quinta-feira, novembro 30, 2006

segunda-feira, novembro 27, 2006

CAPE POINT LIGHTHOUSE, SOUTH AFRICA

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

In 1860 the first lighthouse was completed, 238 meters (816 feet) above sea level.
In 1913 the construction of a second lighthouse on Dias Point began, about 87 meters (286 feet) above sea level.
It was first lit at sunset on 11 March 1919.

Only the base remains of the original lighthouse which was an iron tower erected to the highest point. It had a candle power of 2000, it consisted of 16 metallic silvered reflectors providing a white flash light, of 12 second duration, once every minute.
It now serves as a tourist destination and lookout point. The old lighthouse served for fifty years, but because of the height above sea level it was often enveloped in mist and cloud.
A new lighthouse was decided upon after the Portuguese luxury liner, Lusitania, foundered on Bellows Rock in 1911.

The newer lighthouse is a 9 meter square masonry tower, fitted with a subsidiary red sector light.
It is equipped with a radio beacon and mutual diesel. It has group flashing, three flashes every 30 seconds.
It's light is revolving-electric and it's candlepower is approximately 10 000 000 C.D.
The range of the candle power is 34 sea miles.
The lighthouse was electrified in 1936.
The new lighthouse can not be seen from viewpoint because of the shape of the land at the upper station but there is a delightful walk to it.
Sunset Beach House

domingo, novembro 26, 2006

quinta-feira, novembro 23, 2006

sexta-feira, novembro 17, 2006

JUAN RODRIGUEZ CABRILLO ( - 1543)




Photo Arvind

João Rodrigues Cabrilho (também conhecido como Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo) foi um navegador e explorador português do século XVI.
Ao serviço da coroa espanhola efectuou importantes explorações marítimas no
Oceano Pacífico (costa Oeste dos actuais EUA) e terrestres na América do Norte, participando na conquista da Capital Azteca de Tenochtitlan, com o conquistador espanhol Hernán Cortés em 1521, participou também com Pedro de Alvarado e mais 300 europeus, na conquista dos territórios que compreendem hoje as Honduras, Guatemala e San Salvador, entre 1523 e 1535, ajudando a fundar Oaxaca (um dos 31 Estados do México).
Ao serviço da
Espanha João Rodrigues, no mês de Junho do ano de 1542, largou amaras de Navidade na costa Oeste do México, navegando para o Norte, e três meses depois alcançou a Baia de San Diego, tornando-se o primeiro europeu a desembarcar no que é actualmente o Estado da Califórnia.
A
nacionalidade portuguesa de João Rodrigues não oferece dúvidas, pois é o próprio cronista e Chefe das Índias Espanholas, D. António Herrera y Tordesillas, que na sua Historia General de los hechos de los Castellanos en lás Islas y tierra firme del Mar Oceano o confirma, ao dizer ter ; D. António de Mendonça aprestado os navios "São Salvador” e “Victoria” para prosseguirem na exploração costeira da Nova Espanha “y que nombrô por Capitan dellos a Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo Português, persona muy platica en las cosas de la mar”, embora alguns biógrafos e historiadores, em especial Harry Kelsey, afirmem que Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo tenha nascido em Sevilla (Andaluzia) em data incerta. Morreu a 3 de janeiro de 1543 no Sul do actual Estado americano da Califórnia, desconhecendo-se o local da sua sepultura.
Wikipédia

quinta-feira, novembro 16, 2006

quarta-feira, novembro 15, 2006

domingo, novembro 12, 2006

US COAST GUARD EAGLE, TALL SHIP



USCGC Eagle is the seventh U.S. Coast Guard cutter to bear the name in a proud line dating back to 1792. The ship was built in 1936 by the Blohm and Voss Shipyard in Hamburg, Germany, and commissioned as Horst Wessel.
(Five identical sister ships were also built.)Originally operated by Nazi Germany to train cadets for the German Navy, the ship was taken by the United States as a war prize after World War II. In 1946, a U.S. Coast Guard crew - aided by the German crew still on board - sailed the tall ship from Bremerhaven to its new homeport in New London, Connecticut.
Eagle returned to Bremerhaven for the first time since World War II in the summer of 2005, to an enthusiastic welcome.
Built during the twilight era of sail, the design and construction of Eagle embody centuries of development in the shipbuilder's art.
The hull is steel four-tenths of an inch thick. There are two full-length steel decks with a platform deck below.
The raised forecastle and quarterdeck are made of three-inch thick teak over steel, as are the weather decks.
Eagle eagerly takes to the element for which she was designed.
Effortlessly and gracefully, she drives under full sail in the open ocean at speeds up to 17 knots.


