Island being born..

[Capt Darren]

hey folks!

I came across this link while surfing the net. It is of a sailor travelling through the pacific and came across something rather bazaar...


South Pacific island - Weird discovery made on the high seas - on Bore Me



enjoy!

[GDFL]

That's pretty amazing. That's gotta be the first time that it has ever been caught on film. Maybe the first time anyone has ever seen it happen

[seafox]

That pumice must have stuffed his impellor

[delmarrey]

Did he happen to record the L & L anywhere? It might be a good spot to visit in my transit in the future.

[Capt Darren]

unfortunately, i dont think so.
About the only thing that was said was south pacific. i will use my amazing google skills and see what i can dig up.

[GordMay]

The crew of the Maiken, a yacht that left the northern Tongan islands group of Vava'u (between Kao in the Ha'apai Group and Late in the Vava'u Groupin) , reported on their Web log on Aug. 12/06 that they saw streaks of light, porous pumice stone floating in the water — then "sailed into a vast, many-miles-wide belt of densely packed pumice."

They posted photos of huge pumice rafts that they encountered after passing Tonga's Late island while sailing toward Fiji.

Back in August 2006, Fredrik Fransson and some fellow Swedes were sailing (yacht “Maiken”) in the South Pacific around Tonga when they came across a sea of pumice stones and then a brand new erupting Island. Fredrik documented this with some amazing photos on his blog < Fredrik and Crew on Maiken: Stone sea and volcano >.

NASA askedfor the coordinates (18deg. 59.5S x 174deg. 46.3W), and took a picture, which has now been published < Catalog Page for PIA01899 >.

The raft of pumice appears to the northeast of the emerging island, and it actually connects, via a thin thread, to neighboring Late Island. The blue-green color of the water around the raft and the new island is probably fine sediment that is making the deep blue water more reflective.

The same volcano last erupted in 1984, producing an island that has since eroded away. If there was no volcanic lava flow, this “Island” too, will be quickly eroded away.

Pumice rafts are not an everyday occurrence, but they have been observed before. In 1986, a pumice raft of unknown origin caused engine trouble for a Dutch vessel in the South China Sea. Pumice rafts drifted to Fiji in 1979 and 1984 from eruptions around Tonga, and some were reportedly 30 kilometers (19 miles) wide.

Biologists have also proposed pumice rafts as a way to explain how plants and animals spread from island to island in marine environments. Crabs and barnacles hitch a ride across the ocean to form new colonies, and in some cases there have been other unusual passengers. When the Krakatoa eruption of 1883 occurred, in Indonesia, there were giant tsunamis, and giant pumice rafts. Some rafts arrived a year later in Africa having gone 6000 km. On top of those rafts were found skeletons, the bones of people that had been carried all the way across the ocean."

[delmarrey]

Originally Posted by GordMay

The same volcano last erupted in 1984, producing an island that has since eroded away. If there was no volcanic lava flow, this “Island” too, will be quickly eroded away.

Darn! I may not get to see it after all. But I may have to watch my deep draft while in the area.

I remember in the ole Navy days we were pulling out of Guam, and a day out we came across an Island (rock) that just broke the suface. It's elevation was probably only 3 feet. But it was a sure reminder to keep your eyes on the charts.

[horseatingweeds]

That’s amazing. It would be a great thing to see, but like delmarry said, you need to watch out. Giving one a rub would really be a bad situation. Is there anything wore to hit than a rock out in the middle of the ocean?

I wonder it the floating rock would work like quick-sand and drowned you if you fell in?

[CaptainK]

Originally Posted by horseatingweeds

That’s amazing. It would be a great thing to see, but like delmarry said, you need to watch out. Giving one a rub would really be a bad situation. Is there anything wore to hit than a rock out in the middle of the ocean?

I wonder it the floating rock would work like quick-sand and drowned you if you fell in?

Sure there are other things to hit out at sea!!

Semi-submerged cargo containers. Or loosely floating cargo. Trees. Or a tree stump section can cause great havoc on a boat hull. Something not to be overlooked.

[horseatingweeds]

How easy is it to damage a boat hull? It seems to me, a five ton yacht moving along at 10 knots, hitting something that doesn’t move – like a rock – would break through the hull material. If it was just a rub, it seems the energy would simply push the boat around and only do minimal damage.

Your example, a partially submerged cargo container, is about the same as a rock. But, it would move a bit and take some of the energy and damage. It might be moving along in the same direction too, or in the opposite direction which could be worse than a rock.

So what about a log or what ever. How much damage would that do?

[CaptainK]

Originally Posted by horseatingweeds

How easy is it to damage a boat hull? It seems to me, a five ton yacht moving along at 10 knots, hitting something that doesn’t move – like a rock – would break through the hull material. If it was just a rub, it seems the energy would simply push the boat around and only do minimal damage.

Your example, a partially submerged cargo container, is about the same as a rock. But, it would move a bit and take some of the energy and damage. It might be moving along in the same direction too, or in the opposite direction which could be worse than a rock.

So what about a log or what ever. How much damage would that do?

Tree = log???

Damage? Depends on where the floating piece of flotsam hits the hull at. And how hard you were going. And how fast "it" is going along with the currents? So many variables,HorseEatingWeeds??

But!!

If you had a steel hulled sailboat. Then all of that would not be a problem to you. Or anyone who sailed through those areas. Then!! Only thing to watch for. Is their rudder and propeller, on a steel hulled sailboat.

[Alan Wheeler]

If you had a steel hulled sailboat. Then all of that would not be a problem to you.

Don't go getting fooled into that myth Cpt K. Steel can be holed too. It just depends on what you hit, where you hit it and how you hit it.

[seafox]

and rust......

[cat man do]

Heres a nice lump of steel at Cato Island about 200k off of Queensland.

Big holes and rust.

I also remember a boat called ............................TITANIC.

Dave

[Capt Darren]

well, i know very little when it comes to ocean-faring flotsam, but I have spent a large chunk of my life out on local fresh-water lakes. On this one lake where my family camps on, it was once a semi-wide river that they dam'd on one end and flooded years ago. Now, it is a massively deep lake that has plenty of trees that are still, 50 years later, floating to the surface. Now, these trees that have been soaked with water, the soil has erroded, and now the trees float to the surface of the lake.. they become a hazard for boats. I have seen many steel hulled/aluminum hulled boats hit these head on and rip a nice little hole into the front of it. Not my idea of fun I could just imagine how terrifying it would be in the middle of the ocean, hitting something or even just rubbing against it.