Frazz by Jef Mallett for December 09, 2023

Can’t remember which military genius said it, but the idea was not to die for your country but have the other guy die for HIS country.

My favorite sailor is Popeye. He would have just had some spinach and then pulled the ship out of the ice.

Those “extreme explorers” were (and are) crazy, imho.

John Forgione , Painter !

Shackleton ate Mrs. Chippy, the ship’s cat. Give me Crozier any day.

There’s something to be said for William Bligh – terrible politician, hell of a sailor. 6000km in an open boat with no charts (and doing a little charting along the way) is not to be sneezed at.

I recently heard an OTR dramatisation about Shackleton’s search for the northwest passage. It was pretty intense. I wish I could remember what series it was from.

Wait, wait…..If you foresee trouble ahead, do what you can to avoid it before it’s too late? Nah, that’s way too complex for some people.

Robert Smalls, slave took a Confederate ship & gave it to the Union. Became a Congressman.

I vote for Popeye.

Never have figured out why Shackleton is so venerated. He ignored advice of the locals when he set sail.

Mrs Olsen needs to realize that you don’t sail into pack ice, it comes to you. Suddenly.

war: the last gasp of diplomacy.

Balboa crossed the Isthmus of Panama. Supposedly when he saw the Pacific, he walked into it up to his knees and brazenly claimed it and all the lands that touched it for Spain. Tale about brass.

Mrs. Olsen is subtly hinting to Caulfield that perhaps he shouldn’t rush into new territories without good info.

Googled JF. Did find a Navy vet. Did he sail under pack ice rather than into it?

The ‘easy’ achievements are rarely talked about. Much less commemorated.

The Endurance = Apollo 13.

A few years ago I read an excellent account of Shackleton’s expedition; Endurance: Shackleton’s Incredible Voyage, by Alfred Lansing. Highly recommended.

For another like expedition, with somewhat less salubrious results in like circumstances, (but north rather than south) read Hampton Sides’s In The Kingdom Of Ice: The Grand And Terrible Polar Voyage Of The USS Jeanette.

The difference between an expert and a pro?

An expert knows how to get out of a tricky situation. A pro knows how to avoid getting into that tricky situation in the first place.

The Endurance was found last year more than 100 years after she sailed.

The unsung heroes of not being an idiot in the first place.

Anyone old enough to remember the commercial from the 60’s that depicted 2 statesmen on a hill with fists raised getting ready to rumble?

Fame is more often bestowed upon “idiots” who, more often than not, get themselves and those surrounding them killed…

And you may say that Shackleton and his men didn’t die – but what of the financial ruin of the investors in his voyage who, AT THE VERY LEAST. lost the cost of a very good ship and lots of equipment – his investors were not ALL wealthy entrepreneurs…

[Mic drop]

Love this one!

Is John a friend of Jef? It would be cool to be recognized that way…

She didn’t mention Sir John Franklin either.

Mine is my Mum’s uncle, Robert Fergusson, Inventor of Rustoleum. He sent his crew off safely before saving his sinking ship and its cargo. He used the reward money to invent the rust proof paint. He has a book written about him too, one of my Aunts has a copy. I’ve tried to find one but alas, it is out of print :(

“For scientific leadership give me Scott; for swift and efficient travel, Amundsen; but when you are in a hopeless situation, when there seems no way out, get on your knees and pray for Shackleton.” — Sir Raymond Priestly