= David Shaw =

David Shaw is a <i>Project Management Professional</i> [http://www.pmi.org (PMP)]; <i>Professional in Critical Infrastructure Protection</i> [http://www.ci-institute.com/overview.html (PCIP)]; and the founder of [http://wikisea.net/Wikisea:About WikiSea].

[[File:Hmcs-onondaga.gif|thumb|left|350px|HMCS Onondaga, Oberon-class diesel-electric submarine]]

David is a senior management consultant and information architect. He has managed more than 100 projects, using waterfall, spiral, incremental development and Agile methodologies — in systems for knowledge-management, eLearning and XML/SGML component content-management — in the USA, Canada, UK, Switzerland, Denmark, Greenland, Alaska, and Trinidad & Tobago.

David's experience with online information systems began with [https://www.ieee.ca/millennium/telidon/telidon_about.html videotex systems] based on [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telidon Telidon]. He co-managed the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telidon#Commercial_efforts international Telidon project for the Third General Assembly of the Inuit Circumpolar Council] in Frobisher Bay (now Iqaluit) on [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baffin_Island Baffin Island].

David once spent a week on [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMCS_Onondaga_%28S73%29 HMCS Onondaga] writing <i>Life on a Canadian Submarine</i> for [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weekend_%28magazine%29 Weekend Magazine]. For the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Montreal_Star Montreal Star] he was on board [http://www.navy-marine.forces.gc.ca/en/fleet-units/huron-history.page HMCS Huron] for her Maker's Trials and experienced a midnight call to boat stations during a December blizzard off [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anticosti_Island Anticosti Island].

[[File:Iqaluit_skyline.jpg|thumb|right|350px|Iqaluit in winter -- WikiPedia]]

He also flew ice patrol from [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Summerside,_Prince_Edward_Island Summerside] in [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prince_Edward_Island Prince Edward Island] to [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iqaluit Iqaluit] in [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baffin_Island Baffin Island] in an [http://www.airliners.net/photo/Nordair-%28Environment-Canada/Lockheed-L-188C%28IR%29-Electra/0070408/M/ Electra L-188] used for ice reconnaissance. During the same period he was a columnist for <i>Driving Magazine</i>, and volunteered as Chief Pit Marshal at [https://www.lecircuit.com/ Le Circuit Mt Tremblant] during the heyday of [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Can-Am Can-Am racing], and after training in fighting gasoline and methanol fires at a BP oil refinery.

In another life David raised [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hereford_%28cattle%29 Polled Hereford] cow-calfs and [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arabian_horse Arabian horses].

David writes four very occasional blogs (infrequently!) and has published two technical books. He also makes an amazing [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trinidad Trinidad] hot sauce that has been called a gateway drug for [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capsaicin capsaicin] addiction;)

In his current life he lives downtown without cats, dogs, horses, cows or other creatures.

Download: [[Media:3-PointEstimate.xlsx|Free 3-point estimating tool (xlsx)]]

[[Media:Cloudgovco.zip|zip]]

[mailto:davidshaw@wikisea.org Email David]

[[Category:People]]

File:Cloudgovco.zip

2017-06-27T12:14:18Z

WikiSysop:

WaterHeaters

2017-05-21T11:06:28Z

WikiSysop: /* Energy Efficiency */

= Choosing a Water Heater =

When selecting a water heater for your boat, ensure that it is designed for marine use, e.g., stainless steel. If you select a dishwasher with an internal heater, you can set your hot water heater to a normal 120°F (49°C); otherwise you will want one that can be set as high as 140°F (60°C). Some people recommend settings as high as 160°F to keep bacterial growth in check, but this could be dangerous for children unless you install anti-scald balanced-pressure valves on showers and taps.

== How to Size ==

Some rules of thumb for sizing hot-water tanks were given as part of the discussion in [[WaterCapacity]]. Another way of sizing the hot-water heater is based on flow rates. The table gives a range of flow rates for different water appliances. For a comfortable lifestyle, the water heater is sized based on peak demand.

Assume the following use case based on two couples on board preparing for an evening out. (Six people on board do not change the scenario significantly since there are only two showers.)

* Two people showering (separately in the two showers, silly) and washing their hair. A third person running a faucet in the galley and loading the dishwasher and a fourth person dawdling.
* Two more people showering after the first set. The dishwasher is started accidentally.

The two people showering for 10 minutes will draw a flow rate of 4 GPM, while the person running the faucet for the same period will draw 0.75 GPM, for a total of 4.75 GPM. When the next couple jumps in the showers we will again need 4 GPM plus 1 GPM for the dishwasher, for a total of 5 GPM.

In other words, over a 20-minute period we will consume 97.5 gallons of water. What is significant about this case is that we need a heater with a fast recovery rate or one with a larger tank to buffer more hot water for the second set of people stepping into the showers.

<table width="50%" border="1">

<caption>Flow Rates for 50° F (10°C) Inlet Temperatures</caption>
<tr><th>Appliance</th><th>Gallons per Minute</th><th>Liters per Minute</th></tr>

<tr><td>Faucets</td><td>0.75</td><td>2.84</td></tr>

<tr><td>Showerhead</td><td>1.2 – 2</td><td>4.54-7.57</td></tr>

<tr><td>Clothes washer</td><td>1.0</td><td>3.79</td></tr>

<tr><td>Dishwasher</td><td>1.0</td><td>3.79</td></tr>

</table>

== Types of Water Heaters ==

There are three types of water heater available for marine use:
* Tanked
* Demand (tankless)
* Point of use

Tanked water heaters are the most familiar to North Americans, but the more efficient demand and point of use heaters have been used in Europe for many years. Tanked heaters are the most energy inefficient. Operating continuously, they store a volume of water and keep it at a set temperature. When water is not being drawn off, the tank loses some heat to the surrounding air.

A tankless demand heater is the best choice for a boat, from a narrow energy efficiency perspective. But when we do a total systems analysis, the choice becomes murkier, as we shall see, because of the high operating current and its impact on the electrical system, and other trade-offs.

=== Tanked Water Heaters ===

Tanked heaters are direct, using AC or gas, or indirect with a heat exchanger using engine coolant or solar heating. While attractive in concept, solar-heated tanks aren’t suited to marine use because of the large size of the collector, and other obvious factors like nightfall.

For indirect operation, marine models are available with a set of coils inside through which you can circulate the engine coolant or attach solar heating. When the engine is running, surplus heat is used to heat hot water.

Many diesel stoves have a similar feature. A water jacket heats the hot water, which is then circulated through coils in the hot water tank. Standard electrical elements are also provided as backup. Features to check for in a water tank are stainless steel, well insulated (R16 minimum), flow rate, coils in the bottom (where the cold water sits!), and a winter drain cock.

==== Tank Size ====

Selecting the right size for a tanked heater is the usual head-banging exercise. Based on the industry guidelines in [[WaterCapacity]] (7 gal per person to as high as 17 gal), you would select a capacity of 80 gal, based on six people @ 13.3 gal/person.

With no more than two people on board most of the time, you should never run out of hot water. With four people, you could manage with a 52-gal tank, and cross your fingers the rest of the time. (We all know how frustrating it is when the hot water runs out.) Interestingly, marine heaters for small- to medium-size boats do not seem to be available in models larger than 40 gal, which complicates things a bit.

Using a flow-rate calculation yields a similar result. If we multiply the flow rate by the number of minutes the appliances will be open, say two 10-minute periods, this equates to a tank capacity of 95 gal. For five minute showers, the capacity required is 48 gal. These numbers make a 40-gal tank seem more reasonable, but there is still the issue of recovering in time for the second set of showers. Tanked heaters don’t recover that fast.

==== Energy Consumption ====

Water tank heaters cycle continuously and are energy-rated in kiloWatt-hours/year (kWh/y). A typical 40-gal tank will consume 4,773 kWh/y or 545 Watts/hour, which is 4.95 amp-hours (AH) at 110 VAC. One example delivers 25 GPH or about 5 GPHA. Peak power demand is 3,800 W, which will take up a good chunk of a 5,000-W inverter.

