Kiri team sail

Saturday 85 degrees in Santa Barbara -- great day to be out on the water. Taking the team (or, those who could make it!) out for a sail as appreciation for the work during the last two months. The wind was light so we 'ghosted' along and went swimming midway... then had a good run back to the harbor. 

Thanks to Allyson for fundraising work, Ed from Bicicentro for non-profit advice, and Andrea for helping write the trip plan! And friends who joined us...

Heater bye-bye

A symbolic day in the retrofit of the sailboat: removed the cabin heater. I loved that thing - burned mini wood logs during the winter like a fireplace inside the cozy cabin. 

But we won't be needing the heater in Mexico anytime soon! Planning on leaving by early December, before winter kicks in. So removed it, and now a skylight is left where the chimney went through. It would be neat to keep it as a skylight instead of sealing the hole.

Included a photo from the "archives" of the heater in use last winter...oh nostalgia. So now the sailboat retrofit has officially begun. Next steps are to make a hefty mount for the solar panels and a new cabinet for the electric switchboard. Know of any carpenters or electricians..?

Morning at Anchor

Million$ dollar view over the water for free? No wonder there are a lot of liveaboard sailors in Santa Barbara, where 1 bedroom rent is typically $700+ per month and houses start at $700K. Anchoring is free, but it is the ocean...! With its delicate ways of wind and waves. When its beautiful and sunny like this morning, it's like heaven.  

Plastiki

These guys are building a catamaran out of reused plastic bottles (!!) and sailing to the Garbage Patch in the Pacific to raise awareness of waste/plastic in the oceans. Their site is incredibly beautiful and well done:  www.theplastiki.com

It's put on by David de Rothschild with big sponsors, what kind of budget I wonder??  They used dry ice in the plastic bottles for stiffness and used some fancy tech to make the 60ft catamaran sea worthy.

I particularly liked the exercise bikes on the stern of the boat that can generate electricity and keep the crew fit, while looking down at the fish... I always thought having a hot tub on the boat would be the ultimate luxury but now I have to reconsider... 

California's adaptation strategy

This draft report fulfills Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's executive order last November, to develop a plan to address the impacts of climate change. It looks at how our water should be managed, as the Sierra Nevada icepack is forecast to melt earlier every season; how our coastal resources should be managed, given expected increases in ocean acidification; and the need for property development on the coast to account for sea level rise. 

The Name

The KIRI is the sailboat for the trip, named in respect of the Pacific Islands of Kiribati, which are low-lying atolls already planning the evacuation of their population due to sea level rise and water scarcity. Although the effects of climate are less obvious in other places (particularly when we are more than 5 feet above sea level!), the situation in Kiribati reminds us to pay attention to managing our coastal resources wisely. Climate change is not the only issue of course; it just adds another layer of pressure to already strained resources, which will ultimately affect the health of our coastal communities. 

Kiri and Copenhagen

The Voyage of KIRI coincides with the United Nations climate talks in Copenhagen at the end of this year. Our aim is to raise awareness of the challenges faced by coastal areas, and bring this knowledge to students in our shared Pacific coastline.

The climate talks in Copenhagen will take place December 7-18, 2009. Their objective is a big one: to get global consensus on climate change policies (of which there are many levels!).  Most people think of climate mitigation, that is reducing emissions by cutting down on greenhouse gases to a certain level. There is also climate adaptation, which is about the best strategies to adapt to a world with a different climate. The Voyage of Kiri focuses on climate adaptation of coastal areas, which are particularly vulnerable to sea level rise, extreme weather conditions, and water scarcity.

The Voyage of Kiri is...

... an educational program about climate adaptation and water issues, connecting students from Santa Barbara to southern Mexico through online international exchange. The program will take place from December '09 to May '10, visiting middle and high schools (13-18 year olds). In short, awesome adventure and cross-cultural environmental education! 

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