Replica of ancient Pinoy boat set to sail SE Asia

MANILA, Philippines – Adventurers who conquered Mount Everest successfully launched a replica of an ancient Philippine boat Saturday that they will use to sail around Southeast Asia and possibly to Africa to promote Filipino pride and unity.

The replica of the balangay – a wooden-hulled boat used in the archipelago about 1,700 years ago – was built in 44 days by native Badjao boat-builders from the southernmost Philippine province of Tawi Tawi using traditional skills handed down through the generations.

About 300 spectators counted down to the launch, cheering and applauding as the bow hit the water in Manila Bay.

Jubail Muyong, a teacher who belongs to the Badjao seafaring tribe, said he and nine Badjao craftsmen were flown to Manila to construct the 50-foot (15-meter) boat according to ancient traditions. Not a single nail was used, he said.

Expedition leader Art Valdez said the boat was a symbol of what Filipinos can achieve.

"[Since] more than a thousand years ago, this is the first time that a boat of this kind appeared in these waters, built by our people," Valdez said. "The boat is a time capsule that carries the history of our people."

Valdez said the 20-member expedition includes five coast guard personnel who were the first Filipinos to reach Everest's summit.

The boat will leave Manila in mid-July after training at Sangley Point, a former US naval base in Cavite province, he said.

The expedition is expected to make 75 port calls from the northern to southern Philippines in seven and a half months, covering a distance of more than 2,000 nautical miles (3,900 kilometers), he said.

The boat will then begin a year-long voyage to other Southeast Asian countries before the group decides whether to continue to Madagascar off the southeastern coast of Africa, Valdez said.

Dr. Ted Esguerra, the group's medical officer, said the expedition will conduct medical missions in poor coastal communities during its stops. The group will also teach disaster preparedness, help protect endangered coral reefs, and plant mangrove trees to protect fragile marine life.

Valdez said coast guard and navy vessels will monitor their trip and come to their assistance if needed. - AP


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Sailing Ship, Washington, 1983

"The Strait of Juan de Fuca [shown here with the sailing ship Alcyone] cuts a broad, blue-green channel nearly a hundred miles [161 kilometers] to the Pacific. It is a magnificent waterway, 14 miles [22.5 kilometers] wide at the mouth and deep enough to allow the U.S. Navy's big Trident submarines easy access to their ... base on the Hood Canal."

—Text from "The Olympic Peninsula," May 1984, National Geographic magazine

(Photograph shot on assignment for, but not published in, "The Olympic Peninsula," May 1984, National Geographic magazine)

Photograph by Sam Abell

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The freedom ship

When the world floods only a few people will survive. I will be one of them, because I'm blasting off in a rocket ship instead of jumping onto a glorified cruise ship. But whatever. The Freedom Ship, which is a floating city, has existed as a concept for some time. But now the company (Freedom Ship International) is moving forward with construction and expects the monster to be completed in three years. Which means it may go into service before the apocalypse. It will have the following amenities:

18,000 living units, with prices in the range of $180,000 to $2.5 million, including a small number of premium suites currently priced up to $44 million.
* 3,000 commercial units in a similar price range
* 2,400 time-share units
* 10,000 hotel units
* A World Class Casino
* More than 100 acres of outdoor Park, Recreation, Exercise and Community space

Wow, BO-RING. Oh you want to hear what my rocket ship will have do you? Well I'm glad you asked. The Geekologie Writer's Intergalactic Freedom Rocketship Of Safety will contain the following amenities:

*Me
*You
*A hot tub
*Some champagne
*Bathing suits optional
*Come over whenever
*Wink*

Do you see what I did there? I pretended to have a rocketship to lure beautiful women over to my house for some fun in the hot tub. *ding-dong* Oh, that's the doorbell -- looks like I've got my first taker -- back in sec. Damnit, that was a dude. Yeah, and he was sans swim trunks. Didn't I say no dudes? Shit, I must have forgotten.

UPDATE: NO DUDES!

One more conceptual pic from above after the jump off.

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the cruise ship

Management is also a member of the Australian Marketing Group entitled “Cruising Down Under”. The group, consisting of members from all major Australian ports, tourism groups and other stakeholders, meet regularly and implement a national marketing plan to cruise liners.

They are also responsible for the publication “Cruising Down Under” which is sent quarterly to all involved in the industry.

Over the past ten years, cruise ship visits to Darwin have increased significantly and these numbers have risen further with the new cruise ship “Orion”, which has been utilising Darwin as its home port since 2005. These regular services are a major boost to the local economy and for local businesses who receive continuous work from this vessel.

