The truck arrived this morning. Coincidentally, as Facebook chose to remind me this morning, exactly four years to the day that Rivershark last went to Washington! Same crate, same boat, different route. Last time, she travelled via London on a trailer behind my car. This time, a non-descript white truck with "Vladimir" at the wheel turned up quietly (well, as quietly as a 7,5 tonne truck can ever be) on campus, and just as unceremoniously departed, with a crate forklifted aboard to the groaning of suspension elements.
Then it was time to do a bit of clean up, both in the lab and in the email. There a delightful surprise was confirmed: Volksbank Kleverland has come through at the last minute with a sponsorship offer. They join the Förderverein Campus Cleve and Autohaus Evers as our primary sponsors – thank you to you all!
An early morning start for four of us today. It's going to be a long one. The check-in at Delta airlines in Düsseldorf felt like we were in a pick-up bar. Two friendly ladies in airline uniforms chatting us up almost as if they were flirting – an odd charade as an exercise in passenger profiling. Disconcerting, but hey, if that's the price we have to pay to travel safely, then I don't mind talking to strangers about submarines!
After a long bumpy airplane ride to Atlanta, we get our first experience of Trump's America. US Customs and Border Control has never been an inspiring experience, but now they've redefined inefficiency. An hour and a half later we're going through Security again. Airport strip-tease is the new sport of the day. Then sprint across the jungle of Atlanta airport to the connecting flight. Hopefully our luggage had an easier time in Customs.
A short flight on an ancient airplane, and voila. Washington. Dulles Airport. Smooth. Team reunion at baggage reclaim, and off to the rental car company. Here we were in for a shock. I'd forgotten how sparing North American car rental companies are with truth in advertising. The $400 price I'd agreed to online for a two-week booking turned into $1500 by the time they were done adding the minimum insurance and taxes! Too tired and too surprised to care anymore, I begrudgingly traded my long-suffering credit card for the keys to a nondescript Virginia-plated Something-or-Another with wheels.
After that it got better. The motorway was clear in to town (a minor miracle in Washington DC), the hotel was clean (if a little run-down), and dinner at "Social Burger" was excellent, including the Bitburger Radler! Email checked – the submarine is in Washington! All is good.
Breakfast was less good. Well, the bagels were ok, but the coffee – well let's not talk about that. The important bit is that the submarine is at the airport needs rescuing from the clutches of the US Customs and Border Patrol. A quick email and a phone call to our broker gets that process moving, and some more internet surfing lines up a UHaul truck. Some minor patience is required in traffic, but then we're off to the airport.
This was the simplest Customs Clearance in my submarine racing history. Dave the broker at JS Connor had the paperwork all waiting for me when we arrived, and we could pop over to KLM to collect the submarine. That was also unsettlingly easy. Five minutes of forklift dance (by the second driver), and the crate was loaded in the back of the UHaul, whose suspension groaned approvingly.
To the campsite and unpack. There had indeed been some shifting of contents during flight, but nothing injured irreparably. Another few hours' work and Camp Rivershark was set up in a forest on the banks of the mighty Potomac River (Swimming verboten. "Accidentally falling in" = legal grey area).
It's hot. Even after the rain, it's hot. This is going to take some getting used to.
Adventures in international travel. Nothing quite like it. The team's stories are blogs in and of themselves. One thought she was going to New York – one broken airplane later, and it's welcome to Boston. Another: luggage? What luggage? Oh, you mean that bag in Dusseldorf? We'll send it to your home for you. Heat stroke? Good thing the Greyhound is air conditioned. A Bethesda taxi driver who'd never been to West Bethesda. Hitchhiking in America - pure entertainment. And the #32 bus – always an adventure in pedestrian ecstasy after you get off in the middle of nowhere.
But now we're all assembled (well almost all – still a few in the air).
The sub on the other hand, is anything but (assembled, that is). The parking lot full of tools and parts was the first clue, but the proverbial hit the fan just before the sun went down, as it became clear that the sub really wasn't ready to go to the base in the morning. Suddenly feeling the time pressure, the team buckled down and the night shift got started. Surreal, somehow, to be sanding the hull to fit the window and lateral line panels in the dark with a battery powered grinder and a forehead mounted flashlight! By the end of the evening, though, the bbq-powered spurt of energy was enough to convince us all as we went to bed that we'd be able to get the boat ready for delivery the next day.
Now it's finally time. Today's goal: the qualification checks. The sub's gotta pass the "dry check" - scrutineering by the judges before it gets wet to ensure all systems are compliant with the design rules, then the "wet check" where crucial safety systems have to be demonstrated to a judge underwater. Confident that our sub is ready for both, we head off to the base.
After some minor difficulties, including one team member found lost on the side of the road and three more in a police car (what happens in Washington, stays in Washington…), we all got through the front gate security and up to Camp Rivershark. Our lovely tiger shark was waiting there happily grinning in the sun.
By mid day, we were ready. Call the judges. Excitement building in the camp. Will we make it? What picaune bits of silliness will they choose to fail us on? Surely our beautiful boat is ready to go?
Well, turns out we did forget one thing. The straps on the pedals had to be painted orange. No problems - spray can fixed that quick.
But… Then they asked about our sensor systems. And it all ground to a halt.
The sonar is apparently a Big Hairy Deal. We've been going back and forth with the judges all winter about it, but it all got unclear after a US Navy doctor got involved. There's been a lot of discussion behind the scenes, which we have only now just been made party to. Apparently there's even been some new secret research done by the Navy which has raised some concerns about high-frequency sonar in extreme conditions, and in particular on the causes of whale strandings which have potentially been the result of sonar-animal interactions. The power of those sonars is much higher than our little machine, but everybody's worried.
Simple solution: the sonar is disqualified. For now. The saga continues.
Never mind. The show goes on. Dry check otherwise passed, it's time to load the boat and dress the divers. Off to the basin and onto the lift. After our diver safety checks on the lift, we descend with our Rivershark into the depths (well, ok, three feet, but still, that water is cold!). Then off the lift will full BCDs and regs in mouths. The boat was a little heavier than we expected, but an idle Omer diver lent us a quick hand and we settled the boat down to the bottom gracefully.
Wet check. Let's practice first. Always a good idea, right? So down we go, test the emergency buoy. Works first time. Good. Check. Now the pilot. Tobi brings Alam to the bottom, and he steps into the sub. Idea is, get feet in the pedals, close the hatch, then practice the signals, test the buoy again, open the hatch from the inside, and get out. All practice. At least, that was the plan. Unbeknown to the rest of the team, and in particular to Alam the pilot in his machine, I had been replaced at the signalling station by the judge. So Alam just dutifully followed the judge's instructions. All ok. The confusion started when I simply took him to the surface after the "practice". Only once we could talk again, could I explain to everyone that we had just passed the wet check!
Now we're qualified to race!
We were out of time, however. The hard part now was to get the submarine up from the bottom. Remember it was heavy on its way down. So we dragged down all of the foam we had available, but it still wasn't enough. The boat stayed stuck on the bottom. We could have lifted her on our BCDs, but that's a risky manoeuvre which requires really experienced divers to do, and we're not that experienced (yet). So instead, we "anchored" the boat to the surface with a 20 litre chunk of foam, and hauled her up. Like weighing the anchor on a fishboat, but upside down! Very odd, but hey it worked. What's that saying? Necessity is the mother of invention!
Our foam anchor was not the strangest sight at the races, by a long shot. Our Camp Rivershark is right next to Umptysquatch, a high school team from New Jersey who have taken part in every race since the turn of the century. Their fabulously creative submarine this year is a jet-propelled device painted up like a giant ice-cream cone, complete with a cherry on top!
As we left the base and headed off for a Starbucks and a pizza, we were feeling good about our progress. We're ready to race tomorrow!
Frustration. That's the word for it. Simple things should be simple, but often in life (and in submarine racing) they just aren't. Buoyancy. Simple concept. Displaced volume equals weight. Foam and cork go up; fibreglass, aluminum, steel and lead go down. Really shouldn't be hard, but it's the bugbear every year for every team. Maybe it's because it's mathematically so easy that teams just don't consider it. Whatever the reason, it got us today.
The day started out really well. All on to the base in a three-pass delivery with Goliath, our little red rental car. Alam and Leonie went straight to the captains' meeting while the others got stuck into sticking foam to the inside of the boat. A foam bulkhead behind the sonar in the bow, and a layer of foam all along the top of the hull. That was the plan. Stymied by all the wrong glue. Finally though, by mid morning a biomimetic solution had been found: velcro! (that, and plenty of cable ties and duct tape…). The team were confident now that the boat would float.
Meanwhile, the discussions continued about the sonar. Yesterday, the final decision had been that it would be allowed, particularly as there was nothing in the rules that forbade it. Then at the very end of the day, word came from the Navy medical officer that no it wouldn't. This morning the negotiations continued. Delicately. Lots of scientific opinion went both ways. Frustrating that he couldn't share the data that bothered him from the classified research the Navy has been conducting. He was as good as he could be without losing his security clearance, and I have to respect that. Still. The scientist in me was screaming inside for knowledge, but I bit my tongue and accepted the uneven playing field. My argument is that the sonar emits a signal very similar in amplitude and beam pattern to the echolocation clicks of a dolphin, and nobody is considering banning dolphins. In the end, we came to a compromise of "give it a try once, then we'll reevaluate". That will work for us.
Frustration started to set in as the team got the submarine to the bottom. Moving foam around the boat on the bottom, trying to "catch the trim" as submariners say, was a lot harder than anyone expected. Underwater work is hard enough, and the added stress of the race time pressure just pushed everyone to the limits. In the end, the team had to surface as air supplies ran low and the clock demanded that the team go give its design presentation. Rivershark stayed on the bottom with a bunch of weights anchoring her to the ground. Divers returned to the surface in a somber mood, and frustration threatened to pull the team apart.
Alam, Claudio and I left the camp and gathered at the judges' room. The presentation was a simple one, and went well. The judges were excited about our automation, and in particular about Claudio's new lateral line sensor.
After lunch, presentation and air refills, we went back down to our submarine. Forlorn on the bottom. Seemingly as frustrated as we were. Things started quickly to look up though. The morning team had got really very close, and it only took me another patient forty five minutes to get the last of the foam properly distributed. Meanwhile, Sören and Toni worked with Leonie to get her neutrally buoyant on the bottom.
Then it was time for some test runs. We inserted Leonie and shut the hatch. The boys held the boat in the shadows by the tank wall, and I gave her the universal underwater signal for "start pedalling" (rotating fists in a motion mimicking a bicycle crank). Off she went. And went she did! Flying flat and straight. And fast. I had to chase hard. At one point I had to grab the submarine by the hatch handle and ride it like an outa control horse, pounding on the sides to get her attention, and finally popping the hatch to get her to stop before we crossed the starting line and got into big trouble.
We are ready to race! The clock has run out for today, but we'll be ready first thing in the morning.
Today's the day. We can feel it. Shuttle to the base (half hour later due to construction), and let's get going.
First things first. The Team Picture. Staring (squinting) into the sun. Putting our best side forward.
Then let's get the boat going. First, glue in the bags of foam we so carefully packed out of the submarine last night. Some we glued in, some got velcroed, and the tiny bits we gathered into plastic bags and glued those in at the various locations they came from yesterday. Sounds hokey, but the solution works and gives us the flexibility to move foam around to catch the trim again if anything changes over the next few days.
While half the team worked to get the buoyancy sorted, the mechatronics team got stuck into testing the waterproof boxes. Finally the o-rings held and we could declare them all ready for their electronics.
Then off to the queue and into the water. To our relief, the boat was still as neutrally buoyant as we'd left her the night before. Leonie too. So now we're ready to race.
The call we've been waiting for! We swam the boat to the starting line and set her up. Leonie dropped her gear and walked (bizarre for a diver!) the last few steps to the boat. The extra long regulator hose gave her the flexibility to move while she set up the cockpit. Then she swapped regs and climbed in. We locked the hatch above her, and she was ready to go. A quick pop to the surface to let Cory know, and then the sweet sound of the pings. Rivershark, Rivershark, Rivershark, Go, Go, Go!
Off she went. From our perspective, she looked good. Straight line out into the murk, flying true down the centre line. Underwater shouts of celebration travelled in our bubbles to the surface. We're finally racing!
But out on the course, it was different. The boat was moving faster now than any of the team, including her pilot, had ever been. Leonie did her best, and managed to trim the pitch, but the simultaneous yaw control and tracking the midline through the tiny window were too much for her, and she veered off and slammed into the wall.
So we went back into the queue and waited. Patience is the name of the submarine game. With 22 boats running, and two thirds of those in the queue ready to race, the organisation of the ISR is a spectacular thing to behold. The continuous adjustment of the queue, though a frustration sometimes, means that everybody does get a fair shot at racing.
Our time finally came, just before lunch. The boys brought the sub to the starting line, and we trialled a new pilot delivery concept. The idea was that I should take Leonie down, with her breathing on my spare regulator. Looks simple when other teams do it. How hard can that be? Turns out it's harder than it looks. Especially if you haven't got enough weight to sink yourself and the fabulously "neutrally buoyant at 6m" human surface marker buoy with you. Harumpf. Couldn't get off the surface. Pulled out of the queue and let Washington go by us. Seven extra kilos of weights solved the problem though.
Cory, Rivershark is ready to race!
Leonie ready on the start line. Boat lined up flat in pitch and straight down the course. The beeps came, then the go signal, and she was off. Pumping those fins hard. Flew straight down the course and through the timing gates. Clocked at 1,85kts. Pretty impressive! But just out of the timing gates, she lost control again and found the left hand wall. No damage, but the incomplete run does mean the time doesn't count.
Never mind, back into the queue. The support divers were exhausted after six hours in the water, so it was time to change out. Unfortunately we didn't have enough crew, but fortunately for us, there were a bunch of divers available from the Mexican team next door, who happily volunteered to join our team. Language was going to be a challenge, but with their limited English and our limited Spanish, we figured it would work just fine, especially once they moved underwater, where spoken language no longer matters.
Our start was delayed by a tangled safety buoy line which eventually I had to wade knee deep into the water on the beach to fix. It was properly tangled, and I had to pull it completely out of the boat to repair it. Rivershark, you ready to race? Five minutes!
Now it was Alam's turn to have a go. He'd been banned from diving in the morning for an inadvertent breach yesterday of the safety rules (these things happen). Now he was dressed again and itching to run. The multinational team lined him on the bottom, and off he went. He started out ok, but then immediately started to rise. A sign the air wasn't escaping the hull properly. We'll have to drill some new holes tonight. He got through the first timing gate alright, but all we saw of him on the second timing gate camera was the lowest tip of the lower mirage drive fins. It was enough though to measure a speed: 1,45 kts. It won't count, but we're happy with the performance. Once we get control under control, we'll be away.
Burgers and pizza for dinner, followed by a long soul-searching meeting around the picnic tables in camp. We're going to have to abandon some goals. Time and gremlins are just not working in our favour. It's looking like we'll have to give up on the mechatronics - the seals just aren't working. We'll have to finish the competition on the manual steering. But we'll still try to get the sensor systems working and feed that back to the pilots via the tablet computer and its glass cockpit.