United States Coast Guard Academy

sábado, novembro 11, 2006

sexta-feira, novembro 10, 2006

CLIFFS ...


Photo Alan

quinta-feira, novembro 09, 2006

quinta-feira, novembro 02, 2006

TUBARÕES NA NOSSA COSTA ... PORTUGAL



Ao contrário do que muita gente pensa, na costa portuguesa podem encontrar-se mais de 30 espécies de tubarões.

Há 10 anos que são alvo de estudo, e ainda assim não existe legislação...

Chegam diariamente às várias lotas nacionais dezenas de barcos de pescadores carregados com carcaças de tubarões misturados com atuns, peixes-espada, espadartes e raias entre outros.

E em várias destas lotas podem encontrar-se investigadores da Associação Portuguesa para o Estudo e Conservação de Elasmobrânquios (APECE associação dedicada ao estudo de tubarões e raias), e do Instituto de Investigação das Pescas e do Mar (IPIMAR), bem como estudantes de Biologia, que identificam, pesam, medem e vêm o sexo de toneladas de tubarões.

Esta amostragem é apenas uma dos processos de obter informação sobre tubarões.

Os tubarões que vivem na nossa costa têm hábitos de vida muito diferentes dos agressivos tubarões de águas quentes que por vezes atacam pessoas.

A maioria dos que chegam aos 3 principais portos nacionais de pesca (Sesimbra, Peniche e Viana do Castelo), são de profundidade e não são espécies alvo, vêm por acessório na pesca ao Peixe-espada e Espadarte, segundo Ivone Figueiredo, investigadora do IPIMAR.

Para se ter uma ideia, em 2004 estima-se que tenham sido desembarcados cerca de 582,4 toneladas de tubarões e raias segundo a DGPA (Direcção Geral de Pesca e Aquicultura).

Estas 2 espécies pertencem ao grupo dos elasmobrânquios, peixes cartilaginosos.O Carocho, O Barroso, a Lixa, a Pata-Roxa, a Tintureira (Tubarão Azul) ou o Cação (muito usado no Alentejo para fazer a famosa Sopa de Cação), são algumas espécies mais pescadas em Portugal.

E, à excepção destes 2 últimos, estas espécies movem-se a profundidades entre os 400 e os 1800 metros, longe do olhar dos mergulhadores, surfistas ou turistas.

Portalradical.com / Surftotal.com

quarta-feira, novembro 01, 2006

terça-feira, outubro 31, 2006

segunda-feira, outubro 30, 2006

LIGHTHOUSE OF BARBERS POINT, HAWAII



Having a landmark or prominence named after you is typically considered an honor, however, in the case of Barbers Point, it is doubtful that such was the case. On October 31, 1796, the brig Arthur, captained by Henry Barber, was sailing west from Honolulu to Canton with a load of sea otter pelts aboard. Shortly after leaving Honolulu, the Arthur struck a coral reef that extends roughly a mile from the southwest tip of the island of Oahu. Six of the crew of twenty-two along with the ship were lost in the wreck. Since the wreck, the point has been associated with the captain of the ill-fated vessel. In 1968, the U.S. Board of Geographic Names dropped the apostrophe, changing the name from Barber's Point to Barbers Point.

A sum of $2,500 was appropriated in 1880 for the construction of a light at the point, and soon thereafter a French company was contracted to supply a fourth-order Fresnel lens along with the lamps and lantern room for the proposed tower. By the time the lighthouse hardware arrived from France, the lighthouse funds were depleted, and the shipment was placed in storage.

Six years passed before funds were provided to construct the tower. During the first part of 1888, a forty-two-foot tower was constructed of coral stone laid in a cement mortar. Upon completion, the tower was painted white and topped with the red lantern room. The first keeper, a Mr. Thurston, assumed responsibility for maintaining light on April 9th 1888.

As the area around the lighthouse became populated, the characteristic of the light was changed from fixed white to flashing white to make the light more distinguishable from other lights in the area. By 1930, the tower was showing signs of deterioration and plans were made to replace the structure. An appropriation of $20,000 was secured in 1933 for erecting a seventy-two-foot, concrete, cylindrical tower next to the original one. At the same time, generators were installed at the station to supply electricity to both the lighthouse and the keepers' dwellings. The lens was transferred from the old tower to the new one, where it was first lit on December 29, 1933. With a crowd of interested spectators looking on, a cut was made in the coral stone on one side of the old tower, causing it to topple over.

