Sea Shepard and co

[Kennebec_Captain]

[QUOTE=Steamer;68395]Watson sure brings out the mean and nasty in folks, that’s for sure.[/QUOTE]

There are three separate issues, first the whole "save the whales"thing, second the tactics used and third Watson’s seamanship. I’ve got no expertise to speak with any authority on the first two. As to the seamanship, I agree with your point about seeing only snippets and I also agree some supposedly qualified and certified mariners have done a lot worse, The Costa Concordia for example.

Having said that Watson doesn’t seem to me to be a good seaman and his interactions with the crew seem off. He doesn’t seem at ease with them. He should hire a skilled non-watching standing “operations officer” and stick to the PR which he is evidently good at.

K.C.

[gump]

This pretty much sums up his state of mind/

Posted 23 October 2009 19:47     Hide Post

Then he said this:

I would like to respectfully contest what you have said here. I’m not bragging but stating as fact that I am the world’s most experienced ship rammer. I have been ramming ships since I first knocked the pirate whaler Sierra out of business in July 1979.
I fully understand the physics and the mechanics of ramming a ship. I know where to hit it and how to hit it to avoid causing injuries. When 1,000 tons of steel collides with 1000 tons of steel at a correct angle, the mass or volume of the metal being struck and the metal striking absorbs the shock of the impact and never in any of the many number of ship rammings have we ever knocked a person off their feet. I never strike a ship where there is an accommodation or fuel compartment and I never strike where crew are standing. I once aborted a deliberate ramming on a Japanese driftnetter because a crewmember was not moving from the position where he was standing. As for sinking whalers, we only sink whaling ships without anyone onboard.
Is ramming a pirate whaling ship moral or legal. It is legal unless charges are laid and I’ve never been charged with a crime in relationship to a ship ramming. As for moral, it depends on your point of view. An anthropocentric would argue that it is immoral but a biocentric would maintain that it is moral. I personally don’t care what the anthropcentrics think of what we do.
So we stand by to ram if need be if that is what it takes to save the lives of these gentle, intelligent, socially complex, self aware wonderful sentient beings we call whales. -Paul Watson

And some more

1972 Iran Founder Paul Watson spends two weeks in jail. Espionage

1977 Seattle WA Founder Paul Watson spends one day in jail. Trespass

1980 Quebec Canada Founder Paul Watson spends ten days in jail. Breaking the Canadian Seal Protection Act

4/83 Quebec Canada Founder Paul Watson spends ten days in jail. Conspiracy to break the Canadian Seal Protection Act

12/83 Quebec Canada Founder Paul Watson spends ten days in jail. Conviction for conspiracy to break the Canadian Seal Protection Act

1989 Iceland Founder Paul Watson spends one day in jail. Charges not laid

6/1/92 Lofoten Islands Norway Two activists claim guilt for sinking the Norwegian whaling vessel “Nybraena” while in port. Both are sentenced to 120 days in prison in absentia. Shipwrecking, other unclear charges

1993 Newfoundland Canada Founder Paul Watson spends five days in jail. Mischief

3/31/94 Bremerhaven Germany One activist arrested by harbor police for an incident related to the ramming of a Norwegian Navy vessel. Authorities fail to extradite him and the charges are dropped. Attempted Shipwrecking

3/31/94 Amsterdam Holland One activist arrested in Amsterdam and held in Lelystad penitentiary for extradition to Norway. Charges were related to the sinking of a Norwegian whaling vessel. Charges not clear

1995 Newfoundland Canada Founder Paul Watson spends ten days in jail. Accessory to mischief

1997 Germany Founder Paul Watson spends one day in jail on Norwegian Interpol warrant. Sinking a ship.

1997 Netherlands Founder Paul Watson rearrested on Interpol warrant (see above) and spends 80 days in jail awaiting extradition hearing. Sinking a ship.

