|
It was a busy day yesterday. While the crew were settling down to the new
routine of standing watch and turning-to for ship maintenance, I was
communicating madly with the office in regards to diverting to Canada to wait
out the coming low, which heralds the arrival of gale force northeasterly winds
along the Canadian East Coast. I was also troubleshooting the malfunctioning
Sat-C satellite communication device that we have aboard and corresponding with
the service provider as to the problem. By day's end, the Canadian authorities
had been informed of our intention of arriving at one of several ports along the
Nova Scotia shoreline. Ultimately, I made the decision to stop in Lunenburg,
and the Pride office coordinated all the logistics with Canadian Customs. The
office also coordinated the delivery to the ship of a new Sat-C antennae from
the satellite service provider.
 What
would we do without modern technology and means of communication? I am sure
many of us remember the time when marine communications were much more limited
than they are today. Perhaps some still wish for those times. I imagine the
true die-hards still live without all of the modern capabilities and perhaps
they live a simpler life. But let me say this about that (something my father
used to start with):
We all can live without the instantaneous capabilities
of our current, ever advancing world. However, put into context, it may be more
than a little silly to shun such capability. Perhaps for those who do not have
others depending upon their performance or presence, such technological
capabilities may be of little importance, unless there is an emergency where
timeliness would play a roll. But for those who live by the performance
promised to others and in turn live by the performance promised to them, the
advancements in communications can mean the difference between success and
failure, or even the difference between being safe or unsafe.
For example, take my decision to go north through the
C&D Canal and up along the East Coast rather than head south down the Chesapeake
Bay to make a departure directly out into the Atlantic. As I look at the
weather systems to the south behind us, I can see that had we sailed south PRIDE
II would be dealing with very uncomfortable and contrary conditions for all of
this time, rather than motoring northeasterly along the continent as we have
been. Although we have been consuming fuel steadily in calm conditions, we
could have been down south getting lashed with gale force winds and seas.
How did I come to the decision to go north? By looking
at the Internet before departure and examining the weather data available
there. While we were underway out of the Delaware Bay and along the East Coast,
we retrieved the same information, either by radio or by satellite (the latter
method used when radio has too much static). The ability to get clear and
understandable weather information has made it possible for me to consider
diverting from my original decisions in a timely manner.
With the decision to divert to Canada, it would have
been nearly impossible to honor the new security regulations for advance
notification of arrival to Canada had we not had satellite communications
capability. So far, all communications have been via email. However, when
called for, we can make a regular phone call (an option that could be critical
in any medical emergency).
PRIDE II still has the older radio technology aboard and could have probably
relayed our messages out through its use, but they would not have been very
timely. Radio propagation can take quite a bit longer, whereas satellite
technology provides for clear, efficient, and nearly instantaneous communication
with the rest of the world. Of course, this also means we can be called by
others at any time as well. Radio makes it much harder to do that,
although it can be done. So, as we sail our historic ocean transport (a
Baltimore Clipper privateer) and are separated from the rest of the world for
the duration of our transit, we remain connected through modern technology.
For PRIDE II's mission, regular and/or instant communication has an important
role. Although the sailors aboard could live without the convenience, we accept
it as necessary for PRIDE II, and we enjoy it
for the potential increase in safety it could provide in certain circumstances.Cheers,
Captain Miles |
