Welcome to the very first thread for The Outlaw Ocean by Ian Urbina. If you haven’t yet got the book or are still in the first chapter, no problem, we’ll be reading this one for a few weeks and you can still weigh in about expectations now.
For next week, try to read up to the end of Chapter 5, which will take us to page 128.
As for this week, let’s talk first impressions and any hopes and expectations for the book. The first chapter told about how the Bob Barker ran down the Thunder in “the longest law enforcement chase in nautical history, even though it doesn’t involve law enforcement.” It was wild.
There’s still plenty of time to grab the book or invite a friend to join along, hop in whenever you can!
Never thought of the fact that oceans are vast spaces with little law and order enforcement. I was on the edge the whole first chapter and ended up reading the first 4. Dont worry I will not spoil them but it was sad to see how they made a clown out of the classy toothfish and called it yet another sea bass. Unrelated but I travel for work some and after reading the authors travels, I will no longer complain about my minor inconveniences.
I recently watched the documentary "Maiden" (highly recommend!!), and it really illuminated this first chapter in terms of the conditions this chase took place in. This chapter is another forcing me to re-think the role of more radical groups in bringing about change in the world. I tend to be uncomfortable with groups/people pushing boundaries; I'm beginning to think that I need to change that.
The other thing that really struck me was how highly improbable it was that the Thunder got brought to justice. We are talking millions of square miles of ocean, coniflicting maritime laws, lax national regulations, difficult to enforce treaties, payoffs and of course the ability of the Thunder to change it's identity. Captain Hammarstedt orchestrated a miracle at sea!
Okay, that took so will continue. I did not vote for this book nor for the Library book, and have been pleasantly surprised by both (so far). I am hoping that Outlaw touches on possible solutions for regulating deep waters. We need to be more willing to deal with these super-complicated problems. Space is another one. Now with so many companies/individuals willing to spend billions to bring commerce/research to the Moon and to Mars, we have to prepare ourselves to realize we can't just land on one of these bodies and decide that spot is ours. The UN has tried to regulate space, but that document was written years ago when it didn't look like any one person could call a piece of the Moon "home." So much of the chapter on Palau was about poverty, third-world poverty. It is horrifying to think that a taste for shark fin soup can deprive so many people of a decent and safe job.
As soon as I read Over the next 110 days, across more than 11,500 nautical miles, three oceans, and two seas, the cat-and-mouse pursuit of the Thunder would take Sea Shepherd's crew through an unforgiving obstacle course of stadium-sized ice sheets, a ferocious storm, violent clashes, and a near collusion I was hooked! It ended up being the most exciting Chapter of a book that I've ever read. It felt like a thrill ride that never ends.
So many books like this turn out to be dense and boring. Ian Urbina wove together the story of the pursuit of the Thunder in such a way that was gripping and progressed quickly yet included enough detail so the reader could picture the action. Looking forward to learning much more and seeing what the rest of the book has in store.
My first impressions of the book so far are very good. I feel like the author is doing a fantastic job of making the stories relatable and stirring emotions to become more involved and more cognizant of how maritime law (or the lack thereof) has such a vast global effect.
It was amazing to me how long the pursuit of the Thunder actually was, and the commitment it took from the crews to go on such a long journey. I wonder if the Sea Shepherd people knew that the Thunder would be scuttled if they might have taken a different approach because surely that has environmental consequences of its own.
Ooh, I wish I had known about the photos ahead of time. I am listening to Outlaw Ocean so don't have access to them. I probably will listen to all the books you/we choose. It would be nice to know ahead of time that the book has photos.
Started late and just finished Chapter 1. This is going to a fun ride.
The structure of the book as a series of essays should be interesting. Given that these tales were part of a NYT series I feel like these are going to be good long form NYT Magazine articles. A good thing.
