Category Archives: High Seas

Rick Holmes Opinions/Mass. Political Editor @HolmesAndCo

BATH, Maine - The orders of the day called for dress blues, so the crew of the USS Thomas Hudner marched in their sharpest uniforms into the biting wind and slushy snow of an April storm. It was a special occasion, the christening of the nations newest destroyer, and the men and women of the U.S. Navy dont mind getting wet.

Ship christenings have traditions that are well-practiced here in Bath, where they have been launching ships into the Kennebec River for 400 years. A Navy Band played. Dignitaries spoke, including all four members of Maines Congressional delegation. The wife of the ships namesake smashed a bottle of champagne on the bow of the 509-foot craft.

The honoree, Capt. Thomas Hudner, was on hand, a rarity when it comes to ship christenings. In 1951, when his friend and wingman, Jesse Brown, was shot down in Korea during the Battle of Chosin Reservoir, he crash-landed his own plane in a vain effort to rescue him. President Harry Truman awarded Hudner the Congressional Medal of Honor for "displaying conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life."

There was no talk of jobs, money or politics as Hudner and his ship were honored that blustery morning. But the presence of Maines two senators and two Congress members was a reminder. Each was introduced with reference to the committee assignments most relevant to keeping the Navys ships being built by Bath Iron Works.

The 5,900 jobs at BIW skilled manufacturing jobs with good union pay and benefits are critical to the economy of Mid-Coast Maine. Every Maine politician, whether its the liberal Democrat from the states southern House district, the Republican from the northern district who based his remarks on America First, or the states moderate senators, Republican Susan Collins and Independent Angus King, makes preserving those jobs a top priority.

Defense contracting is big business, and General Dynamics, owner of BIW, is one of the biggest in the world. Theres an intense competition between BIW and the Huntington-Ingalls Shipyard in Pascagoula, Mississippi, to build Arleigh-Burke class destroyers like the Hudner. Its the job of the Maine Congressional delegation, along with an army of General Dynamics lobbyists, to keep those contracts coming here.

None of the speakers mentioned the cost of the USS Hudner, but its your money, so you should know: $663 million.

The Hudner, which will be officially commissioned next year after more testing, is the 66th out of a planned 75 Arleigh-Burke destroyers. And thats just one part of the American fleet, which is far and away the largest Navy in the world. The U.S. has more destroyers than the next five countries combined. The advantage in aircraft carriers, the most powerful sea-going vessels, is even greater. No other country has more than one. The U.S. has 10.

Our large fleet is getting ever larger. We have about 272 vessels today, which was due to grow to 305 ships under Obama administration plans. President Donald Trump campaigned on a pledge to build a 350-ship Navy.

Thats just part of Trumps proposed $603 billion defense budget. Hes calling for a $54 billion increase in military spending, paid for by huge cuts in non-military domestic programs.

And theres the rub. To budget is to choose. The USS Hudner costs more to build than the budget for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting ($445 million) and the National Endowment for the Arts ($145 million) combined two of 19 programs zeroed out in Trumps budget with their own political constituencies. Theres a large debate to come about the choices we make.

But the story of Capt. Hudners heroism in Korea is a reminder that national security isnt just about dollars and cents. Hudner disobeyed an order to stay in the air. He destroyed an expensive piece of military equipment in a futile effort to save a buddy. For that he received not a reprimand, but the nations highest military honor.

Even that decision may have involved some politics. Jesse Brown, the pilot Hudner tried to save, was black, the nations first African-American naval aviator, and Truman had taken intense criticism for his decision to integrate the armed forces.

Their friendship was spotlighted at the time, and again at the ship christening ceremony, sending a message about inclusion.

My father was a Navy man. Like the members of the future crew of the USS Hudner who marched proudly through the snow in Bath, he helped supervise the construction of the aircraft carrier that would carry him to war in the Pacific. We should all be proud of the ships Americans build, and of the men and women who sail into danger on them.

But we cannot forget that theres politics and money behind every line of the federal budget.

Rick Holmes can be reached at rick@rickholmes.net. You can follow his journey at http://www.rickholmes.net. Like him on Facebook at Holmes & Co, on follow him on Twitter @HolmesAndCo.

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Master of the high seas: Pomp, patriotism and politics as Navy's newest ship gets a name - Wicked Local Wellesley

One of the very first articles I wrote when I started this blog almost eight years ago was about the Death on the High Seas Act. "DOHSA," as it is commonly called, is one of the cruelest and most unfair, if not completely callous, laws imaginable. When an adult child loses a parent on the high seas (defined as outside of U.S. state territorial waters, including the rivers and waters of foreign countries), the law permits, at best, the recovery of only "pecuniary" (financial) losses, such as lost wages (assuming the person is employed). If the person is a retiree, the only damages permitted are the expenses of burying their loved one. Emotional damages such as grief, bereavement, mental anguish, sadness and suffering are prohibited.

The article was titledThe Death on the High Seas Act - Screwing American Passengers for 89 Years. It explains how families are not compensated because DOHSA prohibits non-pecuniary damages when their loved ones die on international waters. The cruise lines love DOSHA. Cruise lines have lobbied heavily over the years to keep the ancient maritime law on the books. DOSHApunishes families when they lose a parent, or child, on the high seas, notwithstanding the negligence of a cruise line.

