41) TransPac 2011 delivery e/m's 23

Dad,

I attached a rough draft of the list of questions that I want to send Bill Lee.


I need to polish it.  I will send it to Gib and he will send to Bill with an intro for me.


Take a look at it and help me out with the phrasing of the questions and the letter form.


Also, add any questions you think would get a good response.


According to Gib, Bill will not answer anything that exposes himself to liability such as errors in design, problems and failures.


David


Gib,

I attached a doc with questions for Bill Lee.  Please review it and if you think changes should be made let me know.

If the doc is good as it is please forward to Bill and let's get that ball rolling.

thanks.

Dave 

3/22/11

Bill,

A few weeks ago I told you about David Burke, who is writing the book on Chasch Mer.  The books chapters include the Parkers & current owners, Transpacs & deliveries, her sisters and of course design & construction.  You may end up calling him DamnitDave, but the book project has lots of merit.  Please check out his questions to you (attached) and email him as to the best/ easiest way to interview.

By the way, DamnitDave was our mast man in 2007 and will be on the delivery next month to California as well as in this years Transpac.  I think you will like him.

Thanks & Aloha,
  gib
PS the rudder bearings are giving us fits, can’t find the exact replacements, thanks for your input.

Wizard Yachts, Ltd

Attn:  Mr. Bill Lee

345 Lake Ave # E
Santa Cruz, CA 95062-4600

Re: Santa Cruz 50 hull #1  

Dear Mr. Lee, 

I am currently gathering facts for a book I am writing on the Santa Cruz 50.  I am focusing on hull # 1’s development and history.  I have many questions whose answers will help me put some meat on the bones of the SC50 story. 

I will really appreciate if you can create time to help me, by providing some source information and history about the Santa Cruz 50.  Please feel free to add relevant or interesting anecdotes about you and the boat - before, during and after launch.  In this respect, if it is easier for you to vocalize rather than write your answers, I will be most happy to transcribe, either from a recording, or by you allowing me the honor to visit with you personally.  Obviously, I am passionate about your boat.

What were some of the factors that influenced you to build the SC50?

How do you pronounce the name Chasch Mer?

How did the name come about?

What did it mean at the time?

What is the story of how Randy Parker came to be the 1^st SC50 owner?

How difficult was the process of loading and transporting Merlin to Moss landing? 

Why did Merlin launch at Moss Landing rather than Santa Cruz?

Where did SC50 #1 originally launch? 

Were you on board? 

Who was the skipper?

Was SC50 #1 a speculation boat or built for an owner?

If for an owner, how did you find him?

What character traits of the first SC50 did you like the most?

What prompted or justified production of hull #2, and beyond?

There is plenty of information about the development of Merlin but practically no history that I can find of the SC50.  Is there anything you can add to help expand the story of SC50?  (And maybe brag a little bit).

Racing rules usually influenced design; was the SC50 designed to follow the rules?  

Or, to stretch the rules? 

Or, force new ones?

The design concept of the SC50 was intended to compete against what contemporary boat?  

I understand that Ragtime influenced the decision to make Merlin.  What influenced the decision to make an SC50?

What characteristics about hull #1 fell within your design parameters/intentions?

            Structure

            Performance     

What is it about the first SC50 hull that confirmed the quality and characteristics were worth

re-producing?  

How far did the subsequent SC50 hulls stray from the first iteration?

Did an SC50 design detail on paper exceed the theoretical expectations after it was produced?

Is SC50 hull #1 a scaled-down version of Merlin? 

If so, how and why?

The chicken-coop ceiling height influenced the beam size of Merlin.  Would a taller building have produced a bigger boat?

Why did you use a foam core on SC50 hull #1?

Are SC70s reproductions of Merlin?

Can you provide a list of SC50 production dates?

List of hull #’s, sail numbers, boat names. 

Would you be willing to share photographs for publication in my book?

What is the time-line for the beginning of Magic Marine and the transition into Bill Lee Yachts then into Santa Cruz Yachts? 

What was the conventional wisdom of the sailing environment like when designing and building the very first ULDBs before they were widely accepted?

What did you gain from your experience with American Indian canoes?

Did the performance characteristics of the canoe influence your thoughts on ULDBs?

Is there anything now after 30+ years that you would change on SC50s?

Why did you choose to build 50-foot boats at that specific time in history?   

