Category Archives: High Seas

GREENWICH, Conn. -- Greenwich resident Benoit Ansart is about to fulfill one of his longtime bucket list items by sailing around the world.

The trip, part of the Clipper Race , one of yachting'smost unique global challenges, leavesAug. 20 from Liverpool England. The first leg goes to Uruguay before continuing on a record breaking 40,000 nautical mile race which pits 12 70-foot ocean racing yachts against each other.

Ansart will be with a crew of 20 including a professional skipper. The race is divided into eight legswith 13 individual races going fromLiverpool, Uruguay, South Africa, Australia, China, Seattle, Panama, New York, Ireland and back to Liverpool.

The first Clipper race started in 1996 and it is now in its 10th edition, occurring every other year.

The lifelong sailor will be on Team Sanya Serenity Coasts andsaid he's most looking forward tosailing through the Southern oceans. He's also excited aboutparticipating at the Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race which will be a part of Leg 4.

He expects the most challenging part of the trip tobe Leg 6, from Qingdao in Northern China to Seattle, a total of 5,700 miles.

"I will be definitely looking for a good/strong espresso when in Seattle, as well as a couple of beers shortly then after."

Mostly, though, he's excited about the adventure -- and winning.

"As many know, I'm a competitive sailor and so my primary goal is for Sanya to finish first. I believe that my team will be very competitive: our Skipper Wendy Tuck is one of the most experienced skippers of the race and has the competitive knack."

Go to http://www.clipperroundtheworld.com for more information.

Excerpt from:

Greenwich Sailor Checks Off His Bucket List & Heads For High Seas - Greenwich Daily Voice

Cruise ships have had a rough few years.

From norovirus outbreaks to the occurrence of a ship slowly sinking off the coast of Italy, these floating resorts haven't made particularly good headlines. Of course, ships have always made people at least a little nervous. After all, Gilligan's three-hour tour resonated so well for a reason.

A ship at sea is a closed universe -- days from land, surrounded by salt water and the occasional shark -- so when something goes wrong, it's hard to get help and harder to get off. As such, it's important to keep accidents to a minimum, and the CDC conducts annual exams to make sure things stay that way.

Unfortunately not every ship scores all that well. On its 100 point scale, the CDC's Vessel Sanitation Program considers any score of 85 or below unsatisfactory. Here are the 14 ships at or near the bottom of the list.

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14 of the Most Unsanitary Cruise Ships Now Sailing the High Seas - TheStreet.com

Summertime. Vacation time. No time to let your guard down. Traditionally, crime goes up during warmer weather, with property crimes and aggravated assaults on the rise. In some locations, murder rates increase, too. When temperatures rise, there are more windows left open, more sweaty and irritated people seeking relief outside, and more alcoholic beverages consumed in public, all of which can prompt bad behavior.

Maybe you and your family have decided to take an ocean cruise to get away from it all this summer. Well, beware, because there is crime on the high seas, too sometimes violent crime. And consider this: A vessel might be registered in the Bahamas, headquartered in Miami, traveling in international waters and carrying passengers from any number of foreign countries, so law enforcement jurisdiction is murky.

If the ship departs from, say, Florida, and a crime is committed onboard, the local police might investigate once the cruise liner returns to port. The feds have jurisdiction if a crime has occurred against a U.S. national on a ship that has departed or will arrive back in the States. The FBI might be assigned to investigate. But these professionals will be days removed from when the crime was committed. Every detective will tell you that evidence gathered immediately following a crime is often crucial to prosecution.

The cruise industry says it caters to more than 24 million customers each year and that crime rates on board one of those massive floating hotels is a small fraction of the comparable rates of crime on land.

But on dry land, you can immediately call 911 for help. You likely have a cop shop a few minutes driving distance from your location and a fully equipped hospital nearby. On a cruise ship, perhaps hundreds of miles out at sea, youve got ... well, youve got whatever the ship has to offer.

An official with the Cruise Lines International Association insists there is robust security onboard to assure passengers are safe. But lets get real: Any security officers are working for the cruise line, and their primary allegiance may not be to a victimized passenger. Their efforts gathering evidence, taking witness statements or tracking down suspects may be lacking.

