Caribbean Compass Yachting Magazine February 2015

— Continued from previous page
SPECIAL MENTIONS
The judges made special mention of the efforts of the following groups:
Hope Town Primary School, The Bahamas, whose description of their efforts to
rehabilitate eroded sand dunes was highly commended.
Escuela Primaria Giraldo Aponte Fonseca, Cuba, whose description of the changes
at Sierra Mar beach was outstanding.
Brooks Hill Bilingual School, San Andres, Colombia, whose photos and description
clearly illustrated the serious issues at Sound Bay.
Nguyen Thi Minh Khai GHS, (Class 12A9) Vietnam, whose interview with residents
at Mo O beach highlighted the human aspects of the changes.
And finally a special mention and “thank-you” to one individual, Delia Vera
Medina, Coordinator of the UNESCO Associated Schools Project network in Cuba.
Her outstanding efforts resulted in Cuba submitting the highest number of entries
to the competition.
Visit www.sandwatch.org
for more information.
FEBRUARY 2015 CARIBBEAN COMPASS PAGE 12
MERIDIAN PASSAGE
OF THE MOON
FEBRUARY & MARCH 2015
Crossing the channels between Caribbean islands with a favorable tide will
make your passage faster and more comfortable. The table below, courtesy Don
Street, author of Street’s Guides and compiler of Imray-Iolaire charts, which
shows the time of the meridian passage (or zenith) of the moon for this AND next
month, will help you calculate the tides.
Water, Don explains, generally tries to run toward the moon. The tide starts
running to the east soon after moonrise, continues to run east until about an
hour after the moon reaches its zenith (see TIME below) and then runs westward.
From just after the moon’s setting to just after its nadir, the tide runs eastward;
and from just after its nadir to soon after its rising, the tide runs westward; i.e.
the tide floods from west to east. Times given are local.
Note: the maximum tide is 3 or 4 days after the new and full moons.
For more information, see “Tides and Currents” on the back of all Imray Iolaire
charts. Fair tides!
DATE TIME
February 2015
DATE TIME
1 2238
2 2325
3 0000 (full moon)
4 0011
5 0055
6 0138
7 0220
8 0302
9 0345
10 0429
11 0515
12 0603
13 0655
14 0749
15 0845
16 0944
17 1043
18 1141
19 1239
20 1335
21 1430
22 1524
23 1618
24 1711
25 1804
26 1855
27 1946
28 2035
March 2015
1 2112
2 2208
3 2253
4 2326
5 0000 (full moon)
6 0019
7 0101
8 0144
9 0227
10 0312
11 0359
12 0448
13 0540
14 0633
15 0729
16 0826
17 0921
18 1019
19 1116
20 1212
21 1308
22 1403
23 1459
24 1554
25 1647
26 1740
27 1831
28 1919
29 2009
30 2051
31 2134
A research crew heads to Catholic
Island in the Grenadines
V. WELLINGTON
Your Boat Can Be a Research Vessel
Imagine turning over a piece of wood and
finding a new species. That is the story of
the humble Union Island Gecko, which was
not known to science until a few years ago.
This reptile, found nowhere else in the
world except on this island, is one of many
endemic species found in the Grenadines.
Two non-profit organizations,
Environmental Protection in the Caribbean
(EPIC), based out of the US, and Science
Initiative for Environmental Conservation
and Education, based out of St. Vincent,
are leading a Biodiversity Assessment expedition
through the Grenadines to search for
other exciting finds. Over two weeks, a
team of experts will identify plants, reptiles and invertebrates such as insects on
several islands that are classified as Wildlife Reserves but lack on-the-ground protections.
The project goal is to not only add to scientific knowledge, but also raise
awareness of the value of biodiversity and Wildlife Reserves.
Last year, Vaughan Wellington of the sailboat Viking volunteered his yacht for
an expedition to search for invasive predators such as rats on uninhabited
Grenadine islands. Previous to that, the Lowries of the ketch Lista Light conducted
seabird surveys that resulted in the groundbreaking Seabird Breeding Atlas of
the Lesser Antilles.
The research team is now looking to partner with other cruising or charter boats
on this Biodiversity Assessment expedition in Spring 2015. Financial compensation
and/or tax deductions are available.
Interested parties may contact Natalia Collier, Executive Director of EPIC,
at ncollier@epicislands.org
Humpback Tail Photos Wanted
As Jim Carrier reported in the August 2014 issue of Cruising World magazine: Just like
sailors, humpback whales head for the Caribbean Sea when the North Atlantic Ocean gets
cold and nasty. In the warm waters off the Dominican Republic and the Lesser Antilles,
they breed and loll around until their calves are born. Then they head back to chow down
all summer in the well-stocked whale refrigerator stretching from Maine to Norway.
In a new sailor-science program called CARIB Tails, federal researchers want to
exploit this convergence of boats and baleen. They’re asking cruisers to take photos of
humpback flukes — their tails — to help identify, track and conserve this magnificent
endangered animal.
Humpback flukes are like fingerprints. The pattern of white on black pigment on the
underside of the tail is unique to each individual. It was such a pattern, spotted on a
female nicknamed Salt, which established the 3,000-mile round-trip migratory pattern of
humpbacks from the Gulf of Maine to the Dominican Republic.
Salt was first spotted on the Stellwagen Bank off Maine, now part of a US federal
marine sanctuary, in 1976, the first year that commercial whale watching began there.
Salt has produced at least a dozen calves, which are now part of a Gulf of Maine summer
population estimated at 1,000.
There are approximately 14,000 humpbacks in the North Atlantic, thanks to an international
moratorium on commercial whaling since 1986. Living off krill and fish sieved
through their baleen,
the animals mingle
every winter in the
Caribbean, a process
that keeps the
Atlantic population
genetically diverse.
The largest breeding
and calving
ground is Silver Bank
and Samaná Bay in
the Dominican
Republic Marine
Mammal Sanctuary,
where 3,000 whales
congregate every winter.
“The whales are seen around the islands, mostly along the 100-fathom contour,” said
NOAA whale biologist Nathalie Ward from her office in Woods Hole, Massachusetts.
Pressures and threats on the animals include collisions with ships, illegal hunting,
toxins, motor noise, strandings, disease, military exercises, climate change, offshore
renewable energy developments, and loss of habitat and food. “Sailors taking fluke photos
can contribute to critical information that will provide safe passage for humpbacks
throughout their migratory path,” Ward said.
Since Jim’s article was written, Nathalie Ward tells Compass that thanks to the
efforts of sailors in the Caribbean who have sent in their photos to www.caribtails.
org, four new humpback whales were identified on 2014. While a breaching humpback
makes a spectacular photo, the fluke is the valuable research tool. Use a telephoto
lens, fill the viewfinder with the tail, and take several shots. Avoid glare or back
light. The ideal photo is the underside of the lifted tail as the whale dives, heading
away from you.
Humpbacks are curious but sailors are advised not to get closer than 100 yards.
If a whale approaches, drop sails and shut off your engine. Adults can be 40 feet long
and weigh 45 tons, but aren’t usually a threat.
Send your whale tail photos to www.caribtails.org to be part of this project.
Visit CARIB Tails at www.caribtails.org and the International Whaling Commission
at www.iwc.int for more photo tips and information on maneuvering around whales.