Tuesday, February 12, 2019

The shipwreck that changed the Coast Guard forever

Story and artwork by Petty Officer 2nd Class Corinne Zilnicki

When the clock tolled 12 a.m. on Feb. 12, 1983, the 605-foot cargo ship Marine Electric trekked northward 30 miles off Virginia's Eastern Shore, plowing slowly through the gale-force winds and waves stirred up by a winter storm.

An able-bodied seaman relieved the watch and peered forward, noticing for the first time that the ship's bow seemed to be riding unusually low in the water. Dense curls of green ocean rushed over the bow, some of them arching 10 feet over the deck before crashing back down. The crew had been battling 25-foot waves for hours, but until now, the bow had bucked and dipped as normal.

Now it seemed only to dip.

Over the next two hours, the waves intruded with increasing vigor. The entire foredeck was swallowed in 6 feet of water. The main deck was completely awash.

At 2:30 a.m., the ship's master, Phillip Corl, summoned his chief mate, Robert Cusick, to the bridge and shared his fears: the bow was settling, they were taking on too much water, and the crew was in real trouble.

Coast Guard rescues 3 off Torrey Pines from capsized catamaran

The Coast Guard rescued two adults and a child whose boat capsized off the coast of San Diego, Sunday. At approximately 2:30 p.m., a person aboard the 30-foot sailing vessel, Divided Soul, called mayday on VHF-FM marine band channel 16, the international hailing and distress frequency, that was picked up by watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector San Diego Joint Harbor Operations Center. The Divided Soul's Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon (EPIRB) was triggered and provided search-and-rescue coordinators with the exact location of the vessel 10 miles west of Torrey Pines.

Watchstanders dispatched a Sector San Diego MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew, a Station San Diego 45-foot Response Boat Medium crew and the Fast Response Cutter Robert Ward to assist.

A Marine Corps MV-22 Osprey helicopter crew from Marine Corps Air Station Miramar was operating in the area and was able to locate the overturned boat. The Osprey crew stayed on scene until the crew of the Robert Ward arrived.

Swarm helps pinpoint new magnetic north for smartphones

Magnetic north on the move

Since it was first measured in 1831, we have known that the magnetic north is constantly on the move. However, its tendency to slowly roam has stepped up a pace recently – so much so that the World Magnetic Model has had to be updated urgently with the pole’s new location, vital for navigation on smartphones, for example. ESA’s magnetic field Swarm mission has been key for this update.

The World Magnetic Model, the basis for many navigation systems used by ships, Google maps and smartphones, relies on the accurate knowledge of Earth’s magnetic field. Since magnetic north never stands still, the model has to be revised periodically – but a surge in pace has meant that an update was needed ahead of schedule.

Driven largely by the churning of fluid in Earth’s core, which generates the magnetic field, the magnetic north pole has always drifted, and geological evidence shows that every few hundred thousand years or so it even flips, so that north becomes south.

Around 50 years ago, the pole was ambling along at around 15 km a year, but now it is sprinting ahead at around 55 km a year. In 2017, it crossed the international date line, leaving the Canadian Arctic and heading towards Siberia.

Space compasses

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RYA Welcomes Recent Government Announcement Recognising Importance of Character-Building Activities

Education Secretary, Damian Hinds recently announced his vision to help children build character and resilience. Speaking at the Church of England Foundation for Educational Leadership conference on 07 February, Mr Hinds spoke of the importance of character-building activities in helping young people succeed in life and even improve academic outcomes.

The Department for Education (DfE) has pledged to work with schools and external organizations, including membership bodies, to enable children from all backgrounds to access activities to develop confidence and underpin success in education and work. For many years we have known that sport and physical activity have a beneficial effect on our physical health and wellbeing. However, work done by the RYA and Professor Bill Lucas, Director of the Centre for Real-World Learning and Professor of Learning at the University of Winchester demonstrates a number of important additional benefits. The landmark project combined academic findings on the role character has to play in shaping young people’s life chances, with the life skills that can be developed through sailing. With Prof. Lucas concluding that sailing nurtures six key strengths; creativity, confidence, teamwork, communication, determination, and independence.

He said: “I’m struck by how much of a child’s life in school, can be focused on exams and how much more needs to focus on the other things that help them to do really well in life, including resilience and learning to work with others. If you do those things better, exam results get better and people who have these attributes get on better in life. They are much happier and adaptable to embrace challenges.”

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Women get hands-on sail reefing experience at the NWSA Women’s Sailing Conference.

