Kim's Field of Knowledge

Bad Things Really DO Happen at Sea

Posted on by Kim
Mirabella V at Rinia in 2008. Photo shows a single masted white sailing yacht at anchor. This article tells about a night when Mirabella was blown onto the rocks by a Mistral wind. A Bad thing happened to this super yacht.

© 2004, Kim Davis
This article originally appeared in
the Extraordinary Jobs for Ordinary People online newsletter.

For several years now, I’ve been writing about working aboard yachts for a living.  I’ve explained how to get started, where to train, and where to look for work.  However, I have not said much about the scary stuff.  And it should at least be acknowledged that some scary stuff does happen at sea.

The email tells about an evening when things did not go according to plan, and a bad thing happened with Mirabella V. The yachting world was drawn to the story at the time because Mirabella V was the tallest sloop in the world.

In 2014 after receiving this news via e-mail:

As a clearer picture and more reliable reports come in we are glad to report that Mirabella V has not gone under as one report that came in yesterday had reported.

The latest information is that the wind and sea state have dropped from the Force 6-7 which was blowing yesterday and Mirabella V is sitting upright again. Today Mirabella V sits amongst the rocks with known keel and rudder damage as well as some damage to the hull as they work on the plans and wait for the tugs to free her from the tight grasp of the rocks hopefully before the big blow.

Bad things even happen to the rescurers

Again hats off to the 206ft M/Y Big Roi and 282ft M/Y Ecstasea which stood by Mirabella V to assist in saving the vessel and in the evacuation of the crew.  One report states that during one of the attempts by Big Roi to free Mirabella V a 40-tonne bollard was pulled out of her aft deck.

I called Greg Mullen for more information.  This drama is all unfolding in the Mediterranean, at the entrance to the Beaulieu sur Mer Marina, at St. Jean Cap Ferrat.  There was a Mistral blowing through that region of the Med last night, and the crew of Mirabella V, lead by captain Johnno Johnson were on board.  They were evacuated safely with the help of the two big motor yachts who came to their aid, and stayed with Mirabella trying to hold her off the rocks through the night.  The French navy arrived around midnight last night.  To the best of Greg’s knowledge, they’re still working on pulling her off the rocks while keeping her afloat.  The good news is that the winds have dropped.

Several things came to mind for me as I talked with Greg.  First, I feel strong “thank you” vibes going out to the crews of Big Roi and Ecstasea.  That’s what we train for, and God bless them for getting out there and braving the storm to help another crew in trouble.  They stayed out in moderate gale force winds straining the ships’ engines and parting their lines all night long as they tried to rescue Mirabella. When those big towing lines part, it is extremely dangerous.  The crews who were on deck last night were literally putting their lives on the line. This strong camaraderie among yacht crews is a big part of the magic of the industry. As Greg Mullen pointed out, this is what all that safety training is about, and the reason we do safety drills.

Finally, Greg and I discussed the issue of stability that keeps coming up with regard to the new super sailing yachts that are being built.  Mirabella V is huge for a sloop.  She was designed by Ron Holland, and she’s 246 feet long with a retractable keel.  The keel goes down to 32 feet when it’s fully extended and up to 12 feet when it’s retracted.  I’m not sure how tall that single mast is, but very, very tall to be sure.  That’s the problem with the big sloop designs.  The mast is so tall and heavy, that a very deep keel is required to balance it.  In optimal conditions, the sloop rig is very fast under sail, but that begs the question, what about when the conditions are not optimal?  Are the uncertainties about the ship’s stability worth the risks?

The take-away? Bad things really do happen at sea. That crew went to sleep thinking everything was fine, only to spend the night in a terrifying emergency evacuation. Keep up to date with your safety training.

Interviews

What makes a “Weather Guy”?

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An interview with Jim Kline of the National Weather Service
originally published in the Employment Times, May 19, 2003

By Kim Davis © 2003

All of us who are involved with any aspect of the travel industry are deeply affected by the weather.  As a marine biology student-come-sailor, a significant part of my education involved the weather, both on the job and in the classroom.  Our lives often depend on our being prepared for the violent forces of nature, and without the help of the world’s professional meteorologists, our chances of surviving the terrible storms we encounter would not be nearly as good.

This week, Jim Kline, of the National Weather Service, took the time to answer some questions for us about his fascinating job as a professional meteorologist.Continue reading →

Personal Essays/Showcase

Christmas Winds

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I’d met Paul in early November. I had dined with other catamaran crews, and stopped for a last beer on the way out through the quay-side bar packed with yachties. Over a terrible meal of “rotis” we cat crews had all told outrageous “puking punter stories,” puking punters being our overwhelming favorite topic of conversation. Continue reading →

Poetry/Showcase

Really Old

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One of us is really old
Crotchety and demanding
Forgets she’s had her dinner
And yells like she’s panhandling.

