#Urato Islands

[riversidewings]

Two days to launch for Confluence!

The Santaku Dynamics Urato Facility appears in story, it's a modern descendant of the historic Yamazaki Shipyard on Sabusawa Island. Its crest shows a tsurugi superimposed over the outline of Sabusawa Island in gold, making the tsurugi look aflame. The flanking characters in seal script, read kaibutsu seimu: 'Advancing Knowledge, Seeing Things Through.'"

[lovelovesurfinggg]

This is hidden Matsushima, and its healing islands, Urato islands. (TWS)

[212travel]

For a day hike, opt for the 7.7-mile Oku-Matsushima and Urato Islands Course. outsideonline.com/2409886/outside-magazine-2021-travel-trip-ideas?utm_campaign=rss&utm_source=rss&utm_medium=xmlfeed

[hudsonespie]

NOAA's Support for the Bourbon Rhode Search and Rescue Effort

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) provided critical assistance during the international search and rescue (SAR) and recovery efforts that followed the sinking of the tug Bourbon Rhode in Hurricane Lorenzo last fall. This intra-agency NOAA effort included Hurricane Hunters from the Aircraft Operations Center (AOC), scientists from the National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service (NESDIS) and the Hurricane Research Division (HRD), and marine forecasters from the Tropical Analysis and Forecast Branch (TAFB) of the National Hurricane Center (NHC). 

On the morning of Thursday, September 26, French authorities received a distress signal from the Bourbon Rhode, an offshore tug in the central Atlantic en route from the Canary Islands to Guyana with 14 crew members on board. The Bourbon Rhode had made a dangerously close approach to the eye of Hurricane Lorenzo in the central Atlantic Ocean, and water was entering towards the stern of the vessel. At 0200 Atlantic Standard Time (AST) on September 26, Lorenzo was a Category 2 hurricane with 95 knot winds and seas 12 feet or greater extending 240-330 nautical miles outward from its center. At 0800 AST, a TAFB sea state analysis - issued around the same time as the last automatic identification system (AIS) signal from the Bourbon Rhode - showed peak significant wave heights in Lorenzo of up to 41 feet. By 1400 AST, Lorenzo had strengthened to a Category 4 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 115 knots. The Bourbon Rhode ultimately sank on September 26 in the central Atlantic Ocean.  

File photo of M/V Bourbon Rhode (courtesy Bourbon Offshore)

Both of NOAA’s P-3 aircraft were preparing to fly dedicated research missions into the storm. As NOAA43 (nicknamed Miss Piggy) transited from Lakeland, Florida, to Barbados on September 26, the French government and the U.S. Coast Guard reached out and requested SAR assistance. Meanwhile, the nearest marine vessel to the incident site — a bulk carrier named SSI Excellent – diverted toward the last known position of the Bourbon Rhode. Later that day, NHC/TAFB was contacted by the USCG Rescue Coordination Center (RCC) Miami to begin providing spot forecasts for surface wind and wave conditions that would impact vessels aiding in the SAR efforts. The first TAFB point forecast for the rescue detailed the dangerous marine conditions that were still ongoing in the wake of Lorenzo, with gusty tropical-storm-force winds and combined seas of 20 feet near the incident site.

NOAA aircraft fleet in Barbados for Hurricane Lorenzo research missions. The NOAA P-3 aircraft provided critical SAR support for the Bourbon Rhode incident.  Credit: LCDR Sam Urato, NOAA Corps

Flight track from NOAA43 during the Bourbon Rhode SAR mission over the central Atlantic Ocean on Sept. 27. Credit: Jon Zawislak, NOAA/AOML/HRD

NOAA43 departed Barbados on September 27 with a crew of NOAA personnel.  As requested, they planned to fly over the locations of the last Bourbon Rhode distress signals and report any findings. If nothing was sighted, the crew would continue on with the planned research mission into Lorenzo. NOAA43 was the first SAR-capable asset to reach the incident site, but the crew did not find anything upon arrival.  

With growing concern about the fate of Bourbon Rhode crew members, the NOAA43 crew quickly decided to abandon the Lorenzo research mission and continue SAR support. With little information besides the last-known location of the Bourbon Rhode, they quickly adapted to the situation and developed a SAR flight plan. Crew members rearranged themselves by any available window and called out locations of suspected targets or debris while surveying in the vicinity of the last known Bourbon Rhode position. Poor visibility, extremely large waves, and turbulence from strong rainbands posed difficult challenges as NOAA43 received sporadic emergency beacon signals. With only minutes left before the plane needed to head back to Barbados due to fuel limitations, crew members spotted debris and what appeared to be a life raft. This information was relayed to SSI Excellent, which was en route to the SAR area.

