From destruction to construction: rebuilding the boat

The first 3 days were about destruction. It's a bit stressful but also rejuvenating. Begone, compromised fiberglass and rotten wood!  The piles of debris just kept getting taller, the holes bigger. The funny pessimists would walk by and say, "wow, you've got a lot of work cut out for you - haha!" Somber pragmatists would note, "stop making holes in your boat, if you want to get out of here..."

Everyone had an opinion on what we shouldn't be doing - which is less helpful that what we should be doing. The last trimaran at the yard ended up spending  6 weeks with a $60K bill - they found delaminating fiberglass, the boatyard recommended they remove it all, and they basically rebuilt the shell of the boat. Gulp! Can't go down that path.

The marine surveyor, Mike Pyzel, visited and said he was really impressed with our progress. "Things are shaping up nicely." Everyone seems to agree we are lucky, the problems are really minor.

Then came the Turning Point: we shifted from destruction to construction yesterday. The new pieces of wood were cut and glued with epoxy and fastened with new screws. It is exciting to see light at the end of the tunnel. We're spending more time than we hoped, but we're doing a really good job... and that is what matters for our floating seafaring home.

Haul out day 1 - ripping fiberglass off

The first day hauled out, we got a ton of things done! The crew was awesome. We ripped off all the bad fiberglass that the surveyor identified.  Delaminating sections were cut and eliminated without remorse..!

With the guidance of Sequoia, the OceansWatch executive director, we carved away by chisel, knife, grinder, and bare hand. Our friends Tim, Scotty, Jack, Luke, and Alyssum made the trek to Ventura to help.  Many thanks!!

The result? The job is huge but appears manageable (thus far!). Some rotten wood was found in the back of the boat, but otherwise it is in great shape. 

Our plan is to finish prepping the repair areas tomorrow, fiberglass on Monday, and see how things go...

Haul Out - boat in the air!

Pictures from the haul out, 12pm Friday.

There was some debate over where to position the slings, whether the keel would be strong enough to support the boat, etc.  but the boat proved even more sturdy than expected. The boatyard manager even gave us a compliment on the boat's stoutness.  Miracle.

Now the boat is being pressure washed, and we are waiting around. The surveyor, Mike Pyzel, is coming soon and we will see what he thinks!

Calling all Hands!

photos from sailing from Santa Barbara to Ventura yesterday, 10 knots west wind. The day before was blowing Santa Ana winds, gusty from the opposite direction. Glad the weather changed.

Finally we are hauling the boat out of the water today in Ventura.  This is our first time and will be a huge factor in getting ready for the trip.

What we'll be doing-->  finishing the marine survey... painting the bottom and sides... sanding... more sanding...

How you can help-->   if you're in the area, come join us from Saturday through Wednesday (at least..!). Just call me at 805-259-8627. The boat will be hauled out at the Ventura Boatyard.

Why we need help-->
1) the trimaran is great, but it's like having 3 boats, so it's 3 times the work.
2) It's expensive to keep the boat out of the water, each day costs $126.
3) We'd like to finish by Thanksgiving to enjoy turkey dinner.

Keeping our fingers crossed all will work out, and stay within budget!

The big survey

Finally we are carrying out the official marine survey on the Kiri...  I pulled everything out of the boat so that our surveyor, Mike Pyzel, could climb in and see the nooks and crannies.

Good news to report: he was impressed with the quality of construction of the boat. It's in good shape, though it may be a bit rough cosmetically, was his assessment.

This week on Friday we are hauling out in Ventura - that is the real moment of truth! We'll complete the below-waterline survey, and do a number of tasks like re-painting the bottom, changing some fittings, etc. 

Amigos Cruise

On a last minute we decided to have a sunset cruise, and no less than 24 friends joined us! It was really an 'amigos cruise'.  The boat handled the big crowd well, even had 4 people on the transom.  The smooth conditions helped - another gorgeous November sailing day in Santa Barbara. And, we had enough life jackets for everyone, not to worry... :) We were having so much fun, we returned after dark.

