a matthew turner milestone

Just contemplating the myriad steps involved in building a 100-ft brigantine would probably give most sailors a panic attack or worse — even if they had solid boatbuilding skills. Fortunately for Alan Olson, the mastermind of Sausalito's Matthew Turner shipbuilding

A spectacular wheel for a spectacular ship. In the years to come, many hands, young and old, will take a turn at the 'Matthew Turner's helm.

project, he has subscribed to the calming effects of Buddhism for many years. In fact, it was while living and working at a Buddhist retreat that his long-held dream of building a historically accurate square rigger took on new focus. One day his teacher asked "If you were about to die, what would you regret?" Without hesitation, Olson thought: building a Bay Area tall ship — a personal passion that had been relegated to the back burner since the 1980s, when he fi rst studied its feasibility. Back then, Olson and several other

Proud Papa Alan Olson strikes a pose on the bow of the brand-new brigantine that his vision and fortitude brought to life.

traditional-boat afi cionados researched West Coast shipbuilders of the late 1800s — when sail power still fueled both coastal and international commerce. It soon became obvious that the shipbuilding prowess of Matthew Turner was the perfect historical link to their proposed project. The Gold Rush initially brought Turner from the Great Lakes to California, where he did quite well during a three-year stint of mining. But he was wise enough to see that supplying the region with much-needed building lumber and other essential cargo would bring much more reliable profi ts. Turner bought and captained several cargo schooners before building the brig Nautilus in 1868 at Eureka, CA — the fi rst in a succession of 228 oceangoing ships that bucked conventional norms. Unlike the bluff-bowed vessels that had previously dominated the shipping industry, Turner's designs had narrow bows and carried their cargo farther aft, thus making them the West Coast's fastest commercial sailing vessels of that era. In partnership with his brother, Turner's fi rst boatyard was at Mission Bay, near modern-day Hunters Point. But the fi rm's success eventually inspired a move to Benicia, where 154 ships were eventually completed, earning Turner fame as the most prolifi c American builder of the late 1800s. He also had substantial business interests in both Hawaii and Tahiti, bringing home much-sought-after cargoes such as sugar and fresh fruit. Among Turner's most famous ships were the barkentine Benicia, which once crossed from Australia to Hawaii in 35 days (nearly 5,000 miles against wind and current); the schooner Papeete, which famously sailed from San Francisco to Tahiti in 17 days (4,000 miles); and the brigantine Galilee, which sailed from Tahiti to the Bay in 22 days (closehauled at best). The Galilee — remnant's of which can still be seen at Sausalito's Galilee Harbor — is the closest relative to the new Matthew Turner, in terms of both size and design. Once she's completed, Olson and others involved in the sponsoring nonprofi t Call of the Sea hope their ship will eventually follow in Galilee's wake,

Among the thousands of curious observers who've poked their heads in to take a look, dozens have volunteered their skills.

offering voyages to far-fl ung destinations, in addition to her main mission: running hands-on marine environmental education programs for middle school students, here in the Bay and along the California coast. Established in 1984, Call of the Sea now takes roughly 5,000 kids sailing annually. But with the addition of the Matthew Turner, that num-

During the lead-up to last month's whiskey plank celebration, volunteers paint the names of prominent sponsors on each plank. Inset, head shipwright Franz Baichl and others coax the fi nal plank into place — a major milestone.

ber could triple, and expand to include young scholars from higher grade levels. The launch goal for the new brigantine is February, 2017, and Olson hopes to have her fully operational by next summer. If all goes according to plan, her inaugural ocean-crossing will be as a member of the Pac Cup fl eet in 2018 — and we're certain that each of her 39 berths will be a hot commodity among her many supporters.

Even before the keel was laid in 2013, the build site within a giant white tent along Sausalito's Marinship Way has been accessible to the public. This is in keeping with the notion that the Matthew Turner should be an asset shared by the entire Bay Area community; the 'people's tall ship', you might say. Among the thousands of curious observers who've poked their heads in to take a look, dozens have volunteered their skills and/or muscle-power to the project. "Some arrive with lots of skills, but this is something they've never had a chance to do before," says Olson. "For woodworkers, it's kind of the holy grail — other than maybe building a violin. "Others show up without many appropriate skills, but they just want to help. There's always plenty of things for them to do — holes to drill, bungs to fi ll, lumber to move. Over time they gain some knowledge and become quite valuable." Head shipwright Franz Baichl, his #2 Richard O'Keefe, and a few other paid builders supervise crews of 10-20 volunteers. Even now, eight months before the brigantine's proposed launch, it's easy to see why anyone who's had a hand in the construction process would be tremendously proud to have contributed sweat equity. According to Olson, it's largely due to

Hundreds of 6-inch bronze bolts secure the 'Turner's 3-inch planks to her multi-laminated ribs.

his talented volunteers that the project is on track to be completed next summer within its originally projected $6.2 million budget. "Without them," he says, "it would probably be a $10 million project."