Respectfully,

David Berke

Notice!

Do not panic yet.  Rudder Bearings have been ordered from Denmark.  I
thought I was done with the Danes when I sold my X Boat 9 years ago.  Normal
turn around for these custom jobbers is 4 weeks.  I have lit a fire & you
know I will stay on it.  Projected delivery departure is still April 20th.  I
know it, the yard knows it, PYI knows it & the guys at Jefa Bearings know
it.  ALL are pulling to assist us to deliver Chasch Mer to Long Beach in
order to make our race.

Hard to believe when starting so early we still have a panic.  The GOOD NEWS
is we go through this before the other racers.  When we get to the starting
gate our boat has been tested.

Aloha,

   gib

3/23/11

Gib,

I was just wondering why the rudder bearing are being replaced.  Are you replacing the originals?

Bill

Bill & All,

Less than 2 years ago we had a new design rudder built & installed. The rudder bearings were fine then. They were the originals with around 6 Transpacs use. About a month ago a friend noticed a slight cavitation.  The boat drives so well anything at all is noticed.  Hence we thought we should look.  Apparently, when we replaced the rudder, we neglected to put “never seize” between the rudder shaft & the bearings.  So the bearings were destroyed in removal for inspection. The upper bearing was showing a slight bit of wear & the lower a little more. They may have gone another 10-20,000 miles.  But, you never know. Pretty damn good for 1979 Bearings. Now we should have more confidence in the steering system while shooting over those pacific swells at 24 knots!

Aloha,
    gib 

3/24/11

Dad,

I have a chain of e/m's from Gib about the starting issue that he told us to keep quiet.  Our crew has contacted the committee as well as most of the other SC50s have done so, too.  No one understands why they are doing the 2 starts.  But, the race will go on.  I have flights and a room in Waikiki and I'm committed.

The book has the potential to go in too many directions and I am intentionally not including anything about SC50s that doesn't pertain to the beginning and their reign in the 80s.  That was a time when Bill was looked at as a fun guy to sail with who happened to be really smart.  I don't want to include what is currently going on; I will witness it and wonder.

The book already is going in directions other than specifically the SC50, that includes clouds, weather, water, safety, and my personal experiences.  I am now wondering if 1 year is enough time to write it.

David 

3/29/11

Dave,

How's work schedule going? You still up for one more "get the rust out" sail on 4/4?

Clive


3/30/11

Clive,

I just don't have an answer yet. 

My primary focus is to get 3 jobs done asap.  (2) are easy and will use 3 days total and the (1) I am on is difficult & dangerous and looks like it will take another (5) days.  I am trying to get all this done quickly so I have a lot of time off before 4/18.

How short of notice can you work with? 

Dave

Dave,

Understood.  My guess is the number of rain days impacted your planning as well.

I think if we stay focused on a weekday very little lead time is needed - maybe 2-3 days.

My planning is similar to yours in the sense that I intend to ramp down significantly starting next week to concentrate on passage prep.  But I do have to travel to

East Coast 4/6-8 (wed-fri).  Other than that I have pretty good flexibility 4/4-4/15.

How about I ping you again over the weekend?

Clive

3/31/11

My estimate is that I have at least (9) days of work between (3) jobs.  I am going to try and only take Sunday's off since that is not a good day to work for the neighbor's on the job-sites.  That puts me through all the way to 4/9.  I'm sure something will trickle into the week of 4/10.  I will definitely need to wind down that last week somehow and I intend to not do the hard physical work.  The San Martin job is extremely difficult.  We are sore and tired every day. 

I have to choose a priority and at the moment it is finishing these jobs.  Actually, I will only be able to finish (2) of them and I let the clients know that the other jobs will have to be done in May.

Dave

Dave,

I figured that's how its shaping up.  Completely understand - not a problem.  Take it steady on the San Martin job.

If anything opens up schedule-wise let me know (doubtful I realize), but otherwise I'll assume the idea is dead.

