Nirvana - The Man Who Sold The World

Beaumont stranded

missed the entrance to the harbor which was some 2nm SW of that point...


http://www.lne.es/aviles/2012/12/13/carguero-britanico-destino-puerto-aviles-encalla-diez-horas-xago/1340451.html

Dub Side of the Moon

Bukowski

Lighthouses in heavy seas

Orda Cave

 

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Don McLean - American Pie

AMERICAN PIE
Don McLean wrote the song "American Pie" in 1971. What do the Lyrics mean?

Verse 1

A long, long time ago...
American Pie was written in 1971 and the time McLean is going to talk about is the 1950's. This seems
like a long time ago 'cause of all the turmoil that occurred in the 60's.

I can still remember how that music used to make me smile.
McLean's favorite music was that of the 50's.

And I knew if I had my chance, that I could make those people dance, and maybe they'd be happy for a while.
In the 50's, the major purpose of music was for dancing (sock hops). He wanted to play rock & roll so people could have a good time.

But February made me shiver
Buddy Holly died on February 3, 1959 in a plane crash in Iowa. He was McLean's hero.

With every paper I'd deliver
Donny boy's only other job besides songwriting was a paper boy.

Bad news on the doorstep, I couldn't take one more step
This story was obviously on the frickn' front page and made McLean freeze in his tracks.

I can't remember if I cried
He can't remember if he cried.

When I read about his widowed bride
Holly's wife was pregnant when the accident occurred and soon after had a miscarriage.

But something touched me deep inside
I don't even wanna know!

The day the music died.
The crash took the lives of three current rock legends: Holly, Richie Valens and the Big Bopper, so now Feb. 3, 1959 is called "The day the music died." The music that died is considered the standard rock & roll songs. The crash was the final blow («--keyword) to this music 'cause these three were that only major artists left. Elvis was drafted, Little Richard (or "Little Dick") turned gospel, and Chuck Berry was arrested for screwin' a prostitute.

Verse 2

Did you write the book of love?
"The Book of Love" was a hit in 1968 by the Monotones.

And do you have faith in God above, if the Bible tells you so?
In 1955, Don Cornell wrote "The Bible Tells Me So" and there is a Sunday School song "Jesus Loves Me," with the line "For the Bible tells me so."

Now do you believe in rock & roll?
This is from the great song "Do You Believe in Magic?" by the Lovin' Spoonful, written by John Sebastin in 1965. One of the lines is like trying to teach a stranger 'bout rock & roll," and another is "the magic's in the music and the music's in me." The "magic" this Johnny was talking about is the ability of a song to stick in your head. Often times songs bring back memories of the past, this is what the magic is. This magic is especially in rock & roll, 'cause you experience it without thinking about it or trying to analyze the bloody lyrics (like some asshole is right now). Another lyric is "so just blow your mind." (Don't think about it).

Can music save your mortal soul?
Given all that, can music help you get though life? I'm sorry I can't answer that. All of these questions ask about life and if God exists.

And, can you teach me how to dance real slow?
Dancing in the 50's wasn't like it is today. If you danced with someone, you then were committed to them.

Now I know that you're in love with him, 'cause I saw you dancing in the gym.
Like I said, dancing was serious shit. McLean caught his love cheating on him.

You both kicked off your shoes
Reference to a "sock hop."

Man, I dig those rhythm and blues
He's depressed, and you listen to that kinda of music. There's a style of music for every feeling.

I was a lonely teenage broncin' buck
ummmm.....yeah, so was I......

With a pink carnation and a pickup truck
A pickup truck was a symbol of sexual freedom (and it rhymes with "buck" and "luck"), and Marty Robbins had a hit with "A White sport Coat (And a Pink Carnation) in 1957.

But I knew I was out of luck, the day the music died.
These old crazy things that worked in the fifty's no longer work, 'cause the 60's brought a new social revolution. Peace Out!

Verse 3

Now for ten years we've been on our own
The music died 1959, McLean more than likely started writing this song around 1969.

And moss grows fat on a rolling stone
The great Bob Dylan wrote "Like a Rolling Stone" in 1965. This was his first MAJOR change from folk music. In late 1966, Dylan was involved in a motorcycle accident, and hid in his house in Woodstock, NY for a good year, hence the "fat," and the moss shows the time change. Dylan didn't really get his muse back till 1975.

but that's not how it used to be.
McLean liked Dylan as a folk singer in the early sixties more than his folk-rock style in the mid sixties. (I wonder what he thinks of Dylan's religious phase!)

When the jester sang for the king and queen
Ok, the jester's Bob Dylan. The king is Peter Seger and the queen is Joan Baez. These were the two big names in folk at the time early '60's). During the Newport Folk Festival in 1963, Dylan was honored to play his own set and then combine with these two legends to sing his song "Blowin' in the Wind."

In a coat he borrowed from James Dean
In the Dean movie "Rebel Without A Cause," he wears a red windbreaker. On the cover of the Dylan's "Freewheelin'," he is seen also in a red windbreaker. This cover also resembles a famous picture of Dean. This ties in with the previous line 'cause this album is were Dylan really took off, with such songs as "Blowin' in the Wind" and "A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall."

And a voice that came from you and me.
This means two things. 1. Dylan was the spokesman for the 60's (and he was) and 2. He didn't have the best singing voice in the world, and even you and me could sing like him (but you could write like him if Shakespeare «he's in the alley» himself told you what to say!)

Oh, and while the king was looking down
This could mean two things; Pete Seger remained a traditional folk singer, while Dylan was constantly reinvented himself and therefore became unbelievably popular. This could also be a reference to Elvis (the King of rock and roll), because he joined the U.S. Army and reportedly dropped his soap everyday in the shower.

