Sailing Their Way Out Of Sickness

Live while you can, and make the best of it, because you never know what will happen next.



We found an interesting tale of a 10 year old girl, Olivia, who sailed for two years with her family. Her mum was struck with breast cancer but recovered from it. All the same the family decided to take a break from the daily hussle and bussle and hopped onto a sailboat for an unforgetable adventure!



"Waves rustle against the hull of Zora. A seagull shrieks to the rising sun as I open my hatch. Beyond the deck, a white-sand beach stretches off into the distance. Light dances in the turquoise waves. Later in the day, I might go for a snorkel or collect shells in that pristine sand. No, it isn’t a happy dream. It was my life for two years.

When I was four and five, my mother had breast cancer. I was so scared for her, but she survived. That left my family with an important morale: Live while you can, and make the best of it, because you never know what will happen next. So we made a decision; we would get a sailboat and go cruising for a while. My parents found Zora, our Mariner 39, in an old boatyard, lying in a field. Feral cats had been using her as a litter box. Stuff was falling off. She was going to take a lot of work.

For two years my parents fixed her up. While Dad sanded, I came and watched movies on a small TV. While Mom varnished, I drew. Every day after school, I was completely bored. During the second year, we rented out our house and moved out (I remember this so well) on Halloween night to my grandmother’s house on Great Diamond Island, in Casco Bay, Maine. Every morning, I took the ferry boat, sometimes alone (and once with actress Liv Tyler!) to school, then back in the evenings. Sometimes I didn’t see my dad for days on end because he worked all night on Zora in the boatyard. It was really hard, but then she was finished! Zora was finally finished and launched!

The first night of our two-year trip aboard Zora brought us an unexpected visitor: a baby beluga whale nicknamed Poco. We were motoring back to Zora in our little, soft-bottomed dinghy when… BUMP! “What on earth was that?” said my mom. BUMP! We looked over the side. Was it a rock? Then a friendly little white face peered up at us. Poco! He was like a dog, playing with our dinghy painter, letting us pet his rubbery skin. When we left to sail south the next day, who squirted Mom in the face but the friendly little whale! He followed us all day and night before turning around.

For my eighth birthday I got a great present -- a Siamese kitten! I named her Daisy and we spent hours and hours laughing at “Kittovision” – the new 24-hour-a-day cat-entertainment show. She was my best friend on the boat trip and helped keep me from getting bored as we motored down the ICW in cold fall weather.

“ICW” stands for IntraCoastal Waterway. The ICW was a string of locks and bridges and man-made rivers. And there we started home schooling. Although it only took one or two hours in the morning, I had just about the worst Math and English books ever. It was kind of neat, however, that my mom designed my classes and I got to study things that had to do with the trip, like Mayan civilization and sea creatures. Part of my Science class was studying my vast shell collection.

I had two encounters with wild horses on the ICW: The first, I was looking for the shaggy ponies that live on an island near Beaufort with some cruising buddies. Two paths crossed -- the one we were on, and a seemingly deserted one. Suddenly, we heard whinnying and hooves. We all flattened ourselves behind some bushes as the whole herd came thundering past. We got up after they were gone. We were a bunch of kids, no adults, in the middle of some wild island, and had almost gotten trampled by ponies! We all grinned and headed back to the beach to tell our parents.

My second encounter was just as odd: On Cumberland Island, Georgia, the whole troupe of cruising kids (again) were coming back from a beach on the other side of the island when a herd of wild horses was grazing right in front of our noses! We couldn’t resist: We mingled in with the uncaring horses and picked out “our” horse. I chose a white filly I named Snowflake, while my friend chose a mare who was obviously her mother, as they were grazing side-by-side. It was time to go, but as we were walking back to our dinghies, my friend whispered, “Turn around!” I did. Snowflake was following me, while her mother still grazed! The filly followed me to the edge of the field (it took all my will not to stroke her), whinnied, then ambled back to her mom. It was purely magical.


At last! Florida behind us, we were in the Caribbean! Our first stop was the beautiful Bahamas. On one island, I went to school there for five days. Everyone there was wearing uniforms! On the capitol island, Nassau, there were hustling, bustling streets and businesses. Most of the other islands were remote and we had lots of beaches to explore.

