LaGmra Day 8 - Part 1 - CHECKLIST - VHF 01 Dec, 06 - 20.43

Note: Todays posting is a bit longer than usual, so I have split it into to parts. The morning and afternoon.
Note2: This is a funny video I came across the other day. Click on the video link to the right (below the photo). Or copy and past the following link into your web browser.
http://www.humanedgetech.com/expedition/bhavik/videos/061201_pt1VHF.MPG
Part 1 - VHF
Good news today. Passed the Royal Yachting Association exams .
The morning was spent in the classroom at Canary Sail, with Clive and 2 other day skippers, studying VHF Marine radio telephony. The payoff
comes in the form of my GMDSS certification and the all clear from Kennith. There have been some updates to the GMDSS system since 2005 and although some means of pre-GMDSS communication will continue to be available, the exam has been necessary to participate in the new system to send an effective distress message.
** CHECK LIST - VHF & DISTRESS **
Medium frequency, high frequency and Marine VHF equipment
1 x iCOM VHF with GMDSS DSC (Digital Selective Calling) interfaced with GPS
1 x iCOM Hand held marine VHF
Satellite comms equipment
1 x SART (Search and Rescue Radar Transponder)
1 x 406.025 MHz EPIRB (Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon)
Note: NAVTEX optional. Not on board.
** CHECK LIST - DISTRESS INFO **
MMSI (Maritime Mobile Service Identity Number) - 235026784
Call Sign for Miss Olive - MJGU9
For the benefit of future sailors and those interested - HERE IS A BRIEF NOTE ON WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW -
1. The GMDSS (Global Maritime Distress and Safety System) ensures that ships anywhere in the world can communicate with a Rescue Co-ordination Centre on shore by two independent means. Channel 16 has always been the VHF
Distress Safety and Calling frequency and is likely to remain so for the foreseeable future. The normal routine is to establish contact on Ch 16 and move to a mutually acceptable working frequency as quickly as possible. However, in the busiest areas there is great pressure on Ch 16 and rescue centers fear that a distress call my be lost due to congestion. While ship and store stations maintain continuous watch on Ch 16, the introduction of DSC reduces congestion as the initial electronic alert is sent as a very short data burst using Ch 70. Although HM Coastguard will continue to listen to Ch 16 at its stations, since 2006 it has ceased to have an operator whose sole job is to monitor the channel. The only way to guarantee communications within all authorities within VHF range by VHF/DSC.
2. WORKING CHANNELS
Ch 16 - Distress & Safety
Ch 13 - Bridge - to - Bridge
Ch 6, 8, 72, 77 - Intership
Ch 9 - Harbour Pilots
Ch 11, 12, 14 - Port Operations
Ch 10 - Weather
Ch 15, 17, 69 - Ship Movements
3. MMSI and CALL SIGN
(MMSI is a unique nine digit number that identifies a particular ship or shore station. Four types include a. ship station b. coast guard station c. group station d. portable DSC equipment.
MMSI should be entered into the VHF set)
4. TRANSMISSION RULES (Secrecy, interference, in port, communications control)
5. VOICE TECHNIQUE (Pitch, Volume, Speech rate
6. PHONETIC ALPHABET (Alpha, Bravo, Charlie etc)
7. PROCEDURE WORDS
Standard Nav. Vocab (eg: All after, All before, Correct, Correction, In figures, I read back, I say again, I spell, Out, Over, Request Radio Check, Received, Say Again, Station Calling, This is, Wait, Word After, Word Before, Wrong etc),
Repetition, Distances, Numerals, Position, Courses, Bearings, Speed, Geographical Names, Time, Calling Harbour Authorities, Garbled Calls, Unknown Calling Stations, Unanswered Calls, All Ships Broadcast
8. PROCEDURES FOR DISTRESS
(DSC distress alert, Voice Distress Call, Voice Distress Message)
9. PROCEDURES FOR RECEIVING A DISTRESS MESSAGE
(Mayday relay procedure, DSC Mayday relay)
10. IMPOSING RADIO SILENCE
(imposing, relaxing, cancelling)
11. DIRECTION FINDING
12. FALSE ALERTS
(False VHF DSC, False 406 MHz EPIRB)
13. URGENCY MESSAGES
(Pan-Pan Procedure, Urgency DSC, Urgency Call and Message)
14. SAFETY
(DSC Safety Alert, DSC Safety Call)
15. COASTGUARD LIAISON
(Calls, Meteorological Info, VHF Direction Finding)
16. FREQUENCY TABLES
(At Sea, International Channels)
TODAYS PHOTO - Emergency Calling Card next to the onboard radio