Power start this morning. Through the gate in record time, then on to Camp Rivershark. The submarine was ready immediately to race. The whole race took a break to do some group photographs, then into the queue. First in the water, fourth in the race queue. Sometimes it works like that. The race supervisor reworks the queue continuously to balance out the performance, speed on the start line, and numbers of starts, of each boat. Nobody understands how he does it, but there are very rarely any complaints. Certainly not from us.
Fourth to go. The team lined up Alam on the starting line and sent him off. He looked good disappearing into the distance, but then it was clear he was having trouble controlling the pitch. Pilot induced error, it's called. Starts off slowly, but with each correction, the oscillations get bigger, until finally control is lost. That's what happened to Alam. His final correction was to avoid the floor suddenly looming up at him - his hard pull on the elevators saved the crash alright, but it sent him rocketing to the surface. Bleep, bleep, wait for Navy, wait for Navy. Sigh. Back to the queue.
Meanwhile ashore, the mechatronics team has been continuing their efforts to make the sensors and motors all work together. The system worked fine on the bench, but readying it for integration into the submarine has been harder. Simple things like USB cables just aren't when you have to plug them in underwater.
Down goes the team, swimming our gorgeous tiger shark to the starting line. Alam drops his scuba gear, swaps his reg for the one in the sub, and climbs in. Toni and Sören line up the boat. Alam indicates he's ready, and Leonie closes the hatch. Excitement mounts in the basin as she gives him the "centre your planes" command and oks his response. She signals to the underwater camera. He's ready to race.
The crowd at the surface hushes in anticipation, their eyes glued to the monitors. Rivershark, Rivershark, Rivershark, Go, Go, Go! The twin mirage drives start pumping, and the blue and yellow tiger stripes disappear into the murk past the starting line. The next camera picks him up a few metres later: Alam is still running our shark straight and true down the centre line, now about a metre above the bottom.
We lose him again as he disappears into the murk beyond the camera's view. The Navy's surface boat is still moving. A good sign. Then he comes into view of the first timing camera. Yawed hard to starboard, but still moving. Right near the bottom. Drifting now, as the lower mirage drive has hit the floor. Some patient, gentle, pressure by our pilot engineer on the lower fins lifts the boat far enough off the bottom that he can start again, and after a nail-biting minute, he's moving again, straight down the course, through the second timing trap and back to his metre above the bottom. A hush descends over the crowd as he disappears from view, seemingly pitched up and possibly dragging the safety buoy partly deployed.
When he reappears on the next camera, he's just below the surface, diving back to midwater. Did he break the surface? The upper mirage drive certainly churned up a wake. But then he's got her back under control, still running the midline, and back to depth. Hearts are beating fast in the crowd of pale blue shirts gathered around the monitor.
Then suddenly, he's there. Cheers erupt around the basin as the blue strips appear out of the murk and Rivershark is over the finish line for a successful run!
Our excitement carries on through the rest of the morning. We're flying on adrenaline now. The boat is quickly put back in the queue and readied for the next race. We decide to have another go at the women's competition, so Leonie takes over the pilot's cap.
The team set her up and Leonie was off on the third run. Over the starting line ok. Flying straight and true into the murk. Then the murk started to fight back. Midline? What midline? Disoriented, but not done, she soldiered bravely on, making sweeping swerves along the course looking for the line. But it was not to be. As she slipped across the first timing gate, completely out of control, dazzled by the high-power LEDs like a moth to flame, she steered straight. Into the second timing trap.
Now starts the waiting. Our wait is nothing compared to that of the poor Mexican team next to us. Their boat got caught up in US Customs, and they've spent the whole competition turning their thumbs waiting for someone to finally clear it into the country. Finally today, the race organisers made arrangements for them to use a twenty five year old sub which has been a moving museum piece since its last run in 2007. Nice finally to see them in action!
Our other competitors are having mixed success. Omer X are running a boat with a similar propulsion design to ours. They ran their boat at last year's eISR in Gosport and had nothing but bad luck. Everything broke. Sort of like our luck this year. But everything is running right for them this year, and they've clocked some impressive speeds. Wasub from Delft are having a race like ours. Nothing has worked for them, or rather, they've never managed to get all of their subsystems working simultaneously. On every run, something has gone wrong. Once they get their luck together, they'll be away with their oscillating foil propelled machine.
So much for the reverie. Back to seriousness. Time to race.
Sören, Toni and Alam swim the sub to the starting line. Practiced now, Alam hops in. The hatch is closed and the crew give the signal. The go signal, and he's off. Bat outa nowhere. Flames shooting out the back of the hull. Screaming down the racecourse and through the timing trap. That's what submarine racing is about. He was barely out of one trap before he was through the second. We'll know later what speed he managed.
But it wasn't to be. The change in lighting past the timing gates confuses many pilots. It gets dark quick, and the momentary disorientation at that speed often sends pilots way off course as their eyes adjust to the dark again. Temporarily blinded, Alam lost track of the midline and veered off starboard and bounced heavily off the wall. We're going to need more than touch-up paint to fix that one. He soldiered bravely on, now both blinded and dazed, but never really managed to get the boat away from the wall. Finally he got tangled in the lighting and camera walls just short of the finish line. Disappointing finish to a spectacular start.
We may get one more go today. We'll see. It's getting pretty late.
It's not to be. Alam's and Leonie's brief careers as submarine pilots are over. We'll run our other two pilots tomorrow.
We leave the base in a bittersweet mood. The success of the day - we're on the board with a silver medal performance in speed for now - is tempered by the decision we've had to make to abandon any hope of incorporating our electronics into the submarine. Our tablet computer is blown and there simply is no time to replace it before tomorrow. We've thought through all of the potential workarounds, but it's time to face the cold hard truth. We won't be running any sensors this competition at all. That's a bitter defeat to swallow for the mechatronics team.
But never mind. We'll try again tomorrow.
This is it. Today is the day to make all of our hard work pay off. The Rivershark stayed on the beaches overnight so she'd be early in the queue today. Unfortunately we had repairs to do to the safety buoy, so that slowed everything down for us, but we still managed to catch the top of the queue, fifth in behind Washington and Archimedes.
Toni and I pulled the submarine to the starting line while Sören brought our new pilot, Tobi, to the bottom. He climbed quickly into the cockpit and settled into the pedals. We brought the boat up to the starting attitude, and sent the ready signal to the surface via the cameras. Ping came the acknowledgement. Time for some final alignment checks, then Rivershark, Rivershark, Rivershark, Go, Go, Go!
Tobi threw his weight into the pedals, and off he went into the murk. What looked like a good start went quickly wrong, though, as the buoyancy got the best of him and he climbed steadily to the surface. He finally broke the surface and ended his run just shy of the timing trap. Never mind, we've got a second run today. We'll get it right on that one.
So back into the queue. All boats are now in the water, so it will be a long while before we can race again. Lots of time to chat with other crews, take pictures and videos, and do television interviews. It also some time to reflect on how the week has gone so far, and on who's made it possible. The unsung heroes of our team are our ground crew. Dharav, Bhargav, Suryans, Harry and Ajay, who've carried tanks and retrieved the sub after every run. They get no glory, but without them, we'd never be able to race the submarine. They have ensured there's always a full air cylinder for every diver, they've dragged the boat back to the starting line after every race, fetched tools, weights and buoyancy foam whenever we've needed it in the water. And they've done it cheerfully all week, even though they've all had to give up their own individual projects along the way.
You there, divers, put your heads underwater!
The odd command from the racecourse supervisor, Jim Cory, snaps me out of my reverie. My fellow frogmen from the University of Washington team are similarly confused. Then he repeats the order. Shrugging our bobbing shoulders, we comply. Music! Not any music, but UW's marching tune. The one they play as their teams take to the football pitch. My companions (both of whom are marching band members) are ecstatic as they head to the bottom to lock and load their submarine. Then the music starts above the water as well, and the mood in the basin takes on a happy excited feel. There really is nothing like a marching band to set a sporting stage!
Off goes Washington. We'll be next. The dive crew slip off the beaches (wooden towers in the water that just break the surface, where divers can haul out to warm up and where submarines can be landed for minor repairs) and head to the boat on the bottom to finalise our buoyancy. Moving a deck of cards sized bit of foam from midships astern, and Rivershark hangs in mid water, slightly down by the bow to compensate for the air which the pilot is about to exhale into her. We're ready.
We swim the boat to the starting line. I back off to film the start while the others load Alam into the cockpit. He takes his time settling his equipment, gauges and regulators where he wants them. Then he slips his feet into the pedals and gives the ok sign to the support diver. Ducks his head into the bow of the boat, and the hatch is closed above him. I always enjoy this scene, as a diver ends up doing a head stand above the boat to swim the positively buoyant hatch down and into position.
Rivershark, Rivershark, Rivershark, go, go, go!
Off he goes. The mirage drive fins dig into the water, and the vessel picks up speed. True down the centre line and clear over the starting line. This is going to be a fast run. Last we see of him is the orange of the safety buoy stern post disappearing with a wisp into the murk.
The crowd at the television monitors is roaring. He is really moving. Rivershark is through the first timing trap. Now the second trap. Faster than we've ever seen any of our boats go. This is it!
The crowd holds its breath. We pop to the surface to hear the excitement down range. The Navy boat is chasing the submarine's bubbles down the course. Alam disappears off the cameras into the blind spot past the timing trap. We wait. We watch. Will he do it? All he needs to do is complete the course, and we've got it in the bag. Over 3 kts for sure. Wasub will never catch us at this speed!
The cameras pick him up again, and the news isn't good. He's got disoriented in the dark zone again, and ended up against the wall. Focused on picking up the centre line, he hauls the controls to port, but it's too late. The distraction has cost him, and he's too high in the water. He finds the midline alright, but he's also found the surface. The race is over. Disappointment rolls in waves through the basin.
Now the long wait begins. We return Rivershark to the staging area, making her fast to the wall over her usual parking spot on the bottom. Then we haul out to stay warm. We will be lucky indeed to get a third run. Nineteen boats in front of us now in the queue. The clock ticks on.
Meanwhile the other teams have not been idle. Omer X has clocked some spectacular runs today. There's no way any of us will catch them. It is however sweet to see them do so well, particularly after their horribly disappointing eISR last year, when they broke a crucial component on the first day and never really got to race.
Wasub is lined up and ready to go now. They have been fighting with mechanical gremlins and control problems all week, but they've got an excellent pilot, and if anyone can get their boat travelling flat and true, he'll be the one. Down to the starting line to watch this gorgeous orange and white boat with pitching heaving foils get its start into the murk. Wasub, Wasub, Wasub, go, go, go. And off he goes. Nose up at first, but he catches it. Flying straight out of our view. Looking good.
By the time we've all got to the surface, the Navy boat is well down course, following his bubbles past the timing trap. This is looking good for Wasub. Nailbiter for us. They've not come anywhere near our speed through the trap, but pilot experience looks to be paying off. He's straight down the middle, 3m down and coming up on the finish line. Will he make it? The orange crowd at the monitors confirms it for us. He's done it! The basin erupts in cheers. We're cheering too, though this now means we've slipped back to third place.
Now the heat is on. We know we can beat their speed. All we need is one more run. Cory says it's looking good, so we stay in the water, ready for the call.
Then the unexpected happens. News comes to the basin that the missing Mexican submarine has finally arrived on the base. The whole ISR staff kicks into overdrive to qualify their vessel and get them onto the course. The queue keeps moving slowly forward and the clock ticks on. We're fifth from the start. Fingers crossed.
Then a cheer erupts from the basin entrance. Archangelo is making her grand entrance. They need Spanish speaker, so I swim over to help them get through their qualifying wet checks. They're pretty excited, so it takes a few minutes and plenty of Spanish conversation to get them calmed down enough to submerge and complete their requirements. Once underwater, they don't need Spanish anymore, so I swim back to Rivershark in the queue.
Three more boats, and we're up. We're all watching the clock. Two more boats. We start getting Alam and Rivershark ready. But then it comes. The cheer from the qualification basin. Archangelo is ready to race. That stops the queue. Those poor students have been twiddling their thumbs all week waiting for this moment. Of course we step aside. Down they go to the starting line, with plenty of experienced ISR staff divers to help. We watch and wait. Then a hatch cover suddenly appears by my left shoulder. I grab it and head for the bottom. They're going to need this.
All is ready for their run. The pilot has done this once before this race at the controls of an ancient submarine, but this is his first run in his own submarine. The excitement underwater is amazing. So much racing experience gathered here to set one team off on a run. Archangelo, Archangelo, Archangelo, andale, andale, andale! And off he goes, look good over the starting line, but then straight to the surface like a rocket. Never mind. He got started. That's what counts.
I head over to Rivershark for final checks. Pop out that bit of foam I moved earlier. Now she's 100g heavy. Hopefully that will keep her down and give Alam a bit more time to react if he gets lost in that dark transition again. Ready. We can go anytime.
But my heart sinks as Claudio drops into view, shaking his head. It won't happen. I know why, and I'm 100% behind the decision - Archangelo will get a second run. We won't get our third of the day. Heartbreaking, but life does that sometimes. We'll go home pleased with our bronze, knowing we could have done the speed, but never knowing whether we could have held it all together.
We swim the sub back to the beaches. Thumbs up to the racecourse director. He's as heartbroken as we are, but there is nothing he could do. Time simply ran out. We make it to the beaches. Wasub's pilot is waiting there for us. I congratulate him on his silver. "That's no way to win," he says, the disappointment clearly showing in his face. He wanted to see us go as badly as we did.
But never mind. We all did well. The Mexicans never did finish their second run, but they got to do it. That's what sportsmanship is all about. That's what submarine racing is all about. There's a spirit to these races, and that's why we all keep coming back.
We make our way to the elevator and out of the basin into the sunshine. Time to pack up. Roll the crate up vertical, load in the toolboxes, dive kit and submarine, then bolt it all back together. Rivershark is ready to fly. And hotdogs are ready on the barbecue!
We load the ten rented scuba tanks into our poor little Goliath and watch as the tops of the tyres disappear into the wheel wells. I'll have to be careful on the bumps back to the dive shop.
The final Awards Ceremony is held every year in the base auditorium. 400 students and staff gather to look back at the week and recognise the many accomplishments. There's a Founder's Award for the retiring Head Judge, Claude Brancart, who was the co-founder of the race back in 1989. There's some well deserved recognition for some of the outstanding volunteers who made it all happen. There's of course plenty of recognition of the sponsors who financed it all.
Then there's the awards to the teams. We applaud the speeds the others achieved in the propeller class. Solid performances but nothing spectacular. Then comes the non-propeller category. Non-propeller, college class, third place: Rivershark. We're delighted. There's been no mention of a bronze medal, but we'll take it.
The biggest surprise of the evening though came a short while later, after the speed awards. Best Use of Composites went to Godiva 3 from Warwick for rapid prototyping and their use of recycled carbon fibre. Spirit of the Race went to Omer X - fitting, as usual: they really are a spectacular group of people. Then came Innovation - an award given primarily for design and implementation. In third place, for their advanced design incorporating a sonar-driven autopilot with an artificial lateral line speedometer, from Rhine Waal University of Applied Sciences, Rivershark! Now that we hadn't expected, but the judges really felt we'd embodied the spirit of innovation, despite our struggles with cables and blown motherboard.
Two-time bronze medal winners. Works for us.
That's submarine racing. See you all back in Cleves.


