The H'orn

The Rainbow Warrior

noreply@blogger.com (Anthony) — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 16:04:00 PDT

Twenty five years ago on July 10 two limpet mines ripped the heart out of the Greenpeace ship Rainbow Warrior moored in Auckland's Waitemata Harbour as it prepared to sail in protest at French nuclear testing in the Pacific.

It was an audacious piece of global terrorism which left Greenpeace photographer Fernando Pereira dead, outraged the people of New Zealand, and caused ripples around the world.

The French Government later admitted it had ordered the ship to be bombed to stop the nuclear test protest. It issued an apology and paid $13 million in compensation to New Zealand.

Two French secret service agents, Dominique Prieur and Alain Mafart, were convicted of the manslaughter of Periera and sentenced to 10 years in jail but after negotiations with the French Government were taken to Hao Atoll east of Tahiti in French Polynesia where they stayed in relative comfort for less than three years before they were returned to France.

When the Rainbow Warrior was refloated by the New Zealand navy, it was found to be beyond repair and after a patch up was towed north to Matauri Bay off the Northland coast and scuttled as a dive attraction.

Greenpeace said the 25th anniversary of the first act of international terrorism in New Zealand was likely to be a relatively low-key affair although Whangarei Museum planned to open a display on July 8 of photographs and memorabilia of the bombing.

The main commemoration of sinking happened five years ago when a plaque was fixed to the wreck.

However, in Poland, Greenpeace International plan to mark the event with a formal keel laying ceremony for its new ship, the 57-metre Rainbow Warrior III.

The environmentally friendly ship will mostly sail but its diesel electric engines will give it 10 knots under power.

Greenpeace said the new ship would begin a new chapter in the history of its fleet -- "a custom-built high seas sailing ship, highly fuel efficient with the best green-marine technology."

The new ship would be launched next year and would replace Rainbow Warrior II which was 52 years old and which had campaigned for Greenpeace around the world for 20 years.

The original Rainbow Warrior which bombed in Auckland, began life as the 'Sir William Hardy'-- a fishery research trawler used by the UK Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food. It was built in 1955, and was the first diesel electric ship built in the United Kingdom.

Hmas Sydney Model

noreply@blogger.com (Anthony) — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 00:46:00 PDT

~Click to enlarge~

A brilliant model completed and ready for shipping to its new owner the Hmas Sydney was lost off the west coast of Australia on November 19, 1941. with the loss of 645 men.

Hmas Sydney

noreply@blogger.com (Anthony) — Sat, 12 Jun 2010 17:37:00 PDT

HMAS Sydney was one of three light cruisers of the RAN. Built for the Royal Navy, the cruiser was purchased by the Australian government to replace HMAS Brisbane, and was commissioned into the RAN in September 1935.

The loss of HMAS Sydney with its full war complement of 645 virtually without trace remains to this day Australia’s single worst naval disaster. The circumstances surrounding the loss have never been fully explained.

Mubu "" Children's book

noreply@blogger.com (Anthony) — Sat, 24 Apr 2010 19:57:00 PDT

Mubu's Home

Mubu is swinging her way into you and your children's life!

Mubu & Mu-Mu the little animal doctor

noreply@blogger.com (Anthony) — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 14:49:00 PDT

Mubu's Home Page

Yes that’s right,

we’re coming!

Bismarck in New Zealand for Refit

noreply@blogger.com (Anthony) — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 15:09:00 PST

Mr Brian Henman of New Zealand shows here the scale model of the Bismarck in refit, and yes! awaiting sea trials. I shall post those here once she has slipped quietly into deep waters.

For the time being here are some photos to show you the progress and detail that has gone into building the exact replica of this famous Battleship.

Here is some more info on the Bismarck so you can read up on her life story.

http://www.mikekemble.com/ww2/bismarck.html

Ghost Ship

noreply@blogger.com (Anthony) — Fri, 01 May 2009 20:37:00 PDT

She's a beauty but can anyone tell me the name of the ship? Please comment below this is not a competition, but the ship is quite famous?

