OFS

Tampico:

The first step in OFS will be to identify a professional, creative yacht designer and contract with this individual (or school --sometimes schools will take on projects like this to challenge their students).

The specifications for the boat will be very complex. It will involve several compartments. There will be at least one "compartment" for each Neo-Swashbuckler who has contracted for the project. This does not mean one compartment per person. A compartment should be useful to a small family or group of friends attempting to escape the Collapse. A compartment will be 10' long,70 inches wide and 69 inches deep. The compartment is 70 inches wide because this will allow two rows of 55 gallon drums to be placed horizontally off the bow and stern of the compartment. Note: the drums will not use any space in each compartment. The depth of 69"matches the width of three diameters of 55 gallon drums. This means that six 55 gallon drums can be placed on each end of a compartment. Compartments will be made of various materials including ferro-cement, steel and wood. Compartments will have keels, ballasts,pumps and outriggers. The compartments will have neither a bow or stern, but will have a cable-lock system which enables each compartment to be connected to compartments to the stern and bow. An attachable stern and bow will be available to hook on the front and rear of the connected crafts.This plan will make it possible to have two or three boat conglomerations that can later be combined into a single craft. Staging areas will be here in Oak Point, in Kemah, in Anna, Illinois and possibly in Tell City, Indiana.

The compartments will be constructed at the staging location of choice. The best use of the compartments will be to load them fully with survival supplies.The "loading" will include everything that you wish to pre-place on each compartment and the contents of twelve 55 gallon drums. Single compartments will be sized to fit easily on 15' trailers to be moved to launch locations when the Collapse is underway. Construction of the compartments will be done in Oak Point and in Anna according to the yacht design specs.

A fair price will be charged for each compartment and there will be 100% financing for members of this group. OFS compartments will be advertised nationally and participants who are not members of this group will be financed with 20% down. The compartments will be connected by cables, cable locks and a steel rod. The 55 gallon drums will be the buffer between compartments and will add floatation to the overall craft. Each compartment will have hatches that can be completely closed so that they will not be flooded in storms and waves. They will also have pumps to discharge any water that happens to get in and will have a ballast, a keel and outriggers to prevent capsizing.

The challenge of the naval architect will be to create this complex craft with the flexibility to be pre-wave, top of wave and post wave all at the same time without the risk of pitch-poling, capsizing or bunching. Each compartment will have a single sail, but the running rigging will have to be positioned in such a way that all sails are coordinated from a single command (Blackhearted Pirate Lee) so that sails work in harmony unless we are heaved to (in which case sails would intentionally be set against each other to make the complex craft stationary).T here will be at least one "community compartment" that will house a public restroom and a shower. It is also an option that we could have a community compartment that is dedicated to gunnery. There is much more to this concept, but I want to get your reaction to just these facts first. Any comments?

Blackhearted Pirate Lee:

This is a well thought out plan for a good ship. There is a school I think called Westlawn in CT that designs boats and yachts. I sent for some information once. Back then I had forgotten most of my algebra, but I am just now getting back into it.

Tampico:

Very good suggestion. Thanks, Blackhearted Pirate Lee.

I will make an inquiry to Westlawn.