Disabled cruise ship delayed by rule of sea, tow drivers to blame

by Chris Owen on

A disabled cruise ship, the Costa Allegra, is now docked at Port Victoria, Mahé, in the Seychelles, and disembarkation of guests is under way. The ship spent an extra 10 to 12 hours at sea without electricity, air conditioning, or toilet facilities all due to the hesitation of a French fishing vessel. First to respond to the emergency, the French vessel delayed rescue showing more concern about securing their claim to tow fees. They refused to allow faster tugboats to take over.

Seychelles government official Joel Morgan told The Associated Press that Costa Allegra would have likely arrived in port Wednesday night local time if the tugs had been allowed to take over. Instead, the ship arrived mid-day Thursday.

“The Seychelles authorities are not happy about this situation and we would have wished to get the ship into port as soon as possible in order to ensure the safety and well-being of the passengers,” said Morgan, the Seychelles minister of home affairs, environment, transport and energy, in an interview with Newsday.

The French vessel was towing at 4 nautical miles per hour. The tugboats could have traveled at 6 to 7 nautical miles per hour.The director of France’s Regional Operational Center for Surveillance and Rescue said maritime rules allowed the French fishing vessel to continue with the towing job.

“We were in a rescue operation; the tuna boat arrived first. Then there are negotiations, as one can imagine,” said Nicolas Le Bianic, a French official, in Newsday. “Any assistance to people is free, not the case here,” he said. “Assistance to the boat, in contrast, is paid. That’s the rule of principle set by maritime texts.”

We suppose that makes sense and encourages other ships to respond in situations such as this. They know that if they get there first they get the tow. But it kind of sounds like an episode of TruTV’s “South Beach Tow” where tow truck operators battle to get to the scene of an auto accident first in order to earn the tow charge.

Different from an episode of “South Beach Tow,” though, passengers off the ship today will spend a week or two (their choice) at a luxury Seychelles resort, compliments of the cruise line. Passengers from an episode of “South Beach Tow” usually just get a bill.




Flickr photo by bugeaters

Video of the day: Hawaii longboarding, Big Island and Oahu

by Elizabeth Seward on

This Hawaii longboarding video, released by Original Skateboards, adds another piece of evidence to my ongoing case that skateboarding videos, as well as videos centered around outdoor activities, are one of the coolest ways to experience a travel destination through video. Although the destination itself isn’t often the focus of the shots in these videos, the destination is always there. And make no mistake, filmmakers producing videos like these take location largely into account and shoot accordingly. This video was filmed on Hawaii‘s Big Island and Oahu. From Mauna Kea to Kona, and from Waikiki to North Shore, this nearly 6 minute long video takes you through a journey that will show you gorgeous shots of Hawaii, even when they’re appearing in peripheral view. Enjoy.

Comedic team of ‘Portlandia’ set to create an off-beat Portland, Oregon, guidebook

by Jessica Festa on


Are you bored of the usual travel guidebooks aimed at everyday tourists? If you’re interested in Portland, Oregon, and would rather learn about funny, fictional places that could exist rather than the Oregon Zoo and the Portland Art Museum, you should put “PORTLANDIA: A Guide for Visitors” on your shopping list. Set to debut in November of 2012, the book is being created by the team who brought you the hit comedy series “Portlandia,” starring Carrie Brownstein and Fred Armisen, which takes you on an off-beat tour of Portland while poking fun at the city.

“It will be written like a Fodor’s or Lonely Planet guidebook, but full of fake, made-up, humorous stuff that could easily exist in a place like Portland, but doesn’t,” explains Ben Greenberg, the executive editor of Grand Central Publishing who will be producing the book. “Everything will be a bit off.”


To get an idea of the team’s humor and what to expect, check out the clip above from “Portlandia” on the Independent Film Channel (IFC).

