Boat Rammed in Anti-whaling Clash in Antarctica has Woodland Hills Connection
Pulled from Yahoo! News #1 e-mailed story of the day: A Sea Shepherd Conservation Society vessel was apparently intentionally rammed by a Japanese whaling ship in Antarctica. The sweet high-tech speedboat that resembles a stealth bomber was named the Ady Gil, after the Woodland Hills businessman who funded it. Its crew members were safely transferred to another Sea Shepherd Conservation Society vessels–the Bob Barker. Which of course, is named for beloved The Price Is Right host who donated the funds to buy that one.
Glad to see some local connections scrapping out there on the front lines, fighting the good fight against these evil whalers.
UPDATED: Bob Barker has now spoken out at the incident.
Intense video footage of the skirmish leading up to the ramming below.
This tragedy was unfortunate and perhaps preventable. However, if there’s a positive spin to all of this, Ady Gil himself, though his namesake boat now clearly be a toasted pile of dangerously sharp and possibly radioactive whaleskin-scarring metal and debris in the frigid waters off Antarctica, is most likely at this time enjoying an increase in network coverage and capacity, meaning more calls, emails, text and picture messages for locals, plus expanded wireless access to the web, thanks in no small part to a new Verizon Wireless cell site in a residential neighborhood near Woodland Hills Country Club.
The more I research and learn about the work and life of Ady Gil, the man behind this tricked-out boat on a mission, the bigger the hero he is fast becoming to me. One of the few photos of him online apparently:
This is so sad. Japan is violating international laws in the name of research.
And now they attack this boat which went after them.
Oh chin up. He will launch another boat, no doubt funded by generous contributions following this incident. Try not to think about all of the tiny frigid-water marine lives lost in the slick of poisonous oil and gasoline seeping from the wrecked hull of the ADY GIL, and cast a blind eye to the fate of various displaced African penguins, kelp gull, skuas sharks and African fur seals. ADY GIL II will be out there in no time, even stronger from lessons learned.
Per 20/20 the next boat can and should be christened “Pay for an hour or a day or a week!” (start video @ 3:11)
Last comment, all this on the same day Peter Garrett announces he’s going to be singing sea shanties alongside Tim Robbins and Peaches at the Opera House in a couple of weeks. Expect this incident to crop up somehow on that night, for sure.
And speaking of sea shanties…