ab 01.06.: The Viracocha III project in Arica

01.06.

Glen, the Australian who has already given me good tips for my tour - I think he is a few years younger than me - works here as a volunteer on the Viracocha III, which is set to sail to Australia in a month. Viracocha is the Bolivian sea god who is supposed to protect the enterprise. There are also interesting political aspects. Chile and Bolivia do not get along. Chile has now issued a regulation that only a Chilean captain may be responsible for the boat...

the shipyard

the hull was built with the reeds from Lake Titicaca.
then transported here to Arica with an extra long truck from La Paz (Lake Titicaca). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Chr1r0AlAPo
due to the required large turning radius, the coastal road was temporarily closed to allow access to the beach.

the bow and the stern are equipped with protective dragon mouths,

it is not an ordinary boat, but a three-master whose hull is built of reeds that grow on Lake Titicaca. then it was brought by a large truck from La Paz to Arica and placed on prepared supports on the beach to build the three masts and complete the rest of the structures. the entire boat is made of reed and rope, which has absorbed water within 6 months at sea and by that time the crew's and the ship's fate are sealed. the first port would be reached after 60 days, so there would be no danger. in another 60 days, they would reach their destination. each crew member has 3 liters of water per day. calculated for 60 days and 10 crew members, a lot of weight comes together...
the construction principle can be compared to the work of a potter. reed sausages are created and each one is tightly moored, stacked on top of each other, and then connected and shaped together. so, if it were to be taken apart from the structures and laid out to dry, it could simply be taken apart...

no plastic, etc. only natural materials are used

the mast has been raised and then broken. now it has been 're-assembled'...

http://buckexpeditions.com/en/2017/04/10/bending-the-masts-part-1/

all of this sounds very adventurous. also the exciting question of how the boat will be launched. It has to make the arduous journey over the beach to the water's edge. 'with the help of a crane', is the answer to my question. there is a difference of opinion on whether a shell should be built for the transport to protect the boat from breaking apart when it is lifted out of its anchorage...
the truth of the stories can be found in the press later on.

it is set to sail in two to three months.

http://buckexpeditions.com/en/