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55-482: A regatta is a series of boat races. The term comes from the Venetian language , with regata meaning "contest, contention for mastery"(from regatare ("compete, haggle, sell at retail"), possibly from recatare ) and typically describes racing events of rowed or sailed water craft, although some powerboat race series are also called regattas. A regatta often includes social and promotional activities which surround

110-561: A hyperbaric chamber to allow the divers to escape without undergoing decompression. In the United States, the United States Coast Guard ensures the proper type and number of lifeboats are in good repair on large ships. The United States Navy (USN) uses five types of custom inflatable liferafts as well as a number of commercially available Coast Guard approved liferafts. The 25-person MK-6 and MK-7 are used on surface ships,

165-582: A ship , which is distinguished by its larger size or capacity, its shape, or its ability to carry boats. Small boats are typically used on inland waterways such as rivers and lakes , or in protected coastal areas. However, some boats (such as whaleboats ) were intended for offshore use. In modern naval terms, a boat is a vessel small enough to be carried aboard a ship. Boats vary in proportion and construction methods with their intended purpose, available materials, or local traditions. Canoes have been used since prehistoric times and remain in use throughout

220-484: A boat's hull and covered over with cement. Reinforced with bulkheads and other internal structures it is strong but heavy, easily repaired, and, if sealed properly, will not leak or corrode. As the forests of Britain and Europe continued to be over-harvested to supply the keels of larger wooden boats, and the Bessemer process ( patented in 1855) cheapened the cost of steel, steel ships and boats began to be more common. By

275-460: A canvas top. The new type lifeboat could be driven either by a small motor or sail. In 1943 the US developed a balsa wood liferaft that would not sink, irrespective of the number of holes (from enemy fire) in it. These balsa liferafts were designed to hold five to ten men on a platform suspended on the inside or fifteen to twenty-five hanging lines placed on the outsides. They were inexpensive, and during

330-477: A flaming oil or petroleum product spill from the tanker. Fire protection of such boats is provided by insulation and a sprinkler system which has a pipe system on top, through which water is pumped and sprayed to cool the surface while the boat is driven clear of the flames. This system, while not failsafe against engine failure, allows fireproof lifeboats to be built of fiberglass. Vessels that house saturation divers carry hyperbaric lifeboats which incorporate

385-409: A framework with animal skins, could be equally as old as logboats, but such a structure is much less likely to survive in an archaeological context. Plank-built boats are considered, in most cases, to have developed from the logboat. There are examples of logboats that have been expanded: by deforming the hull under the influence of heat, by raising up the sides with added planks, or by splitting down

440-433: A modern context, empty oil drums). The key difference between a raft and a boat is that the former is a "flow through" structure, with waves able to pass up through it. Consequently, except for short river crossings, a raft is not a practical means of transport in colder regions of the world as the users would be at risk of hypothermia . Today that climatic limitation restricts rafts to between 40° north and 40° south, with, in

495-551: A motor; liferafts usually do not. Large lifeboats use a davit or launching system (there might be multiple lifeboats on one), that requires a human to launch. Lifeboat launching takes longer and has higher risk of failure due to human factors. However lifeboats do not suffer from inflation system failures as inflatable liferafts do. Since 2006 smaller self-rescue lifeboats have been introduced for use by boats with fewer people aboard: these are rigid dinghies with carbon dioxide -inflated exposure canopies and other safety equipment. Like

550-566: A number of which had been carried on Titanic . During World War II and the Battle of the Atlantic with convoys going to northern Russia through the Arctic Ocean it was found that the chance of the crews of merchant ships surviving in open lifeboats was not very good unless they were rescued in a couple of hours. The US Navy asked various groups and manufacturers to suggest solutions. The result

605-690: A particular area or boat type, but are often held just for the joy of competition, camaraderie , and general promotion of the sport. One of the largest and most popular rowing regattas is the Henley Royal Regatta held on the River Thames , England. One of the largest and oldest yachting regattas in the world is Cowes Week , which is held annually by the Royal Yacht Squadron in Cowes , England, and usually attracts over 900 sailing boats. Cowes Week

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660-583: A question at the House of Commons of the United Kingdom about the sinking of PS  Normandy , George Shaw-Lefevre said that ...in the opinion of the Board of Trade , it will not be possible to compel the passenger steamers running between England and France to have boats sufficient for the very numerous passengers they often carry. They would encumber the decks, and rather add to the danger than detract from it. In

