17 June-10 July 2014
posted Jul 10, 2014, 7:48 PM by Ling Ong
Attached is the much awaited 2013 Annual Report.
We are moving the Capital Campaign into high gear by hiring a fundraising consultant, reaching out to those who have donated over the past few years, and identified targeted foundations and corporations for grants.
We have the final scope of work estimate from PSI and the board will be finalizing it next week. All the pieces of the drydock puzzle are coming together. We need to get an agreement from PSI as to how the financing will be handled, since grant monies will come in over time.
For everyone following our history on this website, we need you to donate whatever you can afford to make our dream of getting our wonderful ship into drydock. We have gotten a great deal of moral support over the years and now need to convert that into financial support.
| Attachments: FOCannual.pdf
27 May-16 June 2014posted Jun 16, 2014, 1:21 PM by Ling Ong
We continue to move forward toward the drydocking of Falls of Clyde this summer. As you might expect, there are many details to be worked out before a move can be made. As we finalize the scope of work we are reaching out to the community for financial support. A major challenge for us is to make sure we have a steady flow of tax-deductible donations coming in as we get closer to the drydock period. If a lot of people are willing to support the mission of preserving and restoring our wonderful national historic landmark by providing whatever funds they can, we can make our goal. We are asking everyone who is following us to use their networks to encourage giving at any level. Checks can be sent to P.O. Box 4674, Honolulu, HI 96812 or Paypal donations can be made on this website.
The history of sailing ships in Hawaii commerce is an important one and Falls of Clyde is an excellent example and symbol of that period. There is a story to tell and the restoration of the ship to museum quality will allow us to tell the story to our students, community members, and visitors.
16 March-26 May 2014posted May 27, 2014, 1:07 PM by Ling Ong
It has been a long two months waiting for the scope of work for the drydocking to be finalized. Friends of Falls of Clyde received the drydock proposal from Pacific Shipyards International last week. The FFOC board met on Saturday to discuss the proposal and set a goal for our capital campaign. Based on the fact that there is a major unknown with regard to the extent of hull repairs that may be needed when the hull is cleaned, the board decided to set a goal of $3,000,000. There is still some further negotiations to be completed before a firm date is set.
Since the ship is like a building and the hull its foundation, we want to come out of the drydock with the most solid foundation we can have. We have taken the past few years to document the internal hull condition and working with a naval engineer and architects we have gotten drawings together that are needed for the historical restoration of the ship. The multiple inspections of the ship have all confirmed that she is ready to safely go into drydock
The message we want to communicate to the community is that we are making a major step forward in our mission to preserve and restore our national historic landmark ship for her eventual return to a museum ship to serve the youth and adults of Hawaii and our visitors. In 2009 the State legislature passed a joint resolution declaring Falls of Clyde as a Hawaiian treasure that should be supported by all Hawaii's citizens. We are now reaching out to our citizens for support as well as local and national foundations and everyone worldwide who values the role of the maritime industry. We believe that Falls of Clyde is an excellent example of the sailing era we had in Hawaii and she fills a gap between the early sailing vessels of which Hokulea is a wonderful model and the modern ships we see daily in Honolulu Harbor.
For everyone who reads this log, we ask that you consider a tax-deductible donation by sending a check to Friends of Falls of Clyde, Inc., P.O. Box 4674, Honolulu, HI 96812 or making a Paypal donation through this website. Every little bit gets us closer to our goal.
Our 2013 Annual Report is still being finalized and will be posted here when it is ready.
1 February-15 March 2014posted Mar 13, 2014, 1:13 PM by Ling Ong
Representatives from JMS Naval Architects were in Honolulu at the end of February and a meeting was held as PSI to discuss the drydock plan. We received a commitment from PSI to go into drydock between mid-May to the end of June. The scope of work and pricing are being worked on by JMS with PSI.
Friends of Falls of Clyde will be preparing the ship over the next two months for movement to the drydock. Contact has been made with the local tug companies for assistance. We also held a meeting with the Coast Guard to discuss their requirements for the move. We are all in agreement that the move must be made safely.
We have also asked our insurance broker to discuss the insurance needs for the move with the underwriters.
A number of things will be coming together in a relatively short time, but we have waited over 5 years to get to this point.
Although we do not know the exact cost at this point, we want to get the word out to as many people as possible that we are now raising capital funds for the drydocking. Tax deductible donations can be sent to Friends of Falls of Clyde, P.O. Box 4674, Honolulu, HI 96812-4674.
We are also working on our first Annual Report and hope to have it available by the end of March.
Finally, we will also be researching potential grant sources.
1-31 January 2014posted Feb 6, 2014, 6:47 PM by Ling Ong
The month of January was auspicious for Friends of Falls of Clyde. The much-awaited-for report from JMS Naval Architects was received with the following result: "The analysis shows that FALLS OF CLYDE can be drydocked using the Pacific Shipyards International's 200 ft. X 80 ft. drydock." The report has been transmitted to PSI for review, but we fully expect to get a drydock date before the middle of this year. This is excellent news. As soon as an estimate of the cost is made, we will begin our capital campaign.
Also, the new plywood foc'sle deck was completed.
1-31 December 2013posted Jan 9, 2014, 6:13 PM by Ling Ong
We celebrated our wonderful lady's 135th birthday on 12 December. For her age, she isn't bad looking:)
We are waiting for the JMS plan for drydocking, which will be the piece we need for PSI to get a commitment to drydock later in 2014.
A volunteer, Bill MacGillivray, who is both a sailor and a contractor from Canada, is laying a plywood deck on the upper foc'sle deck, which will stop some leakage.
As we move into 2014, it is always good to reflect on the past, but more importantly to plan for the future. Friends of Falls of Clyde will publish our first annual report documenting what we have been doing over the past five years. Once a drydocking time has been secured, we will also be reaching out with a capital campaign.
Members of the board are being educated to research grant resources, which we are hopeful will be successful for our fundraising.
To all, a very happy and prosperous new year!!!!
1-30 November 2013posted Dec 8, 2013, 1:10 PM by Ling Ong
The main activity this month was the inspection conducted by JMS representatives Jack Ringelberg and David Forrest during the week of November 11. During the week there was a meeting with PSI to discuss the possibility of drydocking Falls of Clyde next Spring or early Summer. The critical piece will be the plan for drydocking that JMS will provide to PSI.
JMS also provided a condition survey for our insurance underwriters.
We also made progress with Bishop Museum to take ownership of a small runabout owned by HMC, which is at Pier 7 and will be used to conduct hull inspections and possibly do some pre-drydock work on the hull.
1-31 October 2013posted Nov 10, 2013, 11:31 PM by Ling Ong
This month has been one of preparation for the work that will be done by JMS Naval Architects & Salvage Engineers the second week of November. Their employees will inspect the ship and determine what needs to be done to safely move her to a drydock. They will also represent our organization in negotiations with the shipyard to get the ship safely in and out of drydock. Once a firm drydock commitment is made and a cost determined, we will start a capital campaign. The board looks at this project as a major step in our restoration plan.
We have also contracted with Foundation Search, an organization that will connect us with institutional funders that we hope will be interested in supporting our work.
Friends of Falls of Clyde has a Facebook page and we encourage interested people to friend us and dialogue with us. In addition, board member Susan Yamamoto maintains a blog that provides an informative perspective on Falls of Clyde.
1-30 September 2013posted Oct 5, 2013, 6:40 PM by Ling Ong
The exciting news this month is that our new gangway is finally in place and allows easy and safe access to the ship. Mahalo to the board members who came out to give the muscle power needed to finish the job. Again, thanks to Clean Islands Council for building the sturdy platform on which the gangway sits. Thanks also to board member Fred Nunes who designed and built the large hoist we have in place to raise and lower the gangway when needed.
Mahalo to all those who contributed to Friends of Falls of Clyde during Foodland's "Give Aloha" campaign. Every amount helps defray costs of maintaining the ship.
We are finalizing the contract with JMS Naval Architects & Salvage Engineers to come down in November to inspect the ship and meet with the shipyard representatives as the next step moving toward getting the Falls into drydock.
We are celebrating our 5th year of ownership/stewardship of our wonderful ship and plan to put out our first Annual Report.
1-31 August 2013posted Sep 4, 2013, 11:39 PM by Ling Ong
We are still moving toward what we hope will be our first drydocking in over 20 years. As mentioned last month, we believe our work with JMS will establish a safe plan for drydocking.
The hoist for the new gangway is still under construction. Once complete people will be able to safely board the ship on the new gangway. It will be easier to hold volunteer work days when we can get people safely aboard.
Remember that Friends of Falls of Clyde is a recipient of Foodland's Give Aloha program during the month of September. Please make a purchase at any Foodland and include a donation to us. Our organization number is 78512 or just use our name.
The board has been discussing the possibility of holding a movie night on the ship as a fundraising event. Keep tuned to watch for an announcement if we can schedule it.
1-31 Julyposted Aug 7, 2013, 5:28 PM by Ling Ong
July has been another preparatory work month. We will be hiring Jamestown Marine Services (JMS) to assist us in preparing the ship for drydock. We will be working with the JMS as our technical advisor as we discuss drydock details with Pacific Shipyard.
A third coat of paint has been put on the main deck, so it is well sealed. We may go with a fourth coat in heavily trafficked areas. The pumps are being overhauled to give us efficiency in moving water between tanks.
Work on the new gangway continues to get it ready for use. The platform now has wheels to move it around and construction has started on a system to move the gangway up and down. Metal plates will be welded to the platform to aid in the gangway's movement as the ship rides on the tides.
We will be changing out some old lines for safety. Wood refurbishment is ongoing. It is easy to see that the crew members on a ship always had plenty to do to occupy their time while at sea.
1 May-30 June 2013posted Jul 2, 2013, 10:25 PM by Ling Ong
We were recently asked to provide an update for the Seafarers Society blog so I thought it was appropriate to share that update on our website.
Preserving and restoring an historic ship, especially one that is approaching 135 years, is a long-term commitment and one with periods where little seems to be accomplished. In the case of Falls of Clyde, putting the ship into drydock for hull restoration is a critical goal for Friends of Falls of Clyde (FFOC). For the past year and a half, FFOC have been working with naval engineers and architects to get accurate to scale drawings of the ship. Last summer a thorough internal pictorial and video survey was conducted of the internal hull and tanks. Review of the pictures has been made to identify areas where work needs to be done to strengthen bulkheads. We are currently planning to hire a firm that can provide a structural assessment and plan for strengthening weak areas of the ship prior to going into drydock.
We installed an internal pump system in order to move ballast water between tanks and to prepare for the eventual movement of the ship to drydock. The electrical system has also been upgraded to support the pump system.
On an ongoing basis we are rehabilitating much of the wood on the main deck. We have also coated the plywood main deck with a sealant paint and have done some rust inhibition work on the bulwarks. We plan to paint the bulwarks to slow further rusting. We have also patched some holes in the metal deck. We are developing plans to fix some of cabins on the main deck.
At the point we are waiting for completion of our assessment work and will then carry out repair plans and move forward with drydock negotiations.
1 March-30 April 2013posted May 2, 2013, 3:09 PM by Ling Ong
For those who want to contact us and speak to a member of the board, our telephone number is 877-641-0872. We are always looking for members of the community who would like to serve on the board as we move our work forward. People, who are skilled in project management, public relations, community outreach, volunteer management, and similar professional experience, are encouraged to contact us.
On the port side of the ship, we now have a banner stating the we are a National Historic Landmark Restoration Project. We belive this will give those looking at the ship better perspective.
Mahalo to Clean Islands Council (CIC) employees for completing work on the platform that will hold our new gangway. The new gangway was installed recently with help of CIC employees and Leeward Marine employees. Unfortunately, Mother Nature (tides) and physics (movement of the ship), disrupted the positioning of the gangway on the platform and some reworking needs to be done before the new gangway is permanently settled in.
Work continues on the pictorial survey, which we want to complete as we prepare to have discussions about drydocking the ship. Work continues on repainting the deck and doing rust inhibition work.
The internal pump system is checked periodically and is working fine.
1-28 February 2013posted Mar 5, 2013, 10:29 PM by Ling Ong
If you've seen the ship from a distance, hopefully you've noticed that the wood is being cleaned up and varnished. It makes the ship look more special.
The shipyard has technical details that will help determine if a drydock can be done safely. We are currently ready to review the pictures from the internal condition survey done last summer which will help identify where the most work needs to be done.
We are also ready to recoat the wooden deck with a paint sealant. Another idea is to begin rehabilitation of the various deck cabins.
The new gangway is just about to be put up. Thanks to the craftsmen at Clean Islands Council, a new platform has been fabricated.
1-31 January 2013posted Feb 3, 2013, 3:48 PM by Ling Ong
Happy New Year to all of our shipmates following us on the log. January has been a month of continued planning and preparing information to give to a shipyard to get ready for a drydock. We have also been working to clean up many of the exposed wood areas and get some protective varnish on. It makes workers feel good to see the wood come to life again.
The electrical upgrade is ongoing and the pump system will be finished once the electrical upgrade is complete.
The new gangway installation was delayed because of some engineering changes. Look for it up in February.
We are also ready to recoat the deck and will be having a workday to complete that project. Volunteers are still needed. We just need advanced notice. Contact us through the website.
1 November-31 December 2012posted Jan 3, 2013, 9:09 PM by Ling Ong
The various projects we are working on continue as time permits. The wooden rails and stairs are being refurbished. Steering gear has been painted. The pump system and rewiring completions awaiting parts and time to finish the work. The new gangway is ready to be installed as soon as a new platform is fabricated. There is a lot to be painted to arrest rust.
The project to review pictures from the internal survey and create narratives to aid in repair and preservation work is moving forward. This will take us a long way toward getting focused on drydock work.
We celebrated the 134th birthday of Falls of Clyde at our annual meeting on 16 December (her actual birthday was 12 December). Dr. Hans Van Tilburg entertained attendees with a talk on the historic voyage of the replica Chinese junk Princess Taiping.
As we end 2012, Friends of Falls of Clyde wishes all of those following our work a very Happy New Year. In 2013 we will be recoating our main and poop decks to prevent leakage as well as completing the projects we started in 2012. Of course, we continue to work towards getting Falls into drydock and kicking off a capital campaign once the drydocking is scheduled.
Untitled Postposted Nov 3, 2012, 5:32 PM by Ling Ong
1-31October 2012
October has seen all of our ongoing projects move forward. We are in the final stages of getting our new gangway installed. The wood railings on the poop deck have several coats of varnish and are looking very classy. We will also be getting a new deck coating for our plywood deck.
We have a big workday coming up on Saturday, November 10, starting at 9 a.m. There will be a lot of painting, so we encourage as many volunteers as possible to come out. In order to get a count, please send us an e-mail through the Contact Us link.
Mahalo to those who contributed to Friends of Falls of Clyde during Foodland's Give Aloha campaign.
7-30 September 2012posted Oct 11, 2012, 5:05 PM by Ling Ong
The board celebrated our 4th anniversary as owners and stewards of Falls of Clyde on September 30.
We continue to move forward on a number of ongoing projects. These include:
1. upgrading the electrical system on the ship,
2. completing the pumping system,
3. installing a new gangway,
4. refurbishing the plywood deck coating,
5. digitizing documents, and
6. organizing and analyzing the pictorial survey conducted in July to document internal work areas.
For volunteers, we are painting the bulwarks to inhibit rust and are sanding and varnishing the wooden railings. Call 1-877-641-0872 to confirm the work day.
Mahalo to Bishop Museum for donating their inventory of Falls fo Clyde products to Friends of Falls of Clyde. Also, mahalo to everyone who made a donation through the Foodland Gove Aloha program.
6 September 2012posted Sep 5, 2012, 11:52 PM by Ling Ong
The annual Foodland "Give Aloha" campaign is through the end of September. Please support Friends of Falls of Clyde by making a purchase at Foodland and giving a donation to Friens of falls of Clyde. Our organization number is 78512. Mahalo nui loa!!!
1-31 August 2012posted Sep 3, 2012, 2:05 PM by Ling Ong [ updated Sep 3, 2012, 2:07 PM ]
During August Jamie Jamieson and Susan Yamamoto have been working on matching the pictures taken during the condition survey with the ship's internal schematic created by Jamie. A system is being set up so that board members can participate in matching up pictures to the specific frames in the diagram. This will allow us to identify the areas of greatest need for repairs.
We are working with a vendor to find a new deck coating for the plywood deck and also for the poop deck to keep those decks from leaking when it rains heavily.
The board has approved the upgrading of the wiring system so that the new pump system can be run efficiently. The system is almost complete and currently can move ballast water between all but two tanks.
We are working to improve our system for volunteer work projects. The first step is to create a pool of volunteers who will be available to work on projects. There is a form attached that you can use.If you are interested in volunteering, you can complete the form and send it through the Contact Us link or mail it to us at P.O. Box 4674, Honolulu, HI 96812-4674.
| Attachments: Volunteer Form.doc
1-31 July 2012posted Aug 3, 2012, 8:57 PM by Ling Ong
July was a very busy month for Friends of Falls of Clyde. Chris Jannini from the National Park Service in San Francisco conducted a thorough pictorial and video survey of the interior of the ship. The survey will help us determine which areas of the ship need the most work in preparation for drydock. Board member Susan Yamamoto was instrumental in supporting the survey process. A big mahalo to the volunteers who were able to support the project. Leeward Marine owner, Fred Calkins, provided two very able and skillful employees who were very important in helping Chris and Susan in their work. We should receive a report later this month.
Parallel work was conducted on the pump system to allow us to move ballast water between tanks. Paul Pollock installed the initial system and Robert "Jamie" Jamieson worked with volunteers to make the system functional. Board member Fred Nunes worked closely with Jamie to learn the details of the system. This is essential for the stability of the ship.
Jamie has also taken the pictures from Chris and Susan and has labeled them so that they can be matched with a detailed schematic of the ship. This will be instrumental for work in preparation for drydock and for the drydock plan itself. This is a very sophisticated process that we are lucky to have been given for our preservation work.
We are hopeful that this project is taking us another step toward closer to a drydock and much needed work on the ship's hull.
For those interested in volunteering, there is work to be done on deck preservation that can be done by anyone.
We are still working on Saturdays.
1-30 June 2012posted Jun 27, 2012, 5:08 PM by Ling Ong [ updated Sep 3, 2012, 2:06 PM ]
We are eagerly awaiting the arrival of the team who will conduct our internal condition survey starting July 13. We are still in need of volunteers to help in various areas as this project will run from Monday to Saturday each week from 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. All interested volunteers should contact Susan Yamamoto at [email protected].
In preparation for this project, we are agthering all of the equipment and supplies needed. We will also have a new gangway in place. A new pump system is planned and materials are being ordered. We hope to have it installed by the time the project begins, although we have portable pumps for backup.
