Abbenturer.5` Ctub OeW - The Adventurers` Club of Los Angeles

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Abbenturer.5' Ctub OeW.5
Volume 50
October 2006
Number 9
The
ADVENTURERS’ CLUB NEWS
Volume 50
October 2006
Number 9
Row, Row, Row Your Boat – 3,000 Miles Alone
How Roz Savage – a slip of a girl at 5’ 4” and 110 lbs – rowed by herself without support of any kind across
3,000 miles of daunting Atlantic Ocean. This story is in her own words, from her journey diary/journal which she
uploaded daily to her website via satellite phone, until the phone broke, and she was on her own like few before
her. These paragraphs are edited for brevity. Read Roz’s entire journal online at www.rozsavage.com.
Roz will attempt to row solo across the Pacific in 2007.You can follow this effort on her website.
The Logistics
00,000 calories - 102 kg of food, including 300 snack bars, 100 sachets of porridge, 7 kg dried milk, 140 sachets of hot
chocolate.
In addition to the food, there are 940 wet
wipes, 6 tubes of sun cream, 4 tubes of
nappy salve, an enormous first aid kit, a 20
kg liferaft, axes, cooking fuel, toolkits,
buckets, ropes, para-anchor, lifejacket,
drogues, and assorted bits of technology.
Put aside the expedition-specific items for
the moment, and just consider what it takes
to keep body and soul together for 3
months, without the option of popping out
to the shops. It’s staggering. I’ll be taking close
to twice my bodyweight in food with me.
The Boat – Editor’s notes
5
Roz’s 23 ft. long 6 ft. wide boat started out as a carbon fiber
shell, and then evolved into the Sedna Solo, designed and fitted
to precisely meet Roz’s specifications. Roz gives full credit to the
boat builders at the Dolphin Quay Boatyard in Emsworth,
Hampshire. “I couldn’t have done it without them,” she says.
The steering system was modeled on the tried and
tested system Oliver Hicks used in the Petrel/Miss Olive
for his North Atlantic crossing in 2005. This was based
on a simple heel steering system that pivots up and down
rather than the usual side to side. Specifically, pushing
down with the toes steers to port and down with the heel
turns the boat starboard. The rudder was built and fitted
by Rowsell and Adkin in Exmouth.
Roz chose carbon fiber Croker Oars with handles and
spoons of a sculling blade but the shaft of a sweep oar.
Roz chose a WaterRower seat that she tried and tested
extensively during her training on their rowing simulator.
She took a spare, and had to replace the first seat at about
the one-third mark because the wheels corroded. The spare
was on the verge of giving out when Roz made it to Antigua.
Roz used a Simrad Chartplotter for positioning, and a
PDA linked to a satellite phone so that she could post daily
dispatches to her website. She also carried an Argos transporter
that dynamically updated her position on the website.
30 Nov 2005 – 27 52N,17 13W
celebrated my first sunset on board Sedna by being seasick. It was a bit of a low
point. The wind had temporarily turned
against me, the early start to my day was
catching up with me, and I momentarily felt
very small and very alone.
I’m intending to write more but just had
to nip outside to be sick again. Will upload
I
(Row, Row continued on page 2)
1
October 2006
Row, Row, Row Your Boat
(Row, Row continued from page 1)
this now so you know I’m still alive, and
will try to write more later when I will
(hopefully) feel better.
covered the joy of talking books (currently
listening to Douglas Adams’ book recorded for me by the Kiwi Sun Latte crew - thanks,
guys) but it’s not the same as a proper natter.
Day 1: 01 Dec 2005 – 27 34N,17 39W
y Atlantic Rowing Race has got off
to an interesting start. One hour in I
thought it was going to be the shortest-lived
ocean rowing bid ever, when I couldn’t get
my watermaker working. I’d changed the
filter just before the race, and had to wait until
the race had started and I was out of the harbor and into cleaner waters before I could
run it. It whirred loudly for 5 seconds and
then stopped. Argh. My worst nightmare DIY horror - was it coming true?
I got on the VHF to ask for advice, and
George from the Atlantic 4 crew came to
the rescue. The pump needed priming, that
was all. It wasn’t pleasant trying to sort it
out, bum in the air and head down a hatch
when I was feeling queasy, but 10 minutes
later and we were in watermaking business
again. A small but notable personal victory.
M
Day 5: 05 Dec 2005 – 27 13N,19 53W
ake water while the sun shines...and
shines directly onto my solar panels which unfortunately seems to be only for a
couple of hours in the morning. Note to
self to have panels on both cabins next
time around. Electricity continues to be an
issue on board the good ship Sedna. The
watermaker is hugely power-hungry compared with anything else, and runs my two
52Ah batteries flat in no time. I can manage to make enough water, but have to be
very frugal with my electricity.
To save electricity I’ve been steering by
the stars at night, and I keep thinking of
Charlie’s phrase and smiling. Before you get
all impressed by notions of me standing on
deck with sextant in hand, let me admit it’s
been nothing that sophisticated. I check my
bearings, see which stars line up with the
comm masts on Sedna’s ‘roll bar’ and then
make sure I keep them in line, adjusting
every hour to account for the movement
of the stars. Gives me a great sense of elemental satisfaction.
M
Day 4: 04 Dec 2005 – 27 25N,19 22W
t had been two and a half days since I
last had a conversation. The last proper-
I
Day 12: 12 Dec 2005 – 26 06N, 22 23W
ne oar down, three to go.
I thought I had emerged unscathed
from the big blow of Saturday night, but I
was wrong. This morning I realized that one
of my oars is broken. Not broken in two that I would have noticed - but splintered along
O
ish conversation was a 3 minute chat with
Lin on the Woodvale yacht Aurora when
they swung by on Friday morning. I’ve dis-
October 2006
2
Flumin’ da Ditch
FLUMIN’ DA DITCH
Marv Garrett # 1083
n the extreme northwest corner of the
Big Island of Hawaii along Route 270
lies the small soaking-wet town of Hawi,
soaking-wet because it receives over 350
inches of rain per year.
