Comrade Willy
SchnoodleDoodle wholesome vibes
I’m still unironically on Team Orca here. Get sunk, scrubs.
Last I heard, they’re bored and rudders are fun to play with.
We need to give them some orca proof toys.
orca sinks yacht, we need to give them alternatives
Nah, I’m cool with them having the yachts
You’re thinking Bezos yachts, these are $50-200$k boats people use as homes to see the world, not rich people. The word yacht doesn’t mean wealth, it’s just not a common mode of transportation.
The word yacht doesn’t mean wealth,
Yes, yes it does. It doesn’t mean ‘billionaire,’ but these aren’t subsistence fishermen we’re talking about here.
It was a $128,000 yacht. If you don’t think people who can afford such a yacht are rich, you are one privileged person.
It was a $128,000 yacht. If you don’t think people who can afford such a yacht are rich, you are one privileged person.
You’d be surprised how many people own a $128,000 yacht INSTEAD of a more-than-$128,000 house.
(Of course, there are even more people who live aboard full-time on much-less-than-$128,000 yachts. For example, Sailing Uma probably have a bunch of money now 'cause they’re relatively successful Youtubers, but they started out spending only about $10k total (purchase + initial refit costs) for their 50-year-old, 36-foot boat. There’s an entire subculture of people doing basically nautical #vanlife, and they aren’t any richer than the homeless-by-conventional-standards people doing it on land.)
It’s a dream I considered many times. It can be cheaper* than land life.
I’ve met them, they fucked up someone else’s boat in the marina I was at, they didn’t offer to fix or help pay, they just bailed. They definitely fit into the asshole category, in my opinion.
TBH might have been a bunch of middle class retirees who sold the family home up in England for like 800k, bought something smaller for two to live in in Spain, and a small sailing boat. I don’t think about those people as “rich”.
Okay, but they are rich.
You’re literally attacking middle class people for having a small yacht.
Your concept of wealthy is really skewed.
“Middle class” and “small yacht.” Most middle class people can’t even afford a house. This is something that costs more than a luxury car.
Yea no one in the middle class can afford a house, a couple of cars and a small yacht.
It’s impossible without having billions in the bank!
Sorry, you think anyone under a billionaire is middle class?
deleted by creator
I can point you to a place but I need to define all four dimensions including time.
Where did it say it’s his home?
deleted by creator
But… you were the one who replied to me…
And it wasn’t his home as far as I know.
Well, a yacht is just a class of vessel. I think a lot of people are confusing them with LUXURY yachts which are way too big to be sunk by orchas.
Here’s one for sale, $59,000. I could actually buy this, I mean, yeah, it’s from freakin’ 1984… but still.
Yeah but don’t they all create a lot of harmful sound and disruption to marine life
I mean, no more so than other boats.
Sailboats are a thing too, you know…
Any reduction might still be beneficial to them, I doubt that’s part of their calculus. Boats so small they can drown it in a marina
These scientists say they don’t intend to sink the boats but they’re definitely doing it on porpoise.
Not to blow the joke, but I recently learned Orcas are in the dolphin family. I always thought they were porpoises myself
they’re definitely doing it on porpoise
Groan.
“Cause it’s fun.”
- Signed, the orca community
deleted by creator
A 29’ boat isn’t small, what kind of walk-in closet do you think people have? Your comment makes you seem really out of touch.
deleted by creator
A quick google suggests a single mast sailboat can be had for around $50K. Which is a lot of money for a hobby. But it’s insanely cheap if it’s your house.
But how much does it cost to keep it at a marina per year? And repairs and such?
Don’t worry not asking to prove you’re rich and need to be eaten or whatever. Wanna know how much money I need to be able to say “fuck it” and quit my job and live on a sailboat.
deleted by creator
Fascinating! Thanks for the impromptu AMA!
I couldn’t do half of the DIY stuff that you seem to put it. Just here to say that sounds damn impressive.
I guess you travel to follow warm weather? Or how is life in winter?
deleted by creator
I’m drowning in this text, I’d be dead inside a month.
deleted by creator
What do you do for work? Your costs are low, but they aren’t zero. I imagine it’s nearly impossible to get work if you have to go out to your boat every day or you don’t have reliable internet.