We then proceeded through the Turks and Caicos, Puerto Rico, and other small islands. In Dominica, someone climbed aboard our boat in the middle of the night! Dad was able to frighten the thief away, but it was quite a scare for us. We left Dominica the next morning, thoroughly shaken.


We kept sailing south until we reached Grenada, where we went on a little tour! We climbed into a bus with other people (including some of my cruising-kid friends) and set off. Our first stop was a waterfall. It was so beautiful, and we jumped off a smaller one. Then we stopped by a nutmeg factory. Now, Grenada nutmeg is very famous, but the island had just suffered a big hurricane at the time of our visit, and 95 percent of the nutmeg trees were knocked down. Grenada must have had a lot of nutmeg trees, though, because when we visited the factory the many, giant bins were overflowing! Each of the kids got a couple nutmegs, and long afterwards (we still have some) my parents grated the spice into their sundowners. Next, we visited a chocolate factory, where the chocolate was made straight from the cocoa beans in an old machine with very little else added to it. There were varying textures and grades of chocolate, from extra-light to super-dark, sweet to bitter. We got to try a few pieces -- they were all excellent.

Lastly, we visited a very old rum factory (what Caribbean island would be complete without rum?). It still used an antique rum press, and we got to see the ancient machinery work. Quite simply, it crushed the sugar cane (there was a whole field of it) and the juices went down a little tube into vats. We watched as the vats boiled the cane juice, and as it was put into oak barrels. Finally, the parents were supplied with a very small cup of rum and a very large glass of water. Apparently they really needed that water afterwards! My mom bought a tiny bottle of the rum and I believe we still have it -- nobody’s been brave enough to drink it yet.

After that we continued downwards to Trinidad and went on a “turtle tour.” We saw baby leatherback sea turtles hatching, and Mama Leatherback laying her eggs. We even got to hold the baby turtles! It was a great experience, and it went on until midnight!


After Trinidad, we went to Venezuela. From Venezuela, we tried to go to Panama. However, half way through the passage, our engine died! The situation gets worse, however -- Hurricane Wilma was forming to the north! We had of get out of there. There was no way we would make it to Panama, so we veered towards Colombia. We got into an anchorage whose entrance was guarded by two tall rocks by hitching our dinghy to Zora’s side as a tugboat! Colombia was very fun.

Soon we were in the San Blas of Panama. The string of perfect islands would have to be one of my favorite places! Some islands were inhabited by the Kuna Indians. They made beautiful cloth pictures called molas, paddled long, burnt-log canoes called ulus, and made jewelry from claws and teeth.

After the San Blas we went to go see Tikal, the great ruined Mayan civilization. There were huge temples of limestone, intricately carved, rising up out of the vast jungle. (Tikal was used in Star Wars as the rebel base.) There were parrots and monkeys, toucans and coatimundis. That was a truly amazing experience!


After Tikal we headed home. The funny thing is, I always wanted to go home on the trip, but now that I’m back in Portland, I want to go back out cruising again."



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Hobie Cat : More Than Just A Sailboat !

A Hobie Cat is a small catamaran (or two-hulled) sailboat manufactured by the Hobie Cat Company of Oceanside, California, USA. Begun as a manufacturer of surf boards in the late 1950s, Hobie (named after Hobie Alter, the company's founder) began manufacturing catamaran sailboats in the late 1960s and has become the largest manufacturer of small catamarans in the world.

Today, Hobie's line of products ranges from surf boards to catamaran sailboats to kayaks, though the Hobie Cat Company is most famous around the world for its catamarans. Hobie also designed a very successful monohull, the Hobie 33.
Over 100,000 Hobie Cats are sailing around the world in huge Hobie fleets and regattas.

Through the social and racing activities of Hobie fleets, members have an opportunity to participate in activities designed to enhance the quality of their recreational time, and to contribute to a spirit of friendship that has graced the sport of Hobie Cat sailing since 1967. Sailors everywhere have come to call this unique affinity "The Hobie Way of Life".



SAILING A HOBIE CAT

Safe and sane guidelines for the beginner; and an easy review for the experienced:

Always wear a life jacket when boating.

