New Gadgets: Navigating Through Ice Just Got Easier

I got home from my day job today and got my new copy of Maritime Reporter and Engineering News (http://www.marinelink.com/) I tore through it as usual searching for strange news and gadgets. I saw something that I thought was truly useful in the gadget section- something I hadn't sen anywhere else yet- The Sigma S6 Ice Navigator. As a mariner who is no stranger to the frozen north, I have a real appreciation for this type of technology.

What we have here is a high resolution imaging device that can track up to 1,000 targets on the water- i.e. Big Ice Cubes. This will probably be outfitted on every ice-navigating vessel that can afford it. It is produced by Rutter Technology (http://www.ruttertech.com/).

Something else in the product section that I thought was cool was the SeaQuantum high performance coating- A self smoothing performance coating that reduces hull friction and fuel costs. Your ship may not be a race car- but you can squeeze a little more performance out of her by using something like this! This is made by Joten (http://www.jotun.no/)

In the communications arena we have the new OceanStar by Martek Marine Ltd. (http://www.martek-marine.com/) This will make the crew happy- it can pull in international television and high speed broadband internet. It sounds much better than the system that was installed on my last ship- where the signal kept dropping every time we made a turn or sharp roll. This should give you the clarity you want when you are in the middle of watching a great action movie!

There is a pretty good discussion going on over at gCaptain (www.gCaptain.com) about my last blog entry having to do with the Somalian pirate take-over of the Danish ship and self defense. I am a big advocate of guns and giving people the right to defend themselves. This is always a topic that gets people riled up- as there is no correct answer, it is all driven by personal experiences- it should be interesting. But don't be afraid to post a comment or two over here as well- I welcome your input!