RawFaith

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RawFaith
History
United States
Name	RawFaith
Owner	George McKay
Operator	George Mckay
Builder	George McKay
Laid down	1999
Launched	2003
Fate	Sunk on December 8, 2010
General characteristics
Type	three-masted schooner rig on unique homemade hull
Displacement	300 T
Length	80 ft (24 m) at waterline, 88 ft (27 m) on deck, 118 feet (36 m) sparred length
Beam	26 ft (7.9 m)
Height	80 ft (24 m)
Draft	7 ft (2.1 m)
Notes	3,000 square feet (280 m2) sail area. White oak wood hull, Douglas fir masts

RawFaith was a wooden sailing vessel built and owned by George McKay in Maine, United States.

Construction

RawFaith was built in

to aid in construction and simulate strength. She was constructed of a wide variety of woods and materials, most not normally considered appropriate for marine construction. Rawfaith was not built using shipwrights or naval architects. She was controversial in all aspects and was regarded by most professionals as being very poorly built and designed.

Design

RawFaith was designed with 16th-century race-built galleons such as the Revenge in mind. Raw faith was intended to be wheel chair accessible. The ship was designed by the owner with no previous knowledge of naval architecture. Accordingly, the vessel did not actually resemble any galleon or traditional vessel, and was rigged as a schooner. However, the mast and sail configuration was also atypical.

Purpose

RawFaith was wheelchair accessible, and the intent was to provide free sailing adventures to groups which would normally be deterred from sailing by a member in a wheelchair. Many accessibility features had not yet been installed,^[when?] though the captain's daughter, a wheelchair user, lived aboard for many months.

Controversy

RawFaith had been the target of criticism for her lack of seaworthiness.

In another incident on May 9, 2006, all three masts snapped during another storm off the coast of Maine. One of the crew was struck in the head by a piece of the falling mast, but not seriously injured. RawFaith was rescued by the Coast Guard cutter Seneca about 50 miles (80 km) off Mt. Desert Rock and was again towed to Rockland for repairs.^[3]

Sinking

On December 8, 2010, RawFaith began taking on water in rough seas off the coast of Nantucket and sank in 6,000 feet (1,800 m) of water. Two people had been rescued from the ship by a helicopter from Coast Guard Air Station Cape Cod the previous day.^[4]

References

External links

• Rawfaith's homepage
• An article from the Working Waterfront Newspaper