A SHOOT IN THE DARK

Karaka is run as a non profit organization. All the money we receive from the contributing crew is used integrally to finance the running and the maintaining of the boat. In order to make it accessible to everybody, we keep the weekly contribution as low as possible, so that people on a budget can afford sailing with us and experience an alternative, community oriented, self-sustainable, low impact seafaring lifestyle. The downside of all this is that we have only very limited funds available for the long term maintenance costs, for the replacement of worn or damaged gear and for the financing of the various projects of improvement we would like to undertake.
Karaka is currently in need of a refit, and we plan on doing the work at the beginning of 2012. Boatyard fees as well as paint and marine gear are very expensive and the overall costs of the refit will be a major drain on the Karaka budget.

This page is a shoot in the dark to try to reach anybody out there who might be inspired by what we do, and who might be interested in sponsoring us or giving us a little financial boost under the form of a small donation. Any amount helps.

We signed up with Paypal for its simplicity of use. To contribute to the Karaka, just click on the "donate" button and follow the procedure.
Thank you.

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For the information of donators, here follows our current wish list. It is the list of how the money you donate will be used.

- Haul out and boatyard fees, paint, tools, material, etc.
Among the tools needed, there are :
- Cutting torch/plasma cutter
It is a tool used to cut steel.
- 200L Air compressor
To power a jack hammer to chip rust, a sandblaster to elimnate all rust, a spray gun to paint, etc

- A new set of batteries
We need to replace the batteries that power the whole boat's 12 volt system. The ones we use at present are 6 years old and are only supposed to have lasted 5. We use golf kart batteries as they are about the best quality for their price on the market.

- 800 watts power inverter
It is a small machine that converts the 12 volts DC power from the batteries to 220 volts AC power that we can use for computers and small power tools. The old one went up in flames.

- Solar panels
We use those to recharge the batteries in order to avoid having to run the diesel generator. We have three solar panels on board at present but they are old and their output is insufficient.

- Jib sails
Jibs don't last very long on the open ocean and we ripped several of them lately. We still have a decent wardrobe but it would be good to find spares before the one we use at present fail us.

- Sail maker sewing machine
It exists a special kind of sewing machine designed for repairing sails and tarps. We would save a lot of money on the long run if we could fix our sails ourselves.

- Refrigeration unit
Everybody enjoys a cold beer... Plus it would enable us to preserve the fish we catch. We have never been able to afford the cost of an instalation yet and it doesn't look it will happen in the near future as their are other priorities, but here it is anyway...

And also for the generous souls, we would gladly accept gifts and donations directed toward us as individuals and not toward the boat funds... We make a point of not using the boat money for our personal expenses and that means we usually have to find some ways to make money on the side. Any donations would enable to dedicate ourselves fully to Karaka. Also we are trying to set up a Karaka co-op which would enable us to function as a collective without having to ask a contribution from the crew and any financial help would make it easier to put together.

Thank you.