Cheers,

Clive

40) MOB details

Man Overboard

March 7^th, 2011 Clive and I went sailing in the San Francisco Bay with the sole purpose of practicing man-overboard procedures.  We set out from Alameda on a 33’ sloop on the backside of a windy and rainy weather front that passed through the night before.  There was no rain with a partly cloudy sky and wind in the high-teens, gusting to the low 20s, and these were the closest conditions we could find that would resemble the ocean.  A few weeks prior to this practice I sent out an e-mail to several sailing friends that went something like this:  I need real-time mono-hull MOB practice preferably in SF rough water under sail.  If anyone knows anyone willing to go out and do some serious practice please make the connection for me.  I need to complete this prior to an April delivery.  I did not receive very many favorable responses so Clive and I took it upon ourselves and practiced with only the two of us on a rented boat; which actually made for more effort and focus.

Granted, there are many rules on boats and one of them heard quite often is, don’t fall off.  Since it does happen, it is best to have some idea how to retrieve the person or object from the water.  The standard method of retrieval has been reduced to a short list of items that should be adhered to and specifically, are: someone yells man overboard, someone throws a flotation device, someone acts as the spotter by pointing in the direction of the man overboard and does nothing else, and the remaining crew turns the boat around.  Within these simple steps is an almost infinite and extensive list of variations and peripheral items which are too many to list here.

Hats fall off boats quite often, and are usually given up and left behind because small dark objects can sometimes be extremely difficult to find.  People, somewhat much easier to spot, are a different story.  I admit we put forth all our effort to find people; I know, very re-assuring.  Unfortunately, in the old days and I mean prior to the invention of the Bermuda Sloop in the 1600s, if you fell off the vessel you were most likely left behind because it was either impossible to turn the boat around or no one knew you went overboard.

The Bermuda Sloop, later also referred to as the Marconi rig, has in its purest form a single mast and is the basis for nearly all modern sailboats.  The Bermudas lie in a line near parallel to the prevailing winds from the West and the ability to sail upwind was vital to transit around the archipelago.  The fore-and-aft rig was particularly useful in maneuvering upwind.  On the contrary, most other types of sailing ships could not go very far upwind, if at all, and used their baggy sails like a spinnaker to sail away from the wind.

Old ships had wooden masts and hulls powered by square-rigged canvas sails that were poor at upwind sailing.  Square sails are mounted on a yard, which is a big horizontal pole mounted on the mast.  The mast, in turn, is supported by "stays"; ropes that run from the top of the mast to the ship's hull in all directions and are essential to keep the mast upright given the tremendous forces it must bear.  The yard upon which the sail is mounted can only rotate so far before it collides with the stays in front of the mast.  Old square-rigged ships cannot efficiently sail upwind simply because the yards and sails cannot rotate enough without hitting the stays.

The Bermuda Sloop sails upwind by using a triangular sail that is not mounted on a yard.  The triangular shape of the sail allows it to fit within the stays and with triangular shaped sails, goes upwind better than square-riggers.  Sailors of the olden wood ships era did not understand how upwind sailing worked; they knew how to sail upwind but did not know why it worked.  A modern well-designed boat using a sail as an airfoil and a keel as an opposing hydrofoil can actually sail faster than the wind.  However, give credit where credit is due, the concept of the airfoil wouldn’t come until the 20^th century.

 

As recently as the last few decades, it was quietly known that if you fell off a high-performance sailboat offshore you would most likely never be found.  The high speed of the boat greatly increased the distance from the person in the water before the boat could be turned around; and it then was just too hard to spot the person in rough water.  Current advances in technology have made useful contributions to the success of retrieving persons in the water and in a sense have created a wide safety net.

Immediately after a person has gone overboard the helmsman must make the decision to turn the boat around.  Sometimes, confusion erupts while choosing which way to turn and how many turns to make.  The textbook descriptions really only depict two techniques: the Figure Eight and the Quick Stop.  There are many variations on just these two techniques but overall the point of sail, wind and wave conditions will ultimately dictate which one to use.

Figure Eight

For our practice sail on the bay I intended to throw oranges overboard and use them as targets.  I knew they were biodegradable and would not harm the environment.  Well, after losing several oranges we had to use a large white fender with a loop in the line that we tied to it.  It just so happens that when there are 2’ waves and whitecaps the oranges disappear.  Good to know. 

Our GPS track is highlighted in orange southwest of Alameda, CA

Our total time on the water was about four hours and of that time, we spent roughly 2 hours doing the actual procedures.  I think the most successful and effective technique is the Figure Eight.  We were able to judge the distances with more accuracy and were able to get to the object on the first pass compared to the quick stop method.  During the quick stop we found that we turned too quickly and actually could not make the radius of the turn small enough to get to the object.  We eventually increased the radius and had to sail away from the object to get back to it.

