Happy Thursday Fixers! This week, what with the gulf being one lightning storm from Armageddon, I thought we could look at when ocean accidents turn into something beneficial.
Way back in the day, January of 1992 to be exact, a freighter in the middle of the Pacific Ocean accidentally spilled it’s precious cargo into the sea. What cargo was that? 29,000 rubber duckies. I have scoured the Internets to bring you this dramatic reenactment photo:
Photo Courtesy Of: Tony Crescibene
Once oceanographers realized the runaway ducks were caught in the Subpolar Gyre, or ocean current as we would call it, they decided to use them to learn more about how currents flow and how far and fast the effects of ocean pollution travel. Since then, the ducks have been spotted all over the world and as of 2003 have completely circumnavigated the globe. Take that Magellan. The ducks have even earned a degree of fame with their journey being turned into a children’s novel by Eric Carle; author the The Hungry Caterpillar.
If you’re interested in the details of the ducks’ journey, or would like to know the best place to keep an eye to the sea for a wayward duck, I got my information from Rubaduck.com
-
-
Copy & paste this:
![\"Quantcast\"/](\"http://pixel.quantserve.com/pixel/p-483xl95pmUiaY.gif\")
Once was a man, his name was Magellan.
A Portuguese skipper, the girls found him cute
He sailed with five ships to find the East Indies,
Then come back to Spain, with a bounty of loot.
Whoopie ti-yi-yo, oh happy Magellan!
Starting your journey with hardly a care.
Whoopie ti-yi-yo, strong, brave Magellan!
You’ll find the East Indies, you just don’t know where.
They crossed the Atlantic and spotted a country.
Magellan said, “It’s the East Indies at last!”
But then someone shouted, “Hey, that’s Argentina!”
Magellan got cranky and chopped down the mast.
Whoopie ti-yi-yo, settle down, Magellan.
Put down that axe; there’s no time to despair.
Whoopie ti-yi-yo, keep trying, Magellan.
You’ll find the East Indies, you just don’t know where.
A great storm arose in the mighty Pacific.
The five little ships were diminished to three.
At last land was sighted, Magellan was happy,
But then someone shouted, “Hey, that’s Chile!”
Whoopie ti-yi-yo, cheer up, Magellan.
Check out your map and don’t tear out your hair.
Whoopie ti-yi-yo, keep trying, Magellan.
You’ll find the East Indies, you just don’t know where.
It took them five months, but they crossed the Pacific.
They spotted a land, that was dotted with palms.
Magellan proclaimed, “Yes! That’s the East Indies!”
But then someone shouted, “Hey, I think that’s Guam!”
Ay-yi-yi-yi, oops, Magellan.
Your fun little journey’s become a nightmare.
Whoopie ti-yi-yo, keep trying, Magellan.
You’ll find the East Indies, you just don’t know where.
They sailed due West to the Philippine Islands.
Magellan was pleased as the natives drew near.
But then someone shouted, “I think they’re attacking!”
Magellan said, “What?” and got hit by a spear.
Whoopie ti-yi-yo, farewell, Magellan.
You almost made it, it’s really not fair.
Whoopie ti-yi-yo, oh, ghost of Magellan,
The East Indies islands were right over there!
I’m sure you mean The Very Hungry Caterpillar.
just fyi, but your chart is for the North Atlantic. you said the middle of the Pacific.
That’s not a chart of the North Atlantic, it’s a chart of Cheezburger Networks’ sales results for the first quarter of the fiscal year.
I checked out the link and that is such a fascinating story!
I wonder how much one of those ducks goes for online? I think I may have found one.
The real problem would be proving its authenticity… I’ve seen those exact same ducks released in local rivers in Washington state and in Austin, TX. Besides which, I’m sure someone could buy them for a couple bucks at a toy store
In Eugene Oregon, home of the Oregon ducks they have rubber duck race down the river every year. Thought that’s where you got the picture from.
Some Rotary clubs do “Duck Dashes” as fundraisers, too.
