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Archive for May, 2009

Cruising For Those Afraid Of Water

It may seem strange to imagine that people who are afraid of water will go on a cruise and yet every year many thousands of people do exactly that. Some of these people have very deep seated fears of water and may not be able to swim as a result of that fear. Other people may not even consider that they are afraid but discover a slight fear once they set foot on their first cruise ship and watch the firm land they left drifting into the far horizon. Still others have fears that are almost hidden and do not admit it even to themselves but let the anxiety hide deep down causing them to enjoy the trip less.

Considering the cost of cruises and also what a fantastic experience they can be it is worth giving some thought to points that may in some small way help to alleviate any fears especially those which are based on misunderstood facts or simply myths which have no basis in reality.

One of the most useful things to consider doing is to book your first cruise as part of a group. Going with a large group of familiar people will help you to feel less afraid. The sight of familiar faces will help to bring some of the associations you have of dry land onto the ship. These people will know you and will be able to support you. Don’t be afraid to admit your worries that way people can be more supportive and sympathetic. It is not a weakness; we all have our own personal fears and worries many of which are quite irrational and even absurd! Certainly the fear of water is entirely understandable yet there are points to mention which might help in some way to calm nerves.

One of the most common fears is of course to do with the ship sinking. These cruise ships are many hundreds of meters long and hundreds of meters high. They are the length of several football pitches and as high as tower blocks. The huge size of these ships means that they are highly unlikely to ever sink and even if they did it would be such a ludicrously slow process that there would never be any cause for fear that it would sink so quickly you wouldn’t be saved.

The other thing of course is that all cruise ships have more than enough lifeboats for every single passenger on board and enough life jackets for everyone too. In addition to which the seas and routes taken by cruise ships today are so busy that you are highly unlikely to ever be far from another ship which would simply come along and pick you up.

But all this is highly improbable. Although people will undoubtedly be thinking of the Titanic it is worth remembering that not only it was almost a hundred years ago but the crew didn’t bother taking enough lifeboats there were serious design flaws it was sailed in a way that was strictly against the design recommendations along with many other factors which made the disaster inevitable.

Oddly people who are afraid of cruising on a ship have no problem flying this is over the same stretch of water yet 30000 feet higher up! Statistically cruising is the safest means of transportation. You’re more likely to have an accident cycling to work. In fact more people are being injured or killed every year by having a coconut fall on their head than have died from a cruise ship accident in the last 25 years.

About the writer:  Victor Epand is an expert consultant in luggage cruises hotels and shopping. You will find the best marketplace for luggage cruises hotels and shopping at these sites for bags luggage cruises common fears safety and shopping.

Christmas Vacation Cruise: A Getaway Without Holiday Preparations

Christmas season can be an exhausting time for all the Christmas decorations shopping meal preparations and other activities associated with the busy but joyous season. If you want to relax leave the preparations for other families and take a break a Christmas vacation cruise is a perfect getaway for you and your family.

More and more cruise lines are providing new ways for families to spend their holidays with them. A good thing about Christmas vacation cruises is that your whole clan can join the trip and share different activities onboard and at port stops but each family will still have their own private cabin.

Christmas Vacation Cruises also provide entertainment for children onboard. So if you are worried that your kids wont be given their yearly wish to Santa Claus most cruise lines provide an onboard Santa for children. Your teens could also enjoy Christmas and New Years Eve parties various holiday contests and craft making.

If you are giving a Christmas cruise vacation as a gift for your loved ones you can choose from different destinations that you think they could enjoy. From a 10day Caribbean trip to a cruise in Mexico Hawaii Austria or other interesting places your family is guaranteed to enjoy the scenery activities and oneofakind experience provided by cruise vacations.

Choose the Perfect Cruise Line for Your Christmas Vacation

If you decided on spending your holidays with a Christmas vacation cruise package it is now the time to determine the destinations you wish to see. Although there are only few packages available for most winter cruises your coldweather retreat can still be one of the amazing experiences in your familys life.