Due to International Maritime Organisation security regulations, cruise ships berth at Fort Hill Wharf, and public access to the wharf is denied whilst these ships are in port. As yet, a passenger terminal has not been built on Fort Hill Wharf, however the NT Government has pledged a new terminal to be completed by the end of 2007.

Tall Ships Victoria 2005

June 22, 2005 - The tall ships began arriving last night and are now anchored in front Royal Roads and our B&B. Our guests are enjoying excellent views of the ships as they sail in to Victoria and drop anchor just off-shore.

A tall ship, by definition, is a sailing vessel whose masts are in segments, made up of several timbers in order to give strength, and to make each mast more manageable for partial removal and repairs. A tall ship can actually be one of any number of differently rigged sailing vessels. It could be a schooner, brigantine, barquentine, brig, ketch, sloop or a full-rigged sailing ship. The actual rig of a specific sailing vessel know as a tall ship is dependent on the number and cut of the sails as well as their alignment.

The lure of the sea will capture the imagination of Victoria and its visitors, as our city becomes the first port of call in the Tall Ships Challenge 2005.

Organized by the American Sail Training Association (ASTA), the Tall Ships Challenge race series is a world-class event fostering youth education, sail training and leadership development across international borders.

From June 23-26 2005, over 30 traditionally rigged sailing vessels and crews from around the world will gather in Victoria to celebrate maritime history and the sea-faring life. Festivities including ship tours, concerts, theatrical productions, children’s exhibits, and maritime-themed events will provide something for every visitor to enjoy.

Over a quarter million spectators are expected to take part in the Victoria. Tall Ships festival, traveling from near and far to have a chance to see and touch these magnificent and historic ships.

The Victoria Tall Ships Festival will be a highlight in a summer season of celebrations centred on the Victoria’s Inner Harbour, including the annual Swiftsure Lightship Classic Race, Dragon Boat Festival, Symphony Splash, and the Victoria Classic Boat Show.

all ships, no tall tales
Sailors from around the world assemble for start of festival

Carlos Eduardo Espejel and Alfredo Velazquez hadn’t walked on more than 100 metres of solid land since their tall ship arrived in Victoria-area waters, but they like what they’ve seen so far. “It’s great,” Espejel, 24, said Wednesday evening at Fort Rodd Hill in Colwood. “It’s very beautiful,” added Velazquez, 25. The sailors are two months into a five month voyage. When asked whether they’ve had any particularly interesting moments on the trip, they talked to each other in Spanish, smiled and laughed together. Then their smiles faded and they turned back. “No, it was a very smooth trip,” Espejel said. “Nothing too exciting,” Velazquez added.

Something suggested the two sailors had more fun than they let on.

Espejel and Velazquez came in on the 90-metre long Cuauhtemoc, whose home port is in Acapulco, Mexico. The Cuauhtemoc’s 250 crew members joined crews from 10 other tall ships at Fort Rodd Hill to celebrate the arrival of vessels for the Victoria Tall Ship Festival today through Sunday.

The ships will begin assembling this morning for the Parade of Sail into Victoria Harbour. They are scheduled to leave Royal Roads anchorage at 11:45 a.m. and the first two ships are expected to enter the harbour at 1:15 p.m. The final ship, the Pallada, is to arrive at 6 p.m.

The Parade of Sail is likely best viewed from Dallas Road, the Inner Harbour, MacAulay Point and the West Songhees walkway in Esquimalt.

Police will be watching the traffic and closing off streets as needed. Sgt. Jim Simpson said that if crowds get large enough, officers will close Wharf Street from Yates Street south to Government Street and then Government will be closed down to Belleville Street.

All streets south of Yates and west of Government will have traffic limited to commercial vehicles and to people who live in that area.

Thousands are expected to flock to the harbour during the festival to tour the ships, speak to the crews and catch the various events.

“This is really exciting,” Victoria resident Val Millar said Wednesday evening as she and her husband, John, sat on a hill overlooking Fisgard Lighthouse and admired the ships.

There will be plenty of events for visitors to see and do throughout the weekend. Espejel and Velazquez will take in some of them, but they’re hoping to use their few days in Victoria to see the city and have a little fun. “We’d like to see the museums,” Velazquez said. “We might get a chance to go to a bar,” Espejel said. With any luck Victoria will match the kind of fun they had at their other stops in Hawaii and Alaska — the kind of fun they laugh and smile about, but don’t mention to a perfect stranger.

PARADE OF SAIL TODAY

• Best viewing: Dallas Road, west of Mile 0; Inner Harbour; MacAulay Point; West Songhees Walkway.

