While much larger initiatives are needed to make shipping more environmentally sound, the little things add up. Don’t believe me? Ask any Engineer who has played the efficiency contest, a game where each on duty engineer goes around the ship turning off lights to increase the vessel’s fuel efficiency during his watch. The object of the game is to obtain better efficiency figures than the last watchstander.
Or was the game just intended to confuse the Deckies? (We really need an Engineer blogger here at gCaptain… any takers?).
Panbo brings us a small improvement in energy conservation that, if deployed on ships worldwide, may have a lasting improvement. They write:
Last winter, thanks to Lee Guite of East Boothbay, I tried some LED bulbs Lee used to replace the incandescent ones in the Aqua Signal nav lights aboard his Dulcinea. Lee got pretty carried away researching available replacement bulbs and the ones he finally chose were “flux” models from the LED Shop in Australia. In the photo above I was trying to get a camera comparison of his steaming light versus an OGM combo LED running light. They both seemed fairly effective, but now the LED Shop has more powerful SMT bulbs, and Orca Green Marine has dropped the multi-LED models altogether in favor of single LED lights. I don’t know much about LEDs, but they do seem to be in a state of rapid technological change, which means that one LED may perform quite differently than another, and none of them may be what we’ll be using a few years hence.
This map shows the antipodes of each point on the Earth’s surface – the points where the blue and pink overlap are land antipodes. Notice that most land has an antipode in the ocean. This map uses the Lambert azimuthal equal-area projection.
This map shows the antipodes of each point on the Earth’s surface – the points where the blue and pink overlap are land antipodes. Notice that most land has an antipode in the ocean. This map uses the Lambert azimuthal equal-area projection.
This map shows the antipodes of each point on the Earth’s surface – the points where the blue and pink overlap are land antipodes. Darker shades indicate areas of higher population density. This map uses the Equirectangular projection.
As a kid I wondered where I’d end up if I could drill a hole all the way through the earth. The answer was always China. That was before I knew the concept of Latitude and Longitude.
Thanks to the net, it’s much easier to make the calculation today. It is interesting to note that very little of the earths land mass overlaps.
Any number of Anitpode map links can make the calculation for you.
Wikipedia info here. You can create your own.
For the hooked on trivia buffs, here’s Wendy Carols’ Map Page.
(Ed. note: If you’re of my vintage you may remember Wendy’s (aka Walter) 1968 synthesizer classic Hooked on Bach.
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This post was written by Richard Rodriguez, Rescue Tug Captain, and US Coast Guard approved instructor for License Training. You can read more of his articles at the BitterEnd of the net.
(Ed. note: This comes from a current student, Dave Yell. You may well be able to deduce that Dave is British. In deed he held a Unlimited License there. He’s planning on doing some work here, which is way he’s in a class. I should note he is a fantastic resource.)
A man knows where he is, at all times.
He knows this because he knows where he isn’t.
By comparing where he is with where he isn’t or where he isn’t with where he is, he understands there is a Deviation.
His built in intuition uses Deviations to generate corrective commands to drive him from a position where he is to a position where he isn’t, and arriving at a position where he wasn’t, he now is.
Consequently: the position where he is now is the position where he wasn’t and it follows that the position where he wasn’t, is now the position where he is.
In the event that his actual position is not the position where he wasn’t, his conscience has acquired a Variation.
Variation is the difference between where the he is and where he is supposed to be or where he wasn’t.
If Variation is considered to be a significant factor his conscience can generate corrective commands to drive him from a position where he is to a position where he should be, and arriving at a position where he wasn’t, he now is.
However, to achieve the above he must also know where he was. His built in intelligence creates a scenario that works as follows: Because both Deviation and Variation have been modified by corrective commands of his intelligence and conscience some of the initial position information that he obtained is now inaccurate.
Therefore, he is not sure where he is.
However, he is sure where he isn’t and he knows where he was. He now compares where he should be with where he wasn’t. By differentiating this comparison with where he should be with where he was and where he wasn’t with where he now is, he is able to obtain the sum of the true Deviation and Variation, which he explains as – ERROR.
- Dave Yell 2006
- Adapted from the Missile Guidance System explanation.
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This post was written by Richard Rodriguez, Rescue Tug Captain, and US Coast Guard approved instructor for License Training. You can read more of his articles at the BitterEnd of the net.
For sailors, it ensured a safe return to the Great Harbor. It was the tallest building on Earth. And for scientists, it was the mysterious mirror that fascinated them most… The mirror which reflection could be seen more than 50 km (35 miles) off-shore.
Today’s lighthouses are slowly be phased out due to the advent of Global Positioning Systems (GPS) and other electronic navigational aids (I could rant here, but won’t;) just as lighthouse keepers gave way to automated lights. In the words of the US Coast Guard some lighthouses are, “No longer critical for safe navigation.” I’m waiting for the day the Coast Guard issues all mariners a chart plotter, because they are less expensive than maintaining aids to navigation.
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This post was written by Richard Rodriguez, Rescue Tug Captain, and US Coast Guard approved instructor for License Training. You can read more of his articles at the BitterEnd of the net.
