled dogs. Its strength, its shallow draft (1m) and autonomy allow it to consider the most advanced programs of Arctic exploration.

ARKTIKA is a boat-like Voyager 47 '14.30 m constructed of aluminum by the yard META in Tarare (France).

Wetting MéditéranéeIts main characteristics are:
strength : thick aluminum shell, process Strongall (12mm thick at the edges)
Reliability : 2 engines 2 x Nanni 62 HP, 2001, 1400 hours of operation
economy : 1l/mile cruising at 7 knots with sails of support.
Autonomy : 6000 nautical miles at 7 knots or two winters (6300l gas oil)
energy independence : two wind turbines, solar panels 4, 12 gel batteries
Safety : draft of 1 m, boat runs aground
comfort heating, insulation, inner wheelhouse, kitchen and bathroom

"ARKTIKA" is registered in Finland. It is approved in an era category, for 6 people.

The crew

Our crew is human-canine.

Gilles Elkaim , half man, half-dog is the commander on board.
He is an explorer and Yachtmaster (Anglo-Saxon version of Captain 200).
It introduces you to the adaptation to the North.

Loret governed , more human than dog, is the skipper.
Owner-skipper patented state (BEES sailing) and Merchant Shipping (Masters 200, PPV, CAPA, PPN). He puts his 30 years of experience in the sea to our boat and you know its instills great sailor.

Guy Bush , 100% man, skipper.
Patented Merchant Shipping (Patron Yacht PPV, PPN, PCMM 250kW, CRO).
In addition, kayaker and photographer

Pouchok , half-dog half-man, the lead dog to retire from my shipping Arktika.
Excellent self-taught.
He sends all his wisdom canine.

Kotch , 100% dog, while fat and muscle, the pet dog (not graduate!) Camp Arktika.
It amuses you and you cuddle.

Et .. you who dream of participating in a hell of a voluntary approach that respects and integrates the polar nature.
The platform for exploration

ARKTIKA offers cruises in small group (3-4 participants) as part of responsible tourism focused on the exploration of polar regions. We maintain the philosophy of Camp Arktika based on the discovery and learning about wildlife in the North except that the base camp becomes a boat around which we radiate in a sea kayak, on foot, on skis or dogsled. No need to be a sailor, our boat is there to ensure our logistics and our accommodation for the return of excursions or raids. (See 2012 cruise program below)

ARKTIKA is a platform for exploration safe and comfortable to carry various scientific studies on the environment (marine or terrestrial) in the most inaccessible areas and under the most extreme climatic conditions of the Arctic.

ARKTIKA provides logistical support reliable and inexpensive for missions and expeditions summer or winter. In winter, our dog sledding take over for travel on the ice. It should be emphasized that, unlike a snowmobile, dog sled, led with experience progresses smoothly through the chaos of ice and ice fragile. It starts in the lowest temperatures and never falls down. It carries 400 kg of material (twice a snowmobile cutter). It is certainly slower, but it is environmentally friendly. Also dogs warn of the visit of the polar bear and give us all their affection.

ARKTIKA prepare in the near future, the great expeditions started only a few extreme participants for a program or a la carte.
The cruise program ARKTIKA - 2012 First season!
Spitsbergen , north-western exploration, trekking and sea kayaking from 16/06 to 28/06, from 30/06 to 12/07, from 14/07 to 26/07
East Greenland , Adventure at the end of the stem, from 11/08 to 23/08, from 25/08 to 06/09, from 08/09 to 20/09
Lofoten , Northern Lights and Orcas, the 06/10 to 13/10, the 13/10 to 20/10
Spitsbergen to East Greenland, from 28/07 to 09/08
The East Greenland via the Lofoten Jan Mayen , from 22/09 to 04/10
Download below the detailed program brochure.

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Camp Arktika adopts a platform dedicated to the exploration of the Arctic in areas as diverse as sports tourism and responsible research, logistics, shipping, watching film or photographic exploration.

"ARKTIKA" is an expedition ship designed to navigate the polar seas, live independently and to winter in the Arctic, by hosting six people on board and 10 sled dogs.

ARKTIKA is a boat-like Voyager 47 '14.30 m constructed of aluminum by the yard META in Tarare (France).

Its main characteristics are:
thick aluminum shell, process Strongall (12mm thick at the edges)
Two reliable engines (2 x Nanni 62 HP, 2001, 1400 h)
economical cruising speed: 1 l / mile sail at 7 knots with support.
autonomy of 6000 nautical miles at 7 knots (6300l gas oil)
Energy independence: two wind turbines, solar panels 4, 12 gel batteries
Its shallow draft of 1.00 m
Comfort heating, insulation, inner wheelhouse, kitchen and bathroom

The Voyager 47 'was designed to safely navigate in the Arctic and across the oceans. A complete refit of the boat is made in 2011.

ARKTIKA "is registered in Finland and is registered in the first category, for 6 people.

In 1984, during its maiden voyage, Voyager 47 'has made the crossing Lyon-New York round trip without refueling. ARKTIKA is the sister ship of the vessel

Under sailLifting the boatfor transport to the site complete refit

2 62cv Nanni engines, cylinder 5, 2001, 1400hwheelhouse and saloon than the passageway and the two superimposed berthstarboard cabinKitchenThe forward cabinIt's bathroom with hip bath

Plan outsideof the Plan within
SpecificationsType: Voyager 47 '
Builder: Meta, Tarare, France
Architect: Michel Joubert and Nivelt
Year: 1984
Dimensions: 14.30 x 4.44 m m
Draft: 1m, boat runs aground
Material: Aluminum Strongall type (bottom 15mm, 12mm shell , Bridge 10mm)
Steering system: double rudders protected crapaudine
Displacement: 19 t charge
Engines: 2 x Nanni 62 HP - 1400 hours, 2001
Trees oil bath method Meta
Cooling: indirect
Propellers: 3 blades Radice 500 mm
Gas oil tank: 6300 l total
Cruising Speed: 7 knots
Consumption: 1 l / mile at 7 knots
Water tank: 1200 l
Mat: Alu 8.20 m
Mainsail, furling genoa, staysail furling
Windlass: Lofran Falcon 1500W
Manual windlass Rear Goiot
swim platform
Alu Hard top
Tent cockpit
Anchors: Brake 40 kg, 25 kg CQR, + 1 spare - 100m of chain 12 mm
20mm plexy windows 18 + 8 panels with vents Goiot
Isolation : 65 mm foam
heating and forced air heaters
Pumps: Electric 3
Cabins: 1 double, 1 Single
Beds: 5-9
Gas cooker: 2 burner + oven
Fridge, freezer
Bathroom: small bath with shower and
water heater: 75l
WC: 2 (1 electric)
GPS: Magellan
Radar: Furuno
VHF: Navicom RT 650
HF SSB Radio: Sony
Loch - 2 pollsters Digipack
Pilot: Autohelm + 1 spare
Compass: Silva
Navtex
Batteries: 12 x Frost Odyssey 215A / h
Wind : 2 x Eclectic Energy D400
Solar Panels: 80 W x 4
Appendix: 2.50 m with 2.2 hp Suzuki motor
Survival 6 people

Bon Voyage !

Arctic 2012 Expedition - Request for Crew

2012-01-26T16:49:00.001-08:00

http://www.thearcticinstitute.org/2012/01/34251-arctic-2012-expedition-request.html

by Malte Humpert The M/V GREY GOOSE is outfitting for a 10,000 nautical mile voyage in 2012 from Mobile Alabama 'over-the-top' through the Arctic Northwest Passage to Astoria Oregon. The 55 foot steel Motor Vessel GREY GOOSE ('GG') is planning to depart Mobile Alabama on a 10,000 nautical-mile voyage of discovery up the USA eastern seaboard, Canada and Greenland before staging at Pond Inlet Nunavut Canada to challenge the fabled Arctic Northwest Passage 'over-the-top' during the minimum ice season to Alaska then down through British Columbia's breathtaking 'Inside Passage' on the way to our homeport in Astoria Oregon. Departure is scheduled for May 14, 2012.

Everett-based sea captain Douglas Pohl has announced his intention to sail his 55-foot expedition motor vessel, the Grey Goose, through the fabled – and dangerous – arctic waterway known as the Northwest Passage in the summer of 2012, and is offering six fellow boating adventurers “share-the-ride” berths for contributing to the expenses of the voyage. Captain Pohl plans to leave from his outfitting port of Mobile, Alabama in May 2012, and then sail northwards along the Atlantic coastline of the United States and Canada before crossing over to Greenland. By late summer he expects to complete an east-to-west traverse of the Northwest Passage, and by the fall reach his new home port in Astoria, Oregon.

Potential crew mates may join Captain Pohl for the entire voyage, or board the Grey Goose for just a leg of the voyage. The Northwest Passage along the northern coastline of Canada and Alaska, is widely considered by mariners to be one of the most difficult sea passages in the world. It has been ice-blocked throughout history, and only with the recent impact of global climate change has the waterway been free of ice long enough in the summer for a successful crossing. In August 2011, twelve small vessels are reportedly traversing the Northwest Passage, and the waterway is expected to again be ice-free next year in 2012. Captain Pohl estimates that the Grey Goose will be one of the first hundred vessels in history to complete a single season passage of the fabled Northwest Passage. “It’s a chance to do something that very few people have ever done,” said Pohl, adding that those who partake of the adventure will stand in an exclusive circle among nautical enthusiasts. (The above text was adopted from a Press Release from November 1, 2011).

For more information, please refer to www.northwestpassage2012.com, contact the Captain at (425) 971-5765, or email him at info@northwestpassage2012.com.

Audubon map – new Puget Loop unveiled as enviro groups strategize

2012-01-26T06:46:00.000-08:00

Stormy weather is not the best recipe for bird watching.

But that’s not stopping environmentalists from getting together in Olympia to set their legislative priorities.

And among the festivities celebrating the Washington Conservation Voters’ day of lobbying is the unveiling of a colorful new, hand-drawn bird-watching map.

The new “Puget Loop” Audubon map is the latest in a series of trail maps,used by avid birders.

"It covers the area where most of us live, Puget Sound,” says Woody Wheeler, who now makes a living guiding tourists from all over the country, who come here just to seek out our unique mix of birds.

“And you might think, well there are big cities here and lots of commerce, so maybe there wouldn't be as many birds, but that’s not the case.” Wheeler says.

He can list 4 or five great places to go birding within Seattle’s city limits. They're all on the new map, which he helped create.

Wheeler says one of his favorite places to take people is Union Bay, near the University District, where at this time of year you can find the Pacific Wren. It's a little mottled brown one that doesn't look like much. But he says there's another reason to enjoy finding it.

“It has the longest song of any bird in America. And that's around here. And it's an amazing little song," He says, adding that he had just spotted one there. "They're not singing much now because it's winter. But, when it gets brighter and warmer, they'll start singing more. And they have an incredible song, for such a little bird.”

You can hear the Pacific Wren's long song and see it sing in this YouTube Video:

Christi Norman runs the state’s birding trail program out of another great spot, at the south end of Lake Washington, in Seward Park, where you can see majestic eagles and pre-historic-looking herons, among many others.

But she says that’s just the tiniest taste of what’s on the new map.

“You can see Albatrosses on the Pacific Coast. You can go to eastern Washington to the little, tiniest nooks and crannies and find the Calliopy hummingbird. You can find owls in the Northeast in the Ponderay.”

Or you could seek out the elusive great gray owl that flies into our forested coastlines.

Norman and others attending the strategy sessions in Olympia say this wildlife heritage is part of what brings in scarce funds for essential services, by fueling our tourist trade.

“And we have been growing our wildlife watching about ten times faster than the rest of the country. And that's because we have such fabulous birds all over the state,” Norman says.

She and others attending the Environmental Priorities Coalition day of lobbying say telling people about what we have and then protecting it is something they can celebrate – as they push back against all kinds of rollbacks to environmental battles that are looming because of the down economy.

[You can buy a copy of the map for $4.95 on the web site of Seattle Audubon.]

Hundreds of meteorites uncovered in Antarctica

2012-01-25T06:03:00.000-08:00

A gang of heavily insulated scientists has wrapped up its Antarctic expedition, with its members thawing out from the experience, but pleased to have bagged more than 300 space rocks.

They are participants in the Antarctic Search for Meteorites program, or ANSMET for short. Since 1976, ANSMET researchers have been recovering thousands of meteorite specimens from the East Antarctic ice sheet. ANSMET is funded by the Office of Polar Programs of the National Science Foundation.

According to the ANSMET website, the specimens are currently the only reliable, continuous source of new, nonmicroscopic extraterrestrial material. Given that there are no active planetary sample-return missions coming or going at the moment, the retrieval of meteorites is the cheapest and only guaranteed way to recover new things from worlds beyond the Earth. [Photos: Asteroids in Deep Space ]

"It has been another interesting season at Miller Range," said Ralph Harvey, associate professor in the department of Earth, Environmental and Planetary Sciences at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio.

"The place is special for us because we seem to find meteorites everywhere , in every little nook and cranny, almost unpredictable," Harvey told SPACE.com. "And it did it again ... lots of places we checked out just to be complete proved to have dozens of specimens."

Harvey is the principal investigator for the ANSMET program. "I've been leading field parties since 1991 and I think this year marks my 25th overall with the program," Harvey said.

Harvey likens his search for meteorites to a farmer who's used to harvesting corn in a field finding it growing in the barn, in the garage, in the basement and other surprising spots.

The meteorite hunting wasn't all smooth, though.

The team was held back significantly by early snowfalls that buried the meteorites. Even though a few strong windstorms cleared some of it, the whipping winds did not clear all of it, Harvey explained.

"The total number of meteorites is less than half what I would have predicted, again primarily because of that early snow hiding all the specimens," Harvey said. "We'll be going back to the Miller Range at least one more time and maybe two."

Celestial collectibles

Antarctica is viewed as the world's premier meteorite hunting ground, and for good reason.

While meteorites fall in a random fashion all over the globe, the East Antarctic ice sheet is a "desert of ice," a stark scene that enhances the likelihood of finding meteorites, which are usually undisturbed and stand out against the background.

In the just-concluded search, the team's bounty of celestial collectibles brought the total number of meteorites found in ANSMET history to 20,000. [Hunting for Space Rocks: Q&A with Geoff Notkin of 'Meteorite Men']

Along with Harvey, the meteorite hunters are:

John Schutt, an ANSMET mountaineer for over 30 years who once again played that role. He recently got an honorary doctorate recognizing his contributions to planetary science.

Jim Karner, a postdoctoral researcher working with the ANSMET program and a specialist in Martian meteorites from Case Western Reserve. He's a veteran of four ANSMET expeditions.

Christian Schrader, a geologist from NASA Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala., who has done significant rock work, particularly in studying lunar meteorites.

Katie Joy, planetary geologist, most recently from the Lunar and Planetary Institute in Houston, Tex., and a lunar meteorite researcher.

Anne Peslier, a planetary scientist from NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston who has done a great deal of work on Martian meteorites.

Jake Maule, a planetary scientist, recently of Carnegie Institute in Washington, D.C., with a specialty in astrobiology.

Jesper Holst, a Ph.D. student studying planetary geochemistry at the University of Copenhagen.

Tim Swindle, a planetary geochemist from the University of Arizona, taking part in the second half of the season, and a veteran of several previous expeditions.

Samples and survival kits

The team members used Ski-Doo Snowmobiles to transport themselves out in the field. Each person is armed with a survival kit, meteorite gathering equipment, lots of water and food, medical kits, Iridium satellite phones and GPS devices.

Once a sample is spotted, scientists assign it an identification number. They establish its position with GPS and note the specimen's size, possible classification and any distinguishing features such as shape or fusion crust.