HMNZS Taupo

noreply@blogger.com (Anthony) — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 01:16:00 PDT

Sitting in dry dock and the forefront you see the HMNZS Taupo the new inshore patrol vessel. Beautiful streamline.

HMNZS Canterbury and Waikato

noreply@blogger.com (Anthony) — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 03:40:00 PDT

The ships continue under sailing orders and here is the Hmnzs Waikato F55 and the Canterbury F421. All these photographs have been passed to me by an avid follower of model ships, himself a retired RNZN Officer.

For those readers that wish to read more about the steel ships and the RNZN then you can go to http://www.navy.mil.nz/ you can also browse the naval museum's site which will tell you more about the older ships and the history of the RNZN http://www.navymuseum.mil.nz/, enjoy these great sites and I shall be back with more scale models from Dick Hopper.

Hmnzs Te Mana

noreply@blogger.com (Anthony) — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 19:38:00 PDT

Dick Hopper continues his excellent work in scale models here with one of the newest additions to the RNZN the Hmnzs Te Mana. I still cannot believe the realism of these models. Remember these are scale models but the thing is it feels like you can step on board and look around the ship.

HMNZS Canterbury

noreply@blogger.com (Anthony) — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 04:25:00 PDT

I would like to present the work of Dick Hopper a New Zealander who's passion is to make scale models of some of the Royal New Zealand Navy warships. His scale work is truly realistic. Myself having served on the HMNZS Canterbury seen here gives me great pleasure to see here afloat once again.

Slain Briton's body recovered

noreply@blogger.com (Anthony) — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 06:46:00 PDT

The youngest of the three suspects grew up on
Koh Phi Phi and speaks English, Thai and Burmese

Its a relief for the family after days of searching, the body of slain British sailor Malcolm Robertson was recovered by fisherman about 10 nautical miles north of Satun’s Lipeh Island at about 3pm today.

Three Burmese men, aged 17, 18 and 19, have said they climbed on to the Robertsons’ yacht because they were starving after fleeing to a nearby island from rough conditions on a Thai fishing vessel.

The discovery of the body diminishes the chance that the youths will be able to avoid murder charges and possible death sentences.

They claim they went two days without food and were challenged by Robertson while desperately searching his yacht for food.

The eldest of the three reportedly confessed to both Thai police and a British photographer that he killed Robertson with a hammer after a struggle, then lowered the Englishman’s body into the sea.

The man’s wife, Linda Robertson, confirmed the identity of the attackers and gave testimony in local courts on Friday.

Mrs Robertson was tied up during the ordeal, but managed to haul in the anchor and motor away to safety after the Burmese men left in a dinghy on Tuesday morning, about 10 hours after sneaking on board.

In an interview by phone, she expressed relief yesterday that the trio had been caught so swiftly by the police, whose efforts she lauded.

She said she certainly felt the youngest of the Burmese was anguished about her husband’s death, but she was not sure if the older pair were as remorseful as they said. But she felt it was "irrelevant" if they faced a murder charge or manslaughter, as “it wouldn’t bring Malcolm back”.

She and her husband left the UK 10 years ago to sail around the world, but “loved Thailand so much” they remained here for three years. On Saturday, she and the couple's four children, all in their 30s, held a service on the yacht Mr Bean to remember Malcolm.

“The family are with me, and that is a huge difference,” she said, adding that the service brought out laughter, as well as tears. “I wasn’t quite as horrified to be on the boat as I thought I’d be,” she said.

Migrant workers attack Yacht

noreply@blogger.com (Anthony) — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 17:27:00 PDT

I just saw on CNN also about the British man sailing with his wife off the coast of southern Thailand was beaten to death and thrown overboard by men trying to steal their dinghy.

The Police arrested three migrant workers from neighbouring Myanmar whom they accused of attacking Malcolm Robertson and his wife, Linda, Monday on their yacht anchored off the coast of Satun, a southern province bordering Malaysia.