Could it be time to dig out your old ten point dividers and loran-c charts? Probably not but the same technology behind these devices is making a comeback. HKLaw tells us:
Budget of the United States Government for Fiscal Year 2009 and related documents. Among other things, the Budget documents note enhanced LORAN (eLORAN) has been identified as the primary candidate as the national backup system for position, navigation, and timing. This budget includes funding for modernization of LORAN-C as the first step to implementation of eLORAN. Through a contracting-out arrangement, the Coast Guard will operate the LORAN-C/eLORAN system on behalf of the DHS National Protection and Programs Directorate. In addition, the budget provides $20 million in new funding for more USCG marine inspectors.
eLORAN FAQ
What is eLORAN?
Enhanced Loran is an internationally standardized positioning, navigation, and timing (PNT) service for use by many modes of transport and other applications. It is the latest in the long-standing and proven series of low-frequency, LOng-RAnge Navigation (LORAN) systems and takes full advantage of 21st century technology.
eLORAN meets the accuracy, availability, integrity and continuity performance requirements for aviation non-precision instrument approaches, maritime harbor entrance and approach maneuvers, land-mobile vehicle navigation and location-based services, and is a precise source of time and frequency for applications such as telecommunications.
eLORAN is an independent, dissimilar, complement to Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS). It allows GNSS users to retain the safety, security and economic benefits of GNSS, even when their satellite services are disrupted. (Source: USCG NavCen)
Why is it needed?
e-Navigation is a potential enabler of new applications to meet emerging and future requirements for marine navigation
e-Navigation has the potential to deliver direct benefits to users through improved operational capabilities and also to reduce Light Dues if it enables the GLAs to remove physical AtoNs
the benefits of e-Navigation could be seriously eroded through the measures that would have to be taken to avoid prejudicing safety in the event of failure of a GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) that was the sole source of input position data
Translated that means eLORAN will be able to enable new technologies like positioning devices that work indoors and it provides redundancy to gps and gallileo systems.
How Is It Different From GPS?
Post 9/11 Concerns:
“And look: the weaknesses of LORAN are so different from those of
GPS. GPS is vulnerable to interference because the distant satellites
deliver so little power to our receivers. LORAN, with its megawatt
stations and tall transmitting antennas, is at least 10,000 times harder
to jam. Then, you cut out single-point failures by using microwave
signals from satellites and low-frequency signals from LORAN. On
land, where buildings and mountains block GPS signals, LORAN
travels along the earth’s surface, deep into city centres, even into
buildings and - for aviation - down into the valleys, to ground level. And
like GPS, LORAN’s a complete navigation and timing system.” Professor David Last
Question: What is The most dangerous hour in shipping?
Answer: 22:24 to 23:45
There are three watches aboard ship 00-04 (i.e. 0000 to 0400 and 1600 to 2200) is often stood by the Second Mate. 04-08 is often stood by the Chief Mate. 08-12 is stood by the Third Mate.
The C/M stands the 04-08 so he’s up and ready for the day workers to start work at 0800 and the Third Mate is given the 08-12 because the Captain is usually awake from 0600 to 2200 and is available to help the most junior watch officer.
But… from the time the Captain goes to bed till the Second Mate arrives for watch (at around 23:30) the Third Mate is the only deck officer that is awake. Not a problem if the Third has experiance but when green mates meet in restricted waters two ships passing in the night is anything but poetic.
We have already proclaimed our love of AIS, the technology that helps watchkeepers identify surrounding vessel traffic, but currently this technology only lets us track large ships. This is about to change. Panbo reports that the USCG has asked the FCC to expedite approval of AIS-B systems for use on boats.
What is AIS-B? The U.S. Coast Guard says;
Class B (AIS) is nearly identical to the Class A, except the Class B:
Has a reporting rate less than a Class A (e.g. every 30 sec. when under 14 knots, as opposed to every 10 sec. for Class A)
Does not transmit the vessel’s IMO number or call sign
Does not transmit ETA or destination
Does not transmit navigational status
Is only required to receive, not transmit, text safety messages
Is only required to receive, not transmit, application identifiers (binary messages)
Does not transmit rate of turn information
Does not transmit maximum present static draught
Got that?
You may have picked up on some Class B chatter over at Navagear or at Panbo questioning how effective these units will be in helping ships avoid small boats. Well Ben Ellison, electronics editor at Power & Motoryacht, Sail Magazine and Panbo.com has some questions for the ProMariner readers of gCaptain. He writes;
The bigger question is how much are they using AIS on their bridges?
Do they have good AIS target displays?
Are the displays getting too crowded as is, i.e. would there be a temptation to filter out Class B targets if they proliferate?
So with the goal of safer inland waterways for all we ask all professional mariners to answer the following poll questions then add your answers to Ben’s questions in our comments section.
WIRED magazine recently ran an article that was a real surprise to me: It was about a sextant, and a very good looking sextant at that! This old school navigational device has some sexy styling that any nautical buff would be proud to get their hands on. Take a look at the story and the picture of this excellent piece of retro nautical tech. Read More
This post was written by Richard Rodriguez, Rescue Tug Captain, and US Coast Guard approved instructor for License Training. You can read more of his articles at the 
There are three watches aboard ship 00-04 (i.e. 0000 to 0400 and 1600 to 2200) is often stood by the Second Mate. 04-08 is often stood by the Chief Mate. 08-12 is stood by the Third Mate.