and epoxy was even more exacting and time-consuming. Each one is uniquely shaped, and as you walk along the main deck's bulwarks, where the ribs protrude Like the ships that Turner and his through the deck, you can see that some have as many as 40 laminations! As contemporaries built well over a century creative as that process was, we'll bet ago, this new the construction crews are happy to brigantine will have that task behind them. be constructed Check out the project's website, entirely of lo- www.educationaltallship.org, and cally sourced you'll learn that other forms of modwoods. Apart ern technology have been blended from a small into this 'traditional' ship's design amount of and operational game plan: "Instead Oregon white of diesel engines, the ship is propelled oak used for by AC electric motors directly contrim, all of the planks, frames, keel timbers, masts and decking are, or will be, built of Douglas fir from a sustainably managed forest in Mendocino County that has been certifi ed by the Forest Stewardship Council. Not only are the recently installed hull planks three inches thick, but some of them are 45 feet long and weigh more than 300 lbs. Before they could be cajoled into position, each one had to be steamed for three hours in a special bag — hung near its eventual attachment point — to make it malleable. Once pulled out of the bag, the 'persuasion crew' had only Inset above: The prolifi c builder Matthew about 10 minutes to secure it in Turner. Above: An artist's rendering of position before it would stiffen what the fi nished ship will look like. up again. Right: The Turner Shipyard in Benicia. As challenging and laborious as that nected to the propeller sounds though, forming the ribs or shafts and drawing frames from multiple laminations of fi r energy from large battery banks. When the MATTHEW TURNER SPECS ship is sailing, the energy of the pass-

Sparred length: ............. 132 feet ing water causes the

Length on deck: ............ 100 feet propellers to rotate, which, in turn, causes

Beam ............................... 25 feet the electric motors to become generators

Draft ................................ 10 feet that re-charge the batteries onboard.

Weight ........................... 175 tons Signifi cant electrical energy is created as sailing speeds increase." When dockside,

Mainmast height ............ 100 feet the ship's batteries will be topped up by

Number of sails................ 11 sails wind generators and a massive shoreside solar array.

Hours of labor .................... 1 zillion The organization hopefully predicts, "By combining technologies from the 19th and 21st centuries — skipping over the petroleum era — [the Matthew Turner] will become a unique teaching tool that can inspire appreciation for

All of the planks, frames, keel timbers, masts and decking are, or will be, built of Douglas fi r from a sustainably managed forest.

past boatbuilding designs while utilizing innovative technology solutions, to construct a truly green sailing ship." Although ambitious, it all sounds doable to us. After all, by today's standards, Matt Turner's original engineless vessels were as green as they come. In order to achieve multi-passenger accreditation from the Coast Guard, other elements of modern technology were mandated such as watertight bulkheads fore and aft, and passageways that can be sealed off during an emergency. The push of a button at the helm will activate sliding steel doors belowdecks that look beefy enough to

secure a bank vault. The naval architects and engineers at Point Richmond's Tri-Coastal Marine get the credit for fi guring out how to build a wooden, Gold Rush-era passenger vessel so that it complies with 21st-century safety regs.

What's left to do? Plenty — both before and after February's proposed launch. The interior has to be built out; engines and electrical systems have to be installed; fresh-water and gray-water tanks must be mounted and plumbed; masts, yardarms and other spars must be built; rigging elements such as traditional deadeyes have to be fabricated; standing and running rigging has to be assembled... and much more. Think about how long your 'to do' list is when preparing for your own boat's annual haulout, then multiply by 100 and you'll get an inkling of all the tasks that roll around in the minds of Olson and his crew while they're trying to get to sleep at night. Olson admits, "Sure, there have been some bleak moments and many roadblocks. But I always thought, 'I can't give up on this.'" And today, hundreds of supporters are thrilled that he stuck to his lofty dreams. With the most challenging construction steps now behind them, Olson can almost see the light at the end of the tunnel. "It's a dim, fl ickering light, but almost." As with any project manager who's been entrusted with great responsibilities, though, he keeps focused on his original promise to himself: "to fi nish in a timely manner and with no debt."

Once completed, the Matthew Turner will be based at Sausalito's Army Corps of Engineers pier, adjacent to the Bay Model complex. Fittingly, that's less than a third of a mile from Galilee Harbor, at the end of Napa Street, where the new ship's distant cousin, Galilee, came to rest at the end of her storied sailing career in Pacifi c waters. We don't know if the Army Corps' pier will last 100 more years. But judging by the meticulous craftsmanship that's gone into building the Matthew Turner, we wouldn't be surprised if she were still introducing newcomers to the magic of sailing, the wonders of the marine environment, and the empowering feeling that comes from working alongside shipmates to harness the wind, well into the 22nd century. — latitude/andy

One of the most generous in-kind donations came from the Conservation Fund's 50,000acre, sustainably managed forest in Mendocino.

SUNNY ALAMEDA