O
yons, and through tropical rain forests. They
were paid $1 per day plus room and board.
On their time off they could make an extra
5 cents per building block they cut out of
stone. Japan, at that time, was in a war with
About one hundred years ago the sugar
company, down the coast, where water is
much less available, decided it needed more
water. Three hundred imported Japanese laborers worked for eighteen months to build
an irrigation supply flume from the waterlogged northwest corner near Hawi, through
mountains, over fields, across deep can-
Russia. When the construction was over,
all the money they had earned was sent back
to the Emperor to help in the war effort.
The sugar industry on the Big Island has
long been shut down, but the flume still
exists. A few years ago someone decided
the kids on the island shouldn’t have all
the fun running the flume on floats, so it
(Flumin’ continued on page 4)
3
October 2006
Flumin’ da Ditch
(Flumin’ continued from page 3)
point we were 160 feet below the surface.
It is very wet all the time, but the air is
warm, so being wet is no problem. The
current swept us along, so all we needed to do was fend the kayaks off the
rocks and walls.
A worry most of us have in the tropics is biting insects, but on this water
borne trip this was not a problem. I
guess the nearly constant rain kept them
away.
For me the trip’s highlight was enjoying
the unspoiled virgin rain forests. Whether
going high above them or floating through
the dense jungle, I had the feeling of how
lucky I was, as very few explorers even
know about this adventure.
On your next time in Hawaii, swing
by Hawi and take this trip. You will find
was opened to a tiny local company, Kohala Kayak, as a tourist attraction.
I’ve been going
to the Hawaiian
Islands almost
every year since
my first visit in
1944. On my trip
in April of 2006,
I was excited to
find something I
had not tried
when I found out
I could “flume da
ditch.”
We started our
trip in a station
wagon over a
very, very poor, At the “trailhead”
chuckhole filled road up the mountain.
Eventually (it seemed like forever) we
reached the launch point, and transferred
to specially built kayaks with extra heavy
side walls to take the bouncing off rock
sides of the ditch and tunnels. Each of us
received a flashlight.
Much of the trip is underground. At one
The end-run
it different and exciting, and you will get
spectacular photos (waterproof camera recommended).
Tunnel entrance
October 2006
4
its length in four distinct cracks, like a plastic
drinking straw that has been trodden on.
Not a big problem - I’ve got 2 spares, although obviously by the time I’m down to
my last oar I’ll be having problems going in
anything other than circles.
to replace the pump if I could post it to
them, but clearly this wasn’t much help in
the circumstances.
Day 32: 01 Jan 2006 – (unavailable)
A
re oars supposed to do this?
I think not!
Happy New Year!
Day 13: 13 Dec 2005 – 25 56N, 22 40W
N
ote from First
Mate Monty:
pdated Casualty List.
4th and final oar now damaged - so I
have:
Magic bendy oar - irreparable
Oar with no spoon - irreparable
Oar with spoon almost broken off - Sikaflexed and splinted
Oar with shaft broken close to gate
(rowlock) - splinted.
Hmmmph!
U
Day 16: 16 Dec 2005 – 25 44N, 24 23W
wo oars down, two to go.
Oops, broke another oar. It was about
3 am last night, and I was doing battle with
some unpleasantly large waves. One particularly malevolent wave broadsided me and
my down-wave oar got caught under the
boat. There was an ominous cracking sound.
In daylight the damage doesn’t look too
bad. The oar is still usable. But I’d better
be more careful in future because I can’t
afford for this attrition rate to continue.
T
was rowing along this afternoon, admiring the cloud formations and trying not to
think about my aching shoulders, when my
right oar suddenly started to feel...different. I
looked out, and my heart sank when I saw
the spoon flapping uselessly at the end of the
loom. The Sikaflex had given way.
So with a sigh of oh-no-here-we-go-again
resignation I pulled the oar in for another
round of running repairs.
I
Day 20: 20 Dec 2005 – 25 52N, 24 14W
hristmas dinner, which was never going to be very exciting anyway, is now
going to be not very exciting and...cold. For
today my camping stove died.
Bugger.
When things started to go awry I called
on my guru for all matters concerning outdoor gear - my sister. She was able to put
me onto a colleague who gave me the UK
supplier’s number. They very kindly offered
C
spent 4 hours busily bottom-scrubbing
(getting rid of barnacles), replacing washers on rowing pins, padding my rowing seat,
sponging out bilges, and most importantly,
I
5
October 2006
strengthening my oars.
The last round of oar repairs had been
done in 20 foot waves and 25 knot winds so it was high time to improve on them.
Magic Bendy Oar was today relieved of
guardrail duties - it was so broken it was
useless even as a guardrail - and hacksawed
into pieces to make splints for Splintered
Loom Oar. The timely discovery of a whole
unused reel of duct tape, combined with
these splints, plus the boathook, have given me much more confidence in my starboard side oar. Given that it’s mostly blind
faith and duct tape holding it together, this
matters.
Day 76: 14 Feb 2006 – (unavailable)
I
t has to be the ultimate Valentine’s
greeting - HMS
Southampton dropped
by today en route
from Grenada to say
hello and wish me a
happy Valentine’s
Day. They would
have happily brought
chocolates (and a bacon butty) as well, but
unfortunately race rules forbid.
R
oz’s satphone dispatches have stopped. Roz’s mother,
Rita writes:
All day I have waited for the telephone to ring but Roz
has not phoned. I have checked her progress on the
Atlantic Rowing Race website times without number. Sedna
Solo is moving, though the mileage on Friday and today
have not been as good as the previous few days. One
good thing is that although the wind is ENE and would be
moving the boat south west, Sedna has moved a bit more
to the north, towards latitude 17 where she needs to be to
reach Antigua. This can only mean that Roz is working
hard at clawing back the degrees south where the wind
and waves had taken her. A good sign in more ways than
one. I do hope and pray that whatever the problem is
with the communications that it can be overcome.