text:
Category Archives: Best of 2007
Best of 2007, Games, GOTY, Nintendo, PlayStation, Xbox
GOTY Honourable Mentions
Naturally, this year had more great games than anyone could possibly whittle down to just ten. So, as I did last year, here are a few that I liked but didn't quite make the list. All are worth a try.
Jeanne d'Arc (PSP) – Level-5's strategy RPG arrived with almost no hype and, therefore unsurprisingly, didn't exactly set the world alight. What was the last PSP game that did? Nonetheless, it's as gorgeous as Dragon Quest VIII with even better production values – check out the fully animated and voiced anime scenes – and is portable, which for me makes an RPG infinitely more playable. It's also not as hardcore as many SRPGs tend to be, so virgins to the genre shouldn't be afraid of trying it out.
The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass (DS) – As the game in this list that came closest to making the top ten, I shouldn't need to tell you what's good about Phantom Hourglass. It's Zelda. You've played it. This one just gets extra credit for mapping workable touch screen controls to a traditional game style. As with Twilight Princess, I found myself enjoying the unique controls rather than simply tolerating them.
Mass Effect (360) – Despite suffering from many of the issues of Knights of the Old Republic minus such an immediately appealing world (though this one is certainly far better than most sci-fi RPGs), Mass Effect is an enthralling game that will become a huge time sink if you let it. Both technically stunning (the facial animation) and disappointing (the frame rate), it's still a lesson in how to do a sci-fi adventure. Let's hope that it doesn't mark Bioware's descent into the same hole that swallowed Westwood and Bullfrog.
Ninja Gaiden Sigma (PS3) – I'm cheating somewhat here, given that I've played Sigma for little more than a couple of hours. This is really a chance to honour Ninja Gaiden in general, a game that I played to a meaningful extent for the first time this year and thought was absolutely fantastic. Sigma looks better and has more content, and is therefore just as easy to recommend. Play any version (the original and Black both work perfectly on a 360) in time for the sequel later in 2008.
Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords (360/DS/PSP) – If Viva Piñata was 2006's best game that nobody played, surely Puzzle Quest is 2007's. Yes, at its heart it's yet another Bejeweled clone, and yes, the AI can be frustratingly prescient, chaining massive combos using off-screen gems that no-one could know about without cheating. But even so, Bejeweled is an addictive and fun game without a well-developed RPG component. Since its appearance on XBLA there can be few people without access to this gem. Sorry, couldn't resist.
Resistance: Fall of Man (PS3) – While it's consistently overrated in certain camps, Resistance was a solid shooter with an excellent suite of multiplayer modes, and deserves mention for the extensive support post-release. Insomniac's feature-laden patches have brought everything from balance tweaks to a screenshot function and Dual Shock 3 support, even while they've brought another game to market and have undoubtedly started work on the sequel. Other developers could learn from the example.
Super Stardust HD (PS3) – In the flood of twin-stick shooters that have followed Geometry Wars, this is arguably the best. While I felt it slightly overcomplicated, it gave the genre a modern sheen that Geometry Wars had lacked, coupling mightily impressive graphics with a superb soundtrack. With more content to come and the recent patch bringing more features to the table, this is an overlooked gem.
AwardsBest of 2007BioWareDSGOTYNinja GaidenNintendoPS3PSNPSPPuzzle gamesRPGTeam NinjaXbox 360Zelda
Best of 2007, Games, GOTY, PC games, PlayStation, Xbox
Best of 2007 #1: Call of Duty 4
Call of Duty 2 has been a staple of my gaming time since the Xbox 360 came out, more than two years ago. Whatever happened to be the 360's multiplayer game du jour, COD2 was what I kept going back to with the true believers on my friends list. Once they'd patched the early issues, I've always maintained that it was the best no-frills multiplayer FPS on the 360.
You wouldn't have bet against Halo 3 being the one to finally take over that mantle. After all, COD3 stunk and the fact that I probably preferred multiplayer Return to Castle Wolfenstein on the original Xbox didn't stop Halo 2 from being an immense time sink.
Maybe it's karma, but this time the non-Halo game totally stole Halo's thunder for me. Call of Duty 4 had good single player; it was short and perhaps not as fair on the harder difficulties as previous games (try later COD2 levels on veteran followed by 'No Fighting in the War Room' from COD4 – nightmare), but still satisfying, with some real standout moments. Alongside the pitched battles that are unmistakeably Call of Duty, stages like the sniper sequence first shown at E3 and the level set on the gunship show range to Infinity Ward's talents that make me excited to see what they can do next, probably while someone else sodomises the franchise's good name in 2008's COD5.
Multiplayer is what won this for COD4 against all of the other top games this year, though. While it has balance problems that have been discussed at length elsewhere and is possibly the most unfriendly game for new players to enter the melee, I adore it. It has the tight gameplay that made COD2 so good and the ingenious levelling system which gives the impetus to keep playing. Whereas most online games have little more than a rank next to your name, if even that much, after literally days of play you're unlocking new weapons and challenges here. I'm almost at the highest rank and I've only unlocked all of the accessories for two weapons, and haven't unlocked (let alone completed) all of the challenges.
And I haven't even mentioned that the whole thing runs at 60 frames per second. That achievement, plus the quality and quantity of content here, puts most games to shame. I have no hesitation in calling it my favourite game of 2007.
AwardsBest of 2007Call of DutyFPSGOTYInfinity Ward
Best of 2007, Games, GOTY, Nintendo
Best of 2007 #2: Super Mario Galaxy
Ooh, controversial!
Super Mario Galaxy is a brilliant game, and the best Nintendo game since the almighty Ocarina of Time. It's a Wii game that feels like that's what it's always been. And all without a minigame in sight.
It's probably best to explain here why it's not number one. I've said in the past that I think Super Mario 64 is almost flawless, and a game that is maybe possibly kind of a bit better (or is it, etc?) should surely then go straight in at the top of the list and all subsequent ones. Well…no. And it's not you, it's me.
I just don't feel it like I used to, and I don't know how to explain it without sounding really shallow. Mario Galaxy's story is a bit more prominent than Mario 64's and the talking stars get on my nerves. The platforming is still as good as ever, basically playing like those suspended play areas that made up the Bowser levels extended to fill an entire game, but the camera hasn't moved on with the imaginations of the developers and therefore technical issues which were occasional niggles in 1996/97 are now more problematic.
Don't let my justification of the placement make it sound like I'm entirely down on the game. It just seems that most are putting this at number one almost out of duty because it's Mario and because Nintendo are the kings of their castle again, and as a result I have to justify my blasphemy. And it's not because the Wii having almost nothing all year and then stealing in to take its second top spot running would annoy me.
That Mario Galaxy is one of the best games of the year is beyond doubt and, really, the ultimate number is irrelevant. Just knowing that it's Nintendo's best in years speak more than any single digit.
AwardsBest of 2007GOTYMarioNintendoWii
Best of 2007, Games, GOTY, Xbox
Best of 2007 #3: Crackdown
Bought by many simply for that sticker on the box, Crackdown was my surprise favourite game of the year. I still remember chuckling at my friend's taste when he said that he was excited for the game back around the 360 launch and I didn't even get it when I saw videos. Even that beta didn't sell me on it since I'd already won a place. It was the demo that did it for me. Sit down to play the game and you just get it.
As of today I probably played 100 hours of Crackdown. The game was, ostensibly, very short; you could burn through all the bosses in a handful of hours. But it was the first sandbox game that got me into the whole sandbox idea. There were multiple difficulties and the chance to do it in a sitting with a friend. Orb hunting (oh, god, the orb hunting) and the best achievements in any game yet. And then they followed it with the genius cheat mode in the downloadable content pack, letting you push the already loose rules to the point of almost breaking the engine. I never found myself short of something to do, even when I'd finished the basic game several times.
There are dedicated platforming games where I haven't felt as in tune with the abilities of my avatar as I do when I play Crackdown. For all the emphasis on shooting and driving it's the climbing that's really masterfully done. When the bosses were vanquished and I was left to search for orbs it was my favourite part of the game. There was just something beautiful about the way that it faded out the background noise and brought up some subtle music when you got to a certain height, and I wasn't the only one to say that it was the first game to really give a sense of vertigo. Heights don't worry me, but I found my head spinning a bit when I got to the top of the Agency Tower and dared to look down.
A fantastic game, and as one that's heavily discounted in the New Year's sales, one that's inexcusable not to pick up.
AwardsBest of 2007CrackdownGOTYRealtime WorldsXbox 360
Best of 2007 #4: Halo 3
The fact that I'm putting the almight Halo 3 in fourth is not an indictment of the game, but an indication of how good this year has been for games.
Halo 3 will almost certainly be the biggest-selling game of the year by some margin; it does things with its online community that Little Big Planet has been promising for over a year; there is enough multiplayer content to play for months without touching on every permutation. I loved how it brought the story to a close, providing closure and an emotional bookend to the story. And, with the exception of a certain level which was fucking godawful, the campaign managed the great feat of even making the Flood a bearable enemy to fight.
Multiplayer was fantastic and, until another game (wait a couple of days) came and stole its thunder, was certainly the best of the year. Halo still has that je ne sais quoi in its multiplayer suite – a wonderful balance between its weapons and maps that isn't upset by the addition of the potentially game-breaking deployable equipment – and has ironed out the flaws of Halo 2. I think it's certainly got the best multiplayer of the three, and I've barely touched on the file share, saved films, screenshots, co-op, etc. As almost every FPS since Halo has had a two-weapon limit and Halo 2 brought recharging health to the masses, expect to see those features a lot over the next year.
While I undoubtedly expect Halo 4 before too long, with any luck the separation of Bungie and Microsoft will let them try something new. I can't wait to see what they can do now, with the budgets they command and the polish that they've applied to Halo 3. Just don't make it another Oni.
AwardsBest of 2007BungieFPSGOTYHaloXbox 360
Best of 2007, Games, GOTY, PlayStation
Best of 2007 #5: Uncharted: Drake's Fortune
It's taken far too long for the PS3 to get it's first really top exclusive game, but now that it has one (no more "PS3 has no games lol" jokes, please) it's a very good one. The Sony camp get vindication and the rest of us got to enjoy over a year of merciless mickey-taking. It all works out in the end.
Uncharted is unlike almost most next-gen games, in that it looks beautiful and also looks colourful. It has the much-vaunted "destroyed beauty" – it's set in the ruins of an ancient city – yet the fallen masonry is bordered by golden sunlight, lush forests, and azure tropical oceans. Even when it gets dark, superb lighting and subtle use of mist and other effects means it can do it with the same aplomb as the games that do nothing but.
I hope that more games follow this lead. We need more to our games than brown and bloom lighting. And Drake is a likeable, positive character bolstered by a great script that never descends into action movie cliche. It's an example of in-game storytelling from which others would do well to crib: characters aren't lifted from any Steven Seagal movie, platforming and exploration is helped by sterling animation work to not rely on pixel-perfect positioning.
While it lets itself down somewhat in the final acts (not quite enough to undermine the hard work that went before, it should be said) and the game isn't brimming with content for your £50, it's an example of how quality can outshine quantity. An eight hour romp that is never less than thrilling is worth far more to me than a twenty hour opus with fifteen hours of filler. Essential.
AwardsBest of 2007GOTYNaughty DogPS3Uncharted

