Today we have the recently delivered UASC Yanbu (IMO: 9415844, Port of Registry: Monrovia, Liberia) as the Ship of the Day. The UASC Yanbu is the second of three vessels ordered by D. Oltmann Reederei. She was built by Hyundai Heavy, Korea and delivered in december 2009. She is currently operated by United Arab (chartered from China Shipping) in her Asia/Europe Container 2 service (AEC2). The vessel is 304 meters long, 40 meters wide and has a maximum teu capacity of 6,600. She has a maximum speed of 26.5 knots, however she is deployed in UASC’s service to make slow steaming possible on the major trade lanes to save on fuel costs through the slack season. This additional vessel joins UASC’s AEC2 service fleet of nine 6,900 teu (A7) vessels previously deployed on the service.
The UASC Yanbu is scheduled to arrive later tonight at the APM Terminal, Rotterdam.
Ahh Yes! Another “Winter” has settled in, here on the Southern California coast. Sure it’s not as warm out as the Summer. But it’s not cold either. And this year, so far, there have only been a few days one could classify as chilly. I know what I’m talking about! I survived 50 years of real winters…
The added bonus of Winter sailing is our proximity to the whale freeway not far offshore. The gray whales first head South to Mexico. But before they can be talked into a timeshare, they are on their way North with young in tow. The abundance of sea life and birds in the Winter is really a sight to behold. Not to mention the sunrise and sunsets!
What’s more, all of our sailboats have a serious sailing dodger. During the Winter, even the most timid find comfort behind the wind screen. With dolphins leaping and pelicans diving, those folks you bring along who would rather be anywhere else have soon forgotten all of that. Everyone collectively takes in this majesty of nature called the sea. It leaves even the most jaded awestruck. As well it should. Did we mention it’s also a great stress reliever? And if you are the competitive type you will not find a more thrilling experience, be it in a home-built dinghy or high performance million-dollar race boat.
But I digress… What we are trying to say here, is, come on down! The water is fine. If you need lessons, we’ll get you trained up now. You’ll be getting a jump on next Summer. (when the discounts have expired) Make plans now to come down to the docks and take a look at the fleet. We can talk boats and you can get your questions answered to see if SailTime is right for you. If you come on Sundays there is a nice farmers market that might soften the Admiral up enough to put it on the schedule!
A picture of a Sea Lemon (marseniopsis mollis) a kind of Mollusc as the shell is internal.
We collect them to go into the aquarium where they are used to address the question
We kept our animals in enormous aquariums until we needed them for research. One of the research questions we address is the temperature range these animals could withstand so they are taken to their thermal limits and weighed wet and dry. Normally the temperature in the waters around Antarctica is a very stable low temperature (-1.8 to 2 degrees Celsius). It is important to explore whether animals can adapt to higher temperatures because of global warming.
Lep in Ryder Bay with Leonie behind (my playground) this was taken on the way back from a trip to Lagoon.
This is a picture by Paul Nicklen of a Lep that was one of the winners of the Wildlife Photographer of the Year awards.
Leps are the bain of our lives down here at Rothera. The Marine Team is effected sometimes on a daily basis by their prescence. At least 4 dives since I have been here that I was meant to do have been aborted when we were fully kitted up about to go in as a result of them. It really is frustrating when we have work to do. Someone described them as sinister and evil looking they really are. I don’t like snakes at all and leps look like reptiles and swim like reptiles as well.
They are the second largest species of seal down here only the ellie (elephant seal) is larger. The leopard seal is the Antarctic’s equivalent of the polar bear and is the top predator on the continent. It has canine teeth that are 2.5 cm (1 in). Read more about them here.
I went with Matt Von Tersch (in photo with helmet on) the Bonner Lab Manager to do a Skua survey. During the Skua nesting season he does surveys in the ASPA – Antarctic Special Protected Area and the point once a week. The survey is done to monitor breeding success each season. The ASPA is there to monitor the effect of human impact on the point. All the nests (22 in total) are marked and Matt measures the eggs volume by picking them up and measuring length and width.
He then marks them with tippex so as to know whether there are new eggs or not. With the chicks he measures their wing length and weight twice a week until they fledge which is 45-50 days after they are born. Some of the adult skua are ringed we don’t know where they go during the Antarctic winter. They come back year after year with the same partners so mate for life.
I had to a double-take when I saw this shot. Not sure what this rig is called or what he benefits would be. It’s not a schooner rig as the foremast would be shorter. Maybe its easier to single-hand. One of the early singlehanders in the Golden Globe Race in 1968 had a junk rig with similarly placed and sized masts.
This is Mel at a girlie evening we had in December. During the day she is hard at work at the Bonner Lab as a marine biologist. She spends a lot of time diving and in the aquarium looking after all the animals. She is a beautiful singer and is from Australia. Check out an article about her.