Today, Jill and Kelly Hammer, the daughters of Larry and Cristy Hammer, were reminded of the cruelty of DOSHA when several newspapers covered the latest development regarding their deceased parents, namely that the operator of the La Estrella Amazonica was reportedly grossly negligent and caused the fire which killed the Hammers while they slept in their cabin on La Estrella Amazonica, a river cruise boat on the Peruvian Amazon. It's a sad story which we wrote about earlier last year -Deadly Amazon River Fire Update: International Expeditions' La Estrella Amazonica(photos and video).

La Estrella Amazonica has now been renamed by International Expeditions as the Amazon Star.

The Wall Street Journal's article today,When People Die at Sea, Cruise Operators Often Get a Pass, is "subscription only" although the title suggests that cruise operators are literally getting away with, if not murder, deadly criminal negligence. Another article, published by the World-Herald Bureau, titled Report on Gretna Couple's Death in Cruise Ship Fire Finds Fault with Ship's Safety Features, Crew's Training, reaches the same conclusion.

You can read these articles and make your own mind up about the reportedly unsafe conditions aboard La Estrella Amazonica, the lack of training and qualifications of its crew, and the shifty conduct of the owner and operator of the river cruise boat, International Expeditions, and its president, Van Perry, whose underwriters demanded that Jill and Kelley agree to a gag order (which they rejected) before the cruise operator would meet with them and talk about the circumstances surrounding their parent's death.

The point to come away with after reading about this terrible ordeal is that this is the exactly the result that the cruise lines want after cruise passengers have been killed. Christina Perez, PR person for the Cruise Line International Association ("CLIA"), was quoted in the Wall Street Journal as saying that if DOHSA was amended to permit fair damages "droves of foreign litigants would "burden an already crowded U.S. judicial system." She also resorted to other scare tactics, saying that "insurance rates for cruise ships would skyrocket, increasing prices and potentially jeopardizing thousands of jobs created by the industry."

This is hardly true. The cruise industry is a rich, billion-dollar business, where it's CEO's regularly collect tens of millions of dollars a year, and which registers its cruise ships in foreign countries like the Bahamas and Panama, in order to avoid the taxes, labor laws and safety regulations of the U.S.

Ms. Perez later contradicted herself by claiming that the U.S. Congress did not amend DOHSA to permit additional damages (like it did in aviation cases) because the "maritime industry has a superior safety record."*

CLIA has poured around $30,000,000 into the pockets of Congress in the last decade, according to the Wall Street Journal, to keep the DOHSA legislation which it loves.

Have a thought? Please leave a comment below or join the discussion on our Facebook page.

Photo credit: Wall Street Journal

*/The cruise industry, in fact, has experienced far more deaths on its ships than the U.S. commercial aviation fleet in the last decade, although commercial airlines transport over 30 times as many passengers a year. Read our article from several years ago: Cruise Ships: The Deadliest Form of Public Transportation?

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Cruise Operators Continue to Hide Behind the Death on the High ... - Cruise Law News

KOCHI: The Supreme Court judgment banning vehicles that are not compliant with Bharat Stage-IV has brought to the fore the marine pollution caused by fishing vessels using substandard engines.

At present most boats in the fishing sector are using cheap Chinese-made engines. No standards have been prescribed for these engines and most of them aren't even marine engines.

Experts say that the amendments proposed in the Kerala Marine Fisheries Regulation Act, 1980, can address these concerns. "Motor vehicles have the Bharat Stage as standard, in case of marine engines, there are called Tier 1, 2 and 3. This is very strict in case of merchant navy or trading vessels because of the International Maritime Law (IML) and Directorate General of Shipping. Hence those vessels have the standards," said Baiju M V, senior scientist and naval architect, Central Institute of Fisheries Technology (CIFT).

In 15 years, the number of Chinese-made engines being used in boats have outnumbered known brands which have better quality. Most engines used are of Tier-1 category, which is the lowest and banned in many countries. Experts said that since Indian Ocean does not have carbon control areas, there is no check on the kind of engines, fuel tanks and emissions unlike the Mediterranean waters, where standards are very strict.

Boat owners opted for larger boats with more horse power more than a decade ago after the coastal catches declined and marine catches shot up. The competition was to venture farther into the sea and get back to sell the catch first. The Chinese engines entered the market when there was relaxation in the import policy. For boat owners, the increase in consumption of fuel didn't matter as long as the catch was good.

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No clean boats on the high seas | Kochi News - Times of India - Times of India

The Trekr Racing group made its debut last weekend. (Photo courtesy Trekr)

When the first race kicked off at the 2017 British Virgin Islands Spring Regatta on March 31, there was one sailing team sporting rainbow gear. Trekr Racing made its debut as an all-LGBT racing team in a regatta that featured 150 yachts from around the world in 18 varied classes competing across three course areas.

The racing team is an offshoot of D.C.-based, LGBT-owned Trekr Adventures, which provides sailing adventure trips around the world. The move into racing for Trekr was in part an effort to increase the visibility of the LGBT community within the sport of sailing.

