# Tell us an interesting random fact you stumbled across (Part 1) **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [April 13, 2020, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674 "2020-04-13T03:19:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 295
**Author:** ![markn\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@markn\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markn_1)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2023, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/5890 "2023-01-13T22:59:17Z")
Ah, that would be a [boatboat](https://xkcd.com/2043/). ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2023, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/5891 "2023-01-13T23:03:34Z")
Sirius XM is permanently tuned to Yacht Rock. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2023, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/5892 "2023-01-14T02:10:40Z")
14 yachts on board and they still have to carry life boats. ---
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2023, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/5893 "2023-01-14T03:28:09Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > 14 yachts on board and they still have to carry life boats šŸ˜† ---
**Author:** ![commasense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/commasense/32/3017_2.png) [@commasense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/commasense)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2023, 4:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/5894 "2023-01-14T04:50:12Z")
Those ships are amazing. I was trying to figure out how they worked, and found that they are semi-submersible. When they are ready to load up, the carrierā€™s hull is filled with ballast water so that it sinks and creates a ā€œmarina.ā€ The boats to be transported are floated into place above custom cradles that have been mounted on the now-submerged deck. When all the boats are in place, the water in the hull is pumped out, and as the ship rises, divers make sure each yacht settles into its cradle properly. When all the water over the deck has drained out, the boats are fully secured, and the trip begins. The process is reversed at the other end. Although from a conceptual and engineering POV, this is pretty incredible, I have to admit that Iā€™m rather appalled that there are enough millionaires and billionaires who feel the need to have their expensive toys moved around the world that a business was formed to design and build these ships and offer this service. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2023, 7:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/5895 "2023-01-14T07:01:08Z")
Havenā€™t read the thread, but Iā€™m working on a book which is revealing all kinds of interesting stuff. For its 50th anniversary, some grad students at Penn put the Eniac on a chip. 6 tons reduced to a few ounces. Plus, the first known example of someone using a handkerchief to blow ones nose is Richard II of England. Evidence is an order from his tailor for clothes for nose blowing. Iā€™m sure someone else was rich enough to use an expensive handkerchief to blow their nose, but there is no record of it. ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2023, 7:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/5896 "2023-01-14T07:23:06Z")
So are there rooms for the yacht crew/owners to travel with them? ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2023, 7:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/5897 "2023-01-14T07:43:03Z")
> [@Voyager](#): > > 6 tons reduced to a few ounces. Whoops. That should be 30 tons, not 6. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2023, 11:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/5898 "2023-01-14T11:22:12Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > 14 yachts on board and they still have to carry life boats. I found that rather funny too. But I think the life boats are likely better designed to withstand hellish storms that would probably sink those yachts. Plus provisions, sat phones etc. Still kinda funny though. ---
**Author:** ![commasense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/commasense/32/3017_2.png) [@commasense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/commasense)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2023, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/5899 "2023-01-14T13:56:33Z")
> [@Sunspace](#): > > So are there rooms for the yacht crew/owners to travel with them? Pffft! When Jeff Bezosā€™ Bentley breaks down, does he ride in the cab with the tow truck driver? No, he makes a call and a helicopter comes out and picks him up. ---
**Author:** ![Railer13](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/railer13/32/9742_2.png) [@Railer13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Railer13)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2023, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/5900 "2023-01-14T16:28:57Z")
> [@commasense](#): > > there are enough millionaires and billionaires who feel the need to have their expensive toys moved around the world If you were REALLY rich, youā€™d own a yacht on every continent and coast. ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2023, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/5901 "2023-01-14T22:46:57Z")
> [@enipla](#): > > But I think the life boats are likely better designed to withstand hellish storms that would probably sink those yachts. I sometimes follow the race that started today out of Alicante Spain, which many many years ago was called the Whitbread Classic. These people will sail (literally) down to Capetown, then across the Indian and southern Pacific, non-stop (there used to be several stops) to Itajai in southern Brazil in 65ā€™ boats. Which I find, even with modern electronics, breathtaking.        Sixty-five feet, by 18 beam, seemed small to me, but it appears to be similar in size, by numbers, to the Santa Maria and slightly larger than the two caravels that accompanied it. The profile is quite different though, with the rails much closer to the waterline. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2023, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/5902 "2023-01-14T23:00:29Z")
Iā€™ve read a lot about those trips. Around the world though. I think Cape horn is the biggest problem. Roaring 40ā€™s and all. Best have your will in order. Sometimes 2 people in a 32 foot boat. Itā€™s pretty insane. ---
**Author:** ![peccavi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peccavi/32/388_2.png) [@peccavi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peccavi)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2023, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/5903 "2023-01-15T00:28:40Z")
I hope youā€™ve seen _[Maiden](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maiden_(film))_, a documentary on the first all female crew competing in the Whitbread. If not, you should hunt it down. ---
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2023, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/5904 "2023-01-15T03:32:59Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > 14 yachts on board and they still have to carry life boats. I shared the picture and comment with my son, who pointed out two things. One, the boat doesnā€™t always have cargo aboard. Two, the boat can also be used to recover boats for repair. In both cases, there isnā€™t another usable boat available. ---
**Author:** ![Pleonast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pleonast/32/1183_2.png) [@Pleonast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pleonast)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2023, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/5905 "2023-01-15T04:00:45Z")
So in a storm severe enough for the crew to abandon ship and take to the life boats, itā€™s possible that some of the flotsam of the impending wreck could be a yacht. ---
**Author:** ![smithsb](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smithsb/32/12107_2.png) [@smithsb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smithsb)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2023, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/5906 "2023-01-15T04:20:57Z")
Those yachts arenā€™t free floating; they are secured to the mothership. She goes down, the cargo goes as well. Hereā€™s the USS Cole being transported. Itā€™s actually welded to the supports. The yachts arenā€™t that securely attached, but enough to prevent being tossed around by wave action into the other boats. [![](https://media.defense.gov/2020/Oct/09/2002514926/-1/-1/0/201009-N-N0701-0088.JPG) ](https://media.defense.gov/2020/Oct/09/2002514926/-1/-1/0/201009-N-N0701-0088.JPG) ---
**Author:** ![Morgyn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morgyn/32/3041_2.png) [@Morgyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgyn)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2023, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/5907 "2023-01-15T14:54:02Z")
Today I learned that there is a species of mushroom that grows underwater ([Psathyrella aquatica](https://www.forestfloornarrative.com/blog/2019/1/18/the-aquatic-gilled-mushroom-psathyrella-aquatica)). ---
**Author:** ![Crane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crane/32/3495_2.png) [@Crane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crane)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2023, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/5908 "2023-01-15T15:24:09Z")
> [@Yllaria](#): > > the boat can also be used to recover boats for repair Are these vessels common? Are there smaller ones that act like the tow truck at the local garage? ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2023, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/5909 "2023-01-16T16:31:41Z")
TIL that Marvin the Martian is not only on the Spirit Mission patch, but also on the rover itself. [![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/8/8c/Nasa_mer_marvin.png) ](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/8/8c/Nasa_mer_marvin.png) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674.md?page=294) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674.md?page=296)