The weight calculations have been finished and submitted to the shipyard where we hope to drydock the ship later this year. We will have furhter discussions as the project progresses and more information is known about the scope of drydock work needed.
This is an exciting time and one that has the potential for moving the preservation of Falls of Clyde a major leap forward. Timing is everything as the saying goes and 2012 is the right time for our beloved national historic landmark. A capital fundraising program will begin once the drydock schedule has been secured.
Ship's Logposted Jun 3, 2012, 4:58 PM by Ling Ong
1 May-31 May. It appears we are getting one step closer to a drydock for our Falls of Clyde. The critical calculations are just about compleetd and it appears the displacement is within the limit required by Pacific Shipyard. There are many questions to be answered still before the drydock is a reality, but we are encouraged.
The next big project is the survey of the ship to document the internal hull areas that need repairs. Chris Jannini from the National Park Service in San Francisco has been hired to conduct the survey. This is his third visit to the ship to help us prepare for the drydock. He will be assisted by Bob "Jamie" Jamieson, the naval architect who has been making detailed schematics of the ship to be used by the drydock master. They will be working on the Falls between July 12-July 31 and we will need volunteers to help them with their equipment and support activities. They will be working from 7:30 a.m. to around 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday and we need shift workers. If anyone is interested, please use the Falls of Clyde e-mail contact for Susan Yamamoto, who is coordinating the volunteers.
Also, on July 25, Dr. Matthew James, Department of Geology Chair at Sonoma State University, will give a talk on the 1905-06 scientific collecting expedition to the Galapagos Islands. The maritime tie-in is the expedition's 1875 two-masted schooner EARNEST, which was renamed ACADEMY for the expedition. Anyone interested in this unique opportunity should contact Susan Yamamoto at [email protected].
16-30 April 2012posted May 2, 2012, 12:30 AM by Ling Ong [ updated May 4, 2012, 1:38 PM ]
The `Olelo TV program, "Today's Topic: Falls of Clyde" that was mentioned in the last log post has announced the airing times. The program will be shown on Channel 52 at the following times:
5/2/2012 3 p.m.
5/3/2012 1:30 p.m.
5/5/2012 4:30 p.m.
5/9/2012 7 p.m.
Please take time to view it and see our story.
On April 4th the Falls was visited by a group of young Highland dancers and their teachers and parents. The girls were from Helensburgh, Scotland and participated in the Highland Festival on March 31 and April 1. The girls were treated to a tour of the ship by board member, Keven Wiliamson. A picnic dinner was provided by Heather MacGregor.
On April 23rd a special visitor came to tour the Falls. Matson the Mouse, aka Duncan O'Brien, was in town from Canada to do some readings from his book at Iolani School. Matson the Mouse, the book, is a children's book tellong the history of Matson Navigation Company. Mr. O'Brien interviewed President Bruce McEwan and will post a video on You Tube. He then donned his Matson the Mouse costume and toured the ship with McEwan and board Secretary Susan Yamamoto.
Mahalo to students from BYU Hawaii and also to some Sea Cadets who recently did some volunteer work on the Falls.
posted Apr 24, 2012, 3:10 PM by Ling Ong [ updated Apr 24, 2012, 3:12 PM ]
1 January-15 April 2012posted Apr 21, 2012, 1:01 AM by Ling Ong
The year started out on a positive note. We spoke with the manager of Pacific Shipyard and got a supportive response to our request to drydock Falls of Clyde at PSI. There are some technical issues regarding displacement measurements that are currently being calculated by board member Fred Nunes and naval architect Kevin Watson. Board member Susan Yamamoto has taken the lead on having a new pump system installed. We continue to work on rust control on the top deck and can use volunteers to help chip rust, put on rust inhibitor, and paint.
Friends of Falls of Clyde is also in the process of contracting with a historic ship preservationist from the National Park Service to conduct a thorough examination of the ship’s tanks in order to document the repairs needed to prepare the ship to transit from Pier 7 to the shipyard. We have also developed a job description for a Project Manager to oversee the work on the ship in preparation for the drydock.
President Bruce McEwan, Director Hans Van Tilburg, and volunteer Tom Roesser taped a segment of `Olelo to tell our story and show a video about the Falls made by Tom for a class project at Punahou. We are looking forward to having the show aired and will let everyone know when it is scheduled.
Vice President Chris Woolaway and Tom Roesser made a presentation at the 23rd Annual Symposium on the Maritime Archaeology & History of Hawai’i and the Pacific Conference to update the attendees on what we have been doing and they were able to see Tom’s video. It is important that we get our message out to as many people in the community as possible.
We are very positive about the advances we will make in 2012 and we want all of our supporters to be with us.
January 16, 2012posted Jan 17, 2012, 12:10 AM by Ling Ong [ updated Jan 17, 2012, 12:11 AM ]
You are all invited to watch this short film by our very own Tom Roesser - "Falls of Clyde: Hawaii's Maritime Treasure".
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gtjhC5IVFiM
16 October-31 December 2011posted Jan 3, 2012, 11:51 PM by Ling Ong
Happy New Year to all the supporters of the Falls of Clyde. Since the last log update, Board Secretary Susan Yamamoto has been working with the Naval engineer Bob “Jamie” Jamieson, to document with precision the ship’s
structure, which will be invaluable when drydocking the ship.
The Board approved the Falls of Clyde case that will be critical for conducting a capital campaign. Mahalo to Sanae Tokumura of Solid Concepts for her work with the Board in developing the document. The next step is to develop talking points that will be the basis for discussions with potential donors. Rallying broad community support and support from national and international historic preservation supporters will be the focus. The key will be to bring to our community the message that we at Friends of Falls of Clyde believe in our hearts and that is the preservation and restoration of our beloved ship is not only in the best interest of our State, but also the right thing to do.
We celebrated the Falls 133rd birthday on December 12th. The highlight was the showing of a video on the Falls of Clyde filmed by Tom Roesser, a Punahou student, who produced it for a class project. He has done a wonderful job in documenting the Falls of Clyde story.
For 2012, we are looking at hiring a part time Project Manager to manage projects that need to be completed as we move toward the drydocking of the ship. Our primary goal in 2012 is to have the ship drydocked and get the preservation work completed so that restoration work can begin. Yes, 2012 will be another challenging year, but one where we will find the support to be successful with the help of everyone who cares.
Friends of Falls of Clyde wish everyone a happy and prosperous new year!
11 August-15 Octoberposted Nov 5, 2011, 4:37 PM by Ling Ong [ updated Nov 5, 2011, 4:49 PM ]
We are happy to report that the material developed with Solid Concepts, our organizational and fundraising consultant, is completed and we will be looking at a plan for a capital campaign to start later in the year. We hope to kick off the campaign at our December Annual Meeting, which will be on or around December 12th, the 133 anniversary of the launching of Falls of Clyde.
Again, mahalo to Matson Navigation for the donation of a 40-foot container in which we are storing tools and inventory from the ship. We were able to take delivery in October. Also, mahalo to Young Brothers for storing the container on their facility. Special mahalo to Fred Nunes, Hans Van Tilburg, Mark Hamilton, and Bruce McEwan, who, with the help of some Young Brothers employees, moved all the tools and inventory from its former loaned container to the donated one.
The board celebrated our third year as owner and steward of our treasure, Falls of Clyde, which was on September 30th.
Another mahalo goes to Paul Pollock for completing his work on the electrical system. This makes work on the ship with power tools much easier.
We are still waiting to hear who will take over the Hawaii Maritime Center. The mainland group that approached us with a plan that would assist in the restoration of the ship unfortunately fell through, when they did not get the bid for the Aloha Tower Marketplace.
We are getting help from Naval engineer Bob Jamieson, who is from Philadelphia and worked with the historic Navy ship Olympia. He spends part of his time in Hawaii and is developing accurate drawings of the ship that can be used in our restoration process. Having such a professional help is a great learning experience for our entire board.
In September, President Bruce McEwan visited the historic tall ship Glenlee in Glasgow, Scotland. He was a gifted with a brass plate belonging to Falls of Clyde that they had in their possession. As we have heard from other groups who have preserved and restored historic ships around the world, ships of such historic value are worth all the time and effort needed to preserve and restore them. FFC has models from other successful restorations that we can learn from and all we need is to have the ship drydocked so that we can show the community our Hawaii maritime treasure needs broad-based support. We will be reaching out to the community and hope that everyone following our Ship’s Log entries, Facebook page, and Blog will support us when the call goes out for drydock funds.
1 June-10 August 2011posted Aug 25, 2011, 1:29 AM by Ling Ong
The wheels do turn slowly, more slowly than we want. However, we continue to work on small projects. For example, Susan Yamamoto has done an excellent job of refurbishing the railing around the poop deck. We are now working to
seal the poop deck so that water does no leak into the Captain’s cabin and salon. Capt. Rick is working on stopping leaks from the roofs of the topside cabins. Jeannie Ainlay has taken on some rust removal work. The top deck over the fo’c’s’le had some wood treatment and the board is considering laying a plywood deck up there. New mooring
lines have been installed.
We do need volunteers to come down and help with the many projects we have. We are planning on a major workday, so check the website for the announcement. If you want to know what it feels like to be a crewmember, just look at some of the projects that need to be done:
1. Sweeping the deck and picking up debris.
2. Roof repairs on the cabins.
3. Rust removal and priming.
4. Patching rust holes.
5. Cleaning cabin walls.
6. Chafing gear for the mooring and spring lines needs changing.
As you can see there is plenty of work to help work up a sweat and contribute to the improvement of our grand old lady.
We have been contacted by a developer who wants to take over the Aloha Tower Marketplace and Pier 7 and help us with the restoration. This is a competitive situation and we know a few developers are looking to bid on the marketplace and others want to take over the Hawaii Maritime Center. We are open to work with any new neighbor who wants to support our work. By the next Ship’s Log entry, we hope to have some positive news to publicize.
We continue our work with Solid Concepts to develop our case to take to potential funders in a capital campaign. This is a slow process because we want to make sure we have a solid organizational foundation to draw those who want to see Falls of Clyde opened up to the public again. She has many tales to tell and we plan to make those sea
stories a key piece when she reopens. The board has agreed that our current acronym FoFOC, is too long and awkward, so our new acronym is FFC. You’ve heard it first here.
September is fast approaching and with it our third anniversary as owners of Falls of Clyde. September is also the annual Foodland Give Aloha campaign for non-profit organizations. We encourage all of you to shop at least once at Foodland during September and include a contribution to FFC. We are under Friends of Falls of Clyde and our organization code is 78512.
Mahalo to Matson Navigation for contributing a 40-foot container to FFC. They loaned us one a few years ago when we removed artifacts and tools from the HMC. Thecontainer has been stored at Young Brothers, but we will be swapping out containers and moving our storage to the Kapalama Military Reservation. We plan to take an inventory
and store what we have so that we have easier access than we do now. Volunteers will be needed to help unload the old container and reload the new container. We hope to complete this project within the next couple of weeks and will get the word out for volunteers.
As always, funding at any level is critical to keep projects moving. Anyone wishing to make a contribution should send it to Friends of falls of Clyde, P.O. Box 4674, Honolulu, HI 96812-4674. Mahalo nui for everyone who has been consistent in supporting FFC.
16 March-31 May.posted Jun 9, 2011, 2:25 AM by Ling Ong
It has been some time since the last entry. The bad news is that there is no 2011 funding for the NPS “Save America’s Treasures.” We are continuing to keep the ship deck clean and have someone working on improving the electrical system. The key mooring lines have been changed out and we again owe a debt the Leeward Marine
for their assistance in getting the lines changed.
The Falls of Clyde T-Shirts with the skeleton crew design on the back continues to be popular. They can be ordered through Friends of Falls Of Clyde. Just send us a note through the website.
We welcomed aboard Robin Beasley as our new Treasurer. The board continues to work with Solid Concepts to complete out infrastructure documentation.
We are interested in getting organizations to use Pier 7 and maybe limited use of the deck of the Falls for meeting and party venues. In May, The Caledonian Society of Hawaii held a meeting at Pier 7 to hear a lecture on the Falls of Clyde by Dr. Hans Van Tilburg, a Friends board member.
In April, following the annual Highland Festival sponsored by the local Scottish organizations under the umbrella of the Hawaiian-Scottish Association, a group of Scottish Highland dancers with their chaperones, paid a visit to the Falls and had a B-B- Q supper at Pier 7.
1 February-15 March 2011posted Mar 30, 2011, 4:19 PM by Ling Ong
The Falls of Clyde survived the tsunami on Mar 11 with no damage.
I am happy to say that the plywood deck with its protective and non- skid coating is now a reality and it is much easier and safer to get around the main deck. We are also in the process of getting a couple of key mooring lines changed out to make sure the ship stays secure in her berth. Other projects we have undertaken include getting a stable source of electricity and stabilizing our bilge alarm system so that we don’t get false readings. For hull protection, we are looking for some expert advice on the placement of anodes. We are always in need of people who can assist in advising on the technical aspects of ship maintenance.
Now that the board has agreed on a long-term plan, we are working with Solid Concepts to prepare our case, i.e., our story that will garner broader community support for our restoration work.
We are also going to pursue the National Park Service’s “Save America’s Treasures” grant again this year. We are aware of what we need to do to make a stronger case in order to better compete for the limited funds.
Finally, a big mahalo to Capt. Hill and the crew of the M/V MOKIHANA, a Matson Navigation Company ship. As a fundraiser for Falls of Clyde, some of the crew designed a T-shirt that aptly reflects the spirit of all who support the restoration of this great ship. The back of the shirt says Falls of Clyde and there is a picture of a skeleton crew (yes skeletons) with the phrase "Never give up, Never surrender". These are words that we who are dedicated to saving this national historic landmark live by!!
20 December 2010-31 January 2011posted Feb 10, 2011, 12:37 PM by Ling Ong
Happy 2011. I’ve waited until we heard from the National Park Service about our grant application for “Save America’s Treasures.” Naively I thought this was a “no brainer” since the grant is for national historic landmarks. Unfortunately, we did not figure on the competition for the funds and we were left out of the funding all together. The Board will be working on the proverbial “Plan B” shortly.
The Board held a strategic planning meeting in mid-January to lay out some short-term goals in the next 3-5 years, but also did some visioning for the next 20 years.
The laying down of a new plywood decking to make it safer to get around the deck and to stop leakage from the main deck started this week. Because of the size of the project and the need to get it done in a timely manner, we hired a contractor for the job. There will still be work for weekend volunteers, however. A special mahalo to Leeward Marine for moving the spars on the deck out of the way so that the plywood can be laid.
Another project we are working on is the replacement of the mooring lines. The wires tied into the soft lines on the bow of the ship are rusted and frayed. The best way to insure a safe berth is to replace the mooring and spring lines, which should be accomplished in February.
Although 2011 is starting out a bit rocky, we have a committed Board team who are staying the course. We do encourage volunteers to contact us and, of course, we appreciate the donations that you send in. For those who
send donations in by mail, we have a new mailing address: P.O. Box 4674, Honolulu, HI 96812-4674.
22 November-19 Decemberposted Dec 24, 2010, 10:26 AM by Ling Ong [ updated Dec 24, 2010, 10:34 AM ]
Unfortunately, Falls of Clyde did not get the most votes for the Hampton Landmark funds. We lost out to Kilauea Lighthouse. Mahalo to everyone who supported us.
We received a notice from the National Park Service advising that the awarding of the Save America’s Treasures grant will be made in January, so we have another month to wait. This is the money that we will need to match so that we can go into drydock in 2011.
The rain we are currently having shows us that we need to get the new plywood decking down quickly before rainy season really starts. We are arranging to have that done by a commercial vendor. We are also working on a plan to do some rust removal and repainting in areas topside. The plan from our Project Manager, Chris Jannini, has just come in and will establish our work for the next several months.
We celebrated the 132nd birthday of Falls on 12 December with a small potluck event. Mahalo to Heather MacGregor who provided a selection of main dishes from various areas of the world. They were cooked by the chef Heather works with. We sang Happy Birthday of course. President Bruce McEwan gave an update on the work of Friends of Falls Of Clyde. He also recognized three volunteers for exceptional work in 2010: Alta Renton. Jeff Chawenson, Susan Yamamoto.
As we head into 2011, we again must reach out to our donors for funds to keep FoFOC functioning. This year the board has developed a series of designations for our donor levels. Here is how you can support Falls of Clyde as a crew member:
Donation Designation
Cook $1-49
Able-Bodied Sailor $50-99
3rd Mate $100-249
2nd Mate $250-499
1st Mate $500-999
Master $1000+
We really appreciate the support of our donors and ask that you make your tax-deductible
donation early in 2011.
30 October-21 Novemberposted Nov 30, 2010, 1:11 AM by Ling Ong [ updated Nov 30, 2010, 1:15 AM ]
We have nine (9) more days of voting at hamptonlandmarks.com for the Falls of Clyde. We heard at the midpoint (11/15/10) that we had over 1,500 votes. We hope to double or triple that by November 30. The money we could be awarded will help to provide the matching funds if we get the “Save America’s Treasures” grant in December.
Our project consultant, Chris Jannini, was here for just over three weeks and laid out some plans for us, as well as getting some important work accomplished with our volunteers. We now have the bilge alarm installed and all of the plywood is on board for the new decking. We will need volunteers to prepare the deck and lay the plywood. Our Technical Committee people worked closely with Chris to make sure the work gets carried out as he directed.
Now that Alta Renton will serve as our Volunteer Coordinator, we are developing a formal process for our volunteer workers. There will be an application process so that we know what skills our volunteers have, which will make volunteer assignments more effective. We will also track volunteer hours and recognize volunteers for their contributions. If you want to volunteer, please send us a note through the website.
Another area we want to pursue is to collect stories from people in the community and elsewhere, who have stories to tell about their experience with Falls of Clyde. If you have a personal attachment please send us your story. Were you a child who toured the ship on a field trip? Did you get married aboard the ship? Did you attend a special party there? Did a relative serve on the ship as a crew member? Did you help with the first restoration project? We want to collect personal stories to show members of our community that Falls of Clyde has touched the lives of many people. Please contact us through the website.
14-30 Septemberposted Oct 10, 2010, 8:23 PM by Ling Ong [ updated Nov 30, 2010, 1:14 AM ]
The presentation at the Maritime Heritage Conference was well received. The Falls of Clyde and her significance to in maritime history was mentioned in two other presentations. There is definitely support amongst the experts in historic ship preservation and restoration and those other organizations that have taken on the challenge of being stewards of these historic vessels.
The final plans for the pre-drydock stabilization project are coming together. Chris Jannini is scheduled to be here before the end of October to manage the project. Once the labor requirement is determined, we will be putting the word out for volunteers to help.