TODAYS VIDEO - A funny coastguard ad by Berlitz

LaGmra Day 7 - CHECKLIST - Emergency & Distress 30 Nov, 06 - 22.14

The Bow Hatch has been reserved for
1. Primary & Secondary Para Anchor & Ropes
2. Survival Suit
3. Backup Iridium & C3 Communications Kit
4. Mooring ropes
5. Flares & Distress signals
6. Emergency grab bag
Tomorrows schedule covers VHF licencing and loading the center hatches.
** CHECK LIST - EMERGENCY GRAB BAG **
1 x inflatable life vest
1 x personal sea anchor
1 x mountain space blanket & radar reflector
1 x thermal midlayer
1 x diving knife
2x skyblazer aerial flairs
3 x Orion rockets
1 x MCA Solas hand flare
1 x flashlight
1 x strobe light
1 x day visual distress flag
1 x dried biscuts
1 x Katadyn Series 06 watermaker
** CHECK LIST - FLARES & DISTRESS SIGNALS **
(1) Red - Long range day and night distress +++
2 x Red MK 3 Para Rockets Pains Wessex
(30 miles / 40 secs @ 30,000 cp - means candles)
2 x MK 7 Hand Flares Pains Wessex
(60 secs @ 15,000 cp)
2 x Hand Flares MCA Solas App.
3 x Sky Blazer Aerial Flares
(2) Orange - Signalling (Aircraft) +++
2 x Orion Handheld (5 miles / 60 secs)
2 x XM Floatable (4 miles / 2 mins)
(3) White - Collision avoidance / Warning +++
2 x Ikaros handheld (60 sec @ 10,000 cp)
1 x Hand Held Pains Wessex (40 sec @ 10,000 cp)
(4) Guns +++
Orion 25 mm X 2
Orion 20 mm X 4
TODAYS PHOTOS -
1. Emergency Grab bag & survial kit split into

2. Flares & Distress Signals

3. Snapshot of the project plan, to give you an idea of how it has been planned over the past two years.

LaGmra Day 6 - Hull work complete, VHF licencing 29 Nov, 06 - 23.34

The weather has been holding up, as advertised by the OPC weather bureau, (http://www.opc.ncep.noaa.gov/), with the 96 hr surface
forecast promising good North Easterly winds.
Most of the work has been completed on the hull, including
the painting. The weather here has been hot over the summer
resulting in the glue on the earlier stickers bonding with the
EPOXY and paint on the hull. The hull has now been sanded
and repainted and the coat of anti fouling applied.
Tomorrow should be the last day in dry docks. We are on
schedule for a 5th Dec Departure.
Hard to leave the business world behind. Most of last
night was spent role playing CFO in front of Excel. Managing cashflow, invoice payments, accounting, billing by contractors,
project plans etc. Other fun roles for now include webmaster, electrician, cameraman, nutritionist, news reporter and maintainence technician.
We've been using our VHF walkie talkies for internal communication around the island. Despite the number of ships around these waters, the traffic on the VHF channels including 16 is surprisingly un-busy compared to the waters around New York, where its often split to Channel 9.
Amongst other formalities, is the VHF licence and clearance
papers for the two on board radios. For those new to this list, a call sign is what is issued for the vessel along with its licence. The call sign is a unique identification for your vessel and is recognised world-wide.
Once issued, OFCOM registers it with the International
Telecommunication Union (ITU) in Geneva along with other
particulars of the ship station. This information is then made
available to all other administrations.
The boats call sign is MissOlive, same as the name. Why?
The boat was bought from Virgin Atlantic, and was rowed by
Oliver Hicks over the North Atlantic last year. Hence the
name. I haven't been very concerned about the name nor had
the time. As long as it’s easily understood in radio transmissions.
Must admit, we did briefly discuss changing the name to
something a bit more relevant. But there is sailor’s advice
and there is sailor’s superstition. As it goes, its bad luck to
change the name of a boat. And that was the end of that
discussion.
More cheerful marine superstitions for your enjoyment can be found here:
http://pacificoffshorerigging.com/nautical_superstitions.htm
All from the OR team are now on La Gomera. Kennith Crutchlow (Exec Director ORS), Tatiana, Pavel Rezvoy, Dimitry, Ted, Andreu Mateu (CEO of D&A), Stu Turnbull and Ed Baylis.
On average, the Atlantic is the saltiest of the world's major oceans; the salinity of the surface waters in the open ocean ranges from 33 to 37 parts per thousand (3.3 - 3.7%) by mass and varies with latitude and season.
The salinity will put a strain on the desalinator and hopefully the water maker will hold up for atleast 2000 miles off shore at which point I can safely switch to the 200 litres ballast reserves in case of failure.
That’s all for now!
cheers,
B
TODAYS PHOTOS -
1. 96 hr surface weather stats from OPC

