Freighters take sail in Friesland

RNW, 24 July 2010 - 7:49pm

skûtsjes in competition (Photo: LC)

The annual skûtsje competition has started on the lakes of Friesland, a province in the northern Netherlands.

A skûtsje is a flat-bottomed sailing boat built for transporting freight in the shallow inland waters of the Netherlands. In use throughout the 18th, 19th and early 20th centuries, they were rendered obsolete by the arrival of road transport. Despite this, such sailing competitions have never gone out of fashion and, in the last few years, have become increasingly popular among the public.

Weather permitting, the Friesland competition will last 14 days. During this time, 14 skûtsjes will take part in 11 stages. More than 150,000 spectators are expected to watch from the lakes’ shores.

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Darwin mayor wants yacht race to Ambon maintained

Antara News, Monday, August 2, 2010 17:42 WIB

Ambon, Maluku (ANTARA News) - The annual Darwin-Ambon Yacht Race will be maintained as it is having a major impact on the continuity of the sister-city cooperation between Darwin and Ambon, the Australian city`s mayor said.

Darwin Mayor Graeme Sawyer said here on Monday the race was of great importance to the strengthening of the Darwin-Ambon sister city cooperative ties.

Sawyer admitted the prestigious international yacht race was also important to strengthen the relations between the peoples of Darwin and Ambon.

"The people of Darwin have a very friendly relationship with their friends in Ambon, and thus they make use of the yacht race every year to visit Maluku provincial capital," Sawyer said.

He expressed optimism that in the years to come the participant of the Darwin-Ambon Yacht Race would continue to increase following conducive situation in Ambon after almost three-year sectarian violence from 1999-2002.

The Darwin to Ambon Yacht Race was initially organized by the Cruising Yacht Association of the Northern Territory Incorporated (CYANT).

That Association ran the event from 1976 until 1998 when it was suspended for safety and security reasons.

The 600 mile downwind race attracted six yachts in its inaugural year.

For months afterwards, conversation amongst returning yachties was dominated by stories of "champagne sailing", overwhelming hospitality, lovely friendly people, the scenic beauty, the cultural diversity, the food, and an annual event not to be missed.

Entries steadily increased over the years as the event?s reputation spread and its tradition grew.

International skippers began to use Ambon as a starting point to visit some of the 13,000 islands of the Indonesian Archipelago. Some sailed north to Manado and onto the Raja Muda Selangor Regatta in Malaysia.

Others headed southwest to the amazing Buton Passage and then on to visit the famous Komodo Dragons en route to Makassar or Bali and beyond.

A big factor in the growing popularity of the race was related to the excellent facilities Darwin offered for yachts and their crews. For many, Darwin would be the last access to western comforts and familiar language for many months.

Pictured: The whales once dubbed the 'devil fish' that now want tourists to tickle their tongues

Daily Mail, By MAIL FOREIGN SERVICE, 2nd August 2010

They were once referred to as 'devil fish' for the way they attacked whalers, but these enormous grey whales are now dubbed 'the friendliest in the world' as they rest their heads on boats and demand to be tickled.

These pictures show the 45-feet-long adult whales happily allowing their backs and tongues to be scratched.

The whales also encourage their young calves to approach boats, and if their bid to be touched goes unnoticed they swim along to more tourists in the hope of getting attention.

A whale of a time: An adult grey whale enjoys having its tongue tickled by tourists in the San Ignacio Lagoon in Mexico

The playful whales even swim under boats and lift them out of the water, thrilling tourists.

Local fishermen who lead the boat tours in San Ignacio, Mexico, have become so used to living with the whales they now refer to them as 'friendlies'.

Zoologist and television presenter Mark Carwardine, 51, photographed the whales while on a trip to the Central American country.

'Seventy years ago these whales were being viciously hunted and they fought back aggressively,' Mr Carwardine said.

'They would smash boats with their tails and leap on them, so they became known locally as devil fish.'

Since the late 1930s the species has been protected and numbers have gone from just 100 - placing them at risk of extinction - to 26,000.

Showing off: Tourists marvel as a grey whale splashes about in the waters of the San Ignacio Lagoon

'They know the local fishermen are no longer a threat and have become the friendliest whales in the world,' he said.

'They come up to these small fibreglass boats, which are a few metres long, and place their chins on the side to be scratched and tickled.

'They also encourage their calves to do the same. It is very much like a dog sitting at your feet near the fire.'

'I would never normally agree with touching wildlife but these whales demand to be touched - they really enjoy it and come to you.

Mr Carwardine has travelled to the region for the past 20 years.

'People are in tears and feel overwhelmed by the experience,' he said.

The whales arrive in the lagoons in late December or early January leave around May, when they head back up to the Arctic to feed.

They make the migration, which is a 12,500 mile round-trip, every year.

The calves are weaned on the Arctic feeding grounds and are left to make their own way back to the breeding lagoons the following year.

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