=== Demand Water Heaters ===

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tankless_water_heating Demand water heaters are tankless]. They are about the size of a suitcase. They use AC or gas to flash heat the water. They can deliver 200 to 500 gallons per hour, but require 3,500 to 24,000 Watts to do so. Although the peak current is higher than that of a tanked heater, the energy efficiency is higher, e.g., 6.3 to 4.6 GPHA (5.45 median), with the larger units being more efficient.

[[Image:TanklessWaterHeater.jpg|200px|left|thumb|Tankless hot water heater with solar and engine pre-heat]]

Demand water heaters offer almost unlimited hot water and produce substantial savings in annual energy costs compared to a hot water tank. They have been around for decades and are common in Europe and Japan. Their capital cost is higher than a tank model but they typically last for 20 years; whereas a tank model will last for three to ten years. They are very simple:

* Cold water passes through a set of coils that function like a boiler
* The coils have a heat source
* A sensor detects water flow and turns on the heat source
* Water heats up in seconds
* The system shuts off when the water flow ends

==== Capacity ====

With a demand water heater you will never run out of hot water. Demand water heaters are rated by flow and the rise in water temperature. With a standard input temperature of 50°F (10°C), and hot water regulated at 120°F (49°C), the temperature rise is 70°F (39°C).

To select a demand heater, pick a model rated for the flow rate and input temperature (or temperature rise) you require.

==== Energy Efficiency ====

Although the unit efficiency of a demand heater is better than a tanked heater, the tanked heater must operate continuously while the demand heater operates intermittently; thus consuming less energy overall. On average, a tankless water heater uses 25 to 50 percent less energy than a storage water heater.<ref>https://www.householdwatersystems.com/advantage-tankless-water-heater/</ref>

=== Point of Use ===

Point of use water heaters are electrical (AC). They flash heat the water right at the faucet. You've probably seen them in public washrooms. Most models deliver 2.5 to 6.0 GPM, making them suitable only for a galley sink or a shower on a smaller boat.

== Choosing a Heater Type ==

Point of use water heaters are best suited to a cruising sail boat or a small trawler, either as the main heater or as a supplement to a small hot-water tank heated by engine coolant. In a larger boat, the choices are:

* AC demand hot water tank
* AC continuous operation hot water tank
* Heat exchanger hot water tank with AC backup

Provided the house bank, inverter and charging system can be optimized for the extra load, a demand system is a better choice than a continuous-duty heater. The advantage of the demand heater is its smaller size; it never runs out of hot water; the layout is simple; and it is more energy efficient per gallon of hot water. Its disadvantage is the higher current drawn when running. With peak loads of 5-10 kW, it is unlikely to be a feasible choice except in very large boats with constantly running generators.

* A tankless-heater system designed to minimize the electrical load can be designed.

A large and well insulated water tank is pre-heated by a solar collector and/or the engine. A solar collector could be mounted on the pilothouse roof. Flat panels are easy to fabricate and more cost-effective than evacuated tubes but tubes track the sun better and are more energy efficient.<ref>http://www.apricus.com/html/solar_collector.htm</ref> Temperatures in the tank can run over 180°F, so a tempering valve mixes in cold water on the output side to adjust the temperature to 120°F. A small tankless heater only kicks in when the temperature drops below 120°F. The pump circulates a 50:50 water-glycol solution to prevent freezing in cold climates. It doesn’t operate at night.

With a typical load of 3.8 kW, a continuous operation hot-water tank is a better choice for a smaller boat. Despite its lesser energy efficiency, it has less impact on the electrical system.

* A heat-exchanger hot-water tank with AC backup, using surplus heat from engine coolants when available is the optimum choice for a small boat.

The advantage of the heat exchanger is the free energy source when underway or when a diesel stove is in use; and a smaller inverter required overall.

Both the continuous-operation tank and the heat-exchanger tank with AC backup share the disadvantage of larger size, overall energy inefficiency when using electricity, and the possibility of running out of hot water. In addition, the heat-exchanger model requires a more complex layout. The tankless design with solar collector is even more complex. In both cases, the complexity is mainly in mechanical plumbing.

== References ==

[[Category:FreshwaterSystems]]

WaterHeaters

2017-05-21T11:02:37Z

WikiSysop: /* Choosing a Heater Type */

= Choosing a Water Heater =

When selecting a water heater for your boat, ensure that it is designed for marine use, e.g., stainless steel. If you select a dishwasher with an internal heater, you can set your hot water heater to a normal 120°F (49°C); otherwise you will want one that can be set as high as 140°F (60°C). Some people recommend settings as high as 160°F to keep bacterial growth in check, but this could be dangerous for children unless you install anti-scald balanced-pressure valves on showers and taps.

== How to Size ==

Some rules of thumb for sizing hot-water tanks were given as part of the discussion in [[WaterCapacity]]. Another way of sizing the hot-water heater is based on flow rates. The table gives a range of flow rates for different water appliances. For a comfortable lifestyle, the water heater is sized based on peak demand.

Assume the following use case based on two couples on board preparing for an evening out. (Six people on board do not change the scenario significantly since there are only two showers.)

* Two people showering (separately in the two showers, silly) and washing their hair. A third person running a faucet in the galley and loading the dishwasher and a fourth person dawdling.
* Two more people showering after the first set. The dishwasher is started accidentally.

The two people showering for 10 minutes will draw a flow rate of 4 GPM, while the person running the faucet for the same period will draw 0.75 GPM, for a total of 4.75 GPM. When the next couple jumps in the showers we will again need 4 GPM plus 1 GPM for the dishwasher, for a total of 5 GPM.

In other words, over a 20-minute period we will consume 97.5 gallons of water. What is significant about this case is that we need a heater with a fast recovery rate or one with a larger tank to buffer more hot water for the second set of people stepping into the showers.

<table width="50%" border="1">

<caption>Flow Rates for 50° F (10°C) Inlet Temperatures</caption>
<tr><th>Appliance</th><th>Gallons per Minute</th><th>Liters per Minute</th></tr>

<tr><td>Faucets</td><td>0.75</td><td>2.84</td></tr>

<tr><td>Showerhead</td><td>1.2 – 2</td><td>4.54-7.57</td></tr>

<tr><td>Clothes washer</td><td>1.0</td><td>3.79</td></tr>

<tr><td>Dishwasher</td><td>1.0</td><td>3.79</td></tr>

</table>

== Types of Water Heaters ==

There are three types of water heater available for marine use:
* Tanked
* Demand (tankless)
* Point of use

Tanked water heaters are the most familiar to North Americans, but the more efficient demand and point of use heaters have been used in Europe for many years. Tanked heaters are the most energy inefficient. Operating continuously, they store a volume of water and keep it at a set temperature. When water is not being drawn off, the tank loses some heat to the surrounding air.

A tankless demand heater is the best choice for a boat, from a narrow energy efficiency perspective. But when we do a total systems analysis, the choice becomes murkier, as we shall see, because of the high operating current and its impact on the electrical system, and other trade-offs.

=== Tanked Water Heaters ===

Tanked heaters are direct, using AC or gas, or indirect with a heat exchanger using engine coolant or solar heating. While attractive in concept, solar-heated tanks aren’t suited to marine use because of the large size of the collector, and other obvious factors like nightfall.

For indirect operation, marine models are available with a set of coils inside through which you can circulate the engine coolant or attach solar heating. When the engine is running, surplus heat is used to heat hot water.

Many diesel stoves have a similar feature. A water jacket heats the hot water, which is then circulated through coils in the hot water tank. Standard electrical elements are also provided as backup. Features to check for in a water tank are stainless steel, well insulated (R16 minimum), flow rate, coils in the bottom (where the cold water sits!), and a winter drain cock.

==== Tank Size ====

Selecting the right size for a tanked heater is the usual head-banging exercise. Based on the industry guidelines in [[WaterCapacity]] (7 gal per person to as high as 17 gal), you would select a capacity of 80 gal, based on six people @ 13.3 gal/person.