We do need people who would like to go through documents and help categorize information and pull together stories that we can use to tell the local community about what the ship has done to serve Hawaii in the past and how she was restored before. We have to reach out deeper into the community for support and getting together our story is a critical piece that will take volunteers to research and tell craft some stories. We particularly want to highlight the role of the sailing ship in Hawaii’s maritime history. Anyone interested in doing this type of work can contact us through the website.
We’ve just reached our second year as owner and steward of our wonderful national historic landmark and do believe that we are in the preservation stage of our work rather than lingering in the crisis phase that has used up a lot of time and energy.
26 July-13 Septemberposted Sep 21, 2010, 1:03 AM by Ling Ong [ updated Oct 10, 2010, 8:25 PM ]
We are approaching our second year of ownership and stewardship of Falls of Clyde. It has been a long haul with many challenges. On Saturday, September 18, our story will be told in a panel presentation at the Maritime Heritage Conference by Dr. Hans Van Tilburg, Dr. Bruce McEwan, and Chris Jannini. We hope to come back with some good ideas from those who have been through the same type of experience we are going through. We have begun working with Sanae Tokumura of Solid Concepts, Inc. to assess where we are as an organization and to build the infrastructure we need to raise major funds for drydocking the ship next year. Our Technical Committee is hard at work laying plans for the preservation project work that will be done in October-November this year.
1 September 2010posted Sep 4, 2010, 1:30 AM by Ling Ong
If you shop at Foodland or Sack N Save during the month of September, please consider making a donation to the Friends of Falls of Clyde via Give Aloha.
Our organization number: 78512
Give Aloha, Foodland's Annual Community Matching Gifts Program, was created in 1999 to honor Foodland’s founder, Maurice J. "Sully" Sullivan, and continue his legacy of giving back to the community. Each year, during Sept.1 – 30 at all Foodland and Sack N Save stores statewide, customers are invited to make donations at checkout to their favorite Hawaii non-profit organization. Foodland and the Western Union Foundation match each donation up to a total of $325,000 for all organizations combined. Since the program began, more than $14 million has been raised for Hawaii’s charities.
25 June-25 July.posted Aug 10, 2010, 1:46 AM by Ling Ong [ updated Oct 10, 2010, 8:27 PM ]
Tonight Friends celebrated the receipt of the Pfeiffer Funds by honoring the memory of Bobby Pfeiffer at a small event at Pier 7. Among the guests were several Matson employees and Falls of Clyde flew the Matson house flag on her stern. The choice of this date coincided with the arrival in Honolulu Harbor of the M/V R.J. Pfeiffer, a Matson container ship named in honor of Mr. Pfeiffer. As the ship came in the attendees waved at her crew and board member Susan Yamamoto, who is also our house piper, played a serenade on her pipes for the ship.
The FOFOC board created a Technical Committee at our last board meeting in order to have a small group of knowledgeable people make decisions with regard to vessel maintenance. We are preparing to install a bilge alarm and pump system and these folks will be making the decisions necessary to get that accomplished.
The National Trust Preservation Fund (NTPF) accepted our candidate for project consultant to oversee the hull work to be done prior to taking the ship to drydock in 2011. Chris Jannini, who led the team that conducted the condition survey last Fall has accepted the project consultant position. We are currently putting in grants to add to the NTPF grant we already received.
1 May - 24 Juneposted Jun 27, 2010, 8:24 PM by Ling Ong [ updated Jun 27, 2010, 8:30 PM ]
There has been quite a gap in filing the log entries, but we have great news to announce. Today we received the cheque from Bishop Museum for the Pfeiffer Funds that were donated by R.J. Pfeiffer, former CEO of Alexander & Baldwin, for the upkeep of Falls of Clyde. A Development Committee will be set up to administer the funds. This does give FoFOC a major boost in our financial stability.
The “Save America’s Treasures” grant application has gone in and we will hear about the award near the end of 2010. In preparing the application, we were able to get estimates for drydocking from two shipyards, which we needed for budget purposes. Now that we have some concrete numbers, we will focus on raising funds for specific work.
We are also working to hire the consultant to oversee the immediate work on the ship before she can go into drydock, which appears to be sometime in early 2011. We are working with vendors now to have bilge alarms installed and will have a cathodic system of some sort to protect the hull from further deterioration. The project consultant will focus on physical improvement work to stabilize the hull. In September, there is a Maritime Heritage Conference in Baltimore, Maryland. FoFOC will present a panel discussion on our project, covering the history, the current work that we’ve been doing, and our future plans. We hope to keep the Falls of Clyde restoration visible amongst the entire maritime community—national and international. A mahalo to Kim Beasley of Clean Islands Council, who provided FoFOC with office space at their Sand Island Access Road location. Volunteer work is still going on. Anyone interested can contact us through the website to find out what is needed and when work will be done.
10-30 Aprilposted May 8, 2010, 9:01 AM by Ling Ong [ updated May 8, 2010, 9:03 AM ]
The hearing on the transfer of funds to FoFOC for the maintenance of the ship was delayed until 29 April. The hearing did take place and the judge made swift work of approving the petition for transfer from Bishop Museum to Friends of Falls Of Clyde. The final order is being drafted by Bishop Museum’s attorney and, once all parties have agreed to the terms and the judge signs off, the money will be transferred to FoFOC. We are hopeful that this will take place within the next couple of weeks. Having funds to invest and to use for the maintenance of the ship takes a big weight off FoFOC.
The “Save America’s Treasures” grant application will go in shortly thanks to the work of Hal McArthur and Hans Van Tilburg. This is an excellent opportunity to get substantial funds to do work on the ship’s preservation.
Volunteer work has been focused recently on collecting documents related to the ship from the 1960’s to the 2000’s. We believe we have a vast store of information that will help us with developing our Falls of Clyde preservation and restoration message for the public, as well as providing guidance for the work that needs to be done.
We have put the word out at the last HOST meeting that we want to begin collecting the artifacts from the ship that were taken during the period that she was being prepared to be sunk. We know that many people in the maritime industry wanted to preserve the artifacts and now that the ship is saved and the plans are being laid for preservation and restoration, we need to know what we have to work with and what will need replacing. We encourage everyone who has or knows people who have artifacts from the ship to contact FoFOC and arrange for us to inventory and store them.
We received a small grant from the National Trust for Historic Preservation for hiring a temporary project manager to oversee some preservation work that we will need to do before the ship is ready to go into drydock. This person will be a consultant and must be knowledgeable about historic preservation work. We are contacting mainland preservation organization to help find the person we need.
Our message to all interested parties is that we are very confident that 2010 will be a year for positive steps forward in our efforts to preserve and restore our maritime treasure--Falls of Clyde.
16 February-9 April 2010posted Apr 13, 2010, 12:53 AM by Ling Ong [ updated Apr 13, 2010, 1:01 AM ]
Much of the time since the last log entry has been spent with volunteers doing work to protect the ship from rain water getting in below deck and tending to routine general condition checks. We are waiting to hear about a grant that will provide some funds to bring in a project manager to focus our volunteer work and to oversee some outside contractor work on the internals.
What we hope is a final court hearing on 21 April to get the FOC endowment funds transferred to FoFOC. At that point we will be looking to form our Investment Committee to recommend how we can best generate interest income.
We are also working on a federal grant application for an “America’s Treasures” grant that we believe will give us funds to do some significant work.
Our pier area has been the venue for a couple of events related to Scottish heritage. The Caledonian Society of Hawaii, a strong supporter of the Falls of Clyde, held an event in March where board member Hans Van Tilburg spoke on Scottish shipping. This week some young Highland dancers from Scotland and their chaperones came to see the ship and had a barbecue on the pier. One of the attendees is a reporter from Scotland, so we will get a bit of press when she gets home.
Friends of Falls Of Clyde will have an exhibit at the Highland Festival in Kapiolani Park on 10-11 April as part of The Caledonian Society’s cultural tent.
1 January-15 February 2010.posted Mar 7, 2010, 11:39 PM by Ling Ong [ updated Mar 7, 2010, 11:42 PM ]
Since the first of the year, we have mostly been waiting for things to happen and now they are starting to come together. First, the court papers have finally been filed so that we can get the FOC endowment released to FoFOC. This is a major step forward and will give us a financial boost.
Second, we received the Request For Proposal (RFP) document from Chris Jannini, who conducted our condition survey last fall. This allows us to go to the shipyards for quotes to determine what the cost will be for a fullblown drydock rather than just one to look for critical repairs. This will also guide our fundraising.
Third, we have been consulting with a historical site preservation expert and are going through a learning process to make sure our preservation work meets all standards for a national historic landmark. We are also looking at grants to fund a project manager. Our current plan is still to keep the ship dockside for the year and do some internal repairs and some topside refurbishment. As plans become firmer for the work schedule, volunteers will be needed so keep close watch on the website.
We responded to the Aloha Tower Development Corporation’s (ATDC) strategic plan, which calls for filling in piers 5-8, by vehemently opposing such a move. Although such a plan would take years to execute, we felt we need to have our voice heard early on.
16-31 December 2009posted Feb 2, 2010, 12:16 AM by Ling Ong [ updated Feb 2, 2010, 12:18 AM ]
A fairly quiet close to 2009. The Board elected two new members: Anne Stevens from State Civil Defense and Fred Nunes, who just retired from Harbors Engineering Dept.
The endowment transfer is still working its way slowly through the legal proceedings, but we are hopeful in early 2010 we will have the funds and will be able to look at investment opportunities.
There will be some folks down at Pier 7 tonight to see the New Year’s Eve fireworks off Aloha Tower Marketplace if anyone is interested. Friends of Falls Of Clyde is looking at a very active and positive 2010 and we wish all of our supporters a healthy and happy New Year!!!!!
1-15 December 2009posted Feb 2, 2010, 12:12 AM by Ling Ong [ updated Feb 2, 2010, 12:14 AM ]
The board approved moving forward in asking Chris Jannini to create a scope of work proposal so that we can get a sense of the cost for a full-blown drydock sometime in the next year or so. This will help us focus on what funds need to be raised. In addition, it will also help us decide what pierside work we can do ourselves prior to going to drydock. We have volunteer grant writers who are going to see if we can get money to hire a project manager to lay out our preservation works schedule and manage our volunteers. We were fortunate to get a substantial article in the December 9th Star Bulletin that let the public know what we are planning.
The steps to get the endowment are still being worked through, although all parties involved are in agreement as to what needs to be done. We hope to have the funds transferred over by the end of the year or early in 2010. This will really help the year get started on a positive note.
A small group of people helped celebrate the 131stbirthday of Falls of Clyde on December 12th at Pier 7. Mahalo to NOAA for lending us a wonderful lei to drape across the ship’s bow. It looks very festive for the season. At the event, board members Chris Woolaway and Susan Yamamoto were recognized for their outstanding contributions to Friends of Falls Of Clyde and our work in preserving this wonderful historic landmark. Success can only be achieved through the dedication of people like Chris and Susan, who are inspirations to everyone committed to restoring the ship for all the people in our community.
6-30 November 2009posted Feb 2, 2010, 12:11 AM by Ling Ong [ updated Feb 14, 2010, 9:31 PM ]
The much awaited condition survey was received last week from Chris Jannini. There is a lot of work for us to accomplish in the next 12-15 months and we will need volunteers to help with much of it. We are preparing grants to hire a project manager to oversee the work. Once we get an idea of the cost of the commercial work to be done, we will be raising the funds to pay for that. Preservation work will be accelerated in 2010.
The agreement to transfer the FOC endowment is still ongoing. We are hopeful that this will be wrapped up by year end so that we can form our investment committee.
A big mahalo to PENCO for making a generous donation to FoFOC and also selling us pumps that are much needed. PENCO and American Marine have been staunch supporters of the FoFOC and our work to save the ship and now our work to preserve and restore it.
Mahalo also to Matson and Young Brothers for providing equipment and storage space, respectively, for the inventory of tools, parts, and miscellaneous property that FoFOC retrieved from the Hawaii Maritime Center.
16 October- 5 November 2009posted Feb 2, 2010, 12:08 AM by Ling Ong [ updated Feb 2, 2010, 12:16 AM ]
A small group gathered at Pier 7 on October 25 to get a briefing on the status of the ship, the endowment, and the maritime center. The ship was inspected by Chris Jannini and Micah Allnutt, two men who have worked on the preservation and restoration of historic ships. The purpose of their inspection was to assess the physical state of the ship and provide FoFOC with a report and recommendations on the scope of work needed to be done in preparation for and in drydock. They spent the good part of a week going and out of tanks and doing a thorough job of inspecting the hull. Their report is due by mid-November. Once the document is received, the FoFOC board will make some decisions with regard to the preservation project. A lengthy list of volunteer activities has been identified so there will be a lot of work done over the next several months. We received word from Marisco that the window for drydocking the ship in January or early February has closed. Setting a new drydock period will be based on how much work is recommended at pierside in the Jannini/Allnutt report.
Ultrasound test on the hull
The report on the status of the endowment focused on the new strategy of getting the court to agree that the endowment is a trust and Bishop Museum, FoFOC, and the State Attorney General are all in agreement that the transfer should be made. There are some legal hurdles, but we believe that the end is in sight to take responsibility for the funds and their investment. We discovered that with the change in lowering the federal interest rates resulted in only a couple of hundred dollars in interest generated over the past six months.
A presentation was made to the Bishop Museum board’s executive committee on October 29 by representatives of FoFOC, Hawai`i Maoli, Pacific American Foundation, and RIM Architects, the consultant for the redevelopment of the Hawaii Maritime Center. FoFOC and Hawai`i Maoli are partnering to lead a consortium of other organizations in redeveloping HMC to the King Kalakaua Ocean Center. Restoration of Falls of Clyde will be a centerpiece of the activities that will be taking place at the center should Bishop Museum agree to transfer it.
We believe that there are positive forces coming together that will could us in a great position for the future if everything falls into place.
25 September-15 October 2009posted Feb 2, 2010, 12:07 AM by Ling Ong
The General Meeting has been set for Sunday, October 25, from 1630-1830 at Pier 7. This will be a potluck with those attending asked to bring some finger food/pupu. Drinks will be provided by Friends of Falls Of Clyde. There will be an update on the drydock, volunteer projects, and a variety of other topics with up-to-the-minute status.
The transfer of the endowment has not gone smoothly. Bishop Museum felt it was important to go through the court for a transfer, but the judge who has the case appears to believe that she does not have jurisdiction, so we are looking at a direct transfer from Bishop Museum with our respective attorneys working on the details. Both Bishop and FoFOC want the transfer to occur for the benefit of our work on the ship. Hopefully we will have good news by the General Meeting.
The other big news is that we are hiring an expert in ship preservation from San Francisco to inspect the Falls and prepare a scope of work list for drydock, which now will take place in late January or early February in order to get two weeks on dock.
11 September-24 September 2009posted Feb 2, 2010, 12:06 AM by Ling Ong
Regular workdays will be scheduled as soon as we get the safety ladders in place so that we can work inside the ship. We are preparing a scope of work for volunteers that will carry us over the next few months.
We are waiting to see if the probate court judge will finally approve the transfer of endowment funds to Friends of Falls Of Clyde. Once done an investment committee will be formed to manage the funds.
As mentioned in an earlier posting, FoFOC will hold a general meeting of interested parties to update everyone and give a planning report. A date in October will be set at the next FoFOC board meeting.
29 August-10 September 2009posted Feb 1, 2010, 11:58 PM by Ling Ong [ updated Feb 2, 2010, 12:28 AM ]
Members of the Board met with representatives from Marisco, PENCO, and American Marine, all of whom will be involved in the drydock project for the Falls. The outcome of the meeting was a clearer picture from all perspectives on what needs to be done to get ready for drydock and what to accomplish in drydock. The drydock set for 15 September is not realistic, so it will be rescheduled for early in 2010. We must advise the shipyard of the scope of the work in drydock so that they will have all necessary supplies on hand. It was also agreed that we need to do as much preparation work as possible. This means that we will have a great deal of volunteer work available between now and when we go to drydock. A top priority is secure safe access to the internal sections of the ship so that work can begin. We will be determining what work needs to be done to make sure the Falls will safely make the voyage to Marisco. Notices about workdays will be posted on the website.
Besides the work on the ship, we need volunteers to help develop materials for the Bob Krauss Million Quarter Drive. Although it has been almost three months since the kick-ff, we need to work on marketing plan and get donation cans distributed. Anyone with talents in this area can volunteer by sending a note through the web email.
Friends of Falls Of Clyde has been signed up with Foodland for their annual “Give Aloha” fundraising campaign in September. If you shop at Foodland and want to include a donation in your purchase, please designate FoFOC and our organization number is 78512. Save your receipt and send it in to us and we’ll send a donation letter. Every bit helps.
Following the Board meeting on 10 September, the directors went aboard the Falls and held a short memorial service for the late Capt. Gary “Skip” Naftel. Our very own piper, Susan Yamamoto, played "Amazing Grace" to end the ceremony.
Skip Naftel
We will be holding a general meeting within the next few weeks to bring all interested parties up to date.
18-28 August 2009posted Feb 1, 2010, 11:55 PM by Ling Ong [ updated Feb 2, 2010, 12:32 AM ]
The FoFOC suffered the loss of one of our board members, Capt. Gary “Skip” Naftel, who passed away on August 24th. Capt. Naftel was a vice president and maritime industry liaison and was intimately involved in preparing to take the Falls of Clyde to drydock in a few weeks. His loss will be felt throughout the maritime industry.
Some members of the board of FoFOC were fortunate enough to meet with Mori Flapan and his wife, who were in Hawaii on holiday. Mori has been a big supporter of the efforts of FoFOC even from afar. He has had a long career in the Australian maritime industry and has been intimately involved in historic ship preservation. He provided some recommendations for making our efforts successful. His work with the ship James Craig spanned a period of 20 years, but was very successful. He told us that we are well ahead of many restoration projects because Falls of Clyde is in much better shape than other ships that have been fully restored. We are greatly bolstered by this knowledge.
We look forward to September as being a landmark month for FoFOC. We will go to drydock, take possession of the FOC endowment, and recognize the one-year anniversary of ownership and stewardship of this priceless national historic landmark. Imua!!
10-17 August 2009posted Feb 1, 2010, 11:54 PM by Ling Ong [ updated Feb 2, 2010, 12:34 AM ]
The FoFOC Board has decided not to move forward with a one-year celebration on September 26. We will hold an event later this fall.
There are specific volunteer work projects planned prior to going to drydock. The next work day is Saturday, August 22, from 9 a.m.-Noon. Weekly work days have been deferred and volunteer work will be scheduled as needed up to the drydock time. You can check the website for scheduled days or call the volunteer coordinator, Capt. Jeff Lansdown, at 230-0940.