Convective cell in an outer rainband of Hurricane Lorenzo, taken during a NOAA43 SAR mission on September 27, 2019. The bulker SSI Excellent is also pictured. Credit: Kelly Ryan, NOAA/AOML/HRD

Flight track from NOAA42 during the Bourbon Rhode SAR mission over the central Atlantic Ocean on Sept. 28. Credit: Jon Zawislak, NOAA/AOML/HRD

On September 28, NOAA42 (nicknamed Kermit) flew a SAR mission in coordination with SSI Excellent and other supporting marine vessels across the search area. As Hurricane Lorenzo moved farther away, improving weather and marine conditions allowed the plane to fly as low as 200 feet above the ocean surface. The NOAA42 crew (see list at the end of the post) conducted visual searches while listening for emergency beacon signals, guided by previous reports from NOAA43 as well as new information from supporting ships. 

The crewmembers located a large debris field and the remains of several sailors, and they directed ships to these locations so the victims could be recovered. The dedicated efforts of NOAA personnel significantly narrowed the search region and guided ships toward the area where a life raft was discovered later that day. Three Bourbon Rhode survivors were rescued from that life raft in the Atlantic Ocean.

Aerial photo of the life raft carrying three surviving Bourbon Rhode crew members on September 28, 2019. Credit: Marine Nationale (French Navy) via Facebook   NOAA assets played a pivotal role in early SAR efforts, which were led by the Maritime RCC Fort-de-France on the island of Martinique. As the international search efforts continued, TAFB provided six-hourly forecast updates on wind, wave, and weather conditions. From September 26 to October 5, 2019, TAFB produced 35 spot forecasts that were shared with RCC Miami and MRCC Fort-de-France in support of this unprecedented SAR operation. Over two weeks, 21 ships and four aircraft searched over 40,000 square miles of the central Atlantic Ocean for survivors.  Four bodies were recovered and seven others were declared lost at sea after SAR efforts were officially called off on October 5.

The Bourbon Rhode incident is just one example of how TAFB has evolved to provide impact-based decision support services (IDSS) to the USCG, its primary core governmental partner.  Last year, TAFB forecasters produced 56 spot forecasts for 13 marine incidents including SAR missions, distressed vessels and even a medical rescue. 

In July 2019, the USCG and U.S. Air Force coordinated a rescue operation of two critically injured people off a disabled fishing vessel in the eastern North Pacific Ocean. TAFB provided spot forecast support for the rescue operation and subsequent transport of the injured people to a Mexican naval medical clinic on Socorro Island. “This information is truly impacting operations,” said Douglas Samp, Search Mission Coordinator for RCC Alameda (USCG District 11).

Additionally, TAFB forecasters prepare and deliver live briefings to USCG District leadership when tropical cyclones threaten USCG SAR regions and U.S. ports. In 2019, TAFB delivered 42 tropical briefings combined to USCG District 7 and District 8, including 25 briefings for Hurricane Dorian. “I cannot overstate how much [NHC/TAFB] insight into the storm’s effects is vital to our planning and response efforts,” said Captain Eric Smith, Chief of the Incident Management Branch for USCG District 7.

Tragedies like the Bourbon Rhode highlight the importance of TAFB's ability to provide year-round IDSS support to core partners. In this case, the dedicated IDSS provided by TAFB forecasters, combined with the valiant efforts of NOAA AOC crew members and HRD and NESDIS researchers, played a critical role in the international rescue efforts that ultimately saved three lives.

Brad Reinhart is a meteorologist with the Tropical Analysis and Forecast Branch (TAFB) of NOAA’s National Hurricane Center in Miami, Florida. He currently serves as the TAFB focal point for core marine partners, including the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG). He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Meteorology from Texas A&M University and a Master of Science degree in Meteorology from Florida State University. 

Acknowledgments: Special thanks to Zorana Jelenak, Kelly Ryan, and Joe Sapp for sharing their personal accounts of this experience with the author. Additional thanks to Jonathan Shannon, Shirley Murillo, Jon Zawislak, Nathan Kahn, Patrick Didier, and Erica Rule for their helpful input and feedback.