Friends of every stripe despair
Wishing her voice was sweeter
But it’s no good complaining
’cause no one’s going to beat her!

We grumble to ourselves
And fill her bowl again
She’ll do exactly what she wants
Our dear old feline friend.

by Kim Davis

Features/Fiction

Point of View Exercise

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Part 1: Two Voices: Person #1

It was 5:59 a.m. as Larry made his way from the back storeroom up the big center aisle past the heaped sales tables to the glass doors. He could feel the tension in the air as the press of women bore down on the plate glass. He hoped it didn’t break before he could get the door open. He couldn’t stand Early Bird sales. Usually he tried to hide out in the stock room for the first fifteen or twenty minutes till the blood lust had calmed down a little on the sales floor.Continue reading →

Showcase

Third Person – Now in Past Tense, Then in Present Tense

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She clicked a switch and the big electric organ hummed to life. She stuck her tongue out and moistened her lips and the rings on all of her fingers clinked as she positioned her long boney fingers over the keys. Continue reading →

Random Thoughts/Showcase

The Catnip Wars

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It’s come to it at last. Scuffles in broad daylight over the catnip patch.

Fluffy Bum, who rarely ventures outside has discovered Miss Kitten’s well kept secret. There’s catnip in the vegetable bed. In hindsight, Miss Kitten’s been hiding her little habit very well. We just thought she was feeling good for her age. Little did we suspect she’s been getting high on catnip. We think it’s been going on for months. It’s only recently come to light, however, since Fluffy Bum developed a fondness for the “evil” weed as well.

Miss Kitten has made it plain that if she sees Fluffy Bum anywhere near the catnip, there’s going to be trouble. But the power this plant has over them is truly incredible. Even in the certain knowledge that she’s going to get beat up, Fluffy Bum makes straight for the catnip at every opportunity.

Today Miss Kitten made an even bolder move declaring her adoration for her special herb. She purred and rubbed face in the catnip, took a bite, and then attacked the plant as if it were hiding a family of mice.

Kim's Field of Knowledge/Research Based Articles

Writing for the Adventure Travel Market

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by Kim Davis

 

A freelance writer interested in adventure travel wrote me to ask:

“Is there any room for professionals with these adventure jobs?  Like you, I am a desktop publisher with an MA in Creative Writing and a BA in Technical Writing. Do these adventure jobs have openings for people who want to use their education while working and traveling instead of shifting gears to lead tours or bartend? Those jobs sound great, but I would feel guilty abandoning my years of education and experience.”Continue reading →

Random Thoughts

Immortals in the Fog

Posted on by Kim

Why do people drive around in the fog with no headlights on?  Do they think they are immortal?  This morning we had to go through a thick fog on the way to school, which makes me nervous to begin with.  I mean it’s one thing when I’m alone in the car, but when my children are with me I worry much more.  It seems like one in every four cars has no lights on–the drivers oblivious in the pea soup.  Now I don’t know about the rest of the country, but most vehicles where I live are HUGE.  For example one particular “immortal” I passed this morning was driving a 1-ton, dual wheeled pick-up truck.  To make matters worse, it was a BLACK pick-up truck, and it was about 6 feet from me when I finally saw it–traveling at seventy miles per hour.  YIKES!

And did I mention the little old lady driving at speed down the shoulder? Large white sedan, no lights. It’s amazing she didn’t kill anyone. Combine that with the never-ending road construction, the high speed limits, and the lead-footedness of most of the drivers in Madison County, and you really take your life in your hands when you venture out in the fog here.

And then there are the fog lights.  After living and driving in Europe for many years, I became familiar with the rules for using fog lights.  A friend once told about being stopped in a rental car in England because his fog lights were on when they shouldn’t have been – the policeman leaned down and asked “Foggy in there, is it?”  Here in Texas, the cars have BIG fog lights on the front, and none on the back, and there are no rules in the state of Texas to govern their use.  The result is that you see these yahoos in their pick-ups with fog lights blazing at all hours of the day and night in every kind of weather EXCEPT FOG!!!

Features/Poetry

Stoplight Fright

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Two super-sized vampires ran the red light
Looking neither left nor right.
Pointing pick-up trucks like spears,
They raced before the dawn.
Red gash lips on snow-white faces,
They didn’t see us there.

We daytimers waited
and they went by.

by Kim Davis