Category Archives: High Seas

A Greenwich student is readying herself for the rigours of the open sea when she joins a crew for one leg of a transatlantic journey that begins on the Thames near her school.

Sixth form student Drusilla Barnes, 16, won the chance to take part in Rendez-Vous 2017 Tall Ships Regatta in an essay-writing competition.

The John Roan School student is being sponsored by the Port of London Authority (PLA) and will be at sea for the 14-day voyage on board one of the Tall Ships, destined for Sines in Portugal. Her duties will include rigging the sails, navigating and steering at the helm.

Drusilla said: When I finish studying, I want to work abroad and travel to different countries and I thought this might be a great way to get started.

The race, organised by Sail Training International , will see Drusilla, and 50 other sponsored trainees from Greenwich depart the Port of London in the grand Parade of Sail that marks the end of the Royal Greenwich Tall Ships Festival from April 13.

Drusilla got a taste of marine life during a visit to PLA headquarters in Gravesend to meet the team and learn about their work.

She said: Simon Malins, one of the duty port controllers told me that he would be helping all the tall ships travel up and down the river during the Tall Ship Regatta. He said he would call me on the VHF radio to check up on me as I passed by, on my way to Portugal.

With 95% of UK imports arriving by sea, the PLA is encouraging young people from all backgrounds to consider a career in maritime and ports.

Greenwich councillor Denise Scott-McDonald said: We are really proud of Drusilla and all of the other young Sail Trainees from the borough for having the courage to follow their dreams and explore new horizons.

The Greenwich Tall Ships Festival takes place between April 13 and 16.

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Why newbie Drusilla is preparing for life on the high seas - The Wharf - The Wharf

Many businesses have distributed office environments but very few have offices that travel the high seas. But at Fred Olsen Ltd that's exactly what their IT staff have to contend with.

The company, founded in 1848, has several business units, ranging from shipping and oil and gas, to renewable energy and cruise holidays. It is the last business in this list that poses the sea-based challenges, with four ships that travel from the fjords of Norway to the shores of Australia.

For Damon Impett, IT director of Fred Olsen Ltd (pictured), this poses some tricky tech challenges, not least the fact that the satellite connections the ships often have to rely on when at sea are hardly the fastest.

"The V-Sat connection on a ship was 800KB, which was for everything, corporate services, WiFi for guests and so on. That has increased to 3Mbps but it still poses challenges," he told V3.

While its ships have slow connections the 20 or so offices in the UK, ranging from its head office to small travel shops, are less encumbered. As such, Impett has taken the firm on a hybrid route mixing cloud and on premise services.

"Not everything works well in cloud and even when it does work well in cloud it can be expensive, so I think any strategic thinker must focus on the hybrid route."

Specifically this means the firm has some services like OneDrive and Skype for Business in Azure while others are in AWS while other key services, such as Office 365, remain on premise deployments.

However, Impett thinks it's inevitable that cloud use within the business will increase, not least because it is likely Microsoft will want to push this method of delivery over on premise services.

"I suspect we will go Office 365 in the cloud on our next round of upgrades, possibly because Microsoft may in time stop offering on premise, or offer it at a price point where we'll have to jump ship anyway."

As noted, though, Impett and his team don't just have the cruise business to manage, but also have to keep a tight rein on the devices used across all eight Fred Olsen businesses with a presence in the UK.

Originally posted here:

Tech on the high seas: Fred Olsen IT chief chats cloud, connectivity and security - http://www.v3.co.uk

By Mia Armitage

At least four of five North Coast shark nets were hauled from the ocean on Sunday after Sea Shepherd activists found two rays entangled off Lighthouse Beach in Ballina.

Marine scientist Scott Wallace said he saw two white spotted eagle rays caught when he dove with fellow Apex Harmony shark protection campaigner Zaid Dillon from Sea Shepherds inflatable raft, Grey Nurse.

They obviously havent checked the nets for a while, said captain Jonathan Clark when Mr Wallace confirmed one of the rays was dead and decomposing.

One of two rays found caught in shark nets off Ballina beaches. Photo Sea Shepherd

Mr Wallace was unsure how long it took the ray to reach its decomposition levels but guessed around two days.

A second caught ray, also believed to be a white spotted eagle ray, survived and Department of Primary Industries contractors cut the animal free from the net some twenty minutes later.

Captain Clark reminded all aboard Grey Nurse not to touch the shark nets lest DPI authorities issue a $22,000 fine to offenders.

Contractors aboard Wahoo removed nets from Lighthouse and Shelly Beaches around midday and said they had already taken nets out of the water at Sharpes Beach and Main Beach, Evans Head.

