Boat Name: Barrabas
Designer: Françoise Charpentier
Boat Builder: Bernard DeCastro
Model: Trireme 38 Mk IV
Rig: Sloop
Hull number: 1031
Launched: 27th June 1991

The boat is completely hand-built and took six years to construct.

The material used was provided and tested by Ugine, a French stainless steel fabricator, now Ugine ALZ, part of the Arcelor Group.

Material: Stainless Steel. Grade: 316 L (Ti) – low carbon content stainless steel, carbon content <0.03%. During the welding process, carbon atoms can migrate towards the heat source in a process called Carbide Precipitation. This creates an area of weakness which ultimately becomes brittle and fractures. To prevent Carbide Precipitation, various elements are used to stabilize the carbon and prevent migration. These are Molybdenum and particularly Titanium.

Welding was achieved using inert Argon gas to prevent the introduction of contaminant carbon into the hot steel.

The hull is a multi-chine. The lower two chines have a plate thickness of 4mm and the upper two chines, a plate thickness of 3mm. Deck plating is also 3mm.

The mast is also of 316 L (Ti) Stainless Steel.
Underwater configuration: Deep fin keel with a skeg-hung rudder.
Stem bar: 60mm x 8mm
Leading edge of keel: 60mm diameter tube with 8mm wall thickness
Length Overall (LOA): 11.02m
Beam: 3.72m
Draft: 1.9m
Displacement: 12,980Kg
Engine: 60hp Lomardini 2204M

Barrabas under construction

A Unique Feature
To complement the boat's unusual construction, a remarkable decoration adorns the bows - an etched depiction of Neptune preparing to hurl his trident. Cut into the raw steel using an angle-grinder, the cuts vary in length and direction to create relief and a three dimensional depth to the image.

Refit Programme
Barrabas has been out of the water in the Medina Yard in Cowes where her hull was grit-blasted to take off all the old layers of anti-fouling paint. Blakes Paints, one of the Alpha Global Expedition sponsors has supplied the new paint system. Three layers of epoxy, a tie-coat and two layers of new anti-foul have been applied. The boat’s undersides are now pristine and fair, with a new set of sacrificial zinc anodes.

The refit programme includes the installation of self-steering gear, satellite communications and electronic navigation systems, a generator to provide back-up battery charging capability and the fitting of new sails and running rigging. A watertight bulkhead will be built in creating a crash zone forward. Water making equipment will be fitted and commissioned and a new battery bank installed. After refit, Adrian Flanagan will run a series of equipment trials.

During the trials, the boat will be put through heavy weather tactics. Sleep deprivation training, communications and equipment testing, stores control procedures, maintenance drills and fine-tuning the rig will make up the remainder of the exercises.

Further training, media management, detailed route planning involving international liaison, final boat modifications and victualling will lead to departure.

Credit: Oxford Mail

Credit: Oxford Mail