Strange makeshift sailboat rescued off Hawaii

Discussion in 'Boat Design' started by JosephT, Jan 5, 2018.

  1. JosephT
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    JosephT Senior Member

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  2. JosephT
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    JosephT Senior Member

  3. tom28571
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    tom28571 Senior Member

    It looks like a junk rig partly lowered.
     
  4. JosephT
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    JosephT Senior Member

    Agree it's lowered, but where is the forward mast? I'm guessing it was damaged.
     
  5. tom28571
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    tom28571 Senior Member

    I think you have the boat going the wrong way. Bow is to the left.
     
  6. Angélique
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    Angélique aka Angel (only by name)

    The sailor Kris Larsen described some about his travels, and his boat Kehaar, in his book Monsoon Dervish . . .

    ‘‘ Books can only be purchased from the author. Unfortunately the author is currently out there, Blue Water, sailing. We will have to wait with reopening our Internet shop till he gets home. Thank you for your understanding. Contact us on [monsoondervish(at)mail(dot)ru]. There is no e-book version of my works. I do not write for e-people. Last update September 2017 in Panama. ’’

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    Here's an article on Atom Voyages about Kris and his boat Kehaar . . . .

    A Law Unto Himself - Kris Larsen Sailing his Steel Junk - (I'll quote the passage about the last above picture)

    ‘‘ One by one, Kehaar's sail panels blew away in the storm off Japan.

    Stormy Waters; Tattered Sails; Life as Art

    During a passage to Japan, Kehaar got caught in a typhoon off Taiwan where a monstrous rogue wave rolled the boat. But steel-hearted Kehaar was indestructible. The massive Douglas fir mast emerged from the sea unbroken. Once the typhoon had passed, he hoisted sail and resumed his trip. While on a second trip to Japan he was caught in another storm when a winter monsoonal high over central Asia clashed with a deep low over eastern Japan. For two days he battled freezing 50-knot winds and higher gusts. Ships passed threateningly close, in visibility reduced by sleet and spray. Normally, Kris reefs down his sail and stays below in a storm, getting underway again when conditions improve. This time Kehaar faced destruction on the nearby lee shore of Kyushu Island, so he had to keep up enough sail to drive the boat to windward. Kris wrote: “The Madagascar cotton had rotted away, and panel after panel of our sail blew away as I was pushing the girl through the swell, clawing our way to windward close-hauled. We gained a lot of ground, and after weathering the bottom of Kyushu we ran to the nearest downwind port, in Amami Oshima. We sneaked into the harbour unassisted, ribbons of canvas streaming from the bare spars, 70% of the sail missing. It made a great photo—Flying Dutchman has landed. The following two weeks I spent in a park adjoining the Nagahama fishing harbour, stitching up a new sail from old Dacron I picked up from the garbage in Fukuoka Marinas.” ’’

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    [​IMG]

    ‘‘ The 33-foot steel junk Kehaar careened for bottom painting on the beach in Madagascar ’’
     
    Last edited: Jan 5, 2018
  7. Angélique
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    Angélique aka Angel (only by name)

    Yes, see also the wind vane self steering gear mounted to the stern at the right.

    Note the boat doesn't sport any kind of a cockpit at all, and is operated from the small hatch near the end of the boom, or just squatting on the deck.

    The shown high rack on deck near the stern is new to me, haven't seen that in previous pictures of this boat, to me it seems to be some kind of a support for the skipper to be able to stand upright, or to provide a safer sitting area there, to prevent falling or sliding overboard, when enjoying the outdoors, or working aft.

    [​IMG]
    Kris Larsen aboard his boat Kehaar

    Below is the same kind of hull pictured, but full rigged (three or more masts), and she's also heading for the left side of the picture.

    [​IMG]

    Kris Larsen's above as first pictured boat Kehaar is a Cat rigged Junk.

    All the below drawn example hulls sport a low bow, high stern, and are sailing to the right.

    [​IMG]
    pic source
     
    Last edited: Jan 6, 2018
  8. Angélique
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    Angélique aka Angel (only by name)

    Latitude 38 brings also this latest Kris & Kehaar story: January 3, 2018 – Maui, Hawaii – Strange Boat Rescued Off Maui

    However, I'll don't think Kris, nor his boat Kehaar, was in any kind of trouble there, but Kris just flagged for a tow into port to another boat, and then, since nobody is used to this legal form of communication anymore, they called the USCG on him, for something that wasn't a problem at all.

    Kris would have come in some day somehow with his 33' engineless steel junk, and then bring Kehaar safe into port as he always does, but this time he just asked assistance for this when another boat came along, { maybe to please a possible current Mermaid aboard (see the second book here) so she could have a shower soon, since this is liked by most boat girls after a few months at sea, even when they're Mermaids, as they also appreciate freshwater for a shower when the occasion for this only very sporadically comes along. }

    P.S. - I've just read in the post #1 and #2 provided links that Kris was solo on Kehaar in Maui, so I've placed { between brackets } the above incorrect assumption a Mermaid was possibly with him there.
     
    Last edited: Jan 7, 2018
  9. Angélique
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    Angélique aka Angel (only by name)

    The above post #7 assumption about the aft rack seems to be right when looking at the below pic, as taken from the link which was provided in post #2 . . .

    [​IMG]

    But it seems not for Kris himself though, but to please the Mermaid, and it also provides shade from the on top mounted solar panel, which seems to unable the option to stand in there.

    A lot seems to have changed with modern times though, even for Kris, the below info from contrasting earlier times comes from the third link in post #6 . . .

    [​IMG]

    ‘‘ Kris Larson in the cabin of Kehaar. Above the bunch of bananas is the candle that is his main source of light. ’’
     
    Last edited: Jan 7, 2018
  10. goodwilltoall
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    goodwilltoall Senior Member

    Kris had a cutter rig when he went to Antartica, Anne Hill spent a few years with him hence, the conversion to a junk rig.

    It could be the same boat but it looks different from the one i remember
     
  11. Angélique
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    Angélique aka Angel (only by name)

    Right about the cutter rig, but not about Kris and his boat Kehaar . . .

    Annie spent some time with Trevor Robertson on his 35.5' Wylo II named Iron Bark, which was designed by Nick Skeates, and build by Trevor.

    In the winter of 2004-2005 Annie and Trevor wintered on Iron Bark in the Arctic, and Trevor had in 1999-2000 solo wintered on Iron Bark in the Antarctic.

    See the thread: Cruising sailboats with no or minimal cockpit in the 30-40 ft range ---> post #16
     
    Last edited: Jan 6, 2018
  12. rwatson
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    rwatson Senior Member

    As a boat, it has some good points. The stern has made a good job of roominess, while reducing windage.

    The junk rig has benefits, but I can see he didn't follow Tom Colvin's advice. All the seams on this boat run along the battens. Tom advises that all the seams should run from the top gaff, to create greater strength vertically. As appears here, one failed seam destroys the whole sail.
     
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  13. goodwilltoall
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    goodwilltoall Senior Member

    Angelique,

    You are right, got Kris and Trevor mixed up, I ll have to read up on article about Kris at Atom Voyages.
     
  14. JosephT
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    JosephT Senior Member

    That explains it Tom. I thought that was the bow pulpit on the right. If it's the stern rail that surely explains it.
     

  15. JosephT
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    JosephT Senior Member

    Thanks for the extra details Angelique. The "aft rack" is what threw me off. Sad to see the boat has been to hell and back. He's definitely living on the edge. He's got a steel hull and very lucky at that. I have no doubt it has saved his life to date.
     
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