At Sea in the Mediterranean
After several very full days, we were ready for some relaxation time at sea. A strong breeze on our starboard aft helped to push us along at a brisk 15 plus knots.
Jim Kelley gave a presentation intriguingly entitled The Mediterranean Sea: Bimbo of the Oceans, She’s beautiful but not too productive. Though the Mediterranean is lovely to look at and grand to sail across, it is essentially a biological desert. Productivity is very low except for a few locations, such as around the mouths of rivers bringing in nutrients. The Nile River was once a major provider of nutrients for the Mediterranean; but since the completion of the Aswan High Dam in 1970, those important nutrients are now collecting in the artificial Lake Nasser. Commercial fishing in the Med is limited to mostly small scale operations, and even these are in peril as resources continue to be depleted.
Later in the morning Marilyn McAfee gave us more insight into her career as an ambassador and the making of US foreign policy.
After a little afternoon siesta, historians Bob Hohlfelder and Robyn Woodward entertained us with pirate stories – both real and reel – the major conclusion being that one person's pirate is another's privateer.
Just before dinner, we arrived at the entrance to the Port Mahon harbor under threatening, overcast skies. However, our spirits were brightened when it was announced that tonight was a special Filipino buffet.
After several very full days, we were ready for some relaxation time at sea. A strong breeze on our starboard aft helped to push us along at a brisk 15 plus knots.
Jim Kelley gave a presentation intriguingly entitled The Mediterranean Sea: Bimbo of the Oceans, She’s beautiful but not too productive. Though the Mediterranean is lovely to look at and grand to sail across, it is essentially a biological desert. Productivity is very low except for a few locations, such as around the mouths of rivers bringing in nutrients. The Nile River was once a major provider of nutrients for the Mediterranean; but since the completion of the Aswan High Dam in 1970, those important nutrients are now collecting in the artificial Lake Nasser. Commercial fishing in the Med is limited to mostly small scale operations, and even these are in peril as resources continue to be depleted.
Later in the morning Marilyn McAfee gave us more insight into her career as an ambassador and the making of US foreign policy.
After a little afternoon siesta, historians Bob Hohlfelder and Robyn Woodward entertained us with pirate stories – both real and reel – the major conclusion being that one person's pirate is another's privateer.
Just before dinner, we arrived at the entrance to the Port Mahon harbor under threatening, overcast skies. However, our spirits were brightened when it was announced that tonight was a special Filipino buffet.