Also, is it possible to get/run AC on a boat your size? Florida sounds like hell without AC. I don’t think I could manage living there for long without it. I guess you can get in the water to cool off pretty easily though.
deleted by creator
deleted by creator
After 25 years in tech I’m starting to look for my “out”. I have a ton of experience with electrical (signals/rf too), plumbing, mechanical, woodworking, finishing, engines, etc There isn’t much I can’t fix. As far as nautical experience goes, I’m a novice but I recently went through a small boat certification course and planning on being a “trailer sailor” for a couple years or more to build up experience. I grew up near Charleston SC harbor, and I think the ocean is calling me back.
A couple of questions; how do you find work or how does work find you? Do you have a home base where your tools are located or are you doing these jobs in “random” ports you travel to? (You can message me if you don’t want to share your industry secrets publicly 😉 )
/edit Found your blog so I got some reading to do.
Awesome info. Thanks for the write up. Have always been curious about the economics.
thank you for sharing… learned a lot
Depends on the marina, one of my local ones charge $50 per foot a year, plus membership of ~$600-$700 yearly. But this is on a river with no ocean access, not sure how that would change things.
That’s actually very reasonable. Yeah I’m sure it’s way more money on like the French Riviera, but I don’t want to go to places like that.
I gotta learn how to sail tho haha.
deleted by creator
Dock fees generally range between $400-$800 a month, and that usually includes water and electricity. I think sewage is extra.
Best way to think about marinas is mobile home parks plus. Most folks there are just normals tryna get by on the cheap. Very occasionally you’ll get some landlord or HOA Karen type that thinks their shit doesn’t stink, but it always does.
Maintainence is the real killer for the wallet on a boat though. Mobile home units can’t sink, so maintaining the home isn’t as optional as it would be otherwise. You still get sea gypsies occasionally in floating wrecks anchored just off the docks, but that’s everywhere really.
Local classified right now has a 29 foot sloop with extra sails, recent bottom paint, and a 9hp outboard plus dinghy for $5700 CDN. It’s been up a while, you could bargain down, the seller seems motivated. It’s a 1978 boat so really skookum fiberglass on that.
A mooring buoy costs around $1500 to plop down but sometimes you can get one second hand for less. (Every Canadian is entitled by citizenship to a mooring buoy or two.)
An equivalent RV costs around $15k with nowhere to park.
People who assume that they are going to buy stuff new are just locked into a class-based mindset.
Yeah I’m too poor for a boat but I know a few people who live on them because they’re a cheap way to live a chill life. It’s very possible to be working class on s yacht, I’ve also known a few people who move and crew yachts so it’s very way for me to imagine the human tragedy these attacks can bring.
I hope we can devise a technology to keep people and marine life safe.
A 29’ boat isn’t going to have a 29’ liveable area.
First off, a boat narrows so much at the front that a 29’ boat is really closer to 25’ at best. Then it might be 10 feet wide, so you’re looking at about 250 square feet. Most of that is gonna be deck so cut that in half again if you want your living space to be out of the elements.
When you go under the deck you might think there would be plenty of room, but you need to have fuel, engine, generator, bilge, etc.
So in your remaining closet-sized space you need to be able to eat, sleep, cook, use the restroom, store your shit, entertain yourself, etc.
If they actually live on it instead of owning a house, I’d still not consider them part of the rich who should be eaten.
A 29’ boat is absolutely tiny to live on. The overwhelming majority is taken up by things the boat needs to be a boat
deleted by creator
But your back yard is infinite.
Boats are the original tiny home.
Around here you can buy a serviceable 29-foot sailboat for $5k, and a mooring buoy for $1k. It’s cheaper than a van by the river FFS.
People who live on sub-40-ft sailboats are usually just hanging in there. Source: that was nearly me before my fortunes changed slightly. Boats are underpriced because they are a lot of work.
My sister is a corporate executive. Her walk in closet is objectively larger than a 29-ft live aboard. Hell her ensuite bathroom is bigger than that and she lives in a duplex. You are lacking real world context I think.
It’s unfortunate that the orcas can’t tell the difference between rich assholes with yachts, and normal assholes with yachts.
I guess maybe staying out of their tiny part of the ocean while they’re using it is the only thing a person with a yacht can do.
Every yacht is a rich asshole yacht.
That’s not a fair generalization.
I own a house worth x amount of dollars, where “x” is average for a house in my area, and not even close to “rich” amount.
If I sold my house and put that same “x” amount towards a seafaring houseboat of equal value (including all expenses for owning an oceanic home), I’m still not rich.
