all sailors know, on the water you we are concerned primarily with
HAVE to be self-sufficient and piracy (carrying medical supplies
resourceful. At sea you have to get can make you a target), the weather,
the most out of everything you have navigating narrow atoll or river
on board. If something breaks, you entrances or poorly charted, poorly
have to make it work. Instead of marked harbors with unlighted
three tools for three jobs, you have boats and other hazards.
one tool that you can use for all
three jobs. If the situation changes, US SAILING: Why do you think it
you have to adapt. And that is the is important to “give back” as you so
essence of Floating Doctors medical generously do?
care—to create the most lasting
health benefits we can with what we Dr. Benjamin La Brot: The Law of
have, while remaining versatile and the Sea is always ‘stop and help’
creative in tackling health challenges because you never know when it
in the communities we will visit. might be YOU in trouble far away
from any assistance. And if we all
US SAILING: Why was it important stopped and helped just a little,
for the team to travel using a sailboat? but some had very little—and none together we could accomplish great
of us had ever attempted such a huge things. Sailing has made my dream
Dr. Benjamin La Brot: A sailboat is restoration before. We practically possible, so I feel pretty indebted to
the ultimate green energy platform for rebuilt the boat in the water from the those who came before and especially
this kind of mission. By harnessing the keel up. The main benefit of that is that to those who, in the future, I hope will
sun and the wind, we will transport every crew member knows EVERY still have the opportunity hold their
and house our team and supplies, screw, nut, wire, etc. in the boat, and hand on the tiller and the feel of blue
desalinate our own water, carry and that kind of knowledge is priceless. water under your keel.
prepare our food, process our own Also, so much of the blood, sweat, and
waste—we want to have as small a tears of every crew member here has To learn more about The Floating
carbon footprint as possible, and leave found its way
SBM07Ad_1_v6_print.pdf 12/17/09 4:01:26 PM
into the boat. We all feel Doctors, please visit their website at
only lasting health benefits in our connected to Southern Wind. En route, http://floatingdoctors.com/
wake. Also, when I calculated the cost
in diesel of using a power vessel of
equivalent size to conduct this mission,
the cost of the diesel alone was several
at Shilshole Bay Marina...
times our entire project budget. My last
boat was a 43’ aluminum IOR racing
sloop, which I was originally planning
every day is Friday!
to use with a team of three or four
other doctors, until the opportunity to
get Southern Wind came. We can carry
20 crew and 20,000 pounds of medical C
supplies—we could have done this two
S
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ways: spend two million dollars, or the
F

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$
way we did it by bringing Southern
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1
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Wind back to life through five months
U
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of daily hard labor.
O
N
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*
MY
US SAILING: What challenges will
CY
the team be faced with while sailing to
* Some restrictions apply. Call today for details.
CMY
each destination?
K
Shilshole’s stunning setting and convenient saltwater
location make boating easy. It’s close to home, close to
Dr. Benjamin La Brot: We have spent
work and makes for an easy escape. Get out on the
five months completely restoring water and savor the sunset over the Olympics.
our vessel, Southern Wind. She was
donated to us and required a lot more
labor than money; thankfully, even
NEW SLIPS OPEN NOW
though we are all too familiar with the
old saying “B.O.A.T stands for ‘Break
A
p
p
ly
t
o
da
y!
Out Another Thousand’.” Many of us
have experience in working on boats,
(206) 787-3006 • VHF 1 7 • w w w .portseattle.o r g
48° No r t h , Ja N u a r y 2010 Pa g e 65
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