At Sea
…and seven, and eight, and… Suzana’s morning exercise group stretching and toning under the awning of the upper aft deck. A most delightful way to occupy an hour between breakfast and the morning talk.
This morning Art warned us about the situation of the world’s fisheries: in a word, perilous. Many populations of commercial fish, once abundant, are now at, or very close to, exhaustion. There are a few signs that give faint hope for the future; experimental areas where no fishing whatsoever is permitted are now allowing populations of fish to build and re-enter surrounding areas, and multi-lateral fishery management accords are being implemented. Still needed is general recognition that single-species management policies can do more harm than good. We have to learn to treat fisheries as complex systems with many aspects that must be considered. Will we be able to do this before the fish are gone forever? If not, what will become of us?
The mid-afternoon presentation by Tim Severin took the form of a sneak preview of his most recent project: In Search of Robinson Crusoe. As he had done for his previous adventures, and after meticulous archival and field research, Tim has investigated another maritime legend. To be recounted in his book, due for publication next year, Tim has uncovered an entirely new perspective and theory about Defoe’s most famous hero.
Later in the afternoon, we were entertained by one the guests aboard, the retired cartographer, Dr. Henry Castner. He gave us a light-hearted yet informative talk on the problems of navigating when out of sight of land.
After dinner on the deck, and now within sight of the Brazilian coast, we were shown a preview of the video chronicle of our voyage, made by Toni Davis.
…and seven, and eight, and… Suzana’s morning exercise group stretching and toning under the awning of the upper aft deck. A most delightful way to occupy an hour between breakfast and the morning talk.
This morning Art warned us about the situation of the world’s fisheries: in a word, perilous. Many populations of commercial fish, once abundant, are now at, or very close to, exhaustion. There are a few signs that give faint hope for the future; experimental areas where no fishing whatsoever is permitted are now allowing populations of fish to build and re-enter surrounding areas, and multi-lateral fishery management accords are being implemented. Still needed is general recognition that single-species management policies can do more harm than good. We have to learn to treat fisheries as complex systems with many aspects that must be considered. Will we be able to do this before the fish are gone forever? If not, what will become of us?
The mid-afternoon presentation by Tim Severin took the form of a sneak preview of his most recent project: In Search of Robinson Crusoe. As he had done for his previous adventures, and after meticulous archival and field research, Tim has investigated another maritime legend. To be recounted in his book, due for publication next year, Tim has uncovered an entirely new perspective and theory about Defoe’s most famous hero.
Later in the afternoon, we were entertained by one the guests aboard, the retired cartographer, Dr. Henry Castner. He gave us a light-hearted yet informative talk on the problems of navigating when out of sight of land.
After dinner on the deck, and now within sight of the Brazilian coast, we were shown a preview of the video chronicle of our voyage, made by Toni Davis.