The jester stole his thorny crown
While Elvis was in the army, Dylan took his spotlight and changed the whole music business. The thorny crown is the price of fame, and is referenced with Jesus's thorny crown before he was murdered.

The courtroom was adjourned, no verdict was returned
This deals with the Kennedy assassination. Lee Harvey Oswald was never convicted because he was murdered.

And while Lennon read a book of Marx
This is about the Beatles music becoming political. Songs like "Revolution" (1968) (which actually mentions Chairman Mao) were much different then "Love Me Do" (1963). Many American adults thought the Beatles were bad for the American youth, especially after Lennon's remark in 1966 about Christianity. He said "Christianity will go. It will vanish and shrink. I needn't argue with that; I'm right and I will be proved right. We're more popular than Jesus now; I don't know which will go first: rock 'n' roll or Christianity." This started anti-Beatles burnings and such.

The quartet practiced in the park
The quartet was the Beatles (there were four, not including if Paul McCartney is really dead!) and the park thing is Candlestick Park, the place of their last concert. It was practicing 'cause their music would grow after they stopped touring (their first project after this was "Sgt. Pepper" which is considered the best album of all time).

And we sang dirges in the dark, the day the music died.
A dirge is a funeral song. These songs were for the Kennedy's (John and Robert) and Martin Luther King, all who died in the mid 60's. And remember- "Dark" rhythms with "Park"

Verse 4

Helter Skelter in a summer swelter
Charles Manson is one of the most dangerous cereal killers ever (his favorite was coco-puffs). In the summer of 1968, he massacred an entire family 'cause of the Beatles song "Helter Skelter," which appeared on the white album. He thought that the Beatles were warning America about the racial conflict and it was "coming down fast." He thought the Beatles were the four angels mentioned in the Book of Revelation in the Bible. Manson wrote the title of the song on the wall in blood after committing the murders. Also, he thought in "Revolution 9" that Lennon was saying "rise" instead of "right," thought the line "They need a damn good wacking" from "Piggies" was telling him to kill people and the "Hollywood Song" in "Honey Pie" was about him 'cause he lived near Hollywood. He was dropping too much acid and thought the Beatles were talking directly to him and told him to kill those people.

The Byrd flew off with to a fallout shelter
The Byrd's were a popular folk-rock group, with the huge cover of Dylan's "Mr. Tambourine Man," in 1965. One of the members was arrested for possession of marijuana and a fallout shelter was another name for a rehab program. A strange note is that Dylan's "Mr. Tambourine Man" appeared on his "Bringing It All Back Home" record, and on the lower left corner of the cover is a fallout shelter sign.

Eight miles high and falling fast.
"Eight Miles High" was the first ever psychedelic song (it was written while high on speed, and the sound of the guitar was supposed to sound like a saxophone). The falling fast part is probably about the fact that the Byrd's abandoned folk-rock for country music with the album "Sweetheart of the Rodeo," in 1967

Then landed in the foul grass
Foul grass meaning marijuana.

The players tried for a forward pass
Here the football metaphor starts. The players are the protesters in the 60's. The forward pass was their movement to change the situation they were in, full of government corruption.

With the jester, on the sidelines in a cast.
emember jester=Dylan. In late 1966, while riding near his house in Woodstock, NY, he briefly glanced into the sun and lost control of his bike. When he went to brake, they locked up on him and sent him flying off the motorcycle. It took him about 9 months to recover (or was he just pregnant and trying to hide it from the world????), in which time he very rarely left the house, hence the cast.

Now the half time air was sweet perfume
Flower Power, groovy baby! Drugs, man, drugs.

While sergeants played a marching tune
Sgt. Pepper, Beatles, 1967, recently named the most influencal album of all time. First ever concept album. First to have lyrics printed on the back. First to have a design on the protector of the record. Included an elaborate cover design and cut-outs. As far as the music goes, it had drug references in Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds, sitars, animal sounds and studio trickery. In the song "Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite!" at one point in the sound the engineer was instructed to cut the tape into small pieces, scatter them around, then tape them back together. In "A Day in the Life" (which was banned from the radio 'cause of the drug reference line "I'd Love to Turn You On"), after the piano cords die out, there is a minute of silence, followed by a high pitched sound (by the request of John Lennon, especially to annoy the family dog), then a loop of Beatles gibberish to make the owners of the LP think that the needle had stuck! What was I talking about again?

We all got up to dance, but we never got the chance
Oh yeah, American Pie!! That's a good song...anyway, the Beatles helped to start a new kind of music that was meant to be listened and not danced to (how do you dance to "Within You and Without You"?).


'Cause the players tried to take the field
Players=Protesters. In 1968, at the Chicago Democratic convention, protesters rioted, and some were beaten by the police. It is now known as the days of rage. Also in 1970, at Kent State University, four students were killed by the National Guard in response to their anti-Vietnam protests, which inspired the song "Ohio" by CSN & Neil Young.

The marching band refused to yield
The Beatles had some anti-violence songs that made protesters think twice about the way they were acting. "All You Need is Love" (1967) says there is a better way then violence, and in "Revolution" (1968) one of the lines is "But when you talk about destruction, don't you know that you can count me out." The beatles were in no way pro-government (as seen in 1968's "Piggies," which is about Congressmen), but they were against violence.

Do you recall what was revealed, the day the music died.
So what was revealed? ...well look at today, the president gets more ass then a toilet seat. As Dr. Evil says in Austin Powers, "Face it, freedom failed" or more accurately, the protests failed. The government is more corrupt now then ever before. McLean wasn't a big 60's fan and here is putting down the efforts of the failed generation.


Verse 5

And then we were all in one place
Woodstock Performing Arts Festival took place in August in 1969. 400,000 of McLean's generation were there. It took place at Woodstock (actually Bethel) because that's were Dylan was hiding, and they were hoping he would come out and play. Unfortunately he turned it down for the "Isle of Wright" concert.