We enjoyed making the connection with the maritime academy cadets. Although we only met a couple of dozen, we found that there were representatives from four different academies sailing on the CMA ship Golden Bear: Maine Maritime Academy (2), Massachusetts Maritime Academy (3), Texas Maritime Academy (136), and California Maritime Academy (71). It wonderful to see so many interested in the maritime industry of which Falls of Clyde is a great symbol.
24 July-9 August 2009posted Feb 1, 2010, 11:52 PM by Ling Ong
On 24 July, the Probate Court heard the arguments for the transfer of the Pfeiffer Endowment from Bishop Museum to Friends of Falls Of Clyde. Although both Bishop Museum and FoFOC made arguments for the transfer, the judge decided to request additional information from Bishop Museum and deferred a decision until September. The delay is not helpful to FoFOC, but we are hopeful that the transfer will be made at the next hearing.
There have been weekly volunteer work projects on the Falls by volunteers. The work will continue weekly or every other week until the drydock. Currently the drydock, which was deferred from 29 July, is scheduled for 15 September. The exact date will be known as we get closer. Because of the delay, the Board has decided to forego a one-year celebration and fundraiser. We do plan to have some sort of celebration when she gets back from drydock.
The drydock will include blasting of the hull, sealing any holes or weak areas, and painting the bottom hull. She will return to Pier 7 in seaworthy condition and will be ready for more preservation work.
With the impending hurricane (or tropical storm or tropical depression) Felicia, we needed to shore up the safety lines of the ship. We put out a call and were fortunate to get volunteers from the crew of the California Maritime Academy ship Golden Bear. Golden Bear is currently crewed by cadets from both the California Maritime Academy and Texas Maritime Academy. FoFOC extends a sincere mahalo to the young men and women and their supervisors who came to the rescue and doubled the safety lines on the ship to withstand any winds that may come in from Felicia or any other hurricane that may come before we go to drydock. Volunteers also helped to “batten down the hatches” in preparation for any rain that we may get.
During this period the asbestos on the ship was cleaned out, so we have no environmental issue that could cause any problems with drydocking the ship. We have worked closely with the employees of Marisco to prepare for drydock. As we prepare to go to drydock, watch this space to find out more about the opportunities to ride an escort vessel as Falls of Clyde is towed to Kalaeloa Harbor.
We understand that many people are interested in the current status and future of our wonderful national historic landmark, Falls of Clyde. The official spokesperson for Friends of Falls Of Clyde is our president, Bruce McEwan, so all official information will come from him. He can be contacted through this website.
30 May-14 June 2009posted Feb 1, 2010, 11:50 PM by Ling Ong
We have set our first official fundraiser for 30 June. We wanted to start out with a low key, affordable event. The event will be held at the Dillingham Transportation building from 5-7 p.m. Tickets need to be purchased in advance for $40, with $20 being a tax deductible donation. Food will be provided by the Honolulu Café. There will be a silent auction of Falls of Clyde and other maritime memorabilia. A flyer will be sent out shortly with the details for ticket purchases and one will be posted on the website. We hope to draw on the grassroots base of Falls of Clyde supporters.
An agreement has been reached with Bishop Museum to pay for the removal of the asbestos on the piping in the ship. A contractor will be hired and the removal accomplished before drydock.
On 14 June, Flag Day, the first of what we hope will become regular volunteer workdays was held at Pier 7. Volunteers did some sanding on the ship and a fence was built to prevent access to the ship’s berth. For those who came by, there was a treat to see the Falls decked out in flags on the port and starboard sides which were borrowed from the Coast Guard and there was a large American flag flying from the stern. The next set of workdays is 27 and 28 June. Details about the work for volunteers will be posted on the website.
There will be other special events coming up in the next couple of months, including a One Year Celebration of Friends of Falls Of Clyde’s ownership of our wonderful lady. More to come on this, but save 26 September.
12-29 May 2009posted Feb 1, 2010, 11:49 PM by Ling Ong
There is finally some positive news to report. Friends has received a $45,000 grant from the Atherton Foundation towards the costs of taking the Falls to drydock in July. We are still waiting tom hear from Aloha Petroleum about the request we put in.
We are trying to set up a fundraiser downtown in June to raise the balance of the funds we need to cover all costs associated with going to drydock. When the date and venue are set, we will get the word out and hope to get at least 100 people to the event. If anyone has items for a silent auction, we would appreciate contact so that we can get them ready. We will also use this opportunity to formally kickoff the Bob Krauss Million Quarter Drive.
We believe that the Bishop Museum board met this week and hopefully acted positively on our request to take responsibility for the asbestos clean up. This is a must do before we can go into drydock. I expect to receive word from them next week.
Attorneys for Bishop Museum have filed the necessary papers with the Probate Court to move the transfer of the Falls of Clyde endowment over to Friends. A hearing is scheduled for 24 July and we do not anticipate a problem with the transfer.
24 April-11 May 2009posted Feb 1, 2010, 11:48 PM by Ling Ong
The Senate Concurrent Resolution passed which gives recognition to the ship as one of “historical significance as a sailing symbol of Hawaii.” We should all feel proud about that.
We did provide Bishop Museum with the report and quotes to clean out the asbestos on the ship. We have yet to hear from them.
Our grant applications to the Atherton Foundation and Aloha Petroleum have not yet borne fruit, but we hope to get a positive result any day.
The inventory went well and the majority of the heavy pieces are stored away in a 40-foot container. Mahalo to Matson for the use of the container and to Frank White for the storage space. The balance of the inventory was completed on May 9 at the HMC. The purpose of the second round was to catalogue smaller and more delicate items and to take measurements for crates so that they can be moved and stored. We are now also ready to take possession of documents that will need to be sorted and catalogued. This whole process has been exciting. There is a lot of work for volunteers who want to help sort and clean up the various artefacts. Once we get to the preservation/restoration phase and lay out our project timeline, we will be asking for help.
We have a definite drydock window on or about 20 July at Marisco. We will be holding one or more fundraisers within the next two months to raise the funds needed for the transit insurance and drydock.
Bruce McEwan will be interviewed on Rep. Corinne Ching’s `Olelo program on heritage on Tuesday, 12 May. In addition, he will be speaking to the Chinatown Rotary Club on 20 May. Each opportunity to speak allows us to reach out for support from more of our local citizens.
Nothing new to report on the endowment as it goes through the probation process in court.
We do have our own Revocable Permit now for the berthing at Pier 7, which is provided by the Harbors Division gratis for our non-profit organization.
9-23 April 2009posted Feb 1, 2010, 11:47 PM by Ling Ong
We held a general meeting at the Waikiki Yacht Club tonight and reported on a number of issues. First, FoFOC has signed a lease for the Pier 7 berth with the Harbors Division, which has given it us gratis. When we do go to drydock, we are now assured of coming back to Pier 7.
We are still waiting for the quotes needed for the asbestos cleanup, which we hope to get to Bishop Museum within the next few days. Once this is completed we will be ready for drydock, so we need to see when we can fit into Marisco’s schedule. We want to be in and out before hurricane season begins.
The inventory recording and moving as much as we can to storage takes place this weekend at the Hawaii Maritime Center at Pier 7 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday (4/25) and Sunday (4/26). We expect to have a good group of volunteers.
We are waiting to hear about our grant application to the Atherton Foundation for funds to pay for expenses associated with drydocking the ship. We have also put in a request for funding to Aloha Gas, which is a successor company to Associated Petroleum, which owned Falls after Matson.
The resolution going through the legislature (SCR 138, SD1) has another hearing before the House Committee on Tourism, Culture, and International Affairs on Friday, April 24. We will again be testifying with our support. A positive change in the title of the resolution makes it very clear about the importance of the ship: “Requesting the State to Recognize the Historical Significance of the Falls of Clyde as a Sailing Symbol of Hawaii.”
The big news is a partnership that we have developed with a native Hawaiian organization, Hawaii Maoli, to look at purchasing the Hawaii Maritime Center and create a Hawaii Maritime Education Center with Falls of Clyde being a centerpiece at the facility. The focus will be on education and also on developing skills for the restoration and maintenance of the ship. There are funds available for this type of project and the opportunities are extensive for creating a major educational and cultural venue on the waterfront. We have gotten a commitment from Bishop Museum to give us time to conduct a feasibility study and make a formal proposal for the HMC, if the project appears likely to be as successful as our organizations envision.
Finally, we did receive two quarters of interest from the Pfeiffer Endowment and Bishop Museum is processing the documents through Probate Court so that Friends can take over trusteeship of the endowment. This should be finalized in the next couple of months.
28 March-8 April 2009posted Feb 1, 2010, 11:45 PM by Ling Ong
The resolution we testified in favor of was passed out of the committee on 1 April and hopefully will pass the full Senate. The House version was heard on 6 April and was also passed out. Another resolution asking for a study to create a cultural heritage district within the Nu`uanu Ahupua`a was not passed. This would include the waterfront and Falls of Clyde would be part of it. Hopefully this idea will be championed by some legislators who are interested in all aspects of Hawaii’s heritage.
On the two issues mentioned above, Bishop Museum’s board did authorize the transfer of the interest to FoFOC. It was a very small amount, but we definitely have need for it to pay the ongoing bills to maintain the ship. The process of going through Probate Court to take management of the entire endowment corpus is now in the works. We hope to have control by the end of the second quarter, when we will draw down the interest again.
Bishop Museum has asked for documentation on the asbestos findings and also on quotes for the remediation. We are in the process of getting formal quotes to submit to them. We are very hopeful that this issue will be resolved in our favor. We believe that the other potential environmental issues may not materialize. Once we have satisfied the shipyard that there is no longer an environmental concern, we can get a firm drydock date.
We are preparing to take a detailed inventory of the various FOC property that is at the Hawaii Maritime Center. Once we have the details, we will be ready to put it in storage until we need it for the restoration and we may be able to have some work projects for volunteers to refurbish some things.
We are finalizing the date for our next General Meeting and will be sending out the notice soon. By the time of the meeting, we should know if we have grant money from the Atherton Foundation to carry us over the hump period until drydock. Our fundraising committee is looking at opportunities for us to get public exposure and awareness. We had a table at the recent Highland Festival sponsored by the major Scottish organizations (Hawaiian-Scottish Association, The Caledonian Society of Hawaii, the Royal Scottish Country Dance Society, Honolulu Celtic Pipes & Drums). A Scottish Country dance written in the 1980s to honor the Falls of Clyde was danced in demonstration at the Highland Festival by members of the Royal Scottish Dance Society. We received over $400 from sales of Falls of Clyde items and donations at the festival. We plan on participating with an exhibit for Earth Day Awareness activities this month in Kailua and at the University of Hawaii.
21-27 March 2009posted Feb 1, 2010, 11:43 PM by Ling Ong
The hearing on the resolution will be on Wednesday, April 1, 2009 at 1:15 in Conference Room 016 at the State Capitol. It is designated as Senate Concurrent Resolution (S.C.R. 138) and separately as Senate Resolution (S.R. 91). Senator Suzanne Chun Oakland is the sponsor. Anyone wishing to attend or submit testimony should do so. Friends of Falls Of Clyde will be testifying.
We believe that the issues about Bishop Museum paying for the asbestos remediation of the Falls of Clyde and also aiding in the transfer of the Pfeiffer Endowment to Friends of Falls Of Clyde were discussed at the Museum’s Board of Directors meeting on March 26. In a recent correspondence, Tim Johns, President of Bishop Museum, said that they were getting an accounting from Bank of Hawaii on the interest that has accrued in the past two quarters. We have requested that the interest be turned over to Friends for expenses related to the maintenance of the ship. We are hopeful that both issues will receive positive action from their Board.
13-20 March 2009posted Feb 1, 2010, 11:41 PM by Ling Ong
On the endowment issue, it appears that Bishop Museum wants to go through Probate Court to handle the transfer, which could mean a delay. We have still not seen any documents as yet. We are asking for the two quarters of interest accrued even though the principal funds cannot be transferred yet. Our reasoning is that this money is solely for the ship and we own it and must maintain it. We see no reason for Bishop Museum to hold it back.
On 17 March, President Bruce McEwan was taped for a new `Olelo program called “Honolulu Needs.” He spoke about the Falls and its importance to Hawaii. When more information is available about when the show will be aired we will let everyone know.
Another positive and unexpected event was the submission of a House Resolution by Rep. Corinne Ching titled: “Requesting the State to Recognizing the Historical Significance of the Falls of Clyde as a Sailing Jewel of Hawaii.” The two key provisions are that Falls of Clyde “is recognized as a historic jewel of Hawaii” and “should always be treasured and protected by the State of Hawaii and its residents.” Hopefully this resolution will pass with no problem, which will give us another opportunity to keep our work in the public eye.
1-12 March 2009posted Feb 1, 2010, 11:39 PM by Ling Ong [ updated Feb 1, 2010, 11:41 PM ]
The insurance has been arranged for us to get the Pier 7 lease, so it is just a matter of processing paperwork. This will give us a definite spot to return to after the drydock period.
We continue to research the environmental remediation requirements and have been advised from a source at the University of Hawaii to have an environmental consultant work with us. We are looking for sources of government funds to help with the cleanup.
Four board members met on 10 March with Dr. Charman Akina, Chair of the Bishop Museum Board, and Tim Johns, the Museum’s CEO. We discussed the two most pressing issues for us, which is the environmental remediation and Pfeiffer Endowment. With regard to the remediation, the Museum’s position is still that they have no responsibility because we should have recognized that there was an environmental issue, because we had access to the ship and could have discovered the asbestos. It is unclear, however, how we could have discovered the sandblast grit, which is under the ballast water, or how we would have discovered that the ballast water itself may be contaminated. Admittedly, we are not entirely sure of the latter two issues as yet. They do not accept our position that the sale was not a true commercial transaction, but the transfer of stewardship of a national landmark and subject to a “good faith” relationship between the parties, which would have required affirmative communication of the environmental conditions. Anyway, by the end of the meeting they agreed to take the asbestos remediation issue to their board at their next meeting, which we believe is on March 26. Hopefully they will step up and pay for the remediation of the asbestos.
The discussion on the endowment was very positive. They explained why they had been delaying and agreed to expedite the transfer. We are hopeful that we will have access to the accumulated interest in the next week or so and that the cash in the endowment will be transferred to the FoFOC account.
On another front, we have been looking at possible grant funds. We will receive word from the Atherton Foundation next month about a grant application we currently have pending. We have also submitted a proposal through OHA for grant monies, which will tie Falls of Clyde more closely to Hawaiian history and the Hawaiian community. We see a partnership that could provide jobs during our restoration period and educational opportunities in the maritime industry.
One item on the negative side is that the U.S. Navy has declined to find a space in Pearl Harbor where the Falls can be berthed and worked on.
We are looking for a general meeting date during the week of March 23 and will send out a notice via our e-mail list once the date, place, and time are set.
9 February-28 February 2009posted Feb 1, 2010, 11:38 PM by Ling Ong
These past few weeks have been used to do some research and gather cost estimates for the environmental cleanup that needs to be done before we can go into drydock. Board members have a meeting with Tim Johns and Dr. Akina, Chair of Bishop Museum’s board of directors, on March 10. Our hope is that Bishop Museum leadership has changed its position on paying for the cleanup of the ship. We also want to get a firm commitment to transferring the Pfeiffer Endowment to Friends. We know there is interest accumulation from the last quarter of 2008 and we should have some for the first quarter of 2009. The insurance premium paid by Bishop Museum on the ship runs out at the end of March, so we need funds to continue for the next six months. We have also pout in a grant application to the Atherton Foundation, but won’t know the result until mid-April.
President Bruce McEwan and John Wright both spoke about Falls of Clyde at the symposium mentioned above on February 21. We both gave an open and honest perspective on the history and current situation we face in our goal to preserve and restore Falls of Clyde. Of greatest interest at the symposium were the presentations on Star of India, Glenlee, and USS Bowfin. In each case these vessels were in worse shape than Falls and have been successfully restored. In addition, Ray Ashley of Star of India and Jamie White of Glenlee both went aboard Falls and opined that the hull is in shape to be preserved. Another speaker at the symposium was the executive director of the USS Missouri Foundation, who mentioned that a surveyor had declared some of the tanks in the ship to be wasted away and needed serious steel work. The Foundation then hired two corrosion experts from Great Britain to inspect the ship and they countered the opinion of the surveyor and declared that the tanks did not need the extensive work, which will save the Foundation a great deal of money. Friends was fortunate enough to be able to have the two experts also inspect Falls of Clyde and they declared the hull to be sound and not in imminent danger of sinking, as had been stated by the surveyor Bishop Museum used. Not surprisingly, the surveyor for both the Missouri and Falls was the same person. Mahalo to Skip Naftel for coordinating the visits to the ship by the various experts who are supporting our position that preservation and restoration can and should move forward.
We are also getting a lease for the Pier 7 berth direct from DOT-Harbors. Bishop Museum gave up their lease and as long as we can provide the insurance we will have the berthing. We are currently arranging with our insurance broker to meet the State’s requirements.
After our meeting with Bishop Museum leadership on March 10, Friends will hold a general meeting for interested people in order to provide an update and report on our plans.
27 January-8 February 2009posted Feb 1, 2010, 11:37 PM by Ling Ong
Since the last log entry, Friends has been researching the environmental requirements for the problems we have uncovered. We have also been getting quotes for cleanup of the ship. It will be several hundreds of thousands of dollars, which we plan to press Bishop Museum for. We have also renewed our effort to get Bishop Museum to complete their contractual obligation to help transfer the Pfeiffer Endowment set up specifically for the Falls of Clyde over to the trusteeship of Friends of Falls Of Clyde. There was a recent article in Honolulu Weekly addressing this issue. Donations to Friends can be made directly to us through our website, so we encourage anyone and everyone to take advantage of that opportunity.
Representatives of Friends will be involved in an upcoming Symposium on Maritime Archaeology and History of Hawai`i and the Pacific on February 21-22. We want to make sure people are kept aware of our plans to continue to preserve and restore our magnificent historic landmark.
27 December 2008 -26 January 2009.posted Feb 1, 2010, 11:35 PM by Ling Ong
I’m afraid that the new year has not started out in the best manner for Falls of Clyde. Since the last log, the ship was prepared to be towed to Marisco’s drydock on 15 January. Because of the weather front that came in and the likelihood of high wave action, the tow was postponed for safety reasons. That postponement resulted in losing drydock slot and also the use of the towing tug, which had other obligations out of Hawaii.