NBC News has reported extensively on cruise line crime and calculated that of the 92 alleged crimes reported on cruise ships last year, 62 were sexual assaults. Im guessing here, but I bet the combination of hot temperatures and free-flowing booze tends to reduce passengers inhibitions. But most frightening is that a majority of the sexual assaults be they committed by crew members or passengers were never prosecuted. A congressional report from a few years ago found that minors were the victims in a third of those sexual assaults.

The dirty secret in the cruise line industry is that crime does occur on cruise ships and very often law enforcement isnt notified, evidence isnt preserved, people arent assisted, said Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut. He is sponsoring a bill in the U.S. Senate that would require cruise lines to report any claim of criminal activity to the FBI within four hours, turn over all video evidence, earmark cases in which youngsters are involved and include a federal officer called a sea marshal on each ship. Id like to add that each vessel be equipped with a proper evidentiary rape kit.

NBCs reporting included stories about victimized teenage girls, one of whom tried to commit suicide after she alleged that she was given alcohol and raped onboard a cruise to the Virgin Islands. Another teen interviewed claimed she was sexually assaulted by a crew member in the ships gym. Jim Walker, a Miami attorney, said his firm has represented many victims of alleged cruise ship crime, including one who was just 3 years old.

The average passenger load on an ocean liner is about 3,000. But some mega-cruise liners can hold up to 6,000. Whenever you get that many people in a finite space, lulled by adult activities over here and supervised children and youth activities over there, trouble can develop.

Im sure the cruise lines do their very best to fully vet and hire suitable employees. It would not be in their best interest to do otherwise. But this summer, if you are taking the family on a once-in-a-lifetime cruise to paradise, dont let your guard down. Have a wonderful vacation, but realize that crime can happen anywhere, and you and yours are not immune.

Diane Dimond is a syndicated columnist and television reporter of high-profile court cases.

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DIANE DIMOND: Hit the high seas, but be careful | Opinion ... - Stillwater News Press

WVMetronews/Chris Lawrence

HATTERAS ISLAND, N.C. The south end of the Outer Banks of North Carolina is a long way from the hills of West Virginia, but no matter where you go, youll find Mountaineers everywhere.

I grew up in Webster County in the town of Cowen. My moms family are long time Webster County folks, said Captain Jay Kavanagh owner and Captain of Bite-Me Charters. I left the state and went to college in Virginia and then came back to Morgantown to go to graduate school.

Kavanagh still maintains deep roots in the Mountain State. He proudly explained the wood trim on the interior of the boats cabin was cut and custom milled on the Cherry River in West Virginia.

Armed with a Masters Degree in Forestry, Kavanagh headed for the Carolina Coast after graduation and went to work in the North Carolina fishing industry. He also married into a fishing family. Jays wife is a native of the Outer Banks. Her family has owned the best known gathering spot for sportsmen in the region Frisco Rod and Gun for many years. In 2000, Kavanagh took the plunge, bought his boat, and decided to try his luck in the charter business. Seventeen years later, hes still going strong.

We have great fishing all year round out of Hatteras and we do run charters 12 months out of the year, of course were not as busy in the winter time, he explained. Typically spring and fall are good fishing for your meat fish, tuna, dolphin, and wahoo. Summertime is good fishing for dolphin and bill fish. We have great fishing all year long, it just depends on what you want to try to catch.

I chartered a trip with Captain Jay on the Bite-Me as an added activity to an Outer Banks vacation in June.

We have a lot of people who schedule a trip around their vacation, he said. Late summer we move the boat up to Oregon Inlet because the marlin bite actually moves up there. This is a good place to catch a big blue marlin. Thats the largest of the bill fish species.

During 2017, as of our trip, the Bite-Me had boated 7 blue marlin, four of them above 400 pounds and two at more than 500 pounds. The blue marlin are released and anglers proudly display a marlin flag in the end of the day photo.