1/14/02 Conway Ireland Webpage states 40 activists stage a protest in front of Stephens Inc. building decrying their relationship with Huntingdon Life Sciences. Charges not clear

4/22/02 Puntarenas Costa Rica Arrest warrant issued for an activist in relation to an altercation with the Costa Rican fishing vessel “Vacadero”. Attempted murder, destruction of property

5/10/02 Puntarenas Costa Rica New charges leveled against one named activist and the crew of the “Farley Mowat” related to April 22 altercation. Attempted shipwrecking

11/17/03 Taiji Japan Two Sea Shepherd activists arrested after diving into a bay and releasing pilot whales before they could be killed by fishermen. Interfering with commerce

03/31/05 Charlottetown, PEI Canada Ten “crew” of the ship Farley Mowat are arrested for interfering with the seal hunt. Violating Fisheries Act regulation regarding distance to be kept from seal hunt.

Again,… absolute Moron, with no regard for the law.

[AHTS_Master]

[QUOTE=Steamer;68397]What qualifications does he lack for the operation he conducts?[/QUOTE]

Watson is GOD and when I grow up I want to be just like him.

[rigdvr]

@"Steamer"

What qualifications does he lack for the operation he conducts?

We will never know how qualified he is…he has never been evaluated by a formal entity to be deemed qualified to master anything.

As far as qualifications for what he does, I don’t think any STCW’s exist for fouling props, proper hurling of stink bombs, ramming/boarding vessels on the high seas or any of the other multitude of moronic things this guy does…

[cmakin]

[QUOTE=gump;68379]Watson is an absolute idiot, proven by his actions alone. Sure, he has been in “command” for over 30 yrs,… but in command of what? He knowingly endangers his crew and others by his actions, and he should be in jail at a minimum. The fact that he doesn’t hold a license just makes him that much more of a black eye on the maritime world.[/QUOTE]

If he went out and got a 6 pack license, would that make him more of a captain in your eyes, then? Not that I am defending him. Like many here, I cannot bear to watch even the commercials for this show. Maybe the reason that he is not licensed is so that no one can then take action against him.

[cmakin]

[QUOTE=rigdvr;68405]We will never know how qualified he is…he has never been evaluated by a formal entity to be deemed qualified to master anything.

As far as qualifications for what he does, I don’t think any STCW’s exist for fouling props, proper hurling of stink bombs, ramming/boarding vessels on the high seas or any of the other multitude of moronic things this guy does…[/QUOTE]

Hey, I have seen pictures of his nice shiny uniform with the four stripes.

[rigdvr]

@"cmakin"

If he went out and got a 6 pack license, would that make him more of a captain in your eyes, then? .

At least he would have passes one ROR test and have no excuse for his close quarters maneuvers…

[Capt.Felix]

@"Steamer"

I guess you have never worked on a non-commercial vessel or don’t have much exposure to the broader world of maritime activities. The navy runs hundreds of ships without license holders in command, so does the Army, thousands of yachts and other vessels. There are thousands of extremely competent seafarers of all sorts all over the world who don’t have a license and never will for as many reasons as there are seafarers. Red flag? Sounds kind of snobbish to me.

Watson sure brings out the mean and nasty in folks, that’s for sure.

Steamer, w/ all do respect 12 years in the navy. I never said a master w/o a lic is not competent, not once. All I do is question Wattsons dec making.

[ryanwood86]

@"Steamer"

I guess you have never worked on a non-commercial vessel or don’t have much exposure to the broader world of maritime activities. The navy runs hundreds of ships without license holders in command, so does the Army, thousands of yachts and other vessels. There are thousands of extremely competent seafarers of all sorts all over the world who don’t have a license and never will for as many reasons as there are seafarers. Red flag? Sounds kind of snobbish to me.

Watson sure brings out the mean and nasty in folks, that’s for sure.

I live in VA and have seen the navy run their boats and talked to some Jr officers … that don’t help your argument haha

[Steamer]

[QUOTE=Capt.Felix;68413]Steamer, w/ all do respect 12 years in the navy. I never said a master w/o a lic is not competent, not once. All I do is question Wattsons dec making.[/QUOTE]

My response to you was regarding your statement: “Ive never worked on a vessel on which having a Lic is not a requirement.” I didn’t say that you said anyone was not competent. Others said or implied that, but my response to you was purely in regard to your now apparently incorrect statement quoted above.

Were you on shore duty for 12 years, or were all of your ships crewed by civmars?