T
hree out of four pair of rowing gloves
are now in tatters. Caroline suggested
cutting off the fingers to relieve pressure
on nails - not strictly
necessary.
It’s time to up the
ante. I want to be in
English Harbor by
the end of February.
It’s a lot to ask, and will require a significant increase in my daily mileage. I’ve
learned a lot about myself already on this
row. Now it’s time to find out something
new - am I tough enough to do what it takes
to make landfall by the end of the month?
Day 89: 27 Feb 2006 – (366 miles from Antigua)
R
ita Savage:
Roz, when I last spoke to her ten days ago, was very
eager to reach the end of the voyage in less than 100
days. The question now is whether she will or not.
Looking at her mileage for days 79 to 89, she was
averaging 38.4 per day. She has another 366 miles to
cover in the remaining days from 90 to 99. That gives an
average of 36.6 miles needed per day. She can do it!
I was left with the dilemma when her satphone no
longer worked: was she needing me to alert the race
Day 72: 10 Feb 2006 – (999 miles from Antigua)
L
ess than 1,000 miles to Antigua. This
is a major milestone for me - getting
down into triple figures. The end may not
be exactly in sight, but it soon will be.
October 2006
6
organizers and rescue services, or was she hoping and
praying that I would not act too hastily and call them out
unnecessarily. I just had to know whether she was actually
on the boat and that it was not moving with the wind and
the waves.
Day 101: 10 Mar 2006 – 16.56N, 60.42W
R
R
ita Savage:
Realistically we think that Roz will arrive Sunday
morning. If she pushes on too fast and gets here Saturday
night there will be some disappointed people! The children
from the Island Academy have been practising a song
specially for her, with very appropriate words. They are
prepared to wear their school uniforms on Sunday if
necessary, to be ready to greet her.
Day 95: 06 Mar 2006 – (unavailable)
14 Mar 2006 – ANTIGUA!
ello from one very happy ocean rower, now chilling out in Antigua, enjoying good food and warm hospitality...and
wishing the ground would stop swaying.
Day 91: 01 Mar 2006 – (296 miles from Antigua)
ita Savage:
When I saw that Roz had done 44 miles yesterday,
and moved up to 1655.74 degrees of latitude it all seemed
so exciting and a real beginning to count down. Combined
with my own preparations to fly there, confirmation of
accommodation and other vital details, I can hardly wait!
A few more days to go yet.
H
R
ita Savage:
I was shocked when I did eventually get onto the
Internet about midday today - about 4 pm your time in
Britain - to see the Roz had only done 4 miles yesterday. I
have met Lucy from Woodvale, and also phoned her when
I saw the figure 4. She has been very reassuring, and it is
a fault with the weather. The wind was blowing in quite
the wrong direction and Roz looped a loop. After that she
probably had to put out Sid the para-anchor and just sit
it out. Today the wind has changed. I can hear it whistling
around the house now, and with a bit of luck will be
pushing Roz on quite nicely. It may prove to be a
disappointment for the Island Academy if she does not
arrive on a school day. We were really hoping that she
would make it on Thursday. It may yet happen if that wind
cooperates. I can see the school from the house where I
am staying; and with the help of a lovely friend I have
been to the harbor and seen where the boats come in.
Yesterday I got up at 4 am to start rowing. With the finish line finally in sight I
rowed nonstop for 10 hours to make sure I
got to Antigua before sunset. If only I’d
realized earlier I was capable of such rowing feats I might have got here weeks ago!
I had no idea what kind of a welcome
awaited me. I’d envisaged pulling in at a
jetty, giving my mum a hug, and then pottering off for a bite to eat. I certainly hadn’t
expected a flotilla of boats coming out to
greet me, hundreds of people standing on
the quayside, a choir of schoolchildren singing to me, and presentations from a series
of local dignitaries. After months of solitude and silence it was pretty overwhelming. And really, really good.
Day 99: 08 Mar 2006 – 17 25N, 59 45W
R
ita Savage:
Roz has crossed the Atlantic in fewer than 100 days!
She has passed the magic longitude of 59 degrees 37 minutes.
135 miles to go to reach the Woodvale Race Finishing Line
at Cape Shirley, Antigua. There was a heartstopping moment
this morning when those of us who check the race website
found Sedna Solo totally missing. Whatever the cause she
is now safely reinstalled, along with the news that she has
done 21 miles so far today.
7
October 2006
What’s Happening...
The Wave
which is part of the Lewis and Clark expedition bicentennial. During the commemoration, pilots and scientists flew the skies above
the trail route while Arias put his feet on the
ground, running in eight locations that were
once visited by the Corps of Discovery
O
n August 3 Bob Zeman told the Club
about his trip to see the Wave on the
Arizona/Utah border. Here is his photo of
the Wave that shows its spectacular features.
New World Altitude Record
The Wave
Fossett & Enevoldson tucked into a modified
German glider
F
Gene Arias Leads the 500th Military
Police Detachment
he 500th Military Police Detachment, Special
Troops Battalion,
had a special running
partner during their
physical training
Aug. 24. His name is
Gene Arias, but he
wasn’t running for
the cardiovascular
Photo – Prudence Siebert benefits.
Gene was running as part of the Flight of
Discovery 2006 Expedition: The Return,
red Hareland recently published an article in his local paper, The News Review,
about the altitude record-setting glider flight
of Steve Fossett (62) and Einar Enevoldson (74) that took place on August 30, high
above the crest of the Argentine Andes.
They reached a whopping 50,699 ft., 1,662
ft. above the previous record.
T
October 2006
Russel Alcot Reed (#560)
ember Bob Aronoff
recently informed us
that he was visiting a neighbor across the street and met
Russ, a guest of his neigh-
M
8
bor who was visiting from Florida.
