Salty Site of the Week - Maritime Matters (but you knew that!)

This week's featured website is Maritime Matters. Here you will find exhaustive histories of cruise ships and ocean liners, past and present. What makes this site distinctive is that publisher Martin Cox, a professional photographer and author, accompanies his text with his own original photographs as well as historic images from his personal collection. The home page may look pretty basic, but don't be fooled! Keep clicking, and you will find this site is packed with useful information and helpful links. Whether you have a lifelong interest in passenger steamships, or your knowledge begins and ends with "The Love Boat", this site deserves to be bookmarked.

Introductions Are in Order…

Ahoy! This is Marifrances Trivelli. I’ll be piloting the blog until Kelly returns on June 19th. Offline, I’m the Director of the Los Angeles Maritime Museum in San Pedro, California. (Yes, Los Angeles is a port city). I’ve known Kelly since our days working together at Mystic Seaport Museum. Let’s keep these pages active while Kelly is away – there’s always something new to report and comment on!

NEWS FLASH FROM MARYLAND's EASTERN SHORE!!!

The Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum in St. Michaels, Maryland, has recently announced the selection of Stuart Parnes as its new President. Mr. Parnes, a 30-year veteran of the maritime museum field, has most recently served as the Director of the Connecticut River Museum in Essex, Connecticut.

The Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum, founded in 1965, is "dedicated to furthering an understanding of the culture and history of Chesapeake Bay". Visit http:www.cbmm.org to read their latest press releases and learn more about this great museum.

Position Announcement: NYYC - Project Archivist (temporary, part-time)

The New York Yacht Club is seeking a temporary, part-time archivist to develop a processing plan and create a research finding aid for the Club’s archives, which date from 1844 to the present. Must have demonstrated ability to apply standard archival procedures in the appraisal, arrangement and description of archival records.

DUTIES:

• Creates inventory and drafts processing plan, in conjunction with NYYC staff
• Processes the collection according to standard professional guidelines
• Prepares a detailed finding aid in accordance with national standards
• Orders archival supplies and advises on proper storage
• Rehouses collection and performs other basic preservation measures

QAULIFICATIONS:

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent with an emphasis in history (Master's degree preferred)
• Demonstrated experience (3-5 years) in processing archival collections
• Excellent organizational and project management skills
• Excellent written and oral communication skills
• Proficiency with accepted preservation methods applied to special collections
• Ability and willingness to lift heavy boxes

APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS:

By email: Please submit resume and cover letter via email to library@nyyc.org. Include position title in subject line. We are an equal opportunity employer. For information about The New York Yacht Club, please visit http://www.nyyc.org.

By mail:
New York Yacht Club
Attn: Library - Project Archivist Position
37 West 44th Street

Fishy Pirates

It's been awhile since we covered any pirates or reviewed any books so I thought we'd do both at the same time.

Hooked : Pirates, Poaching, and the Perfect Fish

is a newly released book on the Patagonian toothfish, its 'transformation' into "Chilean sea bass" and subsequent near extintion. The book illuminates the practically lawless world of commercial fishing, where factory boats with vast dragnets can devastate a population in just a couple of years.

Register your classic!

The National Maritime Museum Cornwall is hosting the National Small Boat Register, a register of "significant craft under 40ft." Significant craft is defined as dinghies, yachts, motorboats, working boats, coracles, and canoes, or any other traditional craft that is still on the water after 50 years.

See Classic Boat for the story.

CFP: "Research in World History: Connections and Globalizations"

The World History Network and the World History Association seek proposals for participation in a Research Agenda Symposium (John Hancock Conference Center, Boston, November 10-12, 2006). Up to 40 participants worldwide will be selected for a meeting intended to develop a consensus statement on priorities in world-historical research, with a focus on the theme of "Research in World History: Connections and Globalizations." Conference fee of $250 includes conference materials, meals, and receptions. Travel costs may be covered, depending on availability of funding, especially for participants from outside the U.S. Applicants should submit, by 1 June 2006, a statement of up to 1000 words proposing priorities in world-historical research, and a curriculum vitae of up to two pages. The conference committee will select up to 40 participants, based on the strength and interest of initial proposals, but also with attention to balance by national origin, gender, age, and disciplinary focus. Details are available from the World History Network, www.worldhistorynetwork.org.
Invitations will be issued to selected participants by 30 June 2006.

Happy 46th!

May 4th was Raphaela le Gouvello's birthday and while a 46th birthday is not uncommon, celebrating it in the middle of the Indian Ocean - on a windsurfers is.

According to a story at news.com.au Raphaela le Gouvello, is travelling faster than expected on her 6,300km voyage from Western Australia to Reunion Island, off Mauritius, but the weather would become more complex in the second half of her journey "with zones of instability that she will have to adapt to".

The sailboard attempt is le Gouvello's fourth big ocean voyage, following successful crossings of the Atlantic Ocean, the Mediterranean and the Pacific Ocean. Ms le Gouvello is aboard a specially designed "wind boat" called Mahi Mahi, meaning dolphin fish in Tahitian. The 7.8m long by 1.3m wide vessel operates like a big windsurfer with two cabins underneath.

Call of Another Kind

From May 29th to June 19th I will be biking in Europe (Yeah!) and unable to fulfill my duties as Compass Editor (Boo!). Rather than let the Maritime Compass languish during this time I'm looking for one or two people to serve as guest editors. The time commitment is roughly 15 minutes/day (sometimes much less, sometimes more just because the news is interesting)

If you would like to volunteer or would like more info please send me an email at ksdrake@gmail.com. I can set you up with the news feeds, and tracked websites that keep the latest maritime info flowing in.

Thanks,

Kelly

Coast Guard Museum To Be Built

After years of debate and discussion, federal, state and local officials are ready to begin construction of the National Coast Guard Museum in New London, Connecticut.

On April 28th the Governor Rell of Connecticut and the Coast Guard signed agreements to build the $60-million museum on the Fort Trumbull penisula.

Where to build the museum has been a seven year political struggle. But after much debate, the Coast Guard decided to build a state of the art facility at Fort Trumbull in New London. Governor Jodi Rell and Coast Guard officers made it official and inked the deal with Connecticut kicking in $15-million.

The project includes exhibition space and interactive displays, an amphitheatre for outdoor events, a waterfront walk and pier with a cafe and restaurant.

The designated developer for Fort Trumbull will build a 133 room hotel and conference facility next door to the museum on land that once belonged to the Naval Undersea Warfare Center.