Category Archives: High Seas

COASTAL RHODE ISLAND

Saturday:A chance of showers, mainly after 3 p.m. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 56. Northeast wind around 8 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%.Saturday night:A chance of showers, mainly before 7 p.m. Cloudy during the early evening, then gradual clearing, with a low around 45. Southwest wind 5 to 7 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.

Sunday:Sunny, with a high near 60. West wind 8 to 16 mph.Sunday night:Showers likely, mainly after 2 a.m. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 48. Southwest wind 8 to 15 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%.

EXTENDED

Monday:Showers likely, mainly before 10 a.m. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 60. South wind 7 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%.Monday night:Partly cloudy, with a low around 46. West wind 8 to 10 mph.

Tuesday:Mostly sunny, with a high near 60. Northwest wind 11 to 14 mph.Tuesday night:Mostly clear, with a low around 44. Northwest wind around 14 mph.

Wednesday:Sunny, with a high near 61. Northwest wind around 14 mph.Wednesday night:Mostly clear, with a low around 46. West wind 8 to 10 mph.

MARINE

Saturday:North-northeastwind around 7 knots becoming east-southeastin the afternoon. A chance of showers, mainly after 2 p.m. Seas 1 foot or less.Saturday night:Variable winds less than 5 knots becoming westaround 6 knotsin the evening. A slight chance of showers before 8 p.m. Seas 1 foot or less.

Sunday:West-northwestwind 7 to 10 knots becoming southwest11 to 14 knots in the afternoon. Mostly sunny. Seas 1 foot or less.Sunday night:Southwestwind 7 to 12 knots becoming southafter midnight. Winds could gust as high as 20 knots. Showers likely, mainly after 1 a.m. Seas 1 foot or less.

TIDES, ETC.

Saturday's high tides: 6:31 a.m., 6:53p.m. Low tides: 12:19a.m., 11:59p.m.

Sunday's high tides: 7:13a.m., 7:33p.m. Low tides: 12:49a.m., 12:26p.m.

Saturday's sunrise, 5:34. Sunset, 7:51.

Sunday's sunrise, 5:33. Sunset, 7:52.

Thursday's temperatures: High 64, low 47.

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NEWPORT AREA WEATHER REPORT: May 7-8 - newportri.com

IntroductionMy intention is to produce a series of articles (depending on interest) which introduces ideas about volcanic and earthquake activity. I want to go slightly off the beaten track to explore oddities, volcano hazards, analysis methods, Wonders and Mankinds impacts. Keep in mind I am not expert (corrections gratefully received), but hopefully these will at least give a flavour of some different places in the world and provide a few minutes escape from peoples troubles.

Introducing The Salton Sea Buttes Volcanoes

Reason for InterestVolcano activity in Southern California tends to escape attention due to the priority concerns with earthquakes. With volcanic activity in the Salton Sea area being younger than originally thought and crustal extension (rifting) being held back by the locked San Andreas Fault the area needs monitoring. The volume of melt material below the area is thought to be very large so we should not assume that future volcanic activity in the area would be quite as benign as it has been till now. This is probably why the USGS now consider this area to be of particular concern. Maybe what really piques my interest is seeing a side to California you don't normally see.

The SettingOne of the world's largest inland seas and lowest spots on earth at -227 below sea level, Salton Sea was re-created in 1905 when high spring flooding on the Colorado River crashed the canal gates leading into the developing Imperial Valley. For the next 18 months the entire volume of the Colorado River rushed downward into the Salton Trough. By the time engineers were finally able to stop the breaching water in 1907, the Salton Sea had been born at 45 miles long and 20 miles wide and 51 feet deep.

In the 1950s the Salton Sea was the place to vacation for Hollywood stars. The Hollywood influx quickly turned this small vacation getaway into an attraction drawing in 500,000 people a year. Star-filled clubs such as Ace & Spades and the 500 Club sprouted up and recreational boating took off. Many celebrities would come from Los Angeles and down from Palm Springs to take part in the beach life and great water sports offered at Salton Sea. Increasing salinity in the Salton Sea basin has limited the number of types of fish that can be found there, and most fish currently caught are Tilapia. The once-bustling hotels are derelict, broken wooden frames of buildings stand in some spots as other structures are badly decaying with graffiti spray painted over the boarded-up windows and doors. On hot summer days when the temperature can reach up to 120F (48.8C), a pungent Sulphur odor hangs in the air that can be smelled 150 miles away in Los Angeles.

Near the Salton Sea can be found Salvation Mountain which Leonard Knight used 30 years of his life and gave up everything to build this colorful masterpiece. In 1984, Leonard was set out to spread the word of the bible and when his truck broke down he starting building Salvation Mountain on the very spot and lived onsite until 2012 when he was moved to a nursing home.

Nearby can be found East Jesus a community of artists that live together, create art and party in the desert.

The imperial sand dunes to the south of the sea are a 15 mile long and 3 mile wide stretch of 400 foot tall sand dunes. The Dunes have been the home to the tapping of many movies including Stars Wars and is a huge haven for dune buggy enthusiasts.

The Date Farms are the most important part of the Salton Sea areas economy today. Ever since the celebrities and tourists stopped coming in the 1960s most of the area has become a rundown, dingy area, but the Date Farms have stayed strong.

To the North of the Sea is Palm Springs which is like a mini desert Hollywood. Well its not quite filled with the high level of stars it was in the 50s when the Salton Sea was booming but it is still a beautiful place to visit.

If youve ever wondered what Jurassic-sized palm trees may have looked like then the Anza-Borrego State Park and Palm Canyon is your chance to see. This grove of 100 foot tall bushy palms is crazy. The park is located to the west of the Salton Sea. Joshua Tree National Park is in southeastern California, east of Los Angeles and near Palm Springs and north of the Salton sea it is named after the Joshua trees native to the Mojave Desert. Between San Diego and the Salton sea is the Anza-Borrego Desert State Park.

The Tectonic environmentThe Salton Sea is a large shallow lake located in the central Salton Trough of Southern California. The lake covers the southernmost extension of the San Andreas Fault (SSAF), where the fault takes a southwestward step to the Imperial Fault (IF). The region around the SSAF is actively being stretched due to extensional deformation. Numerous faults, high levels of seismicity and a series of young volcanic buttes suggest this region may be a source for future geohazards.

