News of Windvinder

Windvinder at sea

and here

Wipke rode the back of Windvinder for about 300 miles on the open sea.

She returned to land aboard this large outrigger canoe, a tuna fishing vessel.

Wipke and a local islander making a new tail fin for the Windvinder

Others have been inspired to build their own Windvinder's and set them free on the open sea. These 'offspring' have been dubbed 'Yellowfin', after the first new vessel, seen here, with yellow 'sails' or wings.

Wipke writes:

Marianas

"The strange thing about the Guam reports is that they do not contradict each other. And they come from very different phone numbers. Even from different countries! After all, it’s not so impossible that some kind of Windvinder is underway there. Two old canoes are easy to find, make them watertight, put two beams in between and a single-shaft windmill drive, and that’s it. The single shaft Windvinder doesn’t even need a keel or a center board. As long as it is very small, it can be really easy. Well, nobody has said that a Windvinder has to be big! Maybe the smallest ones have the biggest chance to survive…

The problem is the shaft. Wings could even be made from plywood, for a small six-blade windmill, but the shaft…? Bamboo doesn’t work, I have tried it. Not even for a one meter model. You need something really straight. But the islanders are masters in improvisation…

The more interesting question is, if the Mariana Windvinder really exists, how did he jump there? Most probably he is born north of the typhoon tracks. Or he is incredibly lucky; or both. But some connection with the original Windvinder must exist, because he seems to have our phone number on board. This contact number is not published on this website or anywhere else, it's only written on the Windvinder - and his descendants. "

"Possible construction of the Mariana Windvinder, as described in the various reports of the past months: Two old canoes connected with bamboo spars. Windmill and propeller sit on the same shaft, no gearbox is necessary.

The windmill with six sails is not the most effective and certainly not the most storm proof solution, but no other windmill can be repaired or replaced so easily, without any special tools or knowledge. Bamboo and some rice sacks can be found anywhere.

The use of simple sails can be a good way to try out how much sail area is actually needed to propel the vessel against the wind. The sails can be reefed easily by furling them partly or completely around the bamboo.

It's also possible to use only three of the six sails. This could explain why some reports mention "three wings" and others "many"."

This drawing is a conjecture by Wipke based on reports of a 'sail wheel' as the means of propulsion for the Yellowfin.

Yellowfin sighting.

all photos and other materials courtesy Wipke Iwersen

This amazing story just gets better. I thought of Wipke Iwersen and her Windvinder project recently and wondered how things were progressing. So I wrote to Wipke and now she as replied. (Some of my long time reader may recall my earlier article on Windvinder, found here). Apparently, the Windvinder is doing well and Wipke and her team have recieved many reports of sightings, some with photos. He has needed some repair here and there, and recently wipke travelled to the South Seas to complete ome extensive repair work that was beyond what the locals could reasonably be expected to complete. She reports:

"I'm just back: 3 months in Oceania - repairing Windvinder and leaving him on the open sea again. This was not planned - but that's life! Windvinder was on a little island; fishermen had brought him there. Normally I don't hear of these repair-stops at the islands, or only when he is already gone again. (Mail on paper...) But this time they phoned me; the gearbox was broken, and that was something they could not repair on the island. So I took the opportunity to see and help him one more time - very probably the last time! But who knows...

Except for the corrupt officials, the islanders were very nice people. We had a great time, doing all the repairs together. A fantastic launching fiesta, some hundreds of miles of sea trials and a really moving Bon Voyage ceremony when we finally left Windvinder alone again, in the middle of the ocean. I went back to the land with a local tuna fishing vessel, a big outrigger canoe - after some 300 miles on the back of the Windvinder. Unbelievable trip...

There are even new Windfinders - that is REALLY great. Some bigger, some smaller - simple bamboo constructions, but very fast and very seaworthy. Powered and steered by nothing but wind. They have sails instead of epoxy wings. I had heard of them already last year; there were several sightings around the Marianas. But no photos, at that time. (How many fishermen bring a camera for a fishing trip in their outrigger canoe...?) I could only imagine what they could be... (I put some sketches on the Windvinder-website.)
Now I have finally seen them! They are wonderful. The people call them Yellowfin, after the first one who was seen in Southeast Asia, with yellow sails. Definitely the future of the species Windvinder...
A small one was even built at sea by one of the fishermen on our canoe, after we had left the big Windvinder. (There was no material on board to build a bigger one...)
He blessed his boat with the blood of a Yellowfin tuna and left it alone on the ocean."

