Now that the boat is almost finished, I can start planning the launch. It’s reasonable to wait until summer when there’s more sunlight and better weather conditions. The shortest path across the Atlantic is from Newfoundland to Ireland, but it also has some unique challenges. It looks like I’m forced to choose between hurricanes and icebergs. There’s a tiny window between June and August when it’s safer to cross the ocean.
There are still interesting things to do within the next months and I will keep you updated. Here’s a short to-do list:
- Testing the boat. There will be extensive testing in a lake or river in different wind conditions and also some ocean tests before the launch.
- Collision avoidance. All ocean vessels transmit their position and course via AIS transponders. My boat will spot nearby vessels and change its course if it’s necessary to avoid them. Even if fishermen approach the boat, it won’t be an easy catch. The boat will do everything it can to run away!
- Sending pictures via satellite Internet – a very cool feature that will allow us see what’s happening with the boat. The boat will transmit real-time low-resolution pictures which will be published on the tracking map.
- Updating the website and tracking map, publishing design files and the code.
(Image source: noaa.gov, newfoundlandlabrador.com)