The Norwegian Cruise Line provides its clients with winter cruises destined to the Mexican Riviera Hawaii Caribbean and the South Americas. These amazing destinations provide different boarding ports including New York Charleston Houston Miami and New Orleans. Your children can enjoy Santas gift giving and various crafts making while your whole family can keep the spirit of Christmas with caroling from the cruise crew.

A more festive cruise line is the Princess which specially decorates their ships for the holiday season. Available Christmas vacation cruises are destined to New Zealand Australia Caribbean and the Southern Pacific. The crew prepares for festivities and New Years Eve celebrations. For a more exotic trip you can choose to board with Holland America and visit Antarctica Australia Mexico and the Caribbean over the holiday season.

Regardless of cruise lines your budget can be matched in accordance with your chosen destinations. So if you are looking for a relaxed holiday time with your family book your Christmas vacation cruise now and have a time of your life.

About the writer:nbsp;nbsp;Rohit Chopra has written several useful articles on topics likeChristmas VacationDisney Christmas VacationChristmas Vacation packageetc. Get more useful information on Christmas Vacation at http://www.winegiftbasketkit.com

Choosing A Marina For A Motor Boat

The first mention of a fast running marine diesel is in 1903 on the MarneRhine canal when a French built canal barge named “Petit Pierre” sailed producing 25bhp at 360 rpm.

In 1904 two marine diesel engines combined were being used in a French submarine Z 120bhp.Then in 1905 another French diesel submarine the Aigrette with a more conventional 4 stroke engine produced 200 bhp was launched.

The first sea going application in a commercial venture is when Swedish engine firm A.B. Motorer delivered the 120 bhp 300 rpm reversible engines for the 350 dwt cargo ships “Rapp” and “Schnapp” that were commissioned in 1908. The vessels operated as coasters sailing in the Baltic and the North Sea.

Russia also built the Caspian Sea tanker “Djelo” of 4000 dwt in 1908. It was powered by two 500 bhp 150 rpm engines. In 1909 two slightly larger tankers were built with even bigger diesel engines.

Sailing ships with auxiliary engines were also being built. In 1910 an A.B. Diesel Motorer engine was installed in Amundsens “Fram”. In the same year the Italians built the 1000 t cargo vessel “Romagna” It had a 2stroke Sulzer engine of 380 bhp at 250 rpm.

An early mention of an engine built for a yacht is the building in 1910 of a light weight V8 diesel engine a 200 bhp 600 rpm engine weighing only 10 kg/bhp. The engine was intended for Emanuel Nobels yacht “Intermezzo”.

In 1910 the “Vulcanus” a small tanker 1216 dwt 2047 ton displacement with a 6cylinder reversible engine producing 450 bhp at 180 rpm went to sea. It was ocean going mainly sailing in the Far East between Borneo and Singapore. When compared to a similar steam driven tanker the diesel powered “Vulcanus” consumed 2 tons of oil versus 11 tons of coal for the steamship and the crew was reduced to 16 instead of 30.

On November 4 1911 the “Selandia” the first of a series of three cargo ships was launched in Denmark. She was a 7400 dwt 10000 ton displacement twin propellers and driven by a Burmeister amp; Wain 8 cylinder 4stroke engine of 1050 bhp at 140 rpm. The ships maiden voyage took place in early February 1912. At the time the ship certainly was the largest commercial diesel powered ship and it served until 1942.

The Danish built “Selandia” whilst not the first marine diesel engine ship was the largest ocean going ship of the early marine diesel vessels.

Acknowledgements

D. Stapersma Vulcanus versus Selandia july 1996 Voorburg The Netherlands.
C. Lyle Cummins Diesels engine CarnotPress Oregon 1993

About the writer:nbsp;nbsp;Published novelist eBook creator writer of health and fitness articles M. McCauley has shown countless people how to take free cruises and tours. Her eBook ‘Six Steps to FREE Cruises and Tours’ is available for download at http://stores.lulu.com/store.php?fAcctID=7857

To read about other ways of cruising free go to http://www.squidoo.com/cruisesandtours

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