You can follow up on this fascinating work of art, with many more photos and reports, at the Windvinder website. Wipke plans to begin an Expedition to the Origins of the Wind late this summer aboard Thor, a classis wooden yawl about 50', I'd guess. She's looking for crew for the journey, "The voyage goes from the North Sea to the North Sea, with a detour around the world.
Starting summer 2010.

CREW WANTED

Requirements:
We need creative, enthusiastic, seaworthy people with practical and improvisation skills
People must have good English skills, any additional languages are an advantage
Boatbuilders, aerodynamicists, navigators, oceanographers and anthropologists – graduates or not – are especially welcome
but above all: only experienced sailors!
(in other words, people who know and respect the sea.)"

If you are interested, there is an email address on her website.

Bernard Smith 1910-2010

Cover of "The 40 Knot Sailboat"

Bernard Smith
Courtesy Mr. Smith's Amazing Sailboats

Full size trials
Courtesy Mr. Smith's Amazing Sailboats

Courtesy ArtFormFunction

Bernard Smith passed away recently at the sprightly young age of 99. He was a tireless innovator, inventor and experimenter. Dubbed 'sailing's rocket scientist' his designs were instrumental in pushing the sailing envelope. I've written about him before, and his discoveries inspired many, including the builders of the visionary Vestas Sailrocket. His inquiring, restless mind led him to investigate many lines of inquiry, as his wife said, ' he was interested in everything'.

Thanks, Bernard.

There's an extensive bio/eulogy written by Frank Delano for fredericksburg.com here.

PROA 1.1 To the ...Sublime: Bernard Smith and SailRocket

cover of  the Forty Knot Sailboat

an early model

and another

monomaran

fliptracker

minifliptracker

all photos above  courtesy Paul Dunlop

courtesy Vesta Sailrocket

courtesy Vesta Sailrocket

courtesy Vesta Sailrocket

I was generously loaned a copy of Bernard Smith's "'The 40 Knot Sailboat" today by a client and friend who is also a sailor. It has reignited my interest in this obscure genius. By 'co-incidence' (Jung)  Sandy K @ Casco Bay Boaters posted today an article on the Vesta SailRocket. SailRocket is attempting to set the world record for sailboat speed. She has achieved  an astounding speed of 52.26 knots. This entire project is based on and inspired by the work of Bernard Smith. A civilian employee of the U.S. Navy, Smith had yearned from an early age to create the fastest sailboat ever. He took inspiration from the phenomenal performance of the indigenous Pacific proa. He began his research and experiments on his own time building models to test his theories, but eventually the Navy took notice and funded his research and the development of full sized craft. The results are unconventional and astounding, and his models have a charm and beauty that is as unexpected as it is welcome. There's as much an artist at work here as an engineer. The vessels take proa as a starting point for investigation and then just fly. His book  40 knots begins with an history of the evolution of sailing craft, and though I've  just begun to read, it is, surprisingly, engaging and warm and not just straightforwardly technical. Smith even make apologies to the mathematically challenged that some mathematics must be involved. And this is in1963! The start is promising, I don't know what I'll learn from this book, but I believe it will be an enlightening journey. There's scarce little information on Bernard and his projects on the internet, but there's a very informative site titled 'Mr. Smith's Amazing Sailboats', which has been my source and guide. It was built by Paul Dunlop of Christchurch NZ, has lots of good information on Smith and his work and is highly recommended. Bernard Smith followed up his first book with a second, further exploration of  his passion and investigations and recounting the results in'Sailoons and Fliptrackers'. Anyone who has additional information on Bernard and his explorations of aerohydrodynamics, please share.