This article appears courtesy of the National Hurricane Center and may be found in its original form here. 

from Storage Containers https://maritime-executive.com/article/noaa-s-support-for-the-bourbon-rhode-search-and-rescue-effort-1 via http://www.rssmix.com/

[vlitrelaxation]

Tweeted

Visit secret Matsushima, sacred Urato islands, Sendai: mulai Rp -* / malam - https://t.co/QUnny7PA15

— VLIT.ORG (@vlitorg) May 17, 2019

[gwedottj-blog]

Preview for the Nonoshima Canoeing Trip

Preview for the Nonoshima Canoeing Trip

Out of the blue, a friend of mine messaged me on Facebook Messanger asking if would like to go visit one of the Urato Islands in Matsushima Bay. He then told me that he was planning on going around the islands either by canoe or kayak.

Nonoshima sits in the middle of the Urato Islands near the Oku-Matsushima peninsula. We canoed for a total of 5km (about 3.5miles) around the islands finding fun…

[fox-trotting]

Japan Month 3 Part 2

The Urato Islands in Matsushima bay are part of Shiogama city, and although only one child lives there, an elementary school, built when the islands had more residents, is still being used with kids and all staff taking the 30 minute ferry ride everyday to use the facility. I'd say it was definitely the cutest place I went to. Tiny farms that look straight out of the Harvest Moon video games, endless rocky tiny bays for exploring, finding abandoned 19th century houses, fossils, endless sea shells, a large population of pretty healthy looking friendly stray cats, one of them literally greeting us off the ferry, and tanukis, cute wild dogs that look like raccoons. Although the one we crossed on the road had a bad leg and one eye, it seemed pretty happy in the spring sunshine.

With a day to spare on my train pass I did a day drip to Nikko in Tochigi, one of Japan's most famous places, having whats said to be the most lavishly decorated and important shrines and temples in Japan. There's a bunch of history here, but basically this is the resting place of a bunch of ruling type dudes from the Japanese feudal ages, and has some of the most important Buddist and Shinto sites. I failed at seeing most of them. I decided to start off with a hike down the Kanmangafuchi Abyss, a gorge trail lined with 70 stone Jizo statues, every single one of them wearing red bonnets and bibs. By the time I got back to town, I only had time to visit one of the sites before they closed for the day. So instead I hiked some more, following a service road up the mountain and finding myself half way up Mt. Nyoho out of cellphone range and with the sun setting. After coming across small remote mountain snow blanketed shrines and getting to a beautiful view of the mountain and the river that flows from its summit crater lake I made my way back down, catching the last train out back to Shiogama.

Emily and I spent our last few days together in Nasu, an off the beaten track hot spring and outdoors area in Tochigi. I'll spare the details of the nauseating white millennial couple in an exotic country retreat, but it included lots of laughs, hiking a volcano ill equipped, being persistent and actually succeeding in finding a wild outdoor hot spring, cute cabins, thousands of Jozi statues with their red bibs and bonnets, lots of walking and being overly thrifty cause we are actually on the verge of being broke. And snacks, lots of snacks. After three months, Emily and I parted ways, taking trains in opposite directions, me heading back to Canada, and her staying another 5 months in Japan, finishing her contract.

I had one more stop before heading back to Tokyo for my flight. Two nights in Minakami, Gunma prefecture, for one more shred day. Being a holiday the bullet train was packed and inconvenient with luggage and ski gear, so I took the slow local train. It was a long 6 hour ride, but was the best people watching I did in Japan. Riding the old Ryomo Line which runs through the country passing through small cities hugging the edge of the greater Tokyo metro area. I was the only guest at the Raspberry Hostel in Minakami, and the owner, Sohara, was overly concerned and surprised that I had not been eaten by a bear after I walked 2km from the train station at night, treating me to sake tasting and being my guide for the next two days.

I had come to Minakami for the skiing. Tanigawadake Tenjindaira is a small, and relatively unknown ski area with some of the most snow and vertical drop in Japan. There's a legendary, very isolated train station with a 500 stair access tunnel at the base of the ski area where in the 80s two Aussies were said to have stealthily lived while shredding everyday, and going into town only for supplies and food. Comparatively, I felt cheap to have Sohara chauffeur me to that mythical tunnel, and then up to the ski resort where once again a dry season left little snow to shred, and the one and only mythical 4000m top to bottom in-bound backcountry run closed off due to early spring melt. Although it was a beautiful day with summit beers and ski boundary border hoping, I felt a little defeated that I just wasn't as hardcore as those Aussies or other shred bums. But as I waited for and watched my bus to town make its way up the the hairpin turns to base station looking like a tiny toy compared to the mountains surrounding it, I pictured myself looking a lot like that bus, a tiny dot going back and forth, shredding the side of a mountain at 1500 meters, on 110cm pieces of wood strapped to my feet and that was still pretty bad ass and felt pretty damn stoked about my life.