Theyll be out of the water all week, said one contractor, who appeared to be Wahoos captain but did not identify himself, weve got some bad weather coming.

He said a fifth net at Seven Mile Beach in Lennox Head was under another contractors responsibility and didnt know if it was to stay in the ocean.

One of the three men aboard Wahoo confirmed he was a DPI representative paid to observe the contractors at work, as stipulated in the DPIs North Coast Shark Management Plan.

DPI authorities hired local fishers to check shark nets at least twice daily but last month said poor weather was hampering regular inspection efforts.

Le-Ba Boardriders President Don Munro told press at the time weather had been predominantly fine and should not have stopped net checks while Ballina Councillor Keith Richardson said contractors were not being paid enough.

Nets were checked less than 1.5 times per day on average in the first two months of the NSW governments controversial North Coast Shark Net Trial with a third monthly report due this week.

Captain Clark, QLD co-ordinator for the Apex Harmony campaign, said activists planned to check nets again as soon as possible but he was pleased contractors had removed nets temporarily.

Were here to advocate for human and marine safety, he said, we want the most effective, non-lethal shark mitigation strategies possible and the shark net trial is not that.

A national senate inquiry into shark mitigation began in mid-February and Mr Clark said Apex Harmony campaigners had made a submission.

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Eco-warriors meet government authority on Ballina's high seas ... - Echonetdaily

Pirates of the Caribbean is one of those franchises that seemed to have randomly fallen off a cliff. After the first film in the franchise, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, hit, the series seemed to have real promise. Unfortunately, fans seemed to like the films less and less as it worked its way through Dead Mans Chest and At Worlds End. However, despite this seemingly declining interest, Disney went forward with a fourth film, On Stranger Tides. While the film didnt perform very well in North America, it more than made up for it overseas, and still managed to crack $1 billion at the worldwide box office.

But after the success of On Stranger Tides, conversation around a sequel kind of dried up. Perhaps it was Disney reading the signs that the franchise needed a bit of a break, or perhaps it was simply a matter of getting the script where it needed to be. Either way, it would be over six years until wed be getting another Pirates movie.

Even after all this time, the prospect has admittedly been met with an underwhelming enthusiasm from fans. While many enjoyed the initial films, it seemed to have overstayed its welcome. But Disney has had a great track record in the past five-plus years, and in that time, theyve managed to produce mostly good films, much to the surprise of the entire industry. Perhaps the upcoming Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales would be worth watching after all. The first teaser and Super Bowl spot were both pretty solid, but would it hold up with a Jack Sparrow-filled trailer?

You be the judge.

Original post:

New Pirates Of The Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales Trailer Brings Us More Action On The High Seas! - LRM Online (press release) (blog)

Werner von Siemens (SIEMENS.NS) mission to lay 50,000 nautical miles of transatlantic cables might not have been destined to fail but at least one business rival tried to make sure that it would. It wasnt enough to merely execute a risky project that had never been done before. The crew aboard the Faraday, the ship that Siemens and his brothers commissioned, also had to move faster than saboteurs who planted false reports in the press and even broke cables. And it was in this pressure-filled environment that Siemens turned to another recent invention of his to enable his crew to work around the clock: a electrical generator, placed on the deck, to light up the night skies.

This spirit of deploying new technology and innovation on the high seas is just as relevant 143 years later even if the challenges are much different, which thousands of leaders from the maritime industry, including naval architects, shipbuilders and owner/operators talked about recently at the International WorkBoat Show in New Orleans. Today the marine industry is working towards solutions for propulsion, environmental regulations, safety standards, and global trade by embracing the technological advancements currently reshaping the industrial world: what we call Industry 4.0.

And it had zero emissions. Batteries are charged on each side of the fjord with electricity, provide from a mix of the countrys renewable resources such as hydro and wind power.

Another Industry 4.0 development is using one common platform to collect and consolidate operational ship data from different system suppliers and in common data formats in order to supply applications via a simple and standardized interface. The applications can help optimize ship operation and performance. For example, software is used to transmit vast amounts of ship or event fleet operational data, back to an onshore control center for analysis and optimization. Monitoring systems at sea allows for quick response to issues, thus increasing reliability and uptime, while reducing costs. We also see Industry 4.0 influences in the port of Dutch Harbor, Alaska, location of the Discovery Channels popular reality television series, Deadliest Catch. The recently commissioned Blue North commercial fishing vessel is now operating out of Dutch Harbor and is now one of the worlds most highly automated ships, able to catch, process and package fresh cod on-board in a Industry 4.0-like factory on the seas.