The day starts early with scenery only few get to enjoy. The sun made a dramatic rise on the Atlantic and seeped through a pallet of low hanging clouds. Boats began the run out of Hatteras Harbor for the Gulf Stream in a row. Its a short trip. Trolling starts 20 miles off shore less than an hours run from land.

Thats one good thing, were fairly close to the Gulf Stream, Kavanagh explained. Hatteras Island sticks way out into the ocean so were closer to the fishing.

First mate Catlin Cat Peele set various lines at various depths in hopes of raising fish. A mix of live bait, artificial streamers and chains of colorful teasers bounce along the surface in the boats wake trying to attract anything hungry. The sunrise continued to create a spectacular early morning backdrop.

Although finicky at first, after several hours Captain Jay found what he was hunting, floating grass.

Thats sargassum grass, sometimes called gulf weed. It grows on the surface out here in the Gulf Stream and its really the beginning of life, he said. If you can find that grass you can generally find life.

Kavanagh, from experience, noted the last large patch of grass on the downwind side is typically where the dolphin or mahi-mahi will school up to feed. His prediction was as solid as a bird dog pointing quail. Moments after the first pass there were more bites than there were people on board to handle a rod. As quickly as Cat unhooked a fish and tossed it into the ice chest, the same line would hit the water and immediately have another fish on.

Their schooling instinct is so strong, as long as you leave one hooked in the water, theyll stay with you, Kavanagh said. You saw that, they followed us around like puppy dogs.

The flurry of activity came in two waves. Both lasted 7 to 10 minutes and produced a total of 25 fish. Content with enough dolphin to satisfy our appetite and make a successful trip, we changed tactics in search of something larger. Kavanagh radioed other captains in the vicinity of his discovery and told them to have at it. Cat set different rigs and we pulled to the outskirts of our honey hole. The new goal was to find marlin, wahoo, tuna or sail fish.

Primarily this time of year were fishing for dolphin and bill fish species, he explained. But we could also possibly catch yellowfin tuna, blackfin tuna, wahoo, king mackerel, amberjack, just about anything that swims.

Those bigger fish werent to be for us on this day as my crew became sun weary. We headed for home with a mess of fresh fish and memories of a fantastic trip. A lot of West Virginians head for the Outer Banks on their vacation week, why not spent at least one day of your beach week aboard the Bite Me with a fellow West Virginian.

You can learn more about Bite Me Charters at their website or Facebook page.

Continued here:

A Mountaineer on the high seas - West Virginia MetroNews

BY DIANE DIMOND

Summertime. Vacation time. No time to let your guard down. Traditionally, crime goes up during warmer weather, with property crimes and aggravated assaults on the rise. In some locations, murder rates increase, too. When temperatures rise, there are more windows left open, more sweaty and irritated people seeking relief outside, and more alcoholic beverages consumed in public, all of which can prompt bad behavior.

Maybe you and your family have decided to take an ocean cruise to get away from it all this summer. Well, beware, because there is crime on the high seas, too sometimes violent crime. And consider this: A vessel might be registered in the Bahamas, headquartered in Miami, traveling in international waters and carrying passengers from any number of foreign countries, so law enforcement jurisdiction is murky.

If the ship departs from, say, Florida, and a crime is committed onboard, the local police might investigate once the cruise liner returns to port. The feds have jurisdiction if a crime has occurred against a U.S. national on a ship that has departed or will arrive back in the States. The FBI might be assigned to investigate. But these professionals will be days removed from when the crime was committed. Every detective will tell you that evidence gathered immediately following a crime is often crucial to prosecution.

The cruise industry says it caters to more than 24 million customers each year and that crime rates on board one of those massive floating hotels is a small fraction of the comparable rates of crime on land.

But on dry land, you can immediately call 911 for help. You likely have a cop shop a few minutes driving distance from your location and a fully equipped hospital nearby. On a cruise ship, perhaps hundreds of miles out at sea, youve got well, youve got whatever the ship has to offer.

An official with the Cruise Lines International Association insists there is robust security onboard to assure passengers are safe. But lets get real: Any security officers are working for the cruise line, and their primary allegiance may not be to a victimized passenger. Their efforts gathering evidence, taking witness statements or tracking down suspects may be lacking.