A generation lost in space
The moon landing was of course in 1969, David Bowie's "Space Oddity" was released (which was about 'major Tom' who got lost in space), there was a TV show called "Lost in Space" and this is a drug reference, the 60's are generalized by saying everyone in the entire world was on acid.

With no time left to start again
It took them a whole decade to get to this point, the generation's time was quickly fading. McLean thinks they wasted most of there time on drugs.

So come on Jack be nimble, Jack be quick, Jack flash sat on a candlestick
"Jumpin' Jack Flash" was a hit for the Rolling Stones. In this song, McJagger compares himself with Jesus. This line comes from the nursery rhyme that has the line "Jack be nimble, Jack be quick, Jack jumps over a candlestick."

'cause fire is the devil's only friend.
The Stones sold out to the devil. Their only comeback to the Beatles "Sgt. Pepper" was their album "Their Satanic Majesties Request." Seeing that you've probably never heard of this, you can imagine that it pretty much sucks. Also, their song "Sympathy for the Devil," proves that they were desperate to sell their records (the Beatles were SOOOO much better!). Was it really worth celebrating the devil?

Oh, and as I watched him on the stage
No, it wasn't. In December of 1969, the Stones attempted another Woodstock, this time at Altamont Speedway. This time it was a free concert, with the Hell's Angel's handling the security. The biggest mistake was paying them in advance, but instead of money, with beer and handfuls of acid. While the stones were singing "Sympathy for the Devil," a black man was beaten and stabbed to death by the Hell's Angels. They soon began beating everyone, include a member of the Jefferson Airplane.

My hands were clenched in fists of rage
He was pissed.

No angel born in hell could brake that Satan's spell
"angels born in hell" a.k.a. the "Hell's Angels!" When you have sympathy for the devil, you're asking for trouble.

As the flames climbed high into the night, to light the sacrificial rite
The stones were helicoptered out of there it became so crazy, hence the "climbed high." It's like the Stones started the living hell, and left in the middle of it...what's up with that? The sacrifice to the devil was the man's life.

I saw Satan laughing with delight, the day the music died.
This was the definitive ending of the sixties. The generation that was lost in space was now lost on earth. Before the only violence was between the hippies and the police, now it was amongst themselves. Satan had won, in one final blow.


Verse 6

I met a girl who sang the blues and I asked her for some happy news, but she just smiled and turned away.
Janis Joplin is most the girl who sang the blues. Her big hits were "Piece of My Heart" and "Me and Bobby McGee." She died of an accidental heroin overdose on October 4, 1970. McLean is still trying to find happiness like in the beginning of the song "Maybe they'd be happy for a while," "That music used to make me smile." (Note the tone of the song is very similar in these to verses) But this time the smile isn't for happiness but regret.

I went down to the sacred store
Here he's talking about record stores that sold 50's albums.

Where I heard the music years before, but the man said the music wouldn't play
By the 70's, the 50's music was almost ignored by everyone. Hundreds of great albums were released in the 60's, and it seems that everyone has forgot about the 50's.


And in the streets the children screamed
The youth of America were beaten in the streets especially at the end of the decade. (Like I said earlier, the Kent State murders and the Chicago Democratic Convention)

The lovers cried and the poets dreamed
In Dylan's "A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall," he says: "I met one man he was wounded in love, I met another man he was wounded in hatred," showing that love hurts sometimes as much as hate.

But not a word was spoken. The church bells all were broken.
Again in "A Hard Rain...," the line is "I saw ten thousand talkers whose tongues were all broken." Simon and Garfunkel had a hit with "Sound of Silence." The church bells all were broken shows that people have forgotten God. All things are are so sacred are gone, love, faith, happiness, peace. In Dylan's "It's Alright Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)," one verse goes: Disillusioned words like bullets bark . As human gods aim for their mark . Made everything from toy guns that spark . To flesh-colored Christs that glow in the dark . It's easy to see without looking too far. That not much Is really sacred. McLean isn't the only one that feels this way. He was obviously a religious man, and is very disappointed that they have abandoned God.

And the three men I admire most, the Father, Son and Holy Ghost
The trinity of God, McLean was Catholic.

They caught the last train for the coast.
God has left. Time magazine even featured a cover story "Is God Dead?" The generation has failed, and "with no time left to start again." It was now up to the next generation to put things right (and they did a terrible job might I add).

The day the music died. And we were singing....
This last verse is the hardest to explain...Remember, McLean never would talk about what what the lyrics definitely mean, so it's not perfectly clear. Some people believe there were more references to the Kennedy's (him being the king and his wife the queen), but I feel his presence is felt though the songs from the 60's better. Ps, this took me forever.


Refrain

So bye, bye Miss American Pie
Pimp Daddy McLean was dating one of the Miss America contestants during one of the pageants. Also the "American Pie" part is a symbol of the American Dream (at least of the 50's), it was also the name of the plane that crashed and killed Holly (or so goes the rumor).

Drove my Chevy to the levee but the levee was dry
The American automobile was the Chevy. The levee business shows that America wasn't fertile anymore (at least in the sense of music). "Chevy" rhymes with "levee."

And them good old boys were drinking whiskey and rye singing "This will be the day that I die, this will be the day
that I die."
The traditional Americans are depressed with the current lifestyle (60's). The song comes from Buddy Holly's "That'll be the day," that eventually says "that I die."

Another interesting note brought to my attention by Scott Tilles, is that the Levee was a bar in Purchase, NY near McLean's hometown. There is also a Levee, NY which is about 15 minutes from the school he attended.