Already partnered with charter yacht company the Moorings, for their adventuring trips, the racing team utilized a Moorings 51.4 monohull for the regatta. After three days of racing, Trekr Racing finished eighth in the CSA Bareboat 1 class.

The regatta marked the first time that the eight-member Trekr Racing crew served on the same yacht. Skipper Dave Sossamon loves sharing the experience of sailing with others and looked forward to working with members of his own community.

This was a fun opportunity to introduce the other crew members to racing, Sossamon says. In my years of racing, I havent met anyone from the LGBT community.

Born in Baltimore, Sossamon took a sailing course on dinghies in the Baltimore Harbor at age 21. He now holds a United States Coast Guard Captains License and has been racing for six years out of Annapolis on his Beneteau 40.7.

I bought my first boat 20 years ago, when I saw one for sale while I was out for a stroll on Maine Avenue in D.C., Sossamon says. It was a 26-footer and a friend convinced me that I was missing part of the experience by not owning my own.

Sossamon put off racing at first because he wasnt sure he would like it. The desire to raise his skill level eventually won out and he continues to learn from racing in regattas.

It turns out that I love racing and it makes me pay attention to things that I didnt pay attention to before, Sossamon says. Its an infinitely long learning curve and it increases when you throw in tactics on how to play off the other crew members.

Another thing that Sossamon was looking forward to in Trekr Racings first regatta was the chance to interact as an out athlete at the international event.

The best way to address bigotry towards a group is to make friends with someone from that group, Sossamon says. Its easy to be publicly out with this crew.

One of the Trekr crew members who raced for the first time in many years is Hilary Howes. She grew up in the San Francisco Bay area and learned how to sail through a Phys Ed requirement at San Francisco State.

The thought of sailing always appealed to me and I was glad for the PE requirement, Howes says. It was mostly Flying Juniors and Lasers and after college I continued to sail with a professor along with some racing.

After moving to the area in 2000 for her work in set and lighting design, Howes joined the West River Sailing Club and is now the proud owner of a Pearson 30. Howes stumbled into the opportunity to race with Trekr through her work with Gender Rights Maryland.

As a new boat owner, I had the chance to learn more in one week than I could have learned in a year, Howes says. There was so much experience around me.

Howes says it was also important have a T to go along with the LGB on the Trekr Racing team. She has been in a 39-year relationship with the same partner she had before she transitioned.

Being able to meet the yachting community and participate in the race culture was both a benefit to me and our community, Howes says. It was big chance to make sailing visible to the LGBT community and to make the sailing community more aware of us.

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Trekr Racing makes its debut on the high seas - Washington Blade - Washington Blade

wbur

With guest host Jane Clayson.

The stories of women pirates, legendary and real, who took to the seas for plunder, power, freedom!

As long as there have been ships sailing the seas, there have been pirates. Brazen, fierce, fearless thieves. Captain Hook, Black Beard, Captain Jack Sparrow. But men were not the only swashbucklers. Female pirates plundered alongside them, sometimes even commanded them. The unsung stories of seafaring women is now being told. This hour On Point, the Pirate Queens who terrorized the seven seas.

Laura Sook Duncombe, author and writer. Author of the new book, Pirate Women: The Princesses, Prostitutes and Privateers Who Ruled The Seven Seas. (@LauraDuncombe1)

Ben Little, writer and consultant on maritime and naval issues. Expert on historical and modern piracy. Author of The Golden Age of Piracy, How Historys Greatest Pirates Pillaged, Plundered and Got Away With It and Pirate Hunting, among others. (@BenersonLittle)

Rebellious: 'Pirate Women' is an Empowering Look at Badass Women Throughout History "My desire in writing this book was to put these stories out there in order to stretch the definition of what it means to be a womanto broaden the typical gender roles. I think its important to pay tribute to these women by remembering them as they were: good, bad, warts and all. Women arent angels, and these women exemplify that truth."

VICE:The Pirate Women Who Made Blackbeard Look Like a Joke "While names like Blackbeard, Captain Hook, Henry Morgan, and even the fictional Captain Jack Sparrow have lived on in infamy, notorious buccaneers and marauders like Cheng I Sao, who commanded more than 400 ships and 50,000 men off China in the early 19th century; Grace O'Malley, the Irish pirate who terrorized the British Isles in Elizabethan times; and Sayyida al-Hurra, pirate queen of the notorious Barbary Corsairs, have been largely ignored."

Atlas Obscura:The Chinese Female Pirate Who Commanded 80,000 Outlaws "Ching Shih unified her enormous fleet of pirates using a code of laws. The code was strict, and stated that any pirate giving his own orders or disobeying those of a superior wasto be beheaded on the spot. The code was particularly unusual in its laws regarding female captives. If a pirate raped a female captive, he would be put to death. If the sexbetween the two was consensual, both would beput to death."

This program aired on April 4, 2017.

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Real 'Pirate Women' On The High Seas Of Old | On Point - WBUR - WBUR

Walks of Life is a monthly feature that highlights people in different careers and explains how their career influences their life. In todays Walks of Life feature, meet cruise captain Cliff Atwell.

