geewillikers C'pete!
an autographed pic of Al hisself at the helm - fabulous!
This reminds me of an incident which occured sometime in yhe early '70's. Must have gone up to the University for a lecture of Bucky Fuller's when I was living in Berkeley. Sat up close, but my distinct impression was that I was sitting in the back row of the auditorium - I don't think I got anything he synergized. But I was inspired.
I had made a balsa dish using geodesic triangles for 'framing' and added three triangular section pontoons to the convex side of the model and of course a dowel mast and bedsheet sails. Took it down to the pond by the freeway to give it a test. It was probably 18" round (ie a scale model of a 36 footer) and elongated by the pontoons, It immediately got blown flat. Introduced a couple of bricks that just happened to be right there by the shore into the middle (I think I had some kind of deck on it, you know, that held the mast up and all and a rudder.) With cargo in the hold it took off like a bat out of hell across the water to the opposite shore in about 5 seconds.
I was elated and somehow wrote a letter to the great man. Who very kindly wrote back (can't imagine the volumn of mail he ordinaryly must have received!) including a picture of his sailboat. I've misfilled it, but remember it was one of those headlong international racers of the time, or maybe earlier, made of wood with enormous sails. That was the extent of my involvement with a homegrown genius. Nothing ever came of the geodesic sailboat. Gave it to a kid. Bucky seemed more interested in his day sailer, and I went on to mess around with a wooden plumb-bowed gaff rig retro design from the turn of the century. Almost set fire to the boat learning about polyester. 10 beers befor I retell That story.
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