Thank you for visiting sealegacy.com, a name symbolic of my professional service to the International Marine Industry. The year 2010, celebrates forty years since my first professional day onboard a Merchant Ship plying the waters of the North Atlantic, with an eager interest to learn the art of sea navigation. Since my early days of deep sea navigation, the world evolved into more complex marine structures and systems able to entertain the curious and technical mind for decades to come.
While
sealegacy.com presents a fair number of graphic material to satisfy a
curious mind searching for a source of technical wealth, it falls short of a
complete picture representative of all my endeavours as a professional
maritime consultant. Given my professional responsibility to preserve an
atmosphere of privacy and confidence to my clients, numerous projects are
kept from public presentation. Certainly, my past involvement with
State-Flag representation and consultancy together with matters of
international rules and regulations, involving ship owner and government
clients, formulate a forbidden source for public presentation, yet a great
source of information to impress potential client, showing my ability to
solve difficult problems. The preservation of honour and professional
integrity impose restrictions when business marketing shows a need of
exposure to potential clients.
Influenced by individuals of great honour and integrity, my career stayed
the course, bringing forth Mr. George Mason (ABS), Mr. Andrew Moore (BV) and
Captain Babur Ataman, all honourable members of the global maritime
community, as well as my ancestral grandfather, Alvaro Martins Homem, Knight
of the Order of Christ, serving the House of Prince Dom Henrique, the
Navigator; all exemplifying a wake of excellence with participation in a
global society pioneered by my grandfather, along with other Great
Navigators that formed the Era of Discoveries.
Furthermore, when
the topic of historical excellence emerges to accentuate truth and fairness
of individuality, it is with great pleasure that I assume the role of
researcher. A mannerism, perhaps a dedication that I acquired when Doctor
Luciano da Silva entered my life, with an attitude to bring to the surface
the overall contribution and truth about the Great Navigators emerging from
an empire of knowledge and discovery, Portugal my country of origin.
Reflective of an ancestry dating
back centuries, my birthplace the City of Angra do Heroísmo, Island of
Terceira, Açores, today a museum, selected by UNESCO as a world historical
site, preserves a collection of historical splendour emerging from the
reality of human behaviour dismissive of an artificial life seen in today’s
Western World. Within one of its cathedrals, the remains of several Great
navigators, rest in peace with a view overlooking the immense Atlantic
Ocean; Alvaro Martins Homem, Paulo da Gama, João Vaz Corte Real, and several
other men and women that plied the oceans of the world in times when no
other dared to navigate.
Purposely, my professional life
paralleled an intellectual curiosity to search and learn from the reality of
human behaviour, rather than adapt artificial doctrines designed to preserve
human decadence, so alive within the various political organizations and
masters of the current artificial world that mostly, robs an individual of
reality and truth. The world navigator has the unique gift to observe a
variety of cultures, with an understanding that political influence is
self-induced, rather than a natural influence acquired by observation. The
apparent perpetual drive to self destruct, exemplified by numerous world
conflicts, some I personally witnessed with no excuse to praise fellow
humans, leaves my intellectual curiosity at a stalemate when searching for
kindness from fellow humans. My Canadian Veteran status arises from Merchant
Navy service within theatres of war rather than an embrace of militarism, an
attitude that extends to my business practice where no military styled
projects occurred.
The struggle to
follow a maritime career conducive with a positive contribution to human
life, leaves me with reservations that mostly it is in vain, better, my
contributions helped create a center of greed and oppression, easily
identified by the unevenness of world wealth distribution.
Contemporary love for the computer influenced my career, with
an imagination that it was for the better of humankind, beginning with my
participation with the likes of William A. Plice III, the originator of GHS
and president of Creative Systems, Inc., a company that I helped reorganize
following the breakup from AutoShip. As Vice-President of Creative Systems,
Inc., my exposure to sophisticated software programming led to creations of
my own, involving ship operations and onboard stability software in
association with my old friend, Steven Hollister, president of Newave
Systems.
