Sailing Barge Design

     In National City near San Diego is the place to find ocean-going barges that have the free board necessary to survive the ocean environment. We need to make a few modifications before we put to sea, though.
      XWe will need a keel blocked and welded, reinforced and shaped with a rocker config to slice through the water with the least resistance probably three quarters the length of the barge and at sufficient depth.

          The rudder pintles and gudgeons with giant sealed, wheel bearings must be large to accommodate the rather large hanging rudder and must be reinforced many times over to take the stresses of the ocean. A steel rudder would probably be the best with steering chains passed through so it could be recovered and a spare to take over steerage when, not if, the worst happens. Always having some backup rudder in place.  

   Wheel steering, which means hydraulics should be the norm. A compressor and wind generator so you have running lights and floodlights for underwater viewing. A Lincoln welder should be on board at all times to make repairs. We could grow our food on deck or in jars and greenhouses.We can cook by solar ovens.

     Then the masts could be square rigged or fore and aft or both for that matter so long as the aluminum light pole masts hooped for strength are keel-supported well by solid stainless standing rigging on deck. The sails would double as rain catchments with the storage both on board or in trailing bladders of some size that could cut away when filled and located again by GPS to be towed to the mainland. The hull is compartmentalized, just in case the navigator makes a fatal error. Lifeboats could be included.   Inflatables would be better. There would be a radio shack and possibly a direct feed to classrooms so the kids could dream with us. Astronomy lessons, biology, basic seamanship as well as practical matters of first aid, proper nutrition and hygiene could be part of the on-the-air curricula. The computer would configure  everything even navigation as well as, sail adjustment. A bridge could be built just like the big boys.

    Listening to shortwave radio at sea especially at night is very profound. Due to Ionic reflection you can hear around the world. Even tiny stations come in clearly.  Other vessels broadcasting important weather information is vital which brings up weather faxes as being a very necessary component to any on board radio shack.                    Picture-taking would be encouraged and published online as a recruitment tool.   Imagine the eyes of wonderment as classrooms tuned in to see the ocean firsthand with live broadcasts.
    Accommodations would be spartan. We would be at sea for years at a time. On deck, cabins that could be collapsed and stowed or even tents or awnings of some type could be used. Hammocks are the seamans' way of sleeping. Being in the cocoon, gently swaying to the motion of the ship is very soothing.
Yes, there will be a safety rail to hook onto all around the barge as well as deck lines for stormy weather. Freshwater showers would be the big bonus for the dedicated crew. We could install folding platforms near the waterline so that fishing and washing, cooking and cleaning as well as waste disposal. ahem could be carried out. We're at sea for cryin' out loud! 

        The crew could tie flies for fishing using sailboard masts for outriggers to catch Dorado. Beautiful and exciting are these wonderful fish to catch by hand as well as many other species that suit the palate. There would be vast stores of food in the hull so no one should feel deprived of this basic necessity. No punishment since we are of high value and would be missed. Abandonment of the mission means becoming a landlubber. Yikes!

      CcThe vessel would prowl the equatorial latitudes in search of rain squalls to plow into and collect the rain harvested from Mother Ocean and King Neptune. We could then bottle this resource and sell to cities as a recruitment tool.

      All this is possible as the world clamors for more fresh water. The water could be sold to the highest bidder or the vessel chartered by countries for periods of time or even by the UN to relieve drought-stricken areas. Not to profit but to pay down expenses or just given away depending on circumstances based on need.

Ocean Dreaming

       The steel ring of barges at night would be beautiful. All the stars and planets would be right there, hanging above you so close you could almost reach up and touch them. The nights I spent sailing in the South Pacific were truly amazing. The Milky Way was so thick with stars you could read by their light. Having the opportunity to see the universe again in all its splendor is every sailormans' dream.
       The Spring phosphorescence is so remarkable there are just no words to describe it. Only by your direct experience could I even convince you of this majesty as the vessel trails through the water with the glitter all astern. Sometimes it is hard to tell when the ocean becomes just another star in the universe. You hardly want to sleep for fear you'll miss something. 

         Then the big creatures rise to the surface at night to feed. The really big fish like molas and mantas, whales and dolphins, turtles and jellyfish all make their feeding forays at night when the smaller fry rise to the moonlight.         

       The flying fish are chased out of the water and sail overhead like sliver gliders as they disappear into another wave, all wild eyed and happy to be alive. Sometimes they take wing just to be flying again. On the ocean, the wind is the most singular presence around. You feel every nuanced nudge of air.  Things really get going at night.

        Leaving Fiji for Tonga one night on watch, Gb spied a light rising from the horizon. He blinked and blinked again. It was still rising and beginning to look like a masthead light of a freighter. He ran to get the skipper to confirm this. Don jumped up from a sound sleep. He poked his head out of the hatch and took a look.  All he said was, that's Venus rising. He went back to the comfort of sleeping with Linda. They laughed long and hard at this the next morning. Ultimately they said Gb did the right thing. However, he felt sheepish and stupid.
      Had this thought baking in my golden brain for some time now. In the older days sailors used to drag a knot log to keep distance traveled rather nicely. It is just a simple propeller that turns with a counter on deck. Why not put a electric generator mounted to the deck so that the trailing knot log turns a cable which turns an alternator?           Especially on a long cruise one could top off the battery bank fairly easily.  Any free power on board is certainly welcomed besides the usual solar panels. The knot log would work even on cloudy days and especially on the long nights. You could mount the alternator in a waterproof box with regularly scheduled maintenance days.