When planning a long-distance passage I take into consideration many aspects with respect to falling overboard.  Whether I am injured or not in the act of going overboard, all the safety gear on board or with me will not help if the crew and I don’t know how to use it.  Water temperature is also an important factor in survivability but preparing for it can be difficult.  It is nearly impossible to work during watches while wearing immersion suits because of the impaired lack of mobility.  So, underneath our foul weather pants and jacket we generally wear what keeps us warm.

 

Mustang Survival Series PFD

  

For MOB planning purposes I allow for day and night situations and wear a “Mustang Survival” inflatable PFD (personal-flotation-device).  This device has an integrated harness and an automatic hydrostatic inflator which works on hydrostatic pressure; namely, a c02 cylinder discharges and inflates the vest’s air-bladder when submerged in 4 inches of water and is not sensitive to humidity, rain or splash.  This unit can also be manually inflated by pulling a ripcord to activate the c02 cartridge; or by using the attached oral-inflation tube.

The vest zip-folds closed and will remain compact while not in use but once deployed it will automatically expand and reveal the yellow air bladder.  Also, additional items that will help identify your position in the water can be attached easily because of the design of the vest.  At the very least, a water-activated strobe light should be attached.  I prefer the water-activated ACR Firefly Waterbug; waterproof to a depth of 33 feet and can be seen up to three miles away.  In addition, below the strobe is a manually activated ACR C-Light that imitates a strobe with a fixed curved lens but with no flashes; and can be seen up to two miles away.

For the very real possibility that the distance from the boat keeps increasing there is a Rescue Laser Flare attached to the vest.  This compact item looks like a standard laser pointer but emits a fan of light rather than a narrow beam and is visible up to twenty miles away at night; visible up to three miles in daylight.

In addition to these items I carry a waterproof VHF, GPS and whistle in hopes of communicating with the boat if I cannot be seen, but they are still in VHF range.

 

Once these items have been exhausted in the sense that the boat cannot find me I have planned for a Search & Recovery rescue.  I will assume that the boat has broadcast a Mayday for a lost crew-member either over the SSB radio (single-sideband modulation is a refinement of amplitude modulation and more efficiently uses electrical power and bandwidth), or with an EPIRB (Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon).  VHF signals and cell phones have very limited ranges and do not work well offshore.  A very quick way to communicate with rescue authorities is with a satellite phone and they have become more common on sailboats.  Ultimately, the quickest and most accurate way to convey that an emergency does exist is by using either an EPRIB or a PLB (personal locating beacon).  These critical pieces of last-resort lifesaving gear are connected to a global government-run satellite network.  Once activated, a chain of responses occurs.

  

                                              ACR Electronics AquaLink View PLB

One of the greatest pieces of equipment available, to help an overboard individual who is assumed lost, is the PLB (personal locator beacon).  I registered an ACR AquaLink View with NOAA as required and attached it to my PFD.  The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is a scientific agency within the United States Department of Commerce focused on the conditions of the oceans and the atmosphere.

EPIRBs and PLBs transmit signals with an embedded code that is picked up by a network of 24 satellites linked to Cospas-Sarsat; an international satellite-based search and rescue (SAR) distress alert-detection and information-distribution system consisting of both a ground segment and a space segment; established by Canada, France, the United States, and the former Soviet Union in 1979.  COSPAS is an acronym for the Russian words "Cosmicheskaya Sistema Poiska Avariynyh Sudov", which translates to "Space System for the Search of Vessels in Distress" and SARSAT is an acronym for Search And Rescue Satellite-Aided Tracking.

Once the Aqualink is manually activated, it broadcasts a unique registered distress signal that communicates to rescuers, who you are and where you are, to within approximately 300 feet.  The unit emits a powerful signal over the internationally recognized 406MHz distress frequency and relays information to orbiting satellites.

The basic Cospas-Sarsat concept starts with a signal transmitted from a radio beacon associated with ELTs (emergency locator transmitter) for aviation use, EPIRBs for maritime use, and PLBs for personal use).  Instruments on board satellites in geostationary and low-altitude Earth-orbits, detect the signals transmitted by distress radio beacons and relay the information to ground receiving stations, which are referred to as Local Users Terminals (LUTs).  Mission Control Centers receive alerts produced by LUTs and while tracking the signal, MCC’s attempt to identify the transmitting vessel by using the database of registered EPRIBS.  This information is then forwarded to a regional Rescue Coordination Center (RCC).

