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:
  13
  14     >  For the first time an autonomous sailing robot has completed
  15     the  [1]Microtransat Challenge by [2]crossing the Atlantic from
  16     Newfoundland,  Canada  to  Ireland  . The Microtransat has been
  17     running  since  2010  and has seen 23 previous entries all fail
  18     to  make it across. The successful boat, [3]SB Met was built by
  19     the  Norwegian  company  [4]Offshore  Sensing  AS and is only 2
  20     metres  (6.5  ft)  long.  It  completed  the crossing on August
  21     26th,  79  days  and  5000  km  (3100  miles)  of sailing after
  22     departing Newfoundland on June 7th.
  23
  24     Further  reading:    [5]A  Fleet  of Sailing Robots Sets Out To
  25     Quantify the Oceans .
  26
  27
  28
  29     [1] https://www.microtransat.org/
  30
  31     [2] https://www.apnews.com/f6d0e2a099684468873ab48966590ada
  32
  33     [3] https://www.microtransat.org/2018_sailbuoy_boat.php
  34
  35     [4] http://sailbuoy.no/
  36
  37     [5] https://science.slashdot.org/story/18/05/16/228245/a-fleet-
  38     of-sailing-robots-sets-out-to-quantify-the-oceans
  39
  40
  41   **
  42
  43      ** Re:Hard to understand why this would be difficult (Score:4,
  44         Informative)
  45         (by arth1 ( 260657 ))
  46
  47
  48         You're a landlubber, I take it?
  49         The Atlantic waves are quite an obstacle for a 2m boat.
  50         Even drifting tar (and garbage) is a problem when you're that
  51         small.
  52
  53
  54      ** Re: (Score:3, Funny)
  55         (by Anonymous Coward)
  56
  57
  58         It is not that easy. If you just start sailing in a straight
  59         line, you will end up many kilometers above the sea, which is
  60         no good for a sail boat. If instead you point the boat
  61         straight at the finish line, you'll be under water for most
  62         of the trip. Again, not ideal for a sail boat. The earth is
  63         not flat, you know.
  64
  65         ** Re:Hard to understand why this would be difficult
  66            (Score:4, Funny)
  67            (by Oswald McWeany ( 2428506 ))
  68
  69
  70            I've found a FLAT EARTH DENIER !
  71            I bet you vaccinate your kids and don't believe in lizard
  72            people either.
  73
  74            ** Re: (Score:2)
  75               (by gnick ( 1211984 ))
  76
  77
  78               Flat Earth statistic: If gravity is caused by a flat
  79               earth accelerating at g, it'll reach c after about 1
  80               year (~354 days).
  81
  82               ** Re: (Score:2)
  83                  (by amorsen ( 7485 ))
  84
  85
  86                  > Flat Earth statistic: If gravity is caused by a flat
  87                  > earth accelerating at g, it'll reach c after about 1
  88                  > year (~354 days).
  89                  You are saying that as if it is a problem to hit C,
  90                  like it would be impossible to continue after 354
  91                  days. This is not the case. As long as you only care
  92                  about your own point of view and you're the one
  93                  being accelerated, you can reach as many times C as
  94                  you want (well, have fuel for).
  95
  96                  ** Re: (Score:2)
  97                     (by gnick ( 1211984 ))
  98
  99
 100                     You also have to decide what "at rest" means. A
 101                     year accelerating at g will put you at your
 102                     current velocity + c.
 103
 104                     **
 105
 106                        ** Re: (Score:2)
 107                           (by lokedhs ( 672255 ))
 108
 109
 110                           Would a flat earther believe in relativity
 111                           though? If simple geometry eludes them,
 112                           what would they do when being faced with a
 113                           Lorentz transformation?
 114
 115
 116
 117
 118
 119
 120            ** Re: (Score:2)
 121               (by lgw ( 121541 ))
 122
 123
 124               > I've found a FLAT EARTH DENIER!
 125               > I bet you vaccinate your kids and don't believe in
 126               > lizard people either.
 127               The earth is not flat - that's just silly. When we ent
 128               to the moon, and we did go to the moon, we discovered
 129               the terrifying truth. The MOON is flat!
 130
 131
 132
 133
 134      ** Re:Hard to understand why this would be difficult (Score:4,
 135         Insightful)
 136         (by hey! ( 33014 ))
 137
 138
 139         > There really aren't a lot of obstacles to deal with. Just
 140         > point the boat and go.
 141         I imagine that's true, if you have an effectively unlimited
 142         energy, but the terms of this contest is to build a vehicle
 143         less than eight feet long that can cross the Atlantic.
 144         That's not a lot of room to stuff with batteries or diesel
 145         fuel, or to cover with solar panels. And that's the whole
 146         point. If you could make the vehicle a hundred feet long,
 147         this challenge would be expensive, but easy. By making the
 148         boat tiny, you make the challenge affordable, but tough.
 149         The race has two divisions, sail powered and unlimited, but
 150         it's hard to see what they had in mind for propulsion by
 151         having an unlimited division. Possibly some
 152         seawater-replenished fuel cell.
 153
 154         **
 155
 156            ** Bottles with corks have traversed the Atlantic (Score:2)
 157               (by aberglas ( 991072 ))
 158
 159
 160               Being small means relative high strength. A solid two
 161               meter boat should indestructible by waves. No need to
 162               keep a human alive, nor to go very fast. A very basic,
 163               fixed, small but strong sail would do.