NBC News has reported extensively on cruise line crime and calculated that of the 92 alleged crimes reported on cruise ships last year, 62 were sexual assaults. Im guessing here, but I bet the combination of hot temperatures and free-flowing booze tends to reduce passengers inhibitions. But most frightening is that a majority of the sexual assaults be they committed by crew members or passengers were never prosecuted. A congressional report from a few years ago found that minors were the victims in a third of those sexual assaults.

The dirty secret in the cruise line industry is that crime does occur on cruise ships and very often law enforcement isnt notified, evidence isnt preserved, people arent assisted, said Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut. He is sponsoring a bill in the U.S. Senate that would require cruise lines to report any claim of criminal activity to the FBI within four hours, turn over all video evidence, earmark cases in which youngsters are involved and include a federal officer called a sea marshal on each ship. Id like to add that each vessel be equipped with a proper evidentiary rape kit.

NBCs reporting included stories about victimized teenage girls, one of whom tried to commit suicide after she alleged that she was given alcohol and raped onboard a cruise to the Virgin Islands. Another teen interviewed claimed she was sexually assaulted by a crew member in the ships gym. Jim Walker, a Miami attorney, said his firm has represented many victims of alleged cruise ship crime, including one who was just 3 years old.

The average passenger load on an ocean liner is about 3,000. But some mega-cruise liners can hold up to 6,000. Whenever you get that many people in a finite space, lulled by adult activities over here and supervised children and youth activities over there, trouble can develop.

Im sure the cruise lines do their very best to fully vet and hire suitable employees. It would not be in their best interest to do otherwise. But this summer, if you are taking the family on a once-in-a-lifetime cruise to paradise, dont let your guard down. Have a wonderful vacation, but realize that crime can happen anywhere, and you and yours are not immune.

Rockland resident Diane Dimond is a syndicated columnist, author, regular guest on TV news programs, and correspondent for Newsweek/Daily Beast. Visit her atwww.DianeDimond.netor reach her via emailDiane@DianeDimond.net

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Hit the High Seas on Vacation, but Be Careful - Rockland County Times

Linda Wright, claims executive at UK P&I Club, advises on what to do when death occurs at sea:

Death in a workplace environment is not any easy issue to broach but having a regimented, step-by-step plan in place to deal with such tragic circumstances is integral both from a humane and logistical standpoint, especially whilst at sea.

When the unexpected death of a crewmember occurs at sea, action must be taken to preserve the body and show respect for the deceased and their families. Appropriate contact with family members by shoreside personnel is important and proper procedures for handling the body must be implemented, which is particularly critical if the ship is days or weeks from arriving at a port where the deceased can be disembarked.

UK P&I Club has the following advice regarding handling of the body:

Dont place the body in the freezer It is a common misconception that the best course of action to preserve a dead body is to freeze it. However, when a body is frozen, the tissues dehydrate and the body develops freezer burn, causing discolouration of the skin. This can make it problematic or even impossible for family members to recognise the deceased, heightening their distress at such a sensitive and emotional time.

Furthermore, handling bodies when they are frozen can cause fracture, which will negatively influence the investigation and make the medicolegal interpretation of the examination results difficult. Also, if frozen, it takes approximately three days for the body to thaw before an autopsy can take place, and the body will decompose much more quickly than if it had been refrigerated.

Store the body in the refrigerator If it is anticipated that the body will not be stored on board for longer than two months, then the deceased should be placed in a body bag and stored at 4 Celsius/39 Fahrenheit in a refrigerator or cold store. This should effectively retain and preserve the body for post-mortem examination and for burial ashore by the family.

Family and crew concerns Following a death at sea, there will likely be emotional responses from family and fellow crewmembers. Once the family has been notified of the death, there may be religious or cultural customs requested. However, at sea, there are limited resources available to implement all requests for traditional death customs. If possible, it may be beneficial to have a trained grief counsellor visit with the crew upon arrival at a port, particularly in cases of suicide.

