[Assam] A wave of the future?

[Ram Sarangapani]

Mukul da,

True, but did get to catch up on Kon Tiki a few years later.
I think Thor Heyerdahl  passed away a few years ago.

--Ram

On Wed, Mar 12, 2008 at 11:54 AM, mc mahant <mikemahant at hotmail.com> wrote:

> Ram,
> You missed reading the "KonTiki Expedition" as a teenager?
> mm
>
>
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> > Date: Wed, 12 Mar 2008 11:18:03 -0500
> > From: assamrs at gmail.com
> > To: assam at assamnet.org
> > Subject: [Assam] A wave of the future?
>
> >
> > This is just fantastic. Is this feasible thoug?
> >
> >
> >
> > * (From the New York Times)*
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > *March 11, 2008 **Long Ocean Voyage Set for Vessel That Runs on Wave
> Power *
> >
> > *By JOHN GEOGHEGAN*
> >
> > On Sunday, a boat will sail from Honolulu on a planned voyage of 3,780
> > nautical miles, powered just by the wave action of the sea.
> >
> > The craft, the Suntory Mermaid II, is promoted as the first oceangoing,
> > wave-powered boat. If it completes its maiden voyage from the Hawaii
> Yacht
> > Club to the Kii Channel off the east coast of Japan, it will show that
> an
> > environmentally friendly wave-powered boat not only works in the
> laboratory,
> > but can also navigate in real-world conditions.
> >
> > And the journey would set a record for the longest trip by a
> wave-powered
> > vessel.
> >
> > Dr. Yutaka Terao of the department of naval architecture and ocean
> > engineering at the Tokai University School of Marine Science and
> Technology
> > is responsible for engineering the propulsion system for the Mermaid.
> >
> > "Fossil fuel will run out one day," Dr. Terao said. "So I have studied
> wave
> > propulsion as a promising way to save energy."
> >
> > He has been doing so for more than 20 years.
> >
> > The Mermaid propulsion mechanism is mounted under the bow and not the
> stern,
> > and it is designed to pull the boat, rather than push it forward,
> regardless
> > of weather, wave height or direction.
> >
> > The mechanism consists of two side-by-side horizontal fins that move up
> and
> > down with the motion of the waves to create a dolphinlike tail kick that
> > propels the boat.
> >
> > "A wave-powered boat can transform wave energy into a propulsive power
> that
> > moves the craft forward," Dr. Terao said.
> >
> > He conducted his first large-scale test of a "wave devouring boat" in
> > partnership with Dr. Hiroshi Isshiki of the Hitachi Zosen Corporation in
> > 1988.
> >
> > The test was on Suruga Bay, near Mount Fuji, and used a single 12 1/2
> -foot
> > fin mounted on the bow of the Tokai University teaching vessel. The test
> was
> > considered a success when three-foot waves propelled the 20-ton boat at
> 2
> > knots.
> >
> > The test did not bring interest from shipbuilders. To improve
> efficiency,
> > Dr. Terao arrived at the two-fin configuration.
> >
> > According to an English patent application, wave-powered boats have been
> in
> > development since at least 1895. In 1935, Popular Science reported that
> an
> > 18-inch model of a wave-powered boat traveled five miles per hour in a
> test
> > off Long Beach, Calif.
> >
> > Until now, tests of wave-powered boats have been small scale or in
> simulated
> > conditions. This is the first time a three-ton wave-powered boat has
> been
> > tested over thousands of miles.
> >
> > "I am not aware of any attempts by a wave-powered boat over such a
> > distance," said R. W. Yeung, a professor of naval architecture and ocean
> > engineering at the University of California, Berkeley. "They could be
> > successful, but it's a risky undertaking. It depends a lot on weather
> > conditions."
> >
> > The Guinness Book of World Records lists the captain of the Mermaid,
> > Ken-ichi Horie, 69, as holding two records for piloting environmentally
> > sensitive boats. In 1993, Captain Horie set a 4,660-nautical-mile record
> in
> > a human-powered pedal boat. The record, in 1996, was for the fastest
> Pacific
> > crossing in a solar-powered boat, 148 days.
> >
> > Captain Horie has run successful sea trials of the Mermaid. Progress of
> the
> > coming voyage can be tracked at
> > www.suntory-mermaid2.com.<http://www.suntory-mermaid2.com/>
> >
> > Mr. Horie will have access to a sail and a motor if the wave-powered
> > mechanism fails. In case of an emergency, the motor can also be used to
> > recharge the batteries on the boat.
> >
> > The Mermaid may set a distance record, but it will not break any speed
> > records. Traveling at an average three knots per hour, the trip from
> Hawaii
> > to Japan should take two and a half months, meaning the Mermaid is not
> > expected to arrive at its destination before the end of May.
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>
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