Without a doubt, the usage of a computer to accelerate human creations
accentuates an impressive intellectual breakthrough, yet with human
repercussions. The usage of computers for the production and guidance of
weapons and equipment of mass destruction is impressive, yet abusive when
significance to the purpose for human life enters the question, indicating a
determined desire to suffocate a peaceful coexistence with nature.
Today, in a direct contrast to my childhood years, dreaming
about a life at sea, I see our youth engulfing themselves in the modern
world of computerized gadgets and illegal drugs where dreams of adventure
and a natural coexistence are paralysed. Parents, supportive of the new
computerized era, insist that their children are an intellectual “cut above”
demonstrated by their dedication and ability to use computers. Instead,
failing to understand the development of artificial intelligence, an
adaptive and resultant of computer science, where the contemporary software
user is enticed to use the computer to the heights of addiction and
pervasion. Exposing children to this type of indoctrination is a deprivation
of intellectual and physical good health.
The construction of floating palaces to transport the wealthiest of
individuals to the likeness of an artificial god, created to satisfy human
decadence, entered my realm of professional naval architect with
institutionalized mannerism of race deprivation; those that have and those
that will never have. Whenever, a commonly recurring entertainment episode,
depicted within a variety of Hollywood styled cinema, showing a “food
fight”, it serves as a constant reminder of the many garbage compactors
placed onboard the modern floating palaces where the leftover food stock is
enough to feed a poor nation. Within cruise ship construction and
operations, food wastage insults the very nature of our soul, if one
actually exists.
A comparative analysis of
contemporary life with archived historical data, presents a realistic
outlook of human life and perhaps its intended purpose. With so many Western
cultures claiming a stressful existence, it is puzzling to witness
multitudes of people ignore historical lessons, and commit the same
horrendous mistakes, well depicted throughout history. The decadent nature
of the human being continues to manifest itself today, as in past centuries,
yet with a greater power to destroy. The preservation of the intellectually
corrupt emerges as the dominant force that stimulates the masses into
decadence and defeat, of the human creature able to perform better.
Politicians, academics, religious leaders and minority forces of power,
impose a challenge to the masses, with no winners. Parenting a human being
into maturity to discover that intellectual ability stalemates, dwelling on
absurd concepts of god, as an example, paraphrases the old saying; we know
that we don’t know. Moreover, the human failure to grasp the reality of
being drives the masses to extreme, with figments of its own creation
designed to entertain and retard positive development. Settling down to a
conscious clear level realizing that within our genetic parameters all the
answers already exist, it is with disappointment that my life fails to
entice the masses into a progressive and positive journey of discovery
dwelling on factual evidence. Ignoring perplexed theories emerging from
political correct organizations could form the start of a journey to a
better life followed by a dedication to create a less destructive human
world. Obviously, the ultimate challenge, reaching intellectual excellence,
is to disprove that humans are genetically designed to destroy and bring
forth evidence that produces a change.
While the life of a deep sea mariner, maintains an uplifting attitude to
refrain from subjugation of human origin, it does not, however, prevent
disappointment and embarrassment. Canada, my country of dual citizenship,
where a Luso-Canadian identity marks my cultural background, fails me with
repeated disappointment and embarrassment.
Canada, a Portuguese
word, well displayed on ancient nautical charts of North America, showing
territorial boundaries separating Portuguese Crown land from land settled by
French colonies, dating back to the late fourteen hundreds, has since
undergone an Anglo-Saxon cover up, reaching contemporary times, with an
explanation that it derives from one of the languages spoken by native
people of the New World (North America). Entertaining the thought that
various navigators crossed the deep waters of the Atlantic Ocean before the
Portuguese, it was the navigators originating from the House of Dom
Henrique, Administrator of the Order of Christ, that first carried the news
of the existence of the New World to the shores of Europe, with enough scope
to involve the majority of Kingdoms forming 14th, 15th and 16th century
Europe. This feat of world discovery involved the following Portuguese
navigators;
Captain Alvaro
Martins Homem - prior to 1450
Captain João Vaz Corte Real –
prior to 1450 and 1487
Captain Gaspar Corte Real – 1487
and 1501
Captain Miguel Corte Real – 1487
Captain João Fernandes Labrador
– 1492
Captain Pedro de Barcelos – 1492
Captain Alvaro Fagundes – 1520
Captain João Martins – 1588
Boundary lines and territorial names are clearly drawn and written on the
maps that survived the ages, supporting the undisputed presence of the
Portuguese on the formation of Canada before any other European. A decade
later the French followed suit, colonizing the territories to the west of
the Saguenay River. The characteristic of the Saguenay River, located on the
Province of Quebec, Canada, play an important part on the origin of the name
canada as applied to the nation’s name, Canada.