715-473: A redundancy against puncture. Two air cylinders containing dry, breathable compressed air provide initial inflation. Depending on the model liferaft, each cylinder may contain up to 5000 psi of compressed air. Each liferaft is equipped with an external, automatically actuated light beacon and internal lighting. Power is provided by lithium batteries . USN liferafts are stowed in heavy-duty fiberglass canisters and can be launched manually or automatically should

770-456: A single one design class and usually last more than one day. Regattas may be hosted by a yacht club , sailing association, town or school as in the case of the UK's National School Sailing Association and Interscholastic Sailing Association (high school) regattas or Intercollegiate Sailing Association (college) regattas. The Barcolana regatta of the yacht club Società Velica di Barcola e Grignano

825-456: A total sufficient for the ship's capacity. The equipment carried in a liferaft is much less than a lifeboat. Unlike lifeboats, liferafts are not self-righting and have no motor. Some ships have a freefall lifeboat stored on a downward sloping slipway normally on the stern of the vessel. These freefall lifeboats drop into the water when the holdback is released. Such lifeboats are considerably heavier as they are strongly constructed to survive

880-410: Is a modern construction method, using wood as the structural component. In one cold molding process, very thin strips of wood are layered over a form. Each layer is coated with resin, followed by another directionally alternating layer laid on top. Subsequent layers may be stapled or otherwise mechanically fastened to the previous, or weighted or vacuum bagged to provide compression and stabilization until

935-446: Is also known as "GRP" (glass-reinforced plastic) in the UK, and "FRP" (for fiber-reinforced plastic) in the US. Fiberglass boats are strong and do not rust, corrode, or rot. Instead, they are susceptible to structural degradation from sunlight and extremes in temperature over their lifespan. Fiberglass structures can be made stiffer with sandwich panels, where the fiberglass encloses a lightweight core such as balsa or foam. Cold molding

990-556: Is currently the Guinness world record holder as the "largest sailing race" with 2,689 boats and over 16,000 sailors at the starting line. Currently, The Three Bridge Fiasco, conducted by the Singlehanded Sailing Society of San Francisco Bay with more than 350 competitors is the largest sailboat race in the United States. Boat A boat is a watercraft of a large range of types and sizes, but generally smaller than

1045-506: Is fitted on ships so that the canister or pump automatically inflates the lifeboat, and the lifeboat breaks free of the sinking vessel. Commercial aircraft are also required to carry auto-inflating liferafts in case of an emergency water landing ; offshore oil platforms also have liferafts. Ship-launched lifeboats are lowered from davits on a ship's deck, and are hard to sink in normal circumstances. The cover serves as protection from sun, wind and rain, can be used to collect rainwater, and

1100-439: Is normally made of a reflective or fluorescent material that is highly visible. Lifeboats have oars, flares and mirrors for signaling, first aid supplies, and food and water for several days. Some lifeboats are more capably equipped to permit self-rescue, with supplies such as a radio, an engine and sail, heater, navigational equipment, solar water stills, rainwater catchments and fishing equipment. The International Convention for

1155-593: Is predated by the Cumberland Cup (1775), Port of Dartmouth Royal Regatta (1822) and Port of Plymouth Regatta (1823). North America 's oldest regatta is the Royal St. John's Regatta held on Quidi Vidi Lake in St. John's, Newfoundland every year since 1818. There exist other traditional and centuries old boat races like Vallam kali of Kerala, India and Dragon Boat Race from China. Sailing race events are typically held for

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1210-443: Is test inflated before repacking. The USN liferafts have a high reliability rate of inflation. The first 19th-century shipboard lifeboat to make a transatlantic crossing was the Red, White and Blue , which made the crossing in 38 days between New York City and Margate , England, with a two-man crew in 1866. In 1870 the yawl City of Ragusa became the second small lifeboat to cross

1265-490: Is the main, and in some cases only, structural component of a boat. It provides both capacity and buoyancy . The keel is a boat's "backbone", a lengthwise structural member to which the perpendicular frames are fixed. On some boats, a deck covers the hull, in part or whole. While a ship often has several decks, a boat is unlikely to have more than one. Above the deck are often lifelines connected to stanchions , bulwarks perhaps topped by gunnels , or some combination of