BALANCING THE BOAT

When sailing, sit on the upwind side of the boat (wind on your back) just in front of the tiller, facing the sail. Balance your weight further outboard as the boat begins to tip or heel over with the wind in the sails. Tuck one foot under the hiking strap for balance. Use your hand that is forward to hold and control the mainsheet. Use your hand that is aft to steer.

STEERING

Steer the boat by pushing the tiller away from you to turn towards the wind. Pull the tiller towards you to turn away from the wind. Keep the movement of the tiller to a minimum to prevent over-steering. This will help you keep the boat moving in a straight line as you pay attention to other watercraft and sail adjustments.

SAIL POWER

Face the sail in order to pay close attention to the trim or adjustment of the sail. When the front of the sail, just behind the mast, luffs or flutters in the breeze, you lose power. To start moving, pull the sail in just enough to stop the sail from luffing. There are also short ribbons hanging on either side of the sail. Follow the diagram of sail and course adjustments using the "tell tails" to get the most performance out of the sail for all angles of sailing. The tell tails react to air flowing over the sail and will help you see that the sail is pulled in too tight or too loosely. If you pull the sail too tight you will stall the sail power. Ease the sail out until it luffs, then pull it in just a little until it stops luffing. You will adjust the trim whenever the wind changes direction or you change course.

TURNING

To tack or turn the boat into and across the wind to the opposite direction (also known as "coming about"), follow the points of sail guide and take the boat to the close hauled point of sail. This is when you are nearly 35 degrees from sailing straight into the wind. With the boat moving forward and not stalling, push the tiller away from you slowly. When the boat is pointing straight into the wind the boat will become level. Ease the mainsheet trim out just a little. At this time move your body to the other side of the boat, switch hands with tiller and mainsheet and begin to bring the rudder back to straight.

LAUNCHING THE BOAT

Launching the boat is easiest when the boat can be pointed into the wind to keep it de-powered and floated into deep enough water to lower the rudders. It is possible to launch in shallow water with the rudders partly up. Try not to steer with too much force on the rudders until you lock them in the down position. Keep the sail loose and trimmed out completely until you can power up and steer away from any obstacle. Trim the sail in quickly to get the boat moving forward and steer away from the wind slightly to prevent stalling into the wind.


RIGHTING THE BOAT

If you tip the boat over, stay with the boat. The boat will not sink and is easy to right. It is not necessary, but it is easier, to right the boat when the bow and the mast are pointed into the wind as in the diagram.

DOCKING

Docking the Getaway properly will prevent damage. Always dock and rig on the leeward side of a dock (the side the wind reaches last). Come in slowly and always be aware of the wind direction so you can properly de-power the boat when needed. The stronger the wind the more difficult the docking will be. Until you feel confident, you may want to practice with a friend who will remain on the dock and help slow you down if necessary.

BEACH LANDINGS

Landing on a beach is simple. The idea is to reach the beach in the point of sail nearest straight into the wind as possible. This will assure that you can properly de-power the sail once beached.

All read and done, you will only learn to sail the hobie when you actually sail the hobie. Experience is the greatest teacher! Are you ready to fly the Cat? Read more...

Sailing On Lazybones To The Mystical Island Of Diu

A 60 foot Luxury yacht, warm people, chilled beer, avionics of Jonathon Livingston Seagull, Black Panther with a Machine Gun… a little bit of trouble… and a whole lot of fun!
Thank you Mr. Mahesh Walke, for sharing your one-of-a-kind adventure with us.

Thy sea route to Diu

“Dawn on a cold Mumbai morning and we were on an adventure. We were sailing on lazybones a 60 foot luxury yacht, to the mystical island of Diu Once a Portuguese colony.
The Yacht owners Bob and Ray were Australians. Bob was a retired Australian army officer and he and his wife Ray had sold their house and were on a sailing vacation. They had no real destination. They would like to go around the world they said bur you know would say Bob we will stay where the beers are cold and the people warm not the other way around like some islands…


They stayed for a year on their yacht in Mumbai harbor (of course the yacht was moved to the docks during the monsoons)

Well to make a long story short we that's a friend of mine and me managed to wrangle an invitation to sail with them from Mumbai to Due. They would then sail on to Salala in Oman. We veer excited both Rio and me had been on some long sails but in small open boats called seabirds. Never in a fancy yacht like Lazy bones.

