Failure to communicate

WHAT WE HAVE HERE IS A FAILURE TO COMMUNICATE

What this is to me – at least – is a blip that went un-noticed as so many important blips do these days...

Let’s face it – for the majority of the working public in North America it is easier to plunk our thumb on some little rubber button and have the latest pop stars ******** life and troubles announced to us as something that we should really consider to be important – and something that we should measure ourselves against...

Meanwhile the Israeli Jews are pulling out of Gaza – otherwise known as that Apartheid like place which they occupied because God willed them the land – let us forget the German SS fencing off same and ghettoizing them in the past – too politically sensitive…

The British and the Irish – the Turks and the Armenians – The new Sparta of America against all comers…

Then there is this Scott who quietly builds what I see – as I look up at the 32 bit printout of some Internet photo – to be what is the most beautiful and technically advanced, yet simple interpretation of an ancient sail plan created by a now Marxist sponging race or ‘land of people’ that was beating to windward 2000 years before us ‘whites’ were still following our tails…

And there is still a quiet place – an old Lazy Boy in the garage beside the box of old rolls of duct tape – where I can forget about the dull looking eye blinking leader of America – forget about the Palestinian boy huddled in a doorway while Isreali attack helicopters fly a patrol – forget about the daughter of a Jewish settler in Gaza who has to leave behind her precious and rare porcelain headed doll collection – all the Canadians and other colonial - 'bloody fodder' - thrown into the fray by British blue blood ‘officers’ in their nations varied wars – and then the British pensioner - blown to bits by an IRA nail bomb that also took out half a dozen horses in a Hyde Park parade – and then the Irish maid ***** by her British Lord in his manicured garden - or say the Chinese man who made it to Canada to wash **** out of the shorts of the railway builders - or that Russian down the road (that 'commie') who got away from Stalin with what he had - except his wife and children - or that dirty guy my age who just needs a little something ‘to get home’…

All of us - looking for something more...

Then there is this white sail pressed with wind – driving a fair hull…

YUP - http://qei.sitekit.net/wingrig.html ....

This world is aching my bones - but on a positive note - my local IKEA has just reduced their price of a bag of meatballs by a whopping four bucks - holy cow - gotta go...

SH.

 

On another positive note.... those boats are simply gorgeous.

Let's just put our troubles and the world's troubles aside for a bit and worry about the good things in life.... Any suggestions, folks?

 

Apples and berries..

Hello...

Just got back from IKEA...

There is an apple tree up the abandoned railway spur that is a North American Macintosh - who planted it - who knows - it fascinates me and it blurts out great fruit every year - under a concrete bridge that allows it little sunlight - a fighter - a damned good fighter...

Along the same spur - I walk this track from my marina to my local marine shop - where there is brambles that I and the local birds can pull berries from...

All that and a little boat - real life - not some political media ******** piped in from some boardroom that decided what I should see and hear...

Apples and berries and a little boat that the bank does not know about...

Cheers and thanks - I am getting a bit blue with the **** going on in England - in 'Isreal' - the USA - and the Mid East...

I can never say that I am some left hanging ****** pacifist - but I have sat down with people I hated in the past - they fed me - gave me drink and good dry tobacco - and you know - I think it's time to shed some skin - I am tired of hate - but not stupid enough to not fight - I just don't know who or what to fight just now - it is coming from all sides...

I can go down to my boat and sleep - think about sailing (running) away - I guess I just know that there is no where to sail to if that is the goal...

Cheers...

SH.

 

Some time ago, already many years now, I came across a book, written by a certain Tristan Jones, a name I had vaguely heard of.
I bought this book and since then, the man, the writer, had been a kind of example to me for his undeniable strength to survive in bitter situations: a lost leg (later on he lost the other too), a total lack of regular income besides the little money that he got for his articles about his sailing- expeditions, and still he could write in his typical half ironical style of expressing his feelings. With a sense of humour that sometimes looked to be in sharp contrast with his situation.

A few years ago he passed away.

Sean, it is not necessary to go anywhere with a specific destination in mind. I wish I was born a hundred years earlier, when it was less dangerous to travel the world as it is right now.
The full battle for the remaining oilreserverves has begun yet and the persistent squeezing of the common people by the Governments worldwide, followed by that of the local community authorities, do us believe that we are gradually slipping back into feudal times where the marauding knights are now replaced by the marauding tax officials.

I long for total freedom of mobility - and one way to achieve that is going by ship. Like Tristan Jones, who by lack of a ship could otherwise never had
survived in the today's world.

In Holland, there is a small (now not so small anymore) marina that is the safehouse of all circumnavigators, or the ones that have a ship and are fitting it out to carry out their dreams. Many of them are well trained craftsmen (women) and find always a place to work. A friend of mine sailed with his girlfriend to America and het became a constructor in the Washington area, she did secretarial work and was highly regarded for she was fluent in 4 languages.
Many of them came and come back to this marina and remain there, not able to change their marine life for that of a landlocked one.

Travellers like the late Tristan Jones do exist. If you ever meet one, be kind to him (or her) and think about the fact that we have to rely often on the other, that is in a situation to help.
The sailing-community is large and sometimes even powerful. They can help each other because they can communicate in the same language - that of the sea. It helps to get down the barriers and it helps to understand each other, unconditional to religion or politics.