During the conversation, Bob mentioned the
Club, whereupon Russ identified himself as Club
Member #560, and stated that he was the first
member to join the Club in 1950. Russ asked
about Al Adams, John Goddard, Bob Sechrist,
and Percy Chase, at which point Bob went home
and got his roster for Russ to examine.
Anyone wishing to contact Russ may do
so by email at russreed1@yahoo.com.
resume, and testimonials are an enormous
help, especially from such a prestigious association as the Adventurers’ Club.”
So, any member who heard Roz’s presentation, and who
would like to give her
a testimonial, please
prepare a short statement, and include
your name and a brief
description of your
adventure qualifications. Email your testimonial to Steve
Bein at DRBEIN@aol.com.
The Enchanted Quest of Dana and
Ginger Lamb
Presenting the Adventurers’ Club
Meritorious Service Medal
T
he University Press of Mississippi has
notified us of the publication of The
Enchanted Quest of Dana and Ginger Lamb,
written by Julie Huffman-Klinkowitz and
Jerome Klinkowitz. This book is reviewed
in this issue. This is a great adventure book
that you won’t want to miss.
T
he Adventurers’ Club Meritorious Service Medal – the Board will figure out
how to award this gem. Stay tuned for further information
Editor’s Note:
Each month we will feature recent activities of
members and friends on this page. We have now
expanded to two pages. Let’s keep it there. Please send
your material along with any photos to the Editor by
email or snail mail. Designate it for “What’s
Happening....”
Request from Roz Savage
R
oz Savage (Atlantic solo rower) sent us
a request following her presentation on
September 21:
“I am working on developing my speaker’s
9
October 2006
NOHA
NOHA – Night of High Adventure
ANNOUNCING
N. O.
H.
A.
2006
5:00 pm:
6:30 pm:
7:30 pm:
Cocktail Hour and Silent Auction
Dinner
Adventures on Land, Air, Sea, and Beyond
LAND: JOANNE VANTILBURG, Ph.D
(Working Archeologist )
“Among Stone Giants, One Woman’s Adventure on Easter Island”
AIR:
FRED MADENWALD, III
(Director of Flight Tests – Lockheed/Martin)
“Significant Flight Test Events Including New Joint Strike Fighter,”
SEA:
TED RALSTON
(Aero-Mechanical Engineer)
“Hoku Lea, Rebirth of Polynesian Voyaging” – Trips to Easter Island,
Tahiti, Hawaii, and San Pedro, California using ancient native navigation
BEYOND: PAUL WEISMSMAN, Ph.D.
(Senior JPL Research Scientist)
“Exploring Comets: Back to the Beginnings”
10:00 pm: Adjourn
Date:
Time:
Place:
Sunday, October 22, 2006
5:00 PM
Sheraton Delfina Hotel
530 West Pico Boulevard
Santa Monica, California 90405
Tickets: $95.00
Contact: Jim Heaton – (310) 465-9500
Dress:
Dinner Dress – Black-tie Formal
Ethnic Formal
October 2006
10
Book Review - Tillandsia
BOOK REVIEW The Enchanted Quest of Dana and Ginger Lamb
by University Press of Mississippi
Authors: Julie Huffman-Klinkowitz & Jerome Klinkowitz, University Press of Mississippi, Jackson, MS, 2006,
hardcover, (240p; 6 x 9) - ISBN: 1-57806-796-0
B
Lambs as spies in Mexico. After World War
II they launched their Quest for the Lost
City, which yielded another book and documentary.
Drawing on historical
records, the Lambs’
books and letters, and recently declassified espionage documents, biographers Julie HuffmanKlinkowitz and Jerome
Klinkowitz show how
the Lambs succeeded in
marketing their conquests and films to armchair explorers around
the world and how they
became, in popular imagination, the quintessential American adventurers.
As an independent
scholar, Julie HuffmanKlinkowitz has published widely in genealogy and popular culture. Jerome Klinkowitz is Professor of English at the University of Northern Iowa and is the author of
several books, including Pacific Skies: American Flyers in World War II (University Press
of Mississippi).
The Enchanted Quest of Dana and Ginger
Lamb is available in book stores, directly
from the University Press of Mississippi,
from Amazon.com, and in the Club’s library.
estselling authors, sensational lecturers, documentary filmmakers, amateur
archaeologists, spies for FDR – Dana and
Ginger Lamb led the life
of Indiana Jones long before the movie icon was
ever scripted. “We blaze
the trail,” Ginger said,
“and the scientists follow.”
The Enchanted Quest of
Dana and Ginger Lamb is
the first biography of this
captivating, entrepreneurial couple. In Southern
California, they started
married life in 1933 by
building a canoe. With
only $4.10 in their pockets, they paddled to Central America and through
the Panama Canal. Three
years later they returned
triumphant, bearing a photographic record
of the amazing trek that made them famous.
After releasing their bestselling book,
Enchanted Vagabonds, the two became exactly that. They relentlessly lectured for the
public and mooned for the media until they
were able to fund more exotic voyages to
remote jungles and rivers. So convincing
were they on the circuit that their most
powerful fan, President Franklin Roosevelt,
coerced J. Edgar Hoover into hiring the
11
October 2006
Thrawn Rickle
THE THRAWN RICKLE
From the Ancient Scottish: thrawn = stubborn; rickle = loose, dilapidated heap
Robert G. Williscroft #1116 - Editor
T
but tickets still are available. This gathering promises to be one of the best, so even
if you missed the good price, it’s still more
than worth the cost. Get your tickets as
soon as possible.
A continuing thank you to Bob Silver
(#728) for volunteering his time and effort
to distribute The Adventurers’ Club News.
Remember, each month about the time of
the last meeting of the month, Bob will have
your copy of the magazine at the Club
ready for you to take with you. If you can’t
make it to the meeting, of course, Bob will
mail you a copy.