 164               Ice bergs could be a problem. Surely better to start
 165               further south. Longer but safer. Also need to stay out
 166               of shipping lanes.
 167               I think this could be done without a computer. Just a
 168               magnetic compass controlling a rudder. Occasionally it
 169               would be blown backwards but no big deal. No need to
 170               worry about po
 171
 172
 173
 174
 175   ** KABLAM (Score:1)
 176      (by fluffernutter ( 1411889 ))
 177
 178
 179      No concrete barriers in the ocean?
 180
 181      ** Re: (Score:2)
 182         (by zlives ( 2009072 ))
 183
 184
 185         or pedestrians
 186
 187
 188   ** A small achievement... (Score:2)
 189      (by Bearhouse ( 1034238 ))
 190
 191
 192      Sure the Atlantic can be a tough place, but 79 days?
 193      Single-handed (human) record is 3 1/2 days...
 194      [1]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/... [wikipedia.org]
 195
 196
 197
 198
 199      [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transatlantic_sailing_record
 200
 201      ** Re:A small achievement... (Score:4, Informative)
 202         (by careysub ( 976506 ))
 203
 204
 205         This is a 2 meter vessel, not a large racing hull built to be
 206         fast (and nothing but fast). Using the page you link to, the
 207         most useful comparison would be the single-handed records,
 208         and the one from 1987 which was about 11.5 days was in a 26
 209         meter hull! And this is the smallest vessel on the list. You
 210         are probably not going to get a 2 meter vessel to tear along
 211         at an average speed of 7.5 m/sec which would be needed for
 212         that 11.5 day crossing.
 213
 214         ** Re: (Score:3)
 215            (by Solandri ( 704621 ))
 216
 217
 218            There have been a few sailboats in the 2 meter size range
 219            which have made the transatlantic crossing.
 220
 221            Hugo Vihlen aboard April Fool (1.8m) in 84 days in 1968,
 222            though technically he never finished since he was picked
 223            up by the USCG 6 miles offshore.
 224            Tom MacNally aboard the Vera Hugh (1.64m) in 134 days in
 225            1993.
 226            Hugo Vihlen again aboard the Father's Day (1.62m) in 115
 227            days in 1993.
 228            Tom MacNally unsuccessfully attempted the trip again
 229            aboard a 1.19m craft in 1998. He passed away last year.
 230            [1]Site with picture [microcruising.com]
 231
 232
 233
 234
 235            [1] http://www.microcruising.com/famoussmallboats.htm
 236
 237
 238
 239      ** Re: (Score:3)
 240         (by careysub ( 976506 ))
 241
 242
 243         Also note that the world speed record for a radio-controlled
 244         sailing vessel (which was also 2 meters long) is [1]157.65 km
 245         in 23 hours 42 min [guinnessworldrecords.com] in the milder
 246         waters of the Mediterranean. At that world record speed in a
 247         small RC boat this challenge would have taken 32 days.
 248         So 79 days in a boat not controlled by a human, and not
 249         limited to a 24 hour period, in the open waters of the
 250         Atlantic is not so shabby. The speed made good over that
 251         whole journey is 40% of that 24 hour record.
 252
 253
 254
 255
 256         [1]
 257         http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/greatest-di-
 258         stance-by-radio-controlled-model-sailing-ship-in-24-hours-(rc)
 259
 260
 261      ** Re: (Score:3)
 262         (by arth1 ( 260657 ))
 263
 264
 265         > Sure the Atlantic can be a tough place, but 79 days?
 266         The Mayflower took 66 days to cross, and was much bigger.
 267
 268
 269   **
 270
 271      ** Re: (Score:2)
 272         (by zlives ( 2009072 ))
 273
 274
 275         shipping containers are more profitable.
 276
 277
 278   ** And now the jokes begin... (Score:1)
 279      (by Jharish ( 101858 ))
 280
 281
 282      ..."I rowboat".
 283      https://www.theonion.com/i-rowboat-1819583491
 284
 285      ** Re: (Score:2)
 286         (by starless ( 60879 ))
 287
 288
 289         Followed later by Cory Doctorow
 290         [1]http://bestsciencefictionstori... [bestscienc...tories.com]
 291
 292
 293
 294
 295         [1]
 296         http://bestsciencefictionstories.com/2009/03/29/i-row-boat-by-
 297         cory-doctorow/
 298
 299
 300   ** Description wrong? Not autonomous? (Score:5, Informative)
 301      (by starless ( 60879 ))
 302
 303
 304      > For the first time an autonomous sailing robot...
 305      From the linked article:
 306      [1]https://www.apnews.com/f6d0e2a... [apnews.com]
 307      > The Sailbuoy competed in the “unmanned” class, which allows
 308      > operators to change its course along the way. There’s a separate
 309      > “autonomous” class that prohibits any such communication.
 310      >>
 311
 312
 313
 314
 315      [1] https://www.apnews.com/f6d0e2a099684468873ab48966590ada
 316
 317   ** So you crossed the sea, Columbot (Score:1)
 318      (by DulcetTone ( 601692 ))
 319
 320
 321      Don't forget that indigenous robots have rights, too.
 322
 323