The river is bordered by steep cliffs that guide its very high water flow to the St. Lawrence River, which, in turn, flows into the Atlantic Ocean. Historically, the Saguenay River was an important trade route into the interior of the Province for local native people and later, during the French colonization of the Americas; the river was a major route for the fur trade. Located on the shores of the river, Tadoussac is France's first trading post in Canada, established in 1600. The river takes its name from the legendary Kingdom of Saguenay.
The modern definition of
the Portuguese word canada; simply means passage, corridor, narrow road and,
for centuries, indicates a border mark between two distinct pieces of land
or territories to identify limits of ownership. The majority of maps showing
the eastern part of Canada, produced during the early fifteen hundred,
reaching mid seventeen hundred, display the word canada directly over
the area of the Saguenay River, a dividing line between the territories
belonging to the Portuguese Crown and French settlements that followed,
accentuating the boundary between two distinct ownerships, Portugal and
France. Furthermore, the map produced by Paolo Forlani sometime in 1566, two
words canada pro are shown, asserting that French territorial is beyond the
canada, better said, beyond the water passage. The Portuguese word canada
maintains its usage today with as much frequency as it was in the fourteen
and fifteen hundreds. For example, various streets near the house that I was
born begin with the word canada, specifically, Canada Nova, Canada dos
Filadais, Canada do Mato and many more, all located within the limits of the
City of Angra do Heroismo.
Unfortunately, simple
evidence based on early maps of Canada about the origin of word canada are
not enough to satisfy English speaking Canadian historians and academics
that insist the nation’s name derives from the word kanata, a native Mohawk
word, meaning “village” or “settlement”. Certainly, a mannerism inherited
from the Anglo-Saxon mentality that remains deep rooted in Canada, to
discredit any Portuguese or Spanish accomplishment.
Taking a glance at the above list of navigators, Captain João Vaz Corte Real
and Captain Alvaro Martins Homem, my ancestral grandfather, were the first
to discover the shores representing the Atlantic Region of Canada. The
shores of the Atlantic region were given the following names, originating
from Portuguese navigators and well documented on charts, maps and documents
of the time:
Terras dos Corte
Reais
Terra do Labrador
Terras dos Bacalhaus
Terra de Estêvão Gomes
Terra Nova
The family of Captain João Vaz Corte Real, originates from the City of
Tavira, Province of Algarve, Portugal, where they owned a vast quantity of
land. The word canada has its origin from within their property, a name
given to a small stream covered with canas, a type of bamboo stick available
to southern Portugal. From its origin, the word expanded to its modern
version, as above-mentioned; passage, corridor or narrow road.
Creative lies, emerging from the
Anglo-Saxon mindset, in this case to dismiss Portuguese participation about
the discovery of Canada, only accomplishes ridicule on themselves;
effectively, an issue worth dismissing given present day British culture and
how it impacts the world. Whether the world at large cares or dismisses
British culture, it is largely a topic of entertainment. Dismissing this
type of historical fact is an embarrassment, yet not a danger to public
safety, unlike the Canadian Ministry of Transport and segments of
the Royal Canadian Mounted Police that choose to pursue incompetence and
criminal activity rather than safeguard human life as per their mandate. My
opinion, based on evidence; dictates that Canada is a "Remnant of the
British Empire". A status
imposed by the majority of Canadian society.
