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IN THIS ISSUE #114

AROUND THE WORLD IN AN AMPHIBIOUS SCHOOL BUS

TRAWLERS & TRAWLERING ONLINE STORE OPENS

MANAGEMENT CHANGES AT NORDIC TUGS

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Proud presenting sponsor of West Marine Trawler Fest http://www.trawlerfest.com ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ T R A W L E R N E W S  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Broadcast on the Internet 04/01/04 Read this edition online with photos and additional text at http://members.rogers.com/waterworld/tnews_temp_114.html ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ IN THIS ISSUE #114 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Around the world in an amphibious school bus Trawlers & Trawlering online store opens Management shuffle at Nordic Tugs If you would like a FREE trial copy of Power Cruising How to reach us How to unsubscribe ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ AROUND THE WORLD IN AN AMPHIBIOUS SCHOOL BUS ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ By Blake August This is no April Fool's Day joke. Mark Roehrig wants to circumnavigate the world--in a school bus that floats. Roehrig, who has already built an amphibious car, started construction on his amphibus last month after purchasing an old school bus for $1,800. He is looking to raise $35,000 for the conversion project and he also needs a partner for the circumnavigation. He's named his vessel-to-be Wheelsea. http://www.amphigeostory.com tel: 502.432.5188 "Wheelsea is the culmination of a lifetime of dreams," the 44-year-old told Trawler News. "To see the world through my windshield has always been something that has intrigued. Now, I'm building a vessel that can cross any ocean as well as any land mass, provided there's a road of course." A lifelong resident of Louisville, Kentucky, Roehrig has been to sea in the U.S. Navy when he served aboard USS Detroit, a fast combat support ship. http://www.detroit.navy.mil/facts.htm Wheelsea, which started life as a 66-passenger school bus, will be about 53 feet long when completed, with an 8-foot beam, says Roehrig. He expects gross weight to be about 28,000 pounds. Essentially, the plan is to encase the bus in 1/8th steel plate, complete with a pointed bow and a swim platform aft. Roehrig is ditching the standard bus engine and planning to use a marine diesel of about 250 horsepower for propulsion on land and sea. Hydraulics will turn the wheels and folding prop. He believes fuel capacity of about 500 gallons will suffice, even on the longest legs of a circumnavigation. Roehrig's enthusiasm for the project is seemingly unstoppable, as witnessed by a recent e-mail: "Wheelsea is in the first stage of develpement the 500 gallon diesel tank has been build as well as 6 other varible displacement tanks. each of these tanks messure 8 feet long by 27 inches wide and 18 inches tall. Each tank will either hold air (smooth seas) or water (rough seas) As you know water weighs zero in water so by filling each tank we're only getting rid of air, (displacement) and in the event of incountering anything near a roll those tanks full of water become tremendously heavy out of water. So you can see Wheelsea is not only conceivable but very safe, another incredible feature is the shaftless propulsion land or sea we're going to use hydraulics for both!" Mark Roehrig is not the first to dream of driving an amphibious vehicle around the world. Ben Carlin also dreamed, and succeeded: http://www.ebroadcast.com.au/ecars/Mil/HalfSafe.html http://members.iinet.net.au/~daveb/halfsafe/halfsafe.html ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ TRAWLERS & TRAWLERING ONLINE STORE OPENS ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The new Web site at TrawlersAndTrawlering.com still is under construction, but the online store has opened for business. The first offerings are shirts and gift items that feature the slogan I'd Rather Be Trawlering! http://www.cafeshops.com/trawlering ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ MANAGEMENT CHANGES AT NORDIC TUGS ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Nordic Tugs has a new president, Ric Reid, while David Goehring now is vice-president. Newly hired as director of sales and marketing is Tracy Prescott. The move up the corporate ladder for Reid and Goehring results from the company's chairman and CEO, Jim Cress, delegating day-to-day management duties. Cress finds himself across the country from the Nordic Tugs plant in Burlington, Washington, a great deal of the time, developing a new dealership in the southeast, Skipper Cress Yacht Sales at Fort Lauderdale, Florida. As chairman and CEO, Cress will continue to chair the company's board of directors and provide continuing leadership in the company's direction and policies. With assistance from David Goehring, longtime treasurer and controller, Ric Reid will be responsible for day-to-day management of the company. Tracy Prescott will manage sales and marketing for the company. Prescott was formerly with Northern Lights and also spent many years in the marine electronics field working for companies such as Furuno. http://www.nordictug.com toll-free: 800.388.4517 http://www.skippercress.com toll-free: 800.201.9622 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ IF YOU WOULD LIKE A FREE TRIAL COPY OF POWER CRUISING . . . ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ If you would like to receive a free trial issue of the new magazine Power Cruising, please complete the request form at https://secure.palmcoastd.com/pcd/document?ikey=0897ZHDDD If you had requested a trial edition of Trawler World, or subscribed to Trawler World, there is no need to also request Power Cruising. You will be sent the premiere edition of Power Cruising in late March, not February as announced earlier. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ HOW TO REACH US ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Trawler News, an e-newsletter about voyaging, cruising and living aboard under power, is distributed free of charge by TrawlersAndTrawlering.com as a public service to the trawler community. To subscribe, or unsubscribe, go <http://lists.samurai.com/mailman/listinfo/trawler-world-news>. We do not sell, rent or trade addresses of our subscribers without their permission. Editor: Georgs Kolesnikovs E-mail: georgs@trawlering.com Telephone: 866-865-2628 Facsimile: 866-865-2729 Web: <http://www.TrawlersAndTrawlering.com>. This edition was broadcast to 6,111 subscribers and posted on the Web. You can read earlier editions beginning at <http://www.trawlerworld.com/twnews_101.htm>. Water World Productions, formerly Trawler World Productions, respects your time and privacy. If you prefer not to receive further communications, please hit the reply button and send the word "remove." T R A W L E R N E W S  Powered by Apple Macintosh iBook G4 Copyright (c) 2004 Water World Productions. All rights reserved.