OPEN LETTER TO FRIENDS OF
PHOENIX
From: Naomi Reynolds (Posted 4 September, 2010)
Open Letter to Family, Friends, Phoenix
of Hiroshima fans, and anyone else who may be reading this.
BACKGROUND:
As many of you know, my grandfather, Earle Reynolds, went to Japan to
study the after-effects of atomic radiation on children. His wife
(Barbara) and two younger children (Ted and Jessica) went with him.
They all developed a horror of war in general and of atomic weapons in
particular.
At the same time, he had a 50-foot sailing yacht built for him and his
family. They spent years sailing around the globe, including into
the Pacific islands nuclear test zone as a nuclear-weapons protest
during the time of US atomic weapons testing. You can read more
about the Phoenix, Earle, and Barbara on Wikipedia.
I grew up hearing stories about the Phoenix. Not just the anti-war
stories, but all the stories -- about the Galapagos tortoise named
Jonathan Mushmouth for his sloppy eating habits, about being blown off
course (and the maps) and having to extrapolate from the available star
charts, about crossing the international dateline and having a birthday
two days in a row. I always dreamed of having adventures like my
father, Ted, had with the Phoenix. Unfortunately, by the time I
came around, the boat was no longer in the family, and her whereabouts
were unknown to us … until recently.
CURRENT STATUS:
Thanks in part to a curious and persistent reporter (Mike Fitzgerald of
RecordNet), the Phoenix has been found. She is currently sunk in
the North Mokulumne River, near Isleton, California. I hired a
boat salvage company, Parker Diving and Salvage, and one of their divers
went looking for the Phoenix last Tuesday. I know many of you want
details and specifics, so I will quote from the report that I received.
“Vessel is sunk in 25 feet of water. Vessel is resting on its
side. It is not sunk in the mud and there is not very much mud
inside. The rudder is intact although the propeller and shaft are
gone. There is a large bow eye that APPEARS to be sturdy.
Some dry rot is felt. There are 3 or 4 hatches but only one hatch
cover; the rest are missing. There are six straps (mast tie downs)
on each side of hull 2” x ½”. The diver cannot detect any
popped planks. There is some patchwork felt on the bottom of the
vessel. There is not much debris in or around vessel.”
Basically, this is pretty good news, in terms of the relative difficulty
or ease in raising her: she is pretty intact, she is not stuck in
the mud, she is not full of heavy debris. The task is made a
little more difficult by the fact that she is lying on her side, but
other than that things look good. The estimate I got for raising
her and towing her to a dry dock is approximately $17,000.
THE NEXT STEPS:
Right now, the most pressing need is for funds to raise the Phoenix,
before she becomes more seriously damaged or becomes embedded in the
mud. I have set up a separate bank account for any donations, as
well as a separate mail box. I am pursuing several options for
donations, large and small. Unfortunately, several other
possibilities have already turned out to be dead ends. If anyone
reading this has any suggestions for organizations that might be able to
help, please let me know. Types of organizations that might be
interested include peace groups, sailing groups, and historical groups.
Alternatively, if you wish to send a donation yourself, it would be
greatly appreciated. The mailing address is The Phoenix, c/o Naomi
Reynolds, 150 East F. Street, Suite L147, Oakdale, CA 95361. At
this time, checks need to be made payable to me. This may change
in the future. If you wish to email mail me with suggestions or
comments, my email address is nreynolds151@comcast.net.
Once sufficient funds are raised, Parker Diving will raise the Phoenix
and tow her to a dry dock. The current default facility is
Ladd’s Marine in Stockton, which is fairly close and has expertise in
wooden boats. However, this decision has not yet been finalized.
If anyone reading this can recommend another facility in the central
California or San Francisco Bay area, I would appreciate it.
It would need to be a place that has experience with wooden boats and
can handle a 50-footer. I am hoping that there might be someone
who would be willing to do this for a discount, given the historic
nature of this boat.
I could also use some volunteers. Does anyone know about setting
up a charitable organization (503(c))? Is anyone good at
fundraising? Can anyone make us a website? Any other
suggestions? Email me at nreynolds151@comcast.net. (If you
put “Phoenix” in the subject line, it will help me keep all my
emails straight!)
Thank you all so much for your interest in the Phoenix.
Sincerely,
Naomi Reynolds
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
ON THE PHOENIX
PHOENIX: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phoenix_of_Hiroshima
PHOENIX: http://jessicareynoldsshaverrenshaw.blogspot.com/
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CONFRONTING
THE BOMB
by Lawrence S. Wittner
A Short
History of the
World Nuclear Disarmament Movement
http://www.sup.org/book
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