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resilients:resilient_boating [2013-02-13 21:57] alkanresilients:resilient_boating [2013-02-13 22:40] (current) alkan
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-====Luminous Green Sailing====+=== Luminous Green Sailing ===
  
 Francis Joyon is still the fastest solo world circumnavigator. His sailboat managed to be lighter and thus faster because, to a large degree, Joyon avoided using heavy generators and relied on renewable energy sources. By being greener, the boat was lighter, so it was faster.  This was a story about green being luminous rather than green being a scratchy pullover and not enough heating.  Too often “green” is interpreted and lived as a form of self-denial. Turning the heating down, wearing a scarf at the dinner table. Perhaps another solution is to re-design the heating as a pizza oven and invite friends over more in the winter to share food, wine and pleasure in a room warm and rosy with the open fire.  Francis Joyon is still the fastest solo world circumnavigator. His sailboat managed to be lighter and thus faster because, to a large degree, Joyon avoided using heavy generators and relied on renewable energy sources. By being greener, the boat was lighter, so it was faster.  This was a story about green being luminous rather than green being a scratchy pullover and not enough heating.  Too often “green” is interpreted and lived as a form of self-denial. Turning the heating down, wearing a scarf at the dinner table. Perhaps another solution is to re-design the heating as a pizza oven and invite friends over more in the winter to share food, wine and pleasure in a room warm and rosy with the open fire. 
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 Subak2_moored Subak2_moored
  
-====Big enough, but no bigger====+=== Big enough, but no bigger ===
  
 One term that has been floating around in recent economic and financial discussions has been that of an organisation that is “too big to fail.” On the water, this cannot hold, as we have seen with oil rigs and carriers breaking up. In a storm, many boaters head out into the open ocean, for out there there is nothing that can really go wrong. And there a small vessel can often survive more than a larger one, as the larger vessel can be caught between two massive waves, “breaking its back” as it is lifted from the water and sinking immediately.  One term that has been floating around in recent economic and financial discussions has been that of an organisation that is “too big to fail.” On the water, this cannot hold, as we have seen with oil rigs and carriers breaking up. In a storm, many boaters head out into the open ocean, for out there there is nothing that can really go wrong. And there a small vessel can often survive more than a larger one, as the larger vessel can be caught between two massive waves, “breaking its back” as it is lifted from the water and sinking immediately. 
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 So we are left in a quandary – sailing seems to offer solutions to our travel and transport impasses, but it also has a bunch of problems associated with it. This short essay tries to ease open this Pandora's box and show that it is an interesting box with some interesting things in there which might still be worth a look. So we are left in a quandary – sailing seems to offer solutions to our travel and transport impasses, but it also has a bunch of problems associated with it. This short essay tries to ease open this Pandora's box and show that it is an interesting box with some interesting things in there which might still be worth a look.
  
-====More than an afternoon and less than a decade====+=== More than an afternoon and less than a decade ===
  
 The Anarchist Yacht Clubb, Blue Anarchy, in their film Hold Fast, talk about the invention of the fibreglass vessel as the democratisation of boating. Suddenly boats were produced cheaply en masse on a production line by non-experts. Without the danger of wood rotting they required less care and attention, so lower maintenance costs and easier storage and use were possible. For the AYC, this has the advantage that a plastic boat, unless it is smashed or burnt, never really stops being a boat. So there are cheaper ways into the wonderful world of boating. The Anarchist Yacht Clubb, Blue Anarchy, in their film Hold Fast, talk about the invention of the fibreglass vessel as the democratisation of boating. Suddenly boats were produced cheaply en masse on a production line by non-experts. Without the danger of wood rotting they required less care and attention, so lower maintenance costs and easier storage and use were possible. For the AYC, this has the advantage that a plastic boat, unless it is smashed or burnt, never really stops being a boat. So there are cheaper ways into the wonderful world of boating.
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 So we build temporary. And it leaks. There are lots of ropes the same colour because getting multicoloured rope was not in the budget, but using the rope at hand – which was all black – was possible. “Pull the black rope!” was the call to remind us that we were making this all up as we went along. So we build temporary. And it leaks. There are lots of ropes the same colour because getting multicoloured rope was not in the budget, but using the rope at hand – which was all black – was possible. “Pull the black rope!” was the call to remind us that we were making this all up as we went along.
  