 This was found on the following web site:
http://webpub.alleg.edu/student/c/carsonm/amerpie.htm

Towing is a risky business

 Photo taken from the Tug boat sometime before the lines were sent...

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Sailing quotes / Citations marines

last update : 09/07/2012 

En francais plus bas

Racing a yacht around the world single-handed is often described as the maritime equivalent of climbing Everest but there is a good argument that it is even tougher. An estimated 15,000 people have scaled Everest; only 163 have sailed solo around the world.
-Guardian.co.uk

Any slave taking refuge on board any ship, whatever its flag, shall ipso facto be free. 
-UN convention on the law of the sea
  PART VII / HIGH SEAS / SECTION 1. GENERAL PROVISIONS / art.99

If you don't know how to tie a knot, tie a lot.
-anonymous

The cure for anything is salt water - sweat, tears, or the sea.
-Isak Dinesen

The sea hath no king but God alone.
-Dante Gabriel Rossetti

Bacchus has drowned more men than Neptune.
-Giuseppe Garibaldi

One should never enter a life raft except when steeping up from the masthead.
-Ann Trautwein

Life at sea can be hell, but it sure beats the shit out of the alternative.
-anonymous

Never approach a dock faster than you are willing to hit it.
-John Bachrach

I spent all my money on booze, boats and broads. And the rest of it, I wasted.
-Elmore Leonard

Is it better to be lost at sea or found at work?
-anonymous

While racing my cruising boat offshore of Brookings, Oregon, I became concerned we had up too much sail for the wind. A hard core racer aboard said, "Don't worry about gear breaking. If it doesn't break, it was built too heavy!"
-Bill Nokes

Dead men tell no tales.
-pirate saying

Think, if you like, of the distance we have come, but never let your mind run forward faster than your vessel.
-Captain Blight

They are ill discoverers that think there is no land, when they can see nothing but sea.
-Sir Francis Bacon
 
The gods do not deduct from a man's allotted span, those days spent sailing.

-anonymous

Any fool can carry on, but a wise man knows how to shorten sail in time.

-Joseph Conrad

When a man comes to like a sea life, he is not fit to live on land.

-Samuel Johnson

Men are like boats, they rust in harbour.
-anonymous

One doesn't discover new lands without losing sight of the shore.
-Andre Gide

No man will be a sailor who has contrivance enough to get himself into a jail; for being in a ship is being in a jail, with the chance of being drowned. A man in a jail has more room, better food and commonly better company.
-Samuel Johnson

Sailing alone soothes me because the sea is fair, not cruel. It judges only your ability. It does not care who or what you are, but only your competence. It requires only that you can sail. If you can, you survive. If you can't, better stay ashore. That's fair, more fair than most of us experience on land...and refreshing."

-anonymous

Confronting a storm is like fighting God. All the powers in the universe seem to be against you and, in an extraordinary way, your irrelevance is at the same time both humbling and exalting.
-Francois LeGrande

Red sky by morning, sailor take warning. Red sky at night, sailor's delight. 
 -Anonymous

If a man must be obsessed by something, I suppose a boat is as good as anything, perhaps a bit better than most. A small sailing craft is not only beautiful, it is seductive and full of strange promise and the hint of trouble. If it happens to be an auxiliary cruising boat, it is without question the most compact and ingenious arrangement for living ever devised by the restless mind of man--a home that is stable without being stationary, shaped less like a box than like a fish or a girl, and in which the homeowner can remove his daily affairs as far from shore as he has the nerve to take them, close hauled or running free--parlor, bedroom, and bath, suspended and alive.
-E. B. White

At sea, I learned how little a person needs, not how much.   
-Robin Lee Graham

The ocean has always been a salve to my soul...the best thing for a cut or abrasion was to go swimming in salt water. Later down the road of life, I made the discovery that salt water was also good for the mental abrasions one inevitably acquires on land.
-Jimmy Buffett

One of the best temporary cures for pride and affection is seasickness."
-Henry Wheeler Show

Give a man a fish and feed him for a day. Give him a fishing lesson and he'll sit in a boat drinking beer every weekend. 
-Alex Blackwell

The sea finds out everything you did wrong.
-Francis Stokes

I start from the premise that no object created by man is as satisfying to his body and soul as a proper sailing yacht.
-Arthur Beiser

To young men contemplating a voyage I would say go.   
-Joshua Slocum

A tourist remains an outsider throughout his visit; but a sailor is part of the local scene from the moment he arrives.
-Anne Davison

A small craft in an ocean is, or should be, a benevolent dictatorship.
-Tristan Jones

It's out there at sea that you are really yourself.
-Vito Dumas

For one thing, I was no longer alone; a man is never alone with the wind-and the boat made three.
-Hilaire Belloc

Without patience, a sailor I would never be.
-Lee Allred

If you can't repair it, maybe it shouldn't be on board.
-Lin and Larry Pardey

Only two sailors, in my experience, never ran aground. One never left port and the other was an atrocious liar.
-Don Bamford
 
I hate storms, but calms undermine my spirits.
-Bernard Moitessier

Never in my life before have I experienced such beauty, and fear at the same time…
-Ellen MacArthur

A ship in harbor is safe, but that is not what ships are built for.
-William Shedd

There is nothing so distressing as running ashore, unless there is also doubt as to which continent the shore belongs.

-anonymous

There is never any excuse to put the comfort of the crew above the safety of the vessel.

-anonymous

My drinking team has a sailing problem !