The Cosco Oceania (IMO: 9334923, Port of Registry: Hong Kong) is one of Cosco’s most recent newbuildings. This 10,000 teu container ship was delivered in April 2008 at Nantong COSCO KHI Ship Engineering Co.Ltd, China. The ship is 348 meters long, 45.6 meters wide and has a deadweight tonnage of 111,385. The vessel’s Hyundai Heavy 12K98MC MK6 engine delivers a maximum power of 68,640 kW, which assure a maximum speed of about 24 knots.
The Cosco Oceania is scheduled to arrive later this morning at the Euromax Terminal with the last port of call at Nansha, China.
This is a fur seal there is one at anchorage at the moment. They are pretty agressive and can move faster than a person running so best to stay clear as a bite from one will result in being sent north.
So I put my hand between the engine and the boat when I was tilting it the other day and now have a hand with two little punctures and up in a sling. So life is a little bit more challenging. Only one stitch but it was painful as the numbing stuff didnt work so needless to say i went through the roof when the needle went in!
No trip to the field for me over christmas and restricted use for a least 7 days. Luckily it didn’t go through the tendon but I am antibiotics as it is near the tendon sheath. However, this morning I have tested my left hand and can still drive the crane and tractor and am doing seal watch and working on the computer.
Can’t finish my christmas presents in the wood shed unfortunately… so presents will be late for those down here.
International online survey of quality in yacht charter business. Minitransat sailor Christian Kargl and software architect Ralph Zimmermann from Austria start an international survey of quality in the yacht charter business. In cooperation with Vienna University of Economics and Business the most substantial report will be continuously updated. It is possible to post the reviews from December 3, 2009.
I got an email the other day from Ralph Zimmerman in Austria asking for help with a survey ion the Yacht Charter market. Sounds like this would be a useful piece of research. You can submit a review here
One of the harder things to get across to the scientists is that weather is a large factor in planning. Above is the information permanently on our computer screen. When there is a crosswind it flashes red so we are ready to scrabble for SAR requirements.
We use a program called Ensemble as well as having a full time Met Office Forecaster on station. It has 5 different models which tell you what to expect for the next 5 days.
Every morning at 7:45am the boatman is at the ops meeting to get the METARs and TAFs (Terminal Aerodrom Forecast) and also understand the Air SAR requirements for the day. The METARs look something like this…
EGAR 231000Z 06007KT 1000 -SN OVC015 MO1 MO2 Q974=
Translated that means
EGAR = station
23 = Date of issue
1000Z = Time in Zulu
060 = bearing in T
07KT = wind speed
1000 = horizontal distance visibility in meters
-SN = slight snow
OVC = type of cloud
015 = cloud height of 1500 feet
M01 = current temperature in C
M02 = dew point C
Q974 = sea level pressure MB
We also have another lot of information on the screen this is plots showing us the historic trends in wind direction, speed, temperature etc.
On top of all this we have HORACE which is the met offices program with animated weather charts.
After waking up at 8am to see if I might be able to take some scientists out to the islands I retreated back to bed as it was my day off and it was blowing horizontal snow. I rowed 10km on the rowing machine in the gym and then after a leisurely brunch headed out for some ice climbing with a group. After ice climbing in shitty conditions – gusting 40 knots we wondered back to the bar and decorated it for christmas.
So it seems like everyone who has spent time down here is a scrooge and isn’t into christmas at all which kind of sucks. Us newbies have our advent calenders and Claire spent an afternoon making christmas cake last week.
However, I still haven’t got the christmas spirit going especially as we will be working on the actual day! But I might be lucky as I might be sent out to the field for a week over christmas in which case I will be in a little hut 200 miles from here on the actual day with the parcel my mother sent down.
We got a jump on our annual “off season” boat work this week when we pulled our 2007 Hunter 36, Bodacious, out of the water for her turn at some tender lovin’ care. Every 2.5 years or so, we pull the boat and inspect the hull, thru-hull valves and keel bolts. The boat gets a fresh coat of bottom paint and is treated to a machine wax job on the hull. Usually, we get started in January. But I pushed it up a month this year because we have several other projects coming in January, weather permitting.
Here we see Colin working the “heavy machinery”. Actually a low speed orbital sander which we apply the wax with and then polish off. It’s a real art not to smear or burn the wax and after 5 years, Colin is a real pro at it. It’s one heck of a shoulder and arm workout!
Last week, Bodacious was the star of the show, taking 1st place in the Parade of Lights boat decorating contest and this week she gets her well deserved spa treatment!
Shout outs to everyone at the Hunter factory. Bodacious is our first boat that came with the factory bottom job of epoxy layer over the gelcoat followed by two coats of antifouling paint. There was minor distress where the keel fin joins the hull but otherwise she was a beautiful sight to see. The paint coverage was still excellent and I attribute this to Mr Green Clean whom keeps her bottom clean with great care on a monthly basis when she is in the water.
January is when we tackle major stainless polishing and varnish any of the wood that needs it. Fortunately, new Hunter sailboats dont have a lot of wood!