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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This is a post that I wrote most of almost a year ago and just never got around to publishing. Typically, I write about my faith when I have something I need to write about or feel passionate enough to say. And while this wasn't per say at the forefront of my heart right now, I was kind of stunned to realize just how apparent it still is. It's every bit as true now as it was then, and that's at no fault other than my own.
'Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus, and to take him at his word.
Alright, show of hands… who finds this as easy? Don't lie, now.
I like to fool myself into thinking that I'm good at this. I think that I'm trusting him. I really do firmly believe that he has a plan for me. And I firmly believe that it will happen. But y'all, I don't trust in that. How do I know?
Because I don't take risks. I don't release my control on my circumstances. I don't release my worry over every little thing.
There's a certain portion of trust that I believe relies on blind faith. How do you know the extent of trust unless you bottom out, unless you have no footing in which to grasp?
When I have been the most uncertain, I'm hesitant to say that I was really relying on my own faith, on my own trust. I was hearing to trust from friends. I was seeing the trust from my mother. But was I trusting, myself? Fully?
I know it comes down to control. I know that it's my own self-need to understand my situation, direct my situation. I feel like if I'm not taking steps to impact my situation or decisions, then I'm doing it wrong.
And I know that trust doesn't mean having a complete "hands off" approach all of the time. But I think it does some of the time. How else will we know how deep our faith runs?
In order to put trust in something, that requires more of us than just belief. That requires an action, or a lack of action as an action itself. It requires strength to say my life, my circumstance, my direction, my opportunities, my comfort is out of my hands. And then to do it. To relinquish the worry and hesitation and unease and a plan and grasp onto blind faith.
Because it's in blind faith that we have the clearest sight.
Now, a year after first writing this, goodness knows I have taken risks. Big risks. Book writing risks and publishing risks. And even after seeing how much greater his plan is than my own, I still try to force my own direction over my life. I still worry about so many things that would be much better kept in hands grander than mine. This is me, sharing with you, dear reader, that I fail to do this every. single. day. But in no way does that allow me to withhold from trying the next day.
If you enjoy reading posts like this and facing challenges alongside someone else, I really think you'd like my devotional, too!