The weather, however, was only part of the problem. While preparing for the tow, the surveyor discovered that material covering some old pipes that had been part of the steam boiler system contained what he thought was asbestos. We had the material tested and confirmed that it is indeed asbestos (chrysotile). In addition, when the tanks were sounded for ballast water volume, we discovered that sandblast grit had been left in the tanks when work was done a few years ago. The grit is under water, so was not identified earlier. In addition, we have found that a temporary toilet was put into use while the ship was being derigged and the waste was dumped directly into a tank, most likely polluting the ballast water, which is periodically circulated between tanks. Contaminated water cannot be pumped into State waters, so we are having the water tested to determine its content. The long and the short of it is that the shipyard will not take the ship until it is free of any potential environmental hazards. She will remain in berth at Pier 7 until this all gets sorted out.
Bishop Museum was put on notice of our findings early last week, but we have heard nothing in reply. Our hope, of course, is that the museum will step forward and clean up the ship so that we can proceed with our preservation work. The log will be kept up more frequently as this issue plays itself out. A news release was issued by Friends today and we are being open about the findings, although only the asbestos has been confirmed as an environmental hazard to be cleaned up.
13-26 December 2008posted Feb 1, 2010, 11:33 PM by Ling Ong
Happy Holidays!! We received notice just before Christmas that an emergency drydocking of a tug at Marisco has delayed our ability to access the drydock on 29 December as previously scheduled. All parties have been advised and we do not expect any problems from Bishop Museum even though the 90-day period to move the ship will have been exceeded because of this unavoidable delay. Skip Naftel devised the tow plan and had it approved by the Coast Guard. Everything is ready with the tow insurance and with American Marine/PENCO personnel who will be the riding crew and escort vessel.
Many thanks to everyone who has been contributing funds to pay the expected costs being incurred for the drydock phase. We have exceeded the $10,000 level and believe it is only a matter of time before we get the larger donations we need to get to our $65,000 goal. Discussions are currently underway to kick off our Bob Krauss Million Quarter Drive after the first of the year. We have yet to receive the Pfeiffer endowment documents from Bishop Museum. We are told they will be available after the first of the year. We know there is just over $500,000 in cash in the bank right now that will have to be invested after the market stabilizes. We can draw the interest once we have trusteeship of the funds.
At the last Board meeting, two working committees were formed for Fundraising & Development and Archives & Documents. Those people who indicated an interest in one of these committees at the last General Meeting will be contacted shortly by those Board members chairing these groups. Two other committees that will be formed a bit later are the Marketing committee and Project committee. This latter one will be the group that will plan out the preservation and restoration of the Falls of Clyde. Ours is ongoing, active preservation work, so we want a marketing group to help keep our activities in the public eye.
We are still working to find a home for the ship where the actual preservation and restoration will take place.
Friends of Falls Of Clyde see the next few months as being critical to the future of Falls of Clyde. Finding a location, raising funds, getting people involved, and maintaining public interest are challenges that we face, but we believe that we will have the wind in our sails to take us where we need to go. The best of the New Year to all!!!
9-12 December 2008posted Feb 1, 2010, 11:32 PM by Ling Ong
On 9 December, board members Ed Lott and Bruce McEwan met with the board of the Navy League. They briefed the board on the status of the ship and the plans for drydock and post-drydock. The primary purposes of this meeting were to let the Navy League know that we are actively working toward a viable preservation of the ship; that we need any assistance we can get to find a location, like Pearl Harbor; and, that we need to raise the $65,000 as soon as possible. The board members asked some questions, thanked us for our preservation and work to date, and said that they would discuss our request and get back to Ed.
Today, 12 December, is the actual birth date of the Falls of Clyde, when she first came out of the shipyard. A small group is planning a birthday ceremony at 1800 at the ship for anyone interested to mark the 130th year of her life. We all know that she has many more birthdays to be celebrated as soon as we get over this current “bumpy” period and have smoother sailing.
26 November-8 December 2008posted Feb 1, 2010, 11:29 PM by Ling Ong
We have not yet received the endowment documents from Bishop Museum. We are following up with their in-house counsel to get the required documents. The inventory of items that were part of the sales documents appears to be inaccurate with regard to what is physically at the Hawaii Maritime Center so we are trying to document what is missing and plan to ask Bishop Museum to make good for items that are short. We also have to arrange to have Bishop Museum move whatever items we want to a storage facility for us. We are currently looking for enough space to house some larger items. An estimate of 300 sq. ft. has been made for the needed storage space.
Hooray!! On 6 December we received our letter from the IRS granting 501(c)(3) status as a charitable organization. We can take donations directly, apply for grants, and move forward with major fundraising activities. Our “Bob Krauss Million Quarter Drive” will be our first major event. We are looking for a bank to partner with for the drive.
Our meeting at the Waikiki Yacht Club went well. There were about 20 people in attendance. An update was given on the drydock schedule, which is now confirmed for 29 December, with the ship to be moved at about 0700. The board has decided that no special ceremony will be held for the departure. It is likely, however, that there will be some new coverage. We need approximately $65,000 to cover the cost of insurance for the tow, the tug costs, and the drydock costs. While all parties involved are supportive, we do need to pay our way. There is a request in to Matson to help with the costs and we are hopeful that as word gets out that we have our charitable designation that more substantial donations will come in. We also need to have a location to take the ship after she comes off drydock. The purpose of the drydock is to assess the degree of work that needs to be done in the short and long term. Based on the joint surveyors’ report, the board will decide on how the preservation and restoration will proceed. We are making inquiries into the possibility of locating the ship in Pearl Harbor near the USS BOWFIN, which is under the jurisdiction of the National Park Service.
We will create three committees to begin working on key components for the preservation/restoration and future of the Falls of Clyde. We will have a Fundraising Committee to look at the various options to raise money as we plan out the phases for the preservation and restoration. A Project Committee will run the actual preservation and restoration. This committee will need to establish a phase timeline, gather the expertise for the project, recommend a project manager, identify resources needed, etc. This will be a very big and technical task. The Archives Committee will be responsible for organizing all of the documents, including pictures, that we have. This material will eventually be used in marketing and fundraising efforts and help us put together the educational component of the Falls future.
8-25 November 2008posted Feb 1, 2010, 11:24 PM by Ling Ong
We met with Bishop Museum’s COO and General Counsel and found that the Pfeiffer Endowment monies have been converted to cash transferred to the Bank of Hawaii because of the current downturn in the market. Bishop is providing us with the various documents supporting the endowment, but there is no endowment agreement per se. We are researching the legal process to take control of the funds. It is likely that some funds will be available to us by the end of the year.
A letter was sent to the IRS requesting expediting of our 501(c)(3) application because of our inability to apply for grants and schedule fundraising events without it. We should know by the end of this week if it will be expedited.
We have been approached by a film company that is in Hawaii filming a new version of Shakespeare’s Tempest. They have a need to film inside an old ship and perhaps do some on-deck shots. They have visited the Falls and have indicated interest in using it for location shots. We are awaiting a proposal from the company.
A general meeting of those interested in the Falls of Clyde is scheduled for Monday,
December 8th, at the Waikiki Yacht Club at 5 p.m.
1-7 November 2008posted Feb 1, 2010, 11:23 PM by Ling Ong [ updated Feb 1, 2010, 11:27 PM ]
Our Million Quarter Campaign is now delayed also because of the need for charitable status. Fortunately, the Matsunaga Charitable Foundation has arranged for Friends of Falls Of Clyde web donations to be channeled through their organization and bank. The Caledonian Society of Hawaii, Inc., another 501(c)(3), has also extended its organization as a channel for Falls of Clyde donations. We hope that these options will begin a flow of much needed cash. There is now a donations link on this website and we hope it will be well used.
Board members will be meeting with the COO of Bishop Museum to begin the process of transferring trusteeship of the Pfeiffer Endowment over to Friends of Falls Of Clyde. This endowment was provided by the late Bobby Pfeiffer of A&B for the maintenance of Falls of Clyde. It was agreed that the endowment should rightfully go with the ship.
We have also been advised that the initial drydock opening during the week of 17 November has been closed because of an emergency vessel repair. Right now it looks like mid-December for the drydocking. We have until 29 December to move the ship from Pier 7.
19-31 October 2008posted Feb 1, 2010, 11:22 PM by Ling Ong
We were contacted by both foundations to say that our applications would not be processed without Friends being a 501(c)(3) organization. In addition, we did not meet the criteria for the Castle Foundation. The Board is seeing if the IRS application can be expedited. In addition, we have kept our Congressional delegation apprised of our activities and have specifically asked Representative Abercrombie to see if there is any way we can get some assistance in expediting the application. The Board will meet very two weeks with periodic general meetings.
18 October 2008posted Feb 1, 2010, 11:21 PM by Ling Ong
We held a general meeting of interested stakeholders to determine what resources we have and to gather ideas for fundraising and for how the preservation should progress. We hope to be able to create small working groups to plan and carry out specific activities.
1-17 October 2008
posted Feb 1, 2010, 11:19 PM by Ling Ong [ updated Feb 1, 2010, 11:20 PM ]
During this period of time the Board was busy focusing on what needs to be done over the next couple of months. The two critical pieces are fundraising and finding a location for the ship after she comes out of drydock. The application for 501(c)(3) status from the Internal Revenue Service was filed in early-September. To date we have only received notice that the application was received. Preliminary grant applications were sent to the Atherton Family Foundation and the Castle Foundation. Planning was started for a Million Quarter Campaign.
30 September 2008
posted Feb 1, 2010, 11:16 PM by Ling Ong [ updated Feb 1, 2010, 11:20 PM ]
This seems the most appropriate date to start since it was the day Friends of Falls Of Clyde took ownership and stewardship of Falls of Clyde. It was a wonderful occasion for those who spent so much time and effort keeping the ship from being scuttled by Bishop Museum. The event began with a piper, Dan Sinclair, calling the attendees to their seats. The crowd was entertained with a Highland dance by Linda Schupp. Helen Baskett from Glasgow sang a song of the River Clyde. There were short speeches by Bruce McEwan and Tim Johns, President of Bishop Museum, who then formally signed the sales documents. McEwan paid over $1.00 to close the sale. Representative Corinne Ching presented a Certificate from the House of Representatives marking the occasion. Ginger Krauss, daughter of journalist Bob Krauss, who was a staunch advocate and biographer of the ship, said a few words to close the ceremony. A reception was held at Gordon Biersch.
posted Jul 10, 2014, 7:48 PM by Ling Ong
Attached is the much awaited 2013 Annual Report.
We are moving the Capital Campaign into high gear by hiring a fundraising consultant, reaching out to those who have donated over the past few years, and identified targeted foundations and corporations for grants.
We have the final scope of work estimate from PSI and the board will be finalizing it next week. All the pieces of the drydock puzzle are coming together. We need to get an agreement from PSI as to how the financing will be handled, since grant monies will come in over time.
For everyone following our history on this website, we need you to donate whatever you can afford to make our dream of getting our wonderful ship into drydock. We have gotten a great deal of moral support over the years and now need to convert that into financial support.
| Attachments: FOCannual.pdf
27 May-16 June 2014posted Jun 16, 2014, 1:21 PM by Ling Ong
We continue to move forward toward the drydocking of Falls of Clyde this summer. As you might expect, there are many details to be worked out before a move can be made. As we finalize the scope of work we are reaching out to the community for financial support. A major challenge for us is to make sure we have a steady flow of tax-deductible donations coming in as we get closer to the drydock period. If a lot of people are willing to support the mission of preserving and restoring our wonderful national historic landmark by providing whatever funds they can, we can make our goal. We are asking everyone who is following us to use their networks to encourage giving at any level. Checks can be sent to P.O. Box 4674, Honolulu, HI 96812 or Paypal donations can be made on this website.
The history of sailing ships in Hawaii commerce is an important one and Falls of Clyde is an excellent example and symbol of that period. There is a story to tell and the restoration of the ship to museum quality will allow us to tell the story to our students, community members, and visitors.
16 March-26 May 2014posted May 27, 2014, 1:07 PM by Ling Ong
It has been a long two months waiting for the scope of work for the drydocking to be finalized. Friends of Falls of Clyde received the drydock proposal from Pacific Shipyards International last week. The FFOC board met on Saturday to discuss the proposal and set a goal for our capital campaign. Based on the fact that there is a major unknown with regard to the extent of hull repairs that may be needed when the hull is cleaned, the board decided to set a goal of $3,000,000. There is still some further negotiations to be completed before a firm date is set.
Since the ship is like a building and the hull its foundation, we want to come out of the drydock with the most solid foundation we can have. We have taken the past few years to document the internal hull condition and working with a naval engineer and architects we have gotten drawings together that are needed for the historical restoration of the ship. The multiple inspections of the ship have all confirmed that she is ready to safely go into drydock
The message we want to communicate to the community is that we are making a major step forward in our mission to preserve and restore our national historic landmark ship for her eventual return to a museum ship to serve the youth and adults of Hawaii and our visitors. In 2009 the State legislature passed a joint resolution declaring Falls of Clyde as a Hawaiian treasure that should be supported by all Hawaii's citizens. We are now reaching out to our citizens for support as well as local and national foundations and everyone worldwide who values the role of the maritime industry. We believe that Falls of Clyde is an excellent example of the sailing era we had in Hawaii and she fills a gap between the early sailing vessels of which Hokulea is a wonderful model and the modern ships we see daily in Honolulu Harbor.
For everyone who reads this log, we ask that you consider a tax-deductible donation by sending a check to Friends of Falls of Clyde, Inc., P.O. Box 4674, Honolulu, HI 96812 or making a Paypal donation through this website. Every little bit gets us closer to our goal.
Our 2013 Annual Report is still being finalized and will be posted here when it is ready.
1 February-15 March 2014posted Mar 13, 2014, 1:13 PM by Ling Ong
Representatives from JMS Naval Architects were in Honolulu at the end of February and a meeting was held as PSI to discuss the drydock plan. We received a commitment from PSI to go into drydock between mid-May to the end of June. The scope of work and pricing are being worked on by JMS with PSI.
Friends of Falls of Clyde will be preparing the ship over the next two months for movement to the drydock. Contact has been made with the local tug companies for assistance. We also held a meeting with the Coast Guard to discuss their requirements for the move. We are all in agreement that the move must be made safely.
We have also asked our insurance broker to discuss the insurance needs for the move with the underwriters.
A number of things will be coming together in a relatively short time, but we have waited over 5 years to get to this point.
Although we do not know the exact cost at this point, we want to get the word out to as many people as possible that we are now raising capital funds for the drydocking. Tax deductible donations can be sent to Friends of Falls of Clyde, P.O. Box 4674, Honolulu, HI 96812-4674.
We are also working on our first Annual Report and hope to have it available by the end of March.
Finally, we will also be researching potential grant sources.
1-31 January 2014posted Feb 6, 2014, 6:47 PM by Ling Ong
The month of January was auspicious for Friends of Falls of Clyde. The much-awaited-for report from JMS Naval Architects was received with the following result: "The analysis shows that FALLS OF CLYDE can be drydocked using the Pacific Shipyards International's 200 ft. X 80 ft. drydock." The report has been transmitted to PSI for review, but we fully expect to get a drydock date before the middle of this year. This is excellent news. As soon as an estimate of the cost is made, we will begin our capital campaign.
Also, the new plywood foc'sle deck was completed.
1-31 December 2013posted Jan 9, 2014, 6:13 PM by Ling Ong
We celebrated our wonderful lady's 135th birthday on 12 December. For her age, she isn't bad looking:)
We are waiting for the JMS plan for drydocking, which will be the piece we need for PSI to get a commitment to drydock later in 2014.
A volunteer, Bill MacGillivray, who is both a sailor and a contractor from Canada, is laying a plywood deck on the upper foc'sle deck, which will stop some leakage.
As we move into 2014, it is always good to reflect on the past, but more importantly to plan for the future. Friends of Falls of Clyde will publish our first annual report documenting what we have been doing over the past five years. Once a drydocking time has been secured, we will also be reaching out with a capital campaign.
Members of the board are being educated to research grant resources, which we are hopeful will be successful for our fundraising.
To all, a very happy and prosperous new year!!!!
1-30 November 2013posted Dec 8, 2013, 1:10 PM by Ling Ong
The main activity this month was the inspection conducted by JMS representatives Jack Ringelberg and David Forrest during the week of November 11. During the week there was a meeting with PSI to discuss the possibility of drydocking Falls of Clyde next Spring or early Summer. The critical piece will be the plan for drydocking that JMS will provide to PSI.
JMS also provided a condition survey for our insurance underwriters.
We also made progress with Bishop Museum to take ownership of a small runabout owned by HMC, which is at Pier 7 and will be used to conduct hull inspections and possibly do some pre-drydock work on the hull.
1-31 October 2013posted Nov 10, 2013, 11:31 PM by Ling Ong
This month has been one of preparation for the work that will be done by JMS Naval Architects & Salvage Engineers the second week of November. Their employees will inspect the ship and determine what needs to be done to safely move her to a drydock. They will also represent our organization in negotiations with the shipyard to get the ship safely in and out of drydock. Once a firm drydock commitment is made and a cost determined, we will start a capital campaign. The board looks at this project as a major step in our restoration plan.
We have also contracted with Foundation Search, an organization that will connect us with institutional funders that we hope will be interested in supporting our work.
Friends of Falls of Clyde has a Facebook page and we encourage interested people to friend us and dialogue with us. In addition, board member Susan Yamamoto maintains a blog that provides an informative perspective on Falls of Clyde.
1-30 September 2013posted Oct 5, 2013, 6:40 PM by Ling Ong
The exciting news this month is that our new gangway is finally in place and allows easy and safe access to the ship. Mahalo to the board members who came out to give the muscle power needed to finish the job. Again, thanks to Clean Islands Council for building the sturdy platform on which the gangway sits. Thanks also to board member Fred Nunes who designed and built the large hoist we have in place to raise and lower the gangway when needed.
Mahalo to all those who contributed to Friends of Falls of Clyde during Foodland's "Give Aloha" campaign. Every amount helps defray costs of maintaining the ship.
We are finalizing the contract with JMS Naval Architects & Salvage Engineers to come down in November to inspect the ship and meet with the shipyard representatives as the next step moving toward getting the Falls into drydock.
We are celebrating our 5th year of ownership/stewardship of our wonderful ship and plan to put out our first Annual Report.
1-31 August 2013posted Sep 4, 2013, 11:39 PM by Ling Ong
We are still moving toward what we hope will be our first drydocking in over 20 years. As mentioned last month, we believe our work with JMS will establish a safe plan for drydocking.
The hoist for the new gangway is still under construction. Once complete people will be able to safely board the ship on the new gangway. It will be easier to hold volunteer work days when we can get people safely aboard.