The introduction on the Thai indentured servant fishing boat and the chase of the Thunder give me a sense of gloom already. I hope there are some bright spots ahead. Some out right good that isn’t all about undoing the bad acts of humans. (I can hope)
- The first chapter was riveting and I thought the story about Sea Shepard and how they originated is fascinating
- Urbina getting assistance from a ship that was probably trawling illegally was funny
- The fact that 20 pages in and we already have a minor mutiny gives me high hopes for the book
Never thought of the fact that oceans are vast spaces with little law and order enforcement. I was on the edge the whole first chapter and ended up reading the first 4. Dont worry I will not spoil them but it was sad to see how they made a clown out of the classy toothfish and called it yet another sea bass. Unrelated but I travel for work some and after reading the authors travels, I will no longer complain about my minor inconveniences.
I recently watched the documentary "Maiden" (highly recommend!!), and it really illuminated this first chapter in terms of the conditions this chase took place in. This chapter is another forcing me to re-think the role of more radical groups in bringing about change in the world. I tend to be uncomfortable with groups/people pushing boundaries; I'm beginning to think that I need to change that.
The other thing that really struck me was how highly improbable it was that the Thunder got brought to justice. We are talking millions of square miles of ocean, coniflicting maritime laws, lax national regulations, difficult to enforce treaties, payoffs and of course the ability of the Thunder to change it's identity. Captain Hammarstedt orchestrated a miracle at sea!
Okay, that took so will continue. I did not vote for this book nor for the Library book, and have been pleasantly surprised by both (so far). I am hoping that Outlaw touches on possible solutions for regulating deep waters. We need to be more willing to deal with these super-complicated problems. Space is another one. Now with so many companies/individuals willing to spend billions to bring commerce/research to the Moon and to Mars, we have to prepare ourselves to realize we can't just land on one of these bodies and decide that spot is ours. The UN has tried to regulate space, but that document was written years ago when it didn't look like any one person could call a piece of the Moon "home." So much of the chapter on Palau was about poverty, third-world poverty. It is horrifying to think that a taste for shark fin soup can deprive so many people of a decent and safe job.
As soon as I read Over the next 110 days, across more than 11,500 nautical miles, three oceans, and two seas, the cat-and-mouse pursuit of the Thunder would take Sea Shepherd's crew through an unforgiving obstacle course of stadium-sized ice sheets, a ferocious storm, violent clashes, and a near collusion I was hooked! It ended up being the most exciting Chapter of a book that I've ever read. It felt like a thrill ride that never ends.
So many books like this turn out to be dense and boring. Ian Urbina wove together the story of the pursuit of the Thunder in such a way that was gripping and progressed quickly yet included enough detail so the reader could picture the action. Looking forward to learning much more and seeing what the rest of the book has in store.
My first impressions of the book so far are very good. I feel like the author is doing a fantastic job of making the stories relatable and stirring emotions to become more involved and more cognizant of how maritime law (or the lack thereof) has such a vast global effect.
It was amazing to me how long the pursuit of the Thunder actually was, and the commitment it took from the crews to go on such a long journey. I wonder if the Sea Shepherd people knew that the Thunder would be scuttled if they might have taken a different approach because surely that has environmental consequences of its own.
Thank you! I should have thought of that myself.
Not exactly the same as the book photos, but the author's website on the project gives some context. https://www.theoutlawocean.com/reporting/
Ooh, I wish I had known about the photos ahead of time. I am listening to Outlaw Ocean so don't have access to them. I probably will listen to all the books you/we choose. It would be nice to know ahead of time that the book has photos.
Started late and just finished Chapter 1. This is going to a fun ride.
The structure of the book as a series of essays should be interesting. Given that these tales were part of a NYT series I feel like these are going to be good long form NYT Magazine articles. A good thing.
The introduction on the Thai indentured servant fishing boat and the chase of the Thunder give me a sense of gloom already. I hope there are some bright spots ahead. Some out right good that isn’t all about undoing the bad acts of humans. (I can hope)