Just a few pictures taken from a recent trip to Alaska
Puget Sound
Bridge Wing
Sawyer Glacier
Arctic Turns on iceberg
Kayaking
Motoring through Tracy Arm
Victoria B.C.
Mast Walk
Alex Thompson does it again in running up this amazing sailboat.
This wasn't his first go around. Although not as impressive its the Keel Walk.
M/Y Predator
So yea we like the x-bow but after watching this video about Feadship's 72.80 meter yacht Predator, can you blame us? On top of that add Monaco Marine's awesome shipyard in La Ciotat France.
New York Boat Show
At the very beginning of the new year we had a chance to visit the NY Boat show recently and although it was a quick visit we got to see some new stuff. Of all the boats we looked at I think the wakeboard boats by Malibu Boats and Mastercraft where the best to look at.
They all had really nice color schemes while also being some of the only boats that an average person could own without going broke. Overall you seemed to get what you paid for and these things look like fun. Would love to try one of these out.
Of course you couldn't help but to stare at the Miss Geico OPA Racing powerboat. The carbon/kevlar construction and design is very impressive up close.
and the gas turbine engine is smaller then what you would think. You can smell the exhaust as soon as you walk up to it. At almost 3,000HP you wonder what it would be like to sit in the cockpit of this beast as its blasting down the water.
Another interesting design was the Sea-doo Spark. Apparently water and electricity do go together
Regulator Marine had some nice boats fishing boats on show.
All running Yamaha 4 Stroke powerplants.
Century Boats also had a nice center console 3200 on display.
Other companies that had boats available were Sea Ray, Meridian Yachts, Formula, Boston Whaler, Pursuit Boats, Cobalt and Monterey Boats. Engine supplies Yamaha, Mercury, Evinrude were all in attendance. No showing from Honda. While it was a good time to see what is out there it is hard to believe some of the prices these boats go for. When your standing next to them they all look really great but once you walk on board them its hard to look past the relatively simple molded fiberglass hulls and superstructures. It was the first attendance by us to a boat show. Learned a lot about how not to take pictures as well as how to battle the insane lines to get on board these things.
Best of 2013
Happy New Year!!!! (GMT time)
Of course nothing made bigger news (according to us) then Oracle Team USA taking the 34th America's Cup in an incredible comeback. The carbon fiber catamaran wasn't too bad either. Here's the replay of the final race. Enjoy and see you in 2014, we have lots of plans to take KEEL Brand to a whole different level!
Merry Christmas
Wishing a Merry Christmas to all of you
NRP Sagres (Portugal)
ASP World Tour
Congratulations to Mick Fanning of Australia for his third ASP World Championship. Mick wrapped up the championship at the Billabong Pipe Masters at the Banzai Pipeline in Oahu, Hawaii. Mick scored third place giving him points to close out the Championship. Kelly Slater from the United States concluded the season with a first place.
Mick Fanning via ASP World Tour
Surviving 100 feet under water
What do you do when your tugboat sinks off the coast of Africa and you are trapped inside? You slowly feel the vessel travel deeper to the bottom of the ocean in pitch blackness. With every breath you take you are losing the oxygen held in the small air bubble you managed to get yourself in. Well...if your Harrison Okene, the cook on this tugboat, you dig deep inside yourself and manage to stay alive for 3 days until divers come to rescue you.
Tugboat Jascon 4
Harrison, a Nigerian native, was lost at sea after his tugboat AHT Jascon 4 capsized and sank 100 feet below the surface of the ocean. He was trapped in a four-foot bathroom with no way to signal for help, no food, no water...nothing, for three days.
His amazing survival was filmed by rescue divers who in all actuality where coming in a more recovery effort and were completely shocked to find Harrison reaching out to be saved. Below is the diver's miraculous video upon coming across a man 100 feet underwater for three days.
Harrison is from Warri Nigeria and is 29 from years old. He is the only crew member to survive when the tug capsized on May 26 2013 due to heavy swells around 20 miles off the coast in the Atlantic Ocean.
Picture taken on June 12, 2013 during an interview with Reuters outside an hotel in Nigeria.(REUTERS)
During the interview with Reuters Harrison commented
"As I was coming out of the toilet it was pitch black so we were trying to link our way out to the water tidal (exit hatch),"
"Three guys were in front of me and suddenly water rushed in full force. I saw the first one, the second one, the third one just washed away. I knew these guys were dead."
Harrison was washed away down the passageway into another toilet. He stayed there for approximately a day before making his way in the darkness into the adjoining officers stateroom. There he used the vessel's paneling to make a somewhat raft to keep him out of the water. Being submerged in the salt water for so long his skin and mouth started to peel. Once there he waited and prayed countless times. While sitting there in the dark he commented saying
"I was very, very cold and it was black. I couldn't see anything..."
"…but I could perceive the dead bodies of my crew were nearby. I could smell them. The fish came in and began eating the bodies. I could hear the sound. It was horror."
Finally he heard the divers in the water. Once he saw the divers light he jumped into the water to grab the divers hand extending out.
"When I am at home sometimes it feels like the bed I am sleeping in is sinking. I think I'm still in the sea again. I jump and I scream"
This ordeal must take its toll on a human being and we hope soon Harrison can forget what happened. This is an amazing story of survival but we also have to remember the 11 other crew members who were lost. Our condolences go out to their families.
Edison Chouest and ULSTEIN's X-Bow
On Monday November 25, 2013 the Norwegian Company ULSTEIN announced in a press release they have been given the green light to go ahead with construction on their largest design yet. Through a joint company, Island Ventures II LLC, both Island Offshore and Edision Chouest Offshore Companies (ECO) have ordered a vessel built. One to be constructed at the ULSTEIN Verft facility and the other at the Edison Chouest LaShip yard in Houma, Louisiana. This will also be the first ULSTEIN design to be constructed in the United States.
ULSTEIN SX165 Rendering
The ULSTEIN Group is an internationally ranked Naval Architecture firm and ship building group headquartered in Ulsteinvik, Norway. While in the international arena they are very well known their patented X-BOW design it has been a relatively new development in the shipping industry. Since the first hull constructed in 2006 there have been over 40 more completed for different offshore applications. ULSTEIN also has other systems developed and continue to be on the creative front.
According to the press release by ULSTEIN the new vessel has been given the model number SX165. The vessel will be 147.5m Long and 28m wide. She will have 2 cranes having lifting capacities of 400 and 140 tones respectfully as well as having three moon pools in order to accommodate ROV operations. The largest pool of the three being 11.2m x 12m. The vessel will be built with triple redundancy having three engine rooms of course having catalyst systems to reduce NOx. She will also be built to new health safety and environment (HSE) international standards and have a total of 4 lifeboats. Total capacity of the ship is 200 people.
ULSTEIN SX165 Rendering
ULSTEIN's various offshore designs are very impressive and this one is no different. Pushing vessel designs and continually looking for new technological advances is exciting to see and we commend ECO on going ahead with this design. We will soon follow up on what the X-BOW is and how it actually works and continue to follow these designs as they progress and excited to see the first one leave an American yard.
Sea & Ski
This video by Arc'teryx is a good combination of what KEEL represents. Not only does it incorporate the sea in their journey but documents the dedication some take into seeking an adventure, in this case, to ski the amazing fjords of Iceland. Not everyone would go this far but the rewards are truely worth it.
Via Arc'teryx.com