Wednesday, December 8, 2010

There Are No Other Ships Of This Type...Raw Faith is uniquely ugly

CAPE COD -- U.S. Coast Guard Air Station Cape Cod crews rescue two stranded mariners 100 miles southeast of Nantucket, Mass., after their boat became disabled. U.S. Coast Guard Video by Air Station Cape Cod

Full Story at Cape Cod Today ...however the comments are more interesting ↓.
4 comments
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Jonathan [Member] writes:
My brother often works on ships of this type.
This is no ordinary vessel.
"RawFaith is a 118 foot long, three masted, three hundred ton (without cannons) tall ship. Her design is based on the 16th century English race built galleons which are more stable and faster than their counterparts, the Spanish galleons (which are the stereotypical tall ships with high castles/decks). Although she was christened and launched in 2003, the structure and materials used to build RawFaith allow her to maintain the magic and charm of the bygone era of the pirates.
RawFaith was designed and built by Captain George McKay to be wheelchair accessible, setting RawFaith apart from other tall ships today. Her broad flat decks and wide open interior make it easy for a full participation sailing adventure. Through free sailing adventures, the Captain hopes to bring the rustic and romantic life at sea within the reach of those in wheelchairs.
The inspiration for RawFaith is found in the Captain's oldest child, Elizabeth, who has spent most of her life in a wheelchair due to Marfan Syndrome...."
bzingram [Member] writes:
Well you are right about one thing, it's no ordinary vessel.

What you posted was McKay's description. The reality of the situation is that this is a cobbled together "ship" that was built without regard to any established building method. It has no steerage. In it's first year or so it was dismasted in benign conditions. It's no better built than the pirate ship at your local mini-golf.

McKay set of with just one other crew for Bermuda in winter in the North Atlantic in a ship that cannot make 5 knots on a broad reach.

This has been a disaster in the making since her launch years ago
brian arvin tyler [Member] writes:
>> My brother often works on ships of this type.

There are no other "ships of this type." Raw Faith is a uniquely ugly, crude and historically inaccurate caricature of a galleon, pieced together from pallet wood and barrels of tar. Several times, now, the ungainly thing has had to be rescued in relatively benign conditions,usually because of mechanical failures & structural inadequacy. It's a disaster waiting to happen.

bzingram [Member] writes:
This makes me really mad. Coast Guard puts equipment and life at risk to save this clown in what was totally foreseeable and utterly avoidable. When RawFaith was "just" an eyesore up in Maine and most recently in Salem, that's one thing. But McKay's behavior in the name of his self-serving "charity" is reckless.

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