Chine bLog

I was pleased to see that American Rivers has a new blog, Blue Trails Guide, focused on helping communities make better recreational use of their waterways. Rock on, folks!

I have seen a couple design contests around. I love these. WoodenBoat has a challenge out now. It asks for a small power boat with low fuel use, a response to the rising costs of boating. Here are the specs:

• 16’6” to 18’6” overall length, stem to stern (transom)
• 25-hp maximum power
• Must burn less than 2 gallons per hour while maintaining a 15-knot cruising speed and carrying 650 lbs (four adults or equivalent)
• Trailerable weight (with engine) must be less than 2,700 lbs
• Must be able to safely (if not comfortably) get home against a steady 15-knot breeze with higher gusts, and a 2' to 3' chop

An open contest like this, with a focus on solutions to a noted issue, is incredibly cool. There will definitely be more and better ideas to emerge from this casting of a wide net. It will be exciting to see what innovation comes out of this.

After our trip to Mozambique in the last post, we at Chine bLog set sail into the Indian Ocean's rising sun and made Madagascar. Sounds epic, eh? Amazing what you can do on Flickr... anyway, we were moved to explore a little bit because we discovered outrigger canoes, or pirogues, in both places. Many seems to have this interesting square rig, but some have a lanteen rig. Wow - very cool. Check these out.

Pirogue from Mozambique

Pirogues from Madagascar

To Mozambique we go - ain't these beauties? Thanks to Africa Geographic Travel for the image from its Mozambique travel program.

Bob over at Indigenous Boats has a couple interesting posts on the dhows of the Arabian Sea and thereabouts. I don't know a lot about boats of this region, but my interest in them rises from time to time. One could track it with the Dhow Jones Index... (thank you, thank you, I'll be playing the blogosphere all week - don't forget to tip your ISP). I found a brief bit of info on the boats of Oman on Omanet.om, an Omani cultural site. There are the more traditional boats here, such as the Al Boum above, but there is also the Shashah, a pretty interesting rowing craft that is definitely unique. It is made of date tree sticks bound together with cord.