I jumped on the train to Tokyo and spent my last day sitting under sakura blossoms, visiting Asakusa shrine once again, going to watch an improv jazz show in a crowded basement space with only a handful of people, aimlessly wandering around residential neighborhoods in Tokyo under the full moon, and using up the last moments of my phone plan on a good bye call with Emily.

Back home for now, til next adventures.

[hudsonespie]

NOAA's Support for the Bourbon Rhode Search and Rescue Effort

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) provided critical assistance during the international search and rescue (SAR) and recovery efforts that followed the sinking of the tug Bourbon Rhode in Hurricane Lorenzo last fall. This intra-agency NOAA effort included Hurricane Hunters from the Aircraft Operations Center (AOC), scientists from the National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service (NESDIS) and the Hurricane Research Division (HRD), and marine forecasters from the Tropical Analysis and Forecast Branch (TAFB) of the National Hurricane Center (NHC). 

On the morning of Thursday, September 26, French authorities received a distress signal from the Bourbon Rhode, an offshore tug in the central Atlantic en route from the Canary Islands to Guyana with 14 crew members on board. The Bourbon Rhode had made a dangerously close approach to the eye of Hurricane Lorenzo in the central Atlantic Ocean, and water was entering towards the stern of the vessel. At 0200 Atlantic Standard Time (AST) on September 26, Lorenzo was a Category 2 hurricane with 95 knot winds and seas 12 feet or greater extending 240-330 nautical miles outward from its center. At 0800 AST, a TAFB sea state analysis - issued around the same time as the last automatic identification system (AIS) signal from the Bourbon Rhode - showed peak significant wave heights in Lorenzo of up to 41 feet. By 1400 AST, Lorenzo had strengthened to a Category 4 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 115 knots. The Bourbon Rhode ultimately sank on September 26 in the central Atlantic Ocean.  

File photo of M/V Bourbon Rhode (courtesy Bourbon Offshore)

Both of NOAA’s P-3 aircraft were preparing to fly dedicated research missions into the storm. As NOAA43 (nicknamed Miss Piggy) transited from Lakeland, Florida, to Barbados on September 26, the French government and the U.S. Coast Guard reached out and requested SAR assistance. Meanwhile, the nearest marine vessel to the incident site — a bulk carrier named SSI Excellent – diverted toward the last known position of the Bourbon Rhode. Later that day, NHC/TAFB was contacted by the USCG Rescue Coordination Center (RCC) Miami to begin providing spot forecasts for surface wind and wave conditions that would impact vessels aiding in the SAR efforts. The first TAFB point forecast for the rescue detailed the dangerous marine conditions that were still ongoing in the wake of Lorenzo, with gusty tropical-storm-force winds and combined seas of 20 feet near the incident site.

NOAA aircraft fleet in Barbados for Hurricane Lorenzo research missions. The NOAA P-3 aircraft provided critical SAR support for the Bourbon Rhode incident.  Credit: LCDR Sam Urato, NOAA Corps

Flight track from NOAA43 during the Bourbon Rhode SAR mission over the central Atlantic Ocean on Sept. 27. Credit: Jon Zawislak, NOAA/AOML/HRD

NOAA43 departed Barbados on September 27 with a crew of NOAA personnel.  As requested, they planned to fly over the locations of the last Bourbon Rhode distress signals and report any findings. If nothing was sighted, the crew would continue on with the planned research mission into Lorenzo. NOAA43 was the first SAR-capable asset to reach the incident site, but the crew did not find anything upon arrival.  

With growing concern about the fate of Bourbon Rhode crew members, the NOAA43 crew quickly decided to abandon the Lorenzo research mission and continue SAR support. With little information besides the last-known location of the Bourbon Rhode, they quickly adapted to the situation and developed a SAR flight plan. Crew members rearranged themselves by any available window and called out locations of suspected targets or debris while surveying in the vicinity of the last known Bourbon Rhode position. Poor visibility, extremely large waves, and turbulence from strong rainbands posed difficult challenges as NOAA43 received sporadic emergency beacon signals. With only minutes left before the plane needed to head back to Barbados due to fuel limitations, crew members spotted debris and what appeared to be a life raft. This information was relayed to SSI Excellent, which was en route to the SAR area.