The day of becoming dawned. It was Jan, there was a nip in the air, and we rowed from the Slip way at the Gateway of India to the boat.
Let me describe the boat. You climbed up on a ladder about four feet high from the stern that's what the backside of a boat is called on to the deck. There before you were an open area that could seat about 15 people. On the right jutting out over the boat was a barbeque. On the left were a basin and a very important requirement on any boat a small ice box and refrigerator.

In the center was the raised roof of the dining room and the master's cabin. You walked around it and in the center was the bridge no Nat a table to play cards on but the main control for the boat or where one sailed or drove the boat from.
The bridge was spacious with broad sofas that could seat 5 or so.

A small staircase led down from the bridge to the main salon. This was like any small sitting room. A few steps at the back and you were in the dining and cooking area the galley as they called it.
At the back was a big bedroom with a double bed and a attached toilet the master cabin.

If you walked towards the front from the salon you again had to negotiate a few steps. And on your left was a small cabin with a double bed. Pop that was a shower and toilet and a washing machine. And right in front was a cabin with four bunk beds.

Bob and ray greeted us with a warm good morning and a steaming mug of coffee.
We stowed our gears in our cabins and were all set to sail bob started the engine and moved the boat forward slowly as Ray started the electric winch witch pulled up the anchor chain. Stop engines bob shouted ray as ray killed the engines and came forward. We looked as ray pointed at the chain that had come up and you what a sight it was covered by a slimy layer of much and looked more like a rope than a steel chain.

Okay Mates we have a bit of work on our hand don't we said Bob. Out came the buckets and steel brushes and we all joined hands at getting the slime off and believe me it smelt foul and it felt worse.

This is how our dream luxurious champagne holiday started. We stood there sweaty smelly when a piercing sound almost as if a 100 hyenas had suddenly appeared or was it wailing banshees shattered the silence I was in shock. What was that I wondered?

Now you hear what we have to go through every morning said Bob that's your bloody laughing club at the BPT gardens.

Bob then rigged up a shower on deck after using lots of soup we felt like humans again.

Finally at 11 am with our ear drums almost shattered we filially got underway.

We jibed out of Bombay harbor and up went the sails. Now when sailed we had to pulla lot of ropes and tye them and hod the tiller and sail thhe boat.

This was high tech We had to pull up the3 sails but once they were up. Volla bob set the boat on auto pilot and that's it the boat was sailing herself.

This is how it worked.

Bob punched in the map co ordinates of where we wanted to go. Th auto pilot compaired that coordinate with the reading it received from a in built Goss witch told u where we were our speed and how long it would take us to reach our destination.

Now the marvel did not stop here the pilot was also connected to the radar. So if it saw any obstacle the pilot would automatically navigate the boat around it. In fact we did not touch the wheel even once until we reached Diu.

The ski was clear and we watched the marine drive fade into the distance. We had hoped to be able to see more of Mumbai from the sea but alas there is a reef that makes it necessary for boats to sail out into the blue sea also our destination was north west of Mumbai and we were crossing the Arabian sea,
Rio pulled out cold cans of beer. And we were on our way. We watched as a flock of sea gulls came over to investigate us. For the next half an hour we were entertained to the best avionics show I have ever seen to me they all looked like Jonathon Livingston Seagull.

Alas a fishing boat approached and the gulls I think found the smell of fish more exiting and off they were surrounding the fishing boat leaving us to lament.

We had a cold lunch so smoked chicken ham salami and French bread alson with a tossed salad, followed by some after 8 mint chocolates.

Bob then set up a fishing line on th port side of the boat and We shared stories about sea experiences and occur fishing stories about the big one that got away.

Bob and ray decided to rest Me and Rio had the first watch. Even though every thing is automatic one has to watch out for fishing vessels as they do not shout on a radar.

We sat in the wheel house enjoying the feeling of power web were in command of a 60 footer super yacht that was worth half a million dollars.