The Salton Trough is an on shore analog to those rift systems in the Gulf of California. It includes the Coachella Valley, Salton Sea, Imperial Valley, and Mexicali Valley from northwest to southeast. The northern Imperial Valley and southern Salton Sea are seismically highly active. Seismicity occurs at 38 km depth in the Salton Sea geothermal field at the southeastern shore of the Salton Sea, 311 km depth in most of the Brawley Seismic Zone. The entire valley is also characterized by very high heat flow.

Brawley Seismic ZoneThe Brawley Seismic Zone is a north-striking zone of northwest and northeast-striking faults that extends from the southern end of the San Andreas fault to the northern end of the Imperial fault. Across this zone crustal spreading occurs within the transition from the Gulf of California mid-ocean ridge to the San Andreas transform fault. The largest earthquakes to have occurred on the cross-faults were the magnitude 6.2 Elmore Ranch event in 1987. Although the Brawley Seismic Zone activity is clearly proximal to the southern San Andreas fault, the San Jacinto fault zone, and the Imperial fault, the current activity is remaining more than 10 km distant from any of these major faults. Repeated swarms occur in the Seismic zone as rifting occurs but there is no suggestion that these swarms are volcanic in nature. Three times in the last 15 years in 2001, 2009, and 2016, clusters of small earthquakes occurred within a few kilometers distance of the southern terminus of the SAF, within the northern Brawley Seismic Zone at a depth of 3 - 10km.

There has been some concern that stress releases in the Brawley Seismic zone could trigger larger earthquakes on the San Andreas fault. The relative likelihood of such an occurrence was considered to be high because the southern SAF ruptured last in a major earthquake more than 320 years ago and the average recurrence rate of large earth-quakes on the southern San Andreas fault is about 180 years. Recent research however suggests that there is likely very little transfer of stress from the Brawley Seismic Zone and to the San Andreas fault. There is however very little research on the impacts to the Brawley Seismic Zone as a result of a significant San Andreas fault earthquake and we are left to guess whether this would lead to enough extension for volcanic activity to initiate again.

The VolcanoThe Salton Buttes are a group of volcanoes in California in the south eastern part of the Salton Sea. They consist of a 7 kilometer long row of five lava domes each no more than 1 kilometer wide. From North to south they are Mullet Island, North Red Hill, South Red Hill, Rock Hill and Obsidian Butte. Obsidian Butte is surrounded by a lava flow, and Mullet Island has a characteristic "onion-skin" foliation with hot springs.

The domes were formed by effusive eruptions, but at least Obsidian Butte and South Red Hill also experienced explosive eruptions, which at Obsidian Butte preceded the effusive eruption stage. The lava source for the volcanoes is a magma chamber beneath the Salton Sea, which also heats water for a nearby geothermal plant.

These volcanic domes are associated with a local northeast-striking magnetic high that is interpreted to be caused by a magnetic mass, 30 km long, 3 to 12 km wide, and about 4 km thick, with its top buried more than 2 km below the surface. The intrusion under the Salton Sea is thought to be a pluton, an arm or protrusion from a deeply buried molten magma. This intrusion is parallel to the axis of the Salton Trough.

Geophysical evidence shows that liquid magma is still present underneath the Salton Buttes. The buttes last erupted between 940 and not 30,000 years ago as previously thought with the U.S. Geological Survey listing the area as a high threat for future blasts.

Hot SpringsThe Hot springs within Salton sea area were known and used by Indians for centuries. The first commercial development in the area dates from the turn of the century, when a therapeutic spa was opened in the foothills of the Chocolate Mountains near Bombay Beach on the east shore of the Salton Sea. This spring is still in use, and is unusual for its high water temperature, ranging from 135 to 180 degrees Fahrenheit. The hot springs are concentrated in a linear pattern along the eastern side of the valley. The line of springs extends from Desert Hot Springs into Mexico, and the arrangement strongly suggests that the warm waters are reaching the surface using fractures of the San Andreas fault system as conduits.

There are several experimental geothermal developments in the Imperial Valley, extending from the south shore of the Salton Sea into Mexico. The Salton Sea geothermal field is the largest and the hottest of the several fields in the Salton Valley, and has the longest history of development.

The mysterious mud springRefusing to stay in place, a roiling mass of carbon dioxide and slurry-like soil is migrating across the state at a pace of 20 feet a year. Scientists currently have no real idea why its moving or if it can be stopped. Currently located just north of Niland, the mud spring is moving toward Union Pacific Railroad tracks and giving engineers there a headache. A well dug to depressurize the source of the gas had no effect. Steel walls driven 80 feet into the ground were also nonchalantly circumvented; the mud pot simply ducked under them and continued its freakishly linear path of destruction. Mud pots and mud volcanoes generally dont emit much water, but this one is extremely vigorous, producing somewhere around 40,000 gallons of water a day. This mud spring is close tobut not onthe Wister Fault, a southeastern extension of the San Andreas. However, it appears to be tracing a path thats at right angles to the regions major faults.

Recent ActivityIn late August 2005, a swarm of more than a thousand earthquakes between magnitudes 1 and 5.1 occurred at the Obsidian Buttes, near the southern San Andreas Fault. The earthquake swarm shook the nearby town of Brawley with the USGS attributing the temblors to faults in the Brawley Seismic Zone. In September, a sulfurous stench emanated from the Salton Sea and wafted across the Inland Empire. The odor was tentatively linked to a fish die-off, but could also have been caused by volcanic gases.

DiscussionThese are not impressive volcanoes nor is this a glamorous part of California but for me that is exactly why it should be brought to peoples attention. Perhaps the biggest risk here is from earthquakes but there may well be a large source of Magma which would make me nervous.

Go here to read the rest:

Introducing The Salton Sea Buttes Volcanoes - Space, Science & nature - Netweather

The parallels of life, and football, were on full display in St. Joseph-by-the-Seas 25-17 victory over visiting Xaverian on Senior Day. The Vikings improved to 1-3, while the Clippers fell to 2-2 on Saturday.