Welcome to ConnectOcean Aquatic Academy and Dive Centre! This feature will allow new clients to register for our courses or events. Please complete the following registration form.
I am aware that swimming has inherent risks which may result in serious injury or death. I understand and agree that neither the instructor(s), nor the facility through which this program is offered, ConnectOcean Aquatic Academy nor Starfish Aquatics Institute, LLC. ("SAI"), nor PADI Americas, Inc. nor its affiliate and subsidiary corporations ("PADI"), nor any of their respective employees, officers, agents, contractors or assigns (hereinafter referred to as "Released Parties") may be held liable or responsible in any way for any injury, death or other damages to me, my child, my family, estate, heirs or assigns that may occur as a result of participation in this program or as a result of the negligence of any party, including the Released Parties, whether passive or active.
I/my minor child is in good health and have/has no physical condition that that would prevent participation in this program.
Swimming is a physically strenuous activity resulting in exertion and if injured as a result of heart attack, panic, hyperventilation, drowning or any other cause, I expressly assume the risk of said injuries and will not hold the Released Parties responsible for the same.
I understand and agree that I am not only giving up my right to sue the Released Parties but also any rights my child, heirs, assigns, or beneficiaries may have to sue the Released Parties resulting from participant death. I further represent I have the authority to do so and that my heirs, assigns, or beneficiaries will be stopped from claiming otherwise because of my representations to the Released Parties.
I, by this instrument agree to exempt and release the facility and professional staff providing the program, Starfish Aquatics Institute LLC, PADI Americas, Inc., and all related entities as defined above, from all liability or responsibility whatsoever for personal injury, property damage or wrongful death however caused, including but not limited to the negligence of the Released Parties, whether passive or active.
I understand and agree that the facility through which this program is offered, and its associated staff, are licensed to use various SAI and PADI Trademarks and to conduct SAI and PADI training, but are not agents, employees or franchisees of SAI or PADI. I further understand that these business activities are independent and are neither owned nor operated by neither SAI nor PADI, and that while SAI establishes the standards for PADI Swim Programs, neither SAI nor PADI is responsible for, nor do they have the right to control, the operation of the facility's business activities and the day-to-day conduct of the swim programs. I further understand and agree on behalf of myself, my heirs and my estate that in the event of an injury or death during this program, neither I nor my estate shall seek to hold SAI or PADI liable for the actions, inactions or negligence of ConnectOcean Aquatic Academy and/or the instructors associated with the program.
I HAVE FULLY INFORMED MYSELF AND MY HEIRS OF THE CONTENTS OF THIS LIABILITY RELEASE AND ASSUMPTION OF RISK AGREEMENT AND THE NON-AGENCY DISCLOSURE AND ACKNOWLEDGMENT AGREEMENT BY READING BOTH BEFORE AGREEING ON BEHALF OF MYSELF, MY MINOR CHILD AND ALL HEIRS.
Por favor, lea detenidamente y rellene los espacios antes de firmar.
Soy consciente de que nadar involucra riesgos inherentes que pueden causar lesiones graves o la muerte. Entiendo y estoy de acuerdo con que ni el/los instructor(es) ni las instalaciones a través de las que se dirige este programa, ConnectOcean Aquatic Academy, Starfish Aquatics Institute, LLC. ("SAI"), PADI Américas, Inc., sus entidades filiales y subsidiarias ("PADI") ni alguno de sus empleados respectivos, funcionarios, agentes, contratistas o cesionarios (de aquí en adelante denominados "Partes eximidas"), pueden ser señalados como responsables de cualquier manera por cualquier lesión, muerte u otros daños a mí, mi familia, patrimonio, herederos o cesionarios que puedan ocurrir como resultado de mi participación en este programa o como resultado de la negligencia de las Partes eximidas, ya sea de manera activa o pasiva.
•	Yo/mi hijo/a menor de edad estoy/está bien de salud y no tengo/tiene condición física que impida la participación en este programa.
•	Nadar es una actividad físicamente agotadora resultando del esfuerzo y en caso de lesión como resultado de un infarto, pánico, hiperventilación, ahogamiento o cualquier otra causa, yo asumo expresamente el riesgo de dichas lesiones, y no responsabilizaré a las Partes eximidas por esas mismas.
•	Soy mayor de edad y soy competente legalmente para firmar este acuerdo de exoneración de responsabilidad. Entiendo que las condiciones de la presente son contractuales y no un mero relato, y que he firmado este Acuerdo por voluntad propia y con pleno conocimiento que por la presente renuncio a mis derechos legales. Convengo asimismo en que si se determina que cualquier disposición de este Acuerdo es inaplicable o inválida, dicha disposición se considerará cancelada de este acuerdo. El resto de este Acuerdo será entonces interpretado como si la disposición inaplicable nunca hubiera figurado en él.
•	Entiendo y acepto que no sólo renuncio a mi derecho de demandar a las Partes eximidas, sino también a cualquier derecho que puedan tener mis herederos, cesionarios o beneficiarios para demandar a las Partes eximidas, como resultado de mi muerte. Además declaro que tengo la autoridad de hacerlo y que mis herederos, cesionarios y beneficiarios quedarán imposibilitados de presentar cualquier otra reclamación, como consecuencia de mis declaraciones a las Partes eximidas.
Yo, (padre o madre/participante), por medio de este instrumento acepto exentar y descargar las instalaciones y el personal profesional que provee este programa, Starfish Aquatics Institute LLC, PADI Américas, Inc., y todas las entidades relacionadas tal como se definen anteriormente, de toda culpabilidad o responsabilidad por lesiones personales, daños materiales u homicidio culposo, sin importar la causa, lo cual incluye, entre otras, la negligencia de las Partes eximidas, ya sea de manera activa o pasiva.
Entiendo y acepto que las instalaciones a través de las que se dirige este programa, y su personal asociado, están autorizados a utilizar las diversas Marcas Registradas de SAI y PADI y dirigir el entrenamiento SAI y PADI, sin embargo no son agentes, empleados o franquiciados de SAI o PADI. Asimismo comprendo que esas actividades comerciales son independientes, y no son propietarios ni están dirigidos por SAI ni PADI, y que aunque SAI establece los estándares de los programas de natación PADI, ni SAI ni PADI son responsables de, ni tienen el derecho de controlar las operaciones de las actividades comerciales de las instalaciones y la gestión diaria de los programas de natación. Asimismo entiendo y acepto en nombre de mí mismo/a, mis herederos y mi patrimonio que, en caso de lesión o muerte durante este programa, ni yo ni mi patrimonio buscaremos responsabilizar a SAI o PADI por las acciones, inacciones o negligencia de ConnectOcean Aquatic Academy y/o los instructores asociados con el programa.
ME HE INFORMADO PLENAMENTE, ASÍ COMO A MIS HEREDEROS, DEL CONTENIDO DE ESTE ACUERDO DE EXONERACIÓN DE RESPONSABILIDAD Y ASUNCIÓN DE RIESGOS Y LA DIVULACION AJENA A LA AGENCIA Y EL ACUERDO DE RECONOMIENTO, LEYÉNDOLOS ANTES DE FIRMARLOS, A NOMBRE PROPIO, DE MI HIJO/A MENOR DE EDAD Y DE TODOS LOS HEREDEROS.
•	Swim Suit - we recommend one-piece bathing suits for girls and swim trunks or Speedos for boys. Rash guards are okay. No t-shirts, shorts, or sewn-in floats allowed. No swim aids (inflatables, etc.) of any kind are allowed at any time, as they can actually be a drowning risk.
•	Goggles - Goggles are recommended, but not required.
•	We require that all children over the age of 3 years old whose hair is long enough to get in their eyes wear a swim cap. This prevents the swimmer's hair from interfering with breathing whilst training. While we encourage all children to wear a swim cap, we understand that some may have sensitivities and be unwilling or reluctant to do so. If your child has a sensitivity that would be effected by a swim cap, please let your instructor know and we will accommodate their needs. Due to allergies, latex swim caps are not allowed to be worn.
•	We request that students refrain from eating large amounts of food within 2 hours of their swimming lesson. The movement in the water can often upset children's stomachs and vomiting in the pool forces us to cancel lessons. Please only give children a small snack before their class.
•	If a student has a fever, diarrhoea, or a contagious illness, please stay at home until the illness has subsided. If you are unsure, please consult your physician for the proper course of action.
•	Individuals with open wounds are not allowed in the pool.
ConnectOcean is NOT a drop off program and is NOT equipped to provide before or after class supervision. For the safety of your child, please ensure timeous collection after a scheduled class.
•	Monthly automatic debit from (local) checking or savings accounts.
•	Monthly automatic debit from Visa or MasterCard.
ConnectOcean provides for (full) Scholarships for deserving students. If you are a parent, and are aware of a talented, deserving student who cannot afford sessions, please contact us via email. We'll keep you posted.
When students consistently attend their regularly scheduled class it creates the best possible learning environment for them. However, we realize that occasionally it is impossible to attend your regularly scheduled class; therefore, as benefit to you, we offer unlimited make-ups!
•	Advance notification of an absence is given in order to be eligible for a make-up.
•	Options for notification include: online through our website, calling, emailing or verbal notification to instructors and coaches.
•	Make-up space is not guaranteed. It is on a first come first serve basis.
•	Absences cannot be credited towards future tuition.
•	Make-ups cannot be rescheduled, we DO NOT make-up a make-up.
•	Make-ups will only carry over to the next session that the student is enrolled in.
Clients / parents / students have close to 130 classes at 3 locations to choose from.
The commitment of choice entails that a student honours the choice, as many classes have an attendance limit. Untimely attendance puts an unnecessary risk on both the student AND the class Instructor - safety in the pool is of CARDINAL importance, and an Instructor may be overextended if a class meant to contain 8 students swells to a class of 20!
If you or a child is enrolled in a class and would like to change the day or time that you/they swim, you may view class availability online through the Parent Portal. When you find a class that fits your schedule, please contact us and we will gladly help you switch classes.
If a class must be cancelled due a facility-related emergency, a make-up class will be scheduled. We will be alerting customers of emergency closures by using email. If a cell phone number is on file, we may attempt to send a text message alert, but currently we will use email as the priority.
Families who wish to withdraw from swim lessons must provide us with a 2-week written notice of their desired stop date. This can be done electronically.
Email is our preferred form of communication. We email our customers regularly with information, newsletters, upcoming events, and promotions.
ConnectOcean may wish to record images of participants during competitions for promotional and training/development purposes. These images may be used in mediums including: publications and promotional material, and broadcast, print and electronic media.
ConnectOcean agrees not to use any photo in a manner that may be deemed adverse or defamatory to the person(s) involved and it will not use the photo for any commercial gain. The photo will remain the property of ConnectOcean and any personal details regarding this photo will be kept confidential and will not be used for any purpose other than related to this photo.
It is a condition of entry into competitions that participants may be subject to photography/filming as described above and that consent is provided for this purpose.
As Team Contact I advise that all team members and parents/guardians (if under 18) are aware of the above conditions and agree to comply.
The Las Catalinas Beach Club is a member-only facility and non-residents are not permitted to make use of the facility. ConnectOcean clients may use the pool and ground level change rooms for their designated classes.