"They tried to steal the dinghy and beat Mr. Robertson with their fists and hammers until he died, they are still searching for the body.

At least the British embassy in Thailand said it was assisting Linda Robertson, who suffered minor injuries. She looked really shaken on CNN and had returned to the yacht for the first time since they made land.

Some fishermen had reported the yacht apparently adrift and when the police investigated, the three suspects tried to flee in the dinghy and were arrested, they were just teenagers and it seemed it was more of a game to them playing with Mrs Robertsons mobile phone.

Once again the migrant workers are in the spotlight as in chiang mai earlier this year a migrant worker was accused of killing a university student

Thailand is one of the world's most popular tourist destinations, luring some 14 million tourists annually, with Britain the biggest Western market.

Box Jellyfish

noreply@blogger.com (Anthony) — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 16:56:00 PDT

Well that's me I am back to the pool, its really bad enough getting whip lashed by a normal jelly fish but the boxer is an excruciating pain, anyway at CAPE PANWA, PHUKET: Marine biologists think they have discovered a tiny species of the venomous box jellyfish never seen before in the waters around Phuket.

So I plan on heading up to Phuket next month and its definately a hotel with the pool, besides sometimes you get really hassled whilst sitting on the beach, people wanting to give you an massage to T shirts and suntan lotion. So the pool is the better bet. Anyway heres a look at the new boxer and I am sure its not resticted itself only to phuket waters, so be careful out there!

Phuket Dive Boat bodies Recovered

noreply@blogger.com (Anthony) — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 00:55:00 PDT

I was right the boat was only 4 months old and extremely well kitted out for diving and excursions off shore, and it was the boat on the local travel programme 'Destination Thailand'. So the Phuket branch of the Department of Disaster Prevention & Mitigation (DDPM-Phuket) confirmed this afternoon that the bodies of four more victims from the dive boat Choke Somboon 19 have been discovered inside the sunken vessel.

Deep sea divers have been working with Marine Police since first light this morning to reach the sunken vessel, which lies 70 meters below the surface, to confirm that it is in fact the same vessel that capsized during a freak storm on Sunday night.

The Choke Somboon 19 was carrying 30 people, 23 of whom were rescued on Monday, leaving seven people missing.

The four victims were discovered at 3.30pm in two separate sleeping quarters – two bodies in each cabin – and have been identified by Marine Police as Swiss nationals Mr Klaus Konradder and Ms Monika Schuster, and Austrian nationals Ms Sibylle Bucher and Mr Rolf Niederberge.

The body of Austrian national Gabrielle Jetzinger was found yesterday, floating in the area where the vessel sank, leaving Thai national Mr Jumpa “Gen” Sorntat – the boat’s cook – and Japanese national Mr Yuba Hirotsuga still unaccounted for. I have attached here a video from the local TV station.

Dive vessel victim identified

noreply@blogger.com (Anthony) — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 00:02:00 PDT

The identity of the female tourist whose body was recovered by a Royal Thai Navy vessel this morning has been confirmed as that of Austrian national Gabrielle Jetzinger, a source at the Phuket office of the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM-Phuket) has revealed.

Ms Jetzinger was among seven passengers still listed as missing after the dive vessel Choke Somboon 19 (“Perfect Luck 19”) sank in a sea squall late on Sunday night.

Local fishermen helped Marine Police pick up 23 survivors found floating adrift in an inflatable life raft near the site of the incident at about 2 am on Monday.

Six other people – five of them foreigners – remain among the missing: Yuba Hirotsuga (Japan); Klaus Konradder and Monika Schuster (Austria); Sibylle Bucher and Rolf Niederberge (Switzerland); and Thai national Jumpa “Gen” Sorntat, the boat’s cook.

Ms Jetzinger’s body, spotted at about 10:30 am by an airplane involved in the ongoing search-and-rescue operation, is now being held at Vachira Phuket Hospital.