-====Cooking in the sun and soaking in the rain====+=== Cooking in the sun and soaking in the rain ===
  
 After our travels were over, a farmer took [[subak2 construction notes|Subak2]] out to his place on the Murray to live on the river and a theatre group in Brussels took the [[subak construction notes|Subak]] for their climate catastrophe piece La Wallifornie. After the vessels were gone, we tried to work out what it had been about. What had worked, what was waste. What made sense, what we could have done without. One of the problems was efficiency. Neither vessel was particularly hydrodynamic. The Subak2 was based upon a racing dinghy, but the pipe extensions proved to be significant brakes. If we had learnt more from the Taiwanese pipe boats from which we copied the design, we would have invested more energy in turning up the bow of the pipe sections to allow them to flow over the water rather that plough it aside. The Taiwanese also use flat packing strapping to tie the pipes in contrast to the roung profile manilla rope that we were using. We were able to continue refining parts of the Subak2 en route as we had brought several tools with us. The yuloh (an auxiliary propulsion device) was iteratively refined until it became useful and functional. We also learnt to use it as we battled our ignorance of how it should be made and how it should be used.  After our travels were over, a farmer took [[subak2 construction notes|Subak2]] out to his place on the Murray to live on the river and a theatre group in Brussels took the [[subak construction notes|Subak]] for their climate catastrophe piece La Wallifornie. After the vessels were gone, we tried to work out what it had been about. What had worked, what was waste. What made sense, what we could have done without. One of the problems was efficiency. Neither vessel was particularly hydrodynamic. The Subak2 was based upon a racing dinghy, but the pipe extensions proved to be significant brakes. If we had learnt more from the Taiwanese pipe boats from which we copied the design, we would have invested more energy in turning up the bow of the pipe sections to allow them to flow over the water rather that plough it aside. The Taiwanese also use flat packing strapping to tie the pipes in contrast to the roung profile manilla rope that we were using. We were able to continue refining parts of the Subak2 en route as we had brought several tools with us. The yuloh (an auxiliary propulsion device) was iteratively refined until it became useful and functional. We also learnt to use it as we battled our ignorance of how it should be made and how it should be used. 
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 Neither of the CoC vessels was waterproof, there was a constant seepage from barely perceivable cracks in the floors, which would sometimes become noticeable if pressure was applied on certain parts. But after an hour or three, enough water got into the boat to soak through bags that were not waterproof. As we were sleeping in the Subak on the canals of Belgium, this became an issue. We had to take out the floorboards and bail out the boat at least twice a day. Under then sun we were cooked, when it rained, we were wet. This collection of creature habits, including staying dry and sheltering from exposure, was something that we had more or less explicitly avoided. This was built into the project from the beginning – rather than attempt something that would be a “keeper” we wanted to pass the vessels on. They were temporary, but not just for an afternoon. We had decided that we would not do much more work to make the boats perfectly waterproof. A roof, a sun shade – these were things for another class of vessel. Neither of the CoC vessels was waterproof, there was a constant seepage from barely perceivable cracks in the floors, which would sometimes become noticeable if pressure was applied on certain parts. But after an hour or three, enough water got into the boat to soak through bags that were not waterproof. As we were sleeping in the Subak on the canals of Belgium, this became an issue. We had to take out the floorboards and bail out the boat at least twice a day. Under then sun we were cooked, when it rained, we were wet. This collection of creature habits, including staying dry and sheltering from exposure, was something that we had more or less explicitly avoided. This was built into the project from the beginning – rather than attempt something that would be a “keeper” we wanted to pass the vessels on. They were temporary, but not just for an afternoon. We had decided that we would not do much more work to make the boats perfectly waterproof. A roof, a sun shade – these were things for another class of vessel.
  
