Coast Guard Sets Weather Buoys In The Chesapeake

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Photo Release
Date: March 16, 2010
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NOAA your weather

Coast Guard, NOAA set seasonal buoys to gather weather data

BALTIMORE - Seaman Christopher Schwann, a 
crewmember aboard the 
Coast Guard Cutter James Rankin, washes a sinker as part of routine buoy
 maintenance in the Chesapeake Bay Monday, March 15, 2010. The Rankin 
replaces ice buoys in spring and sets them again in fall annually. U.S 
Coast Guard photo by Seaman Apprentice Grace Baldwin.
BALTIMORE - Crewmembers aboard the Coast Guard
 Cutter James 
Rankin, prepare to mount additional data gathering equipment to a 
weather buoy before setting it in the Chesapeake Bay Monday, March 15, 
2010. The weather buoy, developed by the National Oceanic and 
Atmospheric Administration gathers weather related data to include wind 
speed, temperature and wave height. U.S. Coast Guard photo by Seaman 
Apprentice Grace Baldwin.
BALTIMORE - Petty Officer 2nd Class Daniel 
Adams, a Boatswain's 
Mate aboard the Coast Guard Cutter James Rankin, maintains control of a 
weather buoy before lowering it into the Chesapeake Bay Monday, March 
15, 2010. Weather buoys contain data gathering equipment that enables 
researchers to monitor weather conditions such as wind speed, 
temperature and wave height. U.S. Coast Guard photo by Seaman Apprentice
 Grace Baldwin.
BALTIMORE - Petty Officer 2nd Class Tonya 
Mills, Boatswain's Mate 
aboard the Coast Guard Cutter James Rankin, measures the chain to ensure
 it is still in good condition Monday, Mar. 15, 2010. The Rankin 
annually inspects each aid to navigation to ensure that navigational aid
 is in good working order and marking safe water for mariners. U.S. 
Coast Guard photo by Seaman Apprentice Grace Baldwin.
BALTIMORE - Crewmembers from the Coast Guard 
Cutter James Rankin, a
 175-foot coastal buoy tender homeported in Baltimore, prepare to 
release a weather buoy in the Chesapeake Bay Monday, March 15, 2010. The
 Coast Guard works with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric 
Administration to place weather buoys that enable researchers to gather 
real-time weather data. U.S. Coast Guard photo by Seaman Apprentice 
Grace Baldwin.
BALTIMORE - Seaman Danielle Phelps, a 
crewmember aboard the Coast 
Guard Cutter James Rankin, mans a tagline in order to maintain positive 
contraol of a buoy moving across the deck before being placed into the 
Chesapeake Bay Monday, March 15, 2010. Safety is paramount throughout 
the Coast Guard and is especially important during dangerous buoy deck 
evolutions. U.S. Coast Guard photo by Seaman Apprentice Grace Baldwin.
BALTIMORE - Crewmembers aboard the Coast Guard
 Cutter James Rankin
 repair a damaged buoy in the Chesapeake Bay Monday, March 15, 2010. The
 Rankin is responsible for more than 375 aids to navigation that mark 
safe water for mariners in the Chesapeake Bay. U.S. Coast Guard photo by
 Seaman Apprentice Grace Baldwin.

BALTIMORE - The Coast Guard along with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration conducted seasonal buoy replacements Monday in the Chesapeake Bay.
The Coast Guard Cutter James Rankin, a 175-foot coastal buoy tender homeported in Baltimore, maintains approximately 375 aids to navigation and conducts fall and spring buoy replacements annually.
Weather buoys collect data and report real-time environmental information including wind speed, temperature and wave height. The buoys also serve as interpretive buoys that mark the Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historical Trail that runs throughout the Chesapeake Bay.
"The weather buoys provide valuable weather information during peak recreational boating seasons," said Lt. Dave Lewald, the commanding officer of the Rankin. "The buoys also provide historical data which can benefit researchers collecting information on how to clean up the bay."
Click on the photos above to view a higher resolution version and more specific caption information on the Coast Guard Visual Imagery site.
For more information visit www.ndbc.noaa.gov or visit http://www.ndbc.noaa.gov/station_page.php?station=44043 to view data from the weather buoy pictured above.

Installing a Power Inverter

There may still be cruisers out there that light their way with oil lamps, use a bucket instead of a head and sail without a motor, but in 18 years of cruising we have not met them. Today, most cruisers are like us, preferring to take the comforts and conveniences of life ashore with them when they cast off the dock lines to sail off into the sunset. Long ago we made the decision to cruise in comfort and not turn our sailing trips into a camp out on the water. This meant we would need a means to power our small appliances, power tools and entertainment devices. There is more than one way to accomplish the same end depending on the level of your power consumption and what your budget might be. For us the requirements were simple. The cost needed to be kept down, the system needed to be as simple as possible, and we needed to be able to install and maintain it ourselves. Additionally, it should not interfere with our piece and quiet, or that of our neighbors. OK, maybe not so simple after all.