And I’m going to sail around the world on a small boat to prove it!
From Microsoft Teams video conference calls to refilling scuba cylinders with compressed air and even cleaning dirty laundry, I’ve managed to transition my entire life COMPLETELY onto a 52.3 ft-long “Smart Boat.” LIVING on the water has been a lifelong dream. And now I’m leveraging my background in technology to plan my most fantastic voyage yet, on a mission to PROVE the value technology brings to our everyday lives…using The Digital Boat as the example!
“ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE” > PROVED TO BE ``MISSION POSSIBLE``!
I still remember hearing the words of the FIRST experienced skipper I tried to convince to come with me on my FIRST big voyage… “That’s almost impossible…but if you make it, I want to know all the details!” After SUCCESSFULLY completing the 4,887 nautical mile trip, the memorable comment was: “I will never say something’s impossible to Misha again.”
Here is a very general and rough estimate for the distance in nautical miles (NM):
Constanța to the entrance of Bosphorus: 130 NM | Bosphorus: 17 NM | Sea of Marmara: 175 NM | Dardanelles Strait: 40 NM | Aegean Sea to Athens: 600 NM | Suez Canal: 120 NM | Red Sea: 1,200 NM | Gulf of Aden: 600 NM | Arabian Sea to the entrance of Gulf of Oman: 1,300 NM | Gulf of Oman: 350 NM | Strait to Dubai: 150 NM.
Adding these rough estimates together:
130 + 17 + 175 + 40 + 250 + 600 + 120 + 1,200 + 600 + 1,300 + 350 + 150 = 4,887 NM
PLANNING THE WORLD-WIDE SMART BOAT ADVENTURE
I’ve spent my entire life in technology. I strongly believe that technology is an enabler in everything that we do. And I would like to sail around the world creating engaging demonstrations to prove it! The problem is we take technology for granted! Technology is beginning to work so well, that for us, it moves into the background. And for this reason, good examples of technology’s use becomes hard to see! Let this boat be the demonstration. Let this boat showcase beautiful examples of technology, making every aspect of daily life BETTER. Let this boat help answer the question, “What does it mean to be Digital?”
THE NEW DIGITAL BOAT
I’ve converted a 25-year-old sailboat to The Digital Boat. I’ve transitioned from the legacy 25-year-old network to the new, cutting-edge technology – without downtime. I’ve literally applied my entire life to technology in order to do it! Now it’s time for the adventure…
THE BOAT:
Beneteau Sailing Yacht:
10 KW Lithium batteries | 9KW generator | 1.5 KW/hour solar panels | 12, 24 & 220-volt power options | Complete Vicron electronics (with complete remote monitoring) | Winches/rollers controlling sails are all electrical | The structure of sails, mast, & control mechanisms are built to be manageable by only one person | Three air conditioners | New water pumps | 120L/hour water maker | 7-stage drinking water filtration | Communications & AIS systems for tracking & monitoring | VHF radio with embedded AIS system | Near-boat navigation for nearby boats, route risks & suggested navigational changes | BNG wind sensors & indicators | GPS tracking | Satellite phone | Satellite SOS devices | Advanced safety mechanisms | “Man-overboard” features (each person on the boat wears a bracelet in the size of a watch) | Security surveillance cameras – with night vision (monitoring & recording with local servers) | ‘Day-Bringer’ mobile spotlights | LED lighting
THE SMALLER BOAT:
- Dinghy boat for smaller transports inland
LIFE ON-BOARD
2 freezers & 1 refrigerator | Water pressure system | Electrical toilets | Fresh water flushing (extending the life of pipes & toilets by 5X) | 3 cabins, 3 toilets, 3 showers | Cold & hot water | Gas cooking appliances | Electrical induction plate (can cook on gas or electric) | Gas grill for on-boat barbecues | Regular grill for mobile transport | Television | Bose speaker system
SCUBA:
- Complete scuba diving sets for multiple people
- Air compressor (scuba diving)
MORE TECH:
Military-grade cell phone (most rigit, advanced phone on Earth); -equipped with a thermal camera (can see objects in pitch-dark), -most accurate GPS/geo-positioning, -best battery, -totally water-proof | Multiple WIFI’s (interconnects multiple systems & devices) | WIFI amplifier receiving LTE mobile data from 50KM offshore | Global, unlimited data coverage | Complete internet enablement of all digital devices | Backup storage of all server content | IT server with incredible redundancies | IT network interconnecting all boat components (sensors, air conditioners, etc.) | The “Heart of the Boat” server monitors, analyzes & predicts everything | Custom-built analytics & real-time dashboards | Battery charge & discharge monitoring | Monitoring & control of EVERYTHING | Mobile app/dashboardMobile & email alerting system
Almost everything can be controlled from the phone from anywhere in the world!
THANKS TO TECHNOLOGY…
I believe that the only reason I’m ALIVE right now is because of technology, surviving COVID-19 in 2020, and spending two weeks in an intensive care unit (ICU) in a hospital in Dubai. If it were 50 years ago, I FIRMLY believe I would have died. After ALMOST dying, I understood how sudden and short life can be. So, with this deepened perspective, instead of “waiting for retirement,” I decided to follow my dreams TODAY. I began scuba diving like crazy. I bought a Beneteau Oceanis 523. I sailed on it from Constanta, through the Black Sea, Bosphorus, Sea of Marmara, Aegean Sea, Kritiko Pelagos, Mediterranean Sea, Suez Canal, Red Sea, Gulf of Aden, Arabian Sea, Gulf of Oman, and arrived back in Dubai.
Now it’s time for my greatest voyage yet! And my technical background prepares me for it!
SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES FOR YOUR BRAND
We're creating a platform for global technology vendors to talk about the importance of technology in a real-world, fresh-air format! Beyond boardrooms. Beyond ``technology for technology's sake.`` We're using technology because it makes our lives better...easier...because it allows us to do things we couldn't do before! We're seeking sponsors for our world-wide technology demonstration, to join the conversation with us. From guest appearances on podcast episodes, to providing equipment in-kind to be tested ``out in the wild,`` to placing corporate logos on our beautiful white sail, this is a brand-building opportunity! As an enterprise technology vendor ourselves, a byproduct of this voyage should be a TON of highly-engaging marketing material. Help us create it! Help us make this voyage happen. Help us DEMONSTRATE just how IMPACTFUL technology can be to our daily lives, turning the ``almost impossible`` into the ``possible.``