First Mate Kirby Jake Scarborough shows off some pirate treasure aboard the Buccaneer Pirate Ship in Destin. [DEVON RAVINE|DAILY NEWS}By Savannah Evanoff

Cliff Atwell never pictured himself with long locks, coarse facial hair or a sword at his side.

For his identity as Captain Cannonball aboard Southern Stars Buccaneer Pirate Ship in Destin, these things are practically a requirement. Atwell provides family pirate adventures for up to 22 cruise trips a week in the summer.

I truly believe God put me where he wanted me to be, because never in my life did I want to be on a tour boat dressing like a pirate, acting like a pirate, Atwell said. However, I have found out that on this boat Ive been able to meet some really good people.

February marked Atwells 10th anniversary with Southern Star, and his fifth year as captain of the pirate cruise ship.

Ahoy!

Atwell has known what he wanted to do since he was 15.

He was raised in Destin and he noticed the success of boat captains, Atwell said. The community respected captains, he said.

The day I was old enough to get my captains license, I got it, Atwell said. I became a captain. I started out on private yachts and charter boats here in Destin.

For most of his life, Atwell was a charter boat captain. He would fish and take people to fish in the Gulf of Mexico.

In the late 1990s, Atwell watched the fishing industry shift as it became regulated and knew it was time for his own transition. In 1997, he started work with Southern Star, as a captain for evening dolphin cruises.

In 2011, the Southern Star owners, Steve and Wendy Wilson, approached Atwell about being captain of a new Destin pirate ship endeavor.

I said, I dont want to be captain of a pirate ship; Im not interested, Atwell said. I like it here. Im fine. I dont want to be captain.

After no significant arm-twisting, Atwell and his wife, Nicole, agreed to help promote the giant pirate ship, a fantasy come to life. The two dressed up as pirates for YouTube promotions and parades, he said.

It wasnt long before the Wilsons approached Atwell a second time.

Cliff Atwell reflects on the past five years he has played Captain Cannonball, captain of the Buccaneer Pirate Ship in Destin. [DEVON RAVINE|DAILY NEWS]They were like, Listen, you say you dont want to be a pirate, but youre perfect for it, so you need to do it, Atwell said. I said, OK, Ill try, Ive loved it ever since.

Now Atwells once-short hair hangs to his shoulders in curls, and he wears pirate attire head to toe from a sash across his waist to black, folded-over boots on his feet.

People think he just dresses like a pirate, but its a full interactive cruise, Atwell said. The children who participate are happier when they get off the boat, he said.

They got to experience something you cant experience anywhere else, not even in Disney World, Atwell said. In Disney World, you cant interact with the pirates, you cant get your pictures up there with the pirates, and you cant be one of the pirates. Here, they can do it all.

Atwell has had some memorable times on the Buccaneer pirate cruise, he said.

He fondly remembers a blind boy in a wheelchair who attended the cruise. Atwell asked the boys mother for permission to take the boys hand and let him see him as best he could.

I took my pirate hat off and I ran his hand all over it and I let him feel the hat, the feathers, the pins and everything on it, Atwell said. I let him feel my face and my beard, then across the baldric, where my sword and everything goes. He was in awe.The boy asked the color of Atwells shirt, piecing together a mental picture of the pirate who stood before him.

Thats probably the one that touched me the most, Atwell said.

Little pirates

Captain Cannonball poses with Sonia Muthuveeran, Adela Trevino, Alina Muthuveeran, 3, and Marlon Muthuveeran aboard the Buccaneer Pirate Ship in Destin. [DEVON RAVINE|DAILY NEWS]They say a captain is only as good as his crew.

Atwell knows this well, said Annie Graham, aka the gypsy pirate Anna Marie. Hes trained her and Kirby-Jake Scarborough to be the best possible crew, she said.

Id never been on a boat before in my life until I walked on for this interview, Graham said. Theres not a thing on this ship that I cant do and that I havent done crawling in the bilge, doing engine maintenance, soaking up oil, pumping things out. Hes a great teacher.

People dont realize how dangerous the situation can be on the ship, but Graham never worries, she said.

I know no matter what conditions were going out in that were safe and the children are safe, Graham said. Hes really good about keeping the ship stable and secure.

Atwell turned him into a mate, Scarborough said.

Hes taught me everything I know about boats, Scarborough said. Hes been like a big brother really.

During a cruise, the three actors interact, often fighting over treasure and threatening mutiny, Graham said. There is a power play between Graham and Atwells characters, she said.

Rings festoon the fingers of Captain Cannonball, captain of the Buccaneer Pirate Ship in Destin. [DEVON RAVINE|DAILY NEWS]He plays the role of the authoritative captain, but I am the one essentially running the show on the stage, Graham said. Its a constant, Well, Im the captain so you should do this, and Well, Im down here actually doing it, so you just drive the ship.

The children on the trip become little pirates and join the crew at the end of the trip, Scarborough said.

They become buccaneers themselves, Scarborough said. Its pretty awesome watching them come from nervous kids walking on board, then were able to turn them into little pirates.

Girl pirates are the toughest of all, though, Scarborough said.

Theyll challenge (Atwell) and yell at him Throw him overboard, Scarborough said. He gets this look on his face of total shock. You dont know whats going to come out of a kids mouth, especially when youve got them all hyped up and theyre all excited and were talking about treasure.