Researchers then collect the sample in a sterile Teflon bag, taking care to avoid contact with any mechanical or biological materials.

While the field season was in progress, these samples were inventoried and kept frozen. Upon the team's return to McMurdo Station, the U.S. scientific headquarters in the Antarctic, the meteorites were transferred to special shipping containers and sent, still frozen, to the Antarctic Meteorite Curation Facility at the Johnson Space Center in Houston.

There the meteorites are carefully removed from their sealed bags, dried to remove any attached snow or ice and stored under cleanroom conditions for future study.

Tent time

During their month-long stay, and at different camp sites, the group posted a series of dispatches from the field. Frequently, the noncooperating weather forced the team to spend lots of tent time: eating, reading, resting, writing.

"But as always in Antarctica, everything depends on the weather," wrote an upbeat Peslier, "so who knows what tomorrow will bring!"

Added another team member, "I am starting to wonder about the wisdom of having so many sugary snacks within hand's reach, literally, in our tent food box."

"Life has been good so far in camp," wrote Joy. "There has been lots of great meals, endless hot chocolate drinking and, having dug out my box of sweet treats, I have uncovered my small stash of Kendal mint cake that I have been saving for months for the trip. Yum."

In another dispatch from the ice, Schrader reported: "It was a special day for us because we collected our first meteorites. Yee haw." At the start of exploring Miller Range, he said, "we collected 15 specimens...a modest but solid start."

Snug in his tent, Maule explained: "The biggest hardship for me out here is missing my loved ones back home. Yet, all of us on the team are in the same boat and we're all pulling together for one another. This place is special and it is a real honor for us to be here."

As the Christmas holiday season neared, Maule observed: "Best wishes to everyone as the holiday season nears. We actually have a poor, stunted Christmas tree in a bucket outside the poo tent. Very festive."

In another posting. Holst wrote: "A few hours of systematic searching yielded another 14 meteorites, including carbonaceous chondrite shards...I think we all feel that we hit the jackpot today, and we are so happy that we moved camp. So now, the real hunt is on! Oh yeah!"

Unilever pens global sponsorship for Kiefer Sutherland drama

2012-01-24T16:05:00.000-08:00

Tue, 24 Jan 2012 | By Sebastian Joseph

Unilever

is to sponsor the worldwide release of 20th Century Fox’s new TV drama, Touch, starring Kiefer Sutherland, as the FMCG giant looks to engage consumers on “one culturally relevant content platform.”

Unilever will use the show’s launch in more than 100 countries to introduce a global coordinated marketing strategy across its brand portfolio.

The Dove and Persil owner is working with Twentieth Century Fox Television Distribution, Fox Broadcasting Company, FOX One, 20th Century Fox Television and FOX International Channels, to promote specific products to a broader audience.

Ads for the deodorant Sure in the UK, Degree in the US and Rexona everywhere else will run alongside the series when it airs in March.

Unilever will also sponsor the ‘Touch’ international media tour and worldwide premier along with financing a media strategy that spans Europe, Asia, the US and Latin America.

Exclusive content from the show will be presented by Unilever products online, while a Facebook page has been set up to generate buzz around the show.

The new venture will allow the company to speak to more demographics, according Luis Di-Como, senior vice president of global media at Unilever.

“This type of sponsorship enables us to connect and engage consumers with one of our billion-euro global brands - Rexona, Degree in the U.S. and Sure in the UK - with one culturally relevant content platform.”

Fox One, News Corp’s integrated sales and marketing division worked with Unilever for more than a year to develop the sponsorship deal.

Cairn's $600 Million Greenland Oil Campaign Ends in Failure

2012-01-15T07:45:00.000-08:00

Cairn Energy Plc ended this year’s $600 million drilling program off Greenland after the biggest exploration campaign attempted in the Arctic island’s waters failed to make a viable discovery.

The AT7-1 well, which had encountered traces of oil and gas, has been plugged and abandoned, the Edinburgh-based company said today in a statement. The AT2-1 well, the last of five drilled this year, was also abandoned after reporting only “minor hydrocarbon shows.” The company will evaluate its program next year and seek partners for investment.

“Effectively these are write-offs, though there were some encouraging signs,” said Richard Rose, an oil analyst at Oriel Securities Ltd. “That’s the end of the program, rigs are going to disappear, and we won’t see any drilling there next year.”

Cairn’s eight-well program, spread over two years, was one of the industry’s most advanced efforts to find oil in Arctic waters and drew protests from activists who said it risked damaging a pristine environment. Exxon Mobil Corp., Chevron Corp., Royal Dutch Shell Plc and Statoil ASA hold licenses to explore off Greenland, an autonomous Danish territory of 56,000 people.

Cairn fell as much as 5.9 percent to 258.8 pence in London, the biggest decline in two months. The shares are down 38 percent this year and traded at 264 pence at 11:48 a.m.

The unsuccessful Greenland campaign may raise concern that the company, which also has exploration licenses in Spain, may need to find a new focus after it agreed to sell a majority interest in its Indian business to Vedanta Resources Plc last year. The company has been waiting for more than a year to get approval for the deal.

‘Ingredients for Success’

“The first phase of Cairn’s exploration program in Greenland has encountered oil and gas shows across multiple basins and now reservoir-quality sands in the Atammik block,” Chief Executive Officer Simon Thomson said in a statement. “Whilst we have yet to make a commercial discovery we remain encouraged that all of the ingredients for success are in evidence.”

Greenland’s oil and gas resources may total 50 billion barrels, according to the U.S. Geological survey. That’s more than the U.S.’s proven crude reserves.

Polar Bears

Cairn said it had spent $573 million this year on the unsuccessful Greenland campaign as of the end of September, before the last two wells were completed. The company drilled three exploration wells in 2010. Mike Watts, head of exploration, said in January that Cairn was prepared to spend up to $1.2 billion in Greenland on 10 to 12 wells.

About 20 Greenpeace activists were arrested in July after storming Cairn’s Edinburgh office dressed as polar bears. In August, Greenland’s government said it will publish the company’s contingency plan for an oil spill.

“However the company tries to spin this, Cairn’s Greenland misadventures have been an unmitigated disaster from day one,” Greenpeace said in a statement. “The incredible technical, economic and environmental risks of operating in the Arctic simply aren’t worth it.”

The last great exploration is to survive on earth

2012-01-08T05:37:00.000-08:00

In 1986, three men hauled 350-pounds of gear over 900 miles of frozen desolation, the terrifying terrain of Antarctica. The weather was brutal, the temperature mind-numbing, often below - 60 celsius even in the Antarctic summer.

The men had no communications equipment or backup support. The expedition, called In the Footsteps of Scott was led by Robert Swan and it was the longest unassisted walk in human history.

It took 70 days to reach the South Pole; and then they learned that barely three minutes earlier, their rescue ship, Southern Quest was crushed by pack ice and sank.

Three years later, Swan assembled another team for another expedition, Icewalk, this time to the North Pole, and became the only man ever to have walked to both poles.

Robert Swan is many things: motivational speaker, lecturer, adventurer, explorer, sailor and yachtsman, conservationist, writer, thinker, but most of all an ideologue for clean energy and the planet.

In 1992, he was the keynote speaker at the UN Earth Summit in Rio, when he committed himself to a global environmental mission involving youth, business and industry.

Four years later, his South Pole Challenge brought together 35 young adventurers from 25 nations. Their mission: to remove and recycle 1,500 tonnes of waste from the Antarctica. It took over eight years.

The garbage was gone; and, for the first time in nearly 50 years, the penguins had a home again. And it was here, in the wintry wasteland of Antarctica that Swan set up his first e-base, a self-sustaining, ecologically independent educational and research station.

Swan’s 67-foot racing yacht is christened 2041, as his website (www.2041.com). The reference is to the year in which the Madrid Protocol, which protects the Antarctica, is scheduled for debate.

The yacht is no indulgence. It is the icon of a bullet-proof idea: of our planet in peril, of the need to act. The yacht is remarkable: it is probably the only vessel with sails once made entirely of recycled PET products.

2041 voyaged to Johannesburg, supporting an AIDS charity. It raced from the Cape to Rio, circumnavigated Africa, participated in the Sydney Hobart Yacht Race. From 2008 through 2012, the yacht sails around the world to promote renewable energy. Today, refitted, it operates entirely on wind, solar and biodiesel.

Last year, the 56-year-old Swan turned his attention to India and did so with the ferocity and impatience that define him. In November 2011, he launched the Ganges Expedition from Gangotri to the Goumukh Glacier. He set up a second e-base in Pench in Madhya Pradesh, with state-of-the-art gear powered entirely by renewable energy, to be used in tiger conservation.

Anyone else who has achieved half as much as Swan - he is today a special envoy to UNESCO’s Director-General and received an OBE in 1995 - might be tempted to leave it to others. Sir Robert’s voyages are far from over. As he puts it, “The last great exploration is to survive on earth.”

Excerpts from an e-mail Q&A a few days ago:

On your South Pole expedition, three minutes before you reached your goal, your rescue vessel sank. After 70 days and 900 miles over that terrain, this must have been a moment of indescribable despair. Yet you seem only to have found greater inspiration and resolve. What drives you?

Swan: Personal leadership is simple. One should think very very carefully before making a commitment, but once you make that commitment you should deliver on your word. Time and again, this simple code has pulled us through. I promised Jacques Cousteau and Sir Peter Scott, founder of the WWF, that we would leave Antarctica clear of rubbish and equipment. It took an extra year and much sacrifice but we delivered.

But what you do is surely too daunting for the average individual; and explorations of this kind are essentially solitary. Is it reasonable to expect the achievements of one exceptional explorer to inspire an entire movement?

Swan: The last great exploration left on earth is to survive on earth, as a species. My mission is to inspire the heroines and heroes of that exploration. This exploration requires commitment, holding on to a dream, and delivering. Using the story of our efforts, walking to the Poles, helps deliver that message. After all, we are the only people that can lead ourselves.

What do you believe is needed to establish an enduring movement for ecological conservation?

Swan: Education and inspiration. Here, in India, I see that it is really important that the youth are inspired not to import the unhappiness of the west. To be solely consumed by consuming is not the way. I also think that the education system is too narrowly focused on academics and not the whole person.

Your project 2041 has one springboard, but many hopes. Your initiatives range from the e-base in Antarctica to another in Pench, to the Ganges, on AIDS in South Africa, the ‘Wounded Warrior’ initiative for which you ran the Washington marathon. Aren’t you fighting on too many fronts to make any one of them viable?

Swan: There is, with all respect, one theme that runs through all these projects and that is the promotion and testing of renewable energy. To save Antarctica, if we use more renewables there will be no need to go there to exploit fossil fuels.

The Antarctic and Pench Ebases run only on renewables. The tiger is a great way to catch the youth of India. The wounded warriors come from the American Marine Corps, who are using and promoting the use of renewables - a spokesperson for 2041 who lost an arm or leg in Iraq for oil is powerful.

The AIDS campaign in South Africa 10 years ago was to find a relevant mission through which to talk to African youth on the Environment. My work in the Middle East is also for these reasons. The ultimate goal is to preserve the Antarctic in 2041 and, on the way, help people use more renewables - and thus ensure our survival on earth.

Many say that India’s commitment to conservation is weak and lacks sincerity; that India has no regard for its past or its future. How do you see India?

Swan: India sadly suffers from MAFA - Mistaking Articulation For Action. My small effort is to shock and inspire people to action. Of course 8% growth is India’s target. If that happens without regard to sustainability then you will have growth but without water, forests, air and no social or economic stability. I try to inform companies that their overseas customers will start to demand that they have engaged in sustainability. If the world’s largest company - Walmart - asks that question to its supply chains, that becomes the trend.

One thing which is hard to take here is that the majority of rich hide behind the poor and say “India only has one ton of carbon per person”. Yes, the 900 million have nothing. However the rich here have as bad a footprint, if not worse, than those in USA. The wealthy need to think about what they are doing, to look in the mirror.

On BBC’s Desert Island Discs in August 2000, you listed a mix of recordings: John Mills, Verdi and Puccini, Power of Love by Frankie Goes to Hollywood, Good Thing by FYC and your then favourite, Better Off Alone by Alice DeeJay. Eleven years on, what would you add to this list?

Swan: Infinity 2008 (Klaas Vocal Mix), 3:33, Guru Josh Project, Cream Future Trance [Disc 1] and Electronica 21.

In 1986, three men hauled 350-pounds of gear over 900 miles of frozen desolation, the terrifying terrain of Antarctica. The weather was brutal, the temperature mind-numbing, often below - 60 celsius even in the Antarctic summer.

The men had no communications equipment or backup support. The expedition, called In the Footsteps of Scott was led by Robert Swan and it was the longest unassisted walk in human history.

It took 70 days to reach the South Pole; and then they learned that barely three minutes earlier, their rescue ship, Southern Quest was crushed by pack ice and sank.

Three years later, Swan assembled another team for another expedition, Icewalk, this time to the North Pole, and became the only man ever to have walked to both poles.

Robert Swan is many things: motivational speaker, lecturer, adventurer, explorer, sailor and yachtsman, conservationist, writer, thinker, but most of all an ideologue for clean energy and the planet.

In 1992, he was the keynote speaker at the UN Earth Summit in Rio, when he committed himself to a global environmental mission involving youth, business and industry.

Four years later, his South Pole Challenge brought together 35 young adventurers from 25 nations. Their mission: to remove and recycle 1,500 tonnes of waste from the Antarctica. It took over eight years.

The garbage was gone; and, for the first time in nearly 50 years, the penguins had a home again. And it was here, in the wintry wasteland of Antarctica that Swan set up his first e-base, a self-sustaining, ecologically independent educational and research station.

Swan’s 67-foot racing yacht is christened 2041, as his website (www.2041.com). The reference is to the year in which the Madrid Protocol, which protects the Antarctica, is scheduled for debate.

The yacht is no indulgence. It is the icon of a bullet-proof idea: of our planet in peril, of the need to act. The yacht is remarkable: it is probably the only vessel with sails once made entirely of recycled PET products.

2041 voyaged to Johannesburg, supporting an AIDS charity. It raced from the Cape to Rio, circumnavigated Africa, participated in the Sydney Hobart Yacht Race. From 2008 through 2012, the yacht sails around the world to promote renewable energy. Today, refitted, it operates entirely on wind, solar and biodiesel.

Last year, the 56-year-old Swan turned his attention to India and did so with the ferocity and impatience that define him. In November 2011, he launched the Ganges Expedition from Gangotri to the Goumukh Glacier. He set up a second e-base in Pench in Madhya Pradesh, with state-of-the-art gear powered entirely by renewable energy, to be used in tiger conservation.

Anyone else who has achieved half as much as Swan - he is today a special envoy to UNESCO’s Director-General and received an OBE in 1995 - might be tempted to leave it to others. Sir Robert’s voyages are far from over. As he puts it, “The last great exploration is to survive on earth.”

Excerpts from an e-mail Q&A a few days ago:

On your South Pole expedition, three minutes before you reached your goal, your rescue vessel sank. After 70 days and 900 miles over that terrain, this must have been a moment of indescribable despair. Yet you seem only to have found greater inspiration and resolve. What drives you?

Swan: Personal leadership is simple. One should think very very carefully before making a commitment, but once you make that commitment you should deliver on your word. Time and again, this simple code has pulled us through. I promised Jacques Cousteau and Sir Peter Scott, founder of the WWF, that we would leave Antarctica clear of rubbish and equipment. It took an extra year and much sacrifice but we delivered.

