Cruising Gear
KVH, ViaSat team up to expand maritime broadband
Submitted by admin on Wed, 07/09/2008 - 13:13.Providence Business News (RI)-- KVH Industries Inc. has signed an agreement with ViaSat Inc. that the companies say will provide faster and cheaper broadband access to mariners. Their plan calls for the creation of an exclusive global network offering access to KVH’s mini-VSAT Broadband for maritime use, with airtime revenue to be shared between the two companies. “Expanding our mini-VSAT Broadband service to provide seamless global coverage of maritime broadband communications is one of our top strategic priorities,” said Martin Kits van Heyningen, KVH’s chief executive officer. The market for broadband at sea is expanding as the commercial maritime industry increasingly begins employing Web sites to provide its captains and crews with up-to-date information on weather and currents, such as the Newport-based eCaptain.com. Access to mobile broadband service also allows crew members to make phone calls, send e-mail and access the Internet. KVH Industries Inc. (Nasdaq: KVHI) is a maker of live mobile media systems and of navigation and guidance systems for defense and civilian use. Additional information is available at www.kvh.com.
(Photo: KVH Industries)
NOAA Charts 2.0
Submitted by admin on Mon, 06/30/2008 - 14:43.About.com: Sailing-- What do you get when you cross a paper chart with the web's ultimate
mapper, Google Maps? Something very "new web" (web 2.0), or in plain
English, really cool. Make that really cool 2.0. A French internet company, Magic Instinct Software,
has created a website with more than 1,000 NOAA raster charts of the
U.S. coastline (yes, Hawaii and Alaska too) which overlay Google
satellite images. The result is something that looks and acts like
Google maps, but includes details from the NOAA charts. Familiar
controls allow viewers to pan left and right, zoom in and out.
Unfamiliar, but easy-to-use sliders, even control the the
chart-to-satellite ratio to fine-tune the image. Check it out at http://demo.geogarage.com/noaa.
Yanmar approves B5 biodiesel
Submitted by admin on Thu, 05/29/2008 - 17:56.IBI News, May 29 2008--
Diesel engine specialist Yanmar Marine has approved B5 biodiesel for
use across most of its recreational marine engines. The move is part of
the company's ongoing efforts to encourage environmentally friendly
boating. According
to Yanmar, the use of B5 biodiesel over standard diesel fuel can reduce
particulate matter and the emission of greenhouse gases. A maximum 5
per cent B5 biodiesel is blended with standard fuel and must conform to
ASTM D6751 or ISO EN14214 specifications. However, because
biodiesel blends can adversely affect certain metal, rubber and plastic
components of engine fuel supply and return systems,
biodiesel-compatible components must be used instead so that
deterioration and damage do not occur. Builders and/or customers
must verify that they are using the correct fuel supply and return
system materials, otherwise they will lose their engine warranty
protection, warns Yanmar. Headquartered in Almere in the
Netherlands, Yanmar Marine was established in 2002 and is a subsidiary
of the Yanmar Company Ltd of Japan. The company sells diesel engines
from 9mhp-900mhp, as well as drive systems and accessories. It also has
regional headquarters in the US and South East Asia.
Talking first aid kit takes the guesswork out of treatment
Submitted by admin on Fri, 05/09/2008 - 13:35.The newest tool available for cruisers features "talking" instructions for treating a wide variety of injuries and illnesses. The kit is separated into individually labeled and color-coded injury packs so the user has all the supplies and easy to follow instructions for managing a specific injury. The audio module in each injury card takes the technology a step further. By the squeeze of a button, the module narrates step-by-step instructions to manage the injury, pausing and repeating when necessary for accurate response.
By combining the necessary supplies with the new audio technology, the IntelligentFirstAid Kits are the most dependable tool for providing rapid and accurate first aid guidance in the event of an injury. The case includes a guidebook, with first aid instructions for additional medical emergencies, such as choking, frost bite, heatstroke, asthma. Also included is a product manual with audio instructions, a book light/flashlight and a shoulder strap. Read More
Spare Air Is Reverse Parachute of Scuba: Test Dive (With Video)
Submitted by admin on Mon, 03/24/2008 - 15:25.Popular Mechanics, March 14 2008-- Modern scuba gear is relatively cheap, rugged and reliable.