Atwell has the hardest job on the boat, Scarborough said.

Hes responsible for up to 149 souls, Scarborough said. Hes responsible for being an actor, being a DJ running the music simultaneously and running the ship. I would be very surprised if you found anyone else who could just step right into that job.

Atwell enjoys being in a career with no boss man assigning him deadlines, he said.

Its really nice to have a job that you come to work and enjoy it, Atwell said. In the beginning, I never did want to dress like a pirate and come to work, but once I started doing it, its a lot of fun.

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Captain Cannonball sails the high seas as a pirate - Destin.com - Destin Log and Walton Log

FOR those who want to pamper themselves while getting away from it all, a luxury cruise is one sure way to do just that. Caviar, Dom Perignon champagne, personalised butler service and haute cuisine are all to be had on board these floating luxury palaces for the wealthy.

Mary Bond, editor of Seatrade Cruise Review, says: "Luxury in cruise ships comes in various forms and sizes these days. While small intimate vessels used to be associated with luxury cruising, as vessels have become larger, the 'ship within a ship' concept has seen many of the mega vessels designating inclusive zones with keyed access featuring larger suites, private pools and lounges, such as MSC Cruises' Yacht Club."

For example, the MSC Splendida has a total of 1,673 cabins. Of these, 71 suites are in the Yacht Club which has its own concierge reception, 24-hour butler service, private lounge, pool deck and bar. The idea behind the shipin- ship concept is that the luxury traveller not only has access to the extensive array of recreation and entertainment options available on board a large vessel, but also has respite from the hoi polloi in the club for a more restful experience. The concept is similar to the club floors found in many hotels.

Whatever the size of the vessel, "first-class, personalised service with high crew-to-passenger ratios plus varying degrees of inclusivity across a range of cuisine and fine wines are the hallmarks of a luxury cruise", says Ms Bond.

Several luxury cruise companies have vessels that call at Singapore, including Seabourn Cruise Line, Regent Seven Seas Cruises and Silversea Cruises.

Christina Siaw, chief executive officer, Singapore Cruise Centre, tells Wealth: "As Asians generally prefer to take shorter cruises around the region, luxury ships coming to Singapore have customised their cruise itineraries to cater to their needs. Due to the proliferation of flights, many of the destinations this group of travellers visit are no longer exotic or new to them. Thus customers tend to value the on-board experience.

"Luxury cruises allow them to customise their lodging and dining arrangements. For example, they could request local food to suit their taste buds, celebrity chefs to cook their meals, or a spacious penthouse for a bigger group. They also have more extensive and flexible menus, and less formalised daily schedules without assigned dining times or with fewer scheduled activities to allow plenty of leisure time to dictate their own pursuits."

Overnight stopovers

More luxury cruise lines are also offering overnight stops in ports, allowing passengers to spend more time at their destinations.

"With more exotic itineraries and the growing popularity of fly-cruise packages, travellers can cruise in style and visit multiple cities in the region. For example, smaller cruise ships will be able to visit out-of-the-way cruise destinations that larger ships cannot manoeuvre into, offering passengers a more laid-back and unique experience," adds Ms Siaw.

On Silversea ships, butler service is offered to every guest on every ship. Around the world and around the clock, your butler is available to pamper you and take care of every indulgent detail for you. In 2017 and 2018, there will be 26 Silversea cruises calling at Singapore. Silver Whisperer called at Singapore in March, while Silver Shadow and Silver Discoverer will call in the last quarter of this year.

Seabourn Cruise Line, which has four ships able to carry between 458 and 600 guests, has also included Singapore in its cruise itineraries. Brian Badura, director of public relations and strategic initiatives, Seabourn Cruise Line, says: "Visits to Singapore depend on the itinerary and geographic region each ship is designated to sail in a given year. This year, Seabourn Encore and Seabourn Sojourn both made port calls in Singapore."

Explaining the Seabourn experience, Mr Badura says: "Our ships are intimate with all-suite accommodations across the entire fleet. A Seabourn ship is like a private club, where members share expansive open decks, inviting social spaces, and the personalised attention of an exceptional crew. They dine on some of the finest food at sea, and drink a wide selection of complimentary wines and spirits - all while visiting many of the world's great destinations from a true ultra-luxury environment. Our crew is trained to exceed guest expectations, often delivering service that borders on the clairvoyant."

Seabourn believes in going the extra nautical mile and more for its guests.

Mr Badura says: "Seabourn prides itself on creating what we call 'Seabourn Moments' for our guests on board. For example, if a couple is celebrating a special anniversary, our crew may quietly arrange a dinner with some of their favourite dishes that they may have mentioned or had on board in the past. They might also source fresh flowers from a local market to create an arrangement that is placed in the guest suite when they return from dinner, perhaps joined by balloons or banners created just for that special occasion."

The crew are also ever ready to fulfil special requests.

"Once we had a group of Swedish guests on board, and they wished to do something special for their friends who were boarding on the next embarkation day. The crew went out and bought mini Absolut Vodka bottles from ashore, which were placed in a bowl of ice together with caviar in their suite upon embarkation."

