Seasteading: A Practical Guide To Homesteading The High Seas Patri Friedman (with Wayne Gramlich) June 9, 2009 i ii Formatted for LATEX by MultiMarkdown Contents Contents iii I Introduction 1 1 Preface to this edition 2 2 General Introduction 3 3 Reader Notes 7 3.1 Technical Detail . 7 3.2 Political Agnosticism . 7 3.3 Reader Commenting . 8 3.4 Focus On Small . 8 II Why? 9 4 Why Introduction 10 5 Why we need new societies 11 5.1 Three Stories . 11 5.2 Real Groups . 12 5.3 A Big Idea . 14 5.4 Pioneers And The Need For A Frontier . 15 5.5 Cost of bad government . 16 5.6 Global crisis . 16 5.7 Further Reading . 18 6 Why They Belong On The Ocean 19 6.1 Disclaimers . 19 6.2 Land = Crappy Government . 20 6.3 Sea = Better Government . 22 6.4 Misc. Points / Implications . 23 6.5 Why Live On The Ocean - Summary . 27 iii CONTENTS iv 7 Why they should be approached our way 28 7.1 Why Incrementalism . 28 7.2 Technological Realism . 29 7.3 Transparency . 30 7.4 Openness . 31 7.5 Realistic Compromises . 31 8 Why Summary 33 III Review 34 9 Current 36 9.1 Floating Homes . 36 9.2 Sailboats . 38 9.3 Cruise Ships . 38 9.4 Cruise Condos . 39 9.5 Oil Platforms . 40 9.6 Islands . 40 9.7 Sealand . 41 10 Attempted 43 10.1 The Freedom Ship . 43 10.2 Aquarius Project . 43 10.3 Minerva Reef . 44 10.4 The Isle of Roses . 45 10.5 Cortes Bank . 45 10.6 Laissez-Faire City . 46 10.7 Celestopia . 46 11 Proposed 48 11.1 120 Acre City . 48 11.2 Alexandisle . 49 11.3 The Pelagic Project . 49 11.4 New Utopia . 50 11.5 The Venus Project . 50 11.6 Spar Buoy . 51 11.7 Ballard’s Ocean Watch Tower . 51 11.8 Reed Ship . 51 11.9 Atlantis Project . 51 11.10 Seascape . 51 11.11 Triton City . 52 11.12 Ocean Base One . 54 11.13 Poseidon Undersea Resort . 54 CONTENTS v 12 Historical Hacks 56 12.1 Gambling Ships . 56 12.2 Pirate Radio Boats/Platforms . 57 12.3 Havenco . 58 12.4 Women On Waves . 59 IV Ocean Environment 61 13 Ocean Introduction 62 14 Waves 64 14.1 Ocean Wave Basics . 64 14.2 Tsunamis . 65 14.3 Rogue Waves . 65 14.4 Wave Height . 66 14.5 Calamity . 67 14.6 Avoiding Waves . 68 15 Wind 70 15.1 General Circulation . 70 15.2 Ill Winds . 71 16 Currents 75 17 Politics 77 17.1 Political Situation . 77 17.2 Political Approaches . 89 17.3 Feb. 2009 Meeting . 95 18 Piracy 98 19 Biofouling 99 20 Ocean Misc 101 20.1 Sewer Ice . 101 20.2 Upwellings . 103 V Structure Designs 104 21 Design Intro 105 22 Underwater 106 23 On The Water 109 23.1 Sailboat Fleet . 109 23.2 Big Boat . 110 23.3 Simple Platform . 111 23.4 Pneumatically Stabilized Platform . 113 23.5 Cargo Containers . 114 CONTENTS vi 23.6 Breakwaters . 116 24 Above Water 120 24.1 Pillar Platform . 120 24.2 Tension Leg platform . 122 24.3 Semisubmersible . 122 24.4 Floating Spar Platform . 122 24.5 SWATH . 124 24.6 Used Oil Platform . 125 25 Structure Design Issues 126 25.1 Fixed-Position vs. Free-Floating . 126 25.2 Breakwaters vs. Pillars . 126 25.3 Modularity . 127 25.4 New or Used . 128 25.5 Protocol Suite . 128 25.6 Structure Size . 129 25.7 Materials . 129 26 Structures: Summary 133 VI Infrastructure 134 27 Infra Intro 135 28 Power 137 28.1 Energy Storage . 138 28.2 How much do we need? . 141 28.3 How much can we make? . 142 28.4 Power Conclusion . 153 29 Water 154 29.1 How Much Water Do We Need? . 154 29.2 How Much Water Can We Get? . 157 29.3 Other Considerations . 162 29.4 Water Conclusion . 162 30 Food 163 30.1 Importing Food . 163 30.2 Growing Plants . 164 30.3 Raising Animals . 170 30.4 Area Requirements . 171 31 Defense 172 31.1 Against Pirates . 172 31.2 Against Navies . 172 31.3 Prevention, Not Cure . 173 CONTENTS vii 32 Transportation 174 32.1 Staying Still . 175 32.2 Moving . 175 32.3 There and back again . ..