Satellites in high geostationary Earth orbit (GEO) form the GEOSAR System providing almost instantaneous alerting, continuous coverage of the same area of the Earth’s surface, but no position location.  The GEOSAR system consists of 406 MHz repeaters carried on board various geostationary satellites that orbit at an altitude of approximately 23,000 miles and remain fixed relative to the Earth.  These satellites are not effective for viewing the latitudes at the poles due to the increased angle between the satellite and the Earth’s surface.

GEOSAR satellite footprint

LEOSAR satellite footprint

Satellites in low-altitude Earth orbit (LEO) form the LEOSAR System, move from pole to pole and have global coverage but not instantaneous alerting.  The two systems are complimentary wherein the LEOSAR system provides coverage of the Polar Regions (which are beyond the coverage of geostationary satellites).  The LEOSAR system can calculate the location of distress events and is less susceptible to obstructions because the satellite is continuously moving with respect to the beacon.

LEOSAR coverage is not continuous because polar orbiting satellites can only view a portion of the Earth at any given time.  Consequently, the System cannot produce distress alerts until the satellite is in a position where it can "see" the distress beacon.  However, since the satellite processor includes a memory module, the satellite is able to store distress beacon information and rebroadcast it when the satellite comes within view of an LUT and the AquaLink View has the same memory feature.

A single satellite circling the Earth around the poles eventually views the entire Earth surface; the path of the satellite remains fixed while the Earth rotates underneath it.  It takes only one half rotation of the Earth (12 hours) for any location to pass under the satellite.  With a second satellite, having a path at right angles to the first, only one quarter of a rotation is required (6 hours).  The Cospas-Sarsat System uses four satellites and provides a typical waiting time of less than one hour at mid-latitudes.

If all goes well to this point and rescue is fairly imminent, the AquaLink emits a separate 121.5 MHz homing signal to help the rescuers.  In addition, I attached an environmentally safe dye marker to my Personal Floatation Device.  This dye marker is used as a daylight signal to be seen from above, by turning up to 50 sq ft of water bright green.  A simple visual signaling device also attached to the PFD is an orally inflated bright orange sausage that is held vertically, for example, to alert a dive-vessel while one is floating on the surface in full scuba gear and waiting for a pick-up.  The last item and in no way less important is a 3-pack of Orion Pocket Rocket Signal Flares.  These durable and easy to use waterproof flares can be used day and night as a personal distress signal.

 

  

In many ways my approach to the planning process is similar to President Eisenhower’s.  He knew what he wanted.  He could not predict what would happen.  So, he planned like mad.  Not because the plans would work, but because he would be so disciplined that when something unexpected happened he would be prepared. 

39) TransPac 2011 delivery e/m's 22

Sent: Fri, March 18, 2011 1:51:22 PM
Subject: Emailing: 12tp07start1-07

David, Looking for SC 50's, I found this also.  Did you have a copy??

dad

Another Thursday starter will be Honolulu businessman Gib Black's Stag's Leap Winery, a Santa Cruz 50 recently named for its new sponsor. It lived the first 28 years of its life as Chasch Mer, something of an icon as the first of its kind in a long line of successful ultralight racers hatched from designer Bill Lee's legendary chicken coop in Soquel, Calif. 

Randy Parker sailed it in its first Transpac in 1979 and it has done five more since. Black bought it when Parker died two years ago. The boat is a perfect fit for Transpac's following trade winds. 

"This is the boat I was in love with," Black recalled. "I was a surfer as a kid, and this is just a big surfboard."

For those already at sea, it was hardly surfing conditions.

The RUDDER BEARINGS now have to be made & shipped from Denmark!  3+ weeks.
I'm going crazy.

   g

3/20/11

Dave,

Given your extensive long-distance sailing experience, got a couple more clothing questions.......

I'm still figuring out layering under foulies, but over thermal underwear.

You mentioned you favor sweatshirts/hoodys - is that in addition to (ie over) a long-sleeve shirt?

Also, pants under foulies - do you use jeans or have you invested in a different kind of pants

(eg hiking/travel or soft shell pants, etc)?