Remember that Friends of Falls of Clyde is a recipient of Foodland's Give Aloha program during the month of September. Please make a purchase at any Foodland and include a donation to us. Our organization number is 78512 or just use our name.
The board has been discussing the possibility of holding a movie night on the ship as a fundraising event. Keep tuned to watch for an announcement if we can schedule it.
1-31 Julyposted Aug 7, 2013, 5:28 PM by Ling Ong
July has been another preparatory work month. We will be hiring Jamestown Marine Services (JMS) to assist us in preparing the ship for drydock. We will be working with the JMS as our technical advisor as we discuss drydock details with Pacific Shipyard.
A third coat of paint has been put on the main deck, so it is well sealed. We may go with a fourth coat in heavily trafficked areas. The pumps are being overhauled to give us efficiency in moving water between tanks.
Work on the new gangway continues to get it ready for use. The platform now has wheels to move it around and construction has started on a system to move the gangway up and down. Metal plates will be welded to the platform to aid in the gangway's movement as the ship rides on the tides.
We will be changing out some old lines for safety. Wood refurbishment is ongoing. It is easy to see that the crew members on a ship always had plenty to do to occupy their time while at sea.
1 May-30 June 2013posted Jul 2, 2013, 10:25 PM by Ling Ong
We were recently asked to provide an update for the Seafarers Society blog so I thought it was appropriate to share that update on our website.
Preserving and restoring an historic ship, especially one that is approaching 135 years, is a long-term commitment and one with periods where little seems to be accomplished. In the case of Falls of Clyde, putting the ship into drydock for hull restoration is a critical goal for Friends of Falls of Clyde (FFOC). For the past year and a half, FFOC have been working with naval engineers and architects to get accurate to scale drawings of the ship. Last summer a thorough internal pictorial and video survey was conducted of the internal hull and tanks. Review of the pictures has been made to identify areas where work needs to be done to strengthen bulkheads. We are currently planning to hire a firm that can provide a structural assessment and plan for strengthening weak areas of the ship prior to going into drydock.
We installed an internal pump system in order to move ballast water between tanks and to prepare for the eventual movement of the ship to drydock. The electrical system has also been upgraded to support the pump system.
On an ongoing basis we are rehabilitating much of the wood on the main deck. We have also coated the plywood main deck with a sealant paint and have done some rust inhibition work on the bulwarks. We plan to paint the bulwarks to slow further rusting. We have also patched some holes in the metal deck. We are developing plans to fix some of cabins on the main deck.
At the point we are waiting for completion of our assessment work and will then carry out repair plans and move forward with drydock negotiations.
1 March-30 April 2013posted May 2, 2013, 3:09 PM by Ling Ong
For those who want to contact us and speak to a member of the board, our telephone number is 877-641-0872. We are always looking for members of the community who would like to serve on the board as we move our work forward. People, who are skilled in project management, public relations, community outreach, volunteer management, and similar professional experience, are encouraged to contact us.
On the port side of the ship, we now have a banner stating the we are a National Historic Landmark Restoration Project. We belive this will give those looking at the ship better perspective.
Mahalo to Clean Islands Council (CIC) employees for completing work on the platform that will hold our new gangway. The new gangway was installed recently with help of CIC employees and Leeward Marine employees. Unfortunately, Mother Nature (tides) and physics (movement of the ship), disrupted the positioning of the gangway on the platform and some reworking needs to be done before the new gangway is permanently settled in.
Work continues on the pictorial survey, which we want to complete as we prepare to have discussions about drydocking the ship. Work continues on repainting the deck and doing rust inhibition work.
The internal pump system is checked periodically and is working fine.
1-28 February 2013posted Mar 5, 2013, 10:29 PM by Ling Ong
If you've seen the ship from a distance, hopefully you've noticed that the wood is being cleaned up and varnished. It makes the ship look more special.
The shipyard has technical details that will help determine if a drydock can be done safely. We are currently ready to review the pictures from the internal condition survey done last summer which will help identify where the most work needs to be done.
We are also ready to recoat the wooden deck with a paint sealant. Another idea is to begin rehabilitation of the various deck cabins.
The new gangway is just about to be put up. Thanks to the craftsmen at Clean Islands Council, a new platform has been fabricated.
1-31 January 2013posted Feb 3, 2013, 3:48 PM by Ling Ong
Happy New Year to all of our shipmates following us on the log. January has been a month of continued planning and preparing information to give to a shipyard to get ready for a drydock. We have also been working to clean up many of the exposed wood areas and get some protective varnish on. It makes workers feel good to see the wood come to life again.
The electrical upgrade is ongoing and the pump system will be finished once the electrical upgrade is complete.
The new gangway installation was delayed because of some engineering changes. Look for it up in February.
We are also ready to recoat the deck and will be having a workday to complete that project. Volunteers are still needed. We just need advanced notice. Contact us through the website.
1 November-31 December 2012posted Jan 3, 2013, 9:09 PM by Ling Ong
The various projects we are working on continue as time permits. The wooden rails and stairs are being refurbished. Steering gear has been painted. The pump system and rewiring completions awaiting parts and time to finish the work. The new gangway is ready to be installed as soon as a new platform is fabricated. There is a lot to be painted to arrest rust.
The project to review pictures from the internal survey and create narratives to aid in repair and preservation work is moving forward. This will take us a long way toward getting focused on drydock work.
We celebrated the 134th birthday of Falls of Clyde at our annual meeting on 16 December (her actual birthday was 12 December). Dr. Hans Van Tilburg entertained attendees with a talk on the historic voyage of the replica Chinese junk Princess Taiping.
As we end 2012, Friends of Falls of Clyde wishes all of those following our work a very Happy New Year. In 2013 we will be recoating our main and poop decks to prevent leakage as well as completing the projects we started in 2012. Of course, we continue to work towards getting Falls into drydock and kicking off a capital campaign once the drydocking is scheduled.
Untitled Postposted Nov 3, 2012, 5:32 PM by Ling Ong
1-31October 2012
October has seen all of our ongoing projects move forward. We are in the final stages of getting our new gangway installed. The wood railings on the poop deck have several coats of varnish and are looking very classy. We will also be getting a new deck coating for our plywood deck.
We have a big workday coming up on Saturday, November 10, starting at 9 a.m. There will be a lot of painting, so we encourage as many volunteers as possible to come out. In order to get a count, please send us an e-mail through the Contact Us link.
Mahalo to those who contributed to Friends of Falls of Clyde during Foodland's Give Aloha campaign.
7-30 September 2012posted Oct 11, 2012, 5:05 PM by Ling Ong
The board celebrated our 4th anniversary as owners and stewards of Falls of Clyde on September 30.
We continue to move forward on a number of ongoing projects. These include:
1. upgrading the electrical system on the ship,
2. completing the pumping system,
3. installing a new gangway,
4. refurbishing the plywood deck coating,
5. digitizing documents, and
6. organizing and analyzing the pictorial survey conducted in July to document internal work areas.
For volunteers, we are painting the bulwarks to inhibit rust and are sanding and varnishing the wooden railings. Call 1-877-641-0872 to confirm the work day.
Mahalo to Bishop Museum for donating their inventory of Falls fo Clyde products to Friends of Falls of Clyde. Also, mahalo to everyone who made a donation through the Foodland Gove Aloha program.
6 September 2012posted Sep 5, 2012, 11:52 PM by Ling Ong
The annual Foodland "Give Aloha" campaign is through the end of September. Please support Friends of Falls of Clyde by making a purchase at Foodland and giving a donation to Friens of falls of Clyde. Our organization number is 78512. Mahalo nui loa!!!
1-31 August 2012posted Sep 3, 2012, 2:05 PM by Ling Ong [ updated Sep 3, 2012, 2:07 PM ]
During August Jamie Jamieson and Susan Yamamoto have been working on matching the pictures taken during the condition survey with the ship's internal schematic created by Jamie. A system is being set up so that board members can participate in matching up pictures to the specific frames in the diagram. This will allow us to identify the areas of greatest need for repairs.
We are working with a vendor to find a new deck coating for the plywood deck and also for the poop deck to keep those decks from leaking when it rains heavily.
The board has approved the upgrading of the wiring system so that the new pump system can be run efficiently. The system is almost complete and currently can move ballast water between all but two tanks.
We are working to improve our system for volunteer work projects. The first step is to create a pool of volunteers who will be available to work on projects. There is a form attached that you can use.If you are interested in volunteering, you can complete the form and send it through the Contact Us link or mail it to us at P.O. Box 4674, Honolulu, HI 96812-4674.
| Attachments: Volunteer Form.doc
1-31 July 2012posted Aug 3, 2012, 8:57 PM by Ling Ong
July was a very busy month for Friends of Falls of Clyde. Chris Jannini from the National Park Service in San Francisco conducted a thorough pictorial and video survey of the interior of the ship. The survey will help us determine which areas of the ship need the most work in preparation for drydock. Board member Susan Yamamoto was instrumental in supporting the survey process. A big mahalo to the volunteers who were able to support the project. Leeward Marine owner, Fred Calkins, provided two very able and skillful employees who were very important in helping Chris and Susan in their work. We should receive a report later this month.
Parallel work was conducted on the pump system to allow us to move ballast water between tanks. Paul Pollock installed the initial system and Robert "Jamie" Jamieson worked with volunteers to make the system functional. Board member Fred Nunes worked closely with Jamie to learn the details of the system. This is essential for the stability of the ship.
Jamie has also taken the pictures from Chris and Susan and has labeled them so that they can be matched with a detailed schematic of the ship. This will be instrumental for work in preparation for drydock and for the drydock plan itself. This is a very sophisticated process that we are lucky to have been given for our preservation work.
We are hopeful that this project is taking us another step toward closer to a drydock and much needed work on the ship's hull.
For those interested in volunteering, there is work to be done on deck preservation that can be done by anyone.
We are still working on Saturdays.
1-30 June 2012posted Jun 27, 2012, 5:08 PM by Ling Ong [ updated Sep 3, 2012, 2:06 PM ]
We are eagerly awaiting the arrival of the team who will conduct our internal condition survey starting July 13. We are still in need of volunteers to help in various areas as this project will run from Monday to Saturday each week from 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. All interested volunteers should contact Susan Yamamoto at [email protected].
In preparation for this project, we are agthering all of the equipment and supplies needed. We will also have a new gangway in place. A new pump system is planned and materials are being ordered. We hope to have it installed by the time the project begins, although we have portable pumps for backup.
The weight calculations have been finished and submitted to the shipyard where we hope to drydock the ship later this year. We will have furhter discussions as the project progresses and more information is known about the scope of drydock work needed.
This is an exciting time and one that has the potential for moving the preservation of Falls of Clyde a major leap forward. Timing is everything as the saying goes and 2012 is the right time for our beloved national historic landmark. A capital fundraising program will begin once the drydock schedule has been secured.
Ship's Logposted Jun 3, 2012, 4:58 PM by Ling Ong
1 May-31 May. It appears we are getting one step closer to a drydock for our Falls of Clyde. The critical calculations are just about compleetd and it appears the displacement is within the limit required by Pacific Shipyard. There are many questions to be answered still before the drydock is a reality, but we are encouraged.
The next big project is the survey of the ship to document the internal hull areas that need repairs. Chris Jannini from the National Park Service in San Francisco has been hired to conduct the survey. This is his third visit to the ship to help us prepare for the drydock. He will be assisted by Bob "Jamie" Jamieson, the naval architect who has been making detailed schematics of the ship to be used by the drydock master. They will be working on the Falls between July 12-July 31 and we will need volunteers to help them with their equipment and support activities. They will be working from 7:30 a.m. to around 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday and we need shift workers. If anyone is interested, please use the Falls of Clyde e-mail contact for Susan Yamamoto, who is coordinating the volunteers.
Also, on July 25, Dr. Matthew James, Department of Geology Chair at Sonoma State University, will give a talk on the 1905-06 scientific collecting expedition to the Galapagos Islands. The maritime tie-in is the expedition's 1875 two-masted schooner EARNEST, which was renamed ACADEMY for the expedition. Anyone interested in this unique opportunity should contact Susan Yamamoto at [email protected].
16-30 April 2012posted May 2, 2012, 12:30 AM by Ling Ong [ updated May 4, 2012, 1:38 PM ]
The `Olelo TV program, "Today's Topic: Falls of Clyde" that was mentioned in the last log post has announced the airing times. The program will be shown on Channel 52 at the following times:
5/2/2012 3 p.m.
5/3/2012 1:30 p.m.
5/5/2012 4:30 p.m.
5/9/2012 7 p.m.
Please take time to view it and see our story.
On April 4th the Falls was visited by a group of young Highland dancers and their teachers and parents. The girls were from Helensburgh, Scotland and participated in the Highland Festival on March 31 and April 1. The girls were treated to a tour of the ship by board member, Keven Wiliamson. A picnic dinner was provided by Heather MacGregor.
On April 23rd a special visitor came to tour the Falls. Matson the Mouse, aka Duncan O'Brien, was in town from Canada to do some readings from his book at Iolani School. Matson the Mouse, the book, is a children's book tellong the history of Matson Navigation Company. Mr. O'Brien interviewed President Bruce McEwan and will post a video on You Tube. He then donned his Matson the Mouse costume and toured the ship with McEwan and board Secretary Susan Yamamoto.
Mahalo to students from BYU Hawaii and also to some Sea Cadets who recently did some volunteer work on the Falls.
posted Apr 24, 2012, 3:10 PM by Ling Ong [ updated Apr 24, 2012, 3:12 PM ]
1 January-15 April 2012posted Apr 21, 2012, 1:01 AM by Ling Ong
The year started out on a positive note. We spoke with the manager of Pacific Shipyard and got a supportive response to our request to drydock Falls of Clyde at PSI. There are some technical issues regarding displacement measurements that are currently being calculated by board member Fred Nunes and naval architect Kevin Watson. Board member Susan Yamamoto has taken the lead on having a new pump system installed. We continue to work on rust control on the top deck and can use volunteers to help chip rust, put on rust inhibitor, and paint.
Friends of Falls of Clyde is also in the process of contracting with a historic ship preservationist from the National Park Service to conduct a thorough examination of the ship’s tanks in order to document the repairs needed to prepare the ship to transit from Pier 7 to the shipyard. We have also developed a job description for a Project Manager to oversee the work on the ship in preparation for the drydock.
President Bruce McEwan, Director Hans Van Tilburg, and volunteer Tom Roesser taped a segment of `Olelo to tell our story and show a video about the Falls made by Tom for a class project at Punahou. We are looking forward to having the show aired and will let everyone know when it is scheduled.
Vice President Chris Woolaway and Tom Roesser made a presentation at the 23rd Annual Symposium on the Maritime Archaeology & History of Hawai’i and the Pacific Conference to update the attendees on what we have been doing and they were able to see Tom’s video. It is important that we get our message out to as many people in the community as possible.
We are very positive about the advances we will make in 2012 and we want all of our supporters to be with us.
January 16, 2012posted Jan 17, 2012, 12:10 AM by Ling Ong [ updated Jan 17, 2012, 12:11 AM ]
You are all invited to watch this short film by our very own Tom Roesser - "Falls of Clyde: Hawaii's Maritime Treasure".
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gtjhC5IVFiM
16 October-31 December 2011posted Jan 3, 2012, 11:51 PM by Ling Ong
Happy New Year to all the supporters of the Falls of Clyde. Since the last log update, Board Secretary Susan Yamamoto has been working with the Naval engineer Bob “Jamie” Jamieson, to document with precision the ship’s
structure, which will be invaluable when drydocking the ship.
The Board approved the Falls of Clyde case that will be critical for conducting a capital campaign. Mahalo to Sanae Tokumura of Solid Concepts for her work with the Board in developing the document. The next step is to develop talking points that will be the basis for discussions with potential donors. Rallying broad community support and support from national and international historic preservation supporters will be the focus. The key will be to bring to our community the message that we at Friends of Falls of Clyde believe in our hearts and that is the preservation and restoration of our beloved ship is not only in the best interest of our State, but also the right thing to do.
We celebrated the Falls 133rd birthday on December 12th. The highlight was the showing of a video on the Falls of Clyde filmed by Tom Roesser, a Punahou student, who produced it for a class project. He has done a wonderful job in documenting the Falls of Clyde story.
For 2012, we are looking at hiring a part time Project Manager to manage projects that need to be completed as we move toward the drydocking of the ship. Our primary goal in 2012 is to have the ship drydocked and get the preservation work completed so that restoration work can begin. Yes, 2012 will be another challenging year, but one where we will find the support to be successful with the help of everyone who cares.
Friends of Falls of Clyde wish everyone a happy and prosperous new year!
11 August-15 Octoberposted Nov 5, 2011, 4:37 PM by Ling Ong [ updated Nov 5, 2011, 4:49 PM ]
We are happy to report that the material developed with Solid Concepts, our organizational and fundraising consultant, is completed and we will be looking at a plan for a capital campaign to start later in the year. We hope to kick off the campaign at our December Annual Meeting, which will be on or around December 12th, the 133 anniversary of the launching of Falls of Clyde.
Again, mahalo to Matson Navigation for the donation of a 40-foot container in which we are storing tools and inventory from the ship. We were able to take delivery in October. Also, mahalo to Young Brothers for storing the container on their facility. Special mahalo to Fred Nunes, Hans Van Tilburg, Mark Hamilton, and Bruce McEwan, who, with the help of some Young Brothers employees, moved all the tools and inventory from its former loaned container to the donated one.
The board celebrated our third year as owner and steward of our treasure, Falls of Clyde, which was on September 30th.
Another mahalo goes to Paul Pollock for completing his work on the electrical system. This makes work on the ship with power tools much easier.
We are still waiting to hear who will take over the Hawaii Maritime Center. The mainland group that approached us with a plan that would assist in the restoration of the ship unfortunately fell through, when they did not get the bid for the Aloha Tower Marketplace.
We are getting help from Naval engineer Bob Jamieson, who is from Philadelphia and worked with the historic Navy ship Olympia. He spends part of his time in Hawaii and is developing accurate drawings of the ship that can be used in our restoration process. Having such a professional help is a great learning experience for our entire board.
In September, President Bruce McEwan visited the historic tall ship Glenlee in Glasgow, Scotland. He was a gifted with a brass plate belonging to Falls of Clyde that they had in their possession. As we have heard from other groups who have preserved and restored historic ships around the world, ships of such historic value are worth all the time and effort needed to preserve and restore them. FFC has models from other successful restorations that we can learn from and all we need is to have the ship drydocked so that we can show the community our Hawaii maritime treasure needs broad-based support. We will be reaching out to the community and hope that everyone following our Ship’s Log entries, Facebook page, and Blog will support us when the call goes out for drydock funds.