1320-613: The Baltic , the Plimsoll line was introduced to prevent overloading. Since 1998 all new leisure boats and barges built in Europe between 2.5m and 24m must comply with the EU 's Recreational Craft Directive (RCD). The Directive establishes four categories that permit the allowable wind and wave conditions for vessels in each class: Europe is the main producer of recreational boats (the second production in

1375-458: The birch bark canoe , the animal hide-covered kayak and coracle and the dugout canoe made from a single log. By the mid-19th century, some boats had been built with iron or steel frames but still planked in wood. In 1855 ferro-cement boat construction was patented by the French, who coined the name "ferciment". This is a system by which a steel or iron wire framework is built in the shape of

1430-401: The 1920s, but it was not until the mid-20th century that aluminium gained widespread popularity. Though much more expensive than steel, aluminum alloys exist that do not corrode in salt water, allowing a similar load carrying capacity to steel at much less weight. Around the mid-1960s, boats made of fiberglass (aka "glass fiber") became popular, especially for recreational boats. Fiberglass

1485-400: The 1930s boats built entirely of steel from frames to plating were seen replacing wooden boats in many industrial uses and fishing fleets. Private recreational boats of steel remain uncommon. In 1895 WH Mullins produced steel boats of galvanized iron and by 1930 became the world's largest producer of pleasure boats. Mullins also offered boats in aluminum from 1895 through 1899 and once again in

1540-495: The 50-person MK-8 on aircraft carriers and LRU-13A and LRU-12A on aircraft and submarines respectively. Smaller combatant craft often use 6, 10 or 15-person commercial liferafts. The number of liferafts carried on USN ships is determined based on the maximum number of personnel carried aboard plus 10% as a safety margin. Aircraft carriers carry either 254 MK7 liferafts or 127 MK8 life rafts. While both are similar to heavy-duty commercial liferafts, USN liferafts use breathable air as

1595-647: The Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) and the International Life-Saving Appliance Code (LSA) requires certain emergency equipment be carried on each lifeboat and liferaft used on international voyages. Modern lifeboats carry an Emergency Position-Indicating Radio Beacon (EPIRB) and either a radar reflector or Search and Rescue Transponder (SART). During the Age of Sail , the ship's boats were used as lifeboats in case of emergency. In March 1870, answering

1650-437: The Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) makes it a requirement for merchant ships to have liferafts on each side of the ship, sufficient for all the people on board (the stated capacity of the lifeboat, irrespective of the fact that there may actually be fewer people on board). However, if the lifeboats are "easily transferable" (i.e. have an open deck between port and starboard lifeboat decks), the number of liferafts may be reduced to

1705-441: The balance above and below the surface equal. Boats have a natural or designed level of buoyancy. Exceeding it will cause the boat first to ride lower in the water, second to take on water more readily than when properly loaded, and ultimately, if overloaded by any combination of structure, cargo, and water, sink. As commercial vessels must be correctly loaded to be safe, and as the sea becomes less buoyant in brackish areas such as

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1760-431: The impact with water. Freefall lifeboats are used for their capability to launch nearly instantly, and high reliability in any conditions. Since 2006 they have been required on bulk carriers that are in danger of sinking too rapidly for conventional lifeboats to be released. Seagoing oil rigs are also customarily equipped with this type of lifeboat. Tankers are required to carry fireproof lifeboats , tested to survive

1815-502: The inflation gas rather than carbon dioxide to ensure full inflation within 30 seconds in Arctic environments. Base material used on MK7 life rafts is polyurethane coated fabric which has very high durability. Old MK6 and a few MK8 life rafts are manufactured of neoprene -coated fabric, however, the majority of MK8 liferafts are also manufactured of polyurethane fabric. The lifeboat is compact and made of separate compartments, or "tubes", as

1870-476: The late 1880s, Maria Beasley improved the design of life rafts. She patented a life-saving raft in both the United States and England in 1880. By the turn of the 20th century larger ships meant more people could travel, but safety rules regarding lifeboats remained out of date: for example, British legislation concerning the number of lifeboats was based on the tonnage of a vessel and only encompassed vessels of "10,000 gross register tons (grt) and over". It