Tongan practicality

      So we can't afford the barge right now? How about home built evaporators out of automobile inner tubes or any floating tube rings? Mount a cone of plastic or some other easily aquired material over the tube using a tripod. Then with a copper coil or any tubing leading from the apex to a collecting bladder and as long as there is a cooling surface, water vapor will condense drop by drop. Now float it on the nearest body of water. Doesn't matter if it is clean or not. Enough water vapor would condenses over time to provide  for a cool drink in the evening maybe enough for the next day when there is no sun to heat the device. Works every time. Tongan Style.  My theory is the thing would work even if you set it on a wet spot in the yard.  One can dig a hole in the ground. cover it with plastic then place a pebble in the center to form an inverted cone. Don't forget to place a cup or bowl in the hole to catch the precise drops of pure water evaporating from the ground.
    

     Talikai inherited a tidal trap from his father. It is made of chain link fencing and stakes driven into the reef in the shape of an inverted V. So that on the incoming tide the fish are not alarmed except when the tide falls the fish are trapped. Talikai took me out to see this marvel. We collected a full sack of fish in a very short period of time. The Tongans are masters of their environment.

        Later that Sunday morning, we went to the Grand Methodist Church that was built especially for the King of Tonga. This is a master work of engineering with high ceilings and hundreds of pews to accommodate loyal Tongans and their families. Valu insisted that I dress traditionally. There is a lot to prepare in this manner. A clean white shirt followed by a pocket sulu. Then a special apron of tapa and seashells overlain with more tapa.   Finally a breastplate of cowrie is draped over one's head.   A headband with feathers to complete the adornment made me feel special. I felt foolish and clumsy as well until the people saw me. The respect for one dressed traditionally this way was instantly communicated with ooohhs and aahhhs. I was the only white many Tongans had ever seen. To be dressed like a young chieftain was something to be admired   The singing echoed throughout Tonga as the young voices reached skyward in appeal and supplicance.  A truly remarkable day that culminated in another Umu roasting of a suckling pig and fish galore. 

      A Tongan Feast is not to be taken lightly.   Everyone eats and eats until they are forced to sleep. Upon awakening they eat some more.  There must be a hundred ways to prepare coconut creme dipping sauce.

    Talikai wanted me to order things from the USA. The thing he wanted most for the church people was toilet paper. Easy enough for me since I found the address for Weyerhaeuser on a toilet paper wrapper. I sat down and wrote a letter explaining the need for toilet paper since there was a shortage. The company agreed to send a shipping container full of paper products COD. I was a national hero.

      The coconut is the most important plant in the Tongan heritage. I am still learning about how to use the simple products like coconut oil. This remarkable oil is a medium chain fatty acid triglyceride that has awesome benefits. It truly is Gods' gift to man since you probably can fix everything wrong quickly and easily if you simply use this wonderful food wisely. ln this day of the internet you can simply type coconut oil in U Tube search line and you will get endless videos about the benefits of coconut oil. The uses of coconut is endless. The fronds are woven into shelter. The spines of the fronds are gathered into a broom. The trunk itself is sawn into timbers that are insect resistant and long lasting even if buried as fence posts. The green nuts is where you find the most nutrients. The soft inner mother is the first solid food many Polynesian babies taste. Papaya is also the best baby food going.  Most food is chewed by the Mother in order for her enzymes to begin the digestive process.  A baby does not develop a full set of digestive glands until they are a bit older and teething.

   I was standing on the beach on the Island of Ewa looking out over the briny blue. Off in the distance I saw two plumes of water vapor shooting up into the sky.  I immediately knew what this was.  Blue Whales have two ports or nostrils if you will, to clear their lungs in a mighty blast of saturated CO2.   Blue Whales had been diving in the Tongan Trench which is the second deepest spot in the ocean for eons.  They dive there to harvest the giant clams growing undisturbed for many decades only to be eaten by these powerful whales.  These creatures use their lower jaw to plow through the sediment on the bottom of this trench recovering all sorts of tasty treats.  This was a remarkable day for any seaman to see.

Catching a Rain Squall

    This world is a thirsty place. Why not chase down ocean squalls and harvest the rainwater which is the purest water you can get?                        Impounding these vast quantities of pure water could be sold to or given to desert countries depending on who is financing the expedition. 

     Design a water collector that works first time, every time is not that hard. With a little ingenuity and a lot of Dacron, even old sails would work if mounted on a giant ocean going barge. Imagine ten or twenty masts with sails plowing into rain squalls and thunderheads mounted on a barge with keel and rudder. Why one could store vast amounts of the pure liquid in giant holding bladders. Giant seagoing bladders could be towed to distant ports during calmer weather.         

      Yeah, there would be the maintenance thing. That is what being on the ocean is all about. Plenty of time for maintenance.  Every 15 year old has dreamed of running away to the ocean.  Why not give him a chance at a new skill?  Girls too, would get fit and strong at sea. One word.... diaphragm.
     Go fly a kite in a rain squall might get you a lightening strike but, so what?  

     There are ways to deal with that. Most boats are equipped with a grounding apparatus.   Have a tube leading up to the collecting panel and you'd be able to convey the water to storage. Why you could even fill plastic bottles and label them with Tongan Sunsets.  The supermarkets are eager to have a new product to sell. Water is the new soft drink.

   There is more to this, though.  Just takes willpower and capital.