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FYI: WSI Update.103197 (Fwd)
>----------------Begin Forwarded Message----------------<
Date: 31 Oct 1997 17:54:45 -0800
From: "Kevin Hardy" <Kevin_Hardy@igppqm.ucsd.edu>
Subject: WSI Update.103197
To: "SUBRACE LISTSERV" <subrace@ucsd.edu>
Subject: Time: 5:51 PM
OFFICE MEMO WSI Update.103197 Date: 10/31/97
*********
World Submarine Invitational
UCSD/Scripps Institution of Oceanography
Office of the Director
La Jolla, CA
Florida Atlantic University
Department of Ocean Engineering
Boca Raton, FL
*********
October 31, 1997
Dear fellow submariners,
There has been a lot going on behind the scenes regarding human powered
submarine races in general. It's about time for an update.
Here's the current status...
Status of WSI'98 in California
1. There has been a change in management of the Offshore Model Basin,
(Escondido, CA), where we started in-basin events in 1992, and successfully
repeated in 1994 and 1996. It is still unclear whether that facility will be
available to us in 1998. One possibility is paying full commercial daily
rate for the freshwater facility, while shortening the event length to stay
within budget. That will mean 2-hour time blocks in the water instead of
4-hours as before, still plenty of time to do your submarine performance
evaluation. You'll want to come with a tested submarine, however. A good
idea, in any case. The advantage of the higher rate is the dates will be
contractually fixed, allowing you to plan long range. Other logistics
details, including insurance, on-site medical, food service, compressed air,
and more, are already sorted out.
Our proposed dates are (yet to be confirmed):
Preferred dates are:
July 16, Th (8 - 5pm): event set-up
July 17-19, F-Sun : Invitational
July 19 (5pm): event demobilization
First alternate dates are:
July 23, Th (8 - 5pm): event set-up
July 24-26, F-Sun: Invitational
July 26 (5pm): event demobilization
One concern about returning to this site is the speed of human powered
experimental submarines today is approaching 7-knots. Slightly higher for
rocket powered subs <grin>. The in-basin event format was meant to
unshackle human powered submarine designers and allow you to experiment
freely. Your success at innovation has created a problem for west coast
organizers! At 300-ft, the Offshore Model Basin is getting a little short
for the speeds you are now achieving! There is another possibility...
2. Fox Studios/Baja, 25 minutes south of San Diego in Mexico, recently built
a basin to hold a full scale model of the Titanic for the film they are due
to release this December. The Fox site would be like a Disneyland for
submariners! There is a channel in this basin the same width and depth as
Escondido, but 500-ft long! The outdoor basin is situated on a bluff
overlooking the Pacific Ocean. The basin's saltwater is filtered to 4 microns
and chlorinated. The concrete flat area around the channel is something like
an acre or more, creating a virtually unlimited staging area. Water
temperatures will likely be in the mid-60's (F). The facility is fenced and
guarded 24-hours. They have an on-site cafeteria, medical station, and a
full dive locker including showers and a hot tub. Accommodations include a
nearby Marriott Hotel.
We have inquired about the same dates. While Fox is willing to let us
operate in their basin (!), the dates can not be fixed until perhaps late
January due to major film production schedules. We are exploring all avenues
within Fox to improve on that. There will be a meeting with Fox TV next
Monday, November 3, to discuss our event.
We greatly appreciate the past support of the Offshore Model Basin, and are
very grateful to Fox for their current interest. I trust we can find a
solution you can all plan on. You can be certain the San Diego WSI Committee
is staying awake late working to sort this out.
4. Website move and Entry Requirements
Requirements for race entry forms will be delayed an appropriate amount until
we have a better feel for the final dates. If you have any questions, please
send me an e-mail (khardy@ucsd.edu). I'll keep you all updated on a more
frequent basis.
Our webpage has moved to: "http://intergate.hte.com/subrace/". Our old web
address has a pointer to the new location, so it should be an invisible move.
Updates to our page have been delayed while the event site matter has been
discussed. We'll move to correct that.
