Sea And Marine

The Aquatic Center of Newport Beach is an ideal place
for anyone who loves the water or loves to work out
and stay in shape.  The over 18,000 square foot
facility offers a multi-purpose meeting room, both
weight and cardiovascular training facilities, locker
rooms for both men and women, and a storage area for
well over 400 canoes and kayaks!

North Star Beach is here as well, offering a launching
dock off the sandy shore.  The Aquatic Center offers
direct access to Newport Harbor and North Star Beach,
offering rowers and paddlers their choice of water
activities and sports.

During the year, the Aquatic Center offers many
different activities and events.  A majority of these
test team skills and individual skills, which is
perfect for anyone looking to get into the Olympics
or just learn more about water based activities.

Along with the many programs for members, the Aquatic
Center in Newport Beach is also open to the public. 
Even though you don’t have to be a member here, there
are special discounts that members receive.  If you
happen to be on vacation in Newport Beach, it’s ideal
to stop by the Aquatic Center and check out everything
they offer.

Have you ever enjoyed the pleasure of spending an afternoon boating on a lake or an ocean? If so, then you know how fun boating can be. You know that there is nothing quite like the feeling of being on the water and enjoying time in beautiful weather.

Boating is a great activity for many reasons. First, it is great because it allows people to be outside in the beauty of nature. There is no better way to spend a spring, summer or warm fall day than boating. Not only do you get to be outside, but you also get to enjoy being in and on the water. Boating enables you to enjoy the warmth and the sun. It is necessary and helpful for people to get outside and boating is one of the best ways to do that.

Boating also provides time for family and friends to gather and enjoy the company of one another. Busy families can get away from the rush of work and activities and enjoy a quiet day away from all distractions. Boating can be a perfect activity that combines rest, beauty and fun. Friends can come together for a day or a weekend and enjoy renewed friendship and conversation during a special boating trip.

A great thing about boating is that it includes several different ways to have fun. Boating allows you to enjoy the quiet and peace of anchoring at a spot on the water or you can enjoy the wind in your face as you speed from one side of the water to another. For many people, boating also means swimming, tubing, and even waterskiing. Once you are out on the water there are so many ways to enjoy the day. You can anchor the boat and spend hour after hour jumping into the water and swimming. More adventurous people will want to try out a tube or a waterski to enjoy boating even more. Some will love the thrill of watching the tubers or the waterskiers from the safety of the boat. Whatever water activities sound fun to you, boating is a great way to enjoy them all.

If you have never learned how to handle a boat you can take lessons and learn how to lead your friends or family in a boating adventure. If you do not own a boat and are not sure if purchasing one is right for you, look for a family member or friend to lend you theirs for a weekend boating excusion. In no time you will be so excited about boating that you will want to purchase your own. Your family and friends will look to you to provide the endless hours of outdoor fun that
boating is sure to provide.

Advanced technology has truly helped make people’s lives easier, more convenient and even healthier. Just take the case of the water we use every day whether for personal, commercial or industrial use. Thanks to the technology of watermakers, we are now able to savor pure, fresh water without having to worry about its effects on our health and on the things we use them for.

An important use of watermakers is for sea vessels like sail or power boats and yachts. The marine water maker makes use of the desalination system to remove salt and other substances from water and make it suitable for use on board from washing down the boat, cooking, drinking, washing the dishes, making ice, bathing and doing the laundry. Marine desalinators can produce around 170 to 6,800 gallons per day while commercial watermakers can produce a maximum of 50,000 gallons per day.

A marine watermaker also known as sea water desalinator is very inexpensive but the benefits you can get is enormous. Besides being economical, it can also save time and effort and most of its running costs is actually just for the cost of electricity. And if used properly with the right routine maintenance, this device can last up to 20 years.

A desalinator on board can save the boat owner money as he no longer needs to buy purified water elsewhere for use while on his vessel. Also, he does not need to store several gallons of water on board which would otherwise just add on weight to the boat, take up much space and increase its fuel consumption. This, of course, allows the vessel to take longer voyages and at a faster speed to boot.
In addition, a desalinator on board is very convenient as it allows you to do many things similar to what you do at home like cooking, bathing, washing dishes and clothes without having to worry about contamination or conserving water. And with fresh water always available, washing your boat is easy and requires little effort in drying it. Fresh water also helps protect the boat’s rigging and hull.  

A desalinator utilizes the reverse osmosis system in purifying seawater. Fifty years ago, this system was originally developed to make clean water for industrial use. It is considered the most rigid method of water purification in a large scale. But through the years, its usage has expanded to marine watermakers and home water purifiers. Reverse osmosis takes place when pressurized seawater passes through a semi-permeable membrane where up to 99 percent of salts, contaminants and pollutants are removed. The semi-permeable membrane allows only water to pass through but not ions or larger molecules such as bacteria, glucose or urea. So at the other end of the membrane, fresh, potable water is produced from either seawater, salty bore water or recycled water.