I’ve been promising Bob that I will set
up the system to put names and address on
the magazines automatically, but – unfortunately – Bob is still waiting. I admire his
patience.
The Adventurers’ Club of Los Angeles
now has a beautiful Meritorious Service
Medal that will be awarded from time to
time to a worthy member. The Board will
be discussing how to make the awards, and
setting up appropriate rules. You can see
the medal in the What’s Happening... section of this issue. The actual medal will be
on display in the Library.
his month we
feature
our
speaker for September 21, Roz Savage, who rowed solo
across the Atlantic,
starting last December and arriving at
Antigua 103 days
later. This is a story you don’t want to miss.
I will pit my adventurous career against
any member, but I stand aside in awe of
this adventurous maiden. For sheer guts and
bravado, she trumps anything I ever did!
To returning members Gene Arias
(#1107) and Pierre Odier (#988), welcome
back! We will feature Gene’s accomplishments during the Flight of Discovery, and
Pierre’s trip to Borneo in coming issues.
This month, we review two lives of adventure in The Enchanted Quest of Dana and
Ginger Lamb. This is a wonderful book of
entrepreneurial adventure – a how-to book
for the wannabe. Step aside, Indiana...
Don’t forget October 22, our annual
Night of High Adventure – NOHA. The
deadline for discounted tickets has passed,
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
It had to happen sometime – Chill Out, already!
BTW, you might try reading the book before
criticizing. You never know... – Editor
Little Agenda, is the most valuable information in the smallest package imaginable. It is
the best education in nuclear reactors for the layman that is available anywhere today...Thank you
for sharing your fabulous life with this needy planet.
I agree with you that all members should behave as
friends. – Mason Armstrong #765
To the Editor:
Your wonderful book, The Chicken
I guess you don’t agree with the other writer. Thanks for the
support. – Editor
To the Editor:
This is B...S.... Williscroft is the “self-appointed
expert.” No more commercials for crackpots, Please!
– (Name withheld)
October 2006
12
SS Norway
SS FRANCE/NORWAY – THE LAST OF HER KIND
Fredrick Gary Hareland
F
storm, but that’s another story.
The Norway was being used to berth some
NCL employees, and as an occasional classroom. I took a crowd management course
as well as crisis management and human
behavior course onboard her. I vividly re-
ew man made machines are as beautiful and massive as the transatlantic passenger liners circa 1930s to 1960s. SS France,
launched May 11, 1960, had the distinction of being the longest liner in the world,
and of being the last of her kind, because
SS Norway – Formerly SS France
member the shipboard monument to those
killed in the explosion. I peered at each photo, into mostly young faces, and said a
prayer for their families. The memorial was
incorporated into a small makeshift chapel
off the starboard passageway, forward, and
was quite touching.
Norway was a breed apart from modern sterile cruise ships. She was built like a tank and
actually looked like a ship with her classic
lines and teak decks. Of all the vessels that I
had been aboard, she looked to be built the
most sturdily and long lasting. I wished I had
been old enough to sail aboard her back in
her heyday, when she was the best, the most
luxurious passenger ship in the world.
The morning we boarded her, she was
moored in an after bay, sitting high and
mighty next to the pier. The huge blue and
white 11-story vessel was proud and state-
she was the last great French ship of state.
She was eventually bought in 1979 by Norwegian Cruise Lines. This grand lady of the
sea was renamed SS Norway, and was a
money-maker for NCL until she suffered a
catastrophic boiler explosion on May 25,
2003, that killed seven crewmembers. It
was the beginning of the end for Norway,
and she was towed to Lloyd Werft Shipyard in Bremerhaven, Germany, for eventual repairs or final disposition.
In January 2004, I had the opportunity to
go aboard the Norway for some training
classes. I was assigned to NCL’s Pride of
America, as her first Electronic/Communications Officer and member of her commissioning crew.
On the same evening that I arrived in
Germany, the Pride Of America sunk next
to her pier due to a freak North Sea wind-
(Norway continued on page 21)
13
October 2006
Minutes - August 24, 2006
THURSDAY NIGHTS AT THE CLUB
August 24, 2006
Air Force CTOL
(Conventional
Take Off and
Landing) version, the Marine
Corps STOVL
(short take off
and
vertical
landing) version
and the Navy
carrier suitable
CTOL version.
The plane was made by Lockheed with
help from BAE Systems and Northrop
Grumman. Pratt & Whitney built the engines and Rolls Royce built the lift van. The
STOVL version was designed to replace the
Harrier, a British plane that works well but
is difficult to operate.
A shaft-driven lift fan changes the CTOL
to a STOVL. More wing area is added on to
the Air Force version to get the Navy carrier
version. The shaft generates 28,000 horsepower which is about the same as a destroyer.
There are 18,500 pounds of thrust generated by the fan; 3,700 pounds by the roll
control ducts in
the wing and
17,600 pounds
by the duct in
the rear. Interestingly, the Harrier needed additional thrust to
maneuver while
lifting while the
X-35 does not.
In landing, the
Bob Zeman (#878)
P
resident Vince Weatherby welcomed
a nice crowd including a number of pilots.
Paul Isley said that he enjoyed his private tour of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory
and saw studies of the rings of Saturn and
moons of Jupiter.
Roger Haft flew to San Diego with
Bernie Harris on an Angel Flight.
Bob Zeman returned from a week in Jamaica. He also had backpacked up to the
Treasure Lakes area west of Bishop. Bear
canisters are required in the Sierras.
Bob Ianello will compete for the seventh time in the one-mile rough water swim
near La Jolla. Club guest Eric Simmel will
swim also.
Gene Wallace related his story of flying
and bombing in the south Pacific in World
War II before the Doolittle raid. While on a
mission over Rabaul, he was shot down
and later survived 10 months on New Britain before being rescued.
Bob Thomas was given a certificate acknowledging his new membership.
