COASTAL 



TIDINGS 



Attend Wooden Boat Show 



Wa 



'ant to sail around Beaufort in a traditional wooden boat or leam how to build a small 

 boat or model boat? 



All of these activities will be offered at the N.C. Maritime Museum's 29th Annual Wooden Boat 

 Show. The noncommercial boat show will be held May 3 from 1 a.m. to 4 p.m. around the 

 museum in downtown Beaufort. 



The show focuses on wooden boats that are 25 feet and under. There also will be a display 

 of ship models at the museum. In addition, students from the Junior Sailing classes will provide 

 demonstrations. 



To exhibit a boat or find out more information, call 252/728-731 7 or send e-mail to 

 maritime@ncmail.net. — A.G. 



Students in the 

 Cape Fear 

 Community 

 College marine 

 technology 

 program 

 demonstrate the 

 ROV capabilities 

 to police, fire, 

 rescue and 

 Coast Guard 

 units at a 

 Wilmington 

 area pool. 



Students Demonstrate High-Tech Mission 



Stud 



udents at Cape Fear Community 

 College can go to great underwater depths 

 without ever getting wet. Using a remotely 

 operated vehicle (ROV), students train for 

 offshore exploration and learn robotic basics. 



The technology has multiple marine 

 applications, college officials say. 



Built-in cameras capture underwater 

 images that are transmitted to a topside computer 

 display screen. The ROV is equipped with lights 

 that enable it to "see" in dark waters, and with an 

 arm that can pluck objects from the bottom. 



These features enable work teams to 

 overcome daunting conditions — turbulent and 

 turbid waters — to achieve their mission. The 

 ROV can go where divers often can't, such as 

 under ships to inspect for damage or into 

 dangerously polluted waters. 



The vehicle can dive down to 500 feet 

 and move at about 5 miles per hour. Its 

 computer technology allows the operator to 

 prepare the ROV for specific conditions — 

 salt or fresh water, water temperature and 

 depth. - P.S. 



This stranded seal was found 

 at the Outer Banks in January. 



Seals Found on 

 Outer Banks 



In January, five harbour seals were 

 found along the Outer Banks. They 

 appeared individually all along the 

 coastline — Kitty Hawk, Rodanthe, Cape 

 Hatteras, Nags Head and Corolla — 

 fromjan. 4 to 25. 



The five harbour seals were not a 

 surprise to those working on the North 

 Carolina coast. Three were found in 2002. 

 The species prefers temperate and 

 subarctic coastal waters. 



The most recent visitors were smaller, 

 subadult seals, four males and one female, 

 that probably just lost their way. 



The five wayward animals were 

 transported to rehabilitation centers on the 

 East Coast. They were all found to have 

 upper respiratory problems and some 

 minor cuts. The three surviving seals will be 

 released into the wild from Maine, New 

 York and Newjersey. 



Due to the cold spell in January, these 

 strandings are not unusual. However, 

 federal officials are monitoring the East 

 Coast for possible trends. The population 

 of habour seals is thought to range from 

 400,000 to 500,000 worldwide. 



If you should find a marine mammal, 

 alive or dead, do not approach it. Call 

 Rachel Lo Piccolo, marine mammal 

 stranding coordinator, in Beaufort at 

 252/728-8762. - G.C. 



COASTWATCH 3 



