Little Hawk
Active Member
Got this from Rafe today. Least I can do is pass it on.
We gotta' do something about this before it's too late.
RAFE HERE . below is an op-ed piece in this morning's Vancouver Province (I nearly fainted!) which is an absolute MUST READ
It's by Captain Edward Wray an 87 year old veteran mariner. PLEASE let's pass this on to all within your reach
I write this article from the perspective of an old-timer who has a few tidbits of wisdom from my time on this planet. These thoughts are to do with the fed's and Enbridge's so-called plan to run supertankers through the narrow passages out of Kitimat.
One word sums this up: poppycock.
I have been capable and qualified to sail any ship this world had to offer - and in charge of some of the largest vessels used on the B.C. coastline. I've sailed every part of this coast, seen just about every kind of storm, squall or system, and I've experienced every kind of tide, current or cycle imaginable.
So, I believe I am qualified to ask: Why would any-one in their right mind ever consider running supertankers through the seascape around Kitimat?
Every skipper would describe the conditions in B.C. as "unpredictable." There are simply too many variables at play to guarantee safety, and there have been only too many wrecks to prove it (U.S. warship M.S. Zalinski, currently leaking its 700 tons of fuel oil into the estuary, and the Queen of the North that sunk as recently as 2006).
When sailing these waters, even simple navigation presents difficulties. Given the size of these mammoth vessels, the distances for stop-ping would be measured in kilometres, not feet. Assisted by tugboats, they would need to proceed at a snail's pace, which leads to the next challenge. There is not a career captain on the coast who hasn't seen a storm come out of nowhere. It would be simply impossible to avoid one. And when Mother Nature kicks up a fuss in those straits, hell hath no fury . . .
Tides are another thing. The reason there is no standard depth along here is they shift so frequently. This wouldn't pose as much of a threat if not compounded by currents and high winds that can blow several feet of water up and down the inlets. I'm sure that this is only scratching the surface of the variables that would make a disaster here more probable than possible.
I could spend more time discussing the possibility mechanical failure, human error, the futility of double-hulled tankers in this terrain, or contain-ing a spill here. But really this is not the purpose of the article. My main objective is to shed some light on what appears to be a shell game the Harper government is playing on us. These people are either complete idiots or taking us for fools, and I don't believe they're idiots.
If I were in the position of the current government and Enbridge, who are so obviously in bed together, and I wanted to push through something so obviously against the interests of Canada in general and B.C. in particular, I would do the following: Propose something so egregious and unsavoury, such as a plan to run supertankers through some of the most volatile but pristine, beautiful area Canada has to offer. And when a decision is to be made, and opposition is at its highest, make a concession rerouting the pipeline to a "safer" harbour, most likely Prince Rupert, which was the plan all along. In this plot, the attention would be focused on a probable massive disas-ter on the coast and turned away from the probability of numerous smaller disasters along the pipeline itself. By the time the dust settles, the pipeline construction would begin. And there would be no recourse.
This plan might also be designed to try to defeat aboriginal interests. It is my understanding that in order to pass legal muster in regards to passing this through First Nations' territory, the government must both "consult" these communities and "accommodate" their interests. It appears this fall-back may be the "accommodation" necessary to meet that legal test, if the First Nations challenge the decision in court. My message to British Columbians is: Don't be fooled. Stand up before it's too late, or we'll be choking on raw bitumen for generations to come - and all so a few fat cats in Alberta and China can reap billions. I implore you, don't let these greedy corporate hacks steal my great-grandchildren's legacy.
Thank you.
Edward Wray is an 87-year-old retired West Coast sea captain who spent nearly half a century on the water
We gotta' do something about this before it's too late.
RAFE HERE . below is an op-ed piece in this morning's Vancouver Province (I nearly fainted!) which is an absolute MUST READ
It's by Captain Edward Wray an 87 year old veteran mariner. PLEASE let's pass this on to all within your reach
I write this article from the perspective of an old-timer who has a few tidbits of wisdom from my time on this planet. These thoughts are to do with the fed's and Enbridge's so-called plan to run supertankers through the narrow passages out of Kitimat.
One word sums this up: poppycock.
I have been capable and qualified to sail any ship this world had to offer - and in charge of some of the largest vessels used on the B.C. coastline. I've sailed every part of this coast, seen just about every kind of storm, squall or system, and I've experienced every kind of tide, current or cycle imaginable.
So, I believe I am qualified to ask: Why would any-one in their right mind ever consider running supertankers through the seascape around Kitimat?
Every skipper would describe the conditions in B.C. as "unpredictable." There are simply too many variables at play to guarantee safety, and there have been only too many wrecks to prove it (U.S. warship M.S. Zalinski, currently leaking its 700 tons of fuel oil into the estuary, and the Queen of the North that sunk as recently as 2006).
When sailing these waters, even simple navigation presents difficulties. Given the size of these mammoth vessels, the distances for stop-ping would be measured in kilometres, not feet. Assisted by tugboats, they would need to proceed at a snail's pace, which leads to the next challenge. There is not a career captain on the coast who hasn't seen a storm come out of nowhere. It would be simply impossible to avoid one. And when Mother Nature kicks up a fuss in those straits, hell hath no fury . . .
Tides are another thing. The reason there is no standard depth along here is they shift so frequently. This wouldn't pose as much of a threat if not compounded by currents and high winds that can blow several feet of water up and down the inlets. I'm sure that this is only scratching the surface of the variables that would make a disaster here more probable than possible.
I could spend more time discussing the possibility mechanical failure, human error, the futility of double-hulled tankers in this terrain, or contain-ing a spill here. But really this is not the purpose of the article. My main objective is to shed some light on what appears to be a shell game the Harper government is playing on us. These people are either complete idiots or taking us for fools, and I don't believe they're idiots.
If I were in the position of the current government and Enbridge, who are so obviously in bed together, and I wanted to push through something so obviously against the interests of Canada in general and B.C. in particular, I would do the following: Propose something so egregious and unsavoury, such as a plan to run supertankers through some of the most volatile but pristine, beautiful area Canada has to offer. And when a decision is to be made, and opposition is at its highest, make a concession rerouting the pipeline to a "safer" harbour, most likely Prince Rupert, which was the plan all along. In this plot, the attention would be focused on a probable massive disas-ter on the coast and turned away from the probability of numerous smaller disasters along the pipeline itself. By the time the dust settles, the pipeline construction would begin. And there would be no recourse.
This plan might also be designed to try to defeat aboriginal interests. It is my understanding that in order to pass legal muster in regards to passing this through First Nations' territory, the government must both "consult" these communities and "accommodate" their interests. It appears this fall-back may be the "accommodation" necessary to meet that legal test, if the First Nations challenge the decision in court. My message to British Columbians is: Don't be fooled. Stand up before it's too late, or we'll be choking on raw bitumen for generations to come - and all so a few fat cats in Alberta and China can reap billions. I implore you, don't let these greedy corporate hacks steal my great-grandchildren's legacy.
Thank you.
Edward Wray is an 87-year-old retired West Coast sea captain who spent nearly half a century on the water