With no more than two people on board most of the time, you should never run out of hot water. With four people, you could manage with a 52-gal tank, and cross your fingers the rest of the time. (We all know how frustrating it is when the hot water runs out.) Interestingly, marine heaters for small- to medium-size boats do not seem to be available in models larger than 40 gal, which complicates things a bit.

Using a flow-rate calculation yields a similar result. If we multiply the flow rate by the number of minutes the appliances will be open, say two 10-minute periods, this equates to a tank capacity of 95 gal. For five minute showers, the capacity required is 48 gal. These numbers make a 40-gal tank seem more reasonable, but there is still the issue of recovering in time for the second set of showers. Tanked heaters don’t recover that fast.

==== Energy Consumption ====

Water tank heaters cycle continuously and are energy-rated in kiloWatt-hours/year (kWh/y). A typical 40-gal tank will consume 4,773 kWh/y or 545 Watts/hour, which is 4.95 amp-hours (AH) at 110 VAC. One example delivers 25 GPH or about 5 GPHA. Peak power demand is 3,800 W, which will take up a good chunk of a 5,000-W inverter.

=== Demand Water Heaters ===

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tankless_water_heating Demand water heaters are tankless]. They are about the size of a suitcase. They use AC or gas to flash heat the water. They can deliver 200 to 500 gallons per hour, but require 3,500 to 24,000 Watts to do so. Although the peak current is higher than that of a tanked heater, the energy efficiency is higher, e.g., 6.3 to 4.6 GPHA (5.45 median), with the larger units being more efficient.

[[Image:TanklessWaterHeater.jpg|200px|left|thumb|Tankless hot water heater with solar and engine pre-heat]]

Demand water heaters offer almost unlimited hot water and produce substantial savings in annual energy costs compared to a hot water tank. They have been around for decades and are common in Europe and Japan. Their capital cost is higher than a tank model but they typically last for 20 years; whereas a tank model will last for three to ten years. They are very simple:

* Cold water passes through a set of coils that function like a boiler
* The coils have a heat source
* A sensor detects water flow and turns on the heat source
* Water heats up in seconds
* The system shuts off when the water flow ends

==== Capacity ====

With a demand water heater you will never run out of hot water. Demand water heaters are rated by flow and the rise in water temperature. With a standard input temperature of 50°F (10°C), and hot water regulated at 120°F (49°C), the temperature rise is 70°F (39°C).

To select a demand heater, pick a model rated for the flow rate and input temperature (or temperature rise) you require.

==== Energy Efficiency ====

Although the unit efficiency of a demand heater is only somewhat better than a tanked heater, the tanked heater must operate continuously while the demand heater operates intermittently; thus consuming less energy overall.

=== Point of Use ===

Point of use water heaters are electrical (AC). They flash heat the water right at the faucet. You've probably seen them in public washrooms. Most models deliver 2.5 to 6.0 GPM, making them suitable only for a galley sink or a shower on a smaller boat.

== Choosing a Heater Type ==

Point of use water heaters are best suited to a cruising sail boat or a small trawler, either as the main heater or as a supplement to a small hot-water tank heated by engine coolant. In a larger boat, the choices are:

* AC demand hot water tank
* AC continuous operation hot water tank
* Heat exchanger hot water tank with AC backup

Provided the house bank, inverter and charging system can be optimized for the extra load, a demand system is a better choice than a continuous-duty heater. The advantage of the demand heater is its smaller size; it never runs out of hot water; the layout is simple; and it is more energy efficient per gallon of hot water. Its disadvantage is the higher current drawn when running. With peak loads of 5-10 kW, it is unlikely to be a feasible choice except in very large boats with constantly running generators.

* A tankless-heater system designed to minimize the electrical load can be designed.

A large and well insulated water tank is pre-heated by a solar collector and/or the engine. A solar collector could be mounted on the pilothouse roof. Flat panels are easy to fabricate and more cost-effective than evacuated tubes but tubes track the sun better and are more energy efficient.<ref>http://www.apricus.com/html/solar_collector.htm</ref> Temperatures in the tank can run over 180°F, so a tempering valve mixes in cold water on the output side to adjust the temperature to 120°F. A small tankless heater only kicks in when the temperature drops below 120°F. The pump circulates a 50:50 water-glycol solution to prevent freezing in cold climates. It doesn’t operate at night.

With a typical load of 3.8 kW, a continuous operation hot-water tank is a better choice for a smaller boat. Despite its lesser energy efficiency, it has less impact on the electrical system.

* A heat-exchanger hot-water tank with AC backup, using surplus heat from engine coolants when available is the optimum choice for a small boat.

The advantage of the heat exchanger is the free energy source when underway or when a diesel stove is in use; and a smaller inverter required overall.

Both the continuous-operation tank and the heat-exchanger tank with AC backup share the disadvantage of larger size, overall energy inefficiency when using electricity, and the possibility of running out of hot water. In addition, the heat-exchanger model requires a more complex layout. The tankless design with solar collector is even more complex. In both cases, the complexity is mainly in mechanical plumbing.

== References ==

[[Category:FreshwaterSystems]]

MediaWiki:Sitenotice

2017-05-19T12:28:59Z

WikiSysop:

== Share your knowledge & experience! Help fill out the pages.<br> [mailto:info@wikisea.net Email] your content and we'll help. ==



==== New: [https://arstechnica.com/cars/2017/05/volvo-says-no-more-diesel-engines-the-future-is-electric/ Volvo says no more diesel engines, the future is electric] ====

WindEnergy

2017-04-11T18:55:50Z

WikiSysop: /* Links */

{{#TwitterFBLike:right|small|like}}
= Wind Energy for Boats=

== Summary ==

Because they have a smaller footprint, vertical-axis wind turbines (VAWT) are better suited to boats than horizontal-axis wind turbines (HAWT). They are somewhat less efficient but can take advantage of turbulent and gusty winds. Cost performance and size remain barriers. Small turbines around 600 Watts (W) capacity cost USD $5,000 or more and have a spinning diameter around 2 metres (m).

== Vertical Axis Wind Turbines ==
There isn't the space on a boat necessary for a horizontal-axis wind turbine for supplementary power. Even a small vertical-axis wind turbine is problematical. Think an egg beater, with the gearbox and generator located at the bottom of the mast. VAWTs are omnidirectional and can take advantage of turbulent and gusty winds because they require a lower wind speed to self-start. They rotate at 1/3 to 1/4 the speed of HAWTs, which reduces their noise and vibration levels.

Early designs (Savonius, Darrieus and giromill) had significant torque variation on the blades during each revolution, which tended to break the blades. Later designs based on the Darrieus model solved these issues with a helical twist of 60 or 120 degrees in the blades; and by using composite materials for the blades.
<ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Savonius_wind_turbine</ref>
<ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Darrieus_wind_turbine</ref>
<ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giromill#Giromills</ref>

== Efficiency ==
Wind turbines are not very efficient. That's why you always see such large horizontal machines in the countryside (plus of course their utility scale). The best ones have an efficiency of around 35-47% in an ideal wind. According to Betz's law, no turbine can capture more than 16/27 (59.3%) of the kinetic energy in wind. Practical utility-scale wind turbines achieve at peak 75% to 80% of the Betz limit.
<ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Betz%27_law</ref>

Vertical turbines are less efficient than horizontal ones, around 30%. In a design with a diameter of 2-3 m (6-9 ft) you can expect a maximum output of around 2.5 kiloWatts (kW) (3.35 hp). Small (or “residential”) vertical systems may be suitable for boats. They range from 400 W to 500 kW.

