The progress so far has been on both the physical and software aspects of the boat. Recently the team has laminated an additional ply of carbon on the fin keel to help increase torsional stiffness. This carbon was aligned at a 45 degree angle relative to the fin. If bottom growth wasn’t a problem we’d just clear coat the carbon (it’s beautiful) but we intend to do the bottom painting in a week or two, so we’ll only be able to admire it until then. Next up was a new water temperature sensor. Unfortunately the sensor that was installed a few months ago wasn’t responding well, so Brendan ground off the old sensor and installed a new one successfully.

Brendan admiring the new 45s on the keel

As we learn more and more about how many of these systems work, we often find components that must be upgraded and improved. An example of this is the bilge pump. The original bilge pump wasn’t really built to handle full submersion for extended periods of time and operated on a timer instead of a float switch. Today the team completed the installation of a new low current draw pump to help keep SCOUT dry if any water does get inside the hull. There is always more physical work to be done, but the team is working hard to stay on schedule.

The boys relax while SCOUT burns power throughout the night.

While the physical work plugs along, Dylan and Ryan work to keep the software and electronics on track. The key to the software and electronics side of things is testing. Over the past four days the team has had many ups and downs while testing. The first test was a pool test. SCOUT was placed in a pool and set to run for 10 hours so the team could create a voltage curve as the batteries were drained. The test went well, although we lost datalogging capabilities midway through because we used a shoddy USB cable. In typical SCOUT fashion, nothing ever works the first time (and often not the second, third, or the fourth time either. We’ve become used to it.)

Ocean testing

The next test was an ocean test. We towed SCOUT out onto the Sakonnet river to help put the waypoint bypass software to the test. The test had interesting results. At first it seemed that the test was going well, but then SCOUT started turning in circles and headed off in the completely wrong direction, seemingly intent on running full steam into Portsmouth. A standard period of depression ensued because the team didn’t know what could have caused the issue, and we set to the now routinized task of transporting SCOUT back to the garage. Luckily, we discovered that a little water made its way into the compass assembly and resulted in faulty readings. This was on account of our deck sealing methods (when we seal the deck for testing, we usually use blue painter’s tape, which sticks well to the post-pealply carbon surface, unlike most tapes) and the weather (the test was planned for the early morning when the wind and waves would have been more calm, but the crew had a tremendously difficult time waking Dylan up after a long worknight and thus the test occurred post-noon.) We swapped out the compass in a couple of minutes and did a retest in which SCOUT performed flawlessly. This of course won’t be a problem on the crossing, as the compass will be sealed, the deck will be sealed, and we’ll maintain a healthy supply of coffee for the team members.

Brendan, Dan, and Max build a sensor housing

The next big step in the software development is the final code for the Iridum satellite transceiver system. Luckily for the team, our programming guru Ryan Muller will be down for a couple of days and will be invaluable to our success with the data transmission handling. It’s always great to have new faces at the SCOUT headquarters; hopefully we’ll soon have good news about the data transmission, especially since we’ve added pH, salinity, and dissolved oxygen sensors purchased from enthusiastic supporters of the project, Atlas Scientific.

Well, that’s all for now. We’ll do our best to keep everyone updated as we get closer to finalizing SCOUT for her transatlantic journey.

Here’s a link to their accelerometer that we’re using.

Tercer viaje de Colón: Click to enlarge

The route that Scout will take across the Atlantic plays a massive role in its chance of completing the approximately three thousand mile journey. Many factors will affect the journey including seasonal weather patterns, the Gulf Stream, prevailing winds, Portugal Coastal Current, and shipping traffic. While we’re expecting an average of 1-2 knots of speed, we don’t want to waste any more power than necessary to counteract current and wind.

Scout’s journey will begin off of Fogland Beach in Tiverton, RI. From here it will be escorted south out of the Sakonnet River where it will receive its first taste of the Atlantic Ocean. There are immediate concerns of shipping and boating traffic, which are primary reasons for an escort. The first hurdle Scout will encounter will be the Gulf Stream, a warm ocean current moving northward along the eastern seaboard of the U.S.

The Gulf Stream: Click to enlarge

This current has its own unpredictable weather system; warm and cold core eddies can cause freak storms. Dane Clark, a professional meteorologist with extensive experience in ocean current forecasting, will assist the team in up to date thermal images and his interpretations of conditions of these Atlantic currents.

The next decision is to go one of two ways- send Scout on the shorter “Great Circle route” or a longer route that may have more favorable weather. Sending Scout North allows for a shorter time at sea, but leaves us with a greater chance of encountering Arctic storms, fog/cloud cover, and heavier shipping traffic. The longer route would cut straight across the 40th parallel, then skirt above the Azores and to Spain. The longer route may allow for Scout to encounter less shipping traffic; the Mid-Atlantic High provides light winds and sunshine. There are benefits and drawbacks to each route, and we’re working to take these into account as we move forward towards planning Scout’s trip.

One question that we get all the time is “What happens if Scout flips over?” Let’s take a look.

Scout is designed, like any keelboat, to right itself when it flips over. This is how it works:

If we didn’t build the boat with an angled deck, it would be pretty stable upside down [A]. This is because the center of gravity is pulled pretty low by the heavy solar panels, and since the keel is directly above the boat, it doesn’t help to right the boat; it only pushes it downwards. Of course, waves and wind would eventually push the boat back over, but in these examples we’ll forget about those.

Figure B shows the boat upside down with the angled deck (as she’s built now). Because the hull (yellow outline) is submerged, it will try and balance the upward force on the boat, so the left side of the boat will rise until it looks like figure C. Here, we identify the angle that the boat is pushed off of vertical with a red line segment. Since the keel bulb shifts to the right, it’s now free to exert more force on the boat and begins to pull it over [D]. Figure E shows us the boat finishing its rotation, and F is what Scout normally looks like when it’s in the water.

I hope this answered some questions! Feel free to comment in the box below, and definitely ask us any questions that you’ve been kicking around- electronics, software, hull, anything.

Dylan

The first is the decline in sunlight and the deterioration of the weather over the Fall months. Calculations showed approximately 30% less power would be available to Scout over the entire journey. After having worked so hard to make Scout as efficient as possible, a 30% decrease in the power supply would be unacceptable.

The delay in the launch will also allow more effective testing and refinement of all systems. While Scout effectively moves under its own power and navigates autonomously as of now, extensive testing still needs to be done. The reason for the delay comes down to allowing the team to give Scout the best chance possible to be successful in its epic voyage.

In the coming months, we will continue our in water testing, electronics evaluation and reconfiguration, as well as promoting interest in our project. We’re hoping to shift the focus and reach out to different media outlets in order to develop possible applications for a platform such as Scout. While we have not spent much time in this area, we believe there are applications in environmental, government, and commercial sectors.

We’ll continue to update the website as progress is made, and we look forward to the launch of Scout in early Summer of 2013.

Tomorrow night (Sunday the 19th) we’ll be having our second open house. We invite you to stop by and check out Scout, ask questions, and see what our next steps will be. It starts at 7pm at Scout headquarters (60 Nonquit Ln, Tiverton RI).

See you there!