Finally, product lifecycle software (PLM) is being used to design the most highly complex ships. Performance and build-time is sped through the collaboration of designers, engineers, production specialists, partners and suppliers, so shipyards can optimize performance. While on the seas, operators are using advanced software to integrate all operational equipment through seamless and controlled data acquisition.

The Author

David Grucza is Director, Siemens Drilling & Marine, U.S.

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Industry 4.0 on the High Seas - MarineLink

Recreating one of the greatest survival feats in naval history the Mutiny on the Bounty is no easy ask, so could Channel 4s modern-day crew pull it off? Gemma Dunn finds out more

If truth be told, the modern-day man is often considered a mere shadow of his esteemed ancestors. There's no denying many of today's chaps - accepting of the 'metrosexual tag' or not - are more likely to be caught crafting a meticulous appearance, than pledging blood, sweat and tears on a life-or-death voyage. His band of merry men are a group of friends in a swanky bar; his compass reading skills peak at Google Maps.

But excluding the likes of survivalists Bear Grylls and Ray Mears, would our contemporary menfolk - if presented with the opportunity - jump at the chance to achieve the same extraordinary feats as their hardened predecessors? It turns out, yes, they would - or at least in the case of Channel 4's new series, Mutiny.

Trialling the age-old nautical saying, 'When ships were made of wood, men were made of steel', the fact-based series follows a group of nine 21st-century contemporaries who attempt to relive one of the greatest survival feats in naval history. But how did they fare pitted against a fleet of 18th-century seaman?

The tale begins 230 years ago, when British navy ship HMS Bounty was sailing from Tahiti to the West Indies. During its 17-month voyage, a poisonous rift meant Captain William Bligh and his loyal crewmen were cast adrift in the Pacific Ocean and left for dead.

In a remarkable act of seamanship, Bligh - forced into a tiny open boat and left to die - led his crew to safety across 4,000 miles of ocean from Tonga to Timor. It would go down in history as the Mutiny on the Bounty.

To replicate the same gruelling journey for the Channel 4 show, nine men would follow the same route on a replica 23ft open wooden boat, with similar equipment, the same food and water rations and the same basic clothing that Bligh's men had.

They'll also use the 225-year-old diary kept by Bligh during the voyage as a survival handbook, to help them uncover the secrets of the seas in such unpredictable, often brutal, environments.

SAS veteran-turned-TV star Ant Middleton leads the expedition, assuming the role of Captain Bligh. It's a role he refers to as "psychologically and leadership-wise, the hardest task I've done. In my military career, everyone had been through that process," explains the 36-year-old, who made his name as the lead instructor of Channel 4's SAS: Who Dares Wins.

"Everyone knew how to behave, the discipline was there, the structure was there," he elaborates. "This was a team of strangers that came together having gone through no process, so for me it was probably my toughest leadership task I've had to date, because I had to tailor to each and every one of their needs."

The rest of the eclectic crew, aged from 23-43, is made up of builder/handyman Ben Gotsell; sailor/adventurer Chris Jacks; professional sailor Conrad Humphreys; skipper Freddy Benjafield; doctor Luke Kane; brand ambassador Rishi Ravalia, and embedded cameramen Dan Etheridge and Sam Brown.

Staying true to form, Mutiny's producers cast a crew that would mirror that of Bligh's - with Gotsell recruited as ship carpenter and odd-jobs man, and Kane taking on the role of surgeon. Any expertise was put to good use.

"The worst bit was when everyone's skin basically disintegrated," recalls Kane, who is in his final year of GP training. "The cold, wet period was quite long, and essentially our skin's outer layer broke down, which let all these bugs come in. Everyone was riddled with ulcers and boils. It was really difficult to manage it, because the only way to deal with it was to dry off and we just couldn't do it. Sam's hands were the worst, he didn't have fingerprints for ages."

Indeed, cameraman Brown recalls: "There was a very 21st-century moment when I came off the boat; my iPhone didn't recognise me because I had no fingerprints. Like most of my jobs, I probably went into it a bit complacent. Somebody told me it was dry season, so I thought, 'Get a nice tan, nice cruise'. It was grim."

While health and safety protocols had to be put in place, Middleton was adamant the group would be self-sufficient, and that a call for the 'safety boat' would be for absolute final resorts only. "I said from the beginning, 'I won't be involved in anything that's not as authentic'. I didn't want it to be a Big Brother boat, these guys knew that if they called that safety boat in, then they're off. It's as black and white as that," he states.

