Barge

by John Curnow on 27 Mar 2017 So if we had Plumb not that long ago, then this has to be about the barge bow. It’s not the pram, and we will not pause there any longer than to say I have no idea why we put kids out in those in this modern era, other than it has to be political.

Looking for all the world like a barge from a European river, or something from yesteryear when they used to fell forests in order to make ships, is Arkema 3. Incredible use of the grooviest technology such as wingsail, articulating foils, canting, telescopic and rotating keel, yet along with the fact that she looks more than a bit awkward, she is beautiful. You can check her out here. In the Mini Transat from October 1, 2017, we will certainly see how well this amalgam of all the cool bits goes in such a tiny package. Notwithstanding the lead in events, of course…

However, even all of those whizz-bang bits of kit is not really the point here. With a couple of Eastern States nowhere near banning the single use plastic bag, and Queensland soon to do so, she represents a very special purpose. Arkema 3 can stand as proud and forthright as the Statue of Liberty. It is almost as if she is made from a zillion discarded single use water bottles, or a section of the great plastic waste heap in the Pacific, for she is, in essence, recyclable.

Most of that is due to Arkema Chemical Group creating Elium. The styrene-free, liquid thermoplastic acrylic resin allows for the composite structure to be ground down and reused again in another structure. In and of itself that is not entirely new, but it appears that this will not require virgin material to also be a part of the new structure, and that is pretty awesome.

Now if the great Pacific plastic wasteland has material from the 60s in it, which we know because we do not make plastic like that anymore, then it really is monumental. FRP boats came along in the 60s, and many have since been cut up to raise the height of the land above sea level even more. We now have more and more boats of over 40 years of age coming to the end of their use by date. Yep, even plastic has the magic stamp on it. Many have indicated that the resins in those craft cannot be recycled, but ground up they can be used in new structures, mostly as sandwich filler.

There of course is the issue. The old virgin material required as the outer and inner layers thing… So if Elium can do without, then it should be mandated by the industry now, for all the old boats are going to come thundering in to their use by dates with a critical mass akin to meteor strike, and we need a plan in place, yesterday!

This is as crucial to us as humans as all the old Soviet era nuclear submarines tied up in the Arctic Circle that had reactors still on board decaying hulls. The cost of rectification is enormous. The cost of doing nothing will be even larger and felt for far longer. So a barge is a craft with blunt bow and a real purpose in life. It can also mean application of brute force to carve a way through, and that seems terribly apt after all we have just reviewed.

So given we started all this with the Mini Transat, and that not that long ago it was International Women’s Day, we need to point out that there are 10 women competing in the event. They follow in the footsteps of women like Isabelle Autissier, Catherine Chabaud, Samantha Davies, Dame Ellen MacArthur and Justine Mettraux. That of course opens the door to Class40, Vendée Globe, Figaro Beneteau with their production foiler, VOR and RTW records, into which our own Lisa Blair will soon arrive, should it all go to plan. She will absolutely hate me for mentioning records, but it is likely, and for that Lisa, take a well-earned bow once you get back over the line at Albany.

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