[Steamer]

[QUOTE=ryanwood86;68418]I live in VA and have seen the navy run their boats and talked to some Jr officers … that don’t help your argument haha[/QUOTE]

It isn’t an argument, it is a statement of fact: There are thousands of competent and successful vessel operators who do not hold a master’s license.

There are hundreds if not thousands of idiots and incompetent vessel operators who do hold a master’s license.

Who do you think has killed and injured more people by intentionally reckless operating practices, Watson or the USCG? Would holding a license change that?

[ryanwood86]

@"Steamer"

It isn’t an argument, it is a statement of fact: There are thousands of competent and successful vessel operators who do not hold a master’s license.

There are hundreds if not thousands of idiots and incompetent vessel operators who do hold a master’s license.

Who do you think has killed and injured more people by intentionally reckless operating practices, Watson or the USCG? Would holding a license change that?

So you’re saying you think he’s competent?

[Mikey]

A search of this forum will provide some insight into how people feel about it. Here are a few to get you started.

gCaptain Forum

gCaptain Forum

gCaptain Forum

[cappy208]

[QUOTE=ryanwood86;68424]So you’re saying you think he’s competent?[/QUOTE]

It would appear that Steamers remark is not so much an endorsement OR condemnation. Just an observation.

It seems to me that from a professional standpoint Mr. Watson is skilled enough at managing the vessel, making sea voyages, and preparing the vessel for same. However the judgement jury and executioner part he seems hell bent upon making his own rules up, enforcing his own point of view, and hazarding his crew to do that. THAT is what is (IMHO) unprofessional and should be under discussion.

The analogy that if someone was seen leaving a bar at 2330, does a ‘good samaritan’ have the ‘right’ to ram and force someone off the road in an attempt to ‘save’ someone else from a potential drunk driver? I don’t believe so. Not that I agree with drunk driving, but it is NOT correct for an ordinary citizen to take this upon themselves (and risk others in the process.) AKA the whale dispute. There is a forum and a place. Putting innocent people at risk is stupid and unprofessional.

[Capt.Felix]

@"Steamer"

My response to you was regarding your statement: “Ive never worked on a vessel on which having a Lic is not a requirement.” I didn’t say that you said anyone was not competent. Others said or implied that, but my response to you was purely in regard to your now apparently incorrect statement quoted above.

Were you on shore duty for 12 years, or were all of your ships crewed by civmars?

Civmars with a ton of experiance and years of training that only the navy could provide. Again, Ive never worked on a vessel on which having a Lic is not a requirement. I have worked on Mega Yachts of which if you were not Lic, you would not be considered for employment as Master. Just an ex: insurance liability, there is a reason for this. What comp in their right mind would insure a ship such as the Sea Shepard? Would you ?prob not.

[Capt.Felix]

@"Capt.Felix"

Civmars with a ton of experiance and years of training that only the navy could provide. Again, Ive never worked on a vessel on which having a Lic is not a requirement. I have worked on Mega Yachts of which if you were not Lic, you would not be considered for employment as Master. Just an ex: insurance liability, there is a reason for this. What comp in their right mind would insure a ship such as the Sea Shepard? Would you ?prob not.

And this too is just my opinion steming from what Ive encountered over the years. I am absolutely sure that there are many unlicensed masters out there that do an exceptional job.
just my 2 cents.

[seadog6608]

[QUOTE=Steamer;68397]What qualifications does he lack for the operation he conducts?[/QUOTE]How about a little common sense? How about being master of the safety of your crew? How about the willful violation of the ROR? If the guy has any license at all he should be stripped of it. He wouldn’t make a chancre sore on a seaman’s privates.

[seadog]

First - I can’t stand this SOB Watson.

Second - It is very easy to do a little research and read his views in his own words.
He thinks the laws are wrong, so he feels no need to follow them. This includes the Rules of the Road.

Third - He is a genius at PR. Following rules and being truthful are not useful in fundraising, which is one of his primary stated goals.
Cultivating the pirate image IS useful, and effective.

[T-Captain03]

So… Guess those darn Somali pirates are screwing up the Jack Sparrow image he’s trying to achieve???