Ms Jetzinger’s body was not in a life jacket at the time of its recovery.

The search-and-rescue effort will be suspended at dusk today and resume at daybreak tomorrow. At this stage it appears the other missing people were also not wearing life jackets and there is little chance of finding further survivors as the waters the boat sank in is full of sea life.

Dive Asia Sinking

noreply@blogger.com (Anthony) — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 23:51:00 PDT

Body of ferry sinking victim recovered

Choke Somboon 19 was returning passengers from a dive trip to the Similan Islands when it sank on Sunday night.

AO MAKHAM, PHUKET: The body of a Caucasian woman was this morning found floating near the site of the sinking of the Choke Somboon 19, which capsized about 12 nautical miles off Phuket on Sunday night. I have seen this boat and always seemed to me to be looking top heavy, I don't know how much keel there is under the water line but could well be the reason, I am sure there will be an enquiry.

The boat also was featured on a local tourist show not so long ago which airs on cable television here, the name of the show is 'Destination Thailand' if I remember the boat was new to the fleet of tour operators that work out of Phuket, the boat looked modern and extremely well equipped for diving trips, but I still had the feeling then if all the passengers lent one side and it was listing to that side she would turn over. Who knows?

For the original story, click here .

The identity of the woman has not yet been confirmed. Her body, recovered by a Royal Thai Navy patrol boat, is expected to arrive at the Phuket Deep Sea Port in Ao Makham this afternoon.

The woman was likely among seven people still missing following the accident, which happened at around 11 pm on Sunday.

They are: Austrian nationals Ms Jetzinger Gabrielle, Mr Klaus Konradder and Ms Monika Schuster, Japanese national Mr Yuba Hirotsuga, Swiss natives Ms Sibylle Bucher and Mr Rolf Niederberge, and Thai national, Ms Jumpa “Gen” Sorntat.

An emergency meeting was held at Phuket Provincial Hall this morning to discuss the search effort.

Attending were Phuket Governor Preecha Ruangjan and representatives from the Royal Thai Navy Third Fleet, the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation, Phuket Provincial Police, the Marine Police Region 8, TAT and Dive Asia, operator of the ill-fated vessel.

The search effort continues and helicopters are on standby to airlift any survivors to hospital, Gov Preecha said.

A Royal Thai Navy officer spokesman said that people in life-jackets can survive for two days at sea without water.

If they have access to water, then three days is not uncommon – though the chances of surviving any longer than that is low, he said.

Meanwhile, Phuket Provincial Police Commander Apirak Hongtong said that police are investigating whether to charge boat captain Chakri Leechuay with negligence for having taken the vessel out to sea when storms were forecast for the area.

The Tourist Police and Immigration Police at Phuket International Airport have pledged to assist survivors who wish to return home but who lost their passports in the accident.

Sailing the Trang Islands

noreply@blogger.com (Anthony) — Sat, 07 Mar 2009 17:00:00 PST

One of Southern Thailand’s best kept secrets – Trang Province is the place to go for near deserted islands.

Trang Town itself is a pleasant enough place to visit and has many fine examples of Chinese architecture; most travellers use it as a jumping off point for the nearby coral islands.

Pak Meng Pier, 40 km west of Trang Town is the place to head to for transportation to the islands, although it is possible to get there from Koh Phi Phi and Koh Lanta. Most of Trang’s 47 Islands are uninhabited, the few that are have no more than 2 or 3 places to stay on them.

These range from simple bungalows to luxury resorts.

Koh Ngai, one of the most popular Islands, is fringed with excellent beaches and has a good reef perfect for snorkelling. Koh Chuak and Koh Waen also offer excellent snorkelling.

Dive sites in the area are generally much quieter than around Phuket. Most resorts will offer day trips to Koh Muk and the Emerald Cave – only recently discovered by helicopter – only accessible at low tide by swimming down an 80m cave. This magnificent ‘hong’ is one of the ‘must see’ highlights of the area. The newly opened Trang Tourist Office (075) 215 580 can make recommendations and advance reservations for many resorts.