There’s a treatment center for disabled children near me that does a rubber ducky race as a fundraiser.
I wish there were more recent updates – there’s nothing on the Rubaduck site after 2008.
I think they said they expected a recovery of about 600 duckies from the spill. They might have recovered all they think they will recover, and don’t have any new updates.
The other 28,400 were trapped in the nets of Japanese fishermen and have been used in your sushi since 1992.
It must have been a fun fishing day, since they tend to use pneumatic harpoons on things that they “only fish for scientific study”
Rubber duckies, you’re the ones.
You make ocean current research lots of fun!
Rubber duckies, spilled way back in ’92.
Rubber duckies, joy of joys.
To us, you’re not just kids’ toys.
Rubber duckies, circling ’round the oceans blue.
Chorus:
Caught and spun around
by a subpolar gyre,
Who knows where you’ll go,
My little non-fliers?
(or who you’ll inspire)
Rubber duckies, you’re so fine,
Floating non-stop through the brine.
Rubber duckies, we will never forget you.
Chorus:
Bleached white by the sun,
You’re no longer all yellow.
Barnacled, but you’re
still such good-looking fellows!
(and you stay mellow)
Rubber duckies, you’re so fine,
Floating non-stop through the brine.
Rubber duckies, I’d like an ocean of (oh wait)…
Rubber duckies, we will never forget you!
Quack
Quack dam you!
A duck’s quack DOES echo.
I repeat: Why AREN’T these things, released in their thousands, considered a form of pollution? Because they’re CUTE ???
Whales see them, think they are real ducks and eat them, which then gives them their daily fiber requirement. Free food win!
So all I need to do is get a pedicure for my carbon footprint and I’m off the hook.
Who said they’re not a form of pollution? And they weren’t “released”, they were spilled accidentally. The story here is about how scientists used the spilled duckies to study the ocean currents. Hence the kludgeness of the story.
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2001/06/0619_seacargo.html
What I find personally amusing is that they were released only two days after I was born.
Really? How long did it take you to swim ashore?
“29,000 rubber duckies”
Its over 9000!!!!
They should do this again. But load the ducks up with GPS transponders.
Or give them small, waterproof maps.
This is a picture from Greenville, SC’s annual Reedy River Duck Derby. http://reedyriverduckderby.com/
My cousin found one of them in Ireland! Next to Galway, in Spiddal.
It doesn’t look like your picture here (they seem to have sunglasses?) but definitely looks like the one on the website.
There is nothing written on it but i has a hole under.
It’s the annual AFLAC Salesperson float trip.
This picture looks like it’s from The Great Drake Park Duck Race that takes place in Bend, Oregon every year, where they dump a bunch of ducks in the river downtown and give prizes to the person’s duck that crosses the finish line first. http://www.theduckrace.com/
The ducks shown in the picture are cool plastic light up ducks. We have some for our pool. They are pretty expensive ($3 each), so the waddling of ducks shown in the picture would cost a pretty penny.
http://www.amazon.com/Game-3579-3M-Light-Up-Ducks/dp/B001H42ZE2/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&qid=1276287998&sr=8-3
They have the duck dash in Tumwater, WA every year as well. Same deal as the one in Bend, OR. Put a bunch of duckies in the deschutes river/falls and watch them go!
The Kirkland Rotary does it in Lake Washington, too. (It’s not nearly as exciting as the one in the Deschutes!)
The ducks traveling the world is a fascinating story. A seaside accident of toys ends up being a useful scientific researcch tool. Finding one will get you paid by The First Years.
People want ducks!
thanks for the brokenass link
Looks like the duck race in Bouler, CO.
they have this duck race in Rapid City SD too. i always buy a duck every year to support the childrens hospital
i know this is an old upload but i had to comment because this is too awesome. i love watching thousands of rubber duckys float downstream!
we have a rubber duck race in CA too, it is reminiscent of the stick race in Winnie the Pooh – kinda cool