Bob Seaman said to check C-Span because
our Club program is getting a lot of replays.
Skunk Works Test Pilot
T
homas Morgenfeld’s credentials are
impressive – 1965 graduate of U. S. Naval Academy; flew 120 combat missions; 500
carrier landings; top student in test pilots’
school; chief test pilot for Lockheed on YF22A and X-35, and retired as a Navy captain.
His talk was on the X-35, the Joint Strike
Fighter. This plane has three versions – the
October 2006
14
Minutes - August 24 & 31, 2006
X-35 can bring back more weight in terms
of ordinance and fuel than the Harrier. The
Harrier has three levers for control; the X35 has only two levers—better for those
with only two hands.
Since pilot training costs so much, this
plane and others are single-seaters. Bombs
can be attached to pylons but at the risk of
giving up stealth capacity.
During the 30-day test period, the plane
flew 27 times which shows high reliability.
First flight of the F-35 is scheduled for
October, 2006. Admittedly, the F-22 is
better in a dog fight but it does not have
the landing and take off capabilities that
the X-35 has. The X-35 is primarily for air
to ground missions.
Mr. Morgenfeld’s talk drew many questions from the audience and was well-received.
Jim Heaton returned from eastern Europe. He visited Berlin, the Salzburg Music Festival and took a train to Kracow.
Dave Yamada surprised us returning
from a 12-day trip on the Trans-Siberian
Express. He was delayed a bit due to the
lack of a multi-entry visa.
Randy Boelsem and his wife spent three
weeks in Ireland. Fortunately, he flew home
out of Dublin and not Heathrow, avoiding
the terrorist scare.
Bill Burchette participated as a judge for
the 34th year at the Pebble Beach Car Show.
Bernie Harris and his wife are taking an Alaskan cruise to Ketchikan, Juneau and Skagway.
Bob Silver recommended the Japanese
gardens at UCLA for a short local visit. He
also presented a bird pen to Bob Zeman.
Jim Heaton related the story of Gene Wallace
who is coming to NOHA. Gene’s girlfriend (later his wife) wrote him every week while Gene
was avoiding capture near Rabaul in WWII, saving the letters for his return.
The re-creation of the trek of Lewis and
Clark return-trek is still on despite the death
of the leader’s wife in a helicopter crash. Gene
Arias will be running segments of the trek.
August 31, 2006
Bob Zeman (#878)
S
hane Berry and his wife are leaving for
eight days in Alaska. At least one night
will be spent north of Denali National Park.
At times it is so
cold there that the
sewage has to be
heated to get it
moving. Shane also
took his mother
fishing.
President Vince
Weatherby presented a certificate
to Walt Ehlers acknowledging him
as a new member.
Walt Ehlers
No Halibut Fishing in My Future
T
odd Warshaw is a professional photographer. He was the official photographer for the 2004 International Olympic
Torch Relay for Athens and for the 2002
Relay for Salt Lake City. The 2004 relay
went through 27 countries in 35 days and
covered 60,000 miles.
Todd showed a sampling of his beautiful
slides showing everything from giant black
(Minutes continued on page 16)
15
October 2006
(Minutes continued from page 15)
sea bass to turtles, sharks, shrimp, athletic
events and NASCAR races.
Todd was hired by Greenpeace to accompany its boat Pacific Storm on a
trip to document research on
species and the food chain
around the Aleutian Islands.
Prior research said that X
pounds of pollock were taken last year and the same
pounds were taken this year
so everything is okay. But pollock are at the bottom of the
food chain and they could be
depleted due to more intensive fishing.
The 85-foot boat left Kodiak and there were just a few Todd Warshaw
hours of darkness every night in the six
weeks on the Bering Sea. The researchers
saw numerous humpback whales but few
orcas. The natives said the orcas were there
a month earlier.
At Dutch Harbor huge container ships came
in. It is the number three fishing port in the
world in terms of tonnage. Close-up slides
of red-legged kittiwake, coast auklet, fulmar,
puffin and thick-billed murre were excellent.
Near St. Paul Island were the first orcas.
The boat had to get close to dart and tag
the orcas properly.
There was a huge fur seal rookery nearby
and the bulls can weigh 600 pounds. The researchers had to walk a mile to the rookery.
Stops were made at St. Paul which has
500 people and St. George with a population of only 100. Fishing boats land as
much as 5,000 pounds of fish.
Unfortunately, a fishing boat carrying a son
October 2006
16
of Todd’s guide flipped, so the Pacific Storm
went out to tow it back. There was lots of
fog, and much fishing line had to be cut, but
the crew and boat were saved.
Gamble Island was overcast
most of the time. Hundreds of
whale carcasses cover the island. Residents are allowed
eight strikes and two kills of
orcas per year. A whale will
feed a village for a year. There
are also walruses.
Residents have VHF antenna
at the vertical for entertainment.
Nearby are two rocks sticking out of the water which
hold thousands of murres. The
rocks are also the cause of
many wrecks during fogs.
On the return to Kodiak the boat
steamed for 20 minutes through a flock of
shearwaters. The trip covered 3,500 miles
and Todd gave 3,500 photos to Greenpeace.
August 24, 2006
Bob Zeman (#878)
P
resident Vince Weatherby greeted all to
another meeting. A moment of silence
was held for the recent death of Steve Irwin from Australia who brought the knowledge of animals to many.
Jim Dorsey returned from a month in
East Africa. He made it to 18,000 feet on
Mt. Kilimanjaro but was stopped short of
the summit due to stomach flu. He also
stayed for two nights with his wife Irene in
the boma or village of Moses Pelee. The
village sacrificed a goat in Jim’s honor. Jim
Minutes - July 27, 2006
and Irene also took a hot-air balloon ride
and a photography safari.
Steve Peterman took a ride in a sheriff ’s helicopter. The mission was to photograph houses on which warrants were going to be served.
David Grober went camping and fishing in Alaska. He road an ATV to a glacier,
and caught a 16-inch walleye pike.