2. Hull work complete

3. The critical and equally unlovable Onboard Katadyn desalinator & filteration system.

LaGmra Day 5 - Painting 28 Nov, 06 - 20.16

A short one today. Last 2 days of work left with the boat is scheduled to be in the water tommorow.
Schedule for tommorow:
Morning:
Painting & Stickering
Afternoon:
Applying antifouling paint on the hull and marine trials.
Time and tide permitting, marine trials.
The weather has been hot with little wind. For some reason, there were more tourists on the island today than I have seen over the past 6 months. Some travel guide somewhere (I suspect Lonely Planet) must have recommended a visit to La Gomera because its off the usual tourist trail. How ironic.
Today has been more work on sanding the hull. In the spirit of cross training, was my run to the top of the volcano on the island.
The cooker still remains an issue to be closed. Shipping a replacement from the US would take too long. I will have to put my trust in Russian engineering for now.
Victor Gavrishev & the team arrived yesterday. Andreu Mateu arrives later tonight. Kennith, Tatiana, Stuart Turnbull & Ed Baylis arrive tommorow.
Another long day tommorow.Thats all for now.
Over and out
B
TODAYS PHOTOS -
1. The rain forest in the crater of the volcano

2. Overlooking the Atlantic from the top of the volcano

3. Valley Gran Rey, the small fishing village on the other side of the island, 40 mins by boat from San Sebastian

LaGmra Day 4 - Hull & Epoxy 27 Nov, 06 - 20.26

Apparently 10 days ago, La Gomera was hit by a storm with
severe flooding on the island. The weather right now seems to be holding up quite well. Strong northerly winds with calm seas.
Here's hoping that it stays that way for the next 10 days,
giving me enough time to clear the island.
Ironically, I feel I will be much more relaxed once I have lost
sight of land. Right now, I feel a bit tense about getting out of
the islands.
There is something to be said about the people on the island.
My boat has been in the marina (which has public access) for
the past 6 months and not a single piece of equipment has gone a miss. Everything is just they way as I left it. That says a lot about how safe and trustworthy the people of the island are.
The welcome I got on my return has also been touching,
meeting a lot of the friends I made on the island over the three months I spent on the island earlier this year.
Thanks to everyone for the hospitality extended over the past
few months.
Today was more work on the hull and patching up a few
gashes with Epoxy resin. The solar panels and satellite
connectivity is working well and the rudder has been re-enforced.
I'm feeling a bit under the weather at the moment. Some of
the lead in the antifouling paint must have gotten into the
system.
I have also stopped long distance training for now, so I have
enough rest for the start. My training schedule has been
reduced to a few laps on the bay. I'm trying to put on as much
weight as possible before I leave, enjoying my last few meals
on land, cramming in 5 meals a day. My weight is about 110
kg right now.
One of the upsides, rowing the Atlantic is its an
open cheque to eat as much of anything as you like.
On the project plan for tomorrow is a formality of the VHF
radio licence test, painting the boat, returning the old Argos
beacons to France and re-snickering the boat. We are on
schedule for putting the boat in the water on Wednesday for
one final sea trial on Thursday.
Thanks for the messages everyone. I am getting tons of
emails a day. I can't reply to them all, but I do read each and
every one of them.
TODAYS PHOTOS -
1. Solar panels on the 6 ft hatch (my living space)

2. The rudder

3. A Typical Canarian meal of Stake, Chips, Rabbit meat and Mojo

LaGmra Day 3 - KBO 26 Nov, 06 - 23.10

Work on sanding hull continues. The antifouling paint has
worked swimmingly well. The paint has lead, which deters
barnacles growing on the underside of the boat. Considering
that it has been in the water for 6 months, it is in good shape.
Tomorrow, repainting starts. All systems are ship shape.
The issue of gas canisters need to be resolved. Argos
beacons arrive on Wed.
The village has been really quite today, the only sound that to
be heard is a motorcycle going past and the occasional dog
barking. Even the water fountain in the village shuts down on
Sundays.
Our work goes on.
TODAYS PHOTOS -
1. Scrubbing the growth off the hull

2. San Sebastian Village

3. Natural sea water pool. A great idea, but impossible to
swim in with the waves breaking over the side very
time there is a day in the week