That's a beautiful thing, Anik - it must weigh a ton!
It's a great bug to have, Sue!
P.S. My vase is quite heavy. It weighs 3175g.
Michael, I can never be sure of anything. You could be right.
I've had several 'beers' and none have ever wandered from the pattern book sizes as much as this one. It just looks different. Below is my fat vase and my standard-sized 7411 for comparison.
P.S. Interestingly, I have never seen a tall Vizner whirlpool that had the pattern book diameter of 8cm. All have been 10cm or a wee bit more.
I can see the difference now Very chunky proportions, I like it.
Mine is 19 cm high, and 8.5 cm wide, so quite close to the pattern book.
At the moment, I can't see anything past your Hlava.... and I've gone all green and gooey, Michael!
The Hlava vases are great things I agree. So is the Oliva vase. They are not that common, designed by big names and quite complex to construct and were probably expensive in their day, compared to some other pieces. Which is why they are definitely in the above average end of the price range as far as auction houses are concerned. It is really the result of the organisation of great design talent and great designers that makes Skrdlovice provide so much great glass. All great glass!
I just found me one 1950s piece, another of those nice (but yet unidentified) organic vases, lovely colourway though.
And interesting detail: my second piece with that big silver-on-yellow label; I took a pic to compare it side by side to a "normal" size label.