1925-469: The lifeboats used before the advent of the petrol engine , these self-rescue dinghies are designed to let the passengers propel themselves to safety by sailing or rowing. In addition to their use as proactive lifeboats, these self-rescue dinghies are also designed to function as unsinkable yacht tenders. An example of a self-rescue dinghy/lifeboat is the Portland Pudgy. The International Convention for

1980-461: The liferafts. Survival equipment includes: manual reverse osmosis desalinator (MROD), bottles of fresh water, individual food packets , fishing kit , signaling mirror, rocket and smoke flares , flashlight , spare sea anchor , first aid kit , paddles , spare batteries and bulbs, and aluminized mylar sheets (" space blankets ") to aid in caring for victims of hypothermia . USN inflatable liferafts are serviced every five years. Each liferaft

2035-449: The middle and adding a central plank to make it wider. (Some of these methods have been in quite recent use – there is no simple developmental sequence). The earliest known plank-built boats are from the Nile, dating to the third millennium BC. Outside Egypt, the next earliest are from England. The Ferriby boats are dated to the early part of the second millennium BC and the end of

2090-465: The military, a lifeboat may double as a whaleboat , dinghy , or gig . The ship's tenders of cruise ships often double as lifeboats. Recreational sailors usually carry inflatable liferafts, though a few prefer small proactive lifeboats that are harder to sink and can be sailed to safety. Inflatable lifeboats may be equipped with auto-inflation ( carbon dioxide or nitrogen ) canisters or mechanical pumps. A quick release and pressure release mechanism

2145-426: The operations size. SOLAS and military regulations require these to be sealed, never opened by the ship's crew; they are removed at set intervals (annually on merchant vessels) and sent to a certified facility to open and inspect the liferaft and contents. In contrast, a lifeboat is open, and regulations require a crew member to inspect it periodically and ensure all required equipment is present. Modern lifeboats have

2200-731: The past, similar boundaries that have moved as the world's climate has varied. The earliest boats may have been either dugouts or hide boats. The oldest recovered boat in the world, the Pesse canoe , found in the Netherlands , is a dugout made from the hollowed tree trunk of a Pinus sylvestris that was constructed somewhere between 8200 and 7600 BC. This canoe is exhibited in the Drents Museum in Assen, Netherlands. Other very old dugout boats have also been recovered. Hide boats, made from covering

2255-405: The racing event, and except in the case of boat type (or "class") championships, is usually named for the town or venue where the event takes place; for example “valley field”. Although regattas are typically amateur competitions, they are usually formally structured events, with comprehensive rules describing the schedule and procedures of the event. Regattas may be organized as championships for

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2310-432: The required 1,060, it still fell over 2,000 shy of the ship's maximum carrying load of 3,330 people. The need for so many more lifeboats on the decks of passenger ships after 1912 led to the use of most of the deck space available even on the large ships, creating the problem of restricted passageways. This attempted to be addressed by creating (or adding) separate lifeboat decks, and the wider use of collapsible lifeboats ,

2365-406: The resin sets. An alternative process uses thin sheets of plywood shaped over a disposable male mold, and coated with epoxy. The most common means of boat propulsion are as follows: A boat displaces its weight in water, regardless whether it is made of wood, steel, fiberglass, or even concrete. If weight is added to the boat, the volume of the hull drawn below the waterline will increase to keep

2420-492: The settlement of Australia sometime between 50,000 and 60,000 years ago. A boat differs from a raft by obtaining its buoyancy by having most of its structure exclude water with a waterproof layer, e.g. the planks of a wooden hull, the hide covering (or tarred canvas) of a currach . In contrast, a raft is buoyant because it joins components that are themselves buoyant, for example, logs, bamboo poles, bundles of reeds, floats (such as inflated hides, sealed pottery containers or, in

2475-665: The ship begin to sink. Automatic launching and inflation is actuated by a change in pressure sensed by a hydrostatic release device should the ship begin to sink. A hand pump is provided to "top-off" pressure at night when temperatures drop and internal air pressure decreases. Relief valves are installed in each tube to prevent overpressure. Repairs to holes or rips up to six inches in length can be made using special sealing clamps. Occupants in USN liferafts are protected from wind, rain and sun by built-in canopies which automatically inflate. Hatches are sealable to prevent rain and seawater from entering