Not asking you to pack for me :-) But, as you know my off-shore experience was back aways.

Thanks, Clive

Clive,

The toughest part for me to plan for this trip is clothing.  The coldest temps will be in the low 50s several hundred miles off CA and pretty consistent; I do not expect anything colder than that.


A big variable for the entire trip is the lack of a dodger to duck under for the guy not steering.  The guy steering will be exposed to the wind forward of the beam and any spray.  I wear the large waxed hat because when you see the water coming you lean down and it blocks the spray.  The wind will creep through the clothes.  Get a face mask to fight the 6 hours of wind in your face while at the helm.  I have a neck tube that slides up (for snow skiing).


I plan to bring a heavy & loose fitting 2-pc thermal.  I'm not sure if I am going to bring my 1-pc thinsulate jumpsuit due to weight issues and will make the decision at the last minute.  I intend to review the predicted weather pattern and try to determine the temperatures.


I always wear a long-sleeve t-shirt for warmth and to protect against the sun and cuts.  I will put on over the t-shirt a zipped-hoodie which also warms the neck.  The zip allows the flexibility to allow the heat out without dressing down. 


I rarely wear denim jeans because they get stiff at sea, pinch, are not comfortable to sleep in and are not comfortable under foulies.  The only benefit of the denim is the warmth factor.  I wear cargo pants because they are always soft, you can sleep in them and they have lots of pockets.  I have light pairs and heavier pairs. 


Cargo pants allow thermals to fit underneath without a lot of discomfort: denim just doesn't accommodate thermals unless the jeans are really loose. 


I don't bring sweats as the cargo pants take their place.


Keep in mind that you want loose fitting hoodies and t-shirts because you will eventually have a thermal base (and it's more comfortable if it is loose-fitting; I do not wear the skin-tight form-fitting stuff because it is just too uncomfortable).


I am bringing no shorts.


I will regularly sleep in what I am wearing.  It is rare to dress down to sleep.  With a skeleton crew you need to get your ass up and dressed and on deck fast.

Dave

Dave,

Appreciate the fast and comprehensive response!

You've answered my questions.  I get the need for rain hat/face mask.  I know jeans aren't advisable, but thought I'd ping you - cargo pants etc make sense, I need to go invest in some.  I get the sleeping in what you wear - was already assuming it.

Thanks for the help!

Clive

38) Japan's tsunami debris headed for West Coast, then Hawaii

Japan's tsunami debris headed for West Coast, then Hawaii

By Associated Press

POSTED: 08:34 a.m. HST, Mar 29, 2011

SEATTLE; A Seattle oceanographer says some debris from Japan's tsunami and earthquake may wash up on the West Coast in about one to three years, before currents carry it towards Hawaii. 

Curt Ebbesmeyer says how fast the flotsam arrives depends on the material. A derelict vessel could take 12 months, while a rubber ducky may take two to three years.

He says the floating debris will likely flow in a big circle, carried by currents from Japan to Washington, Oregon and British Columbia before turning toward Hawaii and back toward Asia.
 

Most of the debris will be plastic items. Heavier items like cars will sink. Ebbesmeyer and another scientist have been mapping the path of ocean debris for years and he wrote a book about the research.

A local firefighter stands amidst debris in the March 11 earthquake and tsunami-destroyed city of Rikuzentakata, northern Japan Friday. A Seattle researcher says debris from Japan will reach the West Coast in one to three years.(AP Photo/Kyodo News)

Tsunami Debris Fields Challenges Rescuers

Mar 17, 2011 

Tsunami Debris Field - U.S. Pacific Fleet

Videos of the massive 9.0 Richter scale earthquake that struck northeast Japan last week show that mandatory adherence to Japan's rigid earthquake sensitive building codes had largely protected structures from earthquake related damages. Sure, some structures failed under the stress of the powerful earthquake but thanks to Japan's building codes and practices widespread destruction, like that experienced in Haiti last year, was not evident.

Earthquake Destruction Serious but Contained - Tsunami Destruction Catastrophic

Unfortunately, while the earthquake damage was contained and manageable the destruction caused by the tsunami was of horrifying proportions. The 30 foot high tsunami that struck northeastern Japan 15 to 30 minutes after the earthquake largely swept away and destroyed everything in its path. The many videos that have surfaced over the past few days vividly show the destructive power contained within a 30 foot high wall of water.

