Comments on: Paul Watson or Cap’n Crunch, Who’s More Legit?

By: El Rojo

El Rojo — Mon, 13 Aug 2012 22:28:01 +0000

You can’t take away his commitment to saving the whales. I don’t see anybody else doing it. The fact that he is a pompous asshole doesn’t diminish that. HIs command tactic of nudging his crew toward any particularly dangerous task and then acting like it’s their idea doesn’t seem too ‘Masterly’ to me, but that’s just me. He does look rather dapper with his four stripes, though, doesn’t he? I don’t know what he had to do to award himself the ribbons on his coat, but I had to work for mine (I found that It’s not that easy to knock down six milk bottles with one baseball at the county fair).
Still, you’ve got to hand it to the dude for putting himself on the line for something that we all should believe in.

By: Pat Warner

Pat Warner — Mon, 13 Aug 2012 20:10:35 +0000

Well said…

By: Vintage Canadian Coast Guard (CCG)

Vintage Canadian Coast Guard (CCG) — Mon, 13 Aug 2012 19:46:32 +0000

Let's be clear…
1) Mr Watson was employed by the Canadian Coast Guard for only a very brief period as an uncertified deckhand, several decades ago. He would have been expected to learn and practice some basic seamanship skills, not to navigate or to command a vessel.
2) The question was not about the ethics or the moral righteousness of his self-appointed cause, which is a separate topic. The question was about the legitimacy of his anointing himself a "Captain". That honourific has meaning to any professional mariner that is anything BUT arbitrary, as explained (in a previous comment) by SwallowedTheAnchor. It's similar to deeming oneself a "Doctor" (of medicine) without attaining any formal training or credentials.
3) The bogus claims of legitimacy regarding Mr Watson's maritime credentials go to his credibility. He claims many assertions to be factual which simply are not. Those casual observers who are sympathetic to his cause may not seek the nuanced truth (and sometimes outright contradictions) that belie those assertions. This is a form of "confirmation bias" (look it up) that he uses to his advantage.
4) By the way, you'll note (should you check) that Mr Watson's methods (reckless, unethical, megalo-maniacal, dangerous to others) are often opposed as much by environmentalists as by the "establishment".
5) As to the "righteousness" of his beliefs? Hey, even a broken clock is right, twice a day.

By: JP Goforth

JP Goforth — Mon, 13 Aug 2012 18:35:28 +0000

Thank you AnimuX, for the wind of reason on this stormy sea. I totally concur. Paul Watson is not about semantics; he is about opposing the slaughter of whales.

By: Stuart Pennington

Stuart Pennington — Mon, 13 Aug 2012 18:18:53 +0000

Cap'n Crunch is more of a captain than Paul "The Terrorist Fraud" Watson. Cap'n crunch doesn't leave a bad taste in your mouth like Watson. I predict that when he shows up on a Sea Sheperd vessel that their assets located at Friday Harbor, WA will be seized by the US Government for aided and abetting a criminal.

By: SwallowedTheAnchor

SwallowedTheAnchor — Mon, 13 Aug 2012 18:01:19 +0000

This is a debate by people who had to write 30 written exams, 3 or 4 oral exams and spend years in school to obtain a qualification that he has co-opted to suit his PR strategy.
In what universe is the occasional trip to Antarctica give him “more experience at sea than many commissioned naval officers and commercial ship captains”?
I don’t know about the navy but “commercial ship captains” (the job is Master, the title is Captain actually) spend most months of the year at sea, year after year, steaming between ports. Shore time is usually now measured in hours not days (unless they are jailed like Mr Watson).
I have no qualms with his intent, some with his methods (when he endangers mariners doing their job) but his caricature of a Master is professionally repugnant to me.
And yes, a piece of paper is required to allow him to command ships in every seagoing nation on earth. It’s called a Master Foreign Going, Master Mariner or Master Unlimited and is a very hard piece of paper to obtain. Those of us who have done the hard yards find posers irritating.

By: AnimuX

AnimuX — Mon, 13 Aug 2012 15:41:15 +0000

Whether or not someone considers Paul Watson a ‘captain’ boils down to biased opinions. Watson served in the Canadian Coast Guard. He also worked as a merchant mariner. He’s spent his life at sea since the late 1960s — sailed as the master of multiple ships from the Arctic to the Southern Ocean and to damn near every coastline between them. Watson arguably has more experience at sea than many commissioned naval officers and commercial ship captains. So, is a piece of paper required to give him the title of ‘captain’ in every nation on earth? Or is this debate simply invented by those who don’t like him very much and prefer to dig up arbitrary paperwork as an added insult rather than allowing for the obvious.

As for the commentary about Watson’s actions at sea — especially without the historical context and details of those he has frequently opposed (often poachers and IUU fishing) — like any figure who challenges the established norm (in this case unregulated exploitation of the oceans) he is celebrated by many and condemned by many more.

By: Joe Cobb

Joe Cobb — Mon, 13 Aug 2012 15:38:40 +0000

Although they do kind of look alike, Captain Crunch is only sporting two stripes on his blues, what's up with that? hmmmm

By: Vintage Canadian Coast Guard (CCG)

Vintage Canadian Coast Guard (CCG) — Mon, 13 Aug 2012 12:44:15 +0000

In this case, the man has made himself – and his methods – the message.
And some of us have first-hand experience with the gentleman; not merely media reports, TV shows and carefully-crafted propaganda.

By: Reuben Mills

Reuben Mills — Mon, 13 Aug 2012 12:24:34 +0000

Love him or hate him, you should concentrate on his message & not the man.