The sun was about to set a lovely orangey golden color seemed to spread across the horizon I was standing on the bikini deck lost in thought suddenly I heard this loud magnified in my ears This is Black panther This is black Panther hold course and reduce speed I jumped out of my skin and my face the sight that I say took my breath away. A machine gun was pointed at me barely 10 feet away from the deck of a mean looking black and white boat. My neck and back shuddered I could feel all my hair standing and there were goose pimples I could feel that knot in my stomach Pirates My body trembled in excitement and fear.

What happened next was a let down the voice on the hailer continued. This is a Navigation hazard warning. It seemed that there was a ship toeing a 4 mile cable 20 miles east of our position and we were being told to stay away from that area.

Why any one wanted to tow a cable was beyond me.
Bob and Ray hearing the commotion had joined us and booth immediately said sundowner time now mates.

Well fed and happy me and Rio had the first watch as darkness enveloped the sea the sight was breath taking the sea seemed to be covered with floating candles it regimented me of arti at the ghats in Haridwar when people set out floating dias on the Ganges.

Then suddenly in the distance on our port side we saw small Christmas trees we wanted to go closer but Bob said we weren't allowed those were the oil rigs at Bombay high.

Though it was the end of our watch at 12 pm I stayed awake until 3 am.

I woke up the next morning at noon..

The rest of the afternoon got a little monotones just the boat sailing itself Even the gods had disappointed us we hadn't caught a single fish.

An then at about 8.30 rio shouted land ahoy. Sure enough we could see flashing sights of Due Light house. We were there well almost.

At 10.45 we entered due bay and what a sight it was the coastline completely lit uh like a neck less and a band playing.

The moon was bright, the waters calm, no boats around us, just the lights and the band.

We almost convinced our hosts that the band was in their honor. We put down our anchor. WE had arrived!”

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The Greatest Little Boat In The World !

The 'Optimist' is quite simply the dinghy in which the young people of the world learn to sail. Sailed in over 110 countries by over 150,000 young people, it is the only dinghy approved by the International Sailing Federation exclusively for sailors less than 16 years of age.
The “Opti” as the young sailors fondly call her is the greatest little boat in the world.


Sailing is a lifetime sport where those in the age group of 8 to 80 are practicing the same skills. One of the tasks of the Optimist Class is to provide the sailors of the future. Many will be content to sail at club or national level. But for those with the desire and talent, the Optimist is the introduction to the world of competitive international racing.

Optimists are the main training ground for future Olympic sailors. Over 60% start in the boat and over 40% of them are already international competitors by the age of 13-15. By December of the year in which they turn 15, Optimist racers are said to "age out"; that is, they become too old to continue racing.
The Optimist is the biggest and most competitive youth racing class in the world.

Specifications Under Current Rules:

Class Symbol
Crew One
LOA 7 ft 9 in (2.36 m)
LWL 7 ft (2.13 m)
Beam 3 ft 8 in (1.12 m)
Draft 5 in (0.13 m) /
2 ft 9 in (0.84 m)
Hull weight (with fittings) 77 lb (35 kg)
Mast height (above deck) 7 ft 5 in (2.26 m)
Mainsail area 35 ft2 (3.3 m2 )
.

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Official Website Launched for the Volvo Ocean Race.

The official website 'www.volvoracecochin.com' was launched by Kerala Tourism Development Corporation (KTDC) Chairman Cherian Philip in the presence of N Ramachandran, Chairman, Cochin Port Trust and Dr. V Venu, Secretary, Tourism, Government of Kerala.


It is for the first time in the 35-year history of the Race, regarded as the ultimate in ocean racing competition, that an Indian port has been chosen for the stopover..


Kochi will witness a ten-day visual extravaganza of the most exciting water sport action that India has ever witnessed between December 3 and 13 this year. Apart from the world's fastest ocean racing yachts with state-of-the-art technology backup, the event will also attract hundreds of other luxury yachts and sailing vessels of different depiction. The Race will commence its round-the-world marathon sailing in October 2008 and cover more than 39,000 nautical miles, visiting 11 ports across the world.