LaGmra Day 2 - Dry Docks 25 Nov, 06 - 20.43

It’s been a long day. The better part of the morning was spent
scrubbing the hull and removing the stickers that have faded
due to exposure to the sun. The rest of the day as spent
prioritizing the equipment to be taken.
The gas cooker and canisters have suffered from salt corrosion since April and will have to be replaced. The original gas cooker was custom built, fitted on a gimbal to enable it to stay horizontal regardless of which way the boat rolled.
Finding a replacement in time will be a problem.
Kennith Crutchlow and Tatiana Rezvoy are due to arrive with the Argos beacons on Wednesday and we should be good to go by Friday.
Looking forward to leaving,
thats all for now,
B
TODAYS PHOTOS -
1. Faded stickers due to the exposure to the sun

2. A little growth on the underside of the hull.

3. Fred Olsen Ferry across to La Gomera. It claims to be the
fastest ferry in the world, with massive 20,000 Horse Power
diesel engines. I assume this is the closest you get to a sense of urgency in the Canary Islands.

LaGmra Day 1 24 Nov, 06 - 22.15

First task in the morning, going over the project plan with
Pavel. The boat is currently in dry docks on the marina.
On the to-do list for the next few days
1. servicing the water maker (onboard desalinator)
2. electricity & solar panels
3. antifouling on the hull
4. re-painting and re-stickering the boat
5. food rations check
6. equipment check
7. GPS, Satellite phones check, radar reflector
8. Quick once over on the EPIRB, Survival suit, Flairs
9. VHF radio licence
10. Rowing positions
La Gomera is the second smallest of the 6 Canary Islands. Alternatively the 5 biggest. As you like it. It howver the most diverse. The beach is black volcanic ash, a product of the extinct volcano at the center of the island, which is now home to a rain forest in its crater.
TODAYS PHOTOS -
1. Marina La Gomera

2. A few classic 100 yr old boats currently moored there,
waiting to make the annual journey across the Atlantic,
Morocco or the Cape Verde Islands.
 

Madrid - Tenerife 23 Nov, 06 - 21.35

The flight from Madrid to Tenerife is around 2 and half hours,
excluding the 1 hour delay.
With a project such as this, there is so much to do, its not often you get the time to consider the magnitude of the challenge. Flying over the Atlantic, there is nothing but blue sea below for miles around. Looking down knowing that I will be trying to cross that soon in a 23 ft boat,
seems like watching a car crash in slow motion
The trade mark feature of Tenerife, Mt El Tiede, the worlds
tallest volcano at over 3000 meters high popped to the left of
the plane, just before we touched down at Tenerife North
Airport, Puerto De La Cruz.
Tenerife is the largest of the Canary Islands, the others being
Lanzarote, Fuerte Ventura, Gran Canaria (the capital), Las
Palmas, La Gomera and El Hierro.
While its geographically closer to Africa (just about 40 miles
across the water from Lanzarote to Senegal), it is a part of
Spain. The reason being, I assume, it would be of considerable strategic interest if Spain were ever to go to war with the Western Sahara.
These days however, it has become a gateway to the EU for refugees from Africa, who make the risky journey across the strait in small over
crowded fishing boats looking for a better future.
On arrival, the impression is that Tenerife just
discovered capitalism last week. What remains of a beautiful islands is largely a construction site with a volcano in the middle, reduced to little more than a cake decoration.
Going by the tourist brocures, the place to be seen at right now is the large Aquapark resort and 500+ room hotel.
I have not yet figured out why anyone would build an Aquapark on an island. An indoor ski resort, like in Dubai, would have been the more logical thing to do.
We you drive down from the North of Tenerife Gran Canaria is visible
across the water which disappears as La Gomera appears towards the South. Another 45 mins on the 6.15 ferry to the final destination,
completes exactly 12 hrs of travel time from Madrid to La Gomera.
Pavel Rezvoy has been on the island since yesterday. The rest of the evening was spent discussing the project plan and the to-do list for the next few days.
TODAYS PHOTOS -
1. View of the Atlantic from above

2. El Tiede as seen by air approaching Tenerife

3. Tenerife as seen from the air

Madrid Day 4 22 Nov, 06 - 22:23

This is a short one. The equipment has been delivered to Spainair for air freight to Tenerife tommorow.
The transition from Swedish to Spanish has been finally made. It is indeed a minefield of J pronounced as a Y and H, O as E, Y as a J, V as a B, E as an A... and list goes on..
The brain has been debugged and should be clear sailing from now on.
We leave for Tenerife tommorow. More tommorow.
B
TODAYS PHOTOS -
1. Streets around Tribunal

2. Playing basketball for a change

3. Madrid by night