Senior Dog was napping on the Big Guy when we realized just how much he was shedding. After a two or three pets there would be a clump of hair falling off. Auntie went and found the furminator and brushed The Old Man. He loved it so much that apparently he started falling asleep while standing and being groomed. The picture below is what Auntie groomed out of The Old Man halfway through.
After being groomed Old Man found the Big Guy and went back to snuggling and sleeping on his lap.


Indian Railways - I spent 3 years living in India and this photo series by Steve McCurry perfectly captures the feeling of travel via train.
You Can Have an Easy Life or an Awesome One. Choose Wisely - Love or hate him but you know where James Victore stands.


Kingsway Custom Tiny Pool and Grotto - Dusil Design and Landscape Inc.
Tiny Pool. This pool was custom built to fit nicely in the back corner of the property. It is small in size (6'x12'x4'deep) and large boulders creates a private oasis. The back stone wall of the pool is a waterfall for added sound in this beautifully landscaped back garden.


Home » News Release 2014 » CGPA supports the Care-ring Voice Network: promoting the safe use of medications!
Montreal, November 3rd, 2014 – As part of the Caregivers' Week in Quebec, running from November 2 to 8, 2014, the Canadian Generic Pharmaceutical Association (CGPA) is very proud to announce its continued association with the Care-ring Voice Network through a contribution of $25,000. This will allow the organization, which helps caregivers, to hold webinars (online training workshops) on the safe use of medications.
"Too often, caregivers are under supported and don't have enough information regarding the proper use of medications, the compliance with the subscription and the prevention of risks related to interactions or side effects. The CGPA is pleased to support family caregivers through a program model that allows them remote access from the comfort of their home or office and is adapted to their busy lives," said Jim Keon, President of the CGPA.
"It's through contributions such as the one made by the CGPA that we can continue to strongly support caregivers who regularly ask important questions about the medications the seniors they care for take. We would like to sincerely thank the Association for this honourable gesture," added Mark Stolow, President of the Care-ring Voice Network.
The training program was originally developed by the Canadian Association for Community Care (CACC), the VON Canada National Office (VON), the Canadian Pharmacists Association (CPA) and Health Canada, and was adapted and offered online thanks to a generous contribution by the CGPA.
Care-ring Voice is a free, bilingual and confidential Canada-wide program that connects caregivers and families to information and support through the use of tele-learning.
The CGPA represents the Canadian-based generic pharmaceutical industry. It plays an important role in limiting costs in the Canadian healthcare system. In fact, generic medication is used to fill 65% of all prescriptions, but account for only 24% of the $22 billion that Canadians spend each year on medications.


Description: Handcrafted from Solid Brass, this handsome Craftsman Signature fixture is inspired by the Arts and Crafts movement. This fixture features 2 Beige Iridescent glass shades with a striking Mission straight line design and complemented with hardware and decorative accents highlighted in a warm Craftsman Brown finish. Perfect for a vanity light in fine baths or as a wall sconce in corridors and other areas, the fixture is handcrafted by highly skilled artisans in our 180,000 square foot manufacturing facility in Yorkville, NY. Custom sizes, styles, colors and dimmable energy efficient lamping options are available. The 17-inch wide fixture is UL and cUL listed for dry and damp locations.


Between guided hikes, nature workshops, kayak tours, and special events like the annual Creek Crawl obstacle race, it seems there is always something going on at Graham Creek Nature Preserve in Foley. With nearly 500 acres and multiple year-round recreation opportunities, it's no wonder the site attracts upwards of 70,000 visitors a year.
"As a city park, it's free and open to the public from sunup to sundown, seven days a week, and it's very heavily used," said Leslie Gahagan, environmental manager for the city of Foley who manages the development of the preserve. But with a mixture of natural habitats including wetlands, forests and tidal marshes, it's not just humans who benefit from the site.
It was just a little over a decade ago when the city of Foley opened the preserve with a hiking trail and kayak launch, providing residents and tourists with public access to Wolf Bay. Over the next few years, bathrooms and pavilions were added, followed by a sensory outdoor classroom (completed in 2012), introducing art, climbing, gardening, sand and music stations to students of all ages. In 2016, doors opened on the Interpretive Center, featuring a Nature Center exhibit area full of educational displays like live native reptile and habitat reproductions.
Last fall, a group of Baldwin EMC employees helped to restore areas of the outdoor classroom, which were feeling the effects of the environment.
Visit Graham Creek Nature Preserve at 23030 Wolf Bay Drive, Foley, Alabama. Follow them on Facebook or go to grahamcreekpreserve.org for information on upcoming events. Call (251) 923-4267 to find out how you can volunteer at the preserve.


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krasnenovestroje » Other » Spice Girls - The Greatest Hits
Spice Girls - The Greatest Hits Album
Greatest Hits is a greatest hits album by the English girl group Spice Girls. It received a physical release worldwide throughout November 2007, except for the United States where it received a limited release on 6 November 2007 through Victoria's Secret and a full release on 15 January 2008. It was their first album to be released in seven years and was supported by an accompanying world tour. The album was the world's best selling girl group album of 2007. In August 2012, after the Spice Girls. Spice Girls Greatest Hits - Best Of Spice. Андрей Губин - Лучшие песни - The Best - Хиты. Greatest Hits is a hits collection by the Spice Girls. The Greatest Hits is also their first album to be released in seven years and is supported by an accompanying world tour. It received a physical release worldwide throughout November 2007, except for the United States where it received a limited release in November 6, 2007 and a full release in January 15, 2008. This is the last Spice Girls album to feature Victoria Beckham and Mel C. The Spice Girls Greatest Hits album would be the last time that. Album 2007 19 Songs. Greatest Hits. Spice Girls. Pop free to Spice Girls Greatest Hits Wannabe, Say You'll Be There and more. 15 tracks 58:05. And so, 2007's Greatest Hits, which has everything you know plus a few songs you don't and no left-field choices if you were hoping that Bumper to Bumper would gain its rightful place as one of their finest, you're out of luck. Group Compilation. Songs in album Spice Girls - Greatest Hits 2007. Spice Girls - Wannabe Unavailable. Spice Girls - Say You'll Be There. Spice Girls - 2 Become 1. Spice Girls - Mama. Spice Girls - Who Do You Think You Are. Update Required To play the media you will need to either update your browser to a recent version or update your Flash plugin. The album was the worlds best selling girl group album of 2007. Greatest Hits Q&A. Label EMI Records old & Virgin Records. Management Simon Fuller & 19 Management. Artwork Deborah J Nielson. Spice Girls: Are an English pop girl group formed in 1994. The group comprises Melanie Brown, also known as Mel B, Melanie Chisholm, also known as Mel C, Emma Bunton, Geri Halliwell, and Victoria Beckham. They were signed to Virgin Records and released their debut single Wannabe in 1996 it hit number one in 37 countries and commenced their global success. Their debut album Spice sold more than 31 million copies worldwide, becoming the best-selling album by a female group in history. Their follow-up album, Spiceworld sold over 20 million copies worldwide. Wannabe, Viva Forever, G. Spice Girls Format: Audio CD. I absolutely love this Greatest Hits album One problem: The video for Headlines Friendship Never Ends is NOT included in the DVD as promised. Yes, I purchased the US version of the CDDVD combo, AND it is even listed on the , no Headlines shows up anywhere in the DVD
Performer: Spice Girls
Title: The Greatest Hits
Catalog #: 99438
Record Source: Vinyl
Music Albums Like Spice Girls - The Greatest Hits:
Shakespere - The Greatest Hits
Spice Girls - Viva Forever
Spice Girls - Spice Up Your Life
Spice Girls - The Spice Girls - Girl Power! Live In Istanbul - Girl Talk! The Story So Far
Spice Girls - Spice Power Hits
Spice Girls, Toni Braxton, Gina G - The Greatest Hits
Spice Girls - Spice World The Movie
Spice Girls - Maximum Spice (An Unauthorised Biography Of The Spice Girls)
Diana Ross - 20 greatest hits
Spice Girls - Greatest Hits


What Is My Australian Shepherd Mixed With?
Trying to figure it out. He's 2 years old and we just rescued him! Photos above.
Comments for What Is My Australian Shepherd Mixed With?
She really looks like Australian Shepherd and Scottish Collie mixed. Look them up and you will see how much they look alike.
We have a pup that looks very much like yours and had the wisdom panel done and she is mixed with Labrador. She just turned one and weighs about 43 pounds.
Only mine has a cropped tail. The rescue said he came from an Amish puppy mill situation. I'm not sure if he is mixed with anything but I want to do the DNA test anyway.
Thanks for the reply! I just was curious if anyone here had a guess instead of paying for the test quite yet.
This dog could be mixed with border collie. Also Google Farm Collie and Old Time Scotch Collie Association.