As for conflict, there's no denying there was bickering on board - but any disputes were quickly put to bed. "It's bigger than any individual, this trip. The magnitude, the size of it and the seriousness of it, we had to stick together as a team.

"Back in the day, they say 'when ships were made of wood, men were made of steel', but trust me, to this day, men are still made of steel and I wanted to get that message across," Middleton adds. "That was my primary thought process, to let the modern-day man know we've still got it."

More here:

Survival on the high seas (From The Northern Echo) - The Northern Echo (registration)

RCSCC Admiral DeWolf PO2 Emily Castro will deploy on the tall ship Royalist off the coast of England next month.

image credit: Contributed

A Campbell River cadet is hitting the high seas in a tall ship next month.

Petty Officer 2 (PO2) Emily Castro, a member of 54 Royal Canadian Sea Corps (RCSCC) Admiral DeWolf located in Campbell River, has been selected to participate in a tall ship training deployment on board TS (Training Ship) Royalist in the United Kingdom (UK). PO2 Castro is one of 12 Sea Cadets from Canada who will train with 12 Sea Cadets from the U.K.

From April 24 to May 14, six female and six male Royal Canadian Sea Cadets will sail aboard TS Royalist, which is a square rig brig owned and operated by the Marine Society and Sea Cadets (MSSC) of the United Kingdom.

TS Royalist deployment takes place aboard a square-rigged sailing ship 32 meters in length. The ship is under the command of a qualified captain, with a permanent crew who instruct, year round, the embarked cadets on a weekly basis. The ship will sail off the south coast (English Channel) of the United Kingdom for a period of 12 days. During this deployment, cadets are involved in every part of ship board operations (helm, lookout, husbandry, cookery, seamanship, safety, etc.) and sailing evolutions (hoisting, lowering, furling and unfurling sails, on deck and aloft in the rigging, etc.) in a 24/7 watch system. Cadets will also be climbing masts using harness type safety gear. Accommodation and messing is basic and based on an open mess deck plan where Cadets sleep in individual racks with sleeping bags and have extremely limited storage space.

Selection for these deployments are a great honour, says 54 RCSCC Commanding Officer Lt(N) Dan Richard. Only top rated cadets from across Canada have been chosen, and it means extra work as there will be time away from school. It is a once in a lifetime opportunity.

The Royal Canadian Sea Cadet program is a youth program for Canadians aged 12 to 18. Jointly sponsored by the Canadian Forces and the Navy League of Canada, the aims of the program are:

To develop in youth the attributes of good citizenship and leadership; to promote physical fitness,and to stimulate interest in the sea element of the Canadian Forces and civilian maritime affairs.

The national Sea Cadet Training Program provides a wide range of course instruction and supporting activities to meet the interests of cadets.

New recruits begin their training with Drill and General Cadet Knowledge, giving them an introduction to the origin and development of the cadet movement; an understanding of the military/cadet rank structure; and an appreciation for the wear and care of the uniform. Cadets then move on to subjects such as Citizenship, Physical Fitness, Sensible Living, Drill, Seamanship, Maritime Identification, Marksmanship and Range/Shooting.

All cadets are required to participate in community service activities, fundraising, field exercises, sports, and citizenship activities throughout the year.

In addition to mandatory training activities, cadets are encouraged to participate in optional programs of interest to them. These can include:

Cadets also have the opportunity to experience both powered and sail boat familiarization training. Annually there are two weekends of Sail Training at the North Island Nautical Site located in Comox.

Sailing is considered part of the mandatory training program and the cadet must attend at least one sailing session per year to complete his/her training level. Dates are scheduled during the spring and fall of each training year to accommodate this requirement.

Although we are training Cadets, fun has to be part of the program, says Lt(N) Richard, if we arent having a good time doing this, why are we here?

And we are always open to young people who want to join and take part in a dynamic program. We meet on Thursday nights from 6:30 through to 9:15 p.m. at the Navy League Hall located at 911-13th Avenue in Campbell River.

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Campbell River Sea Cadet off to England to hit the high seas - Campbell River Mirror

MUMBAI: John Donnelly and Kevin Burdock are two of the fastest men on water and hold the P1 Super Stock World Speed Record of 107.69 kmph. But they recall the video that brought them social media fame was that of their crash in June last year at the P1 Superstock powerboat race in Greenock, Scotland. The sea in Scotland can be tricky because there are waves coming from many different directions, says Donnelly, the powerboat teams pilot, in an interview in Mumbai on Tuesday evening ahead of the inaugural Nexa P1 Powerboat, Indian Grand Prix of the Seas.