 

My question is, why don't the freedom seekers (yeah, I'm one, too) colonize the water planet. Well, colonize is a nasty word. But what I mean is we spend godzillions to get into outer space, the most unforgivingly hostile environment imaginable when we live on the most beautiful blue orb of which 6/7ths is water. The Water Planet. We should vote with our feet as they say and head for the water.

So now that I have revealed how crazy I am, I have been thinking for two decades about the possibility of achieving this technically, organizationally, geographically and legally. I believe that all the elements are in place for inhabiting permanent sea stations with completely new rules and a new start for human potentiality.

The main problem I see is that those who are typically drawn to the aquatic life are often loners and curmugeons whose natural orientation is not collaborative endeavors. That's why I like BoatDesign.net. All of these outside the box (literally) people communicating with each other. The boat design community world wide, talking to each other. It never happened before in the history of the world. Who knows where it could lead?

 

Jonathan, I second you for 100% - too about the single hander attitude and approach to the landlocked world.

Actually, I have thought often about what you say in the second alinea. It means that you have to wrestle a piece of land, preferrably an uninhibited island of which there are plenty around, from the governing state and base on that island Waterworld 1: declare that as a free country and issue a flag and a status for those who are fed up with the authorities of their own country, for whatever reason. Other beneficial services could be a spin off from such a status.

Let's think about it further.

 

There is no need to have a land base for an aquatic society. You only need the most minimal of treaties which amounts to a country to flag the vessel(s). Once you have that, then the international law of the sea applies, which provides alot of latitude for organizing "ship". When I say ship, it may in fact be a large group of coupled floating structures. Quite a bit of work has been done some years ago on such ocean habitats by the University of Illinois design department. See pics below.

This company has developed the power plant to provide energy and fresh water by means of a 100 megawatt floating Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion plants.
http://www.seasolarpower.com/

This guy has invented a technology for growing structures in the sea by application of low levels of electricity to conductive grids.
http://www.wolfhilbertz.com/

I have been working on designing a toroidal shaped ship on the scale of several cruiseships, that would provide an open ocean harbor and enough room for thousands of residents. The toroid shape should be impossible to capsize. MIT students thought it should be triangular as in the attached photo. The ship would use GPS to hold station and could be accessed by other ships and aircraft. It would use solar energy and wave power to provide it's energy needs. The OTEC could provide fresh water as well for onboard hydroponics and artificial reefs hanging below the ship could provide aquaculture.

I wrote a screenplay a few years ago on this subject. When interest was shown by some big stars in making the movie I decided not to go forward because I would have had to move to LA. But I researched it pretty thoroughly. This is something that can be done today with the technology at our disposal. The only thing required is to organize the funding to support the design and engineering.

 

Hallelujah(in a very non religious way). Here speaketh a man in original post that talks sense.

Me? Sailing is too cold and wet. I'm happy on land, doing to others what I'd want in return. (but I appreciate the lines)

Keep the faith!

ps I'm actually minded to post this on every messageboard that I visit. It is truly delightful to hear people aren't as ****** up as this 1984-come-2005-world would lead us to believe

 

Bunch of Hippies...

Hello...

I don't like where this is going - bunch of hippie communes floating on the sea...

If we all left for the sea then there would be no one left on land to check in on the sex scandals of our leaders...

Not to mention all the boats that would start looking like Volkswagen vans or beetles - and the resurgance of LSD induced yellow and brown gelcoat colours - or orange and purple...

Or a resurgance of Piver trimarans built from photocopied plans that get aborted half way through because the artwork that was to finance the build just isnt selling in the local cafe...

Great times have come and gone - but I am really noticing a world wide movement towards democratic governments legislating away basic freedoms in the name of security - it worries me - its all just a big slap fight and it is getting stupid...

Oh well - Canada still has all the land based fresh water supply - so there - nah nah nah - I am looking forward to America coming in force for that - what stage show will the CIA and other 'intelligence' forces cook up to justify that war for the Senate...

Lets all go rent Waterworld...

Try this http://www.thevenusproject.com/ ...

Peace - out...

SH.

 

I have been thinking for two decades about the possibility of achieving this technically, organizationally, geographically and legally. I believe that all the elements are in place for inhabiting permanent sea stations with completely new rules and a new start for human potentiality.
==============================================================
About technical problem of the sea station, I already have a great plan, I have designed a solar desalinator, faveolate greenbelt and foundations.

the greenbelt is about 30$ sq.m
the foundation is about 100$ sq.m

if you need me to do something call me anytime.

by the way, I would like to be the first citizen in your station.

 

Allright, Sean! The Venus Project site is really great! Jaque and Roxanne have already designed the toroidal sea city! There's hope for us yet!

Aloha,


Jon

 

The Venus Project is special designed for the rich man for their holiday that's not for me. there are no new ideas and inventions in the project.

 

never been to sausolito i reckon?

 

Careful waveless, with your fertile imagination, you might be a rich man some day!

Jaque, the designer of the Venus Project is making a great contribution by rethinking the way design is integrated with human technology. Plus he goes to a tremendous amount of work making detailed models and putting them out there for anyone to scoff at or to make people think about alternatives. I give him a lot of credit. We need more of this RETHINKING, not less.

Aloha,

Jonathan

 

Good one Yipster