The Rainbow Warrior III

[Chris Patterson]

So, off the coast of Southport, N.C. arrived the newest boat from Greenpeace yesterday. It's a sailing craft, or I may not have bothered. This after going to the Innisfail in Wilmington a couple of weeks back, and being regarded by the "captain" with near contempt.
Anyway, a beautiful boat. Odd mast arrangement I suppose, but very impressive nonetheless. You can probably Google the specifics if any of the specs interest you, so I'll spare you the details.
But it was a beautiful morning. And a real honor to even board such a vessel.

 

[Diamondjet]

What

 

[CalebD]

Chris,
The RW III was tied up on the west side of Manhattan in the Hudson River about a month ago. I happened to be walking nearby with friends from out of town and they were giving free tours of the boat, so we took the free tour.
Whether you love or hate Greenpeace the boat was very interesting to see up close and personal. I have to agree that the 'A' frame mast setup is quite unusual. I would think that the 'masts' would provide plenty of top hamper in any kind of blow. All the sails (all 6 I think) were on huge roller furler set ups that are driven by hydraulic motors. I'm not sure what they would do to control the sails if the hydraulics failed.
They use a huge generator (probably bio-diesel or diesel fueled) and have a huge diesel engine on board for propulsion when not sailing.
This boat is a bit new to be a proven design but it was interesting to see.

 

[Soundbounder]

The new captain is from Norwalk, CT. A month ago, the Norwalk Hour profiled him in a story

Norwalker and environmental activist Peter Willcox has been involved in significant historical events during the past four decades, and he added another achievement to his resume on Saturday when Greenpeace's new vessel Rainbow Warrior III made its debut on the shores of the United States.

Willcox, 58, a member of Greenpeace for more than 20 years, marched with his parents in an iconic civil rights demonstration in Montgomery, Ala., when he was 8 years old in 1965, and he survived the bombing of the first Rainbow Warrior in 1985.

Currently, he is captain of the third Rainbow Warrior, the first boat built specifically for Greenpeace.

"(In) the past, we have bought second hand boats, and fixed them up as best we could," Willcox wrote in an e-mail interview with The Hour. "This time we were able to build a boat from the ground up."

http://www.thehour.com/story/518739/

 

[Ali Baba]

Video of R.W. III. I wonder whats it top speed uner Sail..?/ 14 knots
http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&feature=endscreen&v=6P2q-QD545c

 

[Rick D]

Wow, that's a LOT of Windage...

She's going to be a real PITA on heavy winds or cross winds when docking.

OTOH, she'll probably just ram something and sink anyway...

 

[Chris Patterson]

I f you could see the mast arrangement, you would wonder how it sails down wind at all. The backstays are attached to the sides of the vessel, so the booms have very little swing. Who knows. I'm thinking the sails are mostly just hype, you know, the "green" thing. When the crew was giving their tour spiel, it mostly about how they are saving the planet all on their own, and very little to do with the boat. We stood off from the crowd, and paid little attention to the cause, instead preferring to admire the ship.

I have my own opinions to some groups as well....

And the remark about the captain, that was in reference to the a-hole that was running the Innisfail, a very large ex-presidential cruiser that passed through Wilmington, N.C. I generally don't speak very disparagingly of most people, or situations, but if I saw this boat, with this captain grounded up on the Frying Pan Shoals out here;

I'd laugh...

 

[waternwaves]

the individual who designed those masts.......


The mast design and rigging, look like it is designed for loads that would be expected if you hit something solid.

and is probably the same individual who designed all those removable steel cable backstays on the helicopter deck. HAvent met too many helo pilots that like lots of steel cables in the LZ.


HAve to wonder about the animator, who along with the marine engineer who designed the video animation showing the RWIII with her shorter waterline racing by the longer waterline bulk carrier.

notice the lack of solar or wind generators

notice all those diesels

notice all those 200+ hp outboard engines.

notice she is made of Steel.

The green on this vessel is the paint.

on a purely technical basis, and not to be hypocritical, this vessel seems designed for only for things her smaller RIB's and tenders cant do...

and that is make contact with a fishing sized whaling vessel.

while keeping her herb friendly, environment saving crew comfortable while they spend other peoples money, burning diesel.

now I freely admit I have problems with whaling..
and I admit that I do not know all the issues
And I have plenty of whalenuts to observe out here in north puget sound.

and I know that our resources have to be managed, and either whales or whalers (or both) will soon be extinct.

But,
I hope that the RV III captain is not brash enough to try using his new toy to ram another vessel, because methinks that escalation to piracy probably will result in near term purchase for a new RW IV.

Most of the captains I have met take very poorly to being rammed by ANYONE,



just sayin

 

[sinnettc]

I bet it's the other way around. They'll switch to sail and call the right of way, then end up getting rammed.