Wind Power On the Ocean

A few years ago I tried kitesurfing for the first time. My brother had been a sponsored kiteboarder for many years and was always trying to get me to learn, but for some reason I never really got into it. I love sailing all kinds of boats, from small sunfish to delivering 50 foot yachts, once only the sails are pulling you along the magic sets in. The one thing I do remember from my first experience with kitesurfing was the power. I was literally blown away with the amount of power that I had hooked myself into with the kite. On sailboats that power is transmitted into the boat healing over, the mast, the sheets (ropes that control the sails), and some is lost with the resistance of the water. But with a kite as soon as you put it in the air all the power is coming straight to you. I guess this realization of the huge amount of power available through a kite is the reason for an amazing development of using kites to assist with cargo ships.



Kites had been around for many years, but I don't think it was until kitesurfing really took off that people began to rethink the possibilities of harnessing the wind. There is also a group of kitesurfer/fishermen in Hawaii who have converted a sailing trimaran into a kite-powered charter fishing boat. With the grace of steady tradewinds, these islanders and others that have dependable winds might begin to rethink their options for propulsion. Rising fuel costs and a desire to be more eco-friendly are also reasons why we will probably be seeing more and different wind powered vessels out on the oceans. With smaller boats, sails and kites can lend enough power that auxiliary propulsion is only needed to maneuver in restricted areas. On major cargo ships that are out transiting the oceans the use of kites can dramatically reduce their fuel consumption. In ideal conditions fuel savings can be as much as 50%, with a 10-30% average in moderate conditions. Given the massive amount of fuel these ships burn that's a lot of savings, not only in fuel but also in money saved.
So who knows what's around the corner for alternative transportation, or for the next extreme sport. So go fly a kite for fun and feel the power. Let your mind wonder about the next possible way to harness that power, who knows where it will take you.

Lionfish Invade the Atlantic

One of the most beautiful tropical fish people buy for their saltwater aquarium are lionfish. With fan-like fins forming its mane, the maroon and white striped lionfish gracefully conceals its poison within the 18 spines located on top of its body. This natural defense can deliver a nonfatal yet painful, sometimes nauseating sting to humans. Native to the Indo-Pacific region where it has natural predators the lionfish has accidentally been introduced into the Atlantic. The most probable way was by people dumping the fish into the ocean after it became too big for their aquarium, or after they realized what a monster it was eating up all their other expensive tropical fish. This same problem people were witnessing in their own aquarium is now causing concern in the Atlantic. "They're a big problem," said Gail Krueger, outreach coordinator for Gray's Reef National Marine Sanctuary, which is based out of Savannah, Georgia. "They're voracious and they eat everything, And what they like to eat best is baby grouper and snapper." Gray's Reef, a national marine sanctuary saw it's first exotic lionfish less than two years ago, now they can go out on any given day and collect between 10 and 20 at one site. As for now the lionfish prefer warmer, shallower water, but as sanctuary superintendent Goerge Sedberry said, "We expect that these fish will probably adapt to cooler water as time goes on." Lionfish are native to the Indian and South Pacific oceans, where fish such as sharks, eels, and big groupers keep their numbers down. This is not the case in the Atlantic, where local fish haven't evolved to be wary of the lionfish. A 2008 study in the Bahamas indicated a single lionfish on a small patch of reef could wipe out nearly 80% of native fishes in just five weeks. With sightings as far as Rhode Island in the summer these fish pose a serious threat to the native fish of the Atlantic. Gray's Reef, which helped organize a lionfish hunt, is glad to be rid of as many as possible. Way's to control lionfish are still unknown, but a program in the Bahamas encourages eating them. "Their closely related to rockfish, their delicious" said Akira Kanezaki, assistant manager of aquarium acquisitions at the Georgia Aquarium. Lionfish are also rumored to be an aphrodisiac in Asia, which is just one more good reason we need to go out and collect as many of these Atlantic lionfish as possible. So this is not only an informative introduction to the new appearance of lionfish, but a request to collect, spear, and eat every lionfish you see while out diving. Use caution and common sense when handling these fish to avoid a painful injury. Enjoy the ocean and respect its beauty.