On April 15, 1964, the Fresnel lens was replaced by a thirty-six-inch airway beacon, and the last keeper Fred Robins left the now automated lighthouse later that year on December 7th. Robins had three stints of service at the lighthouse. Following in his father's and grandfather's footsteps, Robins became a lighthouse keeper, and at the age of 16 was assigned to serve at Barbers Point. After enduring two years of isolation at the lighthouse, the young Robins quit to join the Merchant Marines. However, in 1930 he rejoined the Lighthouse Service and was again assigned to Barbers Point. After three years at Barbers Point, Robins went on to serve at lighthouses on Kaua`i and Moloka`i, before returning to Barbers Point for eleven more years of service.

The lantern room was removed from the tower probably when it was automated. In 1985, the airway beacon was replaced by a Double Barreled Rotating Optic Directional Code Beacon (DCB-224), which increased the range of the light to twenty-four nautical miles.

Located on Barbers Point, west of Honolulu.
Latitude: 21.2995
Longitude: -158.1082


www.lighthousefriends.com

domingo, outubro 29, 2006

MAR SELVAGEM


Photo Ashok

sábado, outubro 28, 2006

sexta-feira, outubro 27, 2006

CP DENALI


Photo CP Ships

quinta-feira, outubro 26, 2006

JUST A TALL SHIP


Photo Errol

quarta-feira, outubro 25, 2006


Photo Deon

terça-feira, outubro 24, 2006

LIGHTHOUSE OF ENGLISH CAYE, BELIZE, CENTRAL AMERICA



Date unknown. Active; focal plane 19 m (62 ft); white flash every 2.5 s. 19 m (62 ft) square pyramidal skeletal tower with lantern and gallery. Entire lighthouse painted white.
An excellent photo is available.
Greg Eriksen has also posted a photo; a closeup of the tower and another closeup of the lantern are available.
The station is now the Belize pilot station, with several buildings and a pier for the pilot boats. Located on a small island at the entrance to the main channel into Belize Harbour.
Accessible only by boat, but visible from all ships entering the harbor.
Site and tower closed. ARLHS BLZ-012; Admiralty J5943.1; NGA 16308.
Russ Rowlett and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

sábado, outubro 21, 2006

sexta-feira, outubro 20, 2006

ÁGUAS CALMAS


Photo Sandy

quinta-feira, outubro 19, 2006

LIGHTHOUSE OF PONCE DE LEON INLET, FLORIDA, USA



Completed in 1887, the Ponce de Leon Inlet Light Station was built when the area was known as Mosquito Inlet.
After decades of restoration by the Ponce de Leon Inlet Lighthouse Preservation Association, it stands today as one of the best preserved, most complete Light Stations in the nation.

quarta-feira, outubro 18, 2006

domingo, outubro 15, 2006

sábado, outubro 14, 2006

LIGHTHOUSE OF RANGE FRONT, PORT-AU-PRINCE, HAITI



1917. Active; focal plane unknown; white light occulting once every 3 s. Approx. 25 m (82 ft) cathedral tower with the light mounted near the top. Cathedral is white; the dome of the tower is gold.

The light is on the north tower of the Cathédrale de Port-au-Prince; Located in downtown Port-au-Prince.

Site and cathedral open, tower closed.

ARLHS HAI-008; Admiralty J5396; NGA 14196.

sexta-feira, outubro 13, 2006

quinta-feira, outubro 12, 2006

TALL SHIP EUROPA






Photo Paolo


EUROPA was built in 1911 under the name of “Senator Brockes” at the Stulcken shipyard in Hamburg, at the request of the city of Hamburg. The ship was put into service as Elbe 3 lightship on the river Elbe, and later worked as a stand-by vessel.
In 1986, Harry Smit brought the ship to the Netherlands. Over a period of 8 years, the ship was completely rebuilt and rigged as a three-masted bark.
The rebuilding and conversion to a sailing vessel was carried out under the supervision of the Dutch Shipping Inspection, Bureau Veritas and Register Holland. She sails with worldwide certificates from each of these authorities and she complies with the highest requirements for sailing ships.
Built 1911
Restored 1988 – 1994, Amsterdam
Home port Amsterdam
Length overall 55.6m
Beam 7.6m
Draft 3.8m
Air draft 33m
Max sail area 1250m_
Engines 2 x 420hp
2-berth cabins 2
4-berth cabins 6
6-berth cabins 4
Toilets each cabin has en suite facilities
Showers each cabin has en suite facilities
Call sign PDZS
VICTORY ADVENTURE'S SOUTHERN OCEAN EXPEDITIONS

quarta-feira, outubro 11, 2006

terça-feira, outubro 10, 2006

CP VOYAGER


Photo CP Ships

domingo, outubro 08, 2006

ARRIVED ...