Disposing of the body at sea is disfavoured, unless there is a specific request from the family in writing.

Death at sea is difficult for crewmembers and family ashore. With Club and Member cooperation, UK P&I Club strives to accomplish a process to ensure a dignified death in the event of unexpected death of a crewmember. Source: UK P&I Club

See more here:

Dealing with death on the high seas UK P&I Club advises - Hellenic Shipping News Worldwide

New Delhi: It was a daring rescue operation at high sea and it started with a distress call off the Andaman Islands. MV ITT PANTHER, a general cargo vessel was making its way from Kolkata to Port Blair with an 11 member crew.

In the early hours of July 20 the weather condition turned rough, with strong monsoon winds and waves as high as four to five meters. The situation became critical when the vessel started tilting dangerously because of the shifting of cargo. The ship was abandoned.

As the crew members got on to their rafts, a distress call was made to the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre in Port Blair. Reacting almost immediately the Indian Coast Guard launched its aircraft to locate the 11 people adrift at sea. On receiving coordinates ships ICGS Rajkamal and ICGS Bhikaji Cama moved in swiftly despite the inclement weather. ICGS Rajkamal reached the adrift crew members by late afternoon, just as the PANTHER sank in the Bay Of Bengal, some 400 kms away from Port Blair.

The 11 crew members rescued by the Coast Guard are now safe and dry in Port Blair. The number of search and rescue operations go up considerably for the Coast Guard during monsoon months. So far 18 missions have been conducted in high sea where 33 lives have been saved.

Pictures and videos of the rescue show how the Indian Coast Guard is living up to its motto of " Vayam Rakshama - We Protect"

Read more:

Rescue on the High Seas, Coast Guard Saves 11 Crew of Sinking Ship - News18

Summertime. Vacation time. No time to let your guard down. Traditionally, crime goes up during warmer weather, with property crimes and aggravated assaults on the rise. In some locations, murder rates increase, too.

When temperatures rise, there are more windows left open, more sweaty and irritated people seeking relief outside, and more alcoholic beverages consumed in public, all of which can prompt bad behavior.

Maybe you and your family have decided to take an ocean cruise to get away from it all this summer. Well, beware, because there is crime on the high seas, too sometimes violent crime. And consider this: A vessel might be registered in the Bahamas, headquartered in Miami, traveling in international waters and carrying passengers from any number of foreign countries, so law enforcement jurisdiction is murky.

If the ship departs from, say, Florida, and a crime is committed onboard, the local police might investigate once the cruise liner returns to port. The feds have jurisdiction if a crime has occurred against a U.S. national on a ship that has departed or will arrive back in the States. The FBI might be assigned to investigate. But these professionals will be days removed from when the crime was committed. Every detective will tell you that evidence gathered immediately following a crime is often crucial to prosecution.

The cruise industry says it caters to more than 24 million customers each year and that crime rates on board one of those massive floating hotels is a small fraction of the comparable rates of crime on land.

But on dry land, you can immediately call 911 for help. You likely have a cop shop a few minutes driving distance from your location and a fully equipped hospital nearby. On a cruise ship, perhaps hundreds of miles out at sea, youve got . . . well, youve got whatever the ship has to offer.

An official with the Cruise Lines International Association insists there is robust security onboard to assure passengers are safe. But lets get real: Any security officers are working for the cruise line, and their primary allegiance may not be to a victimized passenger. Their efforts gathering evidence, taking witness statements or tracking down suspects may be lacking.

NBC News has reported extensively on cruise line crime and calculated that of the 92 alleged crimes reported on cruise ships last year, 62 were sexual assaults. Im guessing here, but I bet the combination of hot temperatures and free-flowing booze tends to reduce passengers inhibitions. But most frightening is that a majority of the sexual assaults be they committed by crew members or passengers were never prosecuted. A congressional report from a few years ago found that minors were the victims in a third of those sexual assaults.