If I sail that boat into the small, avoidable swimming grounds of an endangered species (only 50 members of this local group remain) and then whine when that species attacks my boat, then I’d be an asshole. But still not rich. Probably even further from it - since I’m sure insurance companies wouldn’t cover my stupidity.
Wait, what do you mean only 50 living members remain? A quick (admittedly too quick) Google search yields the number 50000, did you forget a “thousand”? Or is the situation even more dire?
My mistake, I misread the data. It’s 50 members of the locally protected group off the coast of Spain. I’ve corrected the text above.
Thanks for catching that.
That is still worrisome. Thank you!
For more context. This was a Oceanis 393. so about $100k boat. And it was in the Strait of Gibralter. Not the poorest area of the world.
deleted by creator
“your walk-in closet”
Lol your privilege is showing, tuck it back in
deleted by creator
do you mean to reply to a comment instead of the post? If yes, can you add a link to the comment for context?
deleted by creator
deleted by creator
I like the advice is basically
- Try to avoid them
- Try not to die
- Maybe try to take a photo for us while being attacked, we think they are neat
deleted by creator
“Orca Gang Activity: Crips v Bloods in the Deep Deep Sea”
deleted by creator
Just wait until Orcas get opposable flippers.
Yes Mr Sha, last name Moo, could you please sign on the dotted line? Next time you should think twice about swimming drunk.
The ability to manipulate objects isn’t really that useful underwater, I feel, apart from being an unprecedented adaptation on the flipper and almost definitely coming at the cost of efficiency while swimming. Everything you want to mess around with as an orca can be transported with your mouth.
Now, sonar loud enough to shatter human rib cages, that’s what’s going to be the next big step.
Sounds like something octopi would say.
I, for one, welcome our new orca overlords!
Because they know that if they kill anyone rich enough to afford a boat that some jackass will kill them back. So they keep it to property damage.
Shh, nobody tell the orcas how many humans get killed/ruined to protect property.
They’re based
saved a click
Answer: because they are fucking based
Did they eat the rich? 🤑 Otherwise the plan is going swimmingly.
Nature is healing.
I wonder how practical it’d be to have an underwater sound emitter to repel one. The use of sonar gets sometimes criticized for its impact on whales. You’d think that you could take advantage of that.
kagis
Probably not powerful enough. Looks like military sonar pulls down a lot of power:
The first ship I was on used a sonar system from the ‘60s. The system used the maximum amount of power, just short of causing the transducer (an underwater combination speaker and microphone) array to cavitate (boil the water). As you go deeper, it takes more power to cavitate, so submarine sonars were even more powerful (but seldom used, to keep from advertising their location). Our system used 288,000 watts (A powerful home stereo may use 250 watts, so this is like 1000 home stereos all going at the same time!) When the power supply for the amplifiers malfunctioned, it often erupted fireballs across the room (Our Division Officer was so frightened, after seeing one, that he refused to enter the room, or even come down the stairs to the room’s door!). In addition, besides the raw power, the signal can be electronically focused to go in a single direction, much like the powerful spotlights used for advertising (car dealerships, for example). This makes the signal strong enough, that you can bounce it off the bottom of the ocean and detect a submarine more than 40 miles away.
The sound is so loud, that you can hear it IN THE AIR while near a pier, when the ship was over 1,000 feet away (several city blocks). For a nearby diver in the water, it would extremely painful. In Vietnam, the ships in-port would run their sonars 24 hours a day, to keep enemy divers away from the ships.
Inside the ship, you could hear it, no matter where you were below decks, even in noisy places. Most of the crew hated it. Sometimes, we (the sonarmen) would light-off the system, with the most powerful beam pointed at the rest of the ship, at 6:00 AM for Reveille (“Damned %&$ sonarmen! *%#$%^%$!!!”).
I think we should use AI to decifer their language and send them messages saying, “Chill bro! I’m just passing through.” We’ll probably get a response going something like, “You in the wrong neighborhood boy!”
“Get off my lawn!”
“YU WOT MATE??!?!?”
I think the answer to this question is in their name tbh. Should have named them Panda Whales instead.
Tell me you know nothing about pandas
pandas
Ugh those fucking fickle hostile, always pooping, weird extra thumb having, sexless weirdos.
I think I know too much about Pandas, and it makes me want nothing to do with their conservation.
These scientists have never heard that “revenge is a dish best served cold”.
