Named after the extinct penguin-like flightless bird named Alca impennis (commonly known as the “Great Auk”), the hull of Alca i is strip plank on frame heavy construction with keel, frame and floors of epoxy-laminated and glassed white oak with bronze, Monel and stainless steel fasteners. Each piece of the two-inch thick oak strip hull planking was epoxy-sealed prior to fastening and all fastener holes epoxied prior to the fasteners being driven into the frames. The hull was then double sheathed inside and out with epoxy-saturated glass matt, with four layers at the water line, providing additional strength for Arctic work. The hull is provided with 8 water-tight bulkheads, including a double collision bulkhead. Passageways include two bulkhead and three external water-tight doors. Alca i was used for fifteen years to conduct research on behalf of the Smithsonian on the effect of global warming on the growth of algae between Maine and Labrador. She laid dormant under shrink-wrap in Maine for four years prior to being acquired by her current owner in March of 2021. After an extensive refit was performed, Alca i finally set sail on November 1, 2021, for her new home in the Pacific Northwest. The six month passage from Maine to the West Coast began by heading south along the Eastern Seaboard, through the Bahamas, then to Jamaica, the San Blas Islands and through the Panama Canal. Once finally in the Pacific Ocean, we then headed up the west coast of Central America, mainland Mexico and Baja California, finally arriving in southern California in early May. Our voyage to the Pacific Northwest was delayed from May through July so the owner could prepare for the final phase of his journey. Finally departing southern California in mid-August, we arrived in Puget Sound on Friday, August 26, 2022, our new home!