-anonymous

When we cannot bear to be alone, it means we do not properly value the only companion we will have from birth to death - ourselves.
-Eda LeShan

=====================================

qui voit Groix, voit sa joie;
qui va à Groix, perd son foie.
Si tu vois Groix, c'est qu'il va pleuvoir;
Si tu ne vois pas Groix, c'est qu'il pleut déjà.
-dicton lorientais

Le seul noeud qui ne sert à rien à bord, c'est le noeud à la tête.
-Piep

C'est curieux, chez les marins, ce besoin de faire des phrases.
-Michel Audiard 

Les enfants sont comme les marins: où que se portent leurs yeux, partout c'est l'immense.
-anonyme

Il y a trois sortes d’êtres Humains. Les vivants, les morts et ceux qui vont sur la Mer.
-Anacharsis

La mer enseigne aux marins des rêves que les ports assassinent. 
-anonyme

La mer est un élément capital pour la connaissance des peuples. La mer modèle les moeurs comme elle fait les rivages. Tous les peuples marins ont du caprice, sinon de la folie, dans l'âme.
-André Suarès

Celui qui a un port d'attache n'en a qu'un, celui qui n'en n'a pas en a mille...
-anonyme

Homme libre, toujours tu chériras la mer.
-Baudelaire

En mer, le plus grand danger, c'est la terre.
-anonyme

A vieille carte, nouvelle épave.
-anonyme

Les mouettes naissent des mouchoirs que l'on agite au départ des bateaux.
-Ramon Gomez de la Serna

Il est une façon infaillible d'arriver à connaître les bons et les mauvais côtés de quelqu'un: être entassés ensemble sur un petit voilier d'une sécurité incertaine.
-David Niven

Il m'a toujours semblé indécent de ne pas aller voir partout dans le monde. Il me fallait partir sur tous les océans, découvrir tous les ports... Pour moi, c'est vital: puisqu'on est dans le monde, il faut le courir.
-Olivier de Kersauson

Horizon pas net, reste à la buvette.
-anonyme

Qui boit la mer pisse des pierres, qui boit du rhum s'en étonne.
-anonyme

Vent contre courant, t'en prends plein les dents.
-anonyme

Qui pisse au vent, se rince les dents.
-anonyme

Plus l'amer est haut, plus la mer est basse.
-anonyme

Penon en bas, reste au ponton.
-anonyme 

Les voiles, c'est simple, tu les règle jusqu'à que tu avances,
puis tu les affines pour aller plus vite.
Et quand tu as peur, tu réduits !
-anonyme

Méfie toi d'une poulie qui crie et d'une femme qui se tait. Toutes deux préparent un mauvais coup.
-anonyme

Si tu veux faire un vieux marin, arrondis les caps et salue les grains.
-anonyme

Mouette en haut du mât, bientôt fiente sera sur toi.
-anonyme

Si le goeland se gratte le gland, signe de mauvais temps, s'il se gratte le cul il fera pas beau non plus.
-anonyme

A Marseille, on dit: Bonne Mére, priez pour les marins qui sont au port, ceux qui sont en mer eux se démerdent...
-anonyme

Rien ne vaut une bonne droite pour confirmer un point
-moitessier

Mouille c'est lave, sec c'est propre, plie c'est repasse.
-anonyme

Le voilier est le moyen le plus long pour aller d'une taverne à l'autre.
-anonyme

Si une connerie est possible, elle est déjà faite,
Si elle est impossible, elle est en train de se faire.
-RATAFIA SB

On ne voyage pas pour se garnir d'exotisme et d'anecdotes comme un sapin de Noël, mais pour que la route vous plume, vous rince, vous essore, vous rende pareil à ces serviettes élimées par les lessives qu'on vous tend avec un éclat de savon dans les bordels.
-Nicolas Bouvier

La mer est gentille et porte sur son dos nombre d'innocents qui feraient mieux de rester au bistrot.
-anonymous

Soleil cercle, dans 24h toile a rentrer.
-anonymous

L'horizon nous condamne au cercle.
-anonymous

Rouge le soir et blanc le matin, bon quart pour le marin.
-anonymous

Halo a la lune n'a jamais abattu mat de hune, mais en a branle plus d'une.
-anonymous

La tempete est bonne fille elle laisse toujours une chance au marin.
-anonymous

Le plus dur...c'est de partir. Mais une fois au large, le premier round est gagne : le round contre soi meme, le plus important
-Moitessier

Un plaisancier a aussi des devoirs, et le principal d'entre eux est de veiller a preserver sa propre vie, celle de de ses compagnons et celle des autres navigateurs. Ce devoir entraine des obligations de competence, de prudence et d'entraide.
-"Naviguer en securite" Service Hydrographique et Oceanographique de la Marine

La liberte en mer, consiste a compter sur soi et uniquement sur soi.
-"Naviguer en securite" Service Hydrographique et Oceanographique de la Marine

[...]La qualite de son equipage (au chef de bord) est en fait la somme des competences et des incompetences des gens qu'il embarque; cette qualite varie aussi en fonction de leur aptitude a resister au mal de mer.
-"Naviguer en securite" Service Hydrographique et Oceanographique de la Marine

Si tu vas plus vite que ceux qui sont comme toi sur le mauvais chemin, tu arriveras toujours avant eux quelque part.
-un maitre Zen du solitaire

Agir en primitif et penser en stratege
-anonymous

Le solitaire s'efforce avant tout de tout faire a bord mais avec une technique parfois moyenne "a l'arrache" mais sans jamais negliger aucun compartiment du jeu.
-anonymous

Dieu a créé la mer et il l'a peinte en bleu pour qu'on soit bien dessus.
-Bernard Moitessier

Naviguer, c'est accepter les contraintes que l'on a choisies. C'est un privilège. La plupart des humains subissent les obligations que la vie leur a imposées.
-Éric Tabarly
 
La mer, c'est la disponibilité perpétuelle.
-Gérard Janichon

La mer est aussi profonde dans le calme que dans la tempête.
-John Donne

Si vous souhaitez connaître l'âge du monde, regardez la surface de la mer dans la tempête.
-Joseph Conrad