Sofitel traveling exhibition features sexpot Brigitte Bardot

by Libby Zay on

Sofitel Luxury Hotels just launched a traveling photography exhibition that chronicles the rise to fame of Brigitte Bardot, a legendary French actress, singer, and model. The retrospective, which is the first in North America to feature the international icon and sex symbol, will showcase 30 exclusive photographs of Bardot. Called “BB Forever – Brigitte Bardot, The Legend,” the exhibition starts a yearlong run at Sofitel Los Angeles before it continues to Chicago, Washington D.C., and New York.

It comes as no surprise that the chic chain of boutique hotels chose Bardot for the exhibition. The starlet not only popularized the bikini swimsuit, but also famously vacationed to both St. Tropez in France and Armação dos Búzios in Brazil, a town she is said to have “discovered” with her Brazilian boyfriend during the 1960s. The townspeople credit Bardot with skyrocketing Búzios to fame and have erected a statue in her honor that makes for a very popular stop for tourist photos (especially among males).

Dates for the traveling exhibition are as follows:

  • Sofitel Los Angeles: Through March 26, 2012
  • Sofitel Chicago Water Tower: April 19 through June 7, 2012
  • Sofitel Washington D.C. Lafayette Square: June 21 through September 13, 2012
  • Sofitel New York: September 26 through December 31, 2012

Image: Fight by Jacques Héripret (Courtesy Sofitel Luxury Hotels)

Road trip plans foiled by rising gas prices

by Chris Owen on

Just as spring and summer road trip plans are being made, gas prices are on the rise. That’s no big news, as we reported the same thing about this time last year. This year, though, gas prices are beginning their annual climb earlier than ever with potentially bad news on the horizon for road trippers making plans right now.

In an interview with the Buffalo News, Patrick DeHaan, a senior petroleum analyst for GasBuddy.com, said, “it’s pretty rough. One word can sum it up: ‘ouch.’ It’s going to be a nasty year for gas prices.”

GasBuddy reports gas prices around the United States, assesses what drives the price of fuel, and offers helpful tips on getting the best fuel economy. This week, Gas Buddy reports a national average of $3.63 per gallon of regular gas, with an average of $3.92 and a high of $4.19 in New York City. In Santa Barbara, California, the situation is worse with an average of $4.40, peaking to $4.79 at the highest station, well before road trip season gets going in full stride. The early rise in gas prices has motorists wondering why.

“This year, the price increases are really based on what’s happening in the world oil market, the crude market,” said Wally Smith, a vice president with AAA, explaining to the Buffalo News, “You get around $4, people really start adjusting driving behaviors.”

So what can we do to prepare for $5.00 per gallon gas?

Moneycrashers, an online source dedicated to developing a community of people who try to make financially sound decisions, suggests that those thinking about buying a car might consider a more fuel-efficient vehicle. At $3.00/gal the added expense of a green car makes owning one more for super eco-aware drivers. At $5.00/gal, the math works.

But saving in other areas to offset the price of fuel, often areas directly affected by the price of fuel itself, can help too. Homes heated by fuel oil will see an increase in costs so finding alternative ways to heat your home is a good idea.

Food will go up in price so we can save money by starting a home garden. Moneycrashers even suggests keeping chickens, starting a beehive, growing your own sprouts, or learning how to forage for nuts.

If that sounds a bit extreme, consider other methods to save on food like buying products in bulk, cooking more at home, and eating out less.

“Food prices really surged at the end of 2011, which isn’t good news to consumers,” said USDA food economist Richard Volpe, in Business Week. “Costs this year will rise as much as 4.5 percent for meat products and baked goods.”

All good reasons why cutting back in areas related and affected by rising fuel prices can leave room in the budget for a decent road trip. Online tools to help manage expenses and predict the price of a road trip are also available.

The website Cost2Drive built a galculator, a fun and easy tool to help travelers budget for road trips, because, as they put it, “the carefree days of jumping in the car with no regard to costs are long gone.”The easy-to-use online tool calculates the price of gas from point A to point B based on current gas prices along the way and even throws in carbon footprint data to consider.

So while we may not be able to do anything about the price of gas, we can control expenses in other areas, leaving room for road trip dreams to blossom.


Flickr photo by photopaige