Marvin Garrett went to the National Air
Races in Reno. Marvin attended his first
air race in Cleveland in 1929. Over the years
he has seen Lindbergh, Earhart, Rickenbacker and Udet. He also saw Roscoe Turner fly with a lion cub.
Roger Haft leaves on September 16th for
China, Tibet and the Silk Route. Roger also
took a flight on a Boeing 727 to experience
zero gravity. He and others did flips and
maneuvers against the padded bulkheads.
Jim Heaton was pleased that we have
all of our speakers for NOHA and that our
reservations are running ahead of last year.
Bob Walters said that a reunion of the
fighter aces will be held September 17th at
Los Alamitos. The main topic will be those
who fought against the German jet ME262.
Bob Zeman visited Roy Roush in his
home and Roy looks good and hopes to
return to the Club in a month or so.
become a veterinarian. But the increased schooling
for an advanced
degree and the
movie Hunt for Red
October inspired
him to enter Navy
Officer Candidate
School.
He graduated Capt. Charles Gaouette
and earned his dolphins on a diesel submarine. He later went to engineering and electrical school and was a watch officer on a
nuclear attack submarine. The boat was
struck by a rogue wave in the English
Channel. Gaouette was the only officer topside and was seriously injured. He spent a
month in the hospital.
Charles is now the commanding officer
of the Bunker Hill. It is equipped with the
Aegis (Shield) weapon system which uses
computers to track incoming missiles. It can
be sensitized to stop the worst-case threat
which is many missiles.
His work day starts at 5 a.m. and ends at
11:30 p.m. There are 22 officers on board
and 375 enlisted.
The main task of the cruiser is searching
boats near the Al Basrah oil terminal. These
boats are mainly commercial ones intent
on going up river. But all must be searched
by teams from the cruiser for contraband,
drugs and weapons. This is high-risk and
exhausting work for the sailors. The oil platforms were built in the 1960s by the Soviets and are in need of constant maintenance. The oil brings in $1 billion per
month.
USS Bunker Hill (CG-52)
few weeks ago, Paul Isley toured the
USS Bunker Hill as it cruised to San Diego.
Paul went down to the engine room and talked
with the commanding officer on the bridge. He
persuaded Capt. Gaouette to speak to our Club.
Charles Gaouette entered UC Davis to
A
(Minutes continued on page 18)
17
October 2006
Minutes - July 27 & August 3, 2006
(Minutes continued from page 17)
There are 7,000 naval personnel in Iraq
because the Navy knows how to fix things.
The Army too often leaves equipment
where it stopped.
anniversary of the USS Bunker Hill. He also
invited members to come visit the ship in
San Diego in March when it returns from
its next deployment in Iraq.
August 24, 2006
Bob Zeman (#878)
P
resident Vince Weatherby opened the
meeting and read a letter from Don
Walsh. Don is an honorary member for being one of the first to descend to the deepest part of the ocean. And he is still active
with projects in Antarctica, the Arctic
Ocean and places in between.
Our guest was Brian Ferenza who is
planning to hike the Continental Divide
trail. But he is going the full length from
Cape Hope near the Arctic Ocean in Alaska 8,000 miles to the southern tip of Argentina. He plans to average 20 miles per
day.
Dave Finnern returned from a dive trip
to Lake Superior on the northern shore of
Minnesota. He blew a seal on his regulator
which delayed his diving but he did explore
the Samuel P. Healy.
Pierre Odier took an expedition flag to
southern Borneo and returned. He headed
upriver from Balikpapan looking for a remote village. The land has been devastated by logging. His boat broke down and he
had to continue on another boat. He did find
the abandoned long houses built of ironwood.
But the tribe had scattered. He did find a few
descendants of the small tribe.
Bernie Harris returned from his Alaska
cruise. The ship had port stops at Vancouver, Juneau, Skagway and Ketchikan. He
USS Bunker Hill
Charles talked about the future of the
Navy and the build up of the Chinese Navy.
China has acquired the Sovremmenny destroyer from the Russians along with 12 Kilo
submarines. The destroyer is equipped with
the anti-Aegis cruise missile.
But the United States is building Go Fast
boats which will go 40 knots, are painted blue,
and use plexiglass. The Bunker Hill has a 32foot draft and the new boats have a 12-foot
draft. The Bunker Hill cost $1.2 billion to build
20 years ago and the Go Fast boats cost $750
million. Other ships being built are the DD1000 Zumwalt Class destroyers.
Ninty-five percent of our imports arrive
by ship. The shipping lanes must be kept
open. Nuclear powered ships are cheaper
and easier to operate but require more
personnel. But the non-nuclear powered ships
that are being built these days need 20% to
25% fewer personnel to operate. The elimination of cash in favor of cash cards has reduced the administrative staff aboard ship.
Captain Gaouette thanked the Club for
inviting him. He presented us with a oneounce silver coin commemorating the 20th
October 2006
18
panned for gold, hiked to a waterfall, saw
glaciers along with sharks, whales, dolphins
and sea otters.
Roger Haft leaves on Saturday for China, Tibet and the Silk Road.
Guest Jay Foonberg is just back from
Tunisia where he saw the Troglodytes in
caves. Jay recently donated a Masai shield
that he had acquired in Kenya.
Frank Haigler said that he, Bill Burchette, and others are going September 27
to the Otis Chandler automobile museum
in Oxnard to see its valuable collection before it closes.
Jim Heaton reiterated the need for silent auction items for NOHA. One of our
speakers will be Fred Madenwald, a director of flight testing. Jim also passed around
a nomination form for Adventurer of the
Year.
Bob left Hawaii on another boat and
sailed to the Tuamotus, Marquesas, Tahiti,
Rarotonga and New Zealand before reaching Australia. He did not show footage of
these legs.
But he left Australia bound for Africa.
Fifteen days out the boat was demasted.
