 |
|
Links to Torresen.com Home Page: Subscribe to ATWOS
Around the World of Sailing
16 May 2001
Worrell 1000
Available on line at:
http://www.torresen.com/atwos/2001/my/0516/ms.htm
The diminished fleet of two person teams sailing Inter 20 beach
cats has reached South Carolina. After 9 Leg's Alexander's on
the Bay is the leading team by 3 hours and 7 minutes. 2nd
overall is Team Guidant which consists of veteran skipper Rod
Waterhouse and Katie Pettibone. They were 4th on the most
recent leg.
Yesterday the fleet sailed from Myrtle beach, SC to Wrightsville
beach in North Carolina. Winds were all over the place making
for a trying leg.
As the fleet heads north, they often round Capes. Near one of
these landmarks the team of Todd Hart and Randy Williamson ran
aground on a sand shoal. No harm done and the team may even
have video of this.
Today the fleet sails onto Atlantic Beach NC. This will be a 67
mile leg. Tomorrow the fleet will round the often nasty Cape
Hatteras. The finish is Saturday in Virginia Beach.
The team of Brian Lambert and Jamie Livingston look to have a
solid chance to win the Worrell 1000 in their 4th try. They
have a 3-hour lead and 4 legs to go. Breakage, rather than
competitors, would seem to be their obstacle.
Links: Worrell 1000 http://www.worrell1000/com
Theme: EPIRB
Available on line at:
http://www.torresen.com/atwos/2001/my/0516/ms.htm
This month's series of theme articles focus on different
elements of on water safety. This article explains the
workings and benefits of EPIRBS.
The acronym EPIRB stands for Emergency Position Indicating Radio
Beacon. These small transmitters send out signals and
information to rescue services. Although in cases of coastal
voyaging a VHF radio may get your signal out, in offshore
situations an EPIRB is often the only choice.
In an emergency a boat makes the decision to trigger their
EPIRB. These radio signals head for satellites. Many of these
satellites are used for global weather and mapping. The
satellite can determine the signals location.
Although the satellites cover the entire globe, the coverage is
not continuous. There can be a wait of a few minutes to up to
30-45 minutes at the equator. Currently there are 7 such
satellites 3 Russian and 4 American.
Once the satellite comes in view of a Local User Terminal (LUT)
it sends the received distress information there. From there
the data goes to Mission Control Centers. In the US the control
center is a NOAA office in Washington DC. This office forwards
the data to the appropriate search and rescue organization.
That is the big picture of how this system works. What about
onboard your boat? There are 2 types of EPIRB. One works on a
frequency of 406 MHz and the other on 121 MHz.
Recently officials have decided that by 2009 121 MHz EPIRBs will
be phased out. This due to a 98% false alter rate.
For the purposes of this article we will focus on 406 MHz devices.
Within the 406 MHz range, there are EPIRB's and GPIRBS.
GPIRB's are EPIRB's with the ability to transmit position
coordinates taken from a GPS. A typical 406 MHz EPIRB will get
your position down to a 2 mile radius with a notification time
average of 46 minutes. A GPIRB will taken those figures down to
.01 NM and 4 minutes.
Such units are not without expense. A 406 MHz EPIRB sells for
$ 1400, while a GPIRB version costs $ 300 more. However, the
system has rescued over 11,000 people so your investment is in
a proven system.
The above units are meant for fixed mounting and weigh
approximately 5 pounds. Currently available in Canada and soon
in the United States will be small personal sized GPS enabled
406 MHz Personal Locator Beacons.
The ACR Electronics PLB weighs only 17.6 ounces and will fit in
a pocket or can be carried on a belt. When hooked up to a
handheld GPS, position data will be transmitted.
The PLB will sell for approximately $ 500. In addition to the
lower price you can take the PLB with you whenever you are on
the water adding to safety in unfamiliar settings.
Although EPIRB's, GPIRB's and PLB's may not be essential in all
situations they are an area of safety worth watching. As their
accuracy and portability increase while price decreases they'll
become a more and more essential part of your equipment.
Next week's article will show how you can team up with the US
Coast Guard auxiliary to make your boat safer.
Links http://www.cospas-sarsat.org/
http://www.sarsat.noaa.gov/
News: Challenge Mondial
Available on line at:
http://www.torresen.com/atwos/2001/my/0516/ms.htm
The Challenge Mondial Assistance started 12 May in Cherbourg
France. From there it was into the Atlantic via the Azores
Islands to the finish in Tarragon Spain. This is the first
event of the season for the burgeoning Open 60 trimaran fleet
based in France.
The leaders of the fleet have rounded Sao Miguel Island in the
Azores. Leading was Bayer skippered by Yvan Bourgnon. 2nd was
Foncia-Kingfisher with Ellen Macarthur as navigator and
co skipper. Three other boats remain racing.
Another three have retired. Bonduelle suffered a shroud failure,
Banque populaire had rig trouble. Biscuits La Trinitaine - Team
Ethypharm suffered damage to the port hull. Eventually the crew
abandoned ship and was picked by a French Naval vessel.
Next up is a 950-mile passage to the Straits of Gibraltar. Then
500 miles to the finish. Currently it's slow going with speeds
under 10 knots. Ellen Macarthur reports, "I'm spending lots of
time at the chart table, and I managed to get some rest when I
need it. Last night I didn't get much rest, because I had to
navigate our way round the island."
Although the fleet is reduced it seems the competition at the
front of the fleet isn't. Should be an interesting end game to
this race.
Links
Kingfisher Challenges
http://www.kingfisher-challenges.com/uk/
Race Web Site
http://www.challenge-mondialassistance.com/uk/accueil_uk.htm