In what first-year head coach Joe Goerge hopes is the first of many wins during his Vikings career, senior quarterback Jackson Tucker delivered his finest performance of the campaign, in what amounts to his final high school contest.

St. Joseph-by-the-Sea captured its first and only win of the season on Senior Day. (mmphotos2 for the Staten Island Advance)

It means pretty much everything, what theyve all been through, since last March struggling with everything, said Goerge. Were we going to play? Were we not going to play? This is typical of how the year went, the ups and downs.

Among the ups was Tucker, who was consistently great all night. The St. Johns University baseball commit looked the part of a ballplayer from the opening drive -- utilizing his quick release to complete 14-of-22 throws to seven different receivers for 196 yards and three touchdowns in the win.

We got to build a relationship with Coach Goerge, hes a great person and seeing his face after this win is great, he added. No matter what the scoreboard said after every single game, all these guys who stuck this out for four years, theyre all winners. In my eyes, these guys are undefeated.

The scoreboard had not been kind to the Vikings in recent weeks, who entered play 0-3 and had not reached the end zone since a 50-18 season-opening loss to St. Peters on April 17. However, the Vikings did not look the part of a winless team on Saturday.

On the games opening drive, Tucker methodically worked his team down field -- completing 6-of-8 attempts for 59 yards, including an 11-yard TD strike to Vincent Vazquez (4 receptions, 37 yards) to give the Vikings an early 6-0 advantage (two-point attempt no good). The drive, which ate up more than six minutes of clock, featured a pair of key fourth down conversions.

On 4th and 3 from midfield, Tucker linked up with Thomas Pecora for a 13-yard strike. Later in the drive, he connected with Vazquez on a 4th and 4 from inside the redzone for 14 yards, precluding the eventual touchdown.

Thomas Pecora dances up the sideline after hauling in a pass. (Photo by: Kara Buzga)

I love pressure, I always have, said Tucker. Pressure is something Im extremely used to. Me and every single receiver on this team have put in countless hours and countless time and it showed tonight. Everybody executed extremely well and it was unbelievable being able to look each way and have trust in every guy.

Xaverian rallied to score in the second quarter, though Tucker was swift to respond. The senior signal-caller promptly lofted a 32-yard floater to Justin Alexander (3 receptions, 60 yards), which preceded a 31-yard TD pass to Jacob Stewart (2 receptions, 39 yards) up the right sideline. Pecora would tack on the extra point to take back a 13-7 lead.

Sea's Justin Alexander makes the tackle in the backfield. (Photo by: Kara Buzga)

UP-AND-DOWN SECOND HALF

Coming out of the locker room, Sea held the Clippers to a quick three-and-out to open the second half. The Vikings put a bow on Xaverians opening drive when Devin Malvasio blocked the ensuing punt, which Mario DellaPasqua recovered in the end zone for six more points.

Sea' Devin Malvasio comes up with the tackle. (Photo by: Kara Buzga)

Later in the period, Tucker dumped a ball off to James Speciale in the flat, and the elusive slot man did the rest -- taking it 21 yards for the score. Sea led 25-7.

James Speciale eludes defenders en route to the end zone. (Photo by: Kara Buzga)

We had it. We thought we were ready to put them away, said Goerge.

Not so fast.

Xaverian running back Giancarlo Conti (12 carries - 139 yards, 2 TDs) wrought havoc on would-be tacklers. After Max Wassmer connected on a 34-yard field goal to close out the third quarter, Conti found the end zone early in the fourth -- and suddenly, it was a one-score game again, 25-17.

Our resilience was shown. Maybe some teams wouldve said this is the same old stuff, but not these guys, said Goerge. They stuck in and pushed to the end. They answered the call each time.

Vikings running backs Tyler Murphy (10 carries - 53 yards) and Logan Auerbach (7 carries - 48 yards) helped salt away clock, but key sacks from Jake Shepard and George Kakakis dissuaded Xaverians prior momentum. Stewart, Adonis Trejo, and Rich Runfola also stood out on the defensive side.

You wish now that we could play again, said Goerge after his clubs performance. Proud of the way they finished. This is something they can take with them forever. Its always nice to end on a win. Its exciting for the future as well.

After a drizzly start, it was a beautiful night for spring football at Vikings Park -- where Sea emerge with a 25-17 win over Xaverian. (Photo by: Nick Regina)

KEY STATS

St. Joseph-by-the-Sea: Jackson Tucker: 14-of-22, 196 yards, 3 TDs, 1 Int. Tyler Murphy: 10 carries, 53 yards. Logan Auerbach: 7 carries, 48 yards. Justin Alexander: 3 receptions, 60 yards. Jacob Stewart: 2 receptions, 39 yards, 1 TD. Vincent Vazquez: 4 receptions, 37 yards, 1 TD. James Speciale: 1 reception, 21 yards, 1 TD.

Xaverian: Giancarlo Conti: 12 carries, 139 yards, 2 TDs.

St Joseph By The Sea James Speciale (3) scores a touchdown against Xaverian. (mmphotos2 For The Staten Island Advance)

Continued here:

CHSFL: St. Joseph-by-the-Seas senior quarterback, in his final HS game, delivers coachs first win on Senior - SILive.com

The British Royal Navy has apparently been testing using jet suits to board ships like a scene out of some scrapped Christopher Nolan film, according to a new video released by UK-based Gravity Industries. Business Insider writes that the tests were conducted over three days on the HMS Tamar, a Royal Navy Batch 2 River-class offshore patrol ship.

Royal Marines used Gravity Industries Jet Suit to conduct a visit, board, search, and seizure operation or VBSS. Basically a marine launched from a fast boat tailing the HMS Tamar, flew through the air like a slightly askew Iron Man, and landed on the larger ship, dropping a rope below so their fast boat buddies could climb up and visit the simulated enemy vessel.

The whole thing is very cool, to the point of almost seeming like a wire-assisted fake, and likely as much an ad for the Royal Navy and Gravity Industries as it is an actual test of the Gravity Jet Suits utility in a naval exercise.