But what you do is surely too daunting for the average individual; and explorations of this kind are essentially solitary. Is it reasonable to expect the achievements of one exceptional explorer to inspire an entire movement?Swan: The last great exploration left on earth is to survive on earth, as a species. My mission is to inspire the heroines and heroes of that exploration. This exploration requires commitment, holding on to a dream, and delivering. Using the story of our efforts, walking to the Poles, helps deliver that message. After all, we are the only people that can lead ourselves.

What do you believe is needed to establish an enduring movement for ecological conservation?

Swan: Education and inspiration. Here, in India, I see that it is really important that the youth are inspired not to import the unhappiness of the west. To be solely consumed by consuming is not the way. I also think that the education system is too narrowly focused on academics and not the whole person.

Your project 2041 has one springboard, but many hopes. Your initiatives range from the e-base in Antarctica to another in Pench, to the Ganges, on AIDS in South Africa, the ‘Wounded Warrior’ initiative for which you ran the Washington marathon. Aren’t you fighting on too many fronts to make any one of them viable?Swan: There is, with all respect, one theme that runs through all these projects and that is the promotion and testing of renewable energy. To save Antarctica, if we use more renewables there will be no need to go there to exploit fossil fuels.

The Antarctic and Pench Ebases run only on renewables. The tiger is a great way to catch the youth of India. The wounded warriors come from the American Marine Corps, who are using and promoting the use of renewables - a spokesperson for 2041 who lost an arm or leg in Iraq for oil is powerful.

The AIDS campaign in South Africa 10 years ago was to find a relevant mission through which to talk to African youth on the Environment. My work in the Middle East is also for these reasons. The ultimate goal is to preserve the Antarctic in 2041 and, on the way, help people use more renewables - and thus ensure our survival on earth.

Many say that India’s commitment to conservation is weak and lacks sincerity; thatIndia has no regard for its past or its future. How do you see India?

Swan: India sadly suffers from MAFA - Mistaking Articulation For Action. My small effort is to shock and inspire people to action. Of course 8% growth is India’s target. If that happens without regard to sustainability then you will have growth but without water, forests, air and no social or economic stability. I try to inform companies that their overseas customers will start to demand that they have engaged in sustainability. If the world’s largest company - Walmart - asks that question to its supply chains, that becomes the trend.

One thing which is hard to take here is that the majority of rich hide behind the poor and say “India only has one ton of carbon per person”. Yes, the 900 million have nothing. However the rich here have as bad a footprint, if not worse, than those in USA. The wealthy need to think about what they are doing, to look in the mirror.

On BBC’s Desert Island Discs in August 2000, you listed a mix of recordings: John Mills, Verdi and Puccini, Power of Love by Frankie Goes to Hollywood, Good Thing by FYC and your then favourite, Better Off Alone by Alice DeeJay. Eleven years on, what would you add to this list?Swan: Infinity 2008 (Klaas Vocal Mix), 3:33, Guru Josh Project, Cream Future Trance [Disc 1] and Electronica 21.

http://www.mumbaimirror.com/article/82/201201082012010802031851514cbb87/%E2%80%98The-last-great-exploration-is-to-survive-on-earth%E2%80%99.html

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Last of 431 Teachers Return from Fund for Teachers Fellowships, Fund for Teachers grants normally experienced during the summer -- but it IS summer in Antarctica

2012-01-07T07:06:00.000-08:00

Houston teachers spend holiday break, and a $10,000 Fund for Teachers grant, on Antarctic expedition to inspire students’ interest in environmental issues; They mark the last of 431 preK-12 teachers from across the country who broadened their horizons in 2011 with $1.7M in Fund for Teachers grants.

Some teachers go to the end of the world for their students, literally. With a $10,000 Fund for Teachers grant, Houston teachers Adrienne Raible and Brooke Leith spent their holiday break on an Antarctic expedition to inspire students’ interest in environmental issues and promote research skills proficiency.

Throughout the fall semester and in preparation for their voyage, Raible and Leith collaborated with science and geography teachers to lead students' research on Antarctica. After school, campus book clubs read historic accounts of polar expeditions; environmental clubs studied how people’s actions in Houston cause environmental disturbances in Antarctica. Eager to track their teachers' progress across the southernmost tip of the world, students followed Raible and Leith on Facebook during the holiday break.

The high school teachers' twelve-day itinerary included educational presentations by scientific experts, excursions in inflatable boats to conduct research, and glacier camping under the Austral sky.

"As we sat in our first educational briefing, the expedition leader said, 'A piece of Antarctica will get in your blood. You will be forever changed.' At that point, I did not grasp the impact this trip would have on my life, both professionally and personally," said Raible, teacher at Pasadena Memorial High School. "Because of this grant, I better understand the importance of protecting our planet and am equipped with new knowledge to share with my students and colleagues."

The teachers/explorers plan to use their experiences to develop a global environment unit that integrates science, geography, technology, and research concepts deepened during their fellowship. Their goal is to encourage students' exploration of environmental interdependence. They're convinced the fellowship in Antarctica will inspire authentic learning and heightened engagement.

"The surreal landscape of sea, ice and snow offered me a unique glimpse of an untouched wilderness," said Leith, teacher at Sam Rayburn High School. "Through my stories, pictures and videos, I will make Antarctica come alive for my students and hopefully motivate them to take action to preserve Earth's last great unspoiled continent."

Raible and Leith mark the last of the 431 preK-12 teachers from across the country who broadened their horizons this year with $1.7M in Fund for Teachers grants. Eligible educators interested in applying for 2012 summer grants may apply online; the deadline for proposals is January 27, 2012. For more information, visit http://www.fundforteachers.org or call 1-800-681-2667.

Fund for Teachers enriches the personal and professional growth of teachers by supporting them as they pursue opportunities around the world that have the greatest impact on their practice, their students and their school communities.

Cruise Lines to Retrace Titanic's Journey

2012-01-07T05:53:00.001-08:00

La Fabrika Pixel S.l. | Dreamstime.com

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While adventure travel has become popular with tourists looking for more than just your average run-of- the-mill tour vacation, several new cruises designed to follow the originally intended route of the doomed ocean liner Titanic may be taking things a little too far.

The Titanic Memorial Cruise, set to depart from Southampton, England on April 8, will retrace the original voyage of the Titanic in commemoration with the 100th anniversary of the famed ocean liner's voyage. Fred Olsen Cruise Line is also offering a mini-Titanic cruise aboard the ship's 1,309-passenger Balmoral ship. For $4,018, passengers will spend 12 days at sea, but currently there is only room available on the waiting list for interested travelers. Additionally, the 694-passenger Azamara Journey is also booked to visit the resting place of the Titanic on April 15 after departing from New York and making one stop in Nova Scotia. This eight-night cruise will cost participants $4,900 per person.

Those travelers with a more adventurous side can get a much closer look at the ship for during the 100th anniversary. Deep Ocean Expeditions has coordinated four trips to the wreckage of the Titanic starting in July. Seeing the Titanic, however, will make a titanic impact on a person's bank account as the trips (not including airfare to and from the port) cost $59,680 a person.

During these expeditions, participants will be at sea for 12 to 13 days after leaving from St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada, as they steam toward the Titanic crash site. Once at the crash site, divers will be able to board a compact MIR submarine for an eight to 10 hour trip down to the crash site. The 12,500 foot descent takes two and a half hours, but once at the bottom of the ocean, visitors will spend four hours exploring the wreckage of the infamous White Star Line Vessel.

Scientists Recreate Arctic Explorer Ernest Shackleton's 100-Year Old Whiskey

2012-01-06T06:08:00.000-08:00

Scientists drew Shackleton's whisky from its bottle with an oversized needle (Journal of the Institute of Brewing)

Further proof that science is amazing: Scottish researchers have painstakingly worked to recreate the 100-year old whisky that explorer extraordinaire Ernest Shackleton brought with him on an Arctic voyage in 1907, and the successful results are now available by the bottle for your drinking pleasure. How did they do it?

The Journal of the Institute of Brewing breaks it down all scientific-like, most of which we don't really understand, but we definitely get the "sniffing and tasting" part. Fun fact: there was so much alcohol in Shackleton's bottle that it never froze over the many years it spent in Antarctica, where wintertime temperatures hover around -32.5°C. The recreated finished product actually includes some of the rare remaining whisky from Glen Mohr distillery, where Shackleton's bottle was made, which was sadly torn down in 1986.

Procure your very own bottle (especially if you're a lady!) of Mackinlay's Rare Old Highland Malt for about $125, right this way.

Contact the author of this article or email tips@gothamist.com with further questions, comments or tips.

Why Arctic Ocean oil drilling is a risky choice

2011-12-31T20:52:00.001-08:00

It's not a question of ‘if' a major spill will occur in the Arctic, but ‘when and where', says conservation biologist and oil industry expert Rick Steiner

As we enter the end of the age of oil, it is clear that most of the world's easily accessible oil has already been produced. Oil companies are now moving offshore into the last hydrocarbon frontiers - deepwater and the Arctic Ocean.

The dangers of deepwater drilling came into sharp focus in 2010 with the BP Deepwater Horizon disaster, where 200 million gallons of oil spilled into the Gulf of Mexico over a 3-month period. Another high-risk environment is the Arctic Ocean, which geologists suggest may be the last significant oil and gas frontier left. As decisions are made on oil and gas drilling in the Arctic Ocean, we need to understand and acknowledge the risks.

First, even if nothing goes wrong, there would be unavoidable impacts from each phase of oil development in the Arctic Ocean - seismic exploration, exploratory drilling, production platforms, pipelines, offshore and onshore terminals, and tankers.

Offshore oil development will include airplanes, helicopters, support ships, drill ships, platforms, artificial islands, icebreakers, waste streams from ships and rigs, lights and noise, extensive coastal infrastructure construction (ports, roads, causeways, staging areas), subsea pipelines, geotechnical coring, and noise from underwater seismic surveys. These industrial activities will add significant disturbance in an Arctic ecosystems already suffering terribly from warming.

The acoustic disturbance to marine mammals from offshore oil development is of particular concern, as underwater noise can affect communication, migration, feeding, mating, and other important functions in whales, seals, and walrus. As well, noise can affect bird and fish migration, feeding and reproduction, and can displace populations from essential habitat areas. Some of these impacts can be reduced or mitigated with lease stipulations, but most cannot.

And of course, beyond these unavoidable operational impacts, there is the very real risk of a large oil spill from exploration drilling, production, pipelines, terminals, and tankers. While government and industry ritually understate the risk of oil spills and overstate their preparedness, for high-risk environments such as the Arctic Ocean, we should assume that a large marine oil spill will occur.

In fact, for development off Alaska's Arctic coast, U.S. government authorities project the risk of a major spill at about 30 - 50 per cent, and that a worst-case blowout could release some 1.3 million barrels (58 million gallons) of oil.

So if drilling proceeds in the Arctic Ocean, then everything possible to reduce risk should be required. The risk reduction standard for the Arctic should go well beyond industry's preferred standard of ‘As Low As Reasonably Practicable' (ALARP), to ‘As Low As Possible' (ALAP), regardless of cost.

This highest safety standard would include best available and safest technology for all components of an offshore drilling program - blowout preventers with redundant shear rams, well design and integrity verification, proven seabed well capping equipment, independent well control experts on rigs, rigorous cementing and pressure testing procedures, dual well control barriers, immediate relief well capability on stand-by, state-of-the-art seabed pipeline design and monitoring, tanker traffic monitoring, strict seasonal drilling windows allowing sufficient time for response to late-season spills, robust spill response plans, rigorous government permitting and inspection, and Citizens Advisory Councils to provide effective citizen oversight. As well, financial liability for offshore oil spills in the Arctic should be unlimited, thereby motivating companies to incorporate the highest safety standards possible.

Not "if" but "when" a spill will occur

But regardless how safe we make offshore drilling in the Arctic, there will still be a significant risk of a major oil spill, and policy makers and industry need to be honest about this. People will make mistakes, and equipment will fail. It's not a question of ‘if' a major spill will occur, but ‘when and where.'

A major spill will travel with currents, in and under sea ice during ice season, and it would be virtually impossible to contain or recover. Even with robust oil spill response capability, in most scenarios far less than 10 per cent will be recovered, and a major spill could easily become a transnational event.

BRITAIN WAKE UP - Your National Treasures are Your Men & Women - Respect Their Service

2011-12-28T07:06:00.000-08:00

Heroes: Yesterday the 11 servicemen, pictured, came together to lead fresh calls for the Ministry of Defence to honour their exploits with a campaign medal

These 11 heroes were among more than 66,000 British sailors and merchant seamen who braved sub-zero temperatures to keep supply lines to Russia open during the Second World War.

Proudly wearing their Royal Navy uniforms pinned with gleaming medals, they are part of a dwindling band of Second World War brothers.

The political sensitivities of the Cold War have been blamed for Britain’s failure to honour the heroes in the aftermath of the war.

In opposition the Conservatives promised to introduce an Arctic Medal if they took office, but David Cameron appears to have reneged on the pledge.

He ordered an 18-month MoD-led review, and last month infuriated the old sailors by ordering another independent probe.

Yesterday Tory MP Caroline Dinenage said: ‘The Arctic campaign remains the only major maritime campaign of the Second World War without a specific medal.

‘These heroic men have waited almost 70 years for recognition from the country they served so courageously. Now is not the time for delay or protocol, but for action.’
In all, there are only 200 remaining survivors of Britain’s Arctic convoy, which Winston Churchill called ‘the worst journey in the world’.

Icy: Members of the Arctic convoy endured freezing conditions during what Winston Churchill called 'the worst journey in the world'

Those on the convoy endured fearful conditions carrying vital munitions and supplies to embattled Russia so that the Red Army could continue the fight against Nazi Germany.

The perilous 1,600-mile trip from Scotland and Iceland, past the enemy-held shores of Norway to the frozen wastes of Murmansk and Archangel, was fraught with terrible danger.

Intense cold, 40ft waves and freezing seas were matched by the constant fear of torpedo attack from enemy submarines or bombing raids by warplanes.

More than 3,000 British sailors were killed on the convoys and 87 merchant ships and 18 Royal Navy warships perished.

These 11 men who met in London’s Victory Services Club, a place steeped in military history, rightly feel proud of their endeavours. They also feel anger and betrayal over being denied a medal.

Intense cold, 40ft waves and freezing seas were matched by the constant fear of torpedo attack from enemy submarines or bombing raids by warplanes

Seamen wrapped up in specially designed Arctic outfits man the searchlight

A seaman makes attempts to free chains, wires and bollards from ice onboard ship during the Arctic convoy

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2079171/Heroes-man-As-calls-medal-grow-meet-11-survivors-Arctic-convoy.html#ixzz1hqDafJXV

Scientists Say We Should Search Moon for Alien Traces

2011-12-27T07:23:00.000-08:00

Arizona State University's professor Paul Davies—a theoretical physicist and cosmologist now working on astrobiology—and Robert Wagner—Research Technician at the School of Earth & Space Exploration—have published a scientific paper calling for the search of alien artifacts on the Moon..

I know. I find this insanely awesome too. And it actually makes some sense.

They argue that, while the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence "has a low probability of success", the potential impact of finding proof requires to "widen the current search" as much as possible. Instead of just looking for radio messages, we should search for traces of alien explorers in the celestial bodies of our solar system. These are the highlights of their research paper:

• Alien civilizations may have sent probes to our region of the galaxy.
• Any mission to the solar system would probably have occurred a very long time ago. The lunar environment could preserve artifacts for millions of years.
• Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter provides a photographic database to search for artifacts.
• Searching the LRO database would make an excellent educational project.

Their first idea is to use photographs from the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter—340,000 images now, one million in the future—for computer-based and crowd-sourced analysis that may identify potential alien structures, from machinery to debris. The cost is very low, they say, and there will be gains no matter what: either we find signs of aliens or people learn a lot about the Moon in the process. It's a win-win proposition.