Today we have the Hoegh Oslo (IMO: 9382396, Port of Registry: Oslo) featuring as the Ship of the Day. The Hoegh Oslo is a vehicle carrier capable of transporting 5,200 cars. This 180 metres long, 32 metres wide vessel was built in 2007 by Tsuneishi Cebu Shipbuilding Japan, is owned by Leif Hoegh & Co., Norway and managed by Hoegh Fleet Services, Norway. She has a gross tonnage of 52,400 and a deadweight tonnage of 16,650 with a maximum draught of 9.6 metres.
The Hoegh Oslo arrived this morning at the Rotterdam Car Terminal with the last port of call at Tartous.
Check out this beautiful gallery of marine photography. These are entries for the UK’s Sunday Express’s Marine Photography competition. They are nearly all taken on the coast but still beautiful shots. Thanks to Old salt Blog for pointing it out. I especially liked this one of Corryveckan in Scotland, a frickin’ terrifying place to sail. I was chatting to a chap the other day who took his Swan 38 round Scotland. He described how careful you have to be with the tides to avoid the whirlpools. These are created by strong current and tides whipping around either side of one of the Western Islands of Scotland and converging on the Westerly side.
Yesterday, I blogged about the awesome blur.se. As I don’t speak Swedish I haven’t a clue what they are talking about. As it turns out, there is a great back-story on Blur. Bloody inspiring. This is why we blog! Here is what Peter Gustaffson, the Blur Blogger had to say:
Blur started out in 2005 as a crew website for our racing project, and have since grown into Scandinavia’s largest site focused on sailing and yacht racing. Amazing really.
I try to make Blur.se the “one-stop-shop” for the active sailor or boat owner who wants to stay on top of the latest news, rumours, go-fast tips and gear. It’s a fine line between our own project, local news and things that happen in the big world.
We still run our corinthian J/109 Blur Racing project. I got the boat two years ago, and have been struggling getting it up to speed. This year we nailed it and won some big races. Pretty cool, beating the pros. We’re also doing on-the-water race coverage and try to be very active in the local sailing community.
Today we reach more sailors than the traditional sailing press, and I use that to activate people to go sailing. Overall participation in the region is up 20% and we managed to get 65 boats (vs 15 last year) in a doublehanded race that we promoted pretty hard.
My only problem is time. A day job running a consulting firm, a family, a race boat and then the blog… But I found out you can cut back on sleep (and that’s great training for those shorthanded races).
Everything is getting much more challenging now. Yesterday the motion was so bad, I could barely keep myself upright in my wheelchair, let alone type a blog, even now, every tap of the keypad is a chore. The honeymoon period of calm seas after leaving Lanzarote is now a distant memory. It’s not that we are enduring any horendous weather, in fact the wind barely reaches 20 knots and, right now it is only blowing less than 10 knots. The real debilitating factor is the sea state. Again, it is nothing too bad, at worst waves are only 2 metres and the Atlantic swells barely 3 metres. The problem is that it is a very confused sea; waves and swells coming from all directions and the wind is blowing directly on the starboard beam, not good for a lightweight catamaran. Impossibe Dream is bobbing like a cork, pitching and yawing, snatching and jerking, her 60ft length belying her skinny 17 tonnes as she gets picked up and slapped broadside by the seas. I found yesterday and last night very tough indeed. It is difficult enough existing in a wheelchair in a house that does not move but negotiating my chair around ID is like riding a unicycle on a rollercoaster. One of the factors of quadriplegia is having no tricep muscles in my arms. Those who know me may think I have full movement of my arms, I don’t, it’s a false impression, I only have 30% use of my biceps and that is it, no triceps at all, nor wrist, hand or finger movement, what you see is like a kind of “trick movement”. Controlling my arms so I may use my finger to type or to use my knuckles to push a button on the radar is made all the more difficult by the constant motion of ID, it’s as though my arm has no spacial control. For every correct keystroke you read, I have deleted more than double because of mistakes and my knuckles are red raw from continually pushing wrong buttons on the instrument panels.
I thought this summed up how tough Geoff Holt’s personal challenge is. When you watch his video logs it’s easy to be deceived by his positive tone. Make no mistake this is is an incredibly tough feat.
There are up to 105 people on base at its height this season and so there is a need for a system of keeping tabs on where everyone is. The support staff are pretty constant however, people are coming and going into the field everyday and also visiting scientists are in an out of base for sometimes only a few days.
The picture above is of the tagging out board. The station is divided into zones and then there is local travel, boating, islands, field, flying etc. When you are moving from one zone to another you have to move your name tag to the correct zone. If you are going off station you have to write in a book your name and where you are going. All the support staff carry a VHF radio 24 hours a day as well and we have a repeater on reptile ridge which give channel 18 a much broader effective area. My radio is on at night as well as Claire’s my roommate as I am on SAR duty most of the time and Claire is the Dr.
Who ever is on gash is in charge of checking every half hour the book and sometimes a call will go out on VHF looking for someone who is over due or forgot to tag themselves back into the station. So a very effective way of keeping people safe.
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