Page 14: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (November 2014)

14 Maritime Reporter & Engineering News • NOVEMBER 2014

Donald L. Blount, founder of Donald

L. Blount and Associates, announced the publication of Performance by De- sign: Hydrodynamics for High-Speed

Vessels. “My intent has been to share the technical information, decision criteria, rules of thumb, and experiences which have helped me in making choices for developing marine craft intended to operate beyond displacement speeds,” said Blount. Although the primary au- dience for this book is undergraduate university students studying naval ar- chitecture and marine engineering, the content is designed to interest most de- signers working with high-speed craft.

The 342-page volume is comprised of ten chapters and several appendices.

According to Blount, “Chapter One is a reprise of my article “Original Speed,” (Professional BoatBuilder, June/July 2008) followed by nine chapters of my views of science, a few things I don’t understand, de? nitions of things on which no two naval architects will agree, design criteria which have been my friend, and guidance on design pro- cedures embracing technology.” During his 50-plus year career, he has designed numerous noteworthy vessels includ- ing the 67.7 m (222 ft) Destriero, which holds the non-refueled Atlantic cross- ing record, set in 1992 with an average speed of 53.1 knots.

NEWS & ANALYSIS 14

They said it ... “Bucky was a key player in (Hurricane) Sandy. While everyone else was at home worrying about family, he was in the Coast Guard headquarters on

Staten Island working with the Coast Guard, NOAA, and other agencies to make sure the harbor was operating as normal as quick as possible.” “There is a comradery at McAllister. Employees recognize the tremendous loyalty and obligation to carry on the family tradition. They treat employees like family, ‘We’re all in this together.’ I think Bucky is an integral part of de- veloping this comradery – he’s a roll-up the shirtsleeves, ‘I’m with you, let’s get this done,’ kind of guy.”

Edward J. Kelly, Executive Director, Maritime Association of the Port of NY &

NJ, commenting about the long-tenured and good relationship with

Buckley McAllister (pictured) president, McAllister Towing. “You cannot be profi table in this indus- try unless you are safe. You cannot be safe unless you train.”

Morton S. Bouchard, III speaking at the opening of the Boucha- rd Transportation Co. Inc. Tug & Barge

Simulation Center at SUNY Maritime. “This is the second successive year-on-year re- duction in operating costs. Crew costs were the only category of expenditure to show an increase over the 12-month period covered by the survey. This time it was a comparatively small rise for an industry which had seen increases of more than 20 percent at their peak.”

Richard Greiner, partner, Moore Stephens, in discus- sion the fi rm’s OpCost 2014 report which analyzes global ship operating cost trends. (Photo: Moor e Stephens)

You read it ...

The Reluctant Pirate

Performance by Design:

Hydrodynamics for High-Speed Vessels

John Guy’s newest effort, The Re- luctant Pirate, is an entertaining tale of modern day pirates and a primer on what really happens when today’s merchant ships are boarded and held for ransom, and more importantly, why. And un- like the better known movie (Captain

Phillips) that tackles a similar subject on the big screen, The Reluctant Pirate digs a bit deeper into the politics of to- day’s piracy business model, the play- ers involved (and their motivations) and reaches into the psyche of the Somali pirate himself.

At about 160 pages, The Reluctant Pi- rate is an easy read, but not because of its relatively short length. Fast moving and chock full of action, John Guy skill- fully moves us back and forth between

London, Norway, Somalia, Greece and out to sea on the waters in between.

That’s because while the (? ctional) book ultimately takes the reader through the machinations of what happens on board during a real incident, it also shows what forces – not all of them benevolent – can be at work elsewhere, once the vessel has been taken. As a mariner with more than a few years of sea service under my belt, I appreciated the accurate portrayal of what goes on at sea. The book is for sale on Amazon.com as a paperback ($8) and as a kindle e book ($3). – Joe Keefe

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