Things that make you say...Da*n!

[Zen]

http://www.news-press.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060113/NEWS0110/601130395/1075

[CharlieJ]

What's that? the fact that it blew or the crappola about the Oh, Horrors- "GAS ENGINES"?

I suspect they'll find that they didn't run the blowers like they should have after fueling. Tough break what ever reason.

[Zen]

Both!!

That and also hearing two times this week about folks getting blown up with Propane!!
One was a relative of a close friend. 

Not on boats, but still...both with "new" systems. Just makes ya think.

[CapnK]

I loaned my copy of "Serrafyn" out several months ago, and just got it back. I was surprised to notice for the first time (that is, *my* first time noticing it) that, in that book, the Pardeys declared a preference for propane. Veddy intewesting...

That influences my decision because I have been asking all around if propane is available worldwide & off the beaten track. Since they have pretty much been "worldwide & off the beaten track", I guess it is.

[Oldguy52]

Kurt, I think you'll find that propane is quite available most places. The problem is having the right adapters for your tanks to fit the refilling equipment in all the different places. Obviously, I don't know this first hand, but the problem has been mentioned by way more than one world voyager in their writings.

SO, if you can figure out what the different adapters are, you should have it made.

Maybe drop a note to James Baldwin, He's been around a couple times, I'll bet he knows what you'd need.

Here's his site addy: www.atomvoyages.com/
I've emailed with him before, pretty friendly guy.

[Joe Pyrat]

That's what a fish says when he runs into a concrete wall.   

[starcrest]

It could have been more than just not running blowers.there may have been a leak in a fuel line......dont ask......some things ya just dont know about till its too late.....and it only has to happen once

[CharlieJ]

yep- very well could be that. Which is why for years experts have recommended that you open hatches and use your nose after fueling and BEFORE you crank up.

And of course, accidents can still occur. Even diesel can be caught on fire so the only really totally 100% safe fuel aboard is ------none.

Ya pays your money and takes your chances

[s/v Faith]

This could just as easily been a 'sailfar' sized sailing vessel as a whale.....

Link to story hereAlaska cruise ship docks with dead whale[/url]

ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- A cruise ship pulled into its Alaskan port with a a 25- to 30-foot dead whale pinned to its bow. Federal officials investigating the incident said it did not appear the ship's operators did anything wrong.

The crew of the 2,000-passenger ship Summit said they were surprised to discover they had hit a whale ...tentatively identified as a humpback, .....on the bulbous bow that protrudes from the ship's hull below the waterline, ......

"These boats are big enough that they don't even feel a bump," Mahoney said.

The Summit is the length of three football fields.[/color]

[Captain Smollett]

This could just as easily been a 'sailfar' sized sailing vessel as a whale

Egads, that is right.   

One question: why did it take the federal government to say [the crew] did nothing wrong?  Did someone think they did this on purpose?  Good grief.

[s/v Faith]

I agree that it seems pretty obvious that they did not drive their ship into the wale on purpose.  However, if you consider the manatee protection precedents it is not too much of a stretch.

 There is a discussion of a 'no wake zone' for commercial fishing vessels here locally.  They are proposing something like a 60 mile area OFF SHORE be declared a no wake zone to protect the (Wright?) whales.

[s/v Faith]

looking for something on the proposal, I found this;

Drawn from 'local notice to mariners'

NORTHERN RIGHT WHALE MIGRATION - ENCOUNTER REGULATIONS AND REQUIREMENTS
The severely endangered Northern Right Whale may be encountered within 20-30 nautical miles of the Atlantic seaboard as they migrate from Florida to the Gulf of Maine.     
  Right whales are slow moving animals that are prone to collisions with ships. Vessel operators are reminded to use
caution and proceed at safe speeds in areas used by the Right Whales during this migration to minimize the possibility of collision with ships and vessels. Intentionally approaching within 500 yards of Right Whales is prohibited and is in violation of federal law. A minimum distance of 500 yards must be maintained from a sighted whale. NOAA recommends that vessel operators assume that any whale sighted within 30 nautical miles of the coast is a Right Whale. For the latest advisories and sightings, operators are requested to monitor USCG Broadcast Notice to
Mariners, NAVTEX, NOAA Weather radio, Cape Cod Vessel Traffic Control and Bay of Fundy Vessel Traffic Control. Consult the U.S. Coast Pilot for ways to avoid hitting Right Whales and applicable regulations. Commercial vessels over 300 GT are reminded to comply with the requirement of the mandatory ship reporting system. For further information, consult 33CFR 169 or the U.S. Coast Pilot.

  I imagine there are similar regulations in effect that might apply to the encounter in the article.

[AdriftAtSea]

Probably some very similar restrictions on the left coast.  Spotting a submerged whale is probably not very easy, and from the deck of a large 900' ship, almost impossible, as there are huge blind spots from the helm because of the size of the boat. 

[Captain Smollett]

All of that in the NtM make a lot more sense than a 60 nm No Wake zone.  If, *IF*, I SAW a right whale, I'd stand off at least 500 yards also, and not just because it is Federal Law to do so.

Of course, I don't think my little GRP sailbote would do much more than wake him up, quite unlike tens of thousands of tons of steel going 20 knots.

[oded kishony]

I know that there is a large bulb that projects under the water on large ships. I've also seen this design feature on Eskimo kayaks and I've even seen this on a 30-40 ft sailboat. What exactly is the purpose of this structure and why don't we see it more often on smaller sailcraft?

oded kishony

[Adam]

Evidently, it is a "bow wave suppressor"....


details here



Adam

[Captain Smollett]

The bulb is to improve the hydrodynamics at the bow by reducing energy loss to bow wave formation.

Wikipedia - Bulbous Bow

[AdriftAtSea]

Generally, a bow bulb isn't much use on smaller vessels, but I seem to remember one sailboat design that had a bulb like that.