1 June-10 August 2011posted Aug 25, 2011, 1:29 AM by Ling Ong
The wheels do turn slowly, more slowly than we want. However, we continue to work on small projects. For example, Susan Yamamoto has done an excellent job of refurbishing the railing around the poop deck. We are now working to
seal the poop deck so that water does no leak into the Captain’s cabin and salon. Capt. Rick is working on stopping leaks from the roofs of the topside cabins. Jeannie Ainlay has taken on some rust removal work. The top deck over the fo’c’s’le had some wood treatment and the board is considering laying a plywood deck up there. New mooring
lines have been installed.
We do need volunteers to come down and help with the many projects we have. We are planning on a major workday, so check the website for the announcement. If you want to know what it feels like to be a crewmember, just look at some of the projects that need to be done:
1. Sweeping the deck and picking up debris.
2. Roof repairs on the cabins.
3. Rust removal and priming.
4. Patching rust holes.
5. Cleaning cabin walls.
6. Chafing gear for the mooring and spring lines needs changing.
As you can see there is plenty of work to help work up a sweat and contribute to the improvement of our grand old lady.
We have been contacted by a developer who wants to take over the Aloha Tower Marketplace and Pier 7 and help us with the restoration. This is a competitive situation and we know a few developers are looking to bid on the marketplace and others want to take over the Hawaii Maritime Center. We are open to work with any new neighbor who wants to support our work. By the next Ship’s Log entry, we hope to have some positive news to publicize.
We continue our work with Solid Concepts to develop our case to take to potential funders in a capital campaign. This is a slow process because we want to make sure we have a solid organizational foundation to draw those who want to see Falls of Clyde opened up to the public again. She has many tales to tell and we plan to make those sea
stories a key piece when she reopens. The board has agreed that our current acronym FoFOC, is too long and awkward, so our new acronym is FFC. You’ve heard it first here.
September is fast approaching and with it our third anniversary as owners of Falls of Clyde. September is also the annual Foodland Give Aloha campaign for non-profit organizations. We encourage all of you to shop at least once at Foodland during September and include a contribution to FFC. We are under Friends of Falls of Clyde and our organization code is 78512.
Mahalo to Matson Navigation for contributing a 40-foot container to FFC. They loaned us one a few years ago when we removed artifacts and tools from the HMC. Thecontainer has been stored at Young Brothers, but we will be swapping out containers and moving our storage to the Kapalama Military Reservation. We plan to take an inventory
and store what we have so that we have easier access than we do now. Volunteers will be needed to help unload the old container and reload the new container. We hope to complete this project within the next couple of weeks and will get the word out for volunteers.
As always, funding at any level is critical to keep projects moving. Anyone wishing to make a contribution should send it to Friends of falls of Clyde, P.O. Box 4674, Honolulu, HI 96812-4674. Mahalo nui for everyone who has been consistent in supporting FFC.
16 March-31 May.posted Jun 9, 2011, 2:25 AM by Ling Ong
It has been some time since the last entry. The bad news is that there is no 2011 funding for the NPS “Save America’s Treasures.” We are continuing to keep the ship deck clean and have someone working on improving the electrical system. The key mooring lines have been changed out and we again owe a debt the Leeward Marine
for their assistance in getting the lines changed.
The Falls of Clyde T-Shirts with the skeleton crew design on the back continues to be popular. They can be ordered through Friends of Falls Of Clyde. Just send us a note through the website.
We welcomed aboard Robin Beasley as our new Treasurer. The board continues to work with Solid Concepts to complete out infrastructure documentation.
We are interested in getting organizations to use Pier 7 and maybe limited use of the deck of the Falls for meeting and party venues. In May, The Caledonian Society of Hawaii held a meeting at Pier 7 to hear a lecture on the Falls of Clyde by Dr. Hans Van Tilburg, a Friends board member.
In April, following the annual Highland Festival sponsored by the local Scottish organizations under the umbrella of the Hawaiian-Scottish Association, a group of Scottish Highland dancers with their chaperones, paid a visit to the Falls and had a B-B- Q supper at Pier 7.
1 February-15 March 2011posted Mar 30, 2011, 4:19 PM by Ling Ong
The Falls of Clyde survived the tsunami on Mar 11 with no damage.
I am happy to say that the plywood deck with its protective and non- skid coating is now a reality and it is much easier and safer to get around the main deck. We are also in the process of getting a couple of key mooring lines changed out to make sure the ship stays secure in her berth. Other projects we have undertaken include getting a stable source of electricity and stabilizing our bilge alarm system so that we don’t get false readings. For hull protection, we are looking for some expert advice on the placement of anodes. We are always in need of people who can assist in advising on the technical aspects of ship maintenance.
Now that the board has agreed on a long-term plan, we are working with Solid Concepts to prepare our case, i.e., our story that will garner broader community support for our restoration work.
We are also going to pursue the National Park Service’s “Save America’s Treasures” grant again this year. We are aware of what we need to do to make a stronger case in order to better compete for the limited funds.
Finally, a big mahalo to Capt. Hill and the crew of the M/V MOKIHANA, a Matson Navigation Company ship. As a fundraiser for Falls of Clyde, some of the crew designed a T-shirt that aptly reflects the spirit of all who support the restoration of this great ship. The back of the shirt says Falls of Clyde and there is a picture of a skeleton crew (yes skeletons) with the phrase "Never give up, Never surrender". These are words that we who are dedicated to saving this national historic landmark live by!!
20 December 2010-31 January 2011posted Feb 10, 2011, 12:37 PM by Ling Ong
Happy 2011. I’ve waited until we heard from the National Park Service about our grant application for “Save America’s Treasures.” Naively I thought this was a “no brainer” since the grant is for national historic landmarks. Unfortunately, we did not figure on the competition for the funds and we were left out of the funding all together. The Board will be working on the proverbial “Plan B” shortly.
The Board held a strategic planning meeting in mid-January to lay out some short-term goals in the next 3-5 years, but also did some visioning for the next 20 years.
The laying down of a new plywood decking to make it safer to get around the deck and to stop leakage from the main deck started this week. Because of the size of the project and the need to get it done in a timely manner, we hired a contractor for the job. There will still be work for weekend volunteers, however. A special mahalo to Leeward Marine for moving the spars on the deck out of the way so that the plywood can be laid.
Another project we are working on is the replacement of the mooring lines. The wires tied into the soft lines on the bow of the ship are rusted and frayed. The best way to insure a safe berth is to replace the mooring and spring lines, which should be accomplished in February.
Although 2011 is starting out a bit rocky, we have a committed Board team who are staying the course. We do encourage volunteers to contact us and, of course, we appreciate the donations that you send in. For those who
send donations in by mail, we have a new mailing address: P.O. Box 4674, Honolulu, HI 96812-4674.
22 November-19 Decemberposted Dec 24, 2010, 10:26 AM by Ling Ong [ updated Dec 24, 2010, 10:34 AM ]
Unfortunately, Falls of Clyde did not get the most votes for the Hampton Landmark funds. We lost out to Kilauea Lighthouse. Mahalo to everyone who supported us.
We received a notice from the National Park Service advising that the awarding of the Save America’s Treasures grant will be made in January, so we have another month to wait. This is the money that we will need to match so that we can go into drydock in 2011.
The rain we are currently having shows us that we need to get the new plywood decking down quickly before rainy season really starts. We are arranging to have that done by a commercial vendor. We are also working on a plan to do some rust removal and repainting in areas topside. The plan from our Project Manager, Chris Jannini, has just come in and will establish our work for the next several months.
We celebrated the 132nd birthday of Falls on 12 December with a small potluck event. Mahalo to Heather MacGregor who provided a selection of main dishes from various areas of the world. They were cooked by the chef Heather works with. We sang Happy Birthday of course. President Bruce McEwan gave an update on the work of Friends of Falls Of Clyde. He also recognized three volunteers for exceptional work in 2010: Alta Renton. Jeff Chawenson, Susan Yamamoto.
As we head into 2011, we again must reach out to our donors for funds to keep FoFOC functioning. This year the board has developed a series of designations for our donor levels. Here is how you can support Falls of Clyde as a crew member:
Donation Designation
Cook $1-49
Able-Bodied Sailor $50-99
3rd Mate $100-249
2nd Mate $250-499
1st Mate $500-999
Master $1000+
We really appreciate the support of our donors and ask that you make your tax-deductible
donation early in 2011.
30 October-21 Novemberposted Nov 30, 2010, 1:11 AM by Ling Ong [ updated Nov 30, 2010, 1:15 AM ]
We have nine (9) more days of voting at hamptonlandmarks.com for the Falls of Clyde. We heard at the midpoint (11/15/10) that we had over 1,500 votes. We hope to double or triple that by November 30. The money we could be awarded will help to provide the matching funds if we get the “Save America’s Treasures” grant in December.
Our project consultant, Chris Jannini, was here for just over three weeks and laid out some plans for us, as well as getting some important work accomplished with our volunteers. We now have the bilge alarm installed and all of the plywood is on board for the new decking. We will need volunteers to prepare the deck and lay the plywood. Our Technical Committee people worked closely with Chris to make sure the work gets carried out as he directed.
Now that Alta Renton will serve as our Volunteer Coordinator, we are developing a formal process for our volunteer workers. There will be an application process so that we know what skills our volunteers have, which will make volunteer assignments more effective. We will also track volunteer hours and recognize volunteers for their contributions. If you want to volunteer, please send us a note through the website.
Another area we want to pursue is to collect stories from people in the community and elsewhere, who have stories to tell about their experience with Falls of Clyde. If you have a personal attachment please send us your story. Were you a child who toured the ship on a field trip? Did you get married aboard the ship? Did you attend a special party there? Did a relative serve on the ship as a crew member? Did you help with the first restoration project? We want to collect personal stories to show members of our community that Falls of Clyde has touched the lives of many people. Please contact us through the website.
14-30 Septemberposted Oct 10, 2010, 8:23 PM by Ling Ong [ updated Nov 30, 2010, 1:14 AM ]
The presentation at the Maritime Heritage Conference was well received. The Falls of Clyde and her significance to in maritime history was mentioned in two other presentations. There is definitely support amongst the experts in historic ship preservation and restoration and those other organizations that have taken on the challenge of being stewards of these historic vessels.
The final plans for the pre-drydock stabilization project are coming together. Chris Jannini is scheduled to be here before the end of October to manage the project. Once the labor requirement is determined, we will be putting the word out for volunteers to help.
We do need people who would like to go through documents and help categorize information and pull together stories that we can use to tell the local community about what the ship has done to serve Hawaii in the past and how she was restored before. We have to reach out deeper into the community for support and getting together our story is a critical piece that will take volunteers to research and tell craft some stories. We particularly want to highlight the role of the sailing ship in Hawaii’s maritime history. Anyone interested in doing this type of work can contact us through the website.
We’ve just reached our second year as owner and steward of our wonderful national historic landmark and do believe that we are in the preservation stage of our work rather than lingering in the crisis phase that has used up a lot of time and energy.
26 July-13 Septemberposted Sep 21, 2010, 1:03 AM by Ling Ong [ updated Oct 10, 2010, 8:25 PM ]
We are approaching our second year of ownership and stewardship of Falls of Clyde. It has been a long haul with many challenges. On Saturday, September 18, our story will be told in a panel presentation at the Maritime Heritage Conference by Dr. Hans Van Tilburg, Dr. Bruce McEwan, and Chris Jannini. We hope to come back with some good ideas from those who have been through the same type of experience we are going through. We have begun working with Sanae Tokumura of Solid Concepts, Inc. to assess where we are as an organization and to build the infrastructure we need to raise major funds for drydocking the ship next year. Our Technical Committee is hard at work laying plans for the preservation project work that will be done in October-November this year.
1 September 2010posted Sep 4, 2010, 1:30 AM by Ling Ong
If you shop at Foodland or Sack N Save during the month of September, please consider making a donation to the Friends of Falls of Clyde via Give Aloha.
Our organization number: 78512
Give Aloha, Foodland's Annual Community Matching Gifts Program, was created in 1999 to honor Foodland’s founder, Maurice J. "Sully" Sullivan, and continue his legacy of giving back to the community. Each year, during Sept.1 – 30 at all Foodland and Sack N Save stores statewide, customers are invited to make donations at checkout to their favorite Hawaii non-profit organization. Foodland and the Western Union Foundation match each donation up to a total of $325,000 for all organizations combined. Since the program began, more than $14 million has been raised for Hawaii’s charities.
25 June-25 July.posted Aug 10, 2010, 1:46 AM by Ling Ong [ updated Oct 10, 2010, 8:27 PM ]
Tonight Friends celebrated the receipt of the Pfeiffer Funds by honoring the memory of Bobby Pfeiffer at a small event at Pier 7. Among the guests were several Matson employees and Falls of Clyde flew the Matson house flag on her stern. The choice of this date coincided with the arrival in Honolulu Harbor of the M/V R.J. Pfeiffer, a Matson container ship named in honor of Mr. Pfeiffer. As the ship came in the attendees waved at her crew and board member Susan Yamamoto, who is also our house piper, played a serenade on her pipes for the ship.
The FOFOC board created a Technical Committee at our last board meeting in order to have a small group of knowledgeable people make decisions with regard to vessel maintenance. We are preparing to install a bilge alarm and pump system and these folks will be making the decisions necessary to get that accomplished.
The National Trust Preservation Fund (NTPF) accepted our candidate for project consultant to oversee the hull work to be done prior to taking the ship to drydock in 2011. Chris Jannini, who led the team that conducted the condition survey last Fall has accepted the project consultant position. We are currently putting in grants to add to the NTPF grant we already received.
1 May - 24 Juneposted Jun 27, 2010, 8:24 PM by Ling Ong [ updated Jun 27, 2010, 8:30 PM ]
There has been quite a gap in filing the log entries, but we have great news to announce. Today we received the cheque from Bishop Museum for the Pfeiffer Funds that were donated by R.J. Pfeiffer, former CEO of Alexander & Baldwin, for the upkeep of Falls of Clyde. A Development Committee will be set up to administer the funds. This does give FoFOC a major boost in our financial stability.
The “Save America’s Treasures” grant application has gone in and we will hear about the award near the end of 2010. In preparing the application, we were able to get estimates for drydocking from two shipyards, which we needed for budget purposes. Now that we have some concrete numbers, we will focus on raising funds for specific work.
We are also working to hire the consultant to oversee the immediate work on the ship before she can go into drydock, which appears to be sometime in early 2011. We are working with vendors now to have bilge alarms installed and will have a cathodic system of some sort to protect the hull from further deterioration. The project consultant will focus on physical improvement work to stabilize the hull. In September, there is a Maritime Heritage Conference in Baltimore, Maryland. FoFOC will present a panel discussion on our project, covering the history, the current work that we’ve been doing, and our future plans. We hope to keep the Falls of Clyde restoration visible amongst the entire maritime community—national and international. A mahalo to Kim Beasley of Clean Islands Council, who provided FoFOC with office space at their Sand Island Access Road location. Volunteer work is still going on. Anyone interested can contact us through the website to find out what is needed and when work will be done.
10-30 Aprilposted May 8, 2010, 9:01 AM by Ling Ong [ updated May 8, 2010, 9:03 AM ]
The hearing on the transfer of funds to FoFOC for the maintenance of the ship was delayed until 29 April. The hearing did take place and the judge made swift work of approving the petition for transfer from Bishop Museum to Friends of Falls Of Clyde. The final order is being drafted by Bishop Museum’s attorney and, once all parties have agreed to the terms and the judge signs off, the money will be transferred to FoFOC. We are hopeful that this will take place within the next couple of weeks. Having funds to invest and to use for the maintenance of the ship takes a big weight off FoFOC.
The “Save America’s Treasures” grant application will go in shortly thanks to the work of Hal McArthur and Hans Van Tilburg. This is an excellent opportunity to get substantial funds to do work on the ship’s preservation.
Volunteer work has been focused recently on collecting documents related to the ship from the 1960’s to the 2000’s. We believe we have a vast store of information that will help us with developing our Falls of Clyde preservation and restoration message for the public, as well as providing guidance for the work that needs to be done.
We have put the word out at the last HOST meeting that we want to begin collecting the artifacts from the ship that were taken during the period that she was being prepared to be sunk. We know that many people in the maritime industry wanted to preserve the artifacts and now that the ship is saved and the plans are being laid for preservation and restoration, we need to know what we have to work with and what will need replacing. We encourage everyone who has or knows people who have artifacts from the ship to contact FoFOC and arrange for us to inventory and store them.
We received a small grant from the National Trust for Historic Preservation for hiring a temporary project manager to oversee some preservation work that we will need to do before the ship is ready to go into drydock. This person will be a consultant and must be knowledgeable about historic preservation work. We are contacting mainland preservation organization to help find the person we need.
Our message to all interested parties is that we are very confident that 2010 will be a year for positive steps forward in our efforts to preserve and restore our maritime treasure--Falls of Clyde.
16 February-9 April 2010posted Apr 13, 2010, 12:53 AM by Ling Ong [ updated Apr 13, 2010, 1:01 AM ]
Much of the time since the last log entry has been spent with volunteers doing work to protect the ship from rain water getting in below deck and tending to routine general condition checks. We are waiting to hear about a grant that will provide some funds to bring in a project manager to focus our volunteer work and to oversee some outside contractor work on the internals.
What we hope is a final court hearing on 21 April to get the FOC endowment funds transferred to FoFOC. At that point we will be looking to form our Investment Committee to recommend how we can best generate interest income.
We are also working on a federal grant application for an “America’s Treasures” grant that we believe will give us funds to do some significant work.
Our pier area has been the venue for a couple of events related to Scottish heritage. The Caledonian Society of Hawaii, a strong supporter of the Falls of Clyde, held an event in March where board member Hans Van Tilburg spoke on Scottish shipping. This week some young Highland dancers from Scotland and their chaperones came to see the ship and had a barbecue on the pier. One of the attendees is a reporter from Scotland, so we will get a bit of press when she gets home.
Friends of Falls Of Clyde will have an exhibit at the Highland Festival in Kapiolani Park on 10-11 April as part of The Caledonian Society’s cultural tent.
1 January-15 February 2010.posted Mar 7, 2010, 11:39 PM by Ling Ong [ updated Mar 7, 2010, 11:42 PM ]
Since the first of the year, we have mostly been waiting for things to happen and now they are starting to come together. First, the court papers have finally been filed so that we can get the FOC endowment released to FoFOC. This is a major step forward and will give us a financial boost.
Second, we received the Request For Proposal (RFP) document from Chris Jannini, who conducted our condition survey last fall. This allows us to go to the shipyards for quotes to determine what the cost will be for a fullblown drydock rather than just one to look for critical repairs. This will also guide our fundraising.