Starting from Alicante in Spain, it would stopover at Cape Town, Cochin, Singapore, Qingdao, Rio de Janeiro, Boston, Galway, Goteborg and Stockholm, before reaching the finishing line at St. Petersburg. The Race is the ultimate in world-class water-sporting competition on the extreme edge of adventure, drama and endurance. The stopover will enable the global corporate sponsors to hold networking conclaves with leaders of Commerce and Industry of the host country at the stopover ports.


The Race and the stopover events would be extensively covered in electronic, print and news media across the world, ranging from newspapers to lifestyle and glamour magazines.Port sponsor and co-sponsors for the India stopover event will be finalised by the Cochin Port Trust and the Kerala Tourism shortly through a bidding process.. Read more...

Viking Thor - Sail away on ice cream sticks!!!

U.S.born stuntman turned Captain Robert McDonald of the Sea Heart Foundation has built a ship made out of recycled ice cream sticks. Yes thats right, ICE CREAM STICKS!!..


He calls the ship Mjollnir. That's Norse for Hammer of Thor. It's as long as an 18-wheeler, with a Viking dragon snarling from the prow, and Robert McDonald wants to sail it from the Netherlands to the Florida Keys. Viking ships have crossed the Atlantic before. But the Mjollnir is made of Popsicle sticks. Fifteen million Popsicle sticks, some of them used and steam-cleaned, the white-birch bones of frosty treats devoured by children around the world.


McDonald is a professional daredevil from Jacksonville's Southside, and he has pulled enough stunts in his 46 years -- free-climbing the Grand Canyon, for example -- to earn a place alongside Jackie Chan and John Wayne in the Hollywood Stuntmen's Hall of Fame. Some back story may help explain McDonald's audacity. When he was 10, he carried a gas can too near a barbecue grill in the yard of his family's house on Ryar Road. The gasoline exploded and left third-degree burns on 70 percent of his body. He spent six months at a burn center in Texas, befriending children who'd lost eyes and lips and ears.
One day he was watching the Superman TV show from his hospital bed when he decided that children needed a real-life hero to believe in. He appointed himself.He estimates he has hand-delivered 20 million toys to hospitalized children, including all four corners of Bosnia during an atrocious war.


Getting back to the ship, the 15-metre (50-foot) long ship, named after the Norse god Thor, is made from 15 million recycled ice-cream sticks glued together by US-born stuntman Robert McDonald, his son and more than 5,000 children.Bison International sent him rivers of saltwater-proof glue. Unilever donated nearly 13 million sticks. The rest came from children and other believers. Nearly 5,000 visited McDonald's borrowed warehouse and helped build the ship, designed from a Viking blueprint McDonald downloaded off the Internet.


The Viking ship made from ice-cream sticks started its 1st voyage from Netherlands to England on Tuesday. From England the crew plans to sail to Shetland Islands, then Shetland fjords, Iceland and Greenland and Lancing Meadow will be their
final destination. Loaded with cuddly toys, the crew aim to follow the Dutch and Belgian coast down to northern France before crossing the Channel to England where they plan to visit children in hospitals.. Read more...

One Tough Gazookas- Personality of a Sailor Man !

His first words were in response to the question, "Are you a sailor?" Popeye smartly replied, "Ja think I'm a cowboy?". Popeye the sailorman, with his muscles and his spinach, has since then, become a cultural icon.

It was an eventful Sunday evening when Team Giira got talking to a couple of sailors from around the world at the Vasco da Gama Rally party. We chatted up with the hearty lot about all the many adventures they’ve had to what it takes to be a true sailor!

“Sometimes God calms the storm, sometimes He calms the sailor”…


“No Expectations!...... and a Desire to Explore………. new lands, foreign cultures and of course the winds in the deep blue seas!”

Sailors are simplistic people who enjoy the simple pleasures of life. Highly spirited, they love the adventure of facing the uncertain, the indefinite and the challenges that await them. Overcoming obstacles is their greatest thrill, for beyond fear… lies victory! Sailing across the deep seas, these men are full of depth and a philosophy of their own.