== Cost ==
Small vertical turbines cost in the range of USD $5,000 to 10,000.
== Size ==
The problem of size remains. For example, the Windspire is a small 1.2-kW vertical-axis wind turbine. The turbine tower is 9.1 meters tall, and its rotor area is 1.2 by 6.1 meters.
<ref>http://www.nrel.gov/wind/smallwind/mariah_power.html</ref>
The WePower Falcon is sized as small as 600 W with a 1.6-m diameter and a rotor height of 1 m. <ref>http://wepowereco.com/ecolutions/renewable-energy/wind/</ref>

== Links ==

[http://www.awea.org American Wind Energy Association]

[http://www.anev.org Associazione Nazionale Energia del Ven]

[http://www.auswind.org Australian Wind Energy Association]

[http://www.bwea.com British Wind Energy Associate]

[http://www.wind-energie.de Bundesverband Windenergie e.V]

[http://www.canwea.ca Canadian Wind Energy Association]

[http://www.creia.net Chinese Renewable Energy Industries Association]

[http://www.ewea.org European Wind Energy Association]

[http://www.gwec.net Global Wind Energy Council]

[http://www.indianwindpower.com Indian Wind Turbine Manufacturers Association]

[https://evergreensolar.com National Council for Solar Growth]

[http://www.jwpa.jp Japanese Wind Power Association]

[http://www.wwindea.org World Wind Energy Associate]

[http://www1.eere.energy.gov/windandhydro/wind_technologies.htm US Department of Energy, Wind and Hydropower Technologies Program]

== References ==

[[Category:ElectricalGenerationWind]]

2017-01-01T12:55:29Z

WikiSysop:

DisasterAvoidance

2017-01-01T12:54:14Z

WikiSysop: /* RMS Titanic */

{{#TwitterFBLike:right|small|like}}

= Understand the Nature of Disasters =

== Do Not Sail Into Danger ==

“Although it may not be very comforting, the truth is there is no such thing as an unsinkable ship. No matter how sophisticated the safety features or how impressive the size, all ships are vulnerable given the wrong circumstances.” <ref>http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/titanic/unsinkable.html</ref>

The wrong circumstances: Recreational sailors and passage makers have a choice. They can choose routes and seasons that minimise danger.

So, the first rule is: Do not sail into danger. The second is: Have situational awareness. Be prepared for any and all eventualities. Preparedness starts with your state of mind, the design of your vessel, followed by careful maintenance, and [[:Category:Operations|well practiced procedures]].

== Understand How Disasters Happen ==

Except for [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Act_of_God acts of god] and red-light incidents, disasters are preventable. A disaster is the outcome of a series of cumulative mistakes, human error that compounds an initial mistake. Once a threshold is reached in the cascading series of small events, disaster is almost inevitable.

No matter how well you plan, there is always the possibility of someone running the red light, and broadsiding you. By definition, a red-light incident cannot be foreseen. Sometimes skill and luck will serve you well; at others nothing will forestall disaster once the red-light incident has occurred.

Worse, initial red-light incidents can appear quite innocuous, i.e., they do not look like one. It is only when you respond inappropriately to the first small triggering incident that they open like a Pandora’s Box to reveal the full scope of the disaster that awaits. Events then unfold too rapidly for human response. Mistakes multiply. A chain reaction sets in.

Chernobyl goes critical. Three Mile Island barely escapes a similar fate. The unhappy bottom line is that you can never plan for everything.

== RMS Titanic ==

The [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RMS_Titanic Titanic] is the iconic symbol of disaster. It was considered to be unsinkable despite obvious design flaws that were only admitted retrospectively. They combined with initial human error before and after the collision to create a full-fledged disaster.

New year's Day 2017 Britain's [http://www.channel4.com Channel Four] broadcast new evidence revealing the ship also had a spontaneous coal fire raging for three weeks.<ref>http://www.channel4.com/programmes/titanic-the-new-evidence</ref> <ref>http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/12/31/huge-fire-ripped-titanic-struck-iceberg-fresh-evidence-suggests/</ref> <ref>http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/rms-titanic-evidence-fire-senan-molony-belfast-new-york-southampton-sink-april-1912-a7504236.html</ref>

=== Titanic’s Sister Ship the Britannic ===

The example of Titanic’s sister ship the Britannic, is instructive. She was launched after Titanic and incorporated in her design many lessons learned from Titanic, including watertight bulkheads. In World War I, she hit a mine off the coast of Greece. She went down in five minutes – faster than the Titanic.<ref>http://www.webtitanic.net/frameBritannica.html</ref>

Britannic was being used as a hospital ship before the era of antibiotics. At dawn every day the nurses would open the portholes to air out the stench from suppurating wounds. The stevedores slept in the forepeak, while the coal bunkers were aft. To change shifts quickly, the watertight doors were opened. Open portholes, open doors. That’s when she struck the mine.

=== Italian Liner Andrea Doria ===

By the end of World War II the lessons of the Titanic had been institutionalized. Hundreds of thousands of people were crossing the oceans safely in passenger liners.

Yet on July 25, 1956 at 11:10 pm, disaster struck again. The Italian liner Andrea Doria was inbound for New York. The Swedish liner Stockholm was outbound for Sweden. Both ships were travelling at excessive speed in dense fog because fast crossings were a competitive advantage. As a precaution, the captain of the Andrea Doria ordered all watertight doors closed.

Each had the other identified on radar. They were on parallel tracks, with the Stockholm to the north, heading east. For some reason, the Stockholm planned to pass port-to-port, red light to red light. The Andrea Doria thought they would pass green-to-green. As the two ships neared, the Stockholm turned to starboard, to pass in front of the Italian liner at a safe distance of 15 miles, as indicated by three rings on the radar screen.

But the radar was set to a range of five miles, not 15. The closing distance was only three miles. The Stockholm struck the bow of the Andrea Doria, tearing a hole into her huge near-empty fuel tanks, slicing open seven levels of deck and crushing the forward watertight bulkhead.

The next day, a spellbound world watched newsreels of the Andrea Doria lying on her side, before slipping slowly beneath the North Atlantic.<ref>http://www.andreadoria.org/</ref>

Today the site is a challenge for divers.<ref>https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/speaking-of-science/wp/2016/05/19/the-mysterious-shipwreck-that-swallows-deep-sea-divers-who-try-to-find-it/</ref>
<ref>http://www.cbsnews.com/news/explorers-plan-new-mission-to-deadly-andrea-doria-shipwreck-site/</ref>

=== Fishing Vessel Gaul ===

The Gaul is another example. On December 17, 2004 the UK Commissioner for Wrecks, Mr Justice Steel, released the results of a re-investigation into the 1974 sinking of the fishing trawler Gaul. The then 18-month-old state-of-the-art watertight vessel had sunk in minutes in the Barents Sea in a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beaufort_scale Force 9] gale and seas of only 3 m.

Based on new video footage of the wreck, the Commissioner found that it sank because two duff and offal chutes were open in the stern. A following sea poured tons of water down the chutes. When the captain realised the danger, he turned to face the wind. The beam-on waves and wind, and tons of sloshing water inside the hull caused the trawler to roll and sink with the loss of all 36 hands.

=== HMCS Chicoutimi Catches Fire ===

Yet another example of cumulative errors is the tragic fire that disabled the Canadian submarine HMCS Chicoutimi off Northern Ireland on October 5, 2004. In this case, in a gale with 9-m waves, the sub was running on the surface with both conning-tower hatches open (top and bottom). This is not normal.

The hatches were open because a nut had fallen off an air vent in the tower, preventing a dive, and sailors were working to repair it. Directly below in the hull, 400-Amp electrical cables had only one layer of waterproof sealant instead of the specified three. A wave swept over the bridge and poured into the control room. There were several feet of water sloshing around. The water caused short circuits and a major electrical fire.

The electrical fire disabled the submarine completely. It had to issue a Mayday. The British navy mounted a rescue operation. Eventually the Chicoutimi was towed to Scotland for repairs. During the fire, Lieutenant Chris Saunders for some reason did not access the emergency air supply. In the dense smoke, no one noticed. He later died from smoke inhalation. Eight other sailors were injured.

=== Queen of the North Runs Aground ===

In March 2006, B.C. Ferries’ 125-m [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MV_Queen_of_the_North Queen of the North] was transiting [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wright_Sound Wright Sound] southerly on the Inside Passage on the night of March 22 when it ran aground on [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gil_Island_%28Canada%29 Gil Island] at 12:43 am, hung for an hour on Gil Rock and then quickly sank in 365 m of water. The topography is fiord-like, with rocky shores shelving rapidly to vast depths. Local villagers saved 99 out of 101 passengers.