If the suit or its creators sound familiar, its because the company has been demonstrating its Iron Man tech for a while now, though in the past, Gravity Industries CEO Richard Browning has been in the pilot seat (or suit, in this case). This also isnt the first time the Royal Navy has helped demo the tech. In 2019, Browning flew an earlier version of the Jet Suit through the Royal Navys assault course. Gravity Industries has also collaborated with the Dutch Maritime Special Operations Force (SOF) to put the suit through its paces.

The suit seems to have been streamlined since these earlier demonstrations, featuring smaller arm rockets and a sleeker backpack jet more fitting for whatever sci-fi movie vibe Gravity Industries seems to be cultivating. What is sort of disappointing is mostly finding military applications of this technology when there are clearly plenty of other uses. Luckily, Gravity Industries has us covered there, too: the company has tested using the Jet Suit with the Great North Air Ambulance, a UK charity that rescues people from mountain ranges and a variety of other emergency scenarios in Northern England.

See the original post:

The Royal Navy is testing using jet suits to fight high-seas piracy - The Verge

Moving from a ship on the high seas to a wind turbine or any other offshore rig is often a challenge, to say the least. The ship moves in all directions because of the waves. And the passenger pods that are transferred by crane are like a toy tossed in the wind. Dutch inventor Jan van der Tempel has developed a solution to this problem. This gangway, which resembles a passenger boarding bridge(PBB) for airplanes, is able to offset all the movements of a ship. This makes transferring for offshore personnel safer and faster. For his invention, Van der Tempel has now been nominated for the prestigious European Inventor Award 2021 from the European Patent Office (EPO) in the Industry category.

The Dutch engineer developed his invention at the Delft University of Technology (The Netherlands). His university spin-off grew into the company Ampelmann, which leases this access system and associated services all over the world. Including the personnel who take care of the operation of it.

Van der Tempel has not only developed innovative technical solutions for the offshore industry. He has also improved safety for the people working in this sector, boosted efficiency and reduced costs for operators, said EPO President Antnio Campinos, during todays announcement of the nominees for the European Inventor Award 2021. The patent system supports inventors like Jan van der Tempel. Thanks to the combination of technical innovation with effective legal protection, his company has grown into a world leader in the offshore transfer sector.

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Van der Tempel, who also trained as an engineer in Offshore Wind, came up with the concept for his stable gangway system in 2002 during an offshore wind conference in Berlin. He named it after the stoplight man from the former GDR: Der Ampelmann. The system can be compared with an aircraft simulator platform. We have a similar kind of platform. Only it works exactly the other way around. The platform is stationary and the cylinders underneath move with the ship, van der Tempel explains. A gangway is mounted on the platform. This in turn can be compared to the gangway that connects an airplane to the gate. Employees can walk to work. It also means that cargo can easily be transferred. Even in heavy weather.

A motion sensor the size of a shoebox was installed on the ship which is connected to a powerful computer system. Data on the ships movements are transmitted to the control system of a platform structure. Six hydraulic cylinders compensate for the ships movements by independently extending or retracting. By doing so, the walkway remains stationary and as such, provides a safe and stable connection to the offshore structure. We assemble the installation on the ship and supply the personnel who operate the system. We are actually a kind of standby crew, jokes van der Tempel. Hence the association with the Ampelmann; the little man in the traffic light for pedestrians.

The footbridge operates at wind speeds of up to 60 km per hour and waves of up to 4 meters high. This means fewer cancellations due to bad weather. Also, this invention reduces the need for expensive and potentially risky helicopter transfers. Those types of flights also require employees to undergo specialized safety training. Whats more, the system provides a backup for each part. In the event of a failure, the system continues to operate for one minute before shutting down. This gives personnel enough time to get themselves to safety.

Initially, Van der Tempel only intended to develop the technology and then find a company to build and use the system. When that didnt work out, he eventually decided to start his own company via the Delft University of Technology. Ampelmann Operations was founded in 2007. In just under a decade, the company grew to become a major global player in the offshore access market.

Given that much of the development took place at TU Delft, scaling up the invention required only a relatively modest amount of capital outlay. Ampelmann managed to generate its own cash flow almost immediately, so the company grew rapidly and doubled in size every year during the first six years, says van der Tempel. His company has since built more than 65 offshore access systems around the world.

The winners of the EPO Innovation Award will be announced on June 17 at 7 p.m. in a public digital ceremony that will be seen around the world. The public can vote for their favorite nominee.

Also interesting: Energy islands in the North Sea: good news for the climate and an opportunity for Dutch entrepreneurs

The rest is here:

Transferring safely from ship to rig on the high seas in no time - Innovation Origins

Xbox ANZ kicked off Season 2 by setting Sydney Harbour alight with a Sea of Thieves drone show

On 21 April, Xbox ANZ announced a drone show to celebrate the launch of Sea of Thieves Season 2. Since Sea of Thieves launched in 2018, over 20 million pirates globally have begun to chart their own tales of high seas adventures.

Curious fans were encouraged to piece together the map on social media and uncover the secret location of this Pirate themed celebration. A spectacular Sea of Thieves drone show lit up the night and recreated some of the games best iconography above Botanical Gardens, Sydney.

A stream was held on April 21 from 10:30pm* AEDT across Xbox ANZs Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Twitch for fans to catch the action! Viewers could also participate with their own socials with the hashtag #BeMorePirate. Fans could uncover loot of their very own with 50 Ancient Coin and 50 Plunder Pass codes up for grabs during the stream and the chance to win an exclusive, official Sea of Thieves treasure chest of pirate goodies including a limited-edition custom controller.

Were excited to be celebrating the start of Season 2 of Sea of Thieves and thank our Australian fans for all their support over the last three years. 2021 is looking to be the biggest year yet, and we cant wait to bring even more high seas adventures to Aussies. I would like to thank of fans who tuned into our drone show to watch the harbourside takeover fit for a pirate legend. Tania Chee, Xbox Lead for ANZ

Season 2 is the latest content update, available now for Xbox Game Pass and Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscribers who can play the fan favourite title as part of their monthly subscription. Xbox Game Pass Ultimate includes Xbox Live Gold and unlimited access to over 100 high-quality console and PC games. New members can subscribe for just $1 for the first month, then $15.95 each month.