• Route and times: Tall ships to leave Royal Roads anchorage 11:45 a.m. today. First two ships expected to enter Victoria Harbour at 1:15 p.m. and all ships under 100 feet are to arrive by 4 p.m. Two largest ships to arrive at 5:30 and 6 p.m. Jurek Romaniec, ceremonial captain of the fleet, will be rowed ashore from the Pacific Swift by members of the Edward Milne Community School Society in their replica circa 1790 longboat.

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the seamanship

Seamanship is the art of operating a ship or boat.

It involves a knowledge of a variety of topics and development of specialised skills including: navigation and international maritime law; weather, meteorology and forecasting; watchstanding; ship-handling and small boat handling; operation of deck equipment, anchors and cables; ropework and line handling; communications; sailing; engines; execution of evolutions such as towing; cargo handling equipment, dangerous cargoes and cargo storage; dealing with emergencies; survival at sea and search and rescue; fire fighting.

The degree of knowledge needed within these areas is dependent upon the nature of the work and the type of vessel employed by a mariner. However, the practice of good seamanship should be the goal of all.

Navigation

More than just finding a vessel's present location, safe navigation includes predicting future location, route planning and collision avoidance. Nautical navigation in western nations, like air navigation, is based on the Nautical mile.

Ship-handling

A fundamental skill of professional seamanship is being able to maneuver a vessel with accuracy and precision. Unlike vehicles on land, a ship afloat is subject to the movements of the air around it and the water in which it sits. Often another complicating factor is the mass of a ship that has to be accounted for when stopping and starting.

Ship-handling is about arriving and departing a berth or buoy, maneuvering in confined channels and harbours and in proximity to other ships, whilst at all times navigating safely. Two other types of operations come to mind, berthing alongside another ship and replenishment at sea. A key ability for a ship-handler is an innate understanding of how the wind, tide and swell, the passage of other vessels, as well as the shape of the seabed, will affect a vessel's movement, which, together with an understanding of a specific vessels performance, should allow that vessel a safe passage.

Fundamental to low speed maneuvering is an understanding of the configuration and handedness of the propeller(s). An effect known as propeller walk will kick the stern of the vessel to port or starboard depending on the configuration and the type of propeller when large variations on propeller rotation speed or changes of propeller rotation direction take place. (In single screw vessels where the rotation of the propeller is reversed on an astern bell, a standard was established that the propeller would turn clockwise when viewed from astern. This would mean that the propeller would turn counterclockwise when going astern and the stern would walk to port. This aided in docking operations, where "port side to" was the preferred situation and the vessel would be brought to the dock with a small bow-in angle and backing would flatten the angle, slow or stop the vessel and walk it alongside. An exception to this was the U.S. Sealift class tankers which used a controllable pitch propeller, where the pitch and not the direction of rotation was reversed to go astern. These propellers rotated counterclockwise at all times and so the "walk" was "normal".) In addition to being fully conversant with the principles of seamanship and ship-handling a good pilot will have developed his or sense of 'situational awareness' to a point well beyond that of a member of a ships crew, his reactions will appear to be instinctive, positive and at all times safe.

Most commercial vessels in excess of size limits determined by local authorities are handled by a 'Marine (or maritime) pilot. Marine pilots are seafarers with extensive seafaring experience and are usually qualified Master mariners who have been trained as expert ship-handlers. These pilots are conversant with all types of vessel and propulsion systems, as well as handling ships of all sizes in all weather and tidal conditions. They are also experts in the geographical areas they work. In most countries the pilot takes over the 'conduct' of the navigation from the ship master, this means that the master & crew should adhere to the pilots orders in respect of the safe navigation of the vessel when in a compulsory pilotage area. The master may, with good cause resume 'conduct' of the vessels navigation however this should never be done lightly. In situations where the Pilot is an "advisor" even though he has the con, the Pilot or his "Association" have no responsibility or liablilty in the case of an accident. The Master, upon realizing there is a dangerous situation developing, must take such action as to avoid an accident or at least minimize the damage from one that can't be avoided. In some countries and area's (e.g. Scandinavia and the U.S.A.) the Pilots role is an advisor, however to watch them in action, who would see they are likely to have the conduct of the vessel, especially on larger ships using tug boats to assist The general Rule of Thumb is that a Pilot assumes command of a vessel and is not classed as "an advisor" in the Panama Canal, crossing the sill of a drydock, or in any port in Russia (or, perhaps, all the old Soviet States). This distinction is important because when a Pilot is in command, the Master can not take any action, but is limited to advising the Pilot on any circumstance that creates what he considers a dangerous situation.

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