The only specialised marine publication in Oceania that focuses on the maritime industry, from super yachts to small craft to large commercial ships, including coastal shipping, tugs, tow boats, barges, ferries, tourist, sport-fishing craft
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BOOKS BLACK TIDE by John Julian The story behind the Rena disaster. This is a book that author John Julian claims he didn't want to write because it is the story of an accident waiting to happen for many years. And yet the waiting was over when at 0220 on October 5, 2011 the 236m container ship Rena while on autopilot crashed onto the top of Astrolabe Reef in the Bay of Plenty, sparking the beginning one of the largest salvage operations and environmental disasters in New Zealand's history. The force of the grounding must have been enormous when 47,000 ton dwt, travelling at 17.8 knots, came to a grinding halt in less than 120m. She was not about to go anywhere. The result is a story of a shipwreck, and a devastating oil spill that might have been avoided. The book tells the story of underfunding and the consequent lack of preparedness by the authorities. The excessive bureaucracy and their obsession with process when no one in authority would take charge and make a decisive decision. Julian tells of the unfolding saga of the salvage and the comedy of errors that transpired as officials tried to get to grips with the situation. Black Tide looks at the catastrophic environmental disaster and its cost. Estimates for the Rena clean- up have been in excess of $150 million. With 20,000 birds dead over 350 tonnes of oil spilt and approximately 2325 tonnes of waste collected since the Rena ran aground, the question of wreck removal remains unanswered. In Black Tide the author investigates the real story behind the Rena catastrophe and attempts to answer the many questions surrounding the disaster. What really happened on that fateful night and why did the Rena run aground? Who is responsible? What could have been done better and faster? Is New Zealand able to effectively respond to maritime disasters? All these excellent questions are begging to be answered. Then there is the blame game, with the captain and second mate both accepting their part in the casualty as others equally culpable duck for cover. And in a further, ironic twist to the tale, their early guilty pleas could jeopardise the New Zealand government's chances to extract and recover the costs to the tax payer from the ship's owners and charterers. Unfortunately, many of the questions remain and as time passes and more information seeps through the cracks, the full truth of error and the incompetency of many in power and the true extent of the gravy train and financial abuse is only just starting to be fully revealed. Published by Hodder Moa, with a RRP $39.99 Black Tide will be available from all leading booksellers. GOT OLD, UNLOVED MARITIME BOOKS GATHERING DUST? Professional Skipper is looking for unwanted books featuring all aspects of New Zealand's maritime history, from shipping to fi shing to the waterfront, to add to our growing in-house reference library. Professional Skipper, 4 Prince Regent Drive Half Moon Bay, Manukau City 2012 CONTACT: The Editor, Keith Ingram PHONE 09 533 4336 email: keith@skipper.co.nz 72 Professional Skipper May/June 2012 SCOUT, 100 YEARS ASTERN by Sandra Gorter Scout tells of the story of the first 100 years of the classic yacht Scout and the owners who have all been an active part of the life of the little C-class boat. Each chapter tells the story of the life of the boat in the hands of each of the owners by interviews either with the owner themselves, or in the earlier chapters through the children of the owner, or people who knew that person. Scout's hallmark in racing is that she is initially handicapped generously as a consideration to her unknown quantity, her age or her size and when her true racing capabilities are revealed she was then handicapped out of racing in that class, and leaves to join another. The secret to her unsuspecting performance is in her design roots. Three sailing-mad house-builders, brothers Johnny, Francis (Frank) and Ernie Ewen, built her in their back yard in Horahora, Whangarei to a 6m design, speculating that the class would take off, and that they could launch themselves into a new career as boatbuilders. The plan didn't work as the class didn't take off in New Zealand, and Scout's design roots were forgotten and she joined any class she could find to race in. In telling the story, Sandra Gorter fills out facts such as Scout's racing record and newspaper coverage, with memoirs and interviews with people like boatbuilders Jack Taylor and Alan Oram, who knew Ernie Ewen, and Berry Bullen who sailed with Leo and Tiny Bouzaid. The book is illustrated throughout with fascinating historic images such as those from the album of Leo White of a cruise that he, boatbuilder Bill Couldrey, and Scout's then owners Bert Ellis and newspaperman Cecil Bowman, took up the northland coast in the summer of 1927-28. The story ends with the current owner and the party at Newport Rhode Island where Scout raced in the 6m World Cup regatta to celebrate her 100th birthday. They discovered that she is the oldest 6m in the world by about half a century, and she raced in a class where most of her competitors had cost their owners US$500,000 or more. The kauri boat from Whangarei stunned them all by finishing halfway up the fleet! Scout is a fascinating account of New Zealand yachting history told by those who all had one thing in common – the love of a feisty little boat! Published by Foc'sle Marketing. Available from Boat Books, RRP $40.00. VIP.S61 VIP.S69