The weather was good. The ferry had three radars, GPS, electronic charts, gyro compass, automatic pilot and three watch officers. She ran aground at a reported 19 knots, tearing her bottom out and sinking in one piece.

Coming down Grenville Channel the watch would have been looking for a flashing light to port at Sainty Point. It marks a transit to shift course to the east to line up with the distant Point Cumming light at the entrance to McKay Reach. Without this shift, a ship will remain on course for the northern shore of Gil Island.

Colin Henthorne, captain of the Queen of the North was [http://www.smithsonlaw.ca/?p=729 dismissed from employment]. Four years later in March 2010 fourth officer Karl Lilgert was charged with criminal negligence.

Colin Henthorne is the author of [http://www.harbourpublishing.com/title/QueenoftheNorthDisaster The Queen of the North Disaster], published in November 2016
<ref>http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/british-columbia/captain-of-queen-of-the-north-recounts-ferry-sinking-unanswered-questions-in-newbook/article32831371/</ref> by [http://www.harbourpublishing.com/index.php Harbour Publishing].

== Avoid Human Error ==

The Titanic sank because of hubris. The Britannic sank because of expediency. The Andrea Doria sank because the Stockholm mis-set its radar. The Gaul sank because the chute doors were not maintained and were seized open with rust. HMCS Chicoutimi almost sank because of expediency. The Queen of the North sank because of an inexplicable error in navigation.

== References ==

[[Category:OperationsAwareness]]

DisasterAvoidance

2017-01-01T12:52:02Z

WikiSysop: /* Titanic */

{{#TwitterFBLike:right|small|like}}

= Understand the Nature of Disasters =

== Do Not Sail Into Danger ==

“Although it may not be very comforting, the truth is there is no such thing as an unsinkable ship. No matter how sophisticated the safety features or how impressive the size, all ships are vulnerable given the wrong circumstances.” <ref>http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/titanic/unsinkable.html</ref>

The wrong circumstances: Recreational sailors and passage makers have a choice. They can choose routes and seasons that minimise danger.

So, the first rule is: Do not sail into danger. The second is: Have situational awareness. Be prepared for any and all eventualities. Preparedness starts with your state of mind, the design of your vessel, followed by careful maintenance, and [[:Category:Operations|well practiced procedures]].

== Understand How Disasters Happen ==

Except for [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Act_of_God acts of god] and red-light incidents, disasters are preventable. A disaster is the outcome of a series of cumulative mistakes, human error that compounds an initial mistake. Once a threshold is reached in the cascading series of small events, disaster is almost inevitable.

No matter how well you plan, there is always the possibility of someone running the red light, and broadsiding you. By definition, a red-light incident cannot be foreseen. Sometimes skill and luck will serve you well; at others nothing will forestall disaster once the red-light incident has occurred.

Worse, initial red-light incidents can appear quite innocuous, i.e., they do not look like one. It is only when you respond inappropriately to the first small triggering incident that they open like a Pandora’s Box to reveal the full scope of the disaster that awaits. Events then unfold too rapidly for human response. Mistakes multiply. A chain reaction sets in.

Chernobyl goes critical. Three Mile Island barely escapes a similar fate. The unhappy bottom line is that you can never plan for everything.

=== RMS Titanic ===

The [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RMS_Titanic Titanic] is the iconic symbol of disaster. It was considered to be unsinkable despite obvious design flaws that were only admitted retrospectively. They combined with initial human error before and after the collision to create a full-fledged disaster.

New year's Day 2017 Britain's [http://www.channel4.com Channel Four] broadcast new evidence revealing the ship also had a spontaneous coal fire raging for three weeks.<ref>http://www.channel4.com/programmes/titanic-the-new-evidence</ref> <ref>http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/12/31/huge-fire-ripped-titanic-struck-iceberg-fresh-evidence-suggests/</ref> <ref>http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/rms-titanic-evidence-fire-senan-molony-belfast-new-york-southampton-sink-april-1912-a7504236.html</ref>

=== Titanic’s Sister Ship the Britannic ===

The example of Titanic’s sister ship the Britannic, is instructive. She was launched after Titanic and incorporated in her design many lessons learned from Titanic, including watertight bulkheads. In World War I, she hit a mine off the coast of Greece. She went down in five minutes – faster than the Titanic.<ref>http://www.webtitanic.net/frameBritannica.html</ref>

Britannic was being used as a hospital ship before the era of antibiotics. At dawn every day the nurses would open the portholes to air out the stench from suppurating wounds. The stevedores slept in the forepeak, while the coal bunkers were aft. To change shifts quickly, the watertight doors were opened. Open portholes, open doors. That’s when she struck the mine.

=== Italian Liner Andrea Doria ===

By the end of World War II the lessons of the Titanic had been institutionalized. Hundreds of thousands of people were crossing the oceans safely in passenger liners.

Yet on July 25, 1956 at 11:10 pm, disaster struck again. The Italian liner Andrea Doria was inbound for New York. The Swedish liner Stockholm was outbound for Sweden. Both ships were travelling at excessive speed in dense fog because fast crossings were a competitive advantage. As a precaution, the captain of the Andrea Doria ordered all watertight doors closed.

Each had the other identified on radar. They were on parallel tracks, with the Stockholm to the north, heading east. For some reason, the Stockholm planned to pass port-to-port, red light to red light. The Andrea Doria thought they would pass green-to-green. As the two ships neared, the Stockholm turned to starboard, to pass in front of the Italian liner at a safe distance of 15 miles, as indicated by three rings on the radar screen.

But the radar was set to a range of five miles, not 15. The closing distance was only three miles. The Stockholm struck the bow of the Andrea Doria, tearing a hole into her huge near-empty fuel tanks, slicing open seven levels of deck and crushing the forward watertight bulkhead.

The next day, a spellbound world watched newsreels of the Andrea Doria lying on her side, before slipping slowly beneath the North Atlantic.<ref>http://www.andreadoria.org/</ref>

Today the site is a challenge for divers.<ref>https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/speaking-of-science/wp/2016/05/19/the-mysterious-shipwreck-that-swallows-deep-sea-divers-who-try-to-find-it/</ref>
<ref>http://www.cbsnews.com/news/explorers-plan-new-mission-to-deadly-andrea-doria-shipwreck-site/</ref>

=== Fishing Vessel Gaul ===

The Gaul is another example. On December 17, 2004 the UK Commissioner for Wrecks, Mr Justice Steel, released the results of a re-investigation into the 1974 sinking of the fishing trawler Gaul. The then 18-month-old state-of-the-art watertight vessel had sunk in minutes in the Barents Sea in a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beaufort_scale Force 9] gale and seas of only 3 m.

Based on new video footage of the wreck, the Commissioner found that it sank because two duff and offal chutes were open in the stern. A following sea poured tons of water down the chutes. When the captain realised the danger, he turned to face the wind. The beam-on waves and wind, and tons of sloshing water inside the hull caused the trawler to roll and sink with the loss of all 36 hands.

=== HMCS Chicoutimi Catches Fire ===

Yet another example of cumulative errors is the tragic fire that disabled the Canadian submarine HMCS Chicoutimi off Northern Ireland on October 5, 2004. In this case, in a gale with 9-m waves, the sub was running on the surface with both conning-tower hatches open (top and bottom). This is not normal.

The hatches were open because a nut had fallen off an air vent in the tower, preventing a dive, and sailors were working to repair it. Directly below in the hull, 400-Amp electrical cables had only one layer of waterproof sealant instead of the specified three. A wave swept over the bridge and poured into the control room. There were several feet of water sloshing around. The water caused short circuits and a major electrical fire.

The electrical fire disabled the submarine completely. It had to issue a Mayday. The British navy mounted a rescue operation. Eventually the Chicoutimi was towed to Scotland for repairs. During the fire, Lieutenant Chris Saunders for some reason did not access the emergency air supply. In the dense smoke, no one noticed. He later died from smoke inhalation. Eight other sailors were injured.