A reverse osmosis desalinator is normally operated for only part of the day from four to six hours depending on the amount of fresh water needed. To determine the gallon per hour rating, first find out where pure water will be used and the daily amount needed then divide the total gallon usage by the number of hours the watermaker will be used.

I’ve cruised dozens of ships on various lines and in my opinion this is as good as it gets on a mega-liner of 2200+ passengers with 920 crew. Costa’s Atlantica was a floating palace of art deco furnishings, marble inlaid floors and millions of dollars invested in original works of art. It exceeded my expectations. Also I normally loose weight on cruises shunning the ships artificial fare. This time I over indulged on varied menus of fresh food. I ate enough prosciutto and ice cream to last a decade. The Italian accented cuisine was prepared by Euro-chefs and culinary graduates of the world famous Chaine des Rotisseurs.

We had an awesome group of 60 who blended harmoniously. No love connections occurred (that I know of), but friendships developed as we bonded on our AFS private shore excursions and parties onboard. This group was blessed throughout with the best weather the Baltic region could ever provide - 68º daily and no rain. The First Officer said “this was the best weather of the summer.”

Each country visited was a lesson in culture and history. We saw an eyeful along our 1987 nautical miles. In Copenhagen Denmark - with it’s Mermaid, Stockholm Sweden – the archipelago referred to as “Venice of the North”, Helsinki Finland – so friendly, modern and clean, Grand St. Petersburg Russia where we squeezed in a full power tour of the Hermitage, palaces, onion domed churches, canals and an evening ballet. Our final port was charming Tallinn Estonia where the entire walled Old Town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It was like walking through a fairytale.
For our days at sea there was never a dull moment with 3 pools, shops, casino, luxurious spa and contests with the crew. The 2 story gym was so high tech that I didn’t know how to turn on the equipment, so the only exercise I got was jumping to conclusions. The midnight buffets were the most magnificent I’ve ever witnessed with countless ice sculptures. There was a house baked out of bread and piano shaped from white chocolate.

On our last night we attempted to pack all our trinkets collected: faberge egg, Russian nesting dolls, Swedish crystal, Finish glassware, Nordic pewter, lingonberry jams, amber jewelry, hand knit sweaters and a million T-shirts. Many things such as our fur hats may end up in a garage sale some day, but the bargaining sure was fun.

We tasted just an appetizer of this 5 country smorgasbord but leave perfectly satisfied. As I say Bon Voyage to this unique part of this world, I am able to remiss another journey well done.

Yangtze is a river of epic proportions, stretched across miles over the China mainland from its origin in Qinghai Province to the East China Sea, making it the third longest river in the world behind the Nile and Amazon. A journey along this river provides the most rarest and beautiful views of Mother Nature, exquisite wildlife, scattered industry belts, and some of the biggest cities and towns in the country. If there is a river in China to take a cruise along, this is that river! 

Yangtze River Cruises are rated as the best available in China – and in world as well – and the biggest advantage of choosing to traverse the river in a cruise liner over the conventional modes of transport is that the entire journey is not at all taxing and exhausting. There are no frequent needs for packing and unpacking of the bags nor are there any unending queues in front of verification counters. Once on board, you can place your belongings in your room and focus on enjoying the journey rather than carrying it all along wherever you go. Further, all document related aspects will be handled by the managerial staff of the tour company sponsoring the cruise. The travelers need not have to worry about such technicalities. Also the facilities offered in the cruise liners - such room service, spa service, entertainment, workout facilities, medical facilities and the mouth watering cuisines in the restaurants – are simply top class, at par with the standards offered by the five star hotels in Shanghai or Beijing. 

In short, a traveler on the cruise can enjoy the journey without any worries, in a leisurely pace, on his/her own terms, without getting bogged down by the thoughts of ‘what next’ or ‘where on earth I am’?  After all, we all undertake pleasure trips for sheer pleasure and not to entertain any worries. 

For the best Yangtze River cruises, take few minutes to browse the various travel websites and it won’t take too long for you to find out a tour schedule that matches your convenience and budget. Select a suitable one and you won’t be disappointed at what you see and experience during the days in the cruise liner. Be prepared for the river cruise of your life!

It is a common fact that saltwater fish is more beautiful than their counterparts that live in freshwater. Saltwater fish tend to have brighter colors and they also have unique and interesting body shapes. That is why they are generally more expensive than freshwater fish.

However, most people also think that taking care of saltwater fish is more difficult compare to that of fresh water. Marine fish are more sensitive to the changes in their surroundings. If a person wants to keep marine fish, he or she should pay attention to the parameters such as ph, temperature, salinity and nitrate. These parameters should be always controlled and kept at certain level. Fail to do this than the marine fish won’t survive.

Another thing that is to be considered when keeping saltwater fish is the components. Things such as filters, synthetic sea salt and also the tank itself have to be carefully set and regularly maintained. Bigger tank is better sine bigger tank will give some room for any mistake.

Aquarium filtration is also very important. To keep the water clean, changing the water is unpractical and not recommended as they will disrupt the fish. And the tank is also going to be too big. So the best way is to install the best aquarium filtration.