test/expected/SLASHDOT/0102637868

   1     ROBOT BOAT SAILS INTO HISTORY BY FINISHING ATLANTIC CROSSING
   2                             (APNEWS.COM)
   3
   4   Thursday September 06, 2018 @11:30PM (msmash)
   5   from the impressive-feat dept.
   6
   7   o Reference: 0102637868
   8   o News link: https://hardware.slashdot.org/story/18/09/06/1719243/robot-boat-sails-into-history-by-finishing-atlantic-crossing
   9   o Source link: https://www.apnews.com/f6d0e2a099684468873ab48966590ada
  10
  11
  12     An  anonymous  reader  writes: For the first time an autonomous
  13     sailing  robot  has  completed  the  Microtransat  Challenge by
  14     crossing  the  Atlantic  from  Newfoundland, Canada to Ireland.
  15     The  Microtransat  has  been running since 2010 and has seen 23
  16     previous  entries  all  fail  to make it across. The successful
  17     boat,  SB  Met  was  built  by  the  Norwegian company Offshore
  18     Sensing  AS  and  is  only 2 metres (6.5 ft) long. It completed
  19     the  crossing  on August 26th, 79 days and 5000 km (3100 miles)
  20     of  sailing  after  departing Newfoundland on June 7th. Further
  21     reading:  A  Fleet  of  Sailing Robots Sets Out To Quantify the
  22     Oceans.
  23
  24
  25   **
  26
  27      ** Re:Hard to understand why this would be difficult (Score:4,
  28         Informative)
  29         (by arth1 ( 260657 ))
  30
  31
  32         You're a landlubber, I take it?
  33         The Atlantic waves are quite an obstacle for a 2m boat.
  34         Even drifting tar (and garbage) is a problem when you're that
  35         small.
  36
  37
  38      ** Re: (Score:3, Funny)
  39         (by Anonymous Coward)
  40
  41
  42         It is not that easy. If you just start sailing in a straight
  43         line, you will end up many kilometers above the sea, which is
  44         no good for a sail boat. If instead you point the boat
  45         straight at the finish line, you'll be under water for most
  46         of the trip. Again, not ideal for a sail boat. The earth is
  47         not flat, you know.
  48
  49         ** Re:Hard to understand why this would be difficult
  50            (Score:4, Funny)
  51            (by Oswald McWeany ( 2428506 ))
  52
  53
  54            I've found a FLAT EARTH DENIER !
  55            I bet you vaccinate your kids and don't believe in lizard
  56            people either.
  57
  58            ** Re: (Score:2)
  59               (by gnick ( 1211984 ))
  60
  61
  62               Flat Earth statistic: If gravity is caused by a flat
  63               earth accelerating at g, it'll reach c after about 1
  64               year (~354 days).
  65
  66               ** Re: (Score:2)
  67                  (by amorsen ( 7485 ))
  68
  69
  70                  > Flat Earth statistic: If gravity is caused by a flat
  71                  > earth accelerating at g, it'll reach c after about 1
  72                  > year (~354 days).
  73                  You are saying that as if it is a problem to hit C,
  74                  like it would be impossible to continue after 354
  75                  days. This is not the case. As long as you only care
  76                  about your own point of view and you're the one
  77                  being accelerated, you can reach as many times C as
  78                  you want (well, have fuel for).
  79
  80                  ** Re: (Score:2)
  81                     (by gnick ( 1211984 ))
  82
  83
  84                     You also have to decide what "at rest" means. A
  85                     year accelerating at g will put you at your
  86                     current velocity + c.
  87
  88                     **
  89
  90                        ** Re: (Score:2)
  91                           (by lokedhs ( 672255 ))
  92
  93
  94                           Would a flat earther believe in relativity
  95                           though? If simple geometry eludes them,
  96                           what would they do when being faced with a
  97                           Lorentz transformation?
  98
  99
 100
 101
 102
 103
 104            ** Re: (Score:2)
 105               (by lgw ( 121541 ))
 106
 107
 108               > I've found a FLAT EARTH DENIER!
 109               > I bet you vaccinate your kids and don't believe in
 110               > lizard people either.
 111               The earth is not flat - that's just silly. When we ent
 112               to the moon, and we did go to the moon, we discovered
 113               the terrifying truth. The MOON is flat!
 114
 115
 116
 117
 118      ** Re:Hard to understand why this would be difficult (Score:4,
 119         Insightful)
 120         (by hey! ( 33014 ))
 121
 122
 123         > There really aren't a lot of obstacles to deal with. Just
 124         > point the boat and go.
 125         I imagine that's true, if you have an effectively unlimited
 126         energy, but the terms of this contest is to build a vehicle
 127         less than eight feet long that can cross the Atlantic.
 128         That's not a lot of room to stuff with batteries or diesel
 129         fuel, or to cover with solar panels. And that's the whole
 130         point. If you could make the vehicle a hundred feet long,
 131         this challenge would be expensive, but easy. By making the
 132         boat tiny, you make the challenge affordable, but tough.
 133         The race has two divisions, sail powered and unlimited, but
 134         it's hard to see what they had in mind for propulsion by
 135         having an unlimited division. Possibly some
 136         seawater-replenished fuel cell.
