What ? I take offense, Jake, I`ve been asleep most of today already.
I suppose you`re right, if there was something that worked reliably, they would be using it.

"B) There's some theory that sonar signals are unhealthy to some organizms in the sea."
More unhealthy than a daggerboard in the back of the head at 30 knots ? .
Everything man does has an impact on the environment, and we only ever learn from hindsight, which is a wonderful way of saying "oops, sorry", but going ahead and doing it anyway.
Think of all those poor plankton that got shoved out of the way by these mega-cats. WHo knows if they survived the impact.

But don't submarines use sonar?
And isn't ultrasonography what they use to look at babies in the womb?
If it is not harmful to fetuses, why would it be harmful to animals in the sea?

This is just stuff to fill the intermission while we are waiting for the next report on Orange; right? Have to justify this tangent off the topic.

Just to inform that according to Orange's site, the second whale in the S.Atlantic was actually a misunderstanding over the radio when the crew referred to the colision.

There are indeed many whales in the Brazilian coast and, yes, they go there to mate. They are protected by law, have some specific mating santuaries (Abrolhos national park, Ilha Grande national park, for example) and as far as I know there are no whalers at all in the country, so they are increasing in numbers. I followed a family of orcas migrating north a couple of miles off Ipanema, five or six years ago.

In the distant past, whales were so frequent that they were harpooned from the coast, without boats at all. This is the reason why the rock/beach north of famous Ipanema beach is called "Arpoador" beach, meaning "Harpooner".

Another good new is that Orange fixed the rudder and is in good shape to shatter the record. 10 days less is quite a feat!

Luiz

Low-frequency sonar raises whale advocates' hackles
http://www.cnn.com/NATURE/9906/30/sea.noise.part1/


Protecting Whales from Dangerous Sonar
http://www.nrdc.org/wildlife/marine/nlfa.asp


Military Sonar May Give Whales the Bends, Study Says
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2003/10/1008_031008_whalebends.html


U.S. Navy Asks to be Exempted from Federal Law Forbidding Harassment or Killing of Whales
http://www.mindfully.org/Heritage/Navy-Killing-Whales.htm

Tangent ? What topic ?
Since you raised the subject of submarines, have you heard the news that the SA Navy has bought a couple of submarines from Germany ? Word is they are going to send them by ship, since THERE ARE NOT ENOUGH QUALIFIED SUBMARINE CREW in South Africa to bring them home under their own power .
Now, one of the Mozzie sailors happens to be a submarine crewmember in the Navy, and has spent most of the last year in Germany, supposedly learning to drive the thing. I just had a thought - MAYBE THEY ONLY SENT HIM !!! .
So, spare a thought for us when we do the Cape Point Challenge next month, and have to negotiate Simonstown, home of the Naval base where the submarines will be kept. I can just imagine sailing on waters where there are three brand-new submarines piloted by folks who only have a learners-license .
Sorry for the deviation, but this is just too funny to keep to myself.

You'll recall that recently a U.S. sub had a high-speed collision with an uncharted underwater formation, most likely what they refer to as a "seamount". This resulted in the death of one crew and injuries to more. The sub was damaged extensively. These guys rely more on highly accurate charts and experience then any kind of forward looking sonar. For one, you want to stay undetected, and transmitting a signal like that gives you away. Apparently there are other technical reasons why it's tough to do as well.

It's pretty reasonable to say that the SA guys don't have personnel qualified to navigate a sub through unfamiliar waters.

For a high-speed boat you need to look forward far enough distance to be able to react properly to avoid a hit - you not only need to know that something is there you need to know if it is moving and in what direction. Maybe unmanned flying drones flying ahead of the boat transmitting info back...

Many ocean critters rely on their own sonar to navigate, when we blast 'em with ours it can cause confusion on their part or even injury. Maybe we need to figure out the whale song for "look out, we're coming through!" and broadcast that ahead of fast moving objects...

It's pretty impressive that Orange has taken these hits and has not been disabled!

Strange that this was being discussed here on the forum as a possibility -- I just heard on the news that the mass dolphin beaching in the Keys might be a result of sonar. A Navy submarine was using sonar during training exercises 25 miles south of Key West shortly before the dolphins started coming ashore. Apparently, the sonar waves carry for many miles in the water. They say the dolphins may have been frightened or disoriented by the sound.

Now I am a believer. And 20 of the dolphins have now died.

The local news here say the Navy is investigating the beaching. They stated the Navy recognizes that there sonar can have an effect on sonar using mammals.

You guys make it sound as if Orange II is ripping along in stealth mode at 30+ kts. I would venture a guess that a boat of this size going that speed would be making a tremendous racket!

Yes, the hulls are smooth, but all of the noise from the rig, winches, lines, generator, wave action, wake noise, etc. are carried through the bulkheads to the water.

I would presume that most marine mammals aren't having trouble detecting this noisemaker, but rather may be misjudging its course and speed.

A whale popping up after a 150 meter dive for air might just misjudge that their path was clear...

I did have a question regarding that damage. Is there any provision on this boat to pull the daggarboard out and either repair it on deck, or switch it with the starboard daggaboard when they predict they will be on starboard tack for a prolonged period?

I see they already effected a repair on the daggarboard, but I figured they could have switched daggarboards prior to this repair to further ensure they wouldn't snap it off while they waited for calm conditions.

Or maybe they judged it perfectly, if indeed it is mating season.

Orange II
Event Media. Image:© Gilles Martin-Raget, 15 March 2005

At an average of 26.6 knots, the maxi catamaran Orange II is continuing her march forward towards the finish - forecast in a little less than 24 hours time. The southerly wind, which is bringing a welcome mildness across France, is pushing Bruno PEYRON (FRA) and his 13 crew along at a cracking pace. The sailing conditions are ideal and, on this home straight negotiated under two reef mainsail, trinquette and small gennaker, Orange II is gliding along safely.

The scenario described by the skipper over recent days is panning out with perfect timing. At the latter part of the morning, the world’s fastest ocean-going multihull will enter into the Bay of Biscay, with a passage of the finish line off Ouessant during the second part of Tuesday night. It will come and moor in Brest’s commercial port tomorrow morning, Wednesday, having improved on the record by over a week, in a race time of around 50 days and 15 hours.

http://www.sailing.org/default.asp?ID=j12Fhyj72&format=popup


PEYRON at the 0400 GMT radio session: 'You have to savour the last few miles, the last few hours. The daily life on land will soon catch up with us and there’s nothing we can do about it. As a result it would be almost criminal not to make the most of these magic moments that we’re experiencing today. They are all too rare to have the right to miss them. When I go up on deck it’s pure pleasure. Everyone is content, happy. It’s so good to see the look in the eyes of all the crew. There is no need for a long speech to understand what is happening between us. In principal, we are 24 hours from the finish. There is a regular 30 knot airflow and the sailing is good. We are gliding along in complete safety. We couldn’t have dreamt of a sweeter note to end on.'

http://www.maxicatamaran-orange.com/