Davies and Wagner believe that, if there's something, it will be perfectly preserved because there's very little activity on the lunar surface. They think that, if aliens actually were there, they may have left a "We were here" capsule on a place like the Tycho crater or perhaps in one of themany lava caves that populate our silver satellite. Just like space exploration experts believe humans should use these caves to set up outposts, Davies and Wagner believe that there's where the alien explorers may have installed their bases millions or thousands of years ago.

http://gizmodo.com/5871092/scientists-say-we-should-search-moon-for-alien-traces

Will 2012 top 2011 for record weather disasters?

2011-12-27T06:44:00.000-08:00

From floods that crippled countries, to mega cyclones, huge blizzards, killer tornadoes to famine-inducing droughts, 2011 has been another record-breaker for bad weather.

While it is too early to predict what 2012 will be like, insurers and weather prediction agencies point to a clear trend: the world's weather is becoming more extreme and more costly.

Following are details of major weather disasters for 2011 and some early forecasts for 2012.

2011 OVERVIEW

Global reinsurer Munich Re says natural catastrophe losses for the first nine months of 2011 totalled $310 billion, a record, with 80 percent of all economic losses occurring in the Asia-Pacific region. Since 1980, weather-related disasters globally have more than tripled.

The United States set a record with 12 separate billion-dollar weather disasters in 2011, with an aggregate damage total of approximately $52 billion, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said this month.

The U.N.'s World Meteorological Organization said global temperatures in 2011 are currently the 10th highest on record, higher than any previous year with a La Nina event, which has a relative cooling influence.

The 13 warmest years have all occurred in the 15 years since 1997. The extent of Arctic sea ice in 2011 was the second lowest on record, and its volume was the lowest.

Scientists say a warming atmosphere and more moisture in the air are providing fuel for weather systems, leading to more extremes. Rising levels of greenhouse gases from industry, transport and deforestation are providing that extra heat.

MAJOR WEATHER DISASTERS OF 2011

January -- Record floods swamp Australia's east coast, killing 35 people, shutting coal mines, wiping out roads, rail lines and thousands of homes and costing more than $2 billion in insured losses.

-- "Snowmageddon": Heavy snows blanket large parts of the United States including record falls in New York.

February -- Cyclone Yasi, one of the largest and most powerful storms ever to hit Australia, strikes northern Queensland state, devastating sugar and banana crops.

-- Massive winter storm hits U.S. Midwest and Northeast, causing travel chaos and power outages.

April - Series of tornadoes batter U.S. Southeast, killing an estimated 364 people.

May - Tornado hits U.S. town of Joplin, killing about 160 people, the single deadliest U.S. twister since 1947.

-- Floods in U.S. Midwest and Mississippi River Valley inundate millions of acres, trimming corn and soy plantings.

June - Floods in China's central and southern provinces kill more than 100 people. More than half a million are evacuated.

July - Worst drought in decades in the Horn of Africa triggers famine in Somalia and leaves 13 million people at risk starvation in a crisis expected to last well into 2012.

-- Flooding between July and late November in Thailand kills more than 600, affects a third of the country, causes damage of at least $42 billion and inundates nearly 1,000 factories near Bangkok, disrupting auto and electronics global supply chains.

August - Hurricane Irene kills at least 40 people in the eastern United States and triggers the worst flooding in decades in some states. Economic losses estimated to top $10 billion.

September - Scores die in worst flooding along the Mekong river since 2000.

October - Rare October snowstorm kills 13 in U.S. northeast and leaves 1.6 million without power.

December - Tropical storm Washi hits the Philippine island of Mindanao, triggering flash floods and mudslides and killing more than 1,200 people.

-- Year-long drought in U.S. state of Texas causes more than $5 billion in agricultural losses and triggers wildfires that burn 4 million acres (1.6 million hectares). Summer temperatures in Texas break U.S. records.

PREDICTIONS FOR 2012

A La Nina event in the Pacific Ocean is expected to last well into 2012. The phenomenon is a cooling of waters in the central Pacific and has a global impact on weather.

Forecasters expect it to bring above-average rains to northern and eastern Australia and more cyclones than normal during the Australian November-April storm season. La Nina events also tend to strengthen the Atlantic hurricane season.

Colorado State University researchers expect an above-average hurricane season if conditions that bring warmer than usual tropical water temperatures in the Atlantic continue and there no major El Nino event.

El Nino is a warming of surface waters in the eastern and central Pacific, affecting wind patterns that can trigger droughts in Australia and suppress Atlantic hurricanes.

Winter across Europe and the United States is also expected to be milder, forecasters say.

"The common thread this winter compared to last is the presence of La Nina," said Chris Vaccaro, public affairs director, at the National Weather Service in Washington. "But the La Nina we have now and through the winter is not anticipated to be as strong as last year."

In addition, the Arctic Oscillation, which was negative last year and sent frigid air southward leading to huge snowstorms, has largely been positive this year. The oscillation is a shift in atmospheric pressure cells that changes wind patterns.

A negative phase triggers high pressure over the Arctic and low pressure at mid-latitudes, which makes the Arctic zone relatively warm, but spills cold Arctic air southward to places like the U.S. Midwest and Northeast.

Most of continental Europe, the Nordic region and Britain will see warmer-than-normal weather between January and March, Weather Services International (WSI.L) said last week. (Sources: Reuters, NOAA, WMO, Colorado State University) (Additional reporting by Nina Chestney in London and Timothy Gardner in Washington; Writing by David Fogarty; Editing by Ron Popeski)

The colder war: U.S., Russia and others are vying for control of Santa’s back yard

2011-12-24T11:56:00.000-08:00

The USS New Hampshire conducting exercises in the Arctic Ocean, north of Alaska’s Prudhoe Bay. Although the United States has a clearly stated Arctic strategy, the country has limited capabilities to defend and explore the region.

Santa Claus may see you when you’re sleeping, but NORAD makes sure it sees Santa pretty much round-the-clock. The North American Aerospace Defense Command not only follows Saint Nick’s sleigh ride with its famous NORAD Tracks Santa site, but it is also involved in a struggle over resources, border control and broader military presence right in Santa’s vast and magnificent home: the Arctic.

In April, President Obama signed a new command plan that gives NORAD and the U.S. Northern Command greater responsibility in protecting the North Pole and U.S. Arctic territory.

The Arctic region — covering more than 30 million square kilometers and stretching around the territorial borders of Canada, Denmark (via Greenland), Norway, Russia and the United States by way of the Alaskan coastline — is transforming before our eyes. And not just because the ice is melting. It’s increasingly the site of military posturing, and the United States isn’t keeping up with the rest of the world.

In 2009, Norway moved its operational command to its northern territories above the Arctic Circle. Russia has plans to establish a brigade that is specially equipped and prepared for military warfare in Arctic conditions. Denmark has made it a strategic priority to form an Arctic Command. Canada is set to revitalize its Arctic fleet, including spending $33 billion to build 28 vessels over the next 30 years. Even China has entered the Arctic race; it constructed the world’s largest non-nuclear icebreaker to conduct scientific research in the Arctic.

September marked the lowest recorded levels of sea ice in the Northern Polar Region. The polar ice cap today is 40 percent smaller than it was in 1979, and in the summer of 2007 alone, 1 million more square miles of ice beyond the average melted, uncovering an area of open water six times the size of California. As quickly as the polar ice cap recedes, commercial opportunities in the resource-rich Arctic advance. The Arctic is governed by the U.N. convention on the Law of the Sea. That framework allows a coastal state to have exclusive economic control 200 miles off its coast — and possibly to extend authority 600 miles beyond, depending on certain scientific claims.

In the 21st-century Arctic, large corporations and countries are racing to reach and capture the abundance of offshore oil and gas as well as iron ore, nickel, cooper, palladium and rare-earth minerals. The U.S. Energy Information Administration estimates that the Arctic contains 13 percent of the world’s undiscovered oil resources and 30 percent of its gas resources. And as the ice melts, cargo transport could increase from the 111,000 tons in 2010 to more than 1 million tons in 2012, according to some Russian estimates.

It’s not just a natural-resources race. Cruise ships take eco-tourists to see the North Pole, stunning Arctic coastline vistas and endangered species such as beluga whales and polar bears — for $24,000 to $35,000 a head. In addition, international scientists search for climate-change clues in Arctic permafrost conditions, ice dynamics and glaciers. Fishing trawlers hunt for lucrative fish stocks.

What We Didn’t Know Then about the RENA Disaster that We Know Now - OMG!

2011-12-22T20:15:00.000-08:00

We know the Rena grounded off the coast of Tauranga in October. We know the cargo ship grounding spilled 400 tons of oil into an environmentally pristine ecosystem. We know the incident on the Astrolabe Reef is New Zealand’s worst ever maritime environmental disaster. What we didn’t know until almost 3 months later…that the ship had previous safety issues, 17 safety violations, to be exact, just 10 weeks prior to the mega oil spill.

This week, Australian inspection records brought to light from the Associated Press (obtained under the Aussie law of freedom of information) showed that Rena had 17 violations while docked at the country, including faulty cargo-securing pins, and hatch-securing cleats. The vessel also was found with out-of-date navigation manuals, an un-used data recorder, and a tampered alarm. The violations described in the records tell a bleak background on the ship’s unknown story prior to its grounding and subsequent spill.

Apparently, after the discoveries from Australian inspectors, the Greek-owned, Liberian-registered Rena was impounded. Following the impound, Liberian maritime authorities intervened in the situation and told Australia that the ship was safe to sail and that all the described violations could be fixed at a later date. Rena was released from Australia the next day.

Ten weeks following the short-lived impounding, the cargo ship steamed onto the well-charted Astrolabe reef off of New Zealand’s coast, spilling its massive volume of oil, killing 2,000 sea birds, and soiling the untouched beaches nearby. Rena’s damage didn’t even stop there. Containers that fell off the ship are still washing up on remote beaches 100 miles from the site in which she sits today, posing a threat of a break up, months later.

Although the violations and Rena’s grounding can’t be conclusively linked, the records portray a hopeless image of an ailing ship amid a dangerous culture of cost-cutting under what Nick Perry of Associate Press calls a flag-of-convenience system.

So, who is to blame?

Is it the flag country for pressuring authorities for the Rena to be released? The Australian maritime authorities who let the ship go under violations? The captain and officer currently facing criminal charges in NZ for operating a ship in a “risky and dangerous” manner? Or is it the maritime industry, as a whole, seeking to cut costs at other expenses?

Let’s hope Maritime New Zealand can uncover the answer to this question as they conduct their own investigation into the incident which is now as unpredictable as ever. --MarEx Staff

http://www.maritime-executive.com/article/what-we-didn-t-know-about-the-rena-disaster

Putting Pen to Paper in Opposition of the Pebble Mine

2011-12-21T13:00:00.000-08:00

By Laura Linn Meadows

These days, taking action on an environmental issue requires little more than a click or two of the mouse button. It’s an effective way to tell your elected officials how you feel without sacrificing time from your busy life. There are some issues, however, that strike so deeply we are compelled to do more. The proposed Pebble Mine in Bristol Bay, Alaska, is one such issue for Wyoming native, Laura Linn Meadows, so she took the time to write this touching letter to her congresswoman. And in time-honored tradition, she also submitted it her local paper, Jackson Hole News and Guide, to increase exposure and inspire others. At the end of the letter we have an “easy” way for you to take action on this issue.

[Wyoming's Gros Ventre Wilderness, the author's inspiration for writing the following letter. All photos: Laura Linn Meadows]

Congresswoman Cynthia Lummis
113 Cannon House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515

Dear Congresswoman Lummis,

I want to share a story with you. I recently returned from a pack trip into the Gros Ventre Range as the cook, a packer, and a guide with my brother, an outfitter. Our parents were waiting at the trailhead with trucks and trailers and transportation back to town for our guests. As I rode in with my packstring and the dudes, my father, who was beaming with pride, met me on the trail. His pride wasn’t because his kids were following in his footsteps for the first time, as Pete and I have taken many other pack trips together. He was proud because, for the first time, we had followed in the footsteps of our great-grandfather and grandfather. We had taken our guests to the Six Lakes, the favorite stomping ground of our predecessors. Pete and I are the 4th generation of Linns to parade our guests past the Cowboy Camp, dropping down to the Gros Ventre River at Upper Falls, past Darwin Peak, down the Jagg Creek Trail to Six Lakes, and over Two Echo Park. That’s 100 years of horseshoe tracks, double diamonds, and bacon fried on a campfire. That’s four generations of eyes peeking through binoculars at elk, moose, sheep, deer, bears, and wolves. Now I’m looking forward to the day when I have kids of my own that can climb into a little saddle on a big horse and weave down the same trails, watch brookies in the clear water of Crystal Creek, and find the big dipper in the night sky as the coals of the campfire putter out.

These are the wild places that make Wyoming special. They have provided our family with lasting memories, a rich and enduring history, and business opportunities that have sustained generations. Over the past 100 years we have shared these mountains with countless guests and friends from all over the world. I want to throw an immense ‘thank you’ to all of the men and women who had the foresight to protect them. The Gros Ventre Wilderness was designated under the Wyoming Wilderness Act of 1984, a relatively recent addition to the notion of landscape preservation. It truly has become a gift for the children and the children’s children thanks to Wyoming greats like Malcom Wallup, Alan Simpson, and Dick Cheney. But this area was not protected just for views that it provides from the top of Black Peak and Sportsman Ridge. The effects of a wilderness designation for the Gros Ventre Range has far reaching effects as it is the headwaters of the Gros Ventre, Hoback, and Green Rivers providing irrigation for Wyoming ranches, recreational opportunities, and habitat for countless fish and wildlife species before contributing to the Snake and Green Rivers.

I wanted to share my story to highlight how today’s decisions will impact future generations. At present there is a controversy raging on the future of the Bristol Bay watershed in Alaska. The proposed Pebble Mine will forever change the landscape with the development of roads, communities, open pit mines, dams, and tailing ponds. The impacts to the wildlife and wildness of the land will be substantial. More importantly and with little doubt, contaminants released into the watershed will devastate Bristol Bay, the largest wild salmon fishery in the world. Families that have fished these waters for generations, either commercially or recreationally, may not have the opportunity to pass their traditions on to the next generation. And the ecosystem that has consistently provided salmon for millions of Americans may forever be damaged. As you know, implementation of the Clean Water Act has the power to protect the precious and fragile headwaters of Bristol Bay from the Pebble Mine.

There are a countless people just like me who can tell a similar family story by changing the location, the place names, and mode of transportation. I know I have the opportunity to pass my family traditions to my children thanks to protection of Wyoming’s headwaters. Please support the Clean Water Act so the fishermen and women of Bristol Bay can pass their traditions to their children. Someday soon a new generation of fishermen will look back at their legislators in Washington and be able to say, “Thank you for defending our way of life and enjoy your wild salmon.”

Sincerely,
Laura Linn Meadows

Laura Linn Meadows is one of the fifth-generation outfitters to hail from Wilson, Wyoming. She has a passion for the wildlife of Wyoming and the wild places they live, as well as the great mountain horses that her family has raised to explore the Tetons. She currently attends Oregon State University College of Veterinary Medicine in Corvallis, OR. In the summers she returns home to help her family with their outfitting business. After Laura finishes vet school she plans on floating the teeth of the over 50 head of horses her family has in their outfitting string. That’s about 2,050 teeth.

http://www.thecleanestline.com/2011/12/putting-pen-to-paper-in-opposition-of-the-pebble-mine.html#more

Ultimate Adventure Bucket List 2012

2011-12-21T08:05:00.000-08:00

http://adventure.nationalgeographic.com/adventure/trips/ultimate-adventure-bucket-list-2012/

Twenty of the world's top athletes and explorers share their wildest dream trips—a dazzling list of never attempted feats daunting to even these world-class competitors. For the rest of us, consider their must-do adventures—and start planning. —Kate Siber

Vote for the National Geographic People's Choice Adventurer

2011-12-21T08:01:00.000-08:00

For seven years, National Geographic has combed the globe to find Adventurers of the Year, each selected for his or her extraordinary achievement in exploration, conservation, and adventure sports.

