Tuesday, March 9, 2010

Apology from Dave

Back on the 15th of February I posted a program summary on the Sailor Sam story Linda and the Smugglers. At that time I was permitting comments. Someone posted a negative comment and I allowed that comment to stay up. I did not realize at the time exactly what this person was saying. I have been mulling over those negative comments and have decided that this person was attempting to complain about the radio station he was listening to, and I assume that was Harbour Light Radio. I have since decided to moderate comments.
Am trying to share the Good News of Christ and living the Christian life as we enjoy the adventures of Sailor Sam and the crew of the Porpoise. I will no longer allow the kind of negative comments that I shared on that February post.
I apologize to all of you for allowing that gentleman's negative comments. I apologize especially to Harbour Light for hurting their reputation by permitting those comments. Harbour Light is a marvelous Christian group who is sharing God's word and offering fine Christian entertainment such as Sailor Sam. And Randy of Harbour Light has gone far out of his way to give me much of the Sailor Sam information on this web site.
I also apologize to all of you if you were in any way offended by those negative comments from February.
I ask your forgiveness for not showing more discretion when I didn't understand the intent of a post. I promise to post only positive comments connected to better enjoyment of Sailor Sam adventures from now on.

Dave

Sunday, March 7, 2010

Mystery Waters Solution

Let me answer the second part of the riddle first.
Yes, there is a sea without shores. This sea is nearly 3/4 as big as the Mediterranean Sea, roughly 2000 statute miles long and 700 statute miles wide. It is between 70 degrees W longitude and 40 degrees W longitude and between 25 degrees N latitude and 35 degrees N latitude. If you have a world map or a globe handy, you will see that those coordinates put you in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. But just as our country is one nation, it is made up of a group of states. So also the Atlantic is one ocean, but it is made up of several very distinct bodies of water. There are currents flowing in the Atlantic. These currents form a ring around the perimeter of the northern half of the Atlantic. These currents flow around a relatively still zone of the North Atlantic.
Sam is taking the Porpoise from the tip of Florida, where it is docked right now, to the middle of the North Atlantic Ocean to the only sea on earth without any shores, the Sargasso Sea. Bermuda sits in the northeastern corner of this sea. It is also bounded roughly by the West Indies and the Azores.
The Sargasso Sea is a huge pool of quiet water. Part of the reason for this is that the area is in the horse latitudes where the winds are often light or calm. Because this water is so quiet it is very clear. Visibility is roughly 200 feet or more. Seaweed grows in huge thick mats over much of the entire sea. These mats of weed offer good protection from many predators. That makes the mats great places for European and American eel larvae to hatch. Loggerhead sea turtles hide in the mats until maturity. A wide range of microbes also call the Sargasso home.
Not only sea weed but garbage collects in the Sargasso's still waters. A huge amount of non-biodegradable plastic now floats among the weeds (possibly forever).
Sam is going to the Sargasso to allow Buddy and Nancy to study the plant and animal life of this unusual body of water.
To get to the Sargasso Sea, Sam will follow the answer to the first part of this riddle, the river without banks, The Gulf Stream. The Gulf Stream is a very large warm and powerful Atlantic current that starts in the Gulf of Mexico, exists through the Strait of Florida, and then follows the east coast of the US and Newfoundland. The stream actually speeds up as it moves northward along North America. It has a flow of 30 million cubic meters of water per second at the tip of Florida and up to 150 million cubic meters of water near Newfoundland. All the rivers in North America that flow into the Atlantic only contribute 0.6 million cubic meters of water per second. This is not a straight-line flow. The Gulf Stream winds and bends on its journey north. And without banks to hold it in place, the stream's current is free to move about like a slow-motion version of a flag rippling in the wind.
The Gulf Stream is also wide, 62 miles wide on average and from 2,600 to 3,900 feet deep. It travels on average at 5.6 miles per hour. The mighty Mississippi has nothing on the Gulf Stream.
The Gulf Stream current splits at roughly 30 degrees west by 40 degrees north. One leg of the split crosses to northern Europe and is called the North Atlantic drift. The drift warms the coastal regions of Europe and even spawns cyclones in its waters and in the air over those waters. The other leg of the split recirculates past North Africa.
The warm Gulf Stream current affects climate from Florida to Newfoundland to western Europe. But the Gulf Stream itself is affected by the environment. Winds cool the stream through evaporation and direct cooling. The stream waters become denser and saltier as they cool. These colder waters eventually begin to sink like a lava lamp. These colder, sunken waters become part of the North Atlantic Deep Water current which moves south through the Atlantic.
Sam and the crew should have a fascinating time travelling these waters within waters.

Saturday, March 6, 2010

Mystery Waters Riddle

Sailor Sam has a riddle for you to ponder. The answer to the riddle is the key to a little adventure Sam has planned for the crew of the Porpoise, especially the kids. Here is the riddle:

Is there a river without any banks and a sea without any shores?

We'll have the answer to this riddle right here on the Sailor Sam page on Blogger tomorrow Sunday, March 7, 2010.

Monday, February 15, 2010

SS-24 Linda and the Smugglers

SS-24 “Linda and the Smugglers”

Sailor Sam and crew have gone undercover to catch some smugglers. The once sleek Porpoise looks like an old fishing yawl. What kind of smugglers is Sailor Sam up against--those who traffic in people! Mr. Baker and his Indian employee have just figured it out that Sam Stone is on their trail, and It is beginning to look as though there will be a sea battle before it is all over. You won't want to miss the exciting conclusion to this story.

Saturday, February 13, 2010

What is a schooner?

Sailor Sam's ship The Porpoise is described as a 90-foot long schooner. What is a schooner anyhow? A schooner is a ship with at least two masts, the rear mast being taller or the same height as the other masts. The rear mast supports the main sail. A smaller sail called a foresail would ride on the front mast. From what I have read, I am guessing that a 90-foot ship such as The Porpoise would have just the two masts.
Here are three sites where you can get a good look at various schooners and also get some very interesting information on these ships:
Schooner Man
http://www.schoonerman.com/
Schooner Adventure
http://www.schooner-adventure.org/
American Schooner Association
http://www.amschooner.org/

SS-09 Noises in the Night

SS-09 “Noises in the Night” (8 episodes)
Sam is invited to be the key-note speaker at the Bible school's missions conference. All the crew join him at the school for a week of great preaching and fellowship until they began hearing noises in the night. The earth is moving! A crevasse opens up on main street wide enough to swallow a truck. Sam and Olie descend into its depths to determine what can be done about the danger but death awaits them. All hope is lost, a memorial service is held and then a miracle! Tune in and listen to this nail-biting adventure!

Sunday, February 7, 2010

SS-36 Cubmarine

Sam and the crew sail into the Lesser Antilles of the Caribbean to study the Green Sea Turtle but soon discover a “turtle” much larger than they ever dreamed! This “turtle” turns out to be a “cubmarine” which launches them on a new adventure. Where did it come from? Is there anyone inside – dead or alive? Tune in and enjoy this short adventure as Sam and the crew explore a modern marine marvel in the aqua-blue waters of the Windward Islands.