This has been the favourite area for charter yachting and you will always find different flags flying astern many foreign yachts. I love it here as I never meet people in a rush, even low on fuel the skipper said we can sail anywhere its only a major problem when the beer runs out and the woman start complaining that the boys are too busy sailing for them to get a decent tan, you cant have it all eh!

Australian teenager dies after tragic boating mishap

noreply@blogger.com (Anthony) — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 23:46:00 PST

A DARWIN family has been rocked by tragedy after a boat accident in Thailand claimed their daughter's life.

TRAGEDY: Ali van Os, described as an 'entrancing' girl, was tragically killed in a freak yachting accident.

Ali van Os, 16, who was fatally injured when a huge "superyacht" surged into a wharf where she was standing, was yesterday remembered as a beautiful and entrancing girl.

Her parents, Darwin author Joanne van Os and her husband, barrister Lex Silvester, had to make the heartbreaking decision to turn off Ali's life support system at 6pm last night.

Family friend Terri Robson yesterday said the family were "very upset" but they wanted to thank friends in the Territory for their support over the past week.

She said Ali was an "amazing young woman".

"Ali's just one of those people that's just so engaging," she said. "People were entranced by her."

The incident happened at Yacht Haven marina on the north of Phuket Island.

Ali had been with her parents on a friend's boat when the yacht sailed in and she rushed over to have a closer look as it was tied up.

It is believed the yacht surged forward into the wharf and Ali was hit in the head by a 10cm wide mooring rope known as a hawser.

Thai authorities are investigating the incident.

Ali was rushed to Bangkok Hospital in Phuket where her family said she received "world-class" care, but she had lost a lot of blood and tests showed her brain was not functioning.

Another friend said that Ali and her family had received "excellent" treatment from the hospital, officials and authorities.

Ms Robson said many family members had rushed to Thailand to hold a vigil by Ali's bedside.

"Jo said that she's comfortable," she said. "She's not feeling any pain - the pain is obviously with her family and friends."

Ms van Os is a well-known author, famous for her children's book Brumby Plains and her memoir Outback Heart.

Mr Silvester is a prominent barrister in Darwin and is well known for his love of fishing.

My Stimulus Package

noreply@blogger.com (Anthony) — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 02:09:00 PST

My god which one would you like to take today, give me a break people can actually still afford this lifestyle, the money is still out there, don't you just love to hate it? anyway got a brochure whilst I was in phuket nice marketing; The dramatic limestone formations of Phang Nga Bay lie shimmering in the near distance. Launch your yacht from its berth and in moments you are sailing the calm waters off the sheltered east coast of Phuket.

The waters are like liquid jewels, and take on every shade of turquoise, aqua, emerald, and azure imaginable. The sands, everything from powder white to tawny gold. Dozens of dazzling islands and still more beaches. A varied inland terrain of hills and mountains carpeted with lush jungle. The vibrancy of a cosmopolitan town, and the seclusion of your own private oases. Everything in Phuket has its complementary opposite: excitement/relaxation, sophistication/rural charm, the buzz of winding up/the relief of slowing down.

Merge the best of all these elements and you have Royal Phuket Marina a unique, luxury lifestyle development at one of the worlds most naturally inspiring destinations.

Anyway the shops are great and you have the night-life just up the road, but I live about 3 hours away so as for me I got in my row boat and headed back home compass locked on a cold beer and some dry land as I had my stimulus package for the day, but I promised myself I would be back for the boat show in December and get to have a real look around the Luxury launches, yachts and motor yachts.

Corporate Sailing

noreply@blogger.com (Anthony) — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 01:03:00 PST

'One of the most critical skills in any organisation is the need to succeed," Gary Baguley is the director of Blue Wave Yachting, " which is a Sailing club whose main role is to bring out the spirit in the team-building club in Pattaya, Thailand.