Convective cell in an outer rainband of Hurricane Lorenzo, taken during a NOAA43 SAR mission on September 27, 2019. The bulker SSI Excellent is also pictured. Credit: Kelly Ryan, NOAA/AOML/HRD

Flight track from NOAA42 during the Bourbon Rhode SAR mission over the central Atlantic Ocean on Sept. 28. Credit: Jon Zawislak, NOAA/AOML/HRD

On September 28, NOAA42 (nicknamed Kermit) flew a SAR mission in coordination with SSI Excellent and other supporting marine vessels across the search area. As Hurricane Lorenzo moved farther away, improving weather and marine conditions allowed the plane to fly as low as 200 feet above the ocean surface. The NOAA42 crew (see list at the end of the post) conducted visual searches while listening for emergency beacon signals, guided by previous reports from NOAA43 as well as new information from supporting ships. 

The crewmembers located a large debris field and the remains of several sailors, and they directed ships to these locations so the victims could be recovered. The dedicated efforts of NOAA personnel significantly narrowed the search region and guided ships toward the area where a life raft was discovered later that day. Three Bourbon Rhode survivors were rescued from that life raft in the Atlantic Ocean.

Aerial photo of the life raft carrying three surviving Bourbon Rhode crew members on September 28, 2019. Credit: Marine Nationale (French Navy) via Facebook   NOAA assets played a pivotal role in early SAR efforts, which were led by the Maritime RCC Fort-de-France on the island of Martinique. As the international search efforts continued, TAFB provided six-hourly forecast updates on wind, wave, and weather conditions. From September 26 to October 5, 2019, TAFB produced 35 spot forecasts that were shared with RCC Miami and MRCC Fort-de-France in support of this unprecedented SAR operation. Over two weeks, 21 ships and four aircraft searched over 40,000 square miles of the central Atlantic Ocean for survivors.  Four bodies were recovered and seven others were declared lost at sea after SAR efforts were officially called off on October 5.

The Bourbon Rhode incident is just one example of how TAFB has evolved to provide impact-based decision support services (IDSS) to the USCG, its primary core governmental partner.  Last year, TAFB forecasters produced 56 spot forecasts for 13 marine incidents including SAR missions, distressed vessels and even a medical rescue. 

In July 2019, the USCG and U.S. Air Force coordinated a rescue operation of two critically injured people off a disabled fishing vessel in the eastern North Pacific Ocean. TAFB provided spot forecast support for the rescue operation and subsequent transport of the injured people to a Mexican naval medical clinic on Socorro Island. “This information is truly impacting operations,” said Douglas Samp, Search Mission Coordinator for RCC Alameda (USCG District 11).

Additionally, TAFB forecasters prepare and deliver live briefings to USCG District leadership when tropical cyclones threaten USCG SAR regions and U.S. ports. In 2019, TAFB delivered 42 tropical briefings combined to USCG District 7 and District 8, including 25 briefings for Hurricane Dorian. “I cannot overstate how much [NHC/TAFB] insight into the storm’s effects is vital to our planning and response efforts,” said Captain Eric Smith, Chief of the Incident Management Branch for USCG District 7.

Tragedies like the Bourbon Rhode highlight the importance of TAFB's ability to provide year-round IDSS support to core partners. In this case, the dedicated IDSS provided by TAFB forecasters, combined with the valiant efforts of NOAA AOC crew members and HRD and NESDIS researchers, played a critical role in the international rescue efforts that ultimately saved three lives.

Brad Reinhart is a meteorologist with the Tropical Analysis and Forecast Branch (TAFB) of NOAA’s National Hurricane Center in Miami, Florida. He currently serves as the TAFB focal point for core marine partners, including the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG). He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Meteorology from Texas A&M University and a Master of Science degree in Meteorology from Florida State University. 

Acknowledgments: Special thanks to Zorana Jelenak, Kelly Ryan, and Joe Sapp for sharing their personal accounts of this experience with the author. Additional thanks to Jonathan Shannon, Shirley Murillo, Jon Zawislak, Nathan Kahn, Patrick Didier, and Erica Rule for their helpful input and feedback.

This article appears courtesy of the National Hurricane Center and may be found in its original form here. 

from Storage Containers https://www.maritime-executive.com/article/noaa-s-support-for-the-bourbon-rhode-search-and-rescue-effort-1 via http://www.rssmix.com/