Ce sont les voiliers qui ont découvert le monde, et ils charrient dans leur sillage bien des légendes.
-Olivier de Kersauzon

En mer, quand on dort, on ferme les yeux, mais on garde les oreilles ouvertes.
-Olivier de Kersauzon

Quand un cachalot de 45 tonnes vient de tribord, il est prioritaire. À bien y penser, quand il vient de bâbord aussi.
-Olivier de Kersauzon

Sur la mer, personne ne vous prend en tutelle. C'est le dernier espace au monde où vous êtes responsable.
-Paul Guimard

La mer, compliquée du vent, est un composé de forces. Un navire est un composé de machines. Les forces sont des machines infinies, les machines des forces limitées. C'est entre ces deux organismes, l'un inépuisable, l'autre intelligent, que s'engage ce combat qu'on appelle la navigation.
-Victor Hugo

Le pessimiste se plaint du vent, l'optimiste espere qu'il va changer,
le realiste ajuste ses voiles.
-William Arthur Ward

Voile + moteur dans les petits airs : faut bien marcher à la voile et la vapeur quand il y a un temps de tarlouze.
-Alizes Tinlo

Le marin se distingue par son aptitude a pratiquer la sieste a toute heure, en tous lieux, par tous les temps;
car ce qui est pris n'est plus a prendre.
-anonymous

Naviguer, c'est surtout être très précis dans l'enchaînement aléatoire d'approximations successives.
-anonymous
[pt] Navegar e preciso, viver nao e preciso.
-Luis de Camoes
Qui va-t-en mer pour son plaisir, irait en enfer pour passer le temps.
-old sailor's saying
 
L'eau sert à faire flotter les bateaux, certains l'utilisent pour se laver et j'ai même entendu dire qu'il y en a qui en boivent.
-anonymous

Partir n'apporte pas de réponses, mais cela évite de poser les questions...
-Moitessier

Partir c'est mourir un peu, rentrer c'est périr complètement.
-Houpette

Bar a babord, rhum a ras-bord.
-anonymous

Qui voit Ouessant voit son sang,
Qui voit Molène voit sa peine,
Qui voit Sein voit sa fin,
Qui voit Groix voit sa croix.
-dicton marin

Pour savoir prier, il faut avoir été marin.
-L.J. Silver

Aujourd'hui vivants, demain morts, que nous importe d'amasser ou de ménager, nous ne comptons que sur le jour que nous vivons et jamais sur celui que nous allons vivre.
-Olivier OExmelin

Quant il y a deux capitaines sur un navire celui-ci sombre.
-anonyme

L'éternité c'est la mer mêlée au soleil.
-Arthur Rimbaud

Une mer calme n'a jamais fait un bon marin.
-anonyme

Océan : Masse d'eau occupant à peu près les deux tiers d'un monde destiné à l'homme - lequel est dépourvu de branchies. »
-Ambrose Bierce

Femme de marin, femme de chagrin.
-anonyme

Quand les mouettes ont pied, il est temps de virer.
-anonyme

Un bateau n'est pas plus grand ou plus petit, selon qu'il se trouve au creux ou au sommet de la vague.
-anonyme

Toute mécanique, particulièrement nautique, même la plus simple, connaît un état normal, naturel, stable, appelé "la panne" . On peut dans certains cas, et pour une durée toujours limitée, la maintenir dans un état anormal et parfaitement instable, appelé "état de marche".
-anonyme

The letter from the ship's master....

To: Owners

Shipping Company Y

Dear Sirs,

It is with regret and haste that I write this letter to you; regret that such a small misunderstanding could lead to the following circumstances, and haste in order that you will get this report before you form your own preconceived opinions from reports in the international press, for I am sure that they will tend to over-dramatize the affair.

We had just picked up the pilot, and the apprentice had returned from changing the 'G' flag for the 'H', and being his first trip was having difficulty in rolling the 'G' flag up. I therefore proceeded to show him how, coming to the last part I told him to 'let go'. The lad, although willing, is not too bright, necessitating my having to repeat the order in a sharper tone.

At this moment the Chief Officer appeared from the chartroom, having been plotting the vessel's progress, and thinking that it was the anchors that were being referred to, repeated the 'let go' to the Third Officer on the forecastle. The port anchor, having been cleared away, but not walked out, was promptly let go. The effect of letting the anchor drop from the 'pipe' while the vessel was proceeding at full harbour speed proved too much for the windlass brake, and the entire length of the port cable was pulled out 'by the roots'. I fear that the damage to the chain locker may be extensive. The braking effect of the port anchor naturally caused the vessel to sheer in that direction, right towards the swing bridge that spans a tributary to the river up which we were proceeding.

The swing bridge operator showed great presence of mind by opening the bridge for my vessel. Unfortunately he did not think to stop the vehicular traffic. The result being that the bridge partly opened and deposited a Volkswagen, two cyclists and a cattle truck on the foredeck. My ship's company are at present rounding up the contents of the latter, which from the noise I would say were pigs. In his efforts to stop the progress of the vessel the Third Officer dropped the starboard anchor, too late to be of practical use for it fell on the swing bridge operator's control cabin.

After the port anchor was let go and the vessel started to sheer I gave a double ring Full Astern on the Engine Room Telegraph, and personally rang the Engine Room to order maximum astern revolutions. I was informed that the temperature was 83 degrees, and was asked if there was a film tonight. My reply would not add constructively to this report.

Up to now I have confined my report to the activities at the forward end of my vessel. Down aft they were having their own problems. At the moment the port anchor was let go, the Second Officer was supervising the making fast of the aft tug, and was lowering the ship's towing spring down into the tug.