Gary went on to say "We often get companies from Hong Kong and Singapore who are in Bangkok or Pattaya for business conferences, and they are looking for a way to bond or reward their staff with a special leisure activity.

"Sailing programmes help participants learn about themselves in a team environment, and discover each other's strengths and talents. It's an activity that develops self-confidence and responsibility, the ability to understand and accept others whatever their social or cultural background and a willingness to rely on the team work of your fellow crew members.

"One of our most popular is a one-day programme for staff and management who can be organised into teams of five in our smaller 25-foot yachts. During the morning sessions, team members try the various crew positions and develop the best combination utilising each person's individual strengths. And in the afternoon there are a series of short races where teams with an onboard coach have the chance to test their skills.

"Then we have an executive programme designed for small groups of six. They sail for two days aboard a 52-foot yacht. They become crew mates, living aboard for the two days. The lessons learned can be immediately applied on their return to work."

Well I certainly know first hand about team work after service in the military and the united nations field service, and it is a well known fact that any sort of activity along these lines will leave a lasting impression at the management level and of course the boardroom.

Having a Rough Day

noreply@blogger.com (Anthony) — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 04:15:00 PST

Mala_mar

Publish at Scribd or explore others: Presentations & Slid force 10 rough seas

Sail to Steam

noreply@blogger.com (Anthony) — Sun, 15 Feb 2009 16:23:00 PST

These are lovely paintings funnily enough painted by a group of Chinese painters, you can order and all will be original oil paintings there are even more lovely paintings on the web site . You may comment requesting further information on the site.

Advertise Free here

noreply@blogger.com (Anthony) — Sat, 27 Dec 2008 18:23:00 PST

My First Ship

noreply@blogger.com (Anthony) — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 02:41:00 PST

WINSTON CHURCHILL

In 1972 I got my sea legs and had the adventure of a life time and what a feeling of free spirit.

I joined the Churchill in Southampton and sailed the English channel, the two week adventure took us to various ports from Foey to Guernsey and St Malo in France, we were a real mixed bunch from serving military like my self in the Royal Navy, marines and there were also under privileged teens from all over England. We cooked, stood watch and learnt what it was like to haul canvass to the point your finger tips were like sea barnacles. We hit a force 8 gale coming back across the channel and believe me the training we had gone through most certainly paid off as it was all hands on deck, I will always remember my time on the old girl and those good friends I made the ultimate sea experience, you left the ship with your head high and with great respect to those old salts that ploughed the oceans trade routes, know I understand why the Tot of Navy rum once a day was well deserved. Avast me hearties

The Sir Winston Churchill is a 3-masted schooner, designed in classic topsail style and created to respond to the challenge of entering a British-built competition in the Tall Ships race. From the launch in 1996 until 2000, the ship was used for sailing training, carrying up to 46 trainees and instructors, and won numerous racing prizes.

She has been entirly refitted and converted for luxury cruising, strictly retaining her original beautiful lines and seaworthy nature, and now accommodates up to 12 guests in 6 luxurious staterooms.

History

The Sr Winston Churchill, a Camper & Nicholsons design with gracious timeless lines, was built between 1964-66 by Richard Dunston (Hessle) Ltd. She was originally built to respond to the challenge of competing in a Tall Ships race, at a time where no other English vessel existed to enter the race. Under the patronage of the Duke of Edinburgh and with funds of public support, The Sir Winston Churchill was launched in 1996 and initially used for sail training. Under the management of the Sail Training Association, she participated and won many racing awards.

Now, entirely refitted in 2000, the Sir Winston Churchill makes her presence in the yacht charter market and ensures a genuine unforgettable sailing experience. So this is what the old girl is like now fully fitted and up for sale, he res a look at what you get for your money Happy sailing if you invest, and there is always a old sailor in dry dock that would love to come along as crew, maybe I could polish the Brass.

Oh I forgot to mention the price tag is £2,700,000
VAT PAID
All serious offers considered.

Dream on??