2530-422: The ship sank; many of the crew perished, but the balsa liferafts saved others; ultimately 316 of 1,196 crew survived. TEMPSC (Totally Enclosed Motor Propelled Survival Craft) are mandatory on all merchant vessels, tankers, MODUs, Floating Offshore Oil and Gas Platforms and some fixed offshore oil and gas platforms per 1983 Chapter III amendment to IMO SOLAS 1974. TEMPSC offer superior protection against fire on

2585-507: The ship's "safety equipment certificate". Further details of the boats are found in "Form E" of this certificate. Ships fitted with "free fall" lifeboats are an exception – they have only one boat, at the stern . The Life Saving Appliance (LSA) requires that the following be provided; Liferafts in general are collapsible, and stored in a heavy-duty fiberglass canister, and also contain some high-pressure gas (in commercial models, usually compressed air ) to allow automatic inflation to

2640-715: The third millennium. Plank-built boats require a level of woodworking technology that was first available in the neolithic with more complex versions only becoming achievable in the Bronze Age . Boats can be categorized by their means of propulsion. These divide into: A number of large vessels are usually referred to as boats. Submarines are a prime example. Other types of large vessels which are traditionally called boats include Great Lakes freighters , riverboats , and ferryboats . Though large enough to carry their own boats and heavy cargo, these vessels are designed for operation on inland or protected coastal waters. The hull

2695-518: The two. A cabin may protrude above the deck forward, aft, along the centerline, or cover much of the length of the boat. Vertical structures dividing the internal spaces are known as bulkheads . The forward end of a boat is called the bow , the aft end the stern . Facing forward the right side is referred to as starboard and the left side as port . Until the mid-19th century, most boats were made of natural materials, primarily wood, although bark and animal skins were also used. Early boats include

2750-437: The war thousands were stored in any space possible on US warships and merchant ships. These liferafts were intended only for use during a short term before lifeboats or another ship in the convoy or group could bring them aboard. When USS  Indianapolis , a cruiser operating alone, was sunk on 30 July 1945, none of its larger lifeboats were launched, and the survivors had to rely on balsa liferafts automatically released as

2805-413: The water, poisonous gases and severe weather conditions (especially heat, cold and rough seas). Merchant Vessels whose keels were laid on or before 1 January 1986 are required to have 200% evacuation capacity with one lifeboat fitted on the port side and one on the starboard side, so that a lifeboat is always available even if the ship is listing to one side. Lifeboat capacity is specified and listed on

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2860-716: The world for transportation, fishing, and sport. Fishing boats vary widely in style partly to match local conditions. Pleasure craft used in recreational boating include ski boats, pontoon boats , and sailboats . House boats may be used for vacationing or long-term residence. Lighters are used to move cargo to and from large ships unable to get close to shore. Lifeboats have rescue and safety functions. Boats can be propelled by manpower (e.g. rowboats and paddle boats ), wind (e.g. sailboats ), and inboard / outboard motors (including gasoline , diesel , and electric ). The earliest watercraft are considered to have been rafts . These would have been used for voyages such as

2915-507: The world is located in Poland). European brands are known all over the world - in fact, these are the brands that created RCD and set the standard for shipyards around the world. Lifeboat (shipboard) A lifeboat or liferaft is a small, rigid or inflatable boat carried for emergency evacuation in the event of a disaster aboard a ship. Lifeboat drills are required by law on larger commercial ships. Rafts ( liferafts ) are also used. In

2970-404: Was not until after the sinking of RMS  Titanic on April 15, 1912, that a broader movement began to require a sufficient number of lifeboats on passenger ships for all people on board. Titanic' s gross tonnage of 46,000 tonnes was almost five times that which the Board of Trade lifeboat regulations were based on. Even though the 1,178 person capacity of its 20 lifeboats slightly exceeded

3025-494: Was the first enclosed, unsinkable, self-righting lifeboat, manufactured in Delanco , New Jersey ; the first units were delivered in 1944. These radically new lifeboats were 24 feet (7.3 m) in length and weighed 5,000 lb (2,300 kg). They had two enclosed cabins (one at each end) which could hold a total of 25 persons. The space in between was designed to help persons in the water be pulled aboard, and could be enclosed with

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