ALRIGHT, here’s something that’s got nothing to do with music.
I spent some part of this afternoon on board the MV Doulos.
Now, for those of you who still don’t know, the Doulos is a ship that’s like a floating book fair, travelling the world and bringing the wonderful world of literature to many people who don’t have the access to books. They also donate academic texts, etc, to communities in particular need. Since 1977, the ship has visited over 100 countries and has seen over 20 millions treadloveits gangplanks.
The reason why I’m writing about this is because Singapore is the last port-of-call for this vessel. Yup, apparently, it costs too much to keep this ship running (they intended to keep going until Sep 2010, but repairs and maintenance would cost 10 million euros) and so this ship will have to be scuttled or decommissioned or whatever it is they do to ships.
A picture mosaic of the MV Doulos made by the crew
It’s sad because it’s the world’s oldest ocean-going passenger ship, built in 1914. (That makes it 95 years old.) For some reason, it reminded me of the days of pirate radio, when DJs would be parked out in the middle of the ocean spreading the gospel of rock ‘n’ roll to those who would listen.
And I hate to see a good ship go to waste.
Here’s my plan: Get somebody with enough moolah – say the local government – to buy the ship. Repairs and such to make it seaworthy might be a bit much, so forget about that. Instead, turn this vessel in to a museum/gallery/art space/gig venue. Anchor it off Sentosa, where it can blast music to the beach or something. Do something, anything, to preserve this bit of global history.
Ah well, one can dream right?
At any rate, they have 500,000 books to go, and until Dec 26, there is a 25 per cent discount on all books, with special deals of up to 75 per cent off specific books. The book fair is open from 10am to 11pm (Mon to Sat) and 2 to 11pm (Sun).
The united nations of the Doulos, with 350 crew members from almost every continent in the world
As a tribute, here are my Top 20 songs about seafaring, ships and all things nautical.love
20. Land Ho by The Doors.
19. The Wild Wild Sea by Sting.
18. Ship Of Fools by Erasure.
17. If I Had A Boat by Lyle Lovett.
16. Orinoco Flow (Sail Away) by Enya.
15. Rock The Boat by The Hues Corporation.
14. Sink To The Bottom by Fountains Of Wayne.
13. Beyond The Sea by Bobby Darin.
12. Sailing by Christopher Cross.
11. Sloop John B by The Beach Boys.
10. Sailing by Rod Stewart.
9. The Crystal Ship by The Doors.
8. Son Of A Son Of A Sailor by Jimmy Buffet.
7. Sail On, Sailor by The Beach Boys.
6. Hang On Sloopy by The McCoys.
5. I’ll Sail This Ship Alone by The Beautiful South.
4. The Ship Song by Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds.
3. Seven Seas Of Rhye by Queen.
2. (Sittin’ On) The Dock Of The Bay by Otis Redding.
1. Wooden Ships by Crosby, Stills and Nash.
( Additional pix from www.mvdoulos.org )
More...
I spent some part of this afternoon on board the MV Doulos.
Now, for those of you who still don’t know, the Doulos is a ship that’s like a floating book fair, travelling the world and bringing the wonderful world of literature to many people who don’t have the access to books. They also donate academic texts, etc, to communities in particular need. Since 1977, the ship has visited over 100 countries and has seen over 20 millions treadloveits gangplanks.
The reason why I’m writing about this is because Singapore is the last port-of-call for this vessel. Yup, apparently, it costs too much to keep this ship running (they intended to keep going until Sep 2010, but repairs and maintenance would cost 10 million euros) and so this ship will have to be scuttled or decommissioned or whatever it is they do to ships.
A picture mosaic of the MV Doulos made by the crew
It’s sad because it’s the world’s oldest ocean-going passenger ship, built in 1914. (That makes it 95 years old.) For some reason, it reminded me of the days of pirate radio, when DJs would be parked out in the middle of the ocean spreading the gospel of rock ‘n’ roll to those who would listen.
And I hate to see a good ship go to waste.
Here’s my plan: Get somebody with enough moolah – say the local government – to buy the ship. Repairs and such to make it seaworthy might be a bit much, so forget about that. Instead, turn this vessel in to a museum/gallery/art space/gig venue. Anchor it off Sentosa, where it can blast music to the beach or something. Do something, anything, to preserve this bit of global history.
Ah well, one can dream right?
At any rate, they have 500,000 books to go, and until Dec 26, there is a 25 per cent discount on all books, with special deals of up to 75 per cent off specific books. The book fair is open from 10am to 11pm (Mon to Sat) and 2 to 11pm (Sun).
The united nations of the Doulos, with 350 crew members from almost every continent in the world
As a tribute, here are my Top 20 songs about seafaring, ships and all things nautical.love
20. Land Ho by The Doors.
19. The Wild Wild Sea by Sting.
18. Ship Of Fools by Erasure.
17. If I Had A Boat by Lyle Lovett.
16. Orinoco Flow (Sail Away) by Enya.
15. Rock The Boat by The Hues Corporation.
14. Sink To The Bottom by Fountains Of Wayne.
13. Beyond The Sea by Bobby Darin.
12. Sailing by Christopher Cross.
11. Sloop John B by The Beach Boys.
10. Sailing by Rod Stewart.
9. The Crystal Ship by The Doors.
8. Son Of A Son Of A Sailor by Jimmy Buffet.
7. Sail On, Sailor by The Beach Boys.
6. Hang On Sloopy by The McCoys.
5. I’ll Sail This Ship Alone by The Beautiful South.
4. The Ship Song by Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds.
3. Seven Seas Of Rhye by Queen.
2. (Sittin’ On) The Dock Of The Bay by Otis Redding.
1. Wooden Ships by Crosby, Stills and Nash.
( Additional pix from www.mvdoulos.org )
More...
