I have been reeling since the oil spill last week. Both my boats are on the bay (one in the Berkeley Marina), I belong to the Cal Sailing Club (out of Berkeley Marina), and race every chance I get. Much of my life revolves around the San Francisco Bay, and as a result, I have been both angry and frustrated with the oil spill.

By last reports, the Coast Guard reported that 12,000+ gallons have been recovered–leaving slightly more than 40,000 barrels to go, and the effects have been seen all the way down to Big Sur. And, while that is a good step in the right direction, I still want to know what happened–and, who is responsible. Fortunately, some people are helping with the answers.

All commercial vessels in the San Francisco Bay (can’t speak for the world) are required to have transponders that detail their exact position. Some really smart people put together a website where you can watch the commercial traffic in the bay almost in real-time. It is very cool.

This technology can also be used for some reconstructive purposes. They have created a “tape” of the timeline when the accident and oil spill happened. Check it out and see the path of the Busan as it hit the bridge base.

Here is the link:
http://www.boatingsf.com/busan.php