Ocean Rowing Homo Sapiens

[Samra]

For some time now, every couple of years, a rowing race across the Atlantic Ocean from the Canary Islands to the West Indies is held after the end of the hurricane season. This year's race starts in December.

Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge

As a young teenager of about 14 I spent a summer on the Chesapeake Bay in the US as "sea" scout. The boats we crewed were old salvaged oceanliner lifeboats that were about 10 meters in length with beam widths of a little over 3 meters that had been fitted with a single mast and rigged with a square sail. Much more importantly there were 5 rowing stations on each side of the boat. Basically they were just much smaller versions of the Minoan long ships depicted in the Miniature Frieze from Akrotiri.

While there is one ship in the frieze that is powered by a single square rigged sail only, the six other large ships shown are powered by humans levering their oars in the water. In a precision restoration of a scene from the middle of the frieze I did a few years ago you can clearly count 21 oars on the side of the most "decorated" ship giving it a total of 42 rowing stations. This must have been a very large ship indeed. Of the frieze's six large rowing vessels only two have a single mast but no sails are deployed. This is very strong evidence for the great importance of human powered rowing in Minoan shipping.

As a sea scout I quickly learned that the sail was wonderful if the wind was in our favor in taking us to an appointed destination and we would use it as much as we could. But if the wind was unfavorable we would simply take the sail down and row directly into the wind if need be. Only the strongest winds could stop us from rowing directly into them. In time we became rowing machines that could literally work the oars all day long and well beyond without any problem at all. Our human powered oars were always the primary and most relaible power for our boats just as they would have been for the Bronze Age Minoans.

Best Wishes,
Sheppard Baird

[kbs2244]

Thank you for the first hand account.

It is beyond the comprehension of many armchair experts on just how much can be done by well directed humans with primitive tools.
This is in spite of the evidence all around them.

Some early projects include the Grand Canal and the Great Walls of China, the many pyramids around the Earth.
In historic times we have the Chicago Sanitary Canal (the one that reversed the Chicago River), The tunnels, timber bridges, and embankments of most of the U S railroad system.

My father was a career Navy veteran. And somewhat of a Naval historian.
He used to say that he served on “iron ships.”
But he referred to the early days as the “days if wooden ships and iron men.”

[Minimalist]

http://apnews.excite.com/article/201305 ... RDBO3.html

MOSCOW (AP) - A perfectly preserved woolly mammoth carcass with liquid blood has been found on a remote Arctic island, fueling hopes of cloning the Ice Age animal, Russian scientists said Thursday.

Hmmm.....

[Ernie L]

http://apnews.excite.com/article/201305 ... RDBO3.html

MOSCOW (AP) - A perfectly preserved woolly mammoth carcass with liquid blood has been found on a remote Arctic island, fueling hopes of cloning the Ice Age animal, Russian scientists said Thursday.

Hmmm.....

Hmmm indeed...they state that mammoth blood does not freeze...I guess it does not dry out either !

[Cognito]

Hmmm indeed...they state that mammoth blood does not freeze...I guess it does not dry out either !

The find is incredibly rare since there is little decomposition in parts of the female mammoth. When it was initially buried, it must have been partially frozen which would result in arrested bacterial activity. The article states that the investigating scientists believe there could be chemicals in mammoth blood that allow it to remain liquid below 0 degrees Celsius. I can do the same with vodka in my bloodstream!

The technology to clone mammoth genes has been around since the 80s - the problem has been a good source of genetic material. Looks like we could see a mammoth-elephant cross hybrid soon. A mammophant? An elephoth?

[Minimalist]

Dick Cheney will pay to shoot it.

[Ernie L]

Hmmm indeed...they state that mammoth blood does not freeze...I guess it does not dry out either !

The find is incredibly rare ....................

You have a talent for understatement

[Cognito]

You have a talent for understatement

Actually, I have a tremendous grasp of the obvious!

[MichelleH]

And now NatGeo weighs in:

A reality check on a new find out of Russia and hopes for species revival

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news ... xtinction/

[kbs2244]

"It's irresponsible to put limited conservation dollars into bringing an Ice Age species into a warming world where dozens of elephants have been slaughtered just this year for their ivory,"

I guess she didn't get any of the study grant money.


And she has not been keeping up on her climate news.

http://www.winningreen.com/site/epage/59549_621.htm