This year, in partnership with Glenfiddich, we selected men and women who are pioneering innovation in the world of adventure-by reinventing distance hiking on the Appalachian Trail, launching a backyard microadventure movement, skiing the Andes under human power, and much more.

Here we present our 2012 Adventurers of the Year. Check them out, then vote every day for your favorite in the People's Choice Award.

Allow us to introduce the outstanding individuals who made our year in adventure with their remarkable achievements in exploration, conservation, and adventure sports. Click on a candidate's name or picture to access in-depth profiles. Then place your vote for the person you think best embodies the spirit of adventure.

Vote every day for your favorite adventurer through January 18, 2012. We will announce the People's Choice Adventurer of the Year in February 2012.

http://adventure.nationalgeographic.com/adventure/adventurers-of-the-year/2012/vote/

Jesse Ventura FEMA CAMP and Gulf Coast OIL SPILL Conspiracy Full length version

2011-12-19T20:26:00.001-08:00

More of the story? - http://greygooseadventures.blogspot.com/2011/12/what-hell-over-s-1867-indefinite.html

Race to the South Pole - 100 Years Ago Today

2011-12-14T09:45:00.000-08:00

One hundred years ago today, the Norwegian Roald Amundsen and four others in his team were the first explorers to reach the South Pole. A British party led by Robert Falcon Scott, who had made a previous, but unsuccessful, attempt to reach the Pole, was not far behind, and arrived a month later. However, whereas the Norwegian party returned home, Scott’s party all died from cold and hunger. Scott’s diary of his last expedition was first published in 1913, but Amundsen’s diary has only just recently been published in English for the first time.

Amundsen was born in 1872 to a family of Norwegian shipowners and captains in Borge, 80km or so south of Oslo. Initially, he chose to study medicine at the urging of his mother, though gave up at the age of 21 when she died. Having long been inspired by the great Norwegian explorer Fridtjof Nansen (see Siberian driftwood cannot lie), he sold his medical books and took work as ordinary seaman. By 1895, he had obtained his papers as mate, and by 1900 his master’s license. His first experience of the polar regions came in the late 1890s on a Belgian expedition with Adrien de Gerlache.

In 1903, Amundsen led the first expedition to successfully traverse Canada’s Northwest Passage between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, though the team had to over-winter three times before returning home in 1906. Significantly, during this time, Amundsen learned various skills from the native Eskimos, such as the use of sledge dogs and the wearing of animal skins.

Amundsen planned next to go to the North Pole, but on hearing in 1909 that others had already claimed that prize, he secretly decided to reorganise his forthcoming expedition - to Antartica. Employing the Fram, the same vessel used by Fridtjof Nansen, Amundsen and his team arrived at the Bay of Whales in January 1911, and made a base camp. Five of them set off on 20 October using skis, four sledges, 52 dogs, and employing animal skins, rather than heavy wool, for clothing. Less than two months later, they were the first to reach the Geographic South Pole. Scott, meanwhile, with four colleagues reached the Pole five weeks later, and were bitterly disappointed to have lost the race. All five of them died on the return journey. So tragic was their fate, indeed, that their story has become far more famous that Amundsen’s

After his venture in Antartica, Amundsen developed a successful shipping business, and set out on more ventures using a new vessel, Maud. An expedition, starting in 1918, during which he planed to freeze the Maud in the polar ice cap and drift towards the North Pole (as Nansen had done with the Fram) proved troublesome, costly and ultimately unsuccessful.

Subsequently, Amundsen focused on air travel to reach the Pole. After a promising effort using flying boats, he, and 15 others (including the Italian aeronautical engineer Umberto Nobile), succeeded in flying an airship from Spitsbergen to Alaska in two days, crossing the Pole, in May 1926. However, the last years of Amundsen’s life were embittered by disputes over credit for the flight. He died in 1928 while on a mission to rescue Nobile who had crashed an airship returning from the North Pole.

Wikipedia and the Fram Museum website have more biographical information. And The International Journal of Scientific History has a briefing on the claim that Amundsen and his colleague Oscar Wisting were not only first to the South Pole, but also to the North Pole.

Scott’s diary of his ill-fated expedition was published (by Smith, Elder & Co) as early as 1913, in the first volume of Scott’s Last Expedition. This is freely available at Internet Archive. However, it was not until last year (2010) that Amundsen’s diary of his South Pole expedition was published in English, thanks to Roland Huntford. According to the publisher Continuum, Huntford is ‘the world’s foremost authority on the polar expeditions and their protagonists’. His book - Race for the South Pole: The Expedition Diaries of Scott and Amundsen - contains Amundsen’s diary entries alongside those of Scott, and also Olav Bjaaland, one of Amundsen’s colleagues.

‘Cutting through the welter of controversy to the events at the heart of the story,’ Continuum says, ‘Huntford weaves the narrative from the protagonists’ accounts of their own fate. What emerges is a whole new understanding of what really happened on the ice and the definitive account of the Race for the South Pole.’

Here are entries from both Amundsen’s and Scott’s diaries concerning their arrivals at the South Pole. The one by Amundsen is taken from Huntford’s book, while the Scott entries are taken from the 1913 publication. It is worth noting, though, that the British Library website has made available, since last year, photographs of Scott’s original 1911 Antarctic diary.

By mistake, Amundsen’s calender was not put back when the Fram crossed the International Date Line, and when the mistake was discovered Amundsen decided it would be too difficult to revise all the diary and log entries, and so he kept the wrong calendar dates going - hence he actually arrived at the Pole on the 14th, even though his diary dates it the 15th. Håkon VII was King of Norway at the time.

14 December 1911, Roald Amundsen
‘Thursday 15 Decbr.
So we arrived, and were able to raise our flag at the geographical South Pole - King Håkon VII’s Vidda. Thanks be to God! The time was 3pm when this happened. The weather was of the best kind when we set off this morning, but at 10am, it clouded over and hid the sun. Fresh breeze from the SE. The skiing has been partly good, partly bad. The plain - King H VII’s Vidda - has had the same appearance - quite falt and without what one might call sastrugi. The sun reappeared in the afternoon, and now we much go out and take a midnight observation. Naturally we are not exactly at the point called 90°, but after all our excellent observations and dead reckoning we must be very close. We arrived here with three sledges and 17 dogs. HH put one down just after arrival. ‘Hlege’ was worn out. Tomorrow we will go out in three directions to circle the area round the Pole. We have had our celebratory meal - a little piece of seal meat each. We leave here the day after tomorrow with two sledges. The third sledge will be left here. Likewise we will leave a little three man tent (Rønne) with the Norwegian flag and a pennant marked Fram.’

16 January 1912, Scott
‘[. . .] Half an hour later he detected a black speck ahead. Soon we knew that this could not be a natural snow feature. We marched on, found that it was a black flag tied to a sledge bearer; near by the remains of a camp; sledge tracks and ski tracks going and coming and the clear trace of dogs’ paws - many dogs. This told us the whole story. The Norwegians have forestalled us and are first at the Pole. It is a terrible disappointment, and I am very sorry for my loyal com- panions. Many thoughts come and much discussion have we had. To-morrow we must march on to the Pole and then hasten home with all the speed we can compass. All the day dreams must go; it will be a wearisome return. [. . .]’

17 January 1912, Scott
‘Camp 69. T. -22° at start. Night - 21°. The POLE. Yes, but under very different circumstances from those expected. We have had a horrible day - add to our disappointment a head wind 4 to 5, with a temperature -22°, and companions labouring on with cold feet and hands.

We started at 7.30, none of us having slept much after the shock of our discovery. We followed the Norwegian sledge tracks for some way; as far as we make out there are only two men. In about three miles we passed two small cairns. Then the weather overcast, and the tracks being increasingly drifted up and obviously going too far to the west, we decided to make straight for the Pole according to our calculations. At 12.30 Evans had such cold hands we camped for lunch - an excellent ‘week-end one.’ We had marched 7.4 miles. Lat. sight gave 89° S3’ 37”. We started out and did 6 1/2 miles due south. To-night little Bowers is laying himself out to get sights in terrible difficult circumstances; the wind is blowing hard, T. -21°, and there is that curious damp, cold feeling in the air which chills one to the bone in no time. We have been descending again, I think, but there looks to be a rise ahead; otherwise there is very little that is different from the awful monotony of past days. Great God! this is an awful place and terrible enough for us to have laboured to it without the reward of priority. Well, it is something to have got here, and the wind may be our friend to-morrow. We have had a fat Polar hoosh in spite of our chagrin, and feel comfortable inside - added a small stick of chocolate and the queer taste of a cigarette brought by Wilson. Now for the run home and a desperate struggle. I wonder if we can do it.’

Posted by Paul K Lyons http://thediaryjunction.blogspot.com/2011/12/race-to-south-pole.html

Amundsen himself died on June 18, 1928, while flying on a rescue mission in the Barents Sea. Unlike Scott, Amundsen’s body was never found.

But today is Amundsen’s day, and history is long overdue in saluting the achievements of this consummate explorer.

One hundred years ago and today -

Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg in Antarctica on Monday for the centennial of Amundsen's expedition.

Bitter Sweet - the end of a dream - The Best Odyssey comes to an end - GREY GOOSE underway in 2012 - All Aboard!

2011-12-13T10:09:00.000-08:00

We all have dreams... not many of us make them come true.... Captain Gavin McClurg is one who has succeeded - KUDOS! - my hat goes off to you!

THE DREAM

Looks something like this: As "Discovery" sails around the world you fly in to meet up with her. There you are sailing through crystal blue seas with a group of great friends, exploring remote tropical islands and discovering pristine anchorages. The day begins with a lazy cup of coffee while you focus on the perfect waves you have all to yourself, yet again. The first decision of the day is what board to ride. After an epic early surf session it's time to think about breakfast, maybe a quick freedive to get the blood pumping. Maybe it's the adrenaline, or the coffee, or a combination of both; but the conversation is animated and smiles abound. Slowly the glass outside picks up small wrinkles as the morning breeze strokes the surface of the water. Like clockwork our private bay is slowly transformed into a festival of action and color as first one kite and then another is launched into the sky...

THE NIGHTMARE

The yacht you wanted and the one you could afford meant a few compromises. She's not exactly luxury, a bit rough around the edges, but hey, she's yours! It's not really big enough for all your friends and their gear but that's okay, a small crew is better anyway. With the demands of your job, family and other responsibilities it's difficult to get the time to go sailing but if you stay close to home you might get out most weekends and then there's holidays. So the round the world thing is a bit unrealistic but hey, there's probably lots of undiscovered places right where you live. So it's not tropical where you live. You can stay warm in just about any weather, and don't get me started on the benefits of layering! Besides, the sun does irreparable damage to your skin anyway. Your friends really seem to enjoy those early surfs but someone has to stay onboard and get breakfast going.

It really is surprising how much maintenance boats require. More to fit into those weekends and holidays. But you love your little yacht and enjoy working on her.

THE REALITY

People who have owned a yacht know this- without unlimited time and very deep pockets sailing beyond the home marina can rarely be realized. Today it is becoming more and more difficult to justify sole ownership of a yacht when you compare the cost to actual use. A more economical but equally limiting alternative is to charter a boat- in places where hundreds of others can do the same, on boats that can't compare to the luxury and itinerary of The Best Odyssey.

MAKING THE DREAM YOUR REALITY

As a corporate body the substantial risks involved in such an endeavor are minimized and distributed between all the owners while the rewards are maximized for each individual. Our owners consistently tell us they are thrilled to own a yacht many times over what can be offered by a charter company, with an experienced, proven professional crew and professional chef, which operates in a new remote paradise year after year. Offshore Odysseys is not a charter company. The Best Odyssey is being offered to serious explorers who are willing to make an investment to participate in a world sailing expedition that has never been done. We'll sail to wild places, kitesurf where no one has, spearfish and freedive pristine coral gardens, paraglide over mindblowing lagoons, surf breaks Kelly Slater hasn't even found. But we won't cater to stiff upper lips and won't baby whiners. Take a look at all we have to offer and if what you find is exactly what you've been looking for, contact us. An incredible Odyssey began in February 2007 and ends in 2012- time is running out!

THE CREW

The Best Odyssey Yacht Share, Dream to Reality:
By: Gavin McClurg, CEO and Captain

The blueprint for Offshore Odysseys started in 1998 when we went offshore for the first time. Over the next 7 years we sailed half way around the world, over 45,000 blue water miles. Our clients loved our trips, we learned what works and what doesn't at sea, and we had some amazing life changing adventures. I haven't drafted a balance sheet since business school, but I've learned to hold my breath to hunt for fish and lobster, sail a boat safely in violent weather, use the stars for navigation and the sun to gauge the time. Though I didn't realize it at the time, those past voyages were more than an education, they were the foundation for an extraordinary future journey.

That journey is The Best Odyssey. We've taken what works, thrown out what doesn't, added everything we would want to make for an expedition that is as close to perfect as we can create for our owner's, for our sponsors, and our crew. Kitesurfing expeditions to the last frontiers on earth; spearfishing and surfing adventures that no magazine has ever published; sailing itineraries the cruising guides could never envision.

THE CAPTAIN

My goal in life is to live from one series of moments to another. To stay out of the future and stay out of the past, and concentrate on the NOW. The Best Odyssey allows us to spend time and create trips with people who are as passionate about exploration and enjoying life as we are.

Other than sailing, my hobbies and passions include spearfishing, kiteboarding, surfing, paragliding, cooking, reading, writing and planning incredible trips. I'm passionate about protecting the environment and always seek ways of contributing positively to the places we visit. I grew up in Lake Tahoe, Nevada and spent my youth ski racing before getting an international business degree at the University of Colorado.

I have the following licenses and training's: USCG 100 tonne Master Captain's License. New Zealand Launch Master. Wilderness First Aid Responder, Swiftwater Rescue Technician, Celestial Navigation, CPR, First Aid. Alpine Intensive, River Intensive, Alpine Site Management, and River Site Management training's for Outward Bound, who I instructed for for three seasons.

THE MATE, PHOTOGRAPHER AND CO-FOUNDER

Jody MacDonald grew up in Saudi Arabia to Canadian parents, the youngest of four children. She's traveled the world and excels in any sport she's ever tried (tame sports like paragliding, snowboarding, kiteboarding, skateboarding...). Jody is the co-founder of the expedition and it is her vision and drive for excellence that has made the Best Odyssey a reality. Her images adorn the pages of our web site and are viewed regularly around the world in dozens and dozens of sport and documentary publications. She's recently been published in Outside, Forbes, Outside Go, National Geographic, Kiteboarding, Stance, Cruising World, Kiteworld, Cross Country, Hang Gliding and Paragliding and many others; and was recently awarded on the National Geographic web site.

What does it look like to take a look back after five (5) years of circumnavigating the world on a 2002 Lagoon 570 catamaran while sharing the road-less-traveled with some 20 other adventuring shareholders?

