CasaNova

I dont if anyone of you is aware about the Voyage of "Majan Boat" Majan is old name of this area.

The Boat sank 5mins immediatley after leaving the Port but was accompanied by Royal Oman Navy for rescue if it ever needed.






This Type of boat use to be built in speacial way some 5000 years ago in Majan (today oman).


The expedition was lead by Two Brits, Two Americans, Two Omanis, and Indian crew.


It was such a sad news to hear the failure, but a reminder that Old days had their own technological superiority.


What do you think? Should they give it another try?

Mr. Logic

Doesn't seem to be a "couldn't give a toss" option in the ballot??

Fairydust

Most definately looks like one of the Isle of Man viking longboats

CasaNova

So Isle of man=Omani's?

ZooZ

I think somebody can do it... but not THEY... They ******d it up twice....
if they cannot build a boat that can float more than 5 min.. what hope do THEY have.. they need to get their engineering right first... it looks like a bunch of sailors to me... no more.. a driver, who may drive very well, cannot build a car...

what thety built looks like a boat.. but floats like a submarine...with a sail..

shiva

This was done 30 yrs ago by a mad norwegian...i think its great doing it again, but these muppets could have researched it a bit more. ffs, i've built a reed raft before..it aint that hard to do. (not saying mine was ocean worthy mind)

http://www.worldvillage.com/wv/schoo...ws/kontiki.htm

shiva

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thor_Heyerdahl

http://www.azer.com/aiweb/categories...hl_tigris.html

Welivehere

Bugger !! Got all excited then. Though the link was going to be to a picture of your reed raft "HMS Brick" ....

shiva

nope, sorry to disapoint, but "HMS Crappy Raft" was OK on a loch but it would have been "HMS Sank like a stone" out to sea

CasaNova

My sentiments, Not to mention their great idea to sail using the stars as navigation and the same old technique for food used 5k years ago.


What a disgrace.

Desert Dweller

It should have been called 'HMS Dubai Housing Market'.

Then again no-one saw that sinking either!

ZooZ

I remember my first day at the university lab.. we were each given an item from a various collection from toys to household things to bits of pipes, and we were told to assess how these are going to float or sink.. and then go and test the items in the university lab tank.. and after the look of disappointment on many faces the lecturer said one sentence that stuck in my mind for ever since...

he said.. "Never assume that anything will float the way you wanted to as the weight to Buoyancy balance cannot be observed with the naked eye..... when you design a boat, u have to make sure that it floats and what is as equally as important it that it floats upright"

That experiment only tells me that these guys are pile of crap when it comes to brains.. somebody else with the right combination of skills will be able to do it..

ZooZ

CasaNova

Hi Zooz, but you can go through these article to get some info and there are few phrases that i really say "No Comment"

Majan set to sail back into history



"By Visvas Paul D. Karra

Times of Oman

MUSCAT — When the present loses pace in keeping up with the future, the past is the link between nostalgia and reality. And the past is the mirror for the present to determine the future.

The Sultanate of Oman’s ancient maritime prowess will be on glorious display from September 7 when the ‘Majan Boat’, a reconstructed reed sea vessel dating back to the third millennium BC, sets sail from Sur to Mandvi in Gujarat, India.

The ancient vessel, with a crew of eight modern mariners equipped with ancient navigation equipment, will have a stopover in Dwarka, also in Gujarat, before it docks at the Mandvi wharf. The Majan Boat Project is an ambitious and nostalgic trip down memory lane aimed at recreating the cultural and trade dialogue that existed nearly 5,000 years ago between the Sultanate of Oman and India. The sailing of this boat was announced at a press conference here, by Hassan Lawati, director-general of archaeology; Biubwa Ali Al Sabry, director of archaeology, at the Ministry of Heritage and Culture.

Tom Vosmer, director of design and construction for the Majan Boat Project, spoke about the technical details of the project and said this boat would sail exactly as it would have done thousands of years ago. They will use the same navigation equipment, food and cargo as used by the Bronze Age people.

The Majan boat is ready to sail into history by leaving Sur on September 7 on the last of the south-west monsoon winds which will carry it across the Arabian Sea to its destination in Gujarat, India.

It was under the direction of His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said that the project to build this Bronze Age trading vessel and chart a path in the celebrations of the 50 years of diplomatic ties between Oman and India was envisaged.

The 12-metre long and 3.8-metre wide Majan will carry copper ingots, dates, diorite, shells, steatite vessels and hides, representing the cargo that was carried from Oman for trading in the relevant period (early Bronze Age).

As a symbolic gesture of the modern ties, urea fertiliser from Oman India Fertiliser Company, which recently began production, will also be carried.

This cargo will be handed over to Indian representatives at a ceremony when the boat arrives at its destination.

The crew consists of Peter Manthorpe (sailing master, Australian); Tom Vosmer (director of design and construction, Australian); William McGrath (navigator, American); Luca Belfioretti (construction supervisor, Italian); Alessandro Ghidoni (construction supervisor, Italian); Hussein Al Baloushi (Royal Navy of Oman, Omani); Nasser Said Rashid Al Araimi (Royal Yacht Squadron, Omani); Alok Tripathi (archaeologist, Indian).

It is expected that the voyage to India will take two weeks depending upon the weather conditions, says Tom Vosmer.

Under the benevolence of His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said, the Royal Ship, ‘Fulk Al Salamah’, will accompany Majan on its 500 nautical mile journey.

‘Fulk Al Salamah’ carries a number of scientists and a team of support personnel including doctors and attendants, besides the Oman Television crew, which will document the whole journey.

The scientists include archaeologists with expertise in both Oman and India during the early Bronze Age period, a cuneiform specialist who researched and interpreted much of the information relating to trading and cargo, and documentation, which formed the basis of the construction of the vessel.

The pre-Islamic Majan boat is constructed of reed bundles bound with date palm fibre rope to form the hull of a vessel, and covered with a woven mat made from split reeds.

This mat covering was then coated with bitumen from Iraq.

The wooden parts of the vessel are made from teak, and the sails hand woven from sheep wool.

There are two quarter rudders made of teak, which will be used for steering.

The reconstruction of this ancient trading vessel was undertaken after the discovery of imprints in bitumen of sailing craft built of reed bundles latched together with date palm fibre and coated in bitumen for waterproofing.

The discovery of the bitumen fragments was made at Ras Al Jinz by a joint Omani, Italian and French mission excavating an early Bronze Age fishing village.

During the excavation, shards of pottery and other artefacts from the Indus Valley were also discovered confirming an ancient cooperation between the Sultanate and India.





All set for a daring mission "


Tom has totally involved himself in the project and is the director of design and construction of boat. Besides, he will also be one of the crewmembers on the boat.

Tom hailing from Australia, a country surrounded by the vast Pacific Ocean, is no stranger to the sea.

He was involved in at least three other such historic projects before becoming involved with the Majan Boat Project.


http://www.timesofoman.com/newsdetai...19234&pn=local






Zooz, I think Mr Tom is a well educated and experienced person!

shiva

who hasnt a ****ing clue what he's doing

Desert Dweller

So was Einstein but he couldn't even tie his own shoelaces!