Such luxurious attention to detail does not come cheap. Seabourn's 24-day Orchid Isles and Great Barrier Reef cruise, which sails from Singapore on Nov 10, will cost between US$10,499 and US$29,999 per person. This is based on a double occupancy and excludes taxes, fees and port expenses.

Still, if you are looking to live the high life in the lap of luxury on the high seas, you really do get what you pay for. W

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High life on the high seas - THE BUSINESS TIMES

PHOTO: Passengers can earn rewards at the casino onboard the Norwegian Jewel and 23 other vessels. (Photo via Flickr/Christian Cordova)

If you like to mix your high-seas adventures with a little casino action, theres good news afloat.

Norwegian Cruise Lines Holdings Ltd. is launching a refreshed Casinos at Sea rewards program, which will allow passengers to earn status at all casinos on NCL, Oceania Cruises and Regent Seven Seas vessels.

We are glad to relaunch the Casinos At Sea program, making it the first multi-branded casino rewards program at sea, said Jim Abbas, Senior Vice President of Casino Operations, Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd. Casinos At Sea members can now play aboard all 24 ships under the Norwegian Cruise Line, Oceania Cruises and Regent Seven Seas Cruises brands, offering an expansive range of innovative onboard amenities, worldwide itineraries, exquisite onboard dining and unrivaled luxury. No matter which ship they sail with, members will be recognized, and earn points and rewards as they play.

The rewards program is valid at all 24 casinos on board the three liners, which jointly offer more than 4,000 games. Points can be earned on slots as well as table games and can be redeemed for such benefits as stateroom discounts, free casino play, free casino drinks, onboard credits and more.

To join, guests need simply register for a complimentary Players Card at the Players Club desk. Progress towards elite status levels will be tracked through collective participation at all Norwegian, Oceania and Regent Seven Seas casinos over a one-year period starting April 1, 2017.

Points earned on table games will vary depending on game type, amount of bet and length of play, but reel and video slots will earn 1 point for every $5 coin-in and video poker will earn 1 point for every $10 coin-in. The points accumulate towards status levels such as Jade (no minimums), Pearl (5,000 points), Sapphire (15,000 points), Ruby (35,000) and Elite (100,000). Each status level features progressively greater rewards, including free shore excursions for two people (valued at $300 per person) or airport transfers for Elite members.

For more information on the Casinos at Sea program, visitwww.ncl.com/why-cruise-norwegian/casino-cruise.

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High Stakes for High-Seas Gaming - TravelPulse

Patti Nickell, Lexington Herald-Leader Published 5:55 p.m. ET April 1, 2017 | Updated 14 hours ago

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Oceania's Marina in port in Key West, Florida. (Oceania) (Photo: Oceania, TNS)

If there is one thing almost as certain as death and taxes, it's that a passenger on a cruise ship will never go hungry. I remember my first cruise where breakfast was followed by a mid-morning snack, lunch, an afternoon snack, dinner and finally, if we were still in need of sustenance, a midnight buffet.

Fast forward a number of years, and here on Oceania's Marina, things haven't changed much, except that now, in addition to being a consumer of food, I am also a preparer of same. While other cruisers are lounging around the pool sipping Bahama Mamas and making like extras on "The Love Boat," 20 of us, nattily decked out in starched white aprons, are at our stations in the ship's state-of-the-art Culinary Center.

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Our two-person teams are whipping up a feast of Scaloppine Al Limone, Lemon Basil Risotto and Drunken Limoncello Cake. The class, under the direction of Executive Chef Kathryn Kelly, has been tagged, for obvious reasons, "Love of Lemons."

Kelly, who in her former life was an epidemiologist, spends nine months of the year aboard Oceania ships designing their cooking classes and accompanying culinary tours. If you're thinking that this is a bit food-centric even for a cruise ship, consider this: restaurants on Oceania's six ships are under the direction of famed chef Jacques Pepin, and they are the only ones on the seven seas thathave the services of two rotating French master chefs.

The Marina alone has 140 cooks onboard, providing the highest ratio of culinary professionals to passengers. These ambitious offerings allow Oceania to proudly proclaim it has "the finest cuisine at sea."

While I thought my scaloppini, risotto and limoncello cake turned out pretty darn well, thank you, it was the meals I enjoyed courtesy of this talented culinary team that set the bar so high an NBA center could easily limbo under it.

In addition to the usual formal dining room (the Grand Dining Room on the Marina) and the more casual offerings (Terrace Cafe and Waves Grill), there are four specialty restaurants Polo Grill, Toscana, Jacques and Red Ginger (all require a reservation, so it's best to do it when you book or immediately once you get on board).

My dining odyssey began the first night in the Polo Grill. With its dark wood furnishings and burgundy leather high-backed chairs, it is the embodiment of a traditional steakhouse. My filet mignon proved to be one of the tenderest cuts of beef I've ever had, and I also loved the beet root and goat cheese terrine starter. Along with prime cuts of beef, the Polo Grill has an impressive list of Scotch whiskies, although I wished their bourbon list had been equally impressive.

Toscana, my dining destination the second night, takes one on a culinary tour of Tuscany and regions in the north of Italy. My entree, Fra Diavolo, a lobster tail broiled with herbs and spices and served over fresh Tagliolini pasta, was perfection, and the Italian wine steward chose just the right vintages to go with it.