The sudden braking effect of the port anchor caused the tug to 'run in under' the stern of my vessel, just at the moment when the propeller was answering my double ring Full Astern. The prompt action of the Second Officer in securing the shipboard end of the towing spring delayed the sinking of the tug by some minutes thereby allowing the safe abandoning of that vessel.

It is strange, but at the very same moment of letting go the port anchor there was a power cut ashore. The fact that we were passing over a 'cable area' at that time may suggest that we may have touched something on the river bed. It is perhaps lucky that the high tension cables brought down by the foremast were not live, possibly being replaced by the underwater cable, but owing to the shore blackout it is impossible to say where the pylon fell.

It never fails to amaze me, the actions and behavior of foreigners during moments of minor crisis. The pilot for instance, is at this moment huddled in the corner of my day cabin, alternately crooning to himself and crying after having consumed a bottle of gin in a time that is worthy of inclusion in the Guinness Book of Records. The tug captain on the other hand reacted violently and had to forcibly be restrained by the Steward, who has him handcuffed in the ship's hospital while he is telling me to do impossible things with my ship and my person.

I enclose the names and addresses of the drivers, and insurance companies of the vehicles on my foredeck, which the Third Officer collected after his somewhat hurried evacuation of the forecastle. These particulars will enable you to claim back the damage that they did to the railings of number one hold.

I am closing this preliminary report for I am finding it difficult to concentrate with the sound of police sirens and the flashing lights.

It is sad to think that had the apprentice realized that there is no need to fly pilot flags after dark, none of this would have happened.

Yours truly,

Master m.v. ………………………..

A la gite

Une histoire du Rhum

 Comme le sait tout un chacun, le rhum trouve son origine dans une plante : la canne à sucre. En revanche, ce que l'on sait moins, c'est que c'est Christophe Colomb qui introduisit cette dernière sur l'île d'Hispania, aujourd'hui connue sous le nom d'Haïti.

L'autre saint homme qui est considéré - est révéré- comme "l'inventeur" du rhum, le Père Labat, membre de l'Ordre de Dominicains, définissait l'inestimable élixir  comme étant du "feu donnant de la force aux hommes et de la joie aux femmes".

Au XVIIème siècle on retrouve des textes qui parlent de cette eau-de-vie sous le nom de "tue-diable" et "rumbullion" ; "tue diable" décrivant la force dégagée par cet alcool.

Début XVIIIème, la désignation "tue-diable" semble disparaître et le mot rum (traduction anglaise de rhum) abréviation de "rumbullion" (ou de saccharum mot latin pour designer le sucre) est utilisé communément.

A ses débuts, le rhum était la boisson des esclaves et des marins. En 1655, l'Amiral Penn, membre éminent de la Royal Navy, et accessoirement bienfaiteur de l'humanité souffrante, institua la distribution quotidienne de rations de rhum aux marins.

Mais c'est en 1731 que l'Amiral Vernon, maudit soit-il, la remplaça par un mélange constitué de deux volumes d'eau pour un volume de rhum. Le plus souvent, un trait de jus de citron y était ajouté pour lutter contre le scorbut. Ce mélange fut baptisé "grog" en hommage au surnom de l'Amiral qui portait toujours une veste dont le nom était "grogram" (gros-grain, en anglais).

Aux Antilles, les Anglais, qui finalement ne sont pas si mauvais diables que ça, avaient également pris l'habitude de marier le rhum à plusieurs autres ingrédients : thé, sucre, citron, cannelle...Ils donnèrent à ce cocktail le nom de "punch". Une fois encore, l'origine du nom est incertaine et prête à de nombreuses interprétations. La plus plausible d'entre elles est indienne.

En effet, dans cette langue le mot "panch" signifie cinq et correspond au nombre d'ingrédients utilisés et nécessaires à la composition d'un vrai punch.

Comme on le constate le rhum et la marine ont toujours eu partie liée et ça continue.

Les boucaniers, pirates, flibustiers et autres aventuriers...du même tonneau, comptaient parmi les plus gros buveurs de rhum. A cette époque, l'un des problèmes les plus graves auxquels la Marine anglaise devait faire face était la désertion : les pirates avaient la déplorable manie de recruter leurs équipages en "noircissant" méthodiquement les marins dans les ports (le classique shangaïage); ivres morts, les pauvres matelots n'étaient pas en état de répondre à l'appel. Les bateaux anglais partaient en abandonnant ces quelques pauvres hères qui n'avaient plus d'autres solutions que de devenir pirates à leur tour !

Mais les "méchants" étaient parfois pris à leur propre piège comme en témoigne la triste, mais édifiante, fin de John Rackam dit "Rackam le Rouge", cher à Hergé. Après avoir vidé toute la cargaison de rhum prise à un bateau qu'ils avaient abordé, le redoutable pirate et tout son équipage, trop soûls pour résister, furent capturés par la Marine Royale anglaise. Cette aventure se termina par leur pendaison en 1720. Comme quoi, l'alcool  tue !

Cependant, il est à noter le rhum, même à haute dose, ne provoque pas de cirrhose du foie. En revanche, il rend fou.

source : http://faq.frbateaux.net

 L'abus d'alcool peut occasionner des troubles :

Symptôme 1 : Vue troublée
Cause : Tu regardes à travers un verre vide
Solution : Demande une autre tournée

Symptôme 2 : Le sol se déplace sous tes pieds
Cause : Deux videurs te sortent du bar
Solution : Demande leur au moins où ils t'emmènent

Symptôme 3 : Reflets multiples de visages te regardant fixement dans l'eau
Cause : Tu es agenouillé dans les toilettes en essayant de vomir
Solution : Mets-toi un doigt dans la gorge

Symptôme 4 : Les gens autour de toi parlent avec une drôle de voix
Cause : Tu as le verre dans l'oreille
Solution : Arrête de faire le crétin

Symptôme 5 : Les murs de la discothèque bougent, les gens sont tous habillés en blanc et la musique est assez répétitive
Cause : Tu es dans une ambulanc
Solution : Ne pas bouger, coma éthylique probable.