Finally a Navy ship towed them into port.
Bob eventually got to Gibraltar where he
sailed to the Canary Islands. His captain
and a U. S. Navy captain became friends so
Bob’s boat could get provisions and electrical power to make repairs.
The boat made it to the Caribbean and
docked in Barbados, St. Lucia and Antigua. He had footage of boats in Bequia
being turned on their side for cleaning and
caulking and then rolled over. Rocks were
moved for ballast.
Bob was gone for five years and did it on
the cheap. His film though old was good
and as usual his dry sense of humor kept
the audience entertained.
Around the World by Sail
ur own Bob Silver greeted us with
some advice. Don’t wait until you’re
ready. Make your own luck.
About 50 years ago he and three friends
built a 34-foot boat named Free Flight in
Newport Beach. They then sailed it in 23
days to Honolulu. Of these 21 were clear
and sunny. They navigated using a chronometer, sextant and the HO-249 book.
Bob was the official photographer and
took 16 millimeter film. A couple of times
he was put in the dinghy to film the boat as
it sailed past.
Arriving in Honolulu, Bob and friends
went to Makaha for some surfing. He had
good footage of him surfing with a red flare
at nighttime and also some tandem surfing.
O
19
October 2006
New Members
Robert C. Thomas #1122
Jerrold A. Robinson #1123
R
J
errold Robinson was born in Hayward,
California, on August 1, 1949.
Jerrold co-founded Rainforest Flora along
with Paul Isley (#1088) in 1976, and has
traveled off the beaten path collecting Bromeliads (exotic plants) in most countries
in Central and South America. He has also
sourced and developed products for Rainforest Flora in many countries in Asia including China, Taiwan, and the Philippines.
Jerrold has scuba dived in Catalina, Cozumel and La Paz in Mexico, Honduras, Jamaica, Cayman Islands, Belize, Hawaii,
Galapagos Islands, and the Philippine Islands, and conducted Treasure and Salvage
Diving in Honduras and Quito Sueno Banks
for six months (1971-72) with Fathom Expeditions.
Jerrold also hang glides, waterskis, snow
skis, backpacks, mountain bikes, and
camps. He has been on an adventure trip
nearly every year since he was eleven.
obert Thomas is a native of Santa Ana,
California, born on July 4, 1953 – a true
“son of Uncle Sam.”
In 1984 Robert planned, organized and
participated in the 101st Airborne Division’s
commemorative parachute jumps in Holland to mark the 40th anniversary of the
invasion of Holland. This event was repeated in 1989 on a much larger scale and was
covered by NBC News. Both events included original veterans who jumped in 1944,
as well as Dutch Special Forces. In 1985
the 101st ABN DIV ASSOC recognized
Robert at their National reunion in Clearwater, Florida, for his participation in the
event, and he was made a life member of
both the National Organization, as well as
the Southern California Chapter.
Robert has visited the Soviet Union and
the Czech Republic, and has explored the
Grand Canyon, and dove on the HMS Rhone
off Salt Island in the British Virgins.
October 2006
20
Programs / SS Norway
Forthcoming Programs
September 28, 2006 – “Wilderness Camping by Airplane and other Adventures” Ramona Cox
October 5, 2006
– BUSINESS MEETING “Pronghorn Antelope” Richard Venola
October 8, 2006 – FIELD TRIP – “Little Petroglyph Canyon” Shane Berry – A trip for Club
members to this finest of all petroglyph finds in North America.
October 12, 2006
October 19, 2006
– “Firearms, Antique to Modern” Gary James
– “Globel Surface Travel – How Far Can You Get From Los Angeles Without
October 22, 2006 –
October 26, 2006 –
November 2, 2006 –
December 7, 2006 –
December 14, 2006 –
Flying” Alan Hogenauer
NOHA – Night of High Adventure. Sheraton Delfina Hotel in Santa Monica.
Advance tickets for $85. After September 1, $95. (Dinner Dress, Black Tie, or
Ethnic Formal)
“State of the Art Archery” David Dolbee
BUSINESS MEETING “Short Presentations by Members”
“Going for the Record” – Einor Enevoldsen. Einor and Steve Fossett will be
attempting to set a new worlds Record for dual gliders in 2006. He will report
on the results.
LADIES NIGHT “The Nordic Underground Railway” Geert Jensen
Smuggled Jews from Denmark to Sweden in WWII.
CLUB DARK – Thanksgiving
“Recreating the Exodus in the midst of War” Darwin Feldstein
64th Anniversary of the Attack on Pearl Harbor
CHRISTMAS PARTY
(Norway continued from page 13)
dignified process of ship-breaking, where
hundreds of uneducated workers clamber
aboard her with their hammers and cuttingtorches to tear and render her giant carcass
asunder, not unlike ants rendering down a
road kill.
What started out as one of man’s noblest
endeavors requiring an army of the industrialized worlds most skilled engineers,
builders, technicians and workers, will in
the end be torn apart in a few short months
by unskilled laborers using brute force, and
the great Steam Ship France/Norway will be
no more than memories in mostly old
heads.
What a pity...what a shame!
ly, and as solid as a rock.
Those of us who strolled across her massive boarding ramp that nippy overcast
morning had no idea that her days were
numbered, and that in less than two years
she would be anchored off of the infamous
shore of Alang, India, the largest of 26
ship-breaking sites located along India’s
dingy, grimy west coast beaches.
As of August 2, 2006, the word from the
BBC News was “Toxic ship cleared for
breaking!”
If she is not already driven ashore during
high tide and lying helpless like a giant
beached whale, she will be soon. Even now
she could be going through this most unADVENTURERS’ CLUB NEWS
21
October 2006
The
Adventurers’ Club News
PO Box 31266
Los Angeles CA 90031
FIRST CLASS MAIL
October 2006

Abbenturer.5` Ctub OeW - The Adventurers` Club of Los Angeles

Transcription

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