"Shaun Van Poecke" wrote
Ive read a few accounts, mainly from around 1900, of people using oil to calm the seas.
Has anyone ever seen or heard of this being done in modern times? I really cant understand the logic behind it or see
what it would to so calm seas.... any enlightenment welcomed ;-)

They made it illegal in the United States. You can't have even a sheen on the water without
violating some law. That being said, it doesn't work anyway. It's an old salt urban legend. You
can see for yourself it doesn't work. Next time it's really windy and there's a lot of fetch and
there are giant seas built up put some oil out. Plain old diesel fuel works just fine. You'll see
all it does is remove the small ripples and feathering on the surface. It does nothing to reduce
the overall size of the waves. It's a local surface effect only.
It's just another example showing people don't think things out for themselves. They'd
rather listen to stuff that makes no sense at all. Duh!

Cheers,
Ellen

Cheers,
Ellen

On Thu, 4 Jan 2007 11:24:19 -0500, Ellen MacArthur wrote
(in article ews.net):


"Shaun Van Poecke" wrote
Ive read a few accounts, mainly from around 1900, of people using oil to
calm the seas.
Has anyone ever seen or heard of this being done in modern times? I really
cant understand the logic behind it or see
what it would to so calm seas.... any enlightenment welcomed ;-)

They made it illegal in the United States. You can't have even a sheen
on the water without
violating some law. That being said, it doesn't work anyway. It's an old salt

urban legend. You
can see for yourself it doesn't work. Next time it's really windy and there's

a lot of fetch and
there are giant seas built up put some oil out. Plain old diesel fuel works
just fine. You'll see
all it does is remove the small ripples and feathering on the surface. It
does nothing to reduce
the overall size of the waves. It's a local surface effect only.
It's just another example showing people don't think things out for
themselves. They'd
rather listen to stuff that makes no sense at all. Duh!

Cheers,
Ellen

Cheers,
Ellen



Actually it does work. We are not talking about pouring oil over the side by
the gallon either. When I fished commercially there where times, because we
were at sea for weeks at a time, that we ended up in adverse weather.
Although this is not something that was done to intentionally stop waves from
breaking there was that occasional bilge letting that would give the same
result. The boat adrift generally outpaced the slick and we would observe a
noticeable difference of a lack of peaks inside the slick. The other times I
have observed the same effect where as a kid working on my dads boat and
chumming with ground up bunkers for bluefish. The fish oil was always nice
and smooth regardless of the surrounding areas.

--
Mundo, The Captain who is a bully and an ass

"Mundo" wrote

Actually it does work.

Your wrong. It doesn't work to calm the seas. What's the definition of "Seas"?
They are large waves. Oil can do nothing about calming large waves. Oil only calms the
surface of large waves. The large wave under the surface remains the same.
Oil reduces spray from the wind is all. Duh! Use your head you bully and an ass....

Cheers,
Ellen

On Thu, 4 Jan 2007 17:12:04 -0500, Ellen MacArthur wrote
(in article ews.net):


"Mundo" wrote

Actually it does work.

Your wrong. It doesn't work to calm the seas. What's the definition of
"Seas"?
They are large waves. Oil can do nothing about calming large waves. Oil only
calms the
surface of large waves. The large wave under the surface remains the same.
Oil reduces spray from the wind is all. Duh! Use your head you bully and

an ass....

Cheers,
Ellen



When actually working under those conditions you will appreciate the lack of
spray from the cresting waves. There are those that teach and those that do.
I suggest you start doing and stop teaching. You might learn somethin' mam'

--
Mundo, The Captain who is a bully and an ass

"Ellen MacArthur" wrote
Your wrong. It doesn't work to calm the seas. What's the definition of
"Seas"?
They are large waves. Oil can do nothing about calming large waves. Oil only
calms the
surface of large waves.


Mundo wrote:
When actually working under those conditions you will appreciate the lack of
spray from the cresting waves. There are those that teach and those that do.
I suggest you start doing and stop teaching. You might learn somethin' mam'


Well let's see... on the one hand, we have a fake usenet 'personality'
quoting various BS to claim that an oil slick only "calms the surface
of large waves" and this is worthless. OTOH we have people who have
been there, done that, and say it works.

What a dilemma, whom should we believe????

"In theory, there is no difference between theroy & practice. In
practice, there is."

-signed- Injun Ear (formerly known as Eagle Eye)

wrote
What a dilemma, whom should we believe????

You should believe me. I'm talking about facts. I give links to facts.
Other people are talking about some old sailor's tales. Nobody here
alive has even used oil to calm the seas. They all just repeat gossip. They
think gossip is Gospel. Duh!
Sorry but ya'll need to lose the quaint sailor's tales and stick with the
facts. It's OK to repeat such foolishness in the name of old times sake but
don't buy into that nonsense like it's real for Heaven's sake. It's the same
as actually believing Slocum used an old alarm clock with no second hand
he boiled in oil as a chronometer. Can you say gullible?

Cheers,
Ellen

On Thu, 4 Jan 2007 19:46:46 -0500, Ellen MacArthur wrote
(in article ews.net):


wrote
What a dilemma, whom should we believe????

You should believe me. I'm talking about facts. I give links to facts.
Other people are talking about some old sailor's tales. Nobody here
alive has even used oil to calm the seas. They all just repeat gossip. They
think gossip is Gospel. Duh!
Sorry but ya'll need to lose the quaint sailor's tales and stick with
the
facts. It's OK to repeat such foolishness in the name of old times sake but
don't buy into that nonsense like it's real for Heaven's sake. It's the same
as actually believing Slocum used an old alarm clock with no second hand
he boiled in oil as a chronometer. Can you say gullible?

Cheers,
Ellen



Neil, you knucklehead,
Ive seen it work in a real working environment... Granted it was not
intentional but oil spread just the same and the result was a smooth
swell..Obviously it does not get rid of the swells but it keeps the wind from
blowing the crests over resulting in a rush of white water.

--
Mundo, The Captain who is a bully and an ass