NWSA Women’s Sailing Conference Slated for June 1

Beginning and experienced woman sailors can jump-start their sailing lives by heading to the National Women’s Sailing Association (NWSA) 18^th Annual Women’s Sailing Conference slated for Saturday, June 1, 2019, at the Corinthian Yacht Club in Marblehead, Massachusetts. The event, which features hands-on land- and water-based workshops and seminars, offers women a fantastic opportunity to learn or hone sailing skills, network with other women sailors from all over the United States, and gain the confidence necessary to become a valuable crew member or knowledgeable skipper.

“Women of all sailing abilities are encouraged to attend,” said event Chair Joan Thayer. “By sharing experiences, women leave with improved skills and knowledge that contribute to better days on the water. There is something of interest for everyone in the 20 different workshops.”

Financial support from major supporters, including Black Rock Sailing School and Boat Owners Association of The United States (BoatUS), enable NWSA to meet the educational needs of women sailors and continue to provide one of the top women’s sailing conferences in the nation. On the water, women can take the helm for the first time or improve their sail trim and boat-handling skills in a Sonar 23-foot keelboat. “Learning on these one-design boats is easier to understand than on big boats. It’s an instant reaction to your action,” added Thayer.

New workshops this year include Experiencing Your Ability to Swim, Wearing Foul Weather Gear, Suddenly Alone, How to Use the VHF for Clear Communications, What You Need to Know to Campaign Your Boat, Avoiding Mayhems and Missteps, What Do You REALLY Need in Your Medical Kit for First Aid?, and Boating Skills Virtual Trainer. Repeat conference workshops include Anchoring, Diesel Engine Maintenance, Hands-On Flare and Fire Extinguisher Demonstrations, Racing Basics, Sailing 101 and 102, Knots, How to Read a Navigational Chart, Plot Your Course, and Basic to Advanced On-the-Water Sailing. NWSA is proud to offer educational opportunities from some of the country’s most experienced and exceptional sailing women, including American Boat and Yacht Council Master Marine Tech Beth Burlingame.

Port Facility Security Assessments & Port Security Assessments 01/07/2019 - 30/06/2024

Marine Notice No. 03 of 2019

Notice to Port Authorities, Port Security Officers and Port Facility Security Officers, Recognised Security Organisations (Ports)

The Department wishes to inform Port Authorities, Port Security Officers and Port Facility Security Officers of the procedure and arrangements in place for the completion and review of security assessments required for the period 2019 -2024 as per the requirements of Directive 65/2005/EC and Regulation 725/04/EC (ISPS).

Port Security Assessment

A new Port Security Assessment (PSA) template has been developed pursuant to the European Communities (Port Security) Regulations 2007 (transposing Directive 2005/65/EC). See PSA template. The port authority or the entity responsible for the port will organise the PSA to be carried out by a Recognised Security Organisation (Ports). A single PSA document must be completed for each port and is to be submitted by the Port Authority / Company to the SafeSeasIreland (SSI) portal. (This is to be submitted in SSI using the page corresponding to the “Main Facility” in each port).

Port Facility Security Assessment

A new Port Facility Security Assessment (PFSA) template has been developed pursuant to Regulation (EC) No 725/2004 (ISPS). See PFSA template. This is to be completed for every port facility. The port facility security officer will organise the PFSA to be carried out by a Recognised Security Organisation (Ports). This template also includes the waterside assessment of the port facility area. The PFSO should liaise with the Port Security Office / Harbour Master, to ensure as far as possible, that the waterside assessment for the facility is complementary to the waterside assessment for the wider port area contained in the PSA. The completed PFSA is to be submitted by the Port Authority / Company to the SafeSeasIreland (SSI) portal.

Coast Guard Academy named a Best Value College

The Academy was recently included in the Princeton Review's "The Best Value Colleges: 200 Schools with Exceptional Return On Investment for Your Tuition Investment” publication which recommends institutions considered the nation's best for academics, affordability, and career prospects.

According to the publication the colleges were selected based on a return on investment rating score that includes institutional data from 658 institutions, student surveys, and alumni surveys covering starting and mid-career salaries as well as career social impact.

The publication states, “With a student body of about 1,000, it’s easy to see why graduates of the Coast Guard Academy form such a lifelong dedication to the school and each other.”

A student survey quotes a cadet saying, “I will have a guaranteed job once I graduate. And I am now part of the military family that takes care of its own.”

Coastal Sailing and Boating