=== Queen of the North Runs Aground ===

In March 2006, B.C. Ferries’ 125-m [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MV_Queen_of_the_North Queen of the North] was transiting [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wright_Sound Wright Sound] southerly on the Inside Passage on the night of March 22 when it ran aground on [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gil_Island_%28Canada%29 Gil Island] at 12:43 am, hung for an hour on Gil Rock and then quickly sank in 365 m of water. The topography is fiord-like, with rocky shores shelving rapidly to vast depths. Local villagers saved 99 out of 101 passengers.

The weather was good. The ferry had three radars, GPS, electronic charts, gyro compass, automatic pilot and three watch officers. She ran aground at a reported 19 knots, tearing her bottom out and sinking in one piece.

Coming down Grenville Channel the watch would have been looking for a flashing light to port at Sainty Point. It marks a transit to shift course to the east to line up with the distant Point Cumming light at the entrance to McKay Reach. Without this shift, a ship will remain on course for the northern shore of Gil Island.

Colin Henthorne, captain of the Queen of the North was [http://www.smithsonlaw.ca/?p=729 dismissed from employment]. Four years later in March 2010 fourth officer Karl Lilgert was charged with criminal negligence.

Colin Henthorne is the author of [http://www.harbourpublishing.com/title/QueenoftheNorthDisaster The Queen of the North Disaster], published in November 2016
<ref>http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/british-columbia/captain-of-queen-of-the-north-recounts-ferry-sinking-unanswered-questions-in-newbook/article32831371/</ref> by [http://www.harbourpublishing.com/index.php Harbour Publishing].

== Avoid Human Error ==

The Titanic sank because of hubris. The Britannic sank because of expediency. The Andrea Doria sank because the Stockholm mis-set its radar. The Gaul sank because the chute doors were not maintained and were seized open with rust. HMCS Chicoutimi almost sank because of expediency. The Queen of the North sank because of an inexplicable error in navigation.

== References ==

[[Category:OperationsAwareness]]

DisasterAvoidance

2017-01-01T12:44:52Z

WikiSysop: /* Understand How Disasters Happen */

{{#TwitterFBLike:right|small|like}}

= Understand the Nature of Disasters =

== Do Not Sail Into Danger ==

“Although it may not be very comforting, the truth is there is no such thing as an unsinkable ship. No matter how sophisticated the safety features or how impressive the size, all ships are vulnerable given the wrong circumstances.” <ref>http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/titanic/unsinkable.html</ref>

The wrong circumstances: Recreational sailors and passage makers have a choice. They can choose routes and seasons that minimise danger.

So, the first rule is: Do not sail into danger. The second is: Have situational awareness. Be prepared for any and all eventualities. Preparedness starts with your state of mind, the design of your vessel, followed by careful maintenance, and [[:Category:Operations|well practiced procedures]].

== Understand How Disasters Happen ==

Except for [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Act_of_God acts of god] and red-light incidents, disasters are preventable. A disaster is the outcome of a series of cumulative mistakes, human error that compounds an initial mistake. Once a threshold is reached in the cascading series of small events, disaster is almost inevitable.

No matter how well you plan, there is always the possibility of someone running the red light, and broadsiding you. By definition, a red-light incident cannot be foreseen. Sometimes skill and luck will serve you well; at others nothing will forestall disaster once the red-light incident has occurred.

Worse, initial red-light incidents can appear quite innocuous, i.e., they do not look like one. It is only when you respond inappropriately to the first small triggering incident that they open like a Pandora’s Box to reveal the full scope of the disaster that awaits. Events then unfold too rapidly for human response. Mistakes multiply. A chain reaction sets in.

Chernobyl goes critical. Three Mile Island barely escapes a similar fate. The unhappy bottom line is that you can never plan for everything.

=== Titanic ===

The [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RMS_Titanic Titanic] is the iconic symbol of disaster. It was considered to be unsinkable despite obvious design flaws that were only admitted retrospectively. They combined with initial human error before and after the collision to create a full-fledged disaster.

New year's Day 2017 Britain's [http://www.channel4.com Channel Four] broadcast new evidence revealing the ship also had a spontaneous coal fire raging for three weeks.<ref>http://www.channel4.com/programmes/titanic-the-new-evidence</ref> <ref>http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/12/31/huge-fire-ripped-titanic-struck-iceberg-fresh-evidence-suggests/</ref>

=== Titanic’s Sister Ship the Britannic ===

The example of Titanic’s sister ship the Britannic, is instructive. She was launched after Titanic and incorporated in her design many lessons learned from Titanic, including watertight bulkheads. In World War I, she hit a mine off the coast of Greece. She went down in five minutes – faster than the Titanic.<ref>http://www.webtitanic.net/frameBritannica.html</ref>

Britannic was being used as a hospital ship before the era of antibiotics. At dawn every day the nurses would open the portholes to air out the stench from suppurating wounds. The stevedores slept in the forepeak, while the coal bunkers were aft. To change shifts quickly, the watertight doors were opened. Open portholes, open doors. That’s when she struck the mine.

=== Italian Liner Andrea Doria ===

By the end of World War II the lessons of the Titanic had been institutionalized. Hundreds of thousands of people were crossing the oceans safely in passenger liners.

Yet on July 25, 1956 at 11:10 pm, disaster struck again. The Italian liner Andrea Doria was inbound for New York. The Swedish liner Stockholm was outbound for Sweden. Both ships were travelling at excessive speed in dense fog because fast crossings were a competitive advantage. As a precaution, the captain of the Andrea Doria ordered all watertight doors closed.

Each had the other identified on radar. They were on parallel tracks, with the Stockholm to the north, heading east. For some reason, the Stockholm planned to pass port-to-port, red light to red light. The Andrea Doria thought they would pass green-to-green. As the two ships neared, the Stockholm turned to starboard, to pass in front of the Italian liner at a safe distance of 15 miles, as indicated by three rings on the radar screen.

But the radar was set to a range of five miles, not 15. The closing distance was only three miles. The Stockholm struck the bow of the Andrea Doria, tearing a hole into her huge near-empty fuel tanks, slicing open seven levels of deck and crushing the forward watertight bulkhead.

The next day, a spellbound world watched newsreels of the Andrea Doria lying on her side, before slipping slowly beneath the North Atlantic.<ref>http://www.andreadoria.org/</ref>

Today the site is a challenge for divers.<ref>https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/speaking-of-science/wp/2016/05/19/the-mysterious-shipwreck-that-swallows-deep-sea-divers-who-try-to-find-it/</ref>
<ref>http://www.cbsnews.com/news/explorers-plan-new-mission-to-deadly-andrea-doria-shipwreck-site/</ref>

=== Fishing Vessel Gaul ===

The Gaul is another example. On December 17, 2004 the UK Commissioner for Wrecks, Mr Justice Steel, released the results of a re-investigation into the 1974 sinking of the fishing trawler Gaul. The then 18-month-old state-of-the-art watertight vessel had sunk in minutes in the Barents Sea in a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beaufort_scale Force 9] gale and seas of only 3 m.

Based on new video footage of the wreck, the Commissioner found that it sank because two duff and offal chutes were open in the stern. A following sea poured tons of water down the chutes. When the captain realised the danger, he turned to face the wind. The beam-on waves and wind, and tons of sloshing water inside the hull caused the trawler to roll and sink with the loss of all 36 hands.

=== HMCS Chicoutimi Catches Fire ===

Yet another example of cumulative errors is the tragic fire that disabled the Canadian submarine HMCS Chicoutimi off Northern Ireland on October 5, 2004. In this case, in a gale with 9-m waves, the sub was running on the surface with both conning-tower hatches open (top and bottom). This is not normal.

The hatches were open because a nut had fallen off an air vent in the tower, preventing a dive, and sailors were working to repair it. Directly below in the hull, 400-Amp electrical cables had only one layer of waterproof sealant instead of the specified three. A wave swept over the bridge and poured into the control room. There were several feet of water sloshing around. The water caused short circuits and a major electrical fire.