If you havent played yet, theres no need to mutiny! As Sea of Thieves is also available at the Microsoft Store, Steam and other retailers in Australia (RRP AU$49.45).

To find out more visit http://www.seaofthieves.com

Xbox ANZ celebrates Sea of Thieves Season 2! https://t.co/JGguk6V1da

4 of 4

Special XBOX controller - Sea of Themes Edition

Notes to editors: For more details, please contact the Xbox ANZ PR team at; [emailprotected]

About Microsoft

Microsoft (Nasdaq MSFT @microsoft) enables digital transformation for the era of an intelligent cloud and intelligent edge. Its mission is to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more.

About Sea of Thieves

From acclaimed developer Rare comes a shared-world adventure game that offers the ultimate pirate experience. Set in a rich world of exotic islands, hidden treasures and dangers both natural and supernatural,Sea of Thieveshas everything you need to live the pirate life and is unlike anything

Originally posted here:

Sea of Thieves celebrated Season 2 by lighting up Sydney skies - Microsoft

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Project Ocean Conservation launches to build awareness about oceans in peril

WILMINGTON, Del.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--In partnership with The Sylvia Earle Alliance / Mission Blue, A.R. Thane Ritchie announces the launch of Project Ocean Conservation, a public awareness campaign focused on the health of the ocean. Project Ocean Conservation joins Ritchies five other pillars of industryquantum computing, aerospace, life sciences, FinTech and clean energyas his premier environmental philanthropic endeavor for this decade.

There is a symbiotic relationship between humans and the oceans and few efforts to preserve the vital ecosystem that sustains human life. Ocean pollution, including plastics dumped into the sea, are devastating to marine life and pose a significant danger to human health. Yet less than six percent of the ocean is protected in any way.

People have to understand that the oceans are crucial to moving mankind forward. I see Mission Blue as a perfect partner in this endeavor as a leader in ocean conservation and exploration, said A.R. Thane Ritchie. While there's been a lot of money invested in ocean protection, we've seen little impact to date because there's a lack of mainstream awareness of the root causes and what actions taken actually work. I'm confident that with Project Ocean Conservation, we'll empower that change and make an impact."

The goal of this collaboration between Ritchie and Mission Blue is to bring awareness and support for ocean protection. Mission Blue Hope Spots are special places that are scientifically identified as critical to the health of the ocean. Through the partnership, Ritchie will be involved with the inauguration of new Hope Spots in locales such as the Cayman Islands.

There is amazing synergy between Thanes mission to build sustainable communities that secure healthy futures for natural and human populations and Mission Blues efforts to restore the ocean, the blue heart of the planet, said Dr. Sylvia Earle, President and Chairman of Mission Blue and The Sylvia Earle Alliance. He is the perfect champion and partner for this cause as we set out to educate more people about the importance of the high seas.

Ritchies vast experience in health and wellness, tech and documentary production creates a partnership of apolitical, universal thoughts and brands that will make an impact on the planets essential water supply.

About Thane RitchieA.R. Thane Ritchie, founder of Ritchie Capital Management commands a history of achievement in alternative investments, mergers and acquisitions, real estate markets, and other areas. With more than 30 years of experience in his field, Thane Ritchie currently oversees investments through various private equity partnerships and his family office, covering investment funds and portfolio companies at various stages of growth. Over the course of his career, he has worked with innovative companies in the insurance, energy, technology and media sectors, and routinely seeks promising ventures that may have been overlooked. In the past decade alone, Thane turned a signature investment fund that started with $30 million into a financial colossus, with a peak valuation of $4 billion.

About Dr. Sylvia EarleSylvia Earle is President and Chairman of Mission Blue / The Sylvia Earle Alliance. She is a National Geographic Society Explorer at Large, and is called Her Deepness by the New Yorker and the New York Times, Living Legend by the Library of Congress, and first Hero for the Planet by Time Magazine. She is an oceanographer, explorer, author and lecturer with experience as a field research scientist, government official, and director for several corporate and non-profit organizations.

About Mission BlueMission Blue inspires action to explore and protect the ocean. Led by legendary oceanographer Dr. Sylvia Earle, Mission Blue is uniting a global coalition to inspire an upwelling of public awareness, access and support for a worldwide network of marine protected areas Hope Spots. Under Dr. Earles leadership, the Mission Blue team implements communications campaigns that elevate Hope Spots to the world stage through documentaries, social media, traditional media and innovative tools like Esri ArcGIS. Mission Blue also embarks on regular oceanic expeditions that shed light on these vital ecosystems and build support for their protection. Currently, the Mission Blue alliance includes more than 200 respected ocean conservation groups and like-minded organizations, from large multinational companies to individual scientific teams doing important research. Additionally, Mission Blue supports the work of conservation NGOs that share the mission of building public support for ocean protection. With the concerted effort and passion of people and organizations around the world, Hope Spots can become a reality and form a global network of marine protected areas large enough to restore the ocean, the blue heart of the planet.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210504005134/en/

Wendy GordonWendy@Nardimedia.com202-412-6268

Source: Project Ocean Conservation

Read more:

AR Thane Ritchie Joins Dr. Sylvia Earle and Mission Blue in Ocean Conservation Initiative - StreetInsider.com

William Formby Halsall (1841-1919) Vigilant in last days Race against Valkyrie, 1893. Oil on canvas, 19 29 1/4 in. Gift of Frederic A. Turner, 1961. 2020 Peabody Essex Museum. Photography by Kathy Tarantola

This May, the Peabody Essex Museum (PEM) debutsIn American Waters,a painting exhibition that reframes and expands our understanding of American culture and environment by looking at the sea. For over 200 years, American artists have been inspired to capture the beauty, violence, poetry, and transformative power of the sea. The exhibition, on view at PEM in Salem, Massachusetts, from May 29 through October 3, 2021, features a diverse range of modern and historical artists, including Georgia OKeeffe, Amy Sherald, Kay WalkingStick, Norman Rockwell, Hale Woodruff, Paul Cadmus, Thomas Hart Benton, Jacob Lawrence, Valerie Hegarty, Stuart Davis, and many others.In American Watersis co-organized by PEM and Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art.