Symptôme 6 : Ton père a l'air très bizarre et tes frangins te regardent d'un air étonné
Cause : Tu t'es gouré de maison
Solution : Demande-leur gentiment s'ils peuvent t'indiquer ou est la tienne

Symptôme 7 : L'énorme projecteur de la discothèque t'aveugle
Cause : Tu es allongé dans la rue et il fait déjà soleil
Solution : Café et aspirine

Belle Ile, Pointe des Poulains

Brouillard

Le brouillard est, selon des normes internationales, un phénomène qui réduit la visibilité à moins d'un kilomètre. Ce phénomène se compose de fines gouttelettes d'eau en suspension dans l'air.

Les brouillards se forment lorsque de l'air humide est refroidi pour atteindre son point de rosée. L'air devient saturé et la vapeur contenue dans l'air se condense pour former de très petites gouttelettes. C'est le brouillard. C'est le même principe à la base de la formation des nuages. Le brouillard est une forme de nuage qui touche le sol.

Il existe plusieurs situations où le brouillard prend forme.

Le brouillard de radiation

Le brouillard de radiation survient la nuit lorsque les conditions sont favorables (vents très faibles, humidité élevée, ciel clair). Durant cette période, le sol perd sa chaleur accumulée durant le jour (phénomène de radiation). Le sol devient froid. L'air au contact du sol se refroidit aussi. L'air se refroidissant, il atteint son point derosée et l'humidité qu'il contient se condense. C'est le brouillard.

Le brouillard advectif

Tout d'abord, l'advection signifie un déplacement horizontal. Le brouillard advectif survient lorsque de l'air chaud et humide se déplace au-dessus d'un sol froid. L'air au contact du sol se refroidit pour atteindre son point de rosée. Il y a condensation de l'humidité. Le brouillard prend forme.

Ce genre de situation survient fréquemment au printemps lorsqu'il y a des poussées d'air chaud et humide du sud sur des régions encore couvertes de neige.

Le brouillard des flancs de montagne et de collines

Le brouillard peut aussi survenir au sommet des montagnes. Ce type de brouillard survient lorsque de l'air chaud et humide se déplace en direction de la montagne. En arrivant près de la montagne l'air se bute à ses flancs et débute sa montée. En montant, l'air se refroidit et atteint son point de rosée, l'humidité se condense et le brouillard se forme.

Le brouillard d'évaporation

Le brouillard d'évaporation se forme souvent l'automne ou l'hiver alors que de l'air froid souffle sur une surface d'eau beaucoup plus chaude. L'eau, en s'évaporant, augmente le point de rosées pour éventuellement atteindre la température que l'air. Il y a condensation et le brouillard naît.

Comment prédire le brouillard

Vous pouvez prédire du brouillard si les signes suivants se manifestent:

le baromètre est élevé,

la température baisse rapidement le soir,

l'humidité est élevée,

Les vents tombent complètement en fin de soirée.

De piraterie moderne

 Par definition et ethymologie la piraterie est en fait l'acte de tenter sa chance/chercher la fortune par voie de mer.

 Les pirates sont donc des personnes prenant la mer pour y faire fortune par actes de violence sans l'accords d'aucun gouvernements (on ecarte donc la course qui a pourtant cotoye de pres la piraterie).

 C'est une activite probablement presque aussi vieille que la navigation elle meme. On peut supposer que les premiers actes de pirateries n'auront ete que des raids, une tribue allant faire main basse sur les ressources d'une autre. 

 Generalement les conditions d'apparition de la piraterie moderne sont :

-Un positionnement géographique propice à ces actions sur un point maritime de passage de richesses.

-Une instabilite politique ou une gouvernance defaillante.

-Une pauvrete endémique avec une population proche des metiers de la mer (Je precise moderne car il me semble que la piraterie n'a pas toujours eu besoin de la pauvrete pour naitre, il semble qu'a certaines epoques ce serait plutot la competence marine qui aurait favorise, et a d'autres epoques la rebellion).

 Le mode operatoire est souvent le meme, attaques violentes, avec des navires rapides et legers permettant de vite s'eloigner de la zone une fois l'action terminee et s'echapper si la resistance est trop forte.

  Apres malgre tout ce que l'on peut en dire, et sans experience personnelle du sujet, il semble que parfois certains actes juges de piraterie ne sont en fait rien d'autres que des barques de pecheurs cherchant a s'approcher d'un navire qui leur aurait porte prejudice (coupe leures lignes, ou filet) et on peut dans ce contexte comprendre que les autochtones soient un tantinet violent .. Ou encore cherchant a s'approcher d'un navire par simple curiositee.. Certains n'hesitant pas a faire enfler leurs recits on se retrouve avec une declaration d'acte de piraterie, ou tentative.

 Zones de piraterie contemporaines :

 

Progression des actes de piraterie autour de la Somalie :

Carte des actes de piraterie et vols a main armee 2012

 For english speakers, below are some links from the ODIN's Maritime Bulletin on the theme of modern piracy :

-Statistics of pirated and released vessels and crews  2010 – 2012

-Maritime Bulletin /Piracy from odin.tc 
-Somali piracy on decline thanks to whom?

Gale force winds with 100kmh gusts near Ouessant

www.philip-plisson-blog.com/articles-blog.html

France has gotten rid of Sarkozy

Latouche-Tréville en pleine tempête

Anti submarine frigate Latouche-Tréville in a storm

Boite verte

source : http://www.laboiteverte.fr/