GOAL
To help bring about the wide spread use of vessels such as Spirit of The Bahamas, and thereby provide: 1, a wide range of direct socioeconomic benefits (particularly in regard to poorer nations) and 2, a reduction in global oil consumption along with associated negative effects on the planet and it's inhabitants.
MEANS
Small, fast motor vessels, as a group, are admittedly not ranked among the top oil consumers and enviroment polluters. However, for reasons discussed elsewhere on our web site, most vessels in this category, share a voracious appetite for fuel .
As such, this group is ripe for a huge improvement in regard to fuel efficiency - which translates to a significant reduction in global oil consumption. Also, for reasons discussed elsewhere on our web site, most vessels in this group perform equally poorly in many other aspects - from cost to seakindliness.
It seems likely that one of the reasons for this poor performance is the current trend among boatbuilders of blindly following the lead of car manufacturers
in all too many respects - with little consideration given to the radically different design requirements, posed by operating enviroments which are poles apart.
The predominance of large, centralized, high capitalization production facilities, turning out high cost, high tech, high powered, highly stylized, complex vessels, has resulted in a plethora of fuel guzzling vessels, many of which (except for the lack of wheels) appear better suited to use on the open road than on the open sea.
We intend to achieve our goal by means of promoting and facilitating the establishment of decentralized, low capitalization facilities - providing simple, low cost, low tech, low enviromental impact, low fuel consumption, high performance motor vessels - well suited to a wide variety of applications on the open sea.
PLAN
To demonstrate the feasability and to promote the widespread use of vessels such as Spirit of The Bahamas via an extensive and ground breaking voyage. Initial plans call for departing Nassau June 1. 2003 on a voyage through the Bahamas and the Caribbean to Trinidad - with a side trip up the Orinoco river. We then plan to travel west along the Spanish Main to Panama, across the Pacific to Polynesia and Australia - and finally to the island of Bali in Indonesia.
Bali, long the spiritual home of many a romantic idealist, is part of the largest archipelago in the world, which, like The Bahamas archipelago, would derive extensive socioeconomic benefits by the replacement of expensive fuel guzzling imported vessels with locally built vessels - such as Spirit of The Bahamas.
Recent tragic events have made Bali a poignant and questionable choice. Nonetheless, we have decided to stick with the original plan and, moreover, to dedicate this venture to that injured Island Paradise.
BENEFITS
Among the benefits that would be derived from a small ,but nonetheless significant, reduction in global fossil fuel consumption, a reduction in pollution levels is the most obvious. There are also many other socioeconomic benefits, particularly in regard to less developed countries, which would result from a changeover to vessels such as Spirit of The Bahamas. These benefits are discussed, in depth, on the web site.
Perhaps the most significant benefit which we can hope for, albeit somewhat peripheral, stems from the clear connection between the ever increasing global appetite for dwindling supplies of oil and current levels of social, cultural, religous and political tensions - -- both national and international.
The roots of the recent tragedy in Bali, as in the case of many similar recent tragedies, have, no doubt, drawn some nourishment from international political
strategies related to oil. Any reduction in "the need and greed for sweet crude oil" would likely provide a significant contribution towards a lessening of global tensions - and perhaps even help in averting such tragedies in the future.
TOOLS
The 82 ft (25 m.) motor catamaran Spirit of The Bahamas embodies a lifetime of effort devoted to developing design and construction concepts which provide for high performance vessels with extremely low construction and operating costs. We have evey reason to believe (based on the performance of many smaller predecessors and scale models) that this vessel will prove an effective tool employed in the achievement of our goal, by:
1. Demonstrating comfortable transoceanic capabilities at relatively high speeds, ready adaptibility to a wide variety of applications, and a level of fuel efficiency that exceeds (by a factor of roughly 500 %) the norm for vessels of similar size, traveling at similar speeds. ------ No, it's not a misprint.
2. Demonstrating construction and operating costs that are a small fraction of the costs normally associated with similar size vessels of similar capabilities,in regard to speed and capacity - - if not range and seakindliness.
3. Providing a cost effective means to convey our message to the furthest, least developed, and most needy corners of the planet and thereby generate the establishment of a wide spread network of builders with a broad customer base.
Note: Clearly, in regard fuel efficiency, sail power is the hands down winner. However, the chances of persuading a significant number of current motor boat owners to revert to vessels relying totally or mainly on sail power are, we feel, minimal at best.This is not to say that an easy to handle auxillary sail (as employed on Spirit of the Bahamas) would not prove to be a popular accessory - both for steadying puposes and for it's occasional contribution to speed.
INDEX PART 2 - GREAT EXPECTATIONS
We expect Spirit of The Bahamas, to clearly and convincingly demonstrate a wide array of positive features, including:
1. Low capital requirements for manufacturing infrastructure.
2. Extremely low construction and operating costs.
3. Excellent sea keeping abilitiies with a high level of passenger comfort.
4. Ultra shallow draft.
5. Ready adaptability to a wide variety of applications.
6. Extraordinarily high speed / horsepower ratios.
7. A 500 % increase in fuel efficiency over most vessels of similar capabilities.
CAUTION - DEEP END
All information, essential to this venture, has been included on the 2 HOME pages. Those seeking further, in depth, information on a particular aspect of this project are invited to click on any of the following links:
PRINCIPALS
Robert (Robby) New: designer, builder, project deveoper, expedition leader
Krov Menhuin: cinematographer, project coordinator. systems manager
2007
For info on current related developments, please vist the
following web sites:
 | ||||||
Escape! Runaway! Getaway! - - to a
Faraway Pristine Paradise, where
Light dances with crystal seas - Time flows at a gentle pace -
Space goes on forever and
Grace reaches out to all.
Stretch your horizons!
We can take you there!
Green eco adventure jobs abroad in Caribbean Paradise!
*
100 Best Jobs in the World.
$ 1 Million reasons why.
Or scroll down to continue viewing this page