 137
 138         **
 139
 140            ** Bottles with corks have traversed the Atlantic (Score:2)
 141               (by aberglas ( 991072 ))
 142
 143
 144               Being small means relative high strength. A solid two
 145               meter boat should indestructible by waves. No need to
 146               keep a human alive, nor to go very fast. A very basic,
 147               fixed, small but strong sail would do.
 148               Ice bergs could be a problem. Surely better to start
 149               further south. Longer but safer. Also need to stay out
 150               of shipping lanes.
 151               I think this could be done without a computer. Just a
 152               magnetic compass controlling a rudder. Occasionally it
 153               would be blown backwards but no big deal. No need to
 154               worry about po
 155
 156
 157
 158
 159   ** KABLAM (Score:1)
 160      (by fluffernutter ( 1411889 ))
 161
 162
 163      No concrete barriers in the ocean?
 164
 165      ** Re: (Score:2)
 166         (by zlives ( 2009072 ))
 167
 168
 169         or pedestrians
 170
 171
 172   ** A small achievement... (Score:2)
 173      (by Bearhouse ( 1034238 ))
 174
 175
 176      Sure the Atlantic can be a tough place, but 79 days?
 177      Single-handed (human) record is 3 1/2 days...
 178      [1]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/... [wikipedia.org]
 179
 180
 181
 182
 183      [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transatlantic_sailing_record
 184
 185      ** Re:A small achievement... (Score:4, Informative)
 186         (by careysub ( 976506 ))
 187
 188
 189         This is a 2 meter vessel, not a large racing hull built to be
 190         fast (and nothing but fast). Using the page you link to, the
 191         most useful comparison would be the single-handed records,
 192         and the one from 1987 which was about 11.5 days was in a 26
 193         meter hull! And this is the smallest vessel on the list. You
 194         are probably not going to get a 2 meter vessel to tear along
 195         at an average speed of 7.5 m/sec which would be needed for
 196         that 11.5 day crossing.
 197
 198         ** Re: (Score:3)
 199            (by Solandri ( 704621 ))
 200
 201
 202            There have been a few sailboats in the 2 meter size range
 203            which have made the transatlantic crossing.
 204
 205            Hugo Vihlen aboard April Fool (1.8m) in 84 days in 1968,
 206            though technically he never finished since he was picked
 207            up by the USCG 6 miles offshore.
 208            Tom MacNally aboard the Vera Hugh (1.64m) in 134 days in
 209            1993.
 210            Hugo Vihlen again aboard the Father's Day (1.62m) in 115
 211            days in 1993.
 212            Tom MacNally unsuccessfully attempted the trip again
 213            aboard a 1.19m craft in 1998. He passed away last year.
 214            [1]Site with picture [microcruising.com]
 215
 216
 217
 218
 219            [1] http://www.microcruising.com/famoussmallboats.htm
 220
 221
 222
 223      ** Re: (Score:3)
 224         (by careysub ( 976506 ))
 225
 226
 227         Also note that the world speed record for a radio-controlled
 228         sailing vessel (which was also 2 meters long) is [1]157.65 km
 229         in 23 hours 42 min [guinnessworldrecords.com] in the milder
 230         waters of the Mediterranean. At that world record speed in a
 231         small RC boat this challenge would have taken 32 days.
 232         So 79 days in a boat not controlled by a human, and not
 233         limited to a 24 hour period, in the open waters of the
 234         Atlantic is not so shabby. The speed made good over that
 235         whole journey is 40% of that 24 hour record.
 236
 237
 238
 239
 240         [1]
 241         http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/greatest-di-
 242         stance-by-radio-controlled-model-sailing-ship-in-24-hours-(rc)
 243
 244
 245      ** Re: (Score:3)
 246         (by arth1 ( 260657 ))
 247
 248
 249         > Sure the Atlantic can be a tough place, but 79 days?
 250         The Mayflower took 66 days to cross, and was much bigger.
 251
 252
 253   **
 254
 255      ** Re: (Score:2)
 256         (by zlives ( 2009072 ))
 257
 258
 259         shipping containers are more profitable.
 260
 261
 262   ** And now the jokes begin... (Score:1)
 263      (by Jharish ( 101858 ))
 264
 265
 266      ..."I rowboat".
 267      https://www.theonion.com/i-rowboat-1819583491
 268
 269      ** Re: (Score:2)
 270         (by starless ( 60879 ))
 271
 272
 273         Followed later by Cory Doctorow
 274         [1]http://bestsciencefictionstori... [bestscienc...tories.com]
 275
 276
 277
 278
 279         [1]
 280         http://bestsciencefictionstories.com/2009/03/29/i-row-boat-by-
 281         cory-doctorow/
 282
 283
 284   ** Description wrong? Not autonomous? (Score:5, Informative)
 285      (by starless ( 60879 ))
 286
 287
 288      > For the first time an autonomous sailing robot...
 289      From the linked article:
 290      [1]https://www.apnews.com/f6d0e2a... [apnews.com]
 291      > The Sailbuoy competed in the “unmanned” class, which allows
 292      > operators to change its course along the way. There’s a separate
 293      > “autonomous” class that prohibits any such communication.
 294      >>
 295
 296
 297
 298
 299      [1] https://www.apnews.com/f6d0e2a099684468873ab48966590ada
 300
 301   ** So you crossed the sea, Columbot (Score:1)
 302      (by DulcetTone ( 601692 ))
 303
 304
 305      Don't forget that indigenous robots have rights, too.
 306
 307