-====Bread or china: balancing effort and utility====+=== Bread or china: balancing effort and utility ===
  
 Reviewing the effort involved, there seem to be two axes: one is the effort put into something, the work or investment. And the other is the resulting utility, enjoyment, and other values that emerge from the effort invested. The term from economics that is perhaps relevant here is marginal costs, the extra amount of utility one gets from a small extra investment of effort. How much more effort does it take to get a small bit more utility? How much more utility do we get for a bit more investment? Measuring these small increments can be difficult, since they are always tied up with a background of previous efforts and their contexts. Reviewing the effort involved, there seem to be two axes: one is the effort put into something, the work or investment. And the other is the resulting utility, enjoyment, and other values that emerge from the effort invested. The term from economics that is perhaps relevant here is marginal costs, the extra amount of utility one gets from a small extra investment of effort. How much more effort does it take to get a small bit more utility? How much more utility do we get for a bit more investment? Measuring these small increments can be difficult, since they are always tied up with a background of previous efforts and their contexts.
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 The two curves on the diagram attempt to show the amount of work needed for something that is useful and disposable versus something that is worth keeping. This probably also has a lot to do with the amount of effort one has already invested, as the first hour of any project hurts a lot more than the hundredth. (A formal analysis here would be straying into the realms of economists and efficiency consultants – for our purposes we can leave them fairly rough-and-ready.) The two curves on the diagram attempt to show the amount of work needed for something that is useful and disposable versus something that is worth keeping. This probably also has a lot to do with the amount of effort one has already invested, as the first hour of any project hurts a lot more than the hundredth. (A formal analysis here would be straying into the realms of economists and efficiency consultants – for our purposes we can leave them fairly rough-and-ready.)
  
-====From plastic rafts to wooden yachts and knowing when to stop====+=== From plastic rafts to wooden yachts and knowing when to stop ===
  
 In connection to boating, we can think about these layers of utility as follows. The bottom layer is the one-use-only raft of plastic bottles roped to an inflatable mattress and some sticks, made for fun on a summer afternoon and taken apart when we leave. The disposable version might be the river rafts that I observed being used on the Fransisco River near Salamaua in Papua New Guinea. Cutting down some wild bamboo or other fast-growing trees, lashing them together with vines and using the construction to travel downstream before pushing the raft off to wash ashore elsewhere in the bay and biodegrade into compost.  In connection to boating, we can think about these layers of utility as follows. The bottom layer is the one-use-only raft of plastic bottles roped to an inflatable mattress and some sticks, made for fun on a summer afternoon and taken apart when we leave. The disposable version might be the river rafts that I observed being used on the Fransisco River near Salamaua in Papua New Guinea. Cutting down some wild bamboo or other fast-growing trees, lashing them together with vines and using the construction to travel downstream before pushing the raft off to wash ashore elsewhere in the bay and biodegrade into compost. 
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 The [[subak_construction_notes|Subak]] and [[subak2_construction_notes|Subak2]] of [[Control of the Commons]] were more than PNG river rafts, but not built to last for years. They were not envisaged as something that would fill up a supposed gap in our own or someone else's life, to greet us every Discardia by asking us why they were there. The amount of effort that would have been required to make them really work as functional long-term vessels was more than would have been useful. There is always one more thing to do. I think we are glad we didn't. The [[subak_construction_notes|Subak]] and [[subak2_construction_notes|Subak2]] of [[Control of the Commons]] were more than PNG river rafts, but not built to last for years. They were not envisaged as something that would fill up a supposed gap in our own or someone else's life, to greet us every Discardia by asking us why they were there. The amount of effort that would have been required to make them really work as functional long-term vessels was more than would have been useful. There is always one more thing to do. I think we are glad we didn't.
  
-==== References, notes, and interesting tidbits ====+=== References, notes, and interesting tidbits ===
  
   * //Francis Joyon// is a professional sail boat racer and yachtsman, and currently holds the record for the fastest single-handed sailing circumnavigation. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francis_Joyon   * //Francis Joyon// is a professional sail boat racer and yachtsman, and currently holds the record for the fastest single-handed sailing circumnavigation. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francis_Joyon
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