Third, we have been consulting with a historical site preservation expert and are going through a learning process to make sure our preservation work meets all standards for a national historic landmark. We are also looking at grants to fund a project manager. Our current plan is still to keep the ship dockside for the year and do some internal repairs and some topside refurbishment. As plans become firmer for the work schedule, volunteers will be needed so keep close watch on the website.
We responded to the Aloha Tower Development Corporation’s (ATDC) strategic plan, which calls for filling in piers 5-8, by vehemently opposing such a move. Although such a plan would take years to execute, we felt we need to have our voice heard early on.
16-31 December 2009posted Feb 2, 2010, 12:16 AM by Ling Ong [ updated Feb 2, 2010, 12:18 AM ]
A fairly quiet close to 2009. The Board elected two new members: Anne Stevens from State Civil Defense and Fred Nunes, who just retired from Harbors Engineering Dept.
The endowment transfer is still working its way slowly through the legal proceedings, but we are hopeful in early 2010 we will have the funds and will be able to look at investment opportunities.
There will be some folks down at Pier 7 tonight to see the New Year’s Eve fireworks off Aloha Tower Marketplace if anyone is interested. Friends of Falls Of Clyde is looking at a very active and positive 2010 and we wish all of our supporters a healthy and happy New Year!!!!!
1-15 December 2009posted Feb 2, 2010, 12:12 AM by Ling Ong [ updated Feb 2, 2010, 12:14 AM ]
The board approved moving forward in asking Chris Jannini to create a scope of work proposal so that we can get a sense of the cost for a full-blown drydock sometime in the next year or so. This will help us focus on what funds need to be raised. In addition, it will also help us decide what pierside work we can do ourselves prior to going to drydock. We have volunteer grant writers who are going to see if we can get money to hire a project manager to lay out our preservation works schedule and manage our volunteers. We were fortunate to get a substantial article in the December 9th Star Bulletin that let the public know what we are planning.
The steps to get the endowment are still being worked through, although all parties involved are in agreement as to what needs to be done. We hope to have the funds transferred over by the end of the year or early in 2010. This will really help the year get started on a positive note.
A small group of people helped celebrate the 131stbirthday of Falls of Clyde on December 12th at Pier 7. Mahalo to NOAA for lending us a wonderful lei to drape across the ship’s bow. It looks very festive for the season. At the event, board members Chris Woolaway and Susan Yamamoto were recognized for their outstanding contributions to Friends of Falls Of Clyde and our work in preserving this wonderful historic landmark. Success can only be achieved through the dedication of people like Chris and Susan, who are inspirations to everyone committed to restoring the ship for all the people in our community.
6-30 November 2009posted Feb 2, 2010, 12:11 AM by Ling Ong [ updated Feb 14, 2010, 9:31 PM ]
The much awaited condition survey was received last week from Chris Jannini. There is a lot of work for us to accomplish in the next 12-15 months and we will need volunteers to help with much of it. We are preparing grants to hire a project manager to oversee the work. Once we get an idea of the cost of the commercial work to be done, we will be raising the funds to pay for that. Preservation work will be accelerated in 2010.
The agreement to transfer the FOC endowment is still ongoing. We are hopeful that this will be wrapped up by year end so that we can form our investment committee.
A big mahalo to PENCO for making a generous donation to FoFOC and also selling us pumps that are much needed. PENCO and American Marine have been staunch supporters of the FoFOC and our work to save the ship and now our work to preserve and restore it.
Mahalo also to Matson and Young Brothers for providing equipment and storage space, respectively, for the inventory of tools, parts, and miscellaneous property that FoFOC retrieved from the Hawaii Maritime Center.
16 October- 5 November 2009posted Feb 2, 2010, 12:08 AM by Ling Ong [ updated Feb 2, 2010, 12:16 AM ]
A small group gathered at Pier 7 on October 25 to get a briefing on the status of the ship, the endowment, and the maritime center. The ship was inspected by Chris Jannini and Micah Allnutt, two men who have worked on the preservation and restoration of historic ships. The purpose of their inspection was to assess the physical state of the ship and provide FoFOC with a report and recommendations on the scope of work needed to be done in preparation for and in drydock. They spent the good part of a week going and out of tanks and doing a thorough job of inspecting the hull. Their report is due by mid-November. Once the document is received, the FoFOC board will make some decisions with regard to the preservation project. A lengthy list of volunteer activities has been identified so there will be a lot of work done over the next several months. We received word from Marisco that the window for drydocking the ship in January or early February has closed. Setting a new drydock period will be based on how much work is recommended at pierside in the Jannini/Allnutt report.
Ultrasound test on the hull
The report on the status of the endowment focused on the new strategy of getting the court to agree that the endowment is a trust and Bishop Museum, FoFOC, and the State Attorney General are all in agreement that the transfer should be made. There are some legal hurdles, but we believe that the end is in sight to take responsibility for the funds and their investment. We discovered that with the change in lowering the federal interest rates resulted in only a couple of hundred dollars in interest generated over the past six months.
A presentation was made to the Bishop Museum board’s executive committee on October 29 by representatives of FoFOC, Hawai`i Maoli, Pacific American Foundation, and RIM Architects, the consultant for the redevelopment of the Hawaii Maritime Center. FoFOC and Hawai`i Maoli are partnering to lead a consortium of other organizations in redeveloping HMC to the King Kalakaua Ocean Center. Restoration of Falls of Clyde will be a centerpiece of the activities that will be taking place at the center should Bishop Museum agree to transfer it.
We believe that there are positive forces coming together that will could us in a great position for the future if everything falls into place.
25 September-15 October 2009posted Feb 2, 2010, 12:07 AM by Ling Ong
The General Meeting has been set for Sunday, October 25, from 1630-1830 at Pier 7. This will be a potluck with those attending asked to bring some finger food/pupu. Drinks will be provided by Friends of Falls Of Clyde. There will be an update on the drydock, volunteer projects, and a variety of other topics with up-to-the-minute status.
The transfer of the endowment has not gone smoothly. Bishop Museum felt it was important to go through the court for a transfer, but the judge who has the case appears to believe that she does not have jurisdiction, so we are looking at a direct transfer from Bishop Museum with our respective attorneys working on the details. Both Bishop and FoFOC want the transfer to occur for the benefit of our work on the ship. Hopefully we will have good news by the General Meeting.
The other big news is that we are hiring an expert in ship preservation from San Francisco to inspect the Falls and prepare a scope of work list for drydock, which now will take place in late January or early February in order to get two weeks on dock.
11 September-24 September 2009posted Feb 2, 2010, 12:06 AM by Ling Ong
Regular workdays will be scheduled as soon as we get the safety ladders in place so that we can work inside the ship. We are preparing a scope of work for volunteers that will carry us over the next few months.
We are waiting to see if the probate court judge will finally approve the transfer of endowment funds to Friends of Falls Of Clyde. Once done an investment committee will be formed to manage the funds.
As mentioned in an earlier posting, FoFOC will hold a general meeting of interested parties to update everyone and give a planning report. A date in October will be set at the next FoFOC board meeting.
29 August-10 September 2009posted Feb 1, 2010, 11:58 PM by Ling Ong [ updated Feb 2, 2010, 12:28 AM ]
Members of the Board met with representatives from Marisco, PENCO, and American Marine, all of whom will be involved in the drydock project for the Falls. The outcome of the meeting was a clearer picture from all perspectives on what needs to be done to get ready for drydock and what to accomplish in drydock. The drydock set for 15 September is not realistic, so it will be rescheduled for early in 2010. We must advise the shipyard of the scope of the work in drydock so that they will have all necessary supplies on hand. It was also agreed that we need to do as much preparation work as possible. This means that we will have a great deal of volunteer work available between now and when we go to drydock. A top priority is secure safe access to the internal sections of the ship so that work can begin. We will be determining what work needs to be done to make sure the Falls will safely make the voyage to Marisco. Notices about workdays will be posted on the website.
Besides the work on the ship, we need volunteers to help develop materials for the Bob Krauss Million Quarter Drive. Although it has been almost three months since the kick-ff, we need to work on marketing plan and get donation cans distributed. Anyone with talents in this area can volunteer by sending a note through the web email.
Friends of Falls Of Clyde has been signed up with Foodland for their annual “Give Aloha” fundraising campaign in September. If you shop at Foodland and want to include a donation in your purchase, please designate FoFOC and our organization number is 78512. Save your receipt and send it in to us and we’ll send a donation letter. Every bit helps.
Following the Board meeting on 10 September, the directors went aboard the Falls and held a short memorial service for the late Capt. Gary “Skip” Naftel. Our very own piper, Susan Yamamoto, played "Amazing Grace" to end the ceremony.
Skip Naftel
We will be holding a general meeting within the next few weeks to bring all interested parties up to date.
18-28 August 2009posted Feb 1, 2010, 11:55 PM by Ling Ong [ updated Feb 2, 2010, 12:32 AM ]
The FoFOC suffered the loss of one of our board members, Capt. Gary “Skip” Naftel, who passed away on August 24th. Capt. Naftel was a vice president and maritime industry liaison and was intimately involved in preparing to take the Falls of Clyde to drydock in a few weeks. His loss will be felt throughout the maritime industry.
Some members of the board of FoFOC were fortunate enough to meet with Mori Flapan and his wife, who were in Hawaii on holiday. Mori has been a big supporter of the efforts of FoFOC even from afar. He has had a long career in the Australian maritime industry and has been intimately involved in historic ship preservation. He provided some recommendations for making our efforts successful. His work with the ship James Craig spanned a period of 20 years, but was very successful. He told us that we are well ahead of many restoration projects because Falls of Clyde is in much better shape than other ships that have been fully restored. We are greatly bolstered by this knowledge.
We look forward to September as being a landmark month for FoFOC. We will go to drydock, take possession of the FOC endowment, and recognize the one-year anniversary of ownership and stewardship of this priceless national historic landmark. Imua!!
10-17 August 2009posted Feb 1, 2010, 11:54 PM by Ling Ong [ updated Feb 2, 2010, 12:34 AM ]
The FoFOC Board has decided not to move forward with a one-year celebration on September 26. We will hold an event later this fall.
There are specific volunteer work projects planned prior to going to drydock. The next work day is Saturday, August 22, from 9 a.m.-Noon. Weekly work days have been deferred and volunteer work will be scheduled as needed up to the drydock time. You can check the website for scheduled days or call the volunteer coordinator, Capt. Jeff Lansdown, at 230-0940.
We enjoyed making the connection with the maritime academy cadets. Although we only met a couple of dozen, we found that there were representatives from four different academies sailing on the CMA ship Golden Bear: Maine Maritime Academy (2), Massachusetts Maritime Academy (3), Texas Maritime Academy (136), and California Maritime Academy (71). It wonderful to see so many interested in the maritime industry of which Falls of Clyde is a great symbol.
24 July-9 August 2009posted Feb 1, 2010, 11:52 PM by Ling Ong
On 24 July, the Probate Court heard the arguments for the transfer of the Pfeiffer Endowment from Bishop Museum to Friends of Falls Of Clyde. Although both Bishop Museum and FoFOC made arguments for the transfer, the judge decided to request additional information from Bishop Museum and deferred a decision until September. The delay is not helpful to FoFOC, but we are hopeful that the transfer will be made at the next hearing.
There have been weekly volunteer work projects on the Falls by volunteers. The work will continue weekly or every other week until the drydock. Currently the drydock, which was deferred from 29 July, is scheduled for 15 September. The exact date will be known as we get closer. Because of the delay, the Board has decided to forego a one-year celebration and fundraiser. We do plan to have some sort of celebration when she gets back from drydock.
The drydock will include blasting of the hull, sealing any holes or weak areas, and painting the bottom hull. She will return to Pier 7 in seaworthy condition and will be ready for more preservation work.
With the impending hurricane (or tropical storm or tropical depression) Felicia, we needed to shore up the safety lines of the ship. We put out a call and were fortunate to get volunteers from the crew of the California Maritime Academy ship Golden Bear. Golden Bear is currently crewed by cadets from both the California Maritime Academy and Texas Maritime Academy. FoFOC extends a sincere mahalo to the young men and women and their supervisors who came to the rescue and doubled the safety lines on the ship to withstand any winds that may come in from Felicia or any other hurricane that may come before we go to drydock. Volunteers also helped to “batten down the hatches” in preparation for any rain that we may get.
During this period the asbestos on the ship was cleaned out, so we have no environmental issue that could cause any problems with drydocking the ship. We have worked closely with the employees of Marisco to prepare for drydock. As we prepare to go to drydock, watch this space to find out more about the opportunities to ride an escort vessel as Falls of Clyde is towed to Kalaeloa Harbor.
We understand that many people are interested in the current status and future of our wonderful national historic landmark, Falls of Clyde. The official spokesperson for Friends of Falls Of Clyde is our president, Bruce McEwan, so all official information will come from him. He can be contacted through this website.
30 May-14 June 2009posted Feb 1, 2010, 11:50 PM by Ling Ong
We have set our first official fundraiser for 30 June. We wanted to start out with a low key, affordable event. The event will be held at the Dillingham Transportation building from 5-7 p.m. Tickets need to be purchased in advance for $40, with $20 being a tax deductible donation. Food will be provided by the Honolulu Café. There will be a silent auction of Falls of Clyde and other maritime memorabilia. A flyer will be sent out shortly with the details for ticket purchases and one will be posted on the website. We hope to draw on the grassroots base of Falls of Clyde supporters.
An agreement has been reached with Bishop Museum to pay for the removal of the asbestos on the piping in the ship. A contractor will be hired and the removal accomplished before drydock.
On 14 June, Flag Day, the first of what we hope will become regular volunteer workdays was held at Pier 7. Volunteers did some sanding on the ship and a fence was built to prevent access to the ship’s berth. For those who came by, there was a treat to see the Falls decked out in flags on the port and starboard sides which were borrowed from the Coast Guard and there was a large American flag flying from the stern. The next set of workdays is 27 and 28 June. Details about the work for volunteers will be posted on the website.
There will be other special events coming up in the next couple of months, including a One Year Celebration of Friends of Falls Of Clyde’s ownership of our wonderful lady. More to come on this, but save 26 September.
12-29 May 2009posted Feb 1, 2010, 11:49 PM by Ling Ong
There is finally some positive news to report. Friends has received a $45,000 grant from the Atherton Foundation towards the costs of taking the Falls to drydock in July. We are still waiting tom hear from Aloha Petroleum about the request we put in.
We are trying to set up a fundraiser downtown in June to raise the balance of the funds we need to cover all costs associated with going to drydock. When the date and venue are set, we will get the word out and hope to get at least 100 people to the event. If anyone has items for a silent auction, we would appreciate contact so that we can get them ready. We will also use this opportunity to formally kickoff the Bob Krauss Million Quarter Drive.
We believe that the Bishop Museum board met this week and hopefully acted positively on our request to take responsibility for the asbestos clean up. This is a must do before we can go into drydock. I expect to receive word from them next week.
Attorneys for Bishop Museum have filed the necessary papers with the Probate Court to move the transfer of the Falls of Clyde endowment over to Friends. A hearing is scheduled for 24 July and we do not anticipate a problem with the transfer.
24 April-11 May 2009posted Feb 1, 2010, 11:48 PM by Ling Ong
The Senate Concurrent Resolution passed which gives recognition to the ship as one of “historical significance as a sailing symbol of Hawaii.” We should all feel proud about that.
We did provide Bishop Museum with the report and quotes to clean out the asbestos on the ship. We have yet to hear from them.
Our grant applications to the Atherton Foundation and Aloha Petroleum have not yet borne fruit, but we hope to get a positive result any day.
The inventory went well and the majority of the heavy pieces are stored away in a 40-foot container. Mahalo to Matson for the use of the container and to Frank White for the storage space. The balance of the inventory was completed on May 9 at the HMC. The purpose of the second round was to catalogue smaller and more delicate items and to take measurements for crates so that they can be moved and stored. We are now also ready to take possession of documents that will need to be sorted and catalogued. This whole process has been exciting. There is a lot of work for volunteers who want to help sort and clean up the various artefacts. Once we get to the preservation/restoration phase and lay out our project timeline, we will be asking for help.
We have a definite drydock window on or about 20 July at Marisco. We will be holding one or more fundraisers within the next two months to raise the funds needed for the transit insurance and drydock.
Bruce McEwan will be interviewed on Rep. Corinne Ching’s `Olelo program on heritage on Tuesday, 12 May. In addition, he will be speaking to the Chinatown Rotary Club on 20 May. Each opportunity to speak allows us to reach out for support from more of our local citizens.
Nothing new to report on the endowment as it goes through the probation process in court.
We do have our own Revocable Permit now for the berthing at Pier 7, which is provided by the Harbors Division gratis for our non-profit organization.
9-23 April 2009posted Feb 1, 2010, 11:47 PM by Ling Ong
We held a general meeting at the Waikiki Yacht Club tonight and reported on a number of issues. First, FoFOC has signed a lease for the Pier 7 berth with the Harbors Division, which has given it us gratis. When we do go to drydock, we are now assured of coming back to Pier 7.
We are still waiting for the quotes needed for the asbestos cleanup, which we hope to get to Bishop Museum within the next few days. Once this is completed we will be ready for drydock, so we need to see when we can fit into Marisco’s schedule. We want to be in and out before hurricane season begins.
The inventory recording and moving as much as we can to storage takes place this weekend at the Hawaii Maritime Center at Pier 7 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday (4/25) and Sunday (4/26). We expect to have a good group of volunteers.
We are waiting to hear about our grant application to the Atherton Foundation for funds to pay for expenses associated with drydocking the ship. We have also put in a request for funding to Aloha Gas, which is a successor company to Associated Petroleum, which owned Falls after Matson.
The resolution going through the legislature (SCR 138, SD1) has another hearing before the House Committee on Tourism, Culture, and International Affairs on Friday, April 24. We will again be testifying with our support. A positive change in the title of the resolution makes it very clear about the importance of the ship: “Requesting the State to Recognize the Historical Significance of the Falls of Clyde as a Sailing Symbol of Hawaii.”
The big news is a partnership that we have developed with a native Hawaiian organization, Hawaii Maoli, to look at purchasing the Hawaii Maritime Center and create a Hawaii Maritime Education Center with Falls of Clyde being a centerpiece at the facility. The focus will be on education and also on developing skills for the restoration and maintenance of the ship. There are funds available for this type of project and the opportunities are extensive for creating a major educational and cultural venue on the waterfront. We have gotten a commitment from Bishop Museum to give us time to conduct a feasibility study and make a formal proposal for the HMC, if the project appears likely to be as successful as our organizations envision.
Finally, we did receive two quarters of interest from the Pfeiffer Endowment and Bishop Museum is processing the documents through Probate Court so that Friends can take over trusteeship