Water Sports!

 Not near the Sea?

Since many people do not live near the sea, they have to find a alternative such as rivers, lakes and reservoirs that are the next best thing for small dinghies, water boarding and canoeing many other types and they are very popular!, 

Perhaps because in some cases they are safer, but on lakes and rivers currents do remain a danger to paddle boards and rafters, even in controlled environments, when errors of judgement are made?

Jet skiing and many motors sports can be done on a lake are worth the practice before doing on the sea and that applies to all the above since the sea is unpredictable than being flat calm in some cases!

Cargo Ships. Part-Three.

Differing Loads.

Most of today's cargo traffic is part of the container world, the container protects goods and also hides them from prying eyes. But not all goods that need moving by sea can fit into a container and so a group of ships have been designed to meet this criteria in the term General Cargo.

Some vessels carry odd shaped loads, other pre-built housing and machinery, others have been adapted as internal tankers, others for fertilisers, various types of ground down rocks and still others for coal. They all fit the category for sea and large canal operations and are flexible in what they take from A-to-B.

Today there are thousands of these types of vessels operating right across the world, some are quite aged and still chugging along while newer ones are more state of the art with low loading and their own cranes.

Sleds...

From Santa to the Polar regions.

The sled business remains big business, because they are in their modern motorised form an essential for travelling across and working in all snowy regions. In my research since last time during this part of the year I have not been able to find out much more.

There does not seem to be any books on the subject, perhaps someone will be able to enlighten me to this. There must be many countries involved in the design and production of these machines, such as Scandinavia, Japan, the U.S. and Canada.

The Christmas sled has more of an origin in Russia, than Lapp land or Switzerland. This was used as transport from ancient times in winter and polar conditions. Rivers that are not frozen remain a problem, apart from that military vehicles today seem to be snow tractors of various types over sleds or skies. Many aircraft also are fitted with sleds and skis to cope with winter conditions of ice. 

Blade Runners. Part-Two.

Russia.

The Soviet Union took advantage of this platform and developed several military and civil crafts.
The largest being the Babochka (Butterfly), which became a Naval Fast attack Missile Hydrofoil, capable of speeds in excess of 50 Knots. It was powered by 3x 12-15000 hp Diesel turbine engines.

These type of craft were designed to patrol river estuaries and to intercept intruders. Speed was initially essential but as missile technology and satellite linked systems have improved a hostile could be knocked out at some distance.

Hydrofoils are venerable to loosing their legs, but speed and system technology has improved their chances as a fighting machine, Russian went on to develop slightly smaller FAC and a whole host of civil hydrofoils as ferries in their vast country where in some places this is the only suitable means of travel.

Canal Barges. Part-Two.

Shipping and Networks.

Canals came before the railways and remain one of the most effective ways to move goods across land locked countries as in Russia, China, central Europe and the U.S. Deep rivers can be connected on the network of ship canals. 

In Europe you can get from the Netherlands to the German Rhine river and then by Canal to the Danube, eventually arriving in the Black sea. Both in Russia and China vast distances can be traversed. The ships that ply these routes fifty years ago would have been called 'Coasters or 'Puffers.'

The future for these networks are very much in demand and as long as they are maintained they will remain viable for developing economies.

Canal Barges. Part-One.

Britain and the rest of the world.

The canal barge and coaster remain a very viable form of transport across the world today, from the River Rhine in Germany to the many rivers of China. 

These flat bottomed vessels can move from rivers to man made canals to the sea with ease. Today's shipping is far flung from the early days of invention and development in England, UK. 

The UK retains the long barge now almost soley for pleasure and living use. But some river barge industries remain in the river Thames.