Nonetheless, things do go wrong, and although divers generally have both a
regular and a backup second-stage regulator (the part that goes in your mouth),
those both connect to the same first-stage regulator and the same tank of air.
Equipment failure (like a primary O-ring blowout that can empty a tank in
seconds) is unusual, but still not unheard of. And sometimes divers just don't
notice that they're diving low on air until it's too late. The response is a buddy system: Run out, and you can use your diving partner's
backup regulator to share air from his or her tank until you make it back to
the surface. There's no substitute for having a buddy around, and you're
supposed to stay close. But buddies can get separated, especially when visibility
is poor or currents are strong. If the air goes kaput on you then, you're in
big trouble. That's where Spare Air comes in. It's a 3-cu.ft. mini-tank with its own
built-in regulator that holds just enough air to let you make a safe ascent.
Think of it as a reverse parachute for divers. When I mentioned it on my blog a
while back, some readers emailed that it's not worth buying because 3 cu. ft.
Sail America's Executive Director report sailing market better than power
Submitted by admin on Mon, 03/10/2008 - 15:22.BYM News, March 8 2008-- It
seems as if every headline in the marine trade press these days have
the words "profits down," "boat sales down" or "attendance down" in the
title. While I know this isn't really the case on a worldwide basis or
in every segment of the market, there’s no denying that we are facing
one of the toughest domestic market environments in recent history. Without
doubt, the economic uncertainty, the anemic housing market, rising fuel
costs, and the fact that everyone seems to be working harder than ever,
is having a serious impact upon the boating market and leisure
activities in general. Despite this doom and gloom there are still some
bright spots in the market. The export market is strong thanks to the
weakening dollar and the “new wealth” in the emerging markets, with
many companies experiencing solid sales in Europe, Latin America and
Asia Pacific. Companies that have aggressively pursued new product
introductions in the U.S. and abroad are fairing better than companies
that have stuck with the same old tried-and-tested products. Many
manufacturing companies are also seeing goods cost less through better
Hunter Marine enters into branding cooperation with Photo Sails
Submitted by admin on Fri, 03/07/2008 - 13:58.BYM News, March 6 2008-- Hunter Marine
Corporation has entered into a cooperation with Photo Sails to offer
unique quality corporate branding vessels in over 30 U.S. and
international locations. Photo Sails offers branding vehicles via
sailing billboards in all major waterside markets with navigable
waterways. New York, Los Angeles, Miami, Chicago, San Francisco, San
Diego, Seattle, Houston, Cleveland, Daytona and even Pittsburgh were
all originally established as "Port Towns" with coveted natural bodies
of water bordering, surrounding or flowing directly through their cores.Each branding vessel commissioned into service offers a multitude of
Public Relations programs such as VIP entertainment, employee team
building experiences, on-off premise promotions, public sweepstakes and
even guerrilla marketing tactics including cross medium applications
like radio trade giveaways and product placement opportunities. Photo
Sails provide unique front running branding opportunities for elite
products and corporations desiring millions of quality impressions.
Additionally, Photo Sails are internationally patented and can offer
Hydrogen Powered Sailboat is a Dream Come True
Submitted by admin on Thu, 02/28/2008 - 19:23.PowerBoat-World.com, December 2007-- Jim Harrington is the very essence of an inventor - with an impressive history of electronic and mechanical product design in astrophysics, geophysics and oceanographic - but it took the experience of messing about on his 42ft ketch Morning Star to inspire this dream. Read More
Communications for Cruisers
Submitted by admin on Tue, 02/26/2008 - 19:34.Sail Magazine, November 2007-- The rapid evolution of communications technology in the last decade has
meant that more of us are able to keep in range of a regular cell
phone. We asked many of the entrants in the 2006 ARC transatlantic
rally how they planned to stay in contact with those back home and
received a variety of answers. Here we describe what systems were
chosen and why, and explain some of the vagaries of each network used
and how reliable it was during the crossing. Read More