The electrical fire disabled the submarine completely. It had to issue a Mayday. The British navy mounted a rescue operation. Eventually the Chicoutimi was towed to Scotland for repairs. During the fire, Lieutenant Chris Saunders for some reason did not access the emergency air supply. In the dense smoke, no one noticed. He later died from smoke inhalation. Eight other sailors were injured.

=== Queen of the North Runs Aground ===

In March 2006, B.C. Ferries’ 125-m [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MV_Queen_of_the_North Queen of the North] was transiting [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wright_Sound Wright Sound] southerly on the Inside Passage on the night of March 22 when it ran aground on [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gil_Island_%28Canada%29 Gil Island] at 12:43 am, hung for an hour on Gil Rock and then quickly sank in 365 m of water. The topography is fiord-like, with rocky shores shelving rapidly to vast depths. Local villagers saved 99 out of 101 passengers.

The weather was good. The ferry had three radars, GPS, electronic charts, gyro compass, automatic pilot and three watch officers. She ran aground at a reported 19 knots, tearing her bottom out and sinking in one piece.

Coming down Grenville Channel the watch would have been looking for a flashing light to port at Sainty Point. It marks a transit to shift course to the east to line up with the distant Point Cumming light at the entrance to McKay Reach. Without this shift, a ship will remain on course for the northern shore of Gil Island.

Colin Henthorne, captain of the Queen of the North was [http://www.smithsonlaw.ca/?p=729 dismissed from employment]. Four years later in March 2010 fourth officer Karl Lilgert was charged with criminal negligence.

Colin Henthorne is the author of [http://www.harbourpublishing.com/title/QueenoftheNorthDisaster The Queen of the North Disaster], published in November 2016
<ref>http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/british-columbia/captain-of-queen-of-the-north-recounts-ferry-sinking-unanswered-questions-in-newbook/article32831371/</ref> by [http://www.harbourpublishing.com/index.php Harbour Publishing].

== Avoid Human Error ==

The Titanic sank because of hubris. The Britannic sank because of expediency. The Andrea Doria sank because the Stockholm mis-set its radar. The Gaul sank because the chute doors were not maintained and were seized open with rust. HMCS Chicoutimi almost sank because of expediency. The Queen of the North sank because of an inexplicable error in navigation.

== References ==

[[Category:OperationsAwareness]]

DisasterAvoidance

2017-01-01T12:44:02Z

WikiSysop: /* Understand How Disasters Happen */

{{#TwitterFBLike:right|small|like}}

= Understand the Nature of Disasters =

== Do Not Sail Into Danger ==

“Although it may not be very comforting, the truth is there is no such thing as an unsinkable ship. No matter how sophisticated the safety features or how impressive the size, all ships are vulnerable given the wrong circumstances.” <ref>http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/titanic/unsinkable.html</ref>

The wrong circumstances: Recreational sailors and passage makers have a choice. They can choose routes and seasons that minimise danger.

So, the first rule is: Do not sail into danger. The second is: Have situational awareness. Be prepared for any and all eventualities. Preparedness starts with your state of mind, the design of your vessel, followed by careful maintenance, and [[:Category:Operations|well practiced procedures]].

== Understand How Disasters Happen ==

Except for [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Act_of_God acts of god] and red-light incidents, disasters are preventable. A disaster is the outcome of a series of cumulative mistakes, human error that compounds an initial mistake. Once a threshold is reached in the cascading series of small events, disaster is almost inevitable.

No matter how well you plan, there is always the possibility of someone running the red light, and broadsiding you. By definition, a red-light incident cannot be foreseen. Sometimes skill and luck will serve you well; at others nothing will forestall disaster once the red-light incident has occurred.

Worse, initial red-light incidents can appear quite innocuous, i.e., they do not look like one. It is only when you respond inappropriately to the first small triggering incident that they open like a Pandora’s Box to reveal the full scope of the disaster that awaits. Events then unfold too rapidly for human response. Mistakes multiply. A chain reaction sets in.

Chernobyl goes critical. Three Mile Island barely escapes a similar fate. The unhappy bottom line is that you can never plan for everything.

The [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RMS_Titanic Titanic] is the iconic symbol of disaster. It was considered to be unsinkable despite obvious design flaws that were only admitted retrospectively. They combined with initial human error before and after the collision to create a full-fledged disaster.

=== Titanic ===

New year's Day 2017 Britain's [http://www.channel4.com Channel Four] broadcast new evidence revealing the ship also had a spontaneous coal fire raging for three weeks.<ref>http://www.channel4.com/programmes/titanic-the-new-evidence</ref> <ref>http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/12/31/huge-fire-ripped-titanic-struck-iceberg-fresh-evidence-suggests/</ref>

=== Titanic’s Sister Ship the Britannic ===

The example of Titanic’s sister ship the Britannic, is instructive. She was launched after Titanic and incorporated in her design many lessons learned from Titanic, including watertight bulkheads. In World War I, she hit a mine off the coast of Greece. She went down in five minutes – faster than the Titanic.<ref>http://www.webtitanic.net/frameBritannica.html</ref>

Britannic was being used as a hospital ship before the era of antibiotics. At dawn every day the nurses would open the portholes to air out the stench from suppurating wounds. The stevedores slept in the forepeak, while the coal bunkers were aft. To change shifts quickly, the watertight doors were opened. Open portholes, open doors. That’s when she struck the mine.

=== Italian Liner Andrea Doria ===

By the end of World War II the lessons of the Titanic had been institutionalized. Hundreds of thousands of people were crossing the oceans safely in passenger liners.

Yet on July 25, 1956 at 11:10 pm, disaster struck again. The Italian liner Andrea Doria was inbound for New York. The Swedish liner Stockholm was outbound for Sweden. Both ships were travelling at excessive speed in dense fog because fast crossings were a competitive advantage. As a precaution, the captain of the Andrea Doria ordered all watertight doors closed.

Each had the other identified on radar. They were on parallel tracks, with the Stockholm to the north, heading east. For some reason, the Stockholm planned to pass port-to-port, red light to red light. The Andrea Doria thought they would pass green-to-green. As the two ships neared, the Stockholm turned to starboard, to pass in front of the Italian liner at a safe distance of 15 miles, as indicated by three rings on the radar screen.

But the radar was set to a range of five miles, not 15. The closing distance was only three miles. The Stockholm struck the bow of the Andrea Doria, tearing a hole into her huge near-empty fuel tanks, slicing open seven levels of deck and crushing the forward watertight bulkhead.

The next day, a spellbound world watched newsreels of the Andrea Doria lying on her side, before slipping slowly beneath the North Atlantic.<ref>http://www.andreadoria.org/</ref>

Today the site is a challenge for divers.<ref>https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/speaking-of-science/wp/2016/05/19/the-mysterious-shipwreck-that-swallows-deep-sea-divers-who-try-to-find-it/</ref>
<ref>http://www.cbsnews.com/news/explorers-plan-new-mission-to-deadly-andrea-doria-shipwreck-site/</ref>

=== Fishing Vessel Gaul ===

The Gaul is another example. On December 17, 2004 the UK Commissioner for Wrecks, Mr Justice Steel, released the results of a re-investigation into the 1974 sinking of the fishing trawler Gaul. The then 18-month-old state-of-the-art watertight vessel had sunk in minutes in the Barents Sea in a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beaufort_scale Force 9] gale and seas of only 3 m.

Based on new video footage of the wreck, the Commissioner found that it sank because two duff and offal chutes were open in the stern. A following sea poured tons of water down the chutes. When the captain realised the danger, he turned to face the wind. The beam-on waves and wind, and tons of sloshing water inside the hull caused the trawler to roll and sink with the loss of all 36 hands.

=== HMCS Chicoutimi Catches Fire ===

Yet another example of cumulative errors is the tragic fire that disabled the Canadian submarine HMCS Chicoutimi off Northern Ireland on October 5, 2004. In this case, in a gale with 9-m waves, the sub was running on the surface with both conning-tower hatches open (top and bottom). This is not normal.

