BEYOND THE HORIZON

S.D. “Doc” Regan
May 2023                    #8

BEYOND THE HORIZON

            The Democrats want a sturdy Federal government that can control private interests that may harm the general welfare. They have long supported good environmental practices including laws negatively impacting business interests and profits if those methods are not in the interest of the overall welfare of the nation. 

Sen. Grassley, a staunch supporter of individual rights especially regarding agriculture, opposes rules regarding agricultural chemical usage. On the other hand, Iowa is the leading polluter of the Mississippi River. Nevertheless, there is something to be said for both sides.

            While this debate appears to be normal politics between the Republican House and the Democrat White House, it is suggestive of the basest of political philosophy. The GOP, for over a century, posited that the Founding Fathers desired a weak central government and a strong state government. They believed in less intrusion into personal life, individual freedom, and a healthy local economy. 

ALLISIONS AND COLLISIONS

            The MISS MOLLYE D, an 86’x34’ tow was pushing 6 hopper barges on the Gulf Intercoastal Waterway last December when it struck the Route 82 bridge at 0326 hours east of Morgan City, LA.  The pilothouse camera shows that the barges swung to Port out of the channel, then reentered the channel, and again swung to port smacking the 90-year-old bridge. Running a spotlight over the bridge for approximately 6 seconds, the pilot worked his tow away from the bridge and continued eastbound. The pilot did not alert the Coast Guard nor the captain upon relief at 0600.

            The allision did do significant damage to the wiring, water pipes, and gas lines which alerted providers. Upon inspection authorities called the Coast Guard who promptly identified the culprit. The captain denied any knowledge of the incident, but concrete and broken wires on both sides of the tow indicated that MISS MOLLEY D was the guilty party. The estimates of damages to the bridge were over $2 million.

            The captain was exonerated but the pilot had previously been pink-slipped by the barge company but recently hired back as a deckhand. Drug tests showed no presence; however, a later test done on his hair tested positive for methamphetamine, buprenorphine, and fentanyl. He was immediately fired.

During the NTSB investigations, the pilot explained that he had taken his eyes off the river because of fog and was checking the weather reports, and he did not realize he had struck the bridge. The report indicated that the pilot probably was not using drugs at the time or his urine test would have been positive. Further, the report stated that the pilot’s hair test was done several weeks after the fact and was inadmissible. But the company used a 6-hour on/6-hour off schedule that typically renders crew less than effective.

MISS MOLLYE D

ISOLATED COMMENTS (aka Blarney)

I love that SAIL magazine is owned by Aim Marine Group which is owned by Active Interest Media. SAILING WORLD is owned by  Helly Hanson which is owned by Bonnier. This is a wonderful way to get free advertisements.  Gatorade is owned by Quaker Oats which is owned by Pepsi here in Cedar Rapids (the city smells wonderful when they are making Captain Crunch).

The Capital Construction Fund which provides fiscal encouragement to build cargo ships, is controlled by the Maritime Administration which is under the control of the Department of Transportation. And the Army Corps of Engineers is an element of the U.S. Army, the Army Reserves, and the National Guard with the responsibility for dikes, dams, locks, etc. OK, so Lock and Dam #10 in Guttenburg, IA is controlled by….lots of different entities. No wonder nothing ever gets accomplished.

            Many of us sail for pleasure and leisure, and occasionally for a minor cruise; however, the big boat racing entities leave me cold. The America’s Cup isn’t something worthy of much attention to small boat enthusiasts. Boats that go faster than the wind speed and have nothing in the water but a stick and a rudder are not really sailing. They are flying with a toe in the ocean. Scanning an article about the FLYING NIKKA(a boat whose entire wingspan rotates at the bottom of foil arms) is so complex and dangerous that the crew must wear crash helmets, goggles, and body armor (interestingly the article said nothing about PFD’s).  This is not boating from my perspective. 