I have absolutely no
reservations about showing praise for individual Canadians that continue to
bring honour and integrity to Canadian shores. Within the International
Marine Industry a high number of Canadians serving such, continues with
pride and integrity for professional excellence. The embarrassment and
ridicule arrives when a professional individual examines the high level of
incompetency within the Canadian Government.
By unforeseen circumstances, I had the unfortunate experience to analyze
with great detail the current state of the Canadian Government pertaining to
State-Flag rules and regulations and the Canadian Judicial system that
pretends to prosecute the guilty. Standing at the top of the pyramid of
disappointment and embarrassment, the
M/V Queen of the North, 2006 disaster,
fails any explanation pointing at a useless political and Judicial systems. The endless
list of examples originating from marine related segments of bureaucracy and
politicians, fails my comprehension with demonstrations of gross
incompetence. Not wanting to pollute this introduction with endless examples
of incompetence, I will relate a recent conversation with a Crown
Prosecutor, an individual employed by the Canadian Judicial system to
prosecute alleged criminals:
Within a slew of stability booklets placed onboard commercial vessels flying
the Canadian Flag, as per the Canada Shipping Act requirement, several that
I examined fail to meet Canada Shipping Act criterion, some as my
conversation with the Crown entailed, were created by naval architects that
should choose a different profession, given their lack of knowledge on being
a naval architect. These particular booklets give no indication of vessel’s
stability, where no righting arms are calculated and even the basic GM is
questionable. Therefore, I asked the Crown Prosecutor whether or not the
questionable naval architects merit prosecution. His answer was swift and
sure, saying that a naval architect without proper credentials was beyond
prosecution. Without a reply, I proceeded to ask a second question; should a
grossly incompetent Canadian Steamship Inspector avoid prosecution when he
or she stamps the useless booklet in approval? Today, I remain without an
answer.
As the years pass, the world of
the moral irresponsible entertains the masses into oblivion, while the
destitute few comprehend nothing. Yet, for those that accept the challenges
that life gives, they have a simple but powerful consolation, life is short,
don’t sweat the little things. Once again, bringing forth my unforeseen
circumstances, when I came face to face with a series of incompetent
Canadian Steamship inspectors, relating to an unseaworthy vessel, it was
Canada’s neighbour to the South, the United States of America, Homeland
Security that thanked me, in writing, for my efforts to safeguard human
life, not Canada. Today, I hold a series of documentary evidence alleging
criminal wrongdoing originating from members of Transport Canada and one
member of the RCMP, yet the Canadian Judicial system continues its mandate
to protect civil servants from facing criminal prosecution, certainly a
waste of taxpayer’s money. The document depicted below was obtained
from honorable members of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, showing a
transport Canada official stamp placed on a falsified copy of a stability
book that I produced to show the vessel owner that his vessel was
unseaworthy. Today, the following questions are unanswered: Why an official
Transport Canada stamp was stamped by Canadian officials on a falsified
stability book? Why Transport Canada allowed an unseaworthy vessel to
depart Canada endangering the lives of Canadians?
These WebPages satisfy my
need to consult the human world with thoughts and experiences. The internet,
without a doubt, has changed many aspect of human communication and
socializing, unfortunately human decadence accompanies any well intended
innovation. I am satisfied with the twenty five (25%) or less percentage of
good to excellent services the World Wide Web (W.W.W.) brought me; worldwide
communications, a simple way to connect with institutions of scientific
data, simplified methods to promote business and publish material that bring
forth truth.
Ending these introductory series
of paragraphs, I would like to quote Sandi and Danny, a missionary couple
that for several years, volunteered their services onboard a hospital ship
caring for the ignored, poor souls, of the world. Their strong message
reflects a mannerism entrenched in today’s Western World.
“Wouldn’t it be nice if all humans learned to give rather than take, take, take…?”
Sincerely,
Captain E. Gerardo da Costa Duarte