Tag Archives: san francisco bay

A day on the bay, SF that is

Posted on by
1

Click on the words “A day on the bay, SF that is” above to see this post as it was meant to be viewed.

On my way to get a haircut, a neighbor suggested I come along on a boat trip to SF Bay and watch billionaires play with their toys (America’s Cup).

Me, my shaggy hair and camera went along.

We had a grand time on a grand boat as one very large boat raced around for a few minutes. I think it won. Meanwhile, dozens of America’s Cup patrol boats zoomed around protecting the course. The SFFD, SFPD, NPS and USCG rounded out the effort with their own patrol boats. I may have seen a Russian submarine briefly surface with what looked like Edward Snowden atop the sail. Or was that a harbor porpoise off in the distance.

Some images from the day follow (most all of them are straight out of the camera and not at their best (due to time constraints).

 

RJames.IMG_4752 RJames.IMG_4753 RJames.IMG_4755 RJames.IMG_4762 RJames.IMG_4767 RJames.IMG_4781 RJames.IMG_4782 RJames.IMG_4785 RJames.IMG_4787 RJames.IMG_4802 RJames.IMG_4811 RJames.IMG_4818 RJames.IMG_4820 RJames.IMG_4823 RJames.IMG_4828 RJames.IMG_4831 RJames.IMG_4838 RJames.IMG_4844 RJames.IMG_4856 RJames.IMG_4866.cc RJames.IMG_4888 RJames.IMG_4891 RJames.IMG_4898 RJames.IMG_4911 RJames.IMG_4913 RJames.IMG_4915 RJames.IMG_4919 RJames.IMG_4920 RJames.IMG_4928 RJames.IMG_4929 RJames.IMG_4936 RJames.IMG_4937 RJames.IMG_4940 RJames.IMG_4942 RJames.IMG_4949 RJames.IMG_4961 RJames.Shadow

AC72 – An oracle of marine debris

Posted on by
1

Click on the title of this post to read it and see a related header image.

On 17 October, 2012, a boat owned by the Oracle/BMW racing group capsized as it was sailing on San Francisco Bay. Much of the resulting debris was recovered by those who created the mess. Shortly afterwards, the California Coast from Daly City, north to Point Reyes was awash in very expensive boat-bits.

I collected dozens of shards of carbon-fiber laminated aluminum and wood-fiber.

A group of Oracle people did come up once to Point Reyes to help recover debris left by another errant sailor, Duncan MacLean as well as pick up what they could find of their mess. I applaud their efforts and thank them for compensating me for the many hours I spent picking up after their fun went awry. I continue to find pieces of their boat on Point Reyes beaches.

Have a look at what a $9 million boat is made of.

IMG_3318.cc.cw

IMG_3335.cc.cw

IMG_3339.cc.cw

IMG_3341.crop.cc.cw

IMG_3343.cc.cw

IMG_3344.cc.cw

IMG_3344.crop.cc.cw

IMG_3345.cc.cw

IMG_3334.cc.cw

IMG_3351.cc.cw

IMG_3351.crop.cc.cw

IMG_3351.crop2.cw

From May thru September of 2013 the California Academy of Science – whose mission includes exploring, explaining and protecting the natural world – will host a display entitled “Built for Speed”. Oracle will have on display a smaller version of the boat that disintegrated on San Francisco Bay. There will also be on exhibit the orca that washed ashore at Point Reyes in Nov. of 2011. See more about that orca here.

—

A few months ago I attended an art opening at the Marine Mammal Center in Sausalito. It was sponsored by PG&E, among others.

The Marine Mammal Center is a nonprofit veterinary research hospital and educational center dedicated to the rescue and rehabilitation of ill and injured marine mammals.

PG&E had a plan that calls for towing a quarter-mile-wide array of underwater “air cannons” that emit 250-decibel blasts into the ocean every 15 seconds for 12 straight days. This was to map the sea-floor to understand earthquake faults near the Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant.

I wonder how many marine mammals that testing would have killed and injured?

Thankfully the permit for this testing was denied.

—

It has been said that politics makes strange bedfellows.

It seems that practice carries over into science as well.

Does the end justify the means? I do not think it does.

Greenwash is just that, greenwash.