Subject: Time: 5:35 PM
OFFICE MEMO WSI'98 Green Light! Date: 2/25/98
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World Submarine Invitational'98
Scripps Institution of Oceanography/UCSD
July 24-27, 1998
San Diego, CA
http://www.hte.com/subrace/
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NOTICE TO SUBMARINERS
February 25, 1998
Fellow Submariners,
Good News!
It's Official: Scripps Institution's World Submarine Invitational'98 will
return to San Diego, CA, July 24-27, 1998!
As you know, our biggest concern has been the venue we could offer you. Since
we are asking you to challenge world record speeds, it is incumbent on us as
organizers to set high standards for ourselves and for the event venue.
In our experience as submariners, an appropriate venue must have satisfactory
water clarity, ambient lighting, depth, length, temperature, cleanliness, and
minimal suspended sediments. Open ocean venues must also consider waves and
currents, protecting the marine habitat, and the possibility of any
unfriendly marine life. A venue needs to provide convenient access for
staging, launch, and recovery. These and numerous other details such as air,
rental gear, showers, parking, hotels, and more, go together to ultimately
produce a worldclass event.
The San Diego WSI'98 Committee has been working long hours to pull all these
together.
The site for Scripps' WSI'98 is the same as the original Guinness World
Record runs of 1992: the Pacific Ocean due west of the Scripps pier. For a
view of the pier, check out the Scripps Web site at "http://sio.ucsd.edu/".
Tuna seiner nets, the ones used as catch nets in our past basin events, will
create a virtual "basin-in-the-sea," keeping your experimental submarines
within known bounds. The video timing system will be the one pioneered off
this same pier in 1992. Submarine teams will again pick a preferred day, and
be allowed multiple runs. A maximum of 10 boats will run in one day. No
more than two boats will be in the water at any time, making it simpler to
track the locations of occupants and vehicles. WSI Committee owned
transponder beacons will identify each submarine.
The rules need to be a little stiffer for an open ocean event, compared to
our old basin event. Each sub shall have a mounted flashing light to aid in
tracking and location of the sub. Submarines shall have a droppable 10-lb
keel weight to aid in emergency ascent in lieu of a surface tow buoy. A
releasable emergency buoy is left to the discretion of submariners.
There will be an appropriate number of surface support boats, underwater
surveillance video cameras, and event support divers. Submarine teams must
submit a video (VHS, 8mm, or Hi8) of their submarine in submerged operation a
minimum of a week prior to the event to retain eligibility to be lowered off
the pier.
Though we are more weather dependent than in a basin, southern California
weather at that time of the summer is generally the best of the year.
Lingering warm surface waters and a deep thermocline could produce clear
water ideal for submarine operations. Wave action that time of year is
generally pretty flat.
More information will follow on this listserv and with the update to the
WSI'98 webpage (http://www.hte.com/subrace/).
A second event site has expressed serious interest in hosting an underwater
slalom course for submarines. That existing basin is 100-ft long x 70-ft
wide x 30-ft deep, with crystal clear seawater. Should this become final, we
will offer teams the option of running their submarines at this breakthrough
second venue. This alternate event is optimized for maneuverability, not
speed. Further details will follow, but no design changes will need to be
made to your subs. As required in our past basin events, subs must be
careful to not contaminate the basin in any manner.
A third independent submarine dive is being considered for Tuesday, July 28,
the day after the WSI'98 ends. Within a stone's throw of a San Diego beach
is the U.S. Navy S.37 submarine. Built in 1919, the S.37 was active in the
U.S. fleet through WWII. She was decommissioned in 1946 and towed to sea for
target practice. She broke away, rolled and sank in 40-ft of water where she
lies today. The simple plan is to moor a surface support craft over the
sunken warship, then rendezvous our microsubs at the vessel. Videographers
and photographers will be there to document the gathering. Let me know if
your team is interested in this third dive.
Just to close the loop with you on the other venues we looked at in San
Diego:
1. Fox Studios/Baja (Rosarito Beach, BC, MX): A major motion picture
production has reserved the 500-ft basin facility through September. Should
the movie producers release their hold on the same July dates, that time,
secured with a nonrefundable deposit, could become available as a gift to the
University. Should that happen in the very near future, we may still
consider a shift of venue for the speed event to that site. While the
possibility exists, my honest guess is the probability of that happening is
pretty small.
2. Offshore Model Basin (Escondido, CA): The site of WCSI'94 and WSI'96.
The limited basin length combined with today's submarine speeds makes this
facility unuseful for future events.
3. Arco Olympic Training Center (Chula Vista, CA): Otay Reservoir is used
for Canoe/Kayak and Rowing practice by U.S. Olympians. Subsurface operations
are not possible due to limited visibility.
4. Mission Valley (San Diego, CA): While El Nino rains have flooded most
shops and roadways to respectable depths, nasty currents and swirling
sediments make navigating a submarine overly challenging. ;-)
We thank you all for bearing with us as we shifted to this new venue. As
Dennis Conner once remarked about the America's Cup Races, "This is not an
event for the faint of heart."
We welcome back our many generous sponsors and many supporting agencies.
Thanks again for all your patience and kind wishes.
Together, we will make this a great event.
Subs Away!
Kevin Hardy
WSI'98 Co-Director
Scripps Institution of Oceanography/UCSD
76060.2622@compuserve.com
khardy@ucsd.edu