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Netflix's League of Legends show Arcane wins 9 Annie Awards
Riot Games also invested in Arcane animation studio Fortiche.
At the Annie Awards, Netflix's League of Legends show Arcane won big, sweeping up a staggering nine wins. The exciting news was shared by Riot Games on social media with a list of the categories Arcane won in, including best writing, best character design, and best direction to name just a few.
The full list of categories Arcane won in at the Annie Awards are as follows:
Best Voice Acting
Best Character Design
Best Character Animation
Best TV/Media - General Audience
Best Storyboarding
Best Direction
Best FX
The number of wins scooped up by Arcane have made it the most-nominated and awarded TV show of the year according to Riot Games. With that being said, not only is Riot Games celebrating Arcane's nine wins at the Annie Awards, the company also invested in Arcane animation studio Fortiche, further solidifying the close relationship between both companies.
Not only did Arcane win big at the Annie Awards with nine wins, Riot Games also announced a new equity investment in Arcane animation studio Fortiche.
The investment news was shared by Riot Games on the company's official website.
"Riot Games, the developer and publisher known for League of Legends and the breakout animated series Arcane, and Fortiche Production, the animation studio behind Arcane and many League videos, today announced a new equity investment by Riot in Fortiche.
Under the terms of the investment, which closed earlier this year, Riot now holds a significant non-controlling stake in Fortiche. Brian Wright (Chief Content Officer at Riot) and Brendan Mulligan (Director of Corporate Development at Riot) have also joined Fortiche's board of directors."
Essentially, both companies will continue working closely with one another on projects like Arcane which is getting a second season as announced back in November 2021, though it's worth pointing out that Fortiche isn't notable for their phenomenal work on Arcane alone.
If you remember the massive success that League of Legends track "POP/STARS" from K/DA garnered back in 2018, you may be intrigued to learn that the animated music video for the song came from Fortiche. Currently, POP/STARS sits at over 500 million views on YouTube, which is no small feat, even in comparison to Arcane's performance on Netflix and nine wins at the Annie Awards.
That's not all Fortiche has worked on, either. In the news post from Riot Games on the investment in Fortiche, it's noted:
"You may have seen this coming. Riot and Fortiche first worked together on the 2013 video introducing Jinx to League of Legends, and they've collaborated on projects including K/DA's 'Popstars,' two Imagine Dragons team-ups, and the music video for the 2018 LoL World Championship anthem 'Rise.' Throw in the success that prompted work on a second season of Arcane (the first season topped global Netflix charts for three weeks) and it's clear the two companies thrive on each other's successes."
The last comment on both companies thriving on one another's successes certainly seems to be the case, as everything that Fortiche works on seems to turn to gold, figuratively speaking, for Riot Games. This is further emphasized by stats like Arcane premiering at #1 on Netflix back in November 2021, at which point it held that top spot for three full weeks while also boasting a 100 percent critic score on Rotten Tomatoes.
We look forward to seeing more of Fortiche's work for Riot Games, with season two of Arcane currently in production. We also look forward to seeing what else Fortiche does for Riot Games in the future now that Riot has invested in the company. For more on the investment, be sure to read through the full announcement from Riot Games.
Morgan is a writer from the frozen wastelands of Maine who enjoys metal music, kpop, horror, and indie games. They're also a Tetris fanatic who's fiercely competitive in games like Tetris 99... and all games in general. But mostly Tetris. You can follow Morgan on Twitter @Author_MShaver.
League of Legends: Arcane
Fortiche
Morgan Shaver posted a new article, Netflix's League of Legends show Arcane wins 9 Annie Awards


SYC shall collect and process the personal data in its capacity as the Data Controller You can contact Us through the channels enabled and indicated in paragraph 8 of this policy.
Please bear in mind that we must collect certain personal data as may be required by law, or as a consequence of the contractual relationship that we have with you. The refusal to provide such information may prevent or delay the implementation of such obligations. When collecting your personal information we will inform you on the obligation to provide such data as well as on the consequences of not doing so.
Identification details: Name(s) and Surname(s); signature; Tax ID code (for the issuance of invoices).
Contact details: phone number, email address and postal address.
Details for the payment of the service: debit or credit card, bank account number (in the case of deferred invoicing).
Other data such as: vehicle registration plate; vehicle's identification number.
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We collect Personal Data about you through the General Directorate of Traffic: name and surname, ID card no., vehicle identification number, vehicle registration plate and information on having compulsory insurance.
If you have passed an inspection with an entity other than SYC and the result was unfavourable and wish to pass a second inspection at any of our stations, we will collect your data from the other company's records in order to be able to provide the service.
If you request a duplicate of the technical inspection card because it has been lost or for any other reason, we will request the information contained in such card from the provincial traffic headquarters or the town hall of the place where the vehicle is registered.
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We recommend you contact us to update or amend your personal information as soon as it changes, or if the Personal Data that we keep about you are inaccurate.
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Entities of the Applus Group. SYC may share your personal data relating to invoicing for the service that we have provided, with other companies belonging to the Applus+ Group to which it belongs, for financial management, fiscal, administrative and internal reporting and research purposes. You can find a list of entities belonging to Applus+ Group on: www.applus.com/appluscompanies.
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Welcome to our online store where we believe in providing you with unique & natural products all made with love, quality & of course your best friend in mind.
Mucky Muts is the passion project of a qualified vet nurse and dog groomer with over 10 years experience. Committed to providing high quality natural products to ensure your pets live a long quality life. All products are tested and used by Mucky Muts.
Products that will make your heart sing and your best friend whole and happy.


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A Reluctant Binational Region: A Journalist's Perspective
09/01/2017 | 2m 4s
Journalist Greg Moran discusses some of the unique aspects of being a reporter near the San Diego-Tijuana border, and gives his viewpoint on San Diego's changing relationship with it.
Season 1 Episode 09/01/2017
Facing South: How Tijuana is Shifting Its Investments
Josue Beltran Cortez explains how border dynamics are changing south of the border.
09/01/2017 | 2m 42s
Changing Dynamics: How A Reimagined Border Brings New Risks
A historian explains why the risk of crossing today's border may not be worth the rewards.
A Citizen of Two Worlds: How One Man Sees Beauty In Contrast
An environmentalist explains why the San Diego – Tijuana border is so dynamic.
How Topography Influenced Border Lines
An environmentalist explains how topography influenced the Mexico-United States border.
The Natural Evolution of the Border Fence
A brief history of the San Diego-Tijuana border from a patrol agent.
The Unintended Results of Border Protection
Economist James Gerber discusses complex intersections between San Diego & Tijuana.
A Look Inside a Shelter for Migrants in Tijuana
Friar Pat Murphy runs the Casa del Migrante and helps migrants on their journey.
The Rhetoric of Immigration Policy
A professor examines the discrepancies between the reality of immigration and policy.
Exploring San Diego's "Distant" Relationship with Tijuana
A sociology professor speaks about the role immigrants play in the United States.
Friendship Park: Making Friends Through The Fence
Friendships are forging at a garden situated between the United States & Mexico.
Journalist Greg Moran discusses his perspective on the San Diego-Tijuana border.
A Father Questions The Ethics Behind His Deportation
A father talks about his deportation, and the family he left behind.


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https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-b-21-bomber-is-needed-now-u-s-military-pacific-lloyd-austin-pentagon-11670277559
Review & Outlook
The B-21 Bomber Is Needed Now
The new stealth plane is vital for Pacific deterrence but is rolling out too slowly.
Dec. 5, 2022 6:43 pm ET
Review and Outlook: The Heritage Foundation's latest 'Index of U.S. Military Strength' warns of declining power in the U.S. Navy and Air Force. Images: Department of Defence/Heritage Foundation Composite: Mark Kelly
The Air Force unveiled its B-21 stealth bomber on Friday evening, and the California ceremony included encomiums to American military power. The self-praise would be more credible if the long-range aircraft weren't so urgently needed.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin touted the B-21, the first new U.S. strategic bomber in three decades, as "deterrence the American way." If "you want to see America's enduring advantages in action, if you want to see integrated deterrence in action" he said, "well, just look at this aircraft."