George Ropes Jr. (17881819) Launching of the Ship Fame, 1802. Oil on canvas, 35 3/4 46 in. Gift of Captain Nathaniel Silsbee, 1862. Peabody Essex Museum, Salem, MA. Photography by Jeffrey R. Dykes

As this exhibition vigorously asserts, marine painting is so much more than ship portraits. Through more than 90 works, we can trace changing attitudes about the symbolic and emotional resonance of the sea in America and see how contemporary perspectives are informed by marine traditions, said Dan Finamore, PEMs Associate Director Exhibitions and the Russell W. Knight Curator of Maritime Art and History. No matter where we live, the sea shapes all of our lives and continues to inspire some of the most exciting artists working today.

Collaborative and interdisciplinary,In American Waterscombines art history, marine history, and even neuroscience to encompass greater geographical breadth, a multiplicity of artists and artistic expressions, and a more inclusive vision for American marine painting and American art more broadly. To these ends, this exhibition is the first to grapple with how attitudes about the sea may manifest in works that are not traditional seascapes. Instead, the experience explores industry and political conflict, sailor culture, visions of the undersea world and abstraction, as well as legacies of the Middle Passage and immigrants points of entry.

Founded in 1799 by the East India Marine Society in Salem, Massachusetts, PEM developed one of the nations first and foremost maritime collections. Situated on one of New Englands most historic harbors, the museum has long stewarded, and celebrated the interplay of maritime history and global interconnectivity. Exhibition co-organizer, Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, was founded in 2011 in the Ozarks. The region surrounding Bentonville, Arkansas, is known for its abundant waterways in the form of springs, creeks, lakes and rivers, most notably the White River that originates from the Boston Mountains of Northwest Arkansas and ultimately feeds into the mighty Mississippi River, which flows to the Gulf of Mexico.

Even before marine art was produced in America, seascape paintings were included among items imported from Europe to decorate American homes in the latest style. Later, artists developed a distinctively American vision of the sea with an independent artistic identity.

The first artist in the United States to declare a specialty in marine subjects was Michele Felice Corn. Corn left Naples on Elias Hasket Derbys ship,Mount Vernon,in 1799, bound for Salem, Massachusetts. Upon arrival, he became a kind of artist-in-residence to the local shipowners, painting vessel portraits and historical and allegorical images in oils and gouache. CornsShipAmericaon the Grand Banksdepicts the first of four ships so named by Salems Crowninshield family between Independence and the War of 1812. It was the last British war prize taken by colonial privateers during the American Revolution. Corn portrays the renamed ship in the international waters of the Grand Banks fishing grounds off of Newfoundland amid French and British flagged vessels. The history of the ship and its prominent American flag, set within a competitive commercial setting, evokes pride in the new nation and its emerging international profile.

To look anew at American marine painting, we studied and analyzed its colonial and Eurocentric origins and found that the genre is far more dynamic and broad than previously assumed, said Austen Barron Bailly, Chief Curator at Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art. When we think of marine painting we may think of high-seas realism and faithful portraits of ships but, as this exhibition attests, in practice we see broad-ranging expressions of American ambition, opportunity, and invention.

Artists have long crafted narratives of deepwater activities that take place far beyond Americas shores, extending the image of the nations engagement with the world into mid-ocean and beyond. Captain of a whaling fleet, John Bertonccini was also an artist who was said to paint at every opportunity, even using the ships paint supplies when his own ran out. In the 1890s his fleet traveled into Arctic waters off the Yukons north coast in pursuit of their prey, allowing their ships to freeze into the ice so they could winter over rather than make the long journey home each year. In a new work to enter PEM's collection, the artist created a birds-eye view of their winter grounds showing the crew playing soccer and baseball to pass the time.

One of the few Native American women artists making marine paintings today, Kay WalkingStick (Cherokee Nation) expands American marine art traditions, evoking the seascapes of impressionist Childe Hassam and his response to Appledore Island located seven miles off the coast of New Hampshire, and modernists such as Georgia OKeeffe, who was drawn to re-envision the experiences on nearby shores at Maine. WalkingSticks 2020 painting,New Hampshire Coast, pictures a location along the shoreline near present day Portsmouth. The artist honors the unbroken connections between coastal waters and the Abenaki community of the Wabanaki Confederacy. Her own pattern of composite Native American basket motifs permeates the rocky shore, reminding us that these are Indigenous lands and waters.

Childe Hassam (18591935) East Headland, Appledore, Isles of Shoals, 1911. Oil on canvas, 30 36 in. Gift of Peter S. Lynch in memory of Carolyn A. Lynch, 2018. Courtesy of Peabody Essex Museum, Salem, Massachusetts. Photography by Kathy Tarantola.

Amy Sherald continues the evolution of American marine painting with her 2019 painting,Precious jewels by the sea,a grand portrayal of four Black teenagers on a beach. Two boys stand tall with girls seated on their shoulders. They tower above a placid turquoise sea and the deep blue horizon. Their long shadows angle and cast over and beyond their red-and-white striped beach umbrella and straw picnic basket on the sand.

Mass appeal of the seascape and of the artist herself, who was the official portraitist of First Lady Michelle Obama, are central to this work. Sherald seeks to convey an expression of freedom. As the artist recently described, I make these images of things that we normally do but we dont get to see in spaces like museums. Like black people going to the beach. . . . It makes me think about my mother. She didnt know how to swim, and she didnt like going to the segregated black beaches because she wanted to go to the prettier white beaches. It makes me think about how much things have changed generationally. . . . So its really just about creating American narratives about American people while critiquing it at the same time.

Today the sea is on the minds of Americans, in part, because of sea-level rise and the impact of associated climate events on coastal communities and beyond. More than 90 percent of the worlds commerce travels by sea and its no coincidence that most major American cities are situated on waterways whether around protected coastal harbors or inland at the confluence of major rivers.

Artists have reflected Americans understanding of this significance and of the sea as a connector. Maritime paintings are a multisensory experience. For viewers in any part of the world, these works are particularly adept at evoking sonic qualities the relentlessly repetitive crashing of surf upon a beach, sailors calling out to one another from a ships deck or high in the rigging. The noises of human activity such as the tolling of bells, laborers chanteys, and cannon fire can register the same emotional power as that of the open ocean with only the wind and waves. These sounds and sights, and the art they inspire, have the power to transport us.