Photo Chris Hunter

sábado, outubro 07, 2006

EM PLENA REGATA ...


Photo Chris Hunter

sexta-feira, outubro 06, 2006

CONTRA VENTOS E VAGAS


Photo Chris Hunter

quinta-feira, outubro 05, 2006

NOS LIMITES


Photo Chris Hunter

quarta-feira, outubro 04, 2006

CONTRA AS VAGAS


Photo Chris Hunter

domingo, outubro 01, 2006

quinta-feira, setembro 28, 2006

quarta-feira, setembro 27, 2006

terça-feira, setembro 26, 2006

segunda-feira, setembro 25, 2006

CAPE COLUMBINE LIGHTHOUSE, SOUTH AFRICA




Name Cape Columbine

Structure 15 metre square masonry tower

Date Installed 1 October 1936

Description
Cape Columbine is approximately 2 and 1/2 hours drive from Cape Town situated on the west coast, about 3 km from the quaint fishing village of Paternoster. This is the first lighthouse usually sighted by shipping coming from Europe. It was built in 1936 on the rising ground at Castle Rock, with its light 80 m above sea level and has a range of 32 sea miles. The optical apparatus consists of two lens panels of 500mm focal distance, giving a single white flash of 0,2 seconds duration every 15 seconds. This optic was equipped with a 4kW incandescent lamp with the resultant beam intensity of approximately 9 500 000 candelas.A 1,5Kw lamp is presently used, with a resultant beam of 5 040 000 Candelas. The power plant installed in 1936 consisted of three 47 horse power single cylinder horizontal diesel generator sets each giving an output of 27kW. This plant was replaced in 1971 by a 3 phase AC supply.Cape Columbine owes its name to the barque Columbine which came to grief here in 1829. Paternoster got its name from the survivors of a shipwreck who said the Lords Prayer (Pater Noster) in thanksgiving.Other ships that were wrecked here include the troop ship St Lawrence and the Portuguese mail steamer Lisboa which ran aground here in 1910.The opening ceremony was performed at sunset on 1 October 1936 by Mrs H.C. Cooper, wife of the designer and builder Mr H.C. Cooper. He was the Lighthouse Engineer for the Cape Colonial Government and subsequently the first Lighthouse Engineer of the then South African Railways, who controlled and administered all the South African Navigational aids.The lighthouse is also equipped with a twin diaphone fog signal which was installed on 1 October 1936. The cost of the lighthouse at the time of building was £21 793 Sterling.

Light Type Revolving electric

Light Character One flash every 15 seconds

Light Range 32 sea miles

Light Power 5 040 000 CD

Height of focal Plane 80 metres above high water

Position 32 48 39 South, 17 51 23 East



Lighthouse.co.za

domingo, setembro 24, 2006

PORER LIGHTHOUSE, CROATIA



Destination: Pula - 20 km from Pula.
Porer lighthouse was built in 1833 on the islet of the same name, southwest of Istria's southernmost cape.
The islet is an 80 m cliff, 2.5 km from the mainland and the small town of Premantura.

segunda-feira, setembro 18, 2006

ESCADA PARA O MAR


Photo Graham

domingo, setembro 17, 2006

terça-feira, agosto 29, 2006

JEANIE JOHNSTON SHIP


Photo Franz


Jeanie Johnston is manned and certified in accordance with international and Irish Department of the Marine regulations.
There are 11 experienced professional crew aboard at all times.
The balance of 29 are sail-trainee crewmembers who sign on as crew aboard the sail training vessel and learn how to sail a square rigged vessel as was done in the mid-nineteenth century.



Jeanie Johnston is a traditional 3-masted barque and our passage planning is based on an average speed of 5 knots (though she will often exceed that), Jeanie also has two Caterpillar propulsion engines and two fixed pitch propellers that can be used for safety reasons, for coming in and out of port or, in the case of adverse weather conditions, to keep our schedule.

segunda-feira, agosto 28, 2006