Once tsunami waters flow back into the sea or settle into low-lying land areas the debris fields that they leave behind present a tremendous challenge to rescuers. The debris field contains the twisted remnants of cars and trucks, shattered smashed houses, tons and tons of mud, all sorts of personal belongings, office and household furnishings, and the mangled remains of human bodies, all compacted together in a revolting mixture of what once represented human life on this earth.

Tsunami Debris Fields Challenge Rescuers Physically and Mentally

The tsunami debris fields challenge rescuers in a number of ways. For one thing, the debris fields are extensive, not only in width and length but in depth. The sheer scope of the areas that need to be searched are daunting. It can take many hours for even large teams of 400 to 500 rescuers to search a small area. The work is extremely dangerous in that the rescuers risk being injured by shattered glass, jagged bits and pieces of metal, splintered timbers, the collapse of unstable structures, and the lack of sound footing.

In tsunami-stricken Japan it is not only the risk of physical injury that hampers the search of rescuers. In an earthquake-damaged area like Haiti rescuers could search for victims within the well-defined areas of collapsed buildings. Usually as buildings collapse there are voids left within the wreckage that provide some shelter to victims. Fortunate victims can often survive for several days within such voids and stand some chance of rescue. Experienced rescuers, backed up by highly trained cadaver dogs, have a reasonable chance of locating and rescuing such survivors within the first few days after an earthquake.

The rescue effort in Japan is much more challenging than that experienced in Haiti. With the tsunami homes and business buildings were torn from their foundations, cars and trucks were swept away, humans engulfed by the walls of water were helpless against its power, and the resulting water soaked debris field could be deposited miles from where the first debris entered the water and compacted debris mix. This means that the rescuers are in effect searching through a huge garbage dump like landfill area that has a depth of 10 to 15 feet and that has few voids within. It has to be difficult to be a rescuer when even after a few hours after the tsunami the potential of finding survivors is so low.

In an article in the New York Times titled "Crews Scour Tsunami Zone for Victims" by Michael Wines, published: March 16, 2011 it is reported that some rescuers are experiencing post tsunami stress disorders which along with the risk of physical injury is making the continued search for survivors even more difficult. It must be discouraging and difficult to continue searching for survivors when only the dead bodies of victims are being found.

Blizzard Adds to Rescue Challenges and Misery of Survivors

In late winter Japan, the weather is adding to the rescuer's challenges. A blizzard and very cold weather is blanketing the search areas making visibility poor and working conditions even more dangerous and miserable. It's like Mother Nature is ashamed of the chaos and deadly effect that has been brought on by the tsunami. Blanketing the debris fields with pure white snow makes terrible conditions for the rescue teams and survivors even worse but it does cover up the horrible sight of massive landfills that likely contain unknown thousands of human remains.

However, snow-covered debris fields offer no consolation for the families of victims. Eventually the snow will melt and the horror and sorrow of the tsunami debris fields will remain. The task of search and rescue will soon become one of recovery only, awaiting the use of heavy construction equipment to begin restoring the landscape. It is a task that will take years to complete.

37) Visualizing the Quake

Visualizing the Quake

On Friday afternoon, when most of us in the US were still sound asleep, Japan was rocked by the largest earthquake in it's history. Registering at a phenomenal 8.9 on the Richter scale, it is the strongest ever recorded on the island nation, and one of the largest anywhere in the last century, according to reports from the New York Times. The quake stirred up a 10-meter high tsunami that went crashing along Japan's northeastern coast, taking the lives of an estimated 1,000 people — though that number is still in flux, and could easily rise in coming days. Meanwhile, on eastern side of the epicenter, the roll of seawater churned, at jetliner speeds, towards the Hawaiian and the California coasts.

This visualization, just released from the NOAA Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory, shows the estimated size of the tsunami — the approximate wave heights that researchers anticipated seeing as the tidal wave traveled across the Pacific basin Friday morning. The largest wave heights, shaded in black, were expected near the earthquake epicenter, just off the coast of Japan. If their models were correct, the wave would decrease in height as it traveled across the deep Pacific, but would also grow taller as it neared coastal areas.

According to NOAA, "in general, as the energy of the wave decreases with distance, the near shore heights will also decrease (e.g., coastal Hawaii will not expect heights of that encountered in coastal Japan). 