I was equally impressed with their olive oil menu, offering 13 selections, and with the custom-designed Versace china that the meal was served on. After Italy came France in the form of Pepin's namesake restaurant, Jacques. While the decor is enhanced by antiques and art from the chef's personal collection, the greatest artistry comes from the Gallic menu.

I started with a pea vichyssoise; moved on to a Dover sole, lightly laced with lemon and caper butter, and ended with a lavender crme brle. As difficult as it was to decide, I think my favorite meal was at the Asian restaurant Red Ginger, where I had lunch and dinner. The decor is an exercise in feng shui with its tranquil waterfall wall and striking modern Asian art.

The menu choices are equally harmonious. For starters, I chose the avocado lobster salad, although one of my tablemate's spicy duck and watermelon salad with cashews, mint and basil had me wishing that I ate duck. A main course of red snapper wrapped in a banana leaf and basted with lime, chili paste and green olive salt, literally melted in my mouth.

The food itself is only part of the equation on an Oceania cruise. Kelly has developed 50 culinary discovery tours designed to give passengers a deeper appreciation of the food they will be eating. Her tours range from visiting markets in Spain and Italy and a Branzino farm in Slovenia to enjoying candlelit dinners in Eze on the French Riviera.

While my itinerary which included Key West, Belize, Roatan, Honduras and Costa Maya, Mexico didn't have quite as rich a culinary tradition as Europe or Asia, one tour I thoroughly enjoyed was the Honduran Farm and Ocean to Table Experience on the island of Roatan. We began with a visit to the island's botanical gardens, the 164-acre Blue Harbor Arboretum, which is home to a hydroponic farm supplying a variety of lettuces and herbs to the locals.

Next, we took a boat to Big French Cay (in case you're wondering, there's also a Little French Cay) for an al fresco cooking demonstration and lunch courtesy of Chef Samuel, whose megawatt smile and coconut shrimp were the highlight of the day. Back on the ship, a final culinary experience was the daily afternoon tea, an extravaganza that would have done justice to the crowned heads of Europe.

To the backdrop of a string quartet, we delicately sipped tea and selected from an assortment of finger sandwiches, scones, cookies and cakes. Of course, the Marina and her sister ships of the Oceania line have all the necessary features of modern cruise ships: casino, entertainment, spa, bars, shops, and a variety of activities ranging from hotly contested daily trivia games and enrichment lectures to mah jong and Ping-Pong, but it's the culinary experience that sets the line apart from its competitors.

On Oceania, they espouse the philosophy put forth by renowned American food writer M.F.K. Fisher: "First we eat and then we do everything else."

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You have been either hacked or just didnt know you have been hacked!

ByGeorge Ward

(ECDIS Ltd.) I predict that the first catastrophic maritime cyber incident will not be the result of a direct attack on a safety critical specific piece of equipment. It will be the result of an infection on a random PC, perhaps an unassuming email to a crew member, whose PC is either connected to the vessels internal super highway or he transmits the infection internally whilst it lies dormant. Crypto locker, or Ransomware software (used by thousands of hackers) are easily available to download on the dark web, neither of which may necessarily attack the equipment they infect, they can lie dormant and infect connected equipment when nobody expects. You have been warned! Watch the video link at the end of this article to see an attack on maritime equipment in real time.

Cyber-attack is the current buzzword. It is known by some as an industry killer and even as the potential cause of the next world war, but thought by others to be a myth. So where does the maritime industry stand in all of this?

In the main, but certainly not universally, the maritime industry has a dismal record in its slow and painful transition from paper and analogue methods of shipping to new innovative technologies when compared to industry rivals like aviation. But why is this and how could it affect cyber security in the maritime arena? Or have some seafarers not even evolved enough to be talking about it yet, let alone implementing new cyber procedures on board ship. We have all met `that Captain` who is nervous about `the machines on his ship`.

Whilst the maritime Industry doesnt seem to have been strategically targeted in terms of the vessels themselves, there is now plenty of talk of `accidental` or naive seafarers accepting a generic phishing email that goes on to attack their computers.

Major corporations like Google and Yahoo have release statements stating they were deliberately hacked. The question is what will be first for the maritime industry, the deliberate or strategic hacking of an individual ship, or the shipping corporation as a whole.There has been a call for cyber specialists to come and give answers to the potentially very real dangers facing the industry that could not only damage reputations, but cause disruption to trade worth billions of pounds to the industry. Not all is lost though, as long as we can move the industry forward to cope with the digital world we live in today.

Cyber Security was a hot topic in 2016 however now we are in 2017, and the seafaring community are becoming more aware of what can potentially happen. There is a real threat for cyber activists to start gaining and changing sensitive shipping data from our onboard equipment. Such as changing the vessels route to cause a grounding, gaining access to digitally controlled engine rooms and causing alarm mute whilst an engine fails or even catches fire due to a manual overload by the hacker.