Just the numbers please:
Total miles sailed: 54,000 (the distance of nearly two circumnavigations)
Circumnavigation completed: December 10th, 2010 (near Cape Verde)
Countries visited: 50
Total trips operated: 90
Days with guests on board: 986
Documented virgin kite locations: 148
Dinghies destroyed: 2
Trips cancelled or delayed: 0
Money spent on food: $123,321.00 USD
Approximate bottles of beer consumed: 4,320
Cumulative Staph infections suffered by Jody and me: 23
Pros on board: 37
Reefs I’ve planted us on: 3
Times hitting the reefs caused an emergency haul-out: 2
Number of times rebuilding a toilet has caused me to swear profusely: 24 (the exact number of rebuilds I’ve done)
Number of people I kicked off the boat: 1

So sit back and watch a fantastic video put together by Jody - enjoy.... dream..

'Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you
didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from
the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.'
- Mark Twain

So here it is, a slideshow that takes us back to the beginning and all the way to the end. From the Caribbean, through the Panama Canal, across the South Pacific, Micronesia, Indonesia, across the Indian Ocean to Africa, around the Cape of Good Hope, Namibia, Cape Verdes, Azores, Scotland and Spain:

Slideshow: http://animoto.com/play/0m0w0qHVkVYkQXSUZUaPxQ

People keep asking Jody and I what’s next? To be honest neither of us knows. I’m not sure I want to know, at least for the time being. For these five years and eight years before that I have been charged with keeping a lot of people safe in some seriously tight situations at sea. At times the stress of it was as suffocating as drowning, but to witness the smiles and hear what the expedition meant to those who joined was more payback than I could ever get from a paycheck. Even in the very dark times I knew my office was something I should never take for granted, and hopefully I never did. Neither Jody nor I consider ourselves planners, but somehow we planned what is certainly one of the most complex expeditions that has ever happened. If someone died, or got hurt, or got sick the show had to carry on. No calling in sick, no taking a day off. At times I felt like I was living inside a pressure cooker that had no relief valve. More than once Jody and I had long, tearful, serious talks about pulling the plug. But always these times would pass and be replaced with some of the most precious and happiest moments I’ve ever lived. I’m humbly proud of what we’ve achieved and at the same time scared that what we’ve achieved is only human, which succumbs like everything…to history.

We owe much of our success and all of our most incredible moments to our owners and sponsors, who dedicated much of their own lives (and no small amount of their hard-earned money!) to The Best Odyssey. Each of you took a huge gamble on us, two people you had never met before and to you we say THANK YOU. Thank you for making this absurd, crazy, impossible dream come true. We hope it has also been a dream realized for you.

Because it certainly was for us.

Many thanks to each and every one of you, all those thousands of people who I’ve never even met who have followed our trials and tribulations in the form of the Captain’s Logs for these past five years. As most of you know, writing these logs is always hard for me and without your continued support I would have given it up long ago. But again and again you have reached out to me with your own stories, sorrows, joys, hopes, and fears and blessedly- your encouragement, which always makes penning the next story possible.

I hope we’ve kept you entertained.

But now we have reached a point that five years ago I couldn’t even imagine, and I still can’t believe has come. This is the final log of The Best Odyssey. An era has come to an end.

But really, somehow I think it’s just the beginning.

As always, I leave you with a quote. It’s one I’ve used before but it remains my favorite. Someday I hope to be as cranky, profound and important as Edward Abbey, who fought his entire life to preserve wild places. Unfortunately it’s a fight that will continue to be lost to the Corporations unless we get seriously pissed off and do something about it. Seems like now is a pretty good time.

“One final paragraph of advice: do not burn yourselves out. Be as I am – a reluctant enthusiast….a part-time crusader, a half-hearted fanatic. Save the other half of yourselves and your lives for pleasure and adventure. It is not enough to fight for the land; it is even more important to enjoy it. While you can. While it’s still here. So get out there and hunt and fish and mess around with your friends, ramble out yonder and explore the forests, climb the mountains, bag the peaks, run the rivers, breathe deep of that yet sweet and lucid air, sit quietly for a while and contemplate the precious stillness, the lovely, mysterious, and awesome space. Enjoy yourselves, keep your brain in your head and your head firmly attached to the body, the body active and alive, and I promise you this much; I promise you this one sweet victory over our enemies, over those desk-bound men and women with their hearts in a safe deposit box, and their eyes hypnotized by desk calculators. I promise you this; You will outlive the bastards.“ — Edward Abbey

Sidebar

SAILING VESSEL DISCOVERY IS FOR SALE

If you're tired of the rat race, been dreaming of sailing around the world and have been waiting for the right opportunity this is IT! Discovery is a spectacular 2002 Lagoon 570, which has proven an awesome luxury catamaran for our expedition. She's just taken us around the world- over 50,000 blue water miles to the most remote corners of the globe. She has been METICULOUSLY maintained and is absolutely show-ready. All new rigging, sails, teak decks, loads of upgrades, newly painted, all newly varnished interior. Ready to leave tomorrow? Discovery is kitted out with everything you need. Thousands of dollars of spares, tools, and of course all the required toys and a LOT more.

She has 4 beautifully appointed private guest cabins and two crew cabins which sleep 11. Flat screens/DVD in each and a generous interior layout. Huge main salon and cockpit, brilliant galley, 2 fridges, 2 freezers, ice maker, beer fridge topside, tons of storage everywhere, laundry machine, A/C and heat, dive compressor, new tender with new 50hp 4 stroke outboard, and a tow winch for paragliding. Of course all system electronics (GPS, radar, SSB, sat phone, broadband internet, etc.).

Maybe you're interesting in funding your dream sail around the world by running a kitesurfing expedition like we did? We'll sell you the boat, and ALL the IP of our company (this website, contracts, financials data, itinerary advice, sponsor contacts, etc.) as well to help get you going! We started from scratch, now we have a proven, working blueprint. Go on, get out there! She's listed at 490,000 Euros- a heartbreaking (for us!) steal!

Send us an email if you are interested.

It's sad to think no more living vicariously through Best Odyssey emails filled with Jody's wonderful pictures and videos... but a new opportunity has unfolded - the 55' steel expedition trawler Motor Vessel (M/V) GREY GOOSE will be underway in 2012 - looking for a slice of your dream to fulfill? Come join us and capture memories, pictures, videos and friendships that last a lifetime aboard M/V GREY GOOSE ... details are available online at:

Website: http://www.greygooseadventures.com/

Wishing you smooth seas and red sunsets!

VIDEOS - http://www.offshoreodysseys.com/owners/videos.php

Japan funding whale hunt with tsunami rebuilding money

2011-12-12T07:38:00.000-08:00

The ship Steve Irwin from the fleet of environmental activist group Sea Shepherd sits at anchor in Gage Roads off Fremantle near Perth, Australia on Dec. 7, 2011. Australia has rejected a call from Japan to provide more security for its whaling fleet in Antarctic waters, the site of violent clashes with animal rights activists in previous years.

Japan is spending ¥2.3-billion ($29-million) from its supplementary budget for tsunami reconstruction to fund the country’s annual whaling hunt in the Antarctic Ocean, a fisheries official confirmed Thursday.

Tatsuya Nakaoku, a Fisheries Agency official in charge of whaling, defended the move, saying the funding helps support Japan’s whaling industry as a whole, including some whaling towns along the devastated northeastern coast. One ship on the hunt is based in Ishinomaki, a town hit badly by the March 11 tsunami, he said.

The budget request was made to beef up security and maintain the “stable operation” of Japan’s research whaling, he said, which has faced increasingly aggressive interference from boats with the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society.

Conservationist group Greepeace blasted the funding move, claiming it was siphoning money away from disaster victims.

The Japanese government has passed supplementary budgets totalling ¥18-trillion ($230-billion) for reconstruction after the March 11 tsunami. Nearly all the items are rebuilding projects, including nearly ¥500-billion for fisheries projects directly in the region, but some, including the whaling expedition, appear less directly related.

Media reports said Japan’s annual whaling expedition left Shimonoseki in southern Japan on Tuesday with plans to cull 900 whales, mostly minke whales, which are not endangered.

Japanese officials didn’t confirm departure details, citing safety reasons. But Coast Guard spokesman Masahiro Ichijo said this year’s fleet is carrying “the biggest protection ever,” including an unspecified number of Coast Guard officers, safety equipment and a Fisheries Agency patrol ship.

He said the announcement of the deployment of coast guard officials “would serve as a deterrent” against attacks by the conservationist groups.

“We have no intention to show off our capability to respond to their attacks or declare a fight,” Mr. Ichijo said.

Each year, protesters try to harass the whaling fleet into stopping the hunt Japan says is a scientific exemption from an international moratorium on commercial whaling.

The protesters say whale research does not require killing the animals, and Japan’s scientific program amounts to commercial whaling in disguise because surplus meat is sold. Whale meat, however, is not widely eaten in Japan.

Clashes between the two sides often take place, and last January a Sea Shepherd boat was sunk after its bow was sheared off in a collision with a whaling ship. The hunting season runs from about December through February.

Hydrothermal Vents - new life forms without photosynthesis

2011-12-08T06:57:00.001-08:00

Oceanographer Robert Ballard used a 1977 National Geographic grant—and the Alvin submersible (file picture)—to help discover hydrothermal vents deep in the Pacific Ocean's Galápagos Rift, which contained the first known life-forms not dependent on photosynthesis. (Watch video of hydrothermal vents.)

National Geographic's Francis said, "The idea that there are still unique life-forms on the planet that have yet to be discovered is something that most people don't fully appreciate." (Also see "Deepest Volcanic Sea Vents Found; 'Like Another World.'")

In 1985 Ballard made headlines again as leader of the expedition that found the wreck of the H.M.S. Titanic.

The first National Geographic grant was awarded in 1890, when the two-year-old National Geographic Society decided to launch an exploration program to increase geographic knowledge of Earth. That grant was given to a team to explore Canada's Mount St. Elias. The explorers had to turn back because of menacing weather and avalanches, but they returned with a wealth of scientific information, including the first documented sighting of Mount Logan, Canada's highest peak.

The combined total of National Geographic's grants awarded since 1890 is U.S. $153 million. Several committees, consisting of experts in their fields, review more than a thousand grant applications every year and give awards to about a third of them.

"We like to think of ourselves as a risk-taking enterprise," Francis said. "We like for people to come to us with their new ideas and to give them an opportunity to test things that perhaps others wouldn't take a risk on."

(Watch video: "Why Nat Geo Exploration Is 'Important to Us All.'")

Adventurer Jon Turk Retirement? Only in words - not spirit

2011-12-07T08:31:00.001-08:00

Ode to an Ageless Adventurer
About to retire, Jon Turk checked one more item off his to-do list: 2,400 km of icy hell.
By Chris Cannon, Today, TheTyee.ca

Turk pulling kayak during epic circumnavigation of Ellesmere Island.

One of many they battled or dodged on the trip, the bear saw Jon as a wrinkled piece of human jerky, unaware he was facing a man who had biked the Gobi desert; who pioneered big-wall ascents on Baffin Island; who kayaked around Cape Horn; who holds first-ascent honours in China, Kyrgyzstan, Kamchatka and Bolivia; who, in 2000, at an age when most guys are looking for tax deductions and worrying about their prostates, spent two years paddling from Japan to Alaska, retracing the steps of Stone Age mariners in what has been named one of the ten greatest sea kayak expeditions of all time.Jon is my personal Paul Bunyan. This summer, at age 65, he and his 26-year-old teammate Erik Boomer became the first to circumnavigate Ellesmere Island, a 2,400 km expeditionso treacherous it had never been attempted. They walked, they skied, they kayaked. They spent 17 days trapped by churning ice floes. They repelled a 3,000-pound walrus with a paddle. They screamed a polar bear out of their tent -- "The right tone could communicate, 'You're bad. We're just as bad,' " Jon told National Geographic, which hasnominated the duo for Adventurers of the Year.

My friend Jon Turk is retiring. There will be no office party, no gold watch, no long, slow drive to a nursing home to eat mushed carrots and wait for his children to ignore him. I don't think Jon would recognize an office if it punched him in the face. I don't think he'd set foot in a nursing home unless he was booked to wrestle grizzlies to slow, oxygen-tank-fueled applause.Pardon me while I venerate.

Spiritual journeys

Jon did all of this after earning a PhD in organic chemistry and co-authoring the first environmental science textbook in the U.S. He has since lived a dual life as a scientist and a seeker, ever-curious about the myths that give meaning to the numbers, a series of spiritual journeys he chronicles in his books Cold Oceans, In the Wake of the Jomon andThe Raven's Gift (descriptions below). When I stand next to Jon, it feels like there are two people in the room, and I am less than one of them. I can picture that bear retreating across the tundra, only a mouthful of tent for his troubles, looking over his shoulder at Jon, who gives his best Clint Eastwood squint and whispers a warning: "Tell the other bears what you saw."

Route followed by Jon Turk and Erik Boomer.

After 104 days, Jon and Erik rounded the island's southern tip where they had started, completing what National Geographic called "The last great unattempted polar expedition." Jon was flown to a hospital, narrowly surviving renal failure. He had announced beforehand that this was his last big adventure, and in honour of his wife Chris, whom he had lost in an avalanche in 2005, he left behind on Ellesmere the skis he was wearing when they got married.

Not a retiring personality

Jon has a rich life to retire to -- hideaways in Fernie and Montana, three children, six grandchildren, a kind and genuine new love named Nina and many friends, like me, who stand in awe of his accomplishments, no less than his warmth, wisdom and unassailable youth. While his adventuring is far from over -- he's already planning a trip to Tibet -- he acknowledges the Ellesmere route was his last major expedition, and like an old soldier or retiring sports hero, he must be struggling to reconcile that his major feats are behind him.

I write this to assure him that they are not. When I met Jon in 2007 at the Banff Literary Journalism Program, we were both working on painful memoirs, and in him I found a real-life hero who had faced greater challenges than mine and emerged with a wisdom and humility I am only beginning to grasp. Reading his stories helped me to understand my own.

No matter our adventure, whether scaling the unscalable or navigating the ice floes of our own tortured psyche, the real feat is finding wisdom in the challenge -- both in victory and in defeat -- and to share those hard-won lessons with the next generation of lost souls. Jon, a gifted writer and a giant of a man, will shape the lives of future explorers in ways he'll never know. In his retirement -- if you can call it that -- I wish him calm seas and friendly carnivores.

Below is a guide to Jon's books, taken from his website.

Cold Oceans: Adventures in Kayak, Rowboat, and Dogsled, 1998, HarperCollins.

"An evocative and mesmerizing page-turner, Cold Oceans is the thrilling story of Jon Turk's expeditions to some of the most inhospitable regions on earth. Even after being shipwrecked off Cape Horn, stopped by ice in the Northwest Passage and beaten back by Arctic blizzards, Turk has continued to follow an irresistible urge to explore."

Icy expression: Jon Turk in May on Ellesmere expedition.

In the Wake of the Jomon: Stone Age Mariners and a Voyage Across the Pacific, 2005, International Marine/McGraw Hill. "In 1999 and 2000, adventurer Jon Turk and partners sailed a small trimaran and paddled a sea kayak from Japan to Alaska. Paddler Magazine called this voyage: One of the 10 All-Time Greatest Sea Kayak Expeditions.In the Wake of the Jomon tells the story of the modern expedition and looks backward in awe at Stone Age mariners who paddled these waters over 10,000 years ago. The book asks, Why did people with primitive stone tools leave their homes in the lush temperate bamboo forests, with salmon in the rivers, seals in the bays and deer in the forests to paddle into the frozen Arctic during the Ice Age?"

The Raven's Gift: A Scientist, A Shaman, and Their Remarkable Journey Through the Siberian Wilderness, 2010, St. Martin's Press.