Presidio wine tasting cruise

Perfect breeze and sunset for the wine tasting with our friends from Sustainable Vine Wine Tours. They kindly donated wine from Presidio Winery in Santa Ynez, with delicious organic Sangiovese, Pinot Grigio, etc..  and led us through a good tasting (we minimized tacking the boat to avoid disrupting the experience!)

Check out their tours of the organic/biodynamic wineries of Santa Barbara on a biodiesel van: www.sustainablevine.com.

Article published

Our exploits last weekend were actually published in a magazine article!

 

I wrote a story for a national popular science magazine called Miller McCune, describing our kayaking tribulations and the global climate day of action on a philosophical level.

 

Read it here:

 

http://www.miller-mccune.com/news/the-most-widespread-global-happening-ever-1574

Happy Climate Day

October 24th, Climate Action Day around the globe. I'm enroute on the
boat to help out the kayakers. Decided to make a quick pit stop to
enjoy the waves in Isla Vista.

At Bren

Arriving at the old stomping grounds, the "Bren Cove". My anchorage
during grad school at the Bren School of Environmental Science and
Management. I'll be anchoring and then straight to a reception!

Heading to Goleta

headin under sail with 10 knots wind to Goleta and UCSB for the
@350.org climate event!

Kiri and 350

A few dozen students kayaking 4 miles roundtrip to oil platforms to take photos with a huge 3-5-0 banner... what is going on??

It's this Saturday, October 24th, the Climate Day of Action, with over 4000 events scheduled in 170 countries. The goal is to raise awareness to the number "350", which is the concentration of CO2 in parts per million that scientists have stipulated as "safe" for Earth's atmosphere.  We are already at 387 ppm. Raising awareness about this threshold is important for the upcoming Copenhagen climate talks, in 6 weeks time.

That's where the kayakers come in. Several dozen students from EAB (the environmental affairs board, from UCSB) are doing the trek to the nearest oil platform, just 2 miles off the coast, to take a big group photo and contribute their voices to the global conversation. Their aim isn't to protest the oil platform; rather, they are just using it as a symbol for the changes we need to make as a society - one addicted to oil for fuel, packaging, fertilizers, and more.

The Kiri sailboat was recruited as the support vessel for the trip - we will be in the perimeter to make sure people have a safe haven to retreat to, if needed. We will be sailing there from Santa Barbara on Friday afternoon, anchoring at UCSB, and assisting the students starting at noon on Saturday.

Tune into the Kiri Twitterfeed which will be our main channel during these two next days.

Links:

• 350.org
• Other Climate Action events in your area.

Idea List: emerging

Folks onboard the Kiri have had some good ideas for the trip. Here are a few:

1. To illustrate how a boat can be a microcosm of a sustainable farm, have onboard composting and a small container, garden for fresh veggies and herbs.
2. Recycling program setups for removing plastic bottles and other trash from shorelines. Organized thru schools, sponsored by soda manufacturers, recycling funds go towards schools.
3. Solar panels on board - chart output - show kids (+parents) what it can do (exposed and then covered?)
4. Get a camera (or cameras) for kids to take photos!
5. Check with Prescott college for Baja info. Prescott has a research station on the Gulf Side. Could be a good educational contact. What do you think? We will compile the best ideas, and then put it up for a vote - we will try to incorporate the winners in our trip.

Feel free to comment on the ideas and suggest your own.

One dirty filter

Great things can happen on the way to/from the bathroom. Yesterday, ran into Alaskan commercial fisherman/ mechanic Jerry, who said, "sure I'll come by to check out your new boat".

Next thing you know, he was climbing in the engine compartment, just having a merry good time, "I used to have this exact engine in my boat in Alaska- run her slow and treat her well mate, she'll take you 30,000 miles. By the way, this fuel filter has to go right now."   Now?? 

Ok, so we pulled it off, and it was absolutely nasty.  Wow. The secondary filter wasn't too bad, but we got things back together in time for the evening sunset cruise, unbeknownst to our guests.  And the Isuzu engine was lovin' the clean calories, i am sure. 

Good lesson - don't wait for the supposed mechanic appointment next week, when things need to be done yesterday. Find your local friendly commercial fisherman and ask for help!