There were two of us going into the turn. Stuart and Sarah Cureton, who are also here, were in the other boat. I guess one of us misjudged the turn, slammed into each other and they were thrown off the boat. Thats when it hits home that it can be a very dangerous place to be in, chips in his navigator Burdock, who also owns their racing boat. The most difficult thing was that we didnt know they were okay. The rescue teams were on it straightaway, and they took them away. We were sinking in our boat and had to call for help. Our boat was really badly damaged but we fixed it overnight, went out again the next day and won the following race.

Theres always that element of risk, like in all motorsport, says Donnelly. Thats the adventure. Even after the accident, we couldnt just quit. It helped that both the Englishmen having engineering backgrounds. While Donnelly was a marine engineer and used to work for Honda boat racing teams, Burdock is an F1 transmission engineer.

I am the guy in the background who secretly wants to be in the F1 car, quips Burdock, who is also a not-so-secret James Bond fan and has designed his own range of 007 memorabilia. The 49-year-old Burdock took to the sport in 2015 mainly because it was more democratic and didnt need the big bucks of motor-racing in a car.

Donnelly and Budrock are the glamour team, in tennis parlance, the top seeds, for the Nexa P1 Powerboat, Indian Grand Prix of the Seas, which will take place on Marine Drive on the coming weekend. Though their engineering background helps them tinker with the boat, within rules obviously, the unique thing about the P1 series is that the panther boats, which will be used for this weekends race, and all the same and powered by the 250HP BRP Evinrude engine. We got at average speeds of 70 mph, says Burdock. Some people might say thats not a lot, but on the water, its like driving at more than 100 mph, on a rocky road, in the rain without a windshield! All this while racing other roaring boats and trying to avoid them.

deeptipatwardhan@newindianexpress.com

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Masters of the waves talk of high seas, thrills & spills - The New Indian Express

Sacramento Bee

Aging high-seas murder suspect out of hospital and back in court Sacramento Bee Silas Duane Boston, out of a hospital after apparent complications from heart and liver disease, returned to federal court Tuesday as a judge approved pretrial depositions and set a tentative October date for Boston to face trial for the 1978 murders ...

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Aging high-seas murder suspect out of hospital and back in court - Sacramento Bee

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There are numerous ways to experience the outdoors in the gulf coast, but one very unique and memorable way is to sail on a rare world-class 40 ft. Condor sailboat.

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Sam Smith, thebacon@pnj.com 4:27 p.m. CT Feb. 24, 2017

Sunset Lovers at Bridge Bar on July 16.(Photo: Julie Umemura)

There are numerous ways to experience the outdoors in the gulf coast, but one very unique and memorable way is to sail on a rare world-class 40 ft. Condor sailboat. You can enjoy a romantic sunset, dip your toes over the side and experience phenomenal views with friends, watch the Blue Angels practice with your family onspacious side decks and comfortable seats, and even enjoy the full moon in the night sky.

These intimate adventures are two hours long with a maximum of sixguests. With plenty of room, you and your loved ones can sun bathe on floats, learn how to sailand take in views on the calm blue waters of Pensacola Bay with possible dolphin sightings. For $85 per person and $25 off kids 12 and under, you can experience one of these unique adventures.

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For the best underground info in one spot the best bars, best food, best concertsand best experiences only the locals know download our free entertainment app. The Bacon is in the Apple and Google Play stores and ready to be downloaded today.

Daily options:

2 p.m. cruise

Sunset cruise

Additional options:

Mornings with the Blue Angels - 11 a.m. - Most Tuesdays and Wednesdays just off the Navy base

Private cruises are also available to enjoy a romantic excursion or a day with friends and family. This two-hour cruise is $449 and may include up to 6 guests. This adventure docks from the Fish House where one can enjoy lunch or dinner before or after sailing.

Moonlight Cruises are also available for two days each month, so be sure to sure to contact Condor Sailing Adventures at 850-637-7245 to check for availability and confirm departure locations, or visit http://www.condorsailingadventures.com/request-a-reservation/ to request a reservation.

Looking for that perfect romantic gift? The Ultimate Romantic Sunset Cruise offers an intimate evening with music by a professional violist and guitarist duo (which take requests) for $799 for an unforgettable evening watching a gorgeous sunset over the bay.

Tips:

There are only 21 Condor racing trimarans in the world, so be sure to come experience Dare IIs relaxing and fun adventure for all ages in Pensacola.

Read or Share this story: http://on.pnj.com/2mgoMzr

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Take to the high seas with Condor Sailing Adventures - Pensacola News Journal