Outriggers and Proa, part .01: Wipke's Bigiw Bangkaa

Wipke's Bigiw

Ronelo

bow

hull

Ronelo's father and his son

over the corals

Edgar splitting bamboo for the battens

Wipke laying out the sail

fansail

sailing

the local kids having a go

all photographs courtesy Wipke Iwersen

Wipke Iwersen, artist/philosopher/inventor and driving force behind the fabulous Windvinder, sent me some photos of her Philippine double outrigger canoe. The builder is Ronelo Banggat from Tagpopongan, Philippines. Ronelo and his father build these 'composite' boats, with help from Ronelo's young sons. I say composite because the lower part of the hull is a dugout and the rest is ply. These boats were traditonaly built in the same way but with woven, tarred bamboo in place of the more recent plywood. The dugout bit and the frames are fashioned from local wood the outriggers of bamboo and the only tools used are hand tools fashioned by local blacksmiths. The three generations of the Banggat family are able to produce 4 to 5 of these boats per month, from felled tree to three coats of epoxy paint. The family has been building these boats, in the same design, for hundreds of years. They range from 17' to 22' and weigh only about 15 kilos or 33 lbs. These are workboats, used for fishing and transportation and typically paddled from one side only, without going in circles. Some fishermen have made sails from rice sacks as other cloth is unavailable on their island, except gor what Wipke used for her sail. Wipke modified her boat by adding a wingsail after the design of baidarka builder/designer/historian George Dyson, who apparently adapted this design from the batwing design of sails for turn of the century sailing canoes. Wipke fashioned her sail from split bamboo and something she calls 'plastic foil' which looks like what I call polytarp. In any event this a great looking sail and it looks like the kids are having a blast!

If you want one these boats  they go for about 66 euro. or about $90. Without sails. And that doesn't include delivery to White Plains.

Windvinder, Expedition to the Origin of the Wind

Windvinder 2008

Windvinder 2005

Construction

Turbine blades

Windvinder launched

Windvinder sailing

The Bridge, an earlier project

all photographs courtesy Wipke  Iwersen

This is an amazing project which crosses the boundaries of contemporary art, science, anti science, anthropology, philosophy and fiction. In a sense it is a real fiction, a concrete dream, a three dimensional wish. Artist Wipke Iwersen has generated a Borges like expedition that almost defies explanation. The Windvinder is immensely beautiful and seems well designed to achieve it's goal, while that goal itself is nebulous and slippery. Wipke designed and built the craft, a sort of trimaran, which seems to be based on proa(Wipke calls the boat he, in typical proa fashion) and traditional kayak skin on frame building technology. It's method of propulsion is a wind turbine. At first glance I thought this was a sort of joke, but really, I know better, so I dug in and found what seems to be a profound/trivial paradox, and a lot of fun. I won't say anymore, because this kind of art is different for everyone who encounters it, and I've already colored your perceptions too much.  But I will leave you with some of the artists words:

"Windvinder is a seafaring challenge. A challenge to everything that has always remained the same – the suggestion of a new possibility. And this is exactly what this journey is about: this pull from beyond the horizon.

 

What makes us move? What drives us to push back our boundaries, further and further, beyond what is necessary or even seems possible? Why do people risk their lives to reach the North Pole, or the moon? Nobody would want to live there.

But what then do they want?

Windvinder does not travel from A to B; he is on a voyage to explore what drives him, towards the source of that invisible power that keeps his wings moving."

 

On reflection, I feel this is an important work and urge anyone capable of doing so to support this artist.

I will add one interesting note, one of the sponsors of the project is Dyson, Baidarka & Co.  

ps: added Saturday, 3/7/09; Bjorn Thommasson has also written about this project here.

I should also add that I learned of this project from Carl Cramer in the Woodenboat e-newsletter for March 2009. Thanks Carl.

James Wharram and Hanneke Boon

I've been reluctant to post James Wharram as most of my readers are already aware of him. You may not be aware, however, of this little beauty, a tacking proa with crab claw sail which he initially designed for the Melanesians with an eye to conservation of the trees the Melanesians typically use for creating dugouts: "The 'MELANESIA' is to be used in the traditional manner as a small inter island sea truck, for daily commuting to their gardens, for out to sea fishing or just paddling around to see friends, families or nearby islands." I'd love to hear from anyone who's built or sailed one of these and also a Hitia 17.

Mr. Wharram and Hanneke Boon, his partner in design and life, are recognized as two of the most influential designers to bring the Catamaran into our era, and one of the most effective proponents of the self build community. They have a large and loyal group of builders and are responsible, at least tangentially, for much of what actual seasteading is done today.

PS. Just recieved a link from Creed O'Hanlon @ A Tiki in Thailand on the latest update/letter/whereabouts/and goings on from Mr. Wharram and Ms. Boon here.