With more and more companies looking for insight into how to stop attacks from occurring, the main area of concern is the lack of security awareness by both companies and employees as they have been taken aback by the swift rise in the industrys threat level from cyber security; almost non-existent just a few years ago to todays high alert. It is expected that shipping companies and independent vessels could be next on the list for major cybercrime activity as it is as yet mainly unexplored territory for hackers who are only now starting to realise its huge potential as a target. Attacks now have the capability to obtain sensitive ECDIS, AIS and GPS data, to name but a few, so it is vital that the correct procedures and processes are in place to stop the worst from happening.

The scary part; 51% of US adults suffered some kind of data security incident between December 2015 and December 2016. In 2015 there were 781 reported major company data breaches in the US alone due to cyber-attacks which combined cost companies $400 billion. These are only the reported data breaches. Sadly there is often an element of sweeping under the carpet in all industries. This total will continue to rise if the maritime industry, where the proportion of those of digital native age is far lower, do not adapt to ever changing technology and the major security threats it brings with it. Overall, the predicted cost of cyber-attacks in 2019 is estimated at a colossal $2.1 trillion.

The issue, alongside a lack of awareness by employees and users of operating systems, is the development speed of technology. This digital age of super computers, 4D printing and nano technology is like no other and is proving to be self-accelerating, i.e. one technology is put into operation while the next generation, more powerful and innovative, is being produced, thereby creating an always expanding, developing and aggressive cycle. But, due to the speed of production, this process can lead to an unstable, unsecure and untrusted platform, as it is not able to keep up with ever changing threats. After years of this development, technology companies are starting to adapt to the issue by developing and applying software updates weekly which try to manage security flaws within the software, while changes to future developments can help manage the constantly increasing cyber-crime threat; until the next global threat takes place or takes over.

Some Maritime software manufacturers have used a physical security method of locking out their systems in order to intercept physical security threats altogether, however this ironically increasing the complication of applying security software updates! This restriction can complicate a shipping companys decision to have an integrated bridge system due to issues with syncing and communication between different software manufacturers; also meaning only specialised engineers and trained software technicians are allowed to apply updates, causing additional issues. Restrictions like these could mean that your system is 80% more susceptible to cyber threats.

First off, the solution is simple; but it will cost you, which no one likes to do unless its necessary. Only some companies feel that cyber security is important enough to invest into it. Nevertheless you will watch multiple companies become complacent and unconcerned about the real threat in the water, until it becomes a reality, and the organisation comes grinding to a halt. In reality, if you spend as much on coffee as you do on cyber security measures, you will be hacked. It is alleged that almost every company in the World has already been hacked, or if not, will be soon. The Director of the FBI, James Comey had the following to say on Chinese hackers: There are two kinds of big companies in the United States. There are those whove been hacked by the Chinese and those who dont know theyve been hacked by the Chinese.

This is the world as it is and therefore we need to change with it, not be ten steps behind. First, we know the industry is struggling from sector to sector, but cyber attacks will only make it worse, so the first move is ensuring everybody is educated in cyber security awareness. Preferably starting from the top and working down so the entire seafaring community can spot a cyber-attack and know what action to take in response. Experienced educational companies exist that offer in-depth, classroom based courses in the subject of cyber security. ECDIS Ltd also offers the first maritime based cyber security awareness course with the aim of bringing the industry up to speed. Elements of all their BTM, BRM and even ECDIS courses now include cyber prevention and awareness modules.

Countless companies are missing the correct procedures when it comes to security. A robust IT security policy is highly recommended, as this allows employees and users of all IT equipment to be clear as to how company data and information should be used on IT equipment. Its not just small companies either that struggle in this war against cyber activists. Large corporations are also at major exposure risk, primarily due to not having a dedicated IT and security team. It is recommended that a company appoints a cyber security chief to implement and respond to all cyber security related issues or system flaws that may be found. This is so one person has ultimate responsibility for implementing and maintaining all cyber security measures within the company thus ensuring consistency of approach. Cyber security attacks are incorrectly thought of as attacks that occur just over the internet due to the wrong security measures being taken; however lack of physical security can also be a major factor in the cause of industry changing attacks. During the twentieth century a majority of attacks occur due to people not taking the correct measures to keep our IT equipment safe, another reason why we need everyone to be aware of whats coming. It really is as easy as someone to come into your reception and ask you to print off a copy of their CV from a USB stick, which is actually infected with multiple viruses, this could ultimately allow someone else complete control of your businesses entire network and therefore most likely, thereby destroying it.

In summary, cyber security isnt an issue we can ignore, it may not be heard of yet as giving direct threats towards our vessels but this will come in time when noticed by any cybercrime activists who either want to damage the industry or cause major damage to infrastructure or even human life. It can be averted. Many, if not all, shipping companies have some form of internal networked server that allows for all of their computers to communicate and send and save files between them, and therefore also connect to the internet, so with the improper procedures in place it could be easy for anyone keen to infect an auxiliary piece of equipment that connects to the primary. Think of the random software updates that happen every day, for example to an engine room sensor test, or to the bridges digital anemometer that may appear non safety critical, but they are connected to safety critical systems. We often concentrate and develop robust procedures purely for the few safety critical pieces of equipment, but the attack will take place on a tertiary system that is connected to it.

Watch the following YouTube clip to see a live attack on standard maritime equipment:

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