"In 2000, in the remote Siberian village of Vyvenka, I met an elderly woman named Moolynaut, a Koryak shaman, and learned about her voyages to the spirit world. A year later, Moolynaut entreated the spirit of a great, black raven to help mend my pelvis, which had been previously fractured in a mountaineering accident. When the healing was complete, I was able to walk without pain. As a scientist, I could find no rational explanation for the healing, and the experience changed my life, irrevocably altering my view of the connectivity between the natural and spiritual worlds. Searching for the Raven Spirit, I traversed the frozen tundra where Moolynaut was born, camping with bands of reindeer herders, and recording stories of their lives and spirituality."

http://thetyee.ca/Life/2011/12/07/Jon-Turk-Retirement/

$60,000 to See Titanic? PRICELESS FOR TITANIC FANS

2011-12-05T07:21:00.001-08:00

A Mir submersible, with room for only three people, can travel far undersea. One popular destination is the site of the Titanic.

Video: http://video.nytimes.com/video/2011/12/04/science/100000001179478/visiting-the-titanic.html

Down, down, down you go, for two and a half hours, jammed with two other people in a tiny submersible, all the way to the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean — and all for a glimpse, through a five- or eight-inch porthole, of the ravaged remains of the once-grand ship where the Astors and the Strauses played, dined and, in some cases, died.

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Visiting the Titanic

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The Titanic sank about 380 miles off Newfoundland.

The trip is not for the claustrophobic, nor the 99 percent: a two-week cruise that includes one dive, lasting eight to 10 hours, costs $60,000.

But for fans of the Titanic, no price or privation is too great — especially with the 100th anniversary of the sinking coming up on April 15.

“This is the opportunity of a lifetime,” Renata Rojas, a banker in New York City, said of diving more than two miles down to the muddy seabed. “I’ve been obsessed with the Titanic since I was 10 years old.”

With the centennial in mind, at least 80 people are expected to take the plunge down to the wreck, according to the company that runs the trips, Deep Ocean Expeditions.

And while this may be the most extreme observance in the works, there are myriad others: cruise ships will sail to the exact spot in the Atlantic where more than 1,500 Titanic passengers drowned; people will hold Titanic-themed dinner parties, complete with napkins bearing the flag of the White Star Line; and the Titanic Historical Society will hold a gala dinner at which people are welcome to dress as an officer, a crew member or a passenger “to create the ambience of a festive maiden voyage.”

Already, you can buy centennial books, jewelry and other memorabilia galore.

As for an undersea visit to the ship itself, this coming season may be your last chance. Although diving trips have been offered sporadically to paying tourists since the wreck was discovered in 1985, Deep Ocean Expeditions says it plans to discontinue the wreck tours permanently, no doubt to the disappointment of future generations of Titanic devotees and Leonardo DiCaprio fans.

“This is our last year of passenger operations,” said Rob McCallum, the expedition leader. “We won’t head to Titanic again.”

Next summer, however, passengers will travel in Russian Mir (“peace”) submersibles that can withstand the deep’s crushing pressures. Inside, a pilot and two tourists occupy a space less than seven feet wide, wearing layers of clothing to ward off the cold. Travelers bring a light lunch but are reminded that there are no toilet facilities.

“Your Mir will glide over the top of the wreck to look down into the cavern where Titanic’s famous grand staircase was once located,” Deep Ocean Expeditions promises on its Web site. “You will also spend time exploring the iconic bridge and promenade areas.”

Such a trip is not without its dangers — two people died in a submersible that once got entangled in a wreck off Florida — or without controversy. Scientists and scholars worry about new damage to the famous ship and new dishonor to a gravesite strewn with the shoes and other belongings of so many drowned people. However, they see the centennial as not only a potential threat but also an opportunity to lobby for a global accord that would establish rules for the Titanic’s protection.

“We need a basic agreement,” said James P. Delgado, director of maritime heritage at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which monitors the wreck.

Already, the site is quite littered. Passing cruise ships dump beer cans and garbage bags. On the seabed, the mini-submarines have set up memorial plaques with artificial flowers. At times, the subs have also accidentally bumped into the increasingly fragile wreck.

“It could get real crowded out there,” Dr. Delgado said of the centennial rush. Despite the legitimacy of wide public interest, he added, “there are some things that shouldn’t happen,” like dumping trash and leaving behind equipment.

The Titanic has long fascinated, because it symbolized the end of an era of technological innocence and seemed like a cosmic rebuke to privilege. Ten millionaires were on board, including the financier John Jacob Astor IV, the industrialist Benjamin Guggenheim and Isidor Straus of Macy’s, the world’s largest department store. All three perished with the ship.

During its inaugural voyage, the opulent liner hit an iceberg and sank in the early hours of April 15, 1912, going down some 380 miles off Newfoundland in international waters. It came to rest on the seabed upright but split in two.

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Deep Ocean Expeditions

Anatoly Sagalevitch, center, with two tourists before taking them down to the Titanic shipwreck in a Mir submersible.

Multimedia

Visiting the Titanic

Today, the wreck is a mess. Gaping holes have opened up in the decks, and metal walls have slumped. The hull in many places is covered with rivulets of rust known as rusticles, which look like brownish icicles.

Still, the allure is great enough to prompt repeat dives. James Cameron, director of the blockbuster “Titanic,” is said to have taken the plunge more than two dozen times.

Others will have to settle for a single glimpse. Indeed, so many tourists want to see the Titanic that Deep Ocean Expeditions, the only company currently offering such a dive, has raised the number of cruises it is planning to four from two, and it is considering a fifth.

Demand for the tours remains high because the expeditions are so infrequent; the last was in 2005. And tourists line up despite a sharp rise in prices: in 1998, the company charged $32,500; today, it sells the same experience for $59,680.

“It’s gone up a lot,” conceded Mike McDowell, the founder of Deep Ocean Expeditions and a star of adventure tourism. He cited soaring fuel costs and other factors.

The expeditions are advertised as luxurious two-week affairs that depart from St. John’s, Newfoundland, and feature expert lectures and “five-star cuisine.” During the dive, visitors see not only the liner’s remains but a parade of bizarre sea life. Ghostly fish swim by, their tails long and sinuous. Sea anemones wave long tentacles in the currents to catch their next meal as squat lobsters poke about for juicy morsels.

The company, which also runs other deep-sea tours, says the Titanic trip attracts a mixed clientele that runs from the superwealthy to people of lesser means.

“They’re not all spoiled rich kids,” Mr. McCallum, the expedition leader, said of his customers. “They’re people who have worked hard for their money and not made this decision lightly.”

Ms. Rojas, the New York banker, is a scuba diver and a longtime Titanic fan. “I saw the movie ‘A Night to Remember’ and read the book,” she recalled. After that, while still in high school, she did many research papers on the shipwreck.

Ms. Rojas failed to get on the 2005 expedition for lack of space and now stands at the head of the line. “It’s going to be an opportunity to pay my respects,” she said. “If I could, I would stay under for days.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/05/science/celebrating-the-titanic-at-100-by-going-to-see-it.html?pagewanted=2&_r=1

Deschutes Landmark... what if this was remade on a 10,000 nautical-mile M/V GREY GOOSE voyage through the Northwest Passage?

2011-12-03T10:21:00.001-08:00

Landmarks
A Deschutes Film

Thank you, Fate. Karma. Destiny. Cascade peaks out the front door. The Deschutes swirling out the back. Everywhere we turn, nature tosses something epic, jaw-dropping or downright spiritual our way. We take inspiration, and pay tribute, with intense, pioneering, namesake beers. In fact, a person could carve out a damn fine adventure careening from Black Butte to Mirror Pond to Green Lakes and the far reaches of our High Desert home. Not that we’d ever suggest that or anything. That would be crazy. Or Bravely Done.

Deschutes Landmarks from NORTH on Vimeo.

Join us? See details at http://www.northwestpassage2012.com/

Deschutes Brewery: http://www.deschutesbrewery.com/

World Beer Awards 2011: http://www.worldbeerawards.com/2011/

Canadian Arctic fails to yield diamond boom

2011-11-30T09:51:00.001-08:00

A 78-carat diamond found in BHP Billiton's Ekati diamond mine in the Northwest Territories.

When huge diamond deposits were discovered in the Canadian Arctic in the early 1990s, geologists were optimistic there would be many more to come.

It didn’t happen. Despite massive spending on exploration, no large mine has been discovered in the territories in almost 15 years, and the diamond boom never lived up to its initial promise.

BHP Billiton Ltd. admitted as much Tuesday as it announced it will study a potential sale of its Ekati mine in the Northwest Territories. Ekati is a great asset and is performing well, but after years of “extensive” exploration, BHP was never able to follow up with another big discovery. With Ekati set to run out of diamonds near the end of the decade, BHP will review whether it should get out of the business.

“BHP has been singularly unsuccessful [in diamond exploration], and they’ve thrown a lot of money and resources at it in Canada and elsewhere,” said Patrick Evans, chief executive of Mountain Province Diamonds Inc. “But it’s no particular judgment on BHP’s skills. Everyone has been unsuccessful.”

Ekati is one of three operating diamond mines in the Northwest Territories (along with Diavik and Snap Lake) and they were all found in the 1990s. Mountain Province’s Gahcho Kué project (a joint venture with De Beers) is likely to be the fourth, but that discovery also dates back to the 1990s.

Since then, many junior companies have made initial finds in the Far North that got investors excited, but eventually fizzled out.

One new mine called Jericho actually opened in 2006, but was forced to shut down less than two years later after numerous operating problems.

The three existing mines have transformed the economy of the NWT (mining is about a third of the province’s GDP) even if the overall impact of diamond mining has disappointed.

Looking forward, one of the most promising Arctic discoveries right now is Chidliak, a joint venture between BHP and Peregrine Diamonds Ltd. in Nunavut. There will be questions about the future direction of that project if BHP decides to get out.

After BHP’s announcement Tuesday, industry insiders focused on what Ekati is worth, and who would buy the mine if it is put on the block.

The mine has generated average earnings (before interest and taxes) of about US$500-million over the past two years, meaning that it is very profitable and spins off plenty of cash. However, it is due to close in 2019, and any buyer would have to inherit the environmental liabilities that go along with closing a large mine.

“It’s a tough call on the valuation, and whoever buys it will be saying that there’s more [diamonds] to find,” said Des Kilalea, an analyst at RBC Capital Markets.

Mr. Evans said he suspects BHP will want US$1.5-billion to US$2-billion for its 80% stake in Ekati, though analysts tossed out many other numbers.

He suggested the logical buyers are either De Beers or Rio Tinto Ltd., as they both have existing mines in the NWT and know how to operate in that environment (Rio could also buy the mine jointly with Harry Winston Diamond Corp. through their Diavik partnership).

“If it’s cheap enough, they’ll buy it. But BHP won’t walk away from half a billion dollars of free cash flow a year for a song,” he said. “My sense is it’s probably unlikely we’ll see a transaction.”

http://business.financialpost.com/2011/11/29/bhp-studies-potential-ekati-diamond-sale/

VIDEO - Dick Proenneke - Alone in the Wilderness

2011-11-29T20:51:00.001-08:00

www.DickProenneke.com - Dick Proenneke's simple, yet profound account of his 30 year adventure in the remote Alaska wilderness continues in this sequel to "Alone in the Wilderness". Watch through his eyes as he continues to document with his 16mm wind-up Bolex camera, capturing his own amazing craftsmanship, the stunning Alaskan wildlife and scenery and even a visit from his brother Ray (Jake). His epic journey takes you on a vacation away from the hustle and bustle of today's fast-paced society, and is a true breath of fresh air.

Bob Swerer has taken the best footage from Dick's films and he has created 4 videos about Dick, "Alone in the Wilderness", "Alaska, Silence and Solitude" "The Frozen North", and now "Alone in the Wilderness part II". You can purchase all of them in DVD format from the www.DickProenneke.com website.

2007 Northwest Passage Reunion

2011-11-29T07:45:00.001-08:00

2007 Northwest Passage Reunion

Cloud Nine becomes the first American sailing vessel in history to transit the Northwest Passage from east to west.

by Roger Swanson

David Thoreson

My wife, Gaynelle Templin (second from left), was part of the crew that helped guide Cloud Nine through the Northwest Passage on the boat’s third attempt. So, too, were Chris Parkman (left), David Thoreson, and Doug Finley.

Enlarge Photo

Our crew consisted of Doug Finley, Chris Parkman, David Thoreson, Matt Drillio, and Gaynelle Templin. Gaynelle deserves special mention because we were married in March 1996, and she’s become a regular crewmember on all Cloud Ninepassages since that date. We met in 1994, and after making two passages together, the subject of marriage came up. We decided it was a good idea, although she insisted that part of the marriage contract had to be that I would take her around the world. I agreed, and the recessional at our wedding was “Anchors Aweigh.” Just two weeks later, we sailed east from Gibraltar, where Cloud Nine had spent the winter, thus beginning what was to be our west-to-east honeymoon circumnavigation.

At the reunion, we reviewed the highlights of all three Northwest Passage endeavors. We made attempts in 1994 and 2005, both of which were turned back by ice, but the third, in 2007, was finally successful. Once we’d transited the Passage’s northernmost waterways, we recalled Chris’ words when we were anchored in the shelter of Nunavak Island, in the Bering Sea, during a serious blow. At the time, we were quite secure, but the anemometer at the top of our mast was registering gusts over 50 knots from the south, the direction in which we were headed. Recalling that we’d been stuck in Nome for nine days while waiting for the wind to drop below 30 knots, Chris said, “I think we’re better off here than in Nome. That island is bigger than Nome’s breakwater.”

Doug also made a memorable observation upon our approach to Kodiak, Alaska, near the end of the Passage run. “What a nice way to get to Kodiak,” he said, pausing a beat for emphasis. “From Halifax, Nova Scotia.” Cloud Nine became the first American sailing vessel in history to transit the Northwest Passage from east to west, pulling it off in one season.

Find more of Cloud Nine's adventures here.

http://draft.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=2743933740211453331#editor/target=post;postID=5783508775007463644

Going to the Arctic? Come see for yourself before its to late - deadline is December 1, 2011

2011-11-28T19:06:00.001-08:00

TO THE ARCTIC 3D: SNEAK PEEK

One World One Ocean and MacGillivray Freeman Films take you "To The Arctic." See sneak preview footage from the film with producer Shaun MacGillivray. Coming to IMAX® theatres in 2012.

To The Arctic 3D, a film from Warner Bros. Pictures, MacGillivray Freeman Films, and IMAX Corporation, is an extraordinary journey to the top of the world where a family is struggling for survival. Follow a mother polar bear and her two cubs as they navigate the changing Arctic wilderness they call home.

Film Companion Book—Available Nov. 15

The perfect companion to the IMAX® film, this breath-taking book of photography, To The Arctic, presents the story of life in the Arctic Circle through the lens of award-winning wildlife photographer Florian Schulz. Available November 15 from Braided River.
PREVIEW THE BOOK >>

Sneak preview footage from To The Arctic 3D can be seen in the new Arctic Home campaign from Coca-Cola and World Wildlife Fund. One World One Ocean supports the Arctic Home effort--a bold new effort that is raising awareness and funds for polar bear habitat conservation. Learn how you can help protect the polar bear’s Arctic home.
LEARN MORE >>

M/V GREY GOOSE departs this coming summer from Mobile Alabama on a 10,000 nautical-mile voyage through Greenland then "over-the-top" through the fabled Arctic Northwest Passage during the late summer season before turning south through Alaska and the 'Inside Passage' to reach home port in Astoria Oregon.

Would you like to join us - come crew aboard a 55 foot private steel long range expedition yacht...

'Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that youdidn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.'- Mark Twain

Deadline to join is December 1, 2011 - view the expedition website for details at:

http://www.northwestpassage2012.com/

MIT dye technology to change solar world

2011-11-27T06:34:00.001-08:00

MIT has perfected a dye technology that could change the solar world as we know it.

The most efficient form of solar technology today is (arguably) extreme concentrated photovoltaics, essentially solar panels placed under a magnifying glass. But the problem with these systems is heat.

Concentrated sunlight can melt silicon solar panels unless you include specialized cooling systems. Cooling technology costs money, and the panels require expensive tracking mechanisms to follow the sun through the day. MIT’s new solar systembypasses the heat and tracking problems all together.

Thin coatings of organic dyes absorb sunlight and redirect favored wavelengths into a pane of glass. The light is aimed and concentrated towards the edge of the pane where small solar panels are located. The concentrated light allows the panels to produce the maximum possible amount of energy all day, every day without cooling systems or complex tracking mechanisms.

The idea is not new, but its founders in the 70s could not overcome technical challenges. The technology was abandoned when research funding dried up. Their dyes were unstable, and their optical experise was imperfect. Much of the light captured and concentrated into their glass or plastic was lost before it could reach the solar cells. MIT took tips from laser technology and organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs) to perfect the technology.Their expertise increased the distance light can travel through glass or plastic to reach the solar panels, boosting energy production.

“In addition, the focused light increases the electrical power obtained from each solar cell “by a factor of over 40.”" According to Marc A Baldo, an associate professorat MIT who helped lead the project. For more technical details, you may need an AAAS membership to read the Science article.

Three Reasons Why This Could Rock the Solar World:

1) It’s Easy: The technology is neither complex or difficult to manufacture. All you need is a window frame laced with solar panels and an ordinary pane of glass or plastic. Apply the proper ratios of organic dyes and you’re ready to go. The finished product looks like smoked glass and could be used on rooftops or solar farms. Future improvements could bring them to ordinary windows. Hopefully it will be competitive in price with other solar technologies.

2) Upgrade Existing Solar: This technology can be applied to existing photovoltaic panels to boost their efficiency by as much as 50% with minimal additional cost. Upgrading existing solar panels will not only boost their energy output, but shift their cost/energy ratios. That means that even older, more expensive solar installations could become more competitive with non-renewable energy sources.

3) It’s Coming Soon: MIT claims this technology could be ready for commercial production within three years. A company has already been founded to capitalize on the technology, and it won two prizes at MIT’s Enterpreneurship Competition, totaling $30,000. They will also seek more investment over the next few months. Keep your eyes peeled for Covalent Solar.

But nothing is certain. Like any new technology, this one has its challenges ahead. The dyes, for example, have a demonstrated lifespan of ten years, but most solar panels come with twenty or twenty-five year warranties. Covalent Solar must also run the gamut of any fledgling business to bring their product to market. With so many improving and emerging solar technologies, they will face a lot of competition.

What makes this technology different is its implications for existing solar installations and expansion into new spaces. A window that helps power a building could become a powerful tool towards super-efficient or power-producing structures. The potential for low cost, high efficiency solar technologies has never been greater.

Images via the MIT website

Small Wind Turbine Gets AWEA Certification

2011-11-27T06:32:00.001-08:00

Small wind turbines have been booming, as we’ve reported a few times this year. But, up to now, there hasn’t been much independent evaluation of how well these small turbines perform, or how safe they are. Apparently, that’s changing.

10 kW Bergey Excel 10 Wind Turbine for Homes, Farms, and Small Businesses (Photo: Business Wire)

Bergey Windpower, “the nation’s oldest manufacturer of small wind turbines,” announced this week that its “best-selling” BWC Excel 10 wind turbine has now received full “AWEA Small Wind Turbine Performance and Safety Standard” certification — it’s the first to get this certification.

“This new standard is the most significant milestone in the history of the small wind industry because it provides, for the first time, third-party verification of real world performance and a highly technical review of a turbine’s strength and safety,” said Mike Bergey, president of Bergey Windpower and the 2011 president of the Distributed Wind Energy Association. “This is huge for consumers because it addresses the ‘hucksters and hype’ problem in the small wind marketplace. We are very proud to be the first to achieve this game-changing certification.” Agreed.

New ships for Arctic Oil Boom

2011-11-25T10:48:00.001-08:00

New ships for Arctic Oil Boom

Arctic exploration will get a considerable boost with 20 million euro investment coming from the Russian state owned Shipbuilding Corporation (OSK) and Finnish engine maker Wartsila.

The companies have agreed to establish a joint venture for construction of new vessels for Arctic exploration.

OSK President Roman Trotsenko, says the establishment of joint venture with one of the industry leaders “will be concentrated on production of diesel engines for icebreakers” which according to Trotsenko is a very complex process involving assembly of gear units for ships, steering columns, and axles.

Trotsenko adds that Russia should obtain good equipment to finalize its core projects in Arctic
“Without these ships all plans for Arctic development would remain on paper. Russia should learn how to make this,”Trotsenko said.

The investment will be divided according to the partners share in the JV where OSK gets 51% and Warsila’s 49%, however Trotsenko noted that they may need more “I think that we will start from 20 million euro in joint investment. If more is needed we will move further,” Trotsenko said.

The site for the JV is now being selected said Trotsenko noting that two production facilities have been chosen for specific assembly process
“We see foundry capacity at the Baltic Plant and assembly capacity at the Proletarsky Plant. The steer-columns will probably be assembled in Arkhangelsk while gear-cutting equipment will be manufactured in St. Petersburg,” he said

Wartsila has considerable experience of building seagoing vessels for Russia. Two nuclear icebreakers for the USSR, the Taimyr and Vaigach, were built at the company's yard in Helsinki. These ships are still part of Russia's nuclear fleet.

COUNTDOWN TO DEADLINE - December 1st for a Northwest Passage 2012

2011-11-21T04:31:00.000-08:00

Here is what we have been up to for some time... preparing GREY GOOSE for an extended voyage...

Online painting pictures: http://northwestpassage2012.com/images/greygoose/20111113/index.html

Now we are ready for a long ride... be it North or South ?

December 1st is the deadline to let us know if you would like to join us for a share-a-ride Northwest Passage 2012 Expedition. If there is a good crew we will plan to go North - departure in May 2012. If there is not enough interest to go North we will plan to go South early winter 2012 through the Panama Canal to our home port in Astoria Oregon.

Either way - if you have interest in cruising - consider joining us aboard the MV GREY GOOSE.

Doug & Michelle
Voyage website: http://www.northwestpassage2012.com

Prosecutors Seek to Revoke BP's Alaska Probation

2011-11-17T14:55:00.001-08:00

Federal prosecutors are asking a judge to revoke BP's probation from a 2007 conviction for negligent discharge of oil, saying the company is a recidivist offender of environmental laws on Alaska's North Slope.

BP Exploration (Alaska) Inc. failed to heed a court's admonishment to "give high priority to maintenance and maybe a little less priority on profits," prosecutors said in a legal brief. They will make their case at hearing set to begin Nov. 29 in Anchorage.

The company followed a 200,000-gallon North Slope oil spill in 2006 — the largest ever in Alaska's oil patch — with a 13,500-gallon spill three years later.

"The cause of the 2009 oil spill was completely predictable and absolutely preventable," prosecutors said in the court filing. "BP simply failed to take adequate precautions and implement proper safeguards."

BP attorneys strongly contest the government's version of events. They will instead seek to have the company's probation ended.

BP Exploration devoted extensive resources to improving its oil line system after 2006, the company said in its brief for the hearing. The company was not negligent and no oil from the 2009 spill reached "United States waters," a standard for a violation of the Clean Water Act, the company said.

The hearing was first reported by the Anchorage Daily News. It will last at least four days.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Aunnie Steward said Wednesday that revocation of BP's probation could mean a lengthier probation or additional penalties for the company.

"The court can reopen sentencing on the original conviction," she said.

Prosecutors said in their brief that BP's history of environmental crimes in Alaska began in February 2001 when it pleaded guilty to releasing hazardous materials at its Endicott facility on the North Slope. The company was fined $500,000, placed on probation for five years and ordered to create a nationwide environmental management program, prosecutors said.

The March 2006 spill of 200,000 gallons of crude was caused by corrosion, and BP's leak detection system failed to notice it, prosecutors said.

The company's guilty plea to a misdemeanor violation of the Clean Water Act in 2007 resulted in three years of probation, a $12 million fine, and restitution and community service payments totaling $8 million to the state of Alaska and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, BP attorneys said.

Prosecutors contend BP violated the conditions of its probation by allowing the 2009 spill from an 18-inch pipe moving oil, water and gas from drill pads to BP's Lisburne Processing Center. That spill, prosecutors said, leaked 13,500 gallons of oil onto tundra and wetlands.

"This rupture was the result of a predictable and preventable freezing of produced water within the pipeline that caused the pipe to over-pressurize and burst," prosecutors said.

It was eerily similar to the 2006 spill, prosecutors alleged, because BP ignored alarms that warned of the pipe's eventual rupture and leak. The 2009 spill also followed a similar pipe freezing and rupture in 2001, they said, and BP failed to put in place preventative measures that their own experts recommended.

Prosecutors said the spill site directly abuts Prudhoe Bay and the damaged wetlands are covered by the Clean Water Act. They also contend the spill criminally violated state pollution laws because of BP negligence.

Attorneys for BP said the company devoted extensive resources to improving its oil line system after 2006.

"This included enhancements to BPXA's pipeline integrity management systems and over half a billion dollars of investments upgrading and replacing pipelines and the installation of a new leak detection system," BP attorneys said.

The company and did not ignore alarms, attorneys said, but instead faced an unprecedented event.

The rupture occurred in a line that was looped with another, larger line. Flow had ceased in the smaller line and the stoppage was not quickly detected because all production from each drill pad was reaching the processing center through the other line, BP attorneys said.

As winter set in and water and oil in the line expanded, gas trapped in the line was put under increased pressure. One acceptable response, attorneys said, was to simply let a frozen line thaw when winter ended. Operators were assessing what to do when the line ruptured.

"Contrary to the government's claims, the conditions that led to this spill had never previously been encountered on the North Slope," BP attorneys said.

The company was not negligent in operating and maintaining lines and certainly not criminally negligent, attorneys said.

BP attorneys also dispute that oil spilled into "U.S. waters" despite the wetlands' half-mile proximity to the bay of the Beaufort Sea. An elevated gravel road acted as a dike to spilled oil, they said. The discharge in cold temperatures was in the form of slushy oil and the semi-solids were deposited into a static dome under the pipe that was cleaned up, they said.

The spills in Alaska were dwarfed by the spill of more than 200 million gallons that followed the April 2010 explosion of the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig over a BP PLC well in the Gulf of Mexico, killing 11 rig workers. BP PLC has already spent or committed tens of billions of dollars to clean up the oil and compensate victims and faces hundreds of civil lawsuits. Government fines and penalties also could add liability.

———

Information from: Anchorage Daily News, http://www.adn.com

Outside of a select group of sexy technologies, innovation is almost entirely absent

2011-11-16T11:57:00.001-08:00

Entrepreneur expert VIVEK WADHWA describes the black holes of invention

Chuck Cook/Associated Press
Workers gather oil from a beach in Grand Isle, La., in 2010. Oil cleanup methods hadn't changed in decades.

When oil was still spewing uncontrollably from the Deepwater Horizon well last summer, philanthropist Wendy Schmidt and the X Prize Foundation issued a $1.4 million challenge calling for better technologies to clean up oil spills. Aside from Ms. Schmidt's concern for the environment, the need for innovation in this arena was dire.

In 1989, teams cleaning up the oil from the Exxon Valdez spill in Alaska recovered less than 15 percent of the total. Teams cleaning up oil from the Deep Water Horizon spill were not doing much better.

Oil spills are a fact of modern life. A better cleanup technology would seem to be a no-brainer. But the hazardous spill and recovery sector is sluggish, due in large part to government contractors and federal and state agencies unwilling or unable to try new things.

More than 300 teams from across the world submitted proposals for the prize. Last summer, the 10 finalists in the Oil Cleanup X Challenge traveled to Leonardo, N.J., home of the National Oil Spill Response Research & Renewable Energy Test Facility. All of the teams brought technology that was more effective, cheaper and easier to use than existing oil spill cleanup systems.

The winner, Elastec/American Marine, utilized a spinning, grooved wheel to pull an astonishing 89.5 percent of spilled oil from the testing ground. The device collected oil at nearly 5,000 gallons per minute, fast enough to make a near-complete recovery of spills a real possibility. Now, thanks to the publicity and the prize, this oil spill innovation will likely be commercialized and deployed.

The winning team's tale and the Oil Cleanup X Challenge underscore how far behind major sectors of the global economy and global infrastructure remain. What's more, many of these forgotten, slow-moving sectors are far more important to the long-term health and well-being of the United States and its citizens. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, there are nearly 20,000 oil spills, large and small, per year, a number that has grown considerably over the past two decades.

Eliminating these innovation black holes could do more to improve our lives and the economic future of our country than the latest Web-based social-networking applications. These long-standing problems are not sexy. But they exist in critically important sectors of the economy, such as chemical refining and automotive technology. Imagine a cleaner, more efficient alternative to the internal combustion engine.

Unlike battery-powered-car start-ups and solar- and wind-power companies, the internal combustion engine has been almost entirely ignored by venture capitalists. This has remained true even while gas floats above $3 per gallon.

Over the past 50 years, innovation to improve fuel economy has only occurred when the government has called for it. In the same period that solar- and wind-power companies have pulled in billions in venture capital and government loans, automotive transportation start-ups focused on internal combustion engines have received little attention or financing.

This, to me, is a shocking market failure. Both wind and solar technologies require tremendous capital expenditures before they can be brought to the market and scale up to production. In contrast, a radically improved internal combustion engine could be easily produced with existing industrial capabilities and quickly dropped into the global car production cycle.

This technology could also do more to quickly reduce carbon emissions, national oil dependency and general transportation costs than wind or solar.

In health care, a huge source of waste is in unnecessary diagnostic tests. According to Thomson Reuters, unwarranted treatment, such as the overuse of antibiotics and the use of diagnostic lab tests to protect against malpractice exposure, accounts for $250 billion to $325 billion in annual health care spending. One approach would be to reduce the amount of this care, particularly lab tests. Another might be to radically reduce the cost of the tests.

That's what a group at Harvard University, headed by professor George Whitesides, has done in making accurate diagnostic tests on patterned paper that cost pennies per pop. This is thousands of times cheaper than existing test matrices. What's more, these paper-based tests can easily be administered in the field by lay people with no medical training.

Why aren't we seeing more of this type of disruptive innovation? Bridges and highways are crumbling. Where are the start-ups that could help build bridges or bring to market cheaper, more durable road materials?

The general message is clear. Outside of computers, software and a select group of sexy technologies, innovation is almost entirely absent. In many of these sectors, huge leaps of innovation aren't that hard to achieve.

Witness the impressive output of Elastec/American Marine, which took less than six months to build a technology six times more efficient and far cheaper to operate than existing technologies. All it took was the impetus of a competition, a relatively modest prize and the prospect of a springboard to put their innovation into the global marketplace. Considering the cost-benefit ratio, it's amazing we don't have thousands and thousands of innovation prizes addressing areas of stagnancy throughout our infrastructure, contests that would unleash the intellectual power and drive of entrepreneurs.

There is low-hanging fruit to be harvested in many areas that could make the United States a better place and up our economic competitiveness. Let's stop focusing on the shiny objects and look at the boring nooks and crannies for a better roadmap to a better country and a better world.

Vivek Wadhwa, a Washington Post columnist, is director of research at the Center for Entrepreneurship and Research Commercialization at Duke University.

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