The dirty secret in the cruise line industry is that crime does occur on cruise ships and very often law enforcement isnt notified, evidence isnt preserved, people arent assisted, said Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut. He is sponsoring a bill in the U.S. Senate that would require cruise lines to report any claim of criminal activity to the FBI within four hours, turn over all video evidence, earmark cases in which youngsters are involved and include a federal officer called a sea marshal on each ship. Id like to add that each vessel be equipped with a proper evidentiary rape kit.

NBCs reporting included stories about victimized teenage girls, one of whom tried to commit suicide after she alleged that she was given alcohol and raped onboard a cruise to the Virgin Islands. Another teen interviewed claimed she was sexually assaulted by a crew member in the ships gym. Jim Walker, a Miami attorney, said his firm has represented many victims of alleged cruise ship crime, including one who was just 3 years old.

The average passenger load on an ocean liner is about 3,000. But some mega-cruise liners can hold up to 6,000. Whenever you get that many people in a finite space, lulled by adult activities over here and supervised children and youth activities over there, trouble can develop.

Im sure the cruise lines do their very best to fully vet and hire suitable employees. It would not be in their best interest to do otherwise. But this summer, if you are taking the family on a once-in-a-lifetime cruise to paradise, dont let your guard down. Have a wonderful vacation, but realize that crime can happen anywhere, and you and yours are not immune.

* Diane Dimond is an investigative journalist and syndicated columnist.

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Original post:

Hit high seas on vacation but be careful - Maui News

Summertime. Vacation time. No time to let your guard down. Traditionally, crime goes up during warmer weather, with property crimes and aggravated assaults on the rise. In some locations, murder rates increase, too.

When temperatures rise, there are more windows left open, more sweaty and irritated people seeking relief outside, and more alcoholic beverages consumed in public, all of which can prompt bad behavior.

Maybe you and your family have decided to take an ocean cruise to get away from it all this summer. Well, beware, because there is crime on the high seas, too sometimes violent crime. And consider this: A vessel might be registered in the Bahamas, headquartered in Miami, traveling in international waters and carrying passengers from any number of foreign countries, so law enforcement jurisdiction is murky.

If the ship departs from, say, Florida, and a crime is committed onboard, the local police might investigate once the cruise liner returns to port. The feds have jurisdiction if a crime has occurred against a U.S. national on a ship that has departed or will arrive back in the States. The FBI might be assigned to investigate. But these professionals will be days removed from when the crime was committed. Every detective will tell you that evidence gathered immediately following a crime is often crucial to prosecution.

The cruise industry says it caters to more than 24 million customers each year and that crime rates on board one of those massive floating hotels is a small fraction of the comparable rates of crime on land.

But on dry land, you can immediately call 911 for help. You likely have a cop shop a few minutes driving distance from your location and a fully equipped hospital nearby. On a cruise ship, perhaps hundreds of miles out at sea, youve got . . . well, youve got whatever the ship has to offer.

An official with the Cruise Lines International Association insists there is robust security onboard to assure passengers are safe. But lets get real: Any security officers are working for the cruise line, and their primary allegiance may not be to a victimized passenger. Their efforts gathering evidence, taking witness statements or tracking down suspects may be lacking.

NBC News has reported extensively on cruise line crime and calculated that of the 92 alleged crimes reported on cruise ships last year, 62 were sexual assaults. Im guessing here, but I bet the combination of hot temperatures and free-flowing booze tends to reduce passengers inhibitions. But most frightening is that a majority of the sexual assaults be they committed by crew members or passengers were never prosecuted. A congressional report from a few years ago found that minors were the victims in a third of those sexual assaults.

The dirty secret in the cruise line industry is that crime does occur on cruise ships and very often law enforcement isnt notified, evidence isnt preserved, people arent assisted, said Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut. He is sponsoring a bill in the U.S. Senate that would require cruise lines to report any claim of criminal activity to the FBI within four hours, turn over all video evidence, earmark cases in which youngsters are involved and include a federal officer called a sea marshal on each ship. Id like to add that each vessel be equipped with a proper evidentiary rape kit.