As reports of the combined quake and tsunami aftermath continues to unfold, we would like to challenge you — our design community — to visualize this fearsome natural disaster. We're looking for clear, informative, and original visualizations that elucidate any aspect of the event. We're interested in both the earthquake and the ensuing wave — in other words, you might focus on either phenomenon or a combination of the two. You may focus solely on the Japan quake, consider the deeper context of quake/wave history, or think about the broader scope of all natural catastrophes. From Richter scale stats to casualties incurred, tidal wave heights to billions of dollars spent on disaster relief, we hope you'll explore all the data mining possibilities. 

 
This image provided by the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center shows a "tsunami forecast model" created by the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Ewa Beach, Hawaii predicting the wave height of the tsunami generated by the Japan earthquake Friday March 11, 2011. The Hawaii's islands are located at the edge of the yellow pattern, but waves could be higher along the coastline when the tsunami arrives.

36) Waves as Fast as a Jet Plane

This map shows the model calculations for Friday's tsunami. The travel times are represented by the faint blue lines. The colors show the wave heights, from more than 30 feet (dark blue and purple) to less than 1 foot (yellow and green). The model agreed very well with the actual measurements.

The worst damage in Friday's disaster in Japan was not caused by the shaking of the seismic waves themselves, but by the tsunami. Geologic research on sand layers along the coast of northeastern Honshu has shown that the low lying areas in the prefectures of Miyagi and Fukushima have been inundated by huge tidal waves every thousand years or so. Before Friday, the last such tsunami hit the area in 869 AD. It was caused by the Jogan earthquake, which ruptured roughly the same offshore area as Friday's quake. According to historic documents, more than a thousand people perished when the tsunami washed ashore in the plains of Sendai, and the area which is now occupied by the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.  

Although Japan has one of the most sophisticated tsunami warning networks in the world, the coastal region around Sendai is just too close to the quake's epicenter to allow a timely warning. Even though the wave heights were forecast correctly, at more than 30 feet, the arrival of the warning was not early enough for the many inhabitants of the area to take action and flee to high ground. For the rest of Japan's Pacific coast, however, the tsunami warning was very effective.

This is also true for the warning for the whole ocean region, which was issued by the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center (PTWC) in Hawaii. Its scientists issued the first bulletin only nine minutes after the quake. It was not very specific, but stated that the earthquake was strong enough to be able to cause a tsunami. About 15 minutes later, the computers at PTWC had run the first tsunami model for the entire Pacific and the center issued a more detailed warning. It included the arrival times of the tidal wave at coastal towns in many countries and the expected wave heights. The model was updated as more data arrived at PTWC.

A tsunami travels across an ocean at about the speed of a jetliner. Thus, the wave hit the harbor town of Petropavlosk on Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula in about two hours. Five hours later, the wave arrived in Hawaii, causing minor flooding in Hilo. At around 8 am PST on Saturday morning, the tsunami reached California, causing considerable damage in the harbors of Crescent City and Santa Cruz. (See this video by a local TV station.) Finally, thirteen hours after the earthquake, the wave was registered in New Zealand. Traveling at an average speed of 495 miles per hour, it took 21 hours for the tsunami waves to reach the southern Pacific coastal region of Chile, which was devastated by an earthquake in February 2010. That event had a magnitude of 8.8 and was comparable in size to Friday's quake off the coast of Honshu.

The PTWC was established in 1949 after Hawaii suffered major damage from a tsunami caused by an earthquake in Alaska. At first, it issued warnings only for Hawaii, Alaska and the US West Coast. After the giant Chile earthquake of 1960, an intergovernmental agreement extended the PTWC's responsibilities to the entire Pacific basin. During its early years PTWC relied only on seismic measurements. Later, data from tidal gauges began to be used, and after the Indian Ocean tsunami in 2004, many deep sea observatories were added. These sensors are connected by cable to buoys at the ocean's surface, from which data are sent by satellite links to the center's main building near Honolulu. PTWC is operated by NOAA. 

 

How fast do tsunamis travel?

Tsunami wave speed is controlled by water depth. Where the ocean is over 6,000 meters (3.7 miles) deep, unnoticed tsunami waves can travel at the speed of a commercial jet plane, over 800 km per hour (500 miles per hour). Tsunamis travel much slower in shallower coastal waters where their wave heights begin to increase dramatically.