Travel
VIDEO: Norwegian Star rescues the crew of the sailboat Avenir
Jul 1st
So I had a pretty interesting honeymoon trip to Bermuda last week.
On Tuesday the 26th of June, Captain Kenneth Harstrom of the Norwegian Star informed the cruise ship passengers that a distress call had come in from a sailboat carrying six passengers, and that the ship would be turning around and heading towards the vessel.
The sailboat Avenir was returning to Newport, Rhode Island after completing the Newport to Bermuda sailing race when it’s rudder broke, leaving it adrift in the middle of the very rough Atlantic Ocean.
We arrived near the Avenir around 12:15pm and the ship’s crew began it’s rescue mission. Lucky for me I was right near a window with a front row view (Thanks to my wife who was hitting up the slots at the casino. Thanks babe!)
The Norwegian Star crew did a fantastic job reaching the sailboat and successfully getting all 6 passengers safely off the Avenir and on board the Star.
Check out my video of some of the rescue below.
Norwegian Star Crew saves sailboat Avenir
Another story about divers being left behind. When will it end?
Oct 5th
Why does it seem like there is at least one story every year of divers being left behind by charter boats? How the hell does this happen? Aren’t they required by law to do some sort of roll call before picking up the anchor and heading home?
Luckily for divers Paul Kline and Fernando Garcia Puerta they were able to swim to a small buoy and hold on until a private yacht spotted them and took them to safety. Kline called the situation a close call and said, “If the night had fallen, the situation would have turned into panic.”
If you have seen the 2003 film “Open Water”, then you know exactly what he is talking about. Scary shit.
This is why I do not scuba dive, in fact I do not even go in the ocean.
I really think the scuba community needs to get together and come up with some better regulations regarding head counts of divers. This should never happen.
VIDEO: Want to see the future of space flight?
May 19th
Richard Branson is f’ing awesome.
Virgin Galactic has begun “feathered” test flights of it’s incredible SpaceShipTwo, that will begin shuttling passengers into space in just about a year.
The first test went as planned and showed how the space ship will re-enter the atmosphere and land. The only thing they have not tested yet is the actual rocket launch; that will come in 2012.
So if you have $200,000 just laying around you can join the list of hundreds of people who are already booked for a flight into space.
Pretty darn cool.
Would you pay $500,000 to go into space?
Apr 26th
According to a new study, space tourism could be a $100 Billion dollar industry if they could just figure out a way to get the darn price down.
As of now you need to shell out upwards of $20 million dollars to have the privilege of being thrust into space on a giant rocket. In the near future though the price might be closer to $500,000 dollars, which will open the opportunity to many more potential space tourists.
The study found that with this influx of potential customers, the industry could boom within a ten year period after start-up. To achieve this goal, the cost of getting people into orbit also needs to go down dramatically. There are a number of companies that are trying to accomplish this with new space ships that are currently either being designed or, in some cases, in production.
This should be very interesting to watch. We might have Paris Hilton in space in no time!
Awesome timelapse video of a flight from San Fran to Paris
Apr 13th
I hate flying but this timelapse video of a flight from San Francisco to Paris is awesome. The coolest part is when the plane makes its way over the north pole and you can see the aurora borealis.
I am very surprised that Air France allowed the photographer to use his Canon 5D Mark II digital SLR camera during the entire flight, considering that the tripod he used is rather large.
Pretty cool.
Portugal is the new low cost European destination
Apr 12th
Thanks to an economic crisis that is worse than ours, the lovely Portugal is now one of the best budget vacation deals in Europe. You can stay at a 4 star luxury hotel in Lisbon for just $100 dollars (€75 Euros) a night!! Most of the hotels are even much cheaper than that.
You can travel all over the country by train for not much more than $30 bucks, and the country has tons of great cities for sightseeing. Plus, don’t forget about the beaches.
So if you feel like going to Europe and pretending to be king but don’t want to shell out the big bucks, then Portugal is the place for you.
Thank you failing Portuguese Government, you’ve added a destination to the bargain hunters World tour.
You can now visit Chernobyl on a “disaster tour”
Apr 11th
25 years after one of the worst nuclear disasters in history, the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Station is now open to tourists. The Ukrainian government is now running tours of the deserted area surrounding the nuclear facility and has noticed a jump in reservations since the start of the Fukushima Daiichi disaster in Japan.
The tours are not without danger though. Guests are told not to touch any of the structures or vegetation, and are not permitted to sit on the ground. You must also be checked for any radiation when you return to Kiev after the tour.
Is this the future that the twelve miles surrounding the Japanese plant will face?
I think this is one vacation I will pass on, thanks but no thanks.
Don’t take a 4 month honeymoon. Couple survives 5 natural disasters.
Apr 5th
Stefan and Erika Svanstrom of Stockholm, Sweden decided it would be a good idea to take a 4 month honeymoon. (4 MONTHS!!!! What is wrong with Europeans?)
That 4 month honeymoon turned into a nightmare. The couple, who also brought their newborn baby on the trip (seriously?), had to endure a blizzard in Germany, a cyclone, fire and flooding in Australia, and earthquakes in New Zealand and Japan!
At what point do you determine that nature is telling you that a 4 month honeymoon is not normal and that you need to go home?
Things Rich People, Who Don’t Work, Shouldn’t Be Allowed To Do: #1
Apr 4th
We are going to start a new daily post here on ZACHISGOD.COM, that we like to call…….
THINGS RICH PEOPLE, WHO DON’T WORK, SHOULDN’T BE ALLOWED TO DO.
#1: Rich people, who don’t work, shouldn’t be allowed to call trips that they take “vacations”.
Libya’s ceasefire leads to lower oil prices (UPDATE: Ceasefire is Over)
Mar 18th
After being threatened with possible air strikes by the United Nations, Libya’s government has announced a ceasefire and a halt to all military actions. The UN had announced, prior to the ceasefire, that British and French planes may begin bombing Libyan forces as early as today in order to protect the rebel army.
This is good news for oil prices. The price of oil has already dropped almost $4 dollars since the announcement was made.
Phew, sounds like this might be over for the time being.
Summer is coming up, I need cheap gas.
UPDATE: Yeah, Libya changed it’s mind. The UN is attacking Libyan forces now. Damn, gas will go up Monday.
Love the pic in the background.