The exhibition travels to Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, November 6, 2021 through January 31, 2022.

Published by the Peabody Essex Museum, Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, and the University of Arkansas Press, a related publication,In American Waters: The Sea in American Painting,highlights American art historical and cultural traditions associated with the sea, deepening our understanding of it as a symbol of American ambition, opportunity, and invention. Edited by Daniel Finamore, PEMs Associate Director Exhibitions and The Russell W. Knight Curator of Maritime Art and History, and Austen Barron Bailly, Chief Curator at Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, this 240-page book includes more than 120 images, featuring fascinating historical paintings alongside works by major modern and contemporary artists. With contributions by Austen Barron Bailly, Mindy N. Besaw, Sarah N. Chasse, Daniel Finamore, and George H. Schwartz.

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Major Traveling Exhibition 'In American Waters' Casts New Light On Our Relationship With the Sea - ArtfixDaily

A building wave for offshore wind energy surged out of the Biden administration, with March 29 announcements that set a goal of building 30,000 megawatts of capacity and opening up to 800,000 more acres for leasing in the New York Bight.

Two weeks later, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management moderated the plan, withdrawing potential leasing areas off New York acknowledging conflicts with commercial fishing, maritime traffic and tourism that will be rife in the East Coasts most crowded waters.

But on a broad scale, it appears to be full speed ahead for BOEM. Even during the Trump administrations fitful approach to offshore wind, the agency itself worked consistently to make leasing possible for wind power developers.

Today there are 17 active leases, comprising 1.7 million acres, says BOEM Director Amanda Lefton. Ten more environmental reviews could be started this year, and construction and operation plans for 16 projects could be in place by 2025, Lefton said during an April 14 online meeting of BOEMs New York Bight task force.

Now an all of government approach is being brought to bear, and the New York Bight will play a central role in reaching the administrations 30,000-MW goal, said Lefton.

BOEM has a steadfast commitment to do this right by fishermen and other stakeholders, and the New York Bight is a place where collaboration is working, she said.

But one prominent group not in virtual attendance that day was the Responsible Offshore Development Alliance, a coalition of fishing groups and communities. The group has been meeting for years with BOEM planners and wind developers, but in recent weeks reacted with alarm to the Biden administrations full-court press to expand the industry.

Fishermen have shown up for years to engage in processes where spatial constraints and, often, the actors themselves are opposed to their livelihood, according to a letter RODA submitted to the task force, stating it would boycott the meetings in protest.

This time and effort has resulted in effectively no accommodations to mitigate impacts from individual developers or the supposedly unbiased federal and state governments, the letter says. Individuals from the fishing community care deeply, but the deck is so stacked that they are exhausted and even traumatized by this relentless assault on their worth and expertise. (Read the letter in our Mail Buoy section on page 4.)

The Interior Department formally reversed a Trump-era legal opinion on offshore wind energy, with an April 9 memo by Robert Anderson, the departments principle deputy solicitor. That opinion critiqued and reversed findings written in December by Daniel Jorjani, who was the departments top lawyer when then-Interior Secretary David Bernhardt moved to shut down the approval process for the Vineyard Wind offshore project.

In that earlier 16-page document, Jorjani held that if Bernhardt determines that either fishing or vessel transit constitute reasonable uses of the exclusive economic zone, the high seas and the territorial sea, the Secretary has a duty to prevent interference with that use.

Moreover, Jorjani wrote, the Interior secretary should determine what is unreasonable interference from offshore wind turbines based on the perspective of the fishing user. That was a victory for commercial fishing advocates who had gone directly to Bernhardt with their concerns.

In the new memo five pages dense with analysis of the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act and related court decisions Anderson wrote that the act requires the Interior secretary to consider a dozen specific goals of the law when making decisions. Those factors could favor actions to maximize low-emission and renewable electrical generation from offshore wind facilities, Anderson wrote.

The bureaucratic memo further paved the way for a BOEM record of decision to approve the 800-megawatt Vineyard Wind project off southern New England, where RODA and other fishing industry advocates have pushed the developers and BOEM to include mitigation measures.

Fishermen sought 4-nautical-mile-wide transit lanes to ensure safe passage through wind energy areas in heavy weather. Developers and Coast Guard officials said 1-nm spacing between turbine towers on lease areas will be adequate. The final record of decision would include a ruling on that.

Technically, we dont know, said Annie Hawkins, executive director of the Responsible Offshore Development Alliance, while awaiting that decision. They could address some of these fisheries issues (in the decision). It doesnt look promising.

Commercial fishing groups that at best have had a rocky relationship with BOEM and wind developers were shaken by the breadth of the administrations goals. Hawkins said there was no sign of new commitment to head off potential conflicts between the industries.

These fisheries questions have been around for a decade, said Hawkins. We dont have an interagency process for understanding and resolving them, she added: Were just blown away by the lack of coordination.

Ringing White House endorsements of wind power call into question how federal agencies will handle reviews under the National Environmental Policy Act and other regulatory measures, said Hawkins.

Can you imagine if this assessment was for oil and gas (development)? How would that look? she said. This whole thing is so upside-down. Its not like the way we regulate any other resource.

While RODA sat out the New York Bight meetings, NMFS was represented. The agency did not hold back on its view of potential environmental and fisheries impact should more wind energy areas be developed in the New York Bight.

The region is one of the most important areas on the East Coast for commercial and recreational fisheries, said Sue Tuxbury, a fisheries biologist in the agencys habitat conservation division who works on wind energy and hydropower activities.

Surf clams and scallops, two of the most valuable East Coast fisheries, have major shellfish resources on the bottom. The location and number of turbines will be a major factor in whether those dredge fisheries can continue to operate around the wind areas, said Tuxbury.

She recommended that BOEM and the bight task force consult RODAs 2019 workshop on fishing vessel transit issues and for the agency to hold new meetings with commercial fishermen to discuss potential traffic lanes for New Jersey ports Barnegat Light and Cape May, close to the planned Ocean Wind and Atlantic Shores turbine arrays.

