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