The hatches were open because a nut had fallen off an air vent in the tower, preventing a dive, and sailors were working to repair it. Directly below in the hull, 400-Amp electrical cables had only one layer of waterproof sealant instead of the specified three. A wave swept over the bridge and poured into the control room. There were several feet of water sloshing around. The water caused short circuits and a major electrical fire.

The electrical fire disabled the submarine completely. It had to issue a Mayday. The British navy mounted a rescue operation. Eventually the Chicoutimi was towed to Scotland for repairs. During the fire, Lieutenant Chris Saunders for some reason did not access the emergency air supply. In the dense smoke, no one noticed. He later died from smoke inhalation. Eight other sailors were injured.

=== Queen of the North Runs Aground ===

In March 2006, B.C. Ferries’ 125-m [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MV_Queen_of_the_North Queen of the North] was transiting [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wright_Sound Wright Sound] southerly on the Inside Passage on the night of March 22 when it ran aground on [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gil_Island_%28Canada%29 Gil Island] at 12:43 am, hung for an hour on Gil Rock and then quickly sank in 365 m of water. The topography is fiord-like, with rocky shores shelving rapidly to vast depths. Local villagers saved 99 out of 101 passengers.

The weather was good. The ferry had three radars, GPS, electronic charts, gyro compass, automatic pilot and three watch officers. She ran aground at a reported 19 knots, tearing her bottom out and sinking in one piece.

Coming down Grenville Channel the watch would have been looking for a flashing light to port at Sainty Point. It marks a transit to shift course to the east to line up with the distant Point Cumming light at the entrance to McKay Reach. Without this shift, a ship will remain on course for the northern shore of Gil Island.

Colin Henthorne, captain of the Queen of the North was [http://www.smithsonlaw.ca/?p=729 dismissed from employment]. Four years later in March 2010 fourth officer Karl Lilgert was charged with criminal negligence.

Colin Henthorne is the author of [http://www.harbourpublishing.com/title/QueenoftheNorthDisaster The Queen of the North Disaster], published in November 2016
<ref>http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/british-columbia/captain-of-queen-of-the-north-recounts-ferry-sinking-unanswered-questions-in-newbook/article32831371/</ref> by [http://www.harbourpublishing.com/index.php Harbour Publishing].

== Avoid Human Error ==

The Titanic sank because of hubris. The Britannic sank because of expediency. The Andrea Doria sank because the Stockholm mis-set its radar. The Gaul sank because the chute doors were not maintained and were seized open with rust. HMCS Chicoutimi almost sank because of expediency. The Queen of the North sank because of an inexplicable error in navigation.

== References ==

[[Category:OperationsAwareness]]

MediaWiki:Sitenotice

2017-01-01T12:42:26Z

WikiSysop:

2016-12-05T19:49:58Z

WikiSysop: /* Basic Emergency Kit */

{{#TwitterFBLike:right|small|like}}

== Summary ==

In preparation for a major storm you should have an emergency kit to provision your family for at least 72 hours. A basic kit includes food stuffs and water and a few other essential survival items. Be prepared to eat lightly and possibly lose a bit of weight.

== Prepare a Home Emergency Kit ==

Prepare an [http://www.sf72.org/home emergency 72-hour kit] and leave it by the door in case you need to “grab it and go”. Use a backpack to carry and distribute the weight.

* [https://www.sja.ca/English/Safety-Tips-and-Resources/Pages/Emergency%20Preparedness/Types%20of%20Emergency%20Kits/72Hr-Kit-for-Home.aspx 72-Hour Emergency Preparedness Kit Checklist], St. John Ambulance
* [http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/prepare/ready.php Hurricane Preparedness - Be Ready], National Hurricane Center
* [http://www.bom.gov.au/cyclone/about/tc-checklist.shtml Surviving Cyclones: Preparation and Safety Procedures], Australian Government, Bureau of Meteorology
* [http://www.harleselectrical.com.au/documents/cyclone%20checklist.pdf Are you Cyclone Ready?], Harle's Electrical
* [http://www.boatsafe.com/nauticalknowhow/61798tip.htm Hurricane Preparation Checklist], BoatSafe.com

=== Basic Emergency Kit ===

An essential emergency kit should include:

* water
* canned goods
* can opener (2)
* First Aid kit (stocked for the most common injuries: sprains, fractures, cuts, headaches, and allergic reactions)
* batteries
* flashlight
* whistle to signal for help
* medication
* personal documentation
* [http://lifehacker.com/how-to-choose-a-reliable-emergency-radio-and-some-good-1640325400 battery-operated radio]
* [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_blanket blankets] (waterproof, emergency, space, thermal)
* personal sanitation (toilet paper, moist towelettes, garbage bags and plastic ties)
* cash in small bills and coins
* spare house and car keys
* cell phone with chargers, inverter or solar charger
* lightweight plastic rain gear

Replace food and water once a year. And take two can openers — it's a single point of failure if you have only one and lose it.

==== Water ====

You need at least 1 gallon (3.5 litres) of water per person per day for 3 days. A normally active person needs to drink at least one half gallon of water each day (~2 litres). You will also need water to clean yourself and to cook. (This means a family of four needs 12 gallons of water in their emergency supply.) — <i>Center for Disease Control</i><ref>https://emergency.cdc.gov/preparedness/kit/water/</ref>

Water is heavy, a gallon weighs 8.4 pounds. One litre weighs one kilogram. Put the water in several containers or plastic bottles to distribute the weight and make it easier to carry; and also to reduce the risk of losing it all if a container leaks.

==== Additional Items ====

Some additional items to consider:

* cooking gear (matches, fuel lamp, portable stove)
* eating utensils ([https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mess_kit mess kit])
* local maps
* shelter (ponchos, tarps, tent)

=== Basic Foodstuffs ===

Some basic survival foods available at the local supermarket or bulk food store are:

* Nuts (peanuts)
* Trail mix
* Peanut butter
* Canned fish (tuna, salmon)
* Chocolate (Baker's semi-sweet squares)
* Wholewheat crackers
* Dried fruit (raisins)
* Cheese brick

Depending on the availability of water and cooking facilities you could also consider:

* Brown rice
* Dried beans (kidney beans, black beans, garbanzo beans, lima beans, pinto beans)
* Tea, instant coffee
* Powdered milk
* Powdered eggs

You can spoon the milk powder into a water bottle and shake it up.

==== Plan Consumption ====

Some selected caloric examples to help you plan consumption:

<table width="50%" border="1">
<tr><th>Food Item</th><th>Serving</th><th>Calories</th></tr>
<tr><td>Peanuts</td><td>36.5 g/0.25 cup</td><td align="right">207</td></tr>
<tr><td>Peanut butter</td><td>32.0 g/2 tbsp</td><td align="right">188</td></tr>
<tr><td>Baker's Semi-Sweet Chocolate</td><td>14.0 g/1 piece</td><td align="right">40</td></tr>
<tr><td>Raisins</td><td>100.0 g</td><td align="right">299</td></tr>
<tr><td>Tuna</td><td>100.0 g</td><td align="right">184</td></tr>
<tr><td>Brown rice</td><td>100.0 g</td><td align="right">111</td></tr>
<tr><td>Kidney beans</td><td>100.0 g</td><td align="right">333</td></tr>
<tr><td>Cheddar cheese</td><td>100.0 g</td><td align="right">402</td></tr>
<tr><td>Powdered milk</td><td>100.0 g</td><td align="right">496</td></tr>
</table>

Generally powdered milk is prepared with a ratio of 3 units of water to 1 of powder measured as volume or 10:1 by weight, but first check the instructions on the package. For example:

* 1/3 cup powder x 1 cup water
* 100 g powder x 1 kg water (1 litre) (496 calories)

See [[:CyclonePreparationChecklist]]

See [[:EmergencyKit(Boat)]]

[[Category:OperationsChecklists]]

== References ==