5. Human Powered Submarine Races'98, Panama City, Florida
A new open ocean human powered submarine event is in planning for next summer
in the Gulf of Mexico by a new independent organization. Some of the HPSR'98
committee came from the original Florida ISR. Their dates will not conflict
with any in California, so teams are free to plan on that event regardless of
the status of San Diego. The submarine design guidelines are pretty close to
San Diego, except, I think, they don't have a one-person category.
HPSR'98 dates are: May 29 - June 7, 1998
Visit their website at: "http://www.panamacity.com/~subraces"
For further information, contact their event director, Doug Hough, at
"subraces@panamacity.com".
This is a new event, and there may be some growing pains, but I think the
Committee has a great attitude about supporting education, innovation, and
individual teams.
Let Doug know what you think.
6. World Submarine Invitational/Florida Atlantic University/1999
FAU will host a full scale event in the open ocean off the shores of
their new facility in Dania, FL. The event Director is a former submarine
team leader.
Dates: TBD
contact: Event Director Rob Coulson, "coulson@oe.fau.edu".
web site: "http://www.oe.fau.edu/" (Invitational Info not yet posted.)
listserv: messages will be carried through this listserv
"subrace@ucsd.edu".
7. ISR'99
The independent east coast in-basin event, returning for it's third time to
Carderock, Md.
Dates: TBD
Location: Naval Surface Warfare Center (David Taylor Model Basin)
Contact: Event Director Jerry Rovner, "JHRovner@compuserve.com"
Web site: "http://isr.dt.navy.mil/"
Listserv: "isr@isr.dt.navy.mil" run by Steven Fisher
"fisher@loki.dt.navy.mil"
8. EuroSub
With any luck, teams in Europe will have their own event! Dr. Bjorn
Sortland at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology has expressed
interest in hosting a human powered submarine event in a beautiful facility
they have access to in Trondheim, Norway.
Their event will affiliate with the World Submarine Invitational through
contacts at FAU and UCSD.
Contact info is:
Dr. Bjorn Sortland, Associate Professor
Norwegian University of Science and Technology, NTNU
Faculty of Marine Technology
N-7034 Trondheim
NORWAY
E-mail address: "Bjorn.Sortland@marin.ntnu.no"
Interest has been expressed from many teams including Spain, Ireland,
France, Russia, and elsewhere.
9. A Federation of Submarine Events
From 1989 through 1994, there was a single event available to submariners,
first in Florida, then in California. Today, as you see above, there are
five. Providing some coherence to the events would make it possible for any
team to operate in any event. It would allow for events to avoid unintended
scheduling conflicts. It would allow organizers to share materials and
experiences. It would allow the beginnings of a custom supplier industry for
basic hulls, propellers, and other submarine parts. It would allow new
events to be created within a framework of minimum standards, including basin
dimensions, water quality, and event support.
Every submarine event Director has recently contributed some ideas to this
general concept. We collectively recognize the benefits of such a
Federation. IHPVA has expressed interest in supporting it. Specific details
such as where it would be headquartered, funding, the amount of
oversight/liability the organization would have, and other specific details
are being discussed.
Experimental Submarining, borne from the fertile imaginations of Dr. Stan
Dunn and H.A. "Hap" Perry in 1989, is today a dynamic environment, with
submarines and events racing ahead. A Federation would help local event
planners, and provide confidence to participants on what they can expect from
organizers.
We'll keep you posted on this exciting development.
10. Other Design Challenges
If the uncertainties of the present state of human powered submarining is
a little too much for you right now, you might consider an alternate design
challenge.
The Engineering Coalition of Schools for Excellence in Education and
Leadership (ECSEL), coordinated by the University of Washington, produces an
on-line Resource Guide which provides a single source of information for
engineering educators on all of the engineering design student competitions
held in this country. These competitions include paper design, model, and
full-scale design competitions. You'll find their website at:
"http://swhite.me.washington.edu/~me570/ecsel/ResGuide/intro.html".
There is a link from the WSI webpage.
11. Other design categories
Once we get the WSI'98 event site details worked out, we can get back to
developing other interesting challenges, such as the Diver Propulsion
Vehicles, Battery Powered submarines, and ROVs.
There is a large interest in K-12 outreach, and we a few ideas on that as
well.
That's about it for today.
Subs Away!
Kevin
khardy@ucsd.edu
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