“He is the best sailor who can steer within fewest points of the wind, and exact a motive power out of the greatest obstacles. “ – Sir Walter Scott

Sailors are full of humor and guess what else… superstition too, well may be a couple few. For sailors, it is goodluck : to smash a bottle against the boat just before sailing !
to throw an old pair of shoes overboard just after launch !to touch the collar of a sailor !
to step aboard using the right foot first!
Sailors believe the seabirds carry the souls of the dead.

Here’s a sailor joke:
"Why such long face John?" asked the other seaman.
"I don't know," said John "maybe It's just that we have been at sea for so long and I'm so depressed I cant seem to do anything right. Most of the time I feel so alone and useless!"
Smiling and nodding in an understanding way, the other seaman said, "John, I don't know if this helps but let me assure you; you are not alone. Most of us on the ship feel you're useless too."

Being a sailor adds to self growth. Many of the boaters we spoke with had taken up sailing at a much later stage in their lives! Sailing… can serve as a great learning experience and do wonders where acquiring soft-skills are concerned! It was nice to see so many women boaters too. In fact the ratio was almost equal.

Popeye the sailorman has become world famous. Whether it be from his addiction to spinach or the lyrics to his song, people of all ages imitate, collect, and aspire to be like Popeye. Popeye served as a hero to many. With his stylish sense of humor and his positive outlook on life, he was a role model to young children too.

Stay tuned in as Giira covers more on sailors and their special relationships with their vessel, wind and the sea!

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Anatomy of a Sail Boat - Part IX : RADAR

The sea has no roads...

With only the Sun or the Moon above your head...and clear blue waters till as far as your eyes can see...how do you navigate your prized yacht?...without getting lost or getting into a ship as huge as the horizon at night?...unless you know how to use the stars to guide you back home...WHAT DO YOU DO?


Radio Detection and Ranging - commonly known as RADAR - is the way to take you there !

NAVIGATION

Navigation is the science of getting ships, aircraft, or spacecraft from place to place; especially : the method of determining position, course, and distance traveled. (Courtesy : www.m-w.com)

From olden days, where techniques Mariner's Compasses were used to chart courses by seeing the stars, to modern-day satellite-coordinated techniques - navigation has come a long way.

RADARs estimate the distance between the SOURCE of the RADAR and neighbouring BODIES within its range.

WHAT, WHEN, WHERE, HOW ?

WHAT? - Radar is a system that uses electromagnetic waves to identify the range, altitude, direction, or speed of both moving and fixed objects such as aircraft, ships, motor vehicles, weather formations, and terrain. The term RADAR was coined in 1941 as an acronym for Radio Detection and Ranging.

Radar was originally called RDF (Radio Direction Finder) in Britain.



WHEN? - First instances of the use of a RADAR are as old as 1904, but the main development of this technology happened in the beginning of World War II, where the need for such a system precipitated.

WHERE? - A lot of countries can claim their contribution in developing the RADAR, but the British were able to develop some of the finest systems in comparison to the US, France, German and Hungary.

HOW? - RADARs work on a very simple principle - they send off waves that bounce back and return once they hit an obstacle - sounds as simple as a tennis ball bouncing off the floor.

Technically, electromagnetic waves reflect from a solid object in air or a vacuum. This is particularly true for electrically conductive materials, such as metal and carbon fiber, making radar particularly well suited to the detection of aircraft and ships.

At times, radar-absorbing material, containing resistive and sometimes magnetic substances, is used on military vehicles to reduce radar reflection. This is the radio equivalent of painting something a dark color. Technology like this is used in the Stealth Bombers and Stealth Ships for warfare.

PARTS OF A RADAR

Though it may look simple from outside - something more on the lines of a overgrown capsule - RADARs are a tad more complex.


A radar has different components:-

1) A transmitter that generates the radio signals of different frequencies.

2) A waveguide that links the transmitter and the antenna.

3) A duplexer that serves as a switch between the antenna and the transmitter or the receiver for the signal when the antenna is used in both situations.

4) A receiver. Knowing the shape of the desired received signal (a pulse), an optimal receiver can be designed using a matched filter.

5) An electronic section that controls all those devices and the antenna to perform the radar scan ordered by a software.

6) A link to end users.

With the amount of traffic in the seas increasing, a RADAR is a must in order to keep casualities and incidences out of sight.
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