Tuxbury said unknown environmental questions include how those arrays may affect the Mid-Atlantic cold pool, the seasonal stratification of water temperatures that is influential on the life cycles of fish and other marine life. New surveys and scientific modeling are needed to anticipate how those changes may happen and play out, she said.

BOEMs proposed wind energy areas include essential fish habitat for nearly every species managed by NMFS and the New England and Mid-Atlantic fishery management councils, said Tuxbury. Building turbines out there will directly impact the agencys ability to conduct at-sea scientific surveys that managers depend on to make decisions, she said.

Survey vessels operated by NOAA will likely be excluded from operating their trawl sampling gear in wind energy areas by spatial constraints between turbine towers. Along with the need for longer vessel transit times to get around arrays, that will reduce biological sampling, said Tuxbury.

Fishing conflicts were one reason BOEM planners cited in dropping two areas near Long Island from immediate consideration for offshore wind energy leases.

The Fairways North and South areas, named for nearby shipping approaches to New York Harbor, have scallop and surf clam beds, issues with maritime traffic and whale feeding areas, and the potential for raising the ire of beachfront homeowners and tourism businesses on Long Islands South Shore.

New York state officials recommended against planning for leases in the Fairway areas, saying the closest 15-mile proximity to Long Island runs counter to the states policy of keeping wind generation at least 18 miles from shore.

With offshore wind development gaining momentum, resistance could build on other residential shorelines. That was evident as BOEM initiated its environmental review process for the Ocean Wind project, rsteds planned 1,100-MW array off Atlantic City.

Were very concerned about the impact on tourism, said Beach Haven, N.J., Mayor Colleen Lambert during BOEMs April 15 online scoping meeting on Ocean Wind.

The Ocean Wind tract at its closest is 15 miles offshore, and turbine blades could be visible from shore on some days, according to BOEM visual simulations.

BOEM has been gauging potential developer interest in areas farther offshore, and the task force is part of its environmental assessment of those areas.

Those developments could be slowed by a shortage of wind turbine installation vessels with more projects planned in Europe and Asia. In U.S. waters, developers will need to abide by the Jones Act the 1920 federal maritime law that requires using U.S.-flagged vessels and crews.

Vineyard Winds plan is to use Belgium-based DEME Offshores installation vessels, teamed with U.S.-flag vessels of Foss Maritime, using the feeder concept of a foreign-flag wind turbine installation vessel supplied onsite by Jones Act-compliant U.S. vessels.

Virginia-based Dominion Energy is backing construction of its own 472-foot U.S.-flagged installation vessel, amid widespread concern in the industry that global demand for services of those heavy-lift vessels could slow the development of projects in U.S. waters.

All that action now is focused on the shallow outer continental shelf from Cape Cod to the Carolinas. But wind developers are already looking ahead to float anchored wind turbines in deep water like the Gulf of Maine.

Were trying to keep Maine waters free from this industrialization, said Dustin Delano, a Friendship, Maine, lobsterman who helped organize a March 21 demonstration by fishermen with more than 80 boats on the water protesting plans for offshore wind.

This would fill the ocean with anchors, cables and chains, said Delano. Maine is unique in the nation. Our entire heritage is fishing and tourism.

The Maine Aqua Ventus project would be a 12-MW floating turbine to test the feasibility of commercial-scale wind power arrays in the deepwater Gulf of Maine.

With the Biden administration promising $3 billion in loan guarantees to jump-start offshore turbine construction, a new Sea Grant program to study impacts on fishing seems a pittance to the fishing industry. That $1 million program for Sea Grant to find impacts of development on fishing communities wont understand the impact in one Maine lobster village, said Hawkins.

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Power surge: With Vineyard Wind on approval track, 10 more reviews in the wings - National Fisherman

A HEREFORDSHIRE man is celebrating reaching dry land after rowing more than 3,000 miles across the Atlantic.

Martin Heseltine, 62, from Walford, near Ross-on-Wye, has spent the last 50 days all at sea as part of a four-man vegan crew rowing from Lanzarote to Antigua to raise money for men's mental health charity Humen and Chepstow animal sanctuary, the Dean Farm Trust.

Not an adventure to be taken lightly, Martin and the crew rowed non-stop in alternating two-hour shifts, using muscle power alone and with no backup vessel to cover the 3,200 mile distance.

The team faced storms, sleep deprivation, extreme fatigue and, at times, huge seas. They also had to cope with injury when crew member Matt Pritchard, more famously known as plant-loving prankster and chef The Dirty Vegan, tore a lateral muscle forcing him to take a break from rowing for several days, while Martin battled with painful tendonitis in his leg.

Theres not a whole lot you can do in the middle of the Atlantic other than keep on going, said Martin.

Its very often a case of mind over matter but the teamwork of the crew together is absolutely vital."

With only a tiny cabin for shelter no larger than a double bed, Martin, Matt, skipper Billy Taylor and blogger Johnny Ward had to share this space for cooking, eating, sleeping and navigating.

Theres not even a chance to stand up as the boats motion makes that impossible, so we are all looking forward to stretching our legs on dry land once weve cleared customs and landed, said Martin.

A former ocean yachtsman, Martin is no stranger to adventure, having spent much of his life on the high seas, but this particular challenge pushed all the crew to the extreme, with no toilet in the specially built boat, which features multiple individual watertight hull compartments to prevent sinking in case of shark attack.

Fortunately the crew have not had to deal with sharks, but have enjoyed the company of dolphins, flying fish and even a squid which landed on the deck. You can read more about their charity row at Monkeyfistadventures.com

Dean Farm Trust founder, Mary Frankland, said: We are so proud and thankful to Matt, Billy, Martin and Johnny for all of their hard work to raise much-needed funds and awareness for our little sanctuary. Our residents cant wait to see the boys on their return to the UK and thank them for their amazing support.

To donate to the Atlantic Dash fundraiser for Dean Farm Trust, please visit https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/atlantic-dash-dean-farm-trust

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Herefordshire man celebrates reaching dry land after rowing across the Atlantic - Hereford Times