Flying Nikka

            The recent demise of Messing About in Boats and the move from paper to online editions of Small Craft Advisor, leave a vacuum for writers and readers of small boat aficionados who enjoy sharing, often vicariously, the adventures of others, hints for DIY projects, and even supply advertisements for small boat builders. Obviously, the cost of print materials and postage have squelched the market; however, the thirst for those types of magazines remain unslaked. 

SMALL BOATS 

            The electronic version of SMALL CRAFT ADVISOR proffered a warning about the hazard of lightning that kills 1-3 small boaters yearly. It would behoove you to check out the article by Gordon Gilbert who sails a 1983 Montgomery 17. He shares the tales from other sailors who endured such a shocking event, and, while he fails to provide technical details, Gilbert does specify the need for catastrophic electrical protection.

WATER NEWS

            In the 1960 Presidential Election, Vice President Richard Nixon and Senator John F. Kennedy hotly debated the issue of Quemoy and Matsu, two little islands off the coast of China. The little islands were a mere 5 miles from mainland China and about 105 miles from Taiwan. Interestingly, when Mao ran Chang Kai-Shek to Taiwan, Chang managed to defeat Mao’s army on the two little patches of land. Nixon stated that the U.S. needed to protect the islands by force, if necessary. Kennedy stated that they were militarily indefensible and hardly worthy of putting American troops in harm’s way. 

            It was a huge argument between the GOP and Democrats right up until the election on 8 November 1960. As of 9 November 1960, the two islands have garnished virtually no discussion, and they remain under Taiwanese control. The point is that in politics, a nondescript and possibly imaginary problem is viciously debated with much ardor, vigor, and verve that would bring tears to the eyes, a lump to the throat, and warmth to the very cockles of your heart. After an election, the topic is dumped forever.

            This topic is simply a reminder of the way Washington tends to operate, and currently the BIG issue from the front pages of the papers to Meet The Press and the loud demand for Congressional hearings is Chinese industrial cranes. The gargantuan cranes that load and unload merchant’s vessels are made in China. They pull off tens of thousands of crates daily and they stack goods neatly on the decks of freighters. With modern technology, they operate with touch pads, touch screens, and joy stocks. And therein lies the problem that has jowls aflutter in our beloved Capitol. 

            Although these cranes have worked in the U.S. for ages, certain members of the GOP have decided that they need to be eliminated to protect American citizens from the horrors of Communism, Socialism, and Hilary Clinton. Those gigantic metal beasts use (God forbid), electronics. Electronics are used for tapping telephones, proffering visual images of ne’er-do-wells, and Play Stations that are leading your sons and your daughters on the road to the depths of degradation. Listen, my friends, we’ve got trouble in River City. That starts with T and rimes with C and that stands for cranes! (Apologies to Meredith Wilson—a fellow Iowan).

            By the way, the American Association of Port Authorities that their investigation found exactly zero data that would suggest any type of security breach.

ENVIRONMENT

            Missouri is upset with the rapidly changing fish population occurring within the Mississippi River due to the exponential rise of Asian Carp. To be honest Asian Carp is a label for several species of fast-multiplying, fast-growing carp that are indigenous to Asia but not the Americas. The Missouri government has seen the fishing sports industry take a major hit because the carp eat significant amounts of vegetation, crowd out sports fish, destroy good fish environments, and generally behave as aquatic thugs downsizing the popular panfish such as sunfish, crappie, perch, bass, mackerel, pickerel, and lutefisk that go swimming by. (Apologies to Yogi Yourgussen). 

            One small note about pollution is that about 640,000 tons of excess material enter the oceans annually. Most of this is lost fishing gear such as nets, lines, floats, etc. 40% of the oceanic junk comes from industry (that also means that 60% comes from dorks like us who toss those water bottles over the side). Transporting by water is not only the cheapest means of movement, it only produces about 3% of the greenhouse gases. 

SMALL APOLOGY: This is an abbreviated edition and lacking my standards of depth but health has knocked me down for the count. I promise better in the future. 

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