NBCs reporting included stories about victimized teenage girls, one of whom tried to commit suicide after she alleged that she was given alcohol and raped onboard a cruise to the Virgin Islands. Another teen interviewed claimed she was sexually assaulted by a crew member in the ships gym. Jim Walker, a Miami attorney, said his firm has represented many victims of alleged cruise ship crime, including one who was just 3 years old.

The average passenger load on an ocean liner is about 3,000. But some mega-cruise liners can hold up to 6,000. Whenever you get that many people in a finite space, lulled by adult activities over here and supervised children and youth activities over there, trouble can develop.

Im sure the cruise lines do their very best to fully vet and hire suitable employees. It would not be in their best interest to do otherwise. But this summer, if you are taking the family on a once-in-a-lifetime cruise to paradise, dont let your guard down. Have a wonderful vacation, but realize that crime can happen anywhere, and you and yours are not immune.

* Diane Dimond is an investigative journalist and syndicated columnist.

On June 7, the Honolulu City Council voted to authorize bond funding to keep the Honolulu rail project on track. ...

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Hit high seas on vacation but be careful | News, Sports, Jobs - Maui ... - Maui News

Australian circus trio tell us about the swashbuckling goings-on aboard the Red Rubber Duckie

Ropes, ladders, rigging, flying cutlasses and derring-do: pirate ships and circuses have a surprising number of things in common. All of which Australian circus troupe Head First Acrobats make the most of in their fabulous family show, Arr We There Yet?. But when it came to creating the piece, this swashbuckling gang from Melbourne had a more pressing reason for making the connection.

'We had joked about it for ages,' says Cal Harris aka Snotty Steve, the sailor with a serious sinus problem. 'Then we booked a festival in Melbourne specifically with this show, but wrote the blurb before we'd done anything on it. The show then sold out so we realised we had to make it fit the blurb.'

The trio has just come offstage at the Brighton Fringe, and if their post-show banter seems joyously candid (with no-holds-barred self-deprecation and ego-free descriptions of their creative process), it's a measure of how much their relaxed stage personas are more than just an act. This is Head First's debut show for children (they received much acclaim at last year's Edinburgh Fringe with Elixir) and has taken two years of 'trial and error' development to reach its current incarnation.

Taking place on board the Red Rubber Duckie ship, we meet unhinged pirates Captain Pricklybeard (Thomas Gorham), softly-spoken Captain Joseph (Rowan Thomas) and the aforementioned Harris as Snotty Steve, as they steer a calamitous quest for buried treasure, dodging low-fi ghosts, a cuddly shark and the sneaking ambitions of one another to each seize the title of captain. There are head balances and hand balances, quick-fire tumbling, plank walking, (or rather plank jumping, by way of a see-saw) and a riotous soundtrack of souped-up shanties and rock tunes.

But what makes the show truly special is the effortless way the three draw in the kids for some interaction. Not only are they unfazed by the unpredictable ad-libs children can bring, they positively embrace them. On the afternoon I saw the show, kids were on their feet shrieking at the ship's ghost, eager to take part when volunteers are called for. In a variation on 'What's the Time Mr Wolf?' involving a treasure-hoarding shark, one participant steals the show by mimicking Harris' floor-slide and seizing the treasure himself.

When I bring this up they all flip out. 'That was amazing! I wanted to high-five him,' says Gorham. The group insist that they rarely experience shy, retiring audiences because, from the outset, their priority is to create an atmosphere where children feel welcome to be part of the action.

'We engage them from the very beginning,' says Thomas. 'So from the start it's not like a closed wall with us on stage and they watch. We bring them into it so that all the way through the show they have input; then they feel like they're in a room with their brothers and sisters and can just yell and play.'

Meanwhile, grown-ups are entertained with groanworthy pirate puns and the acrobatic displays. But ultimately, Thomas admits, it's hard to separate what children and adults respond to. 'I think if we can laugh at what we're making then we know that they will as well.'

Arr We There Yet?, Underbelly's Circus Hub, Middle Meadow Walk, 626 Aug (not 14, 21), 2pm, 1012.50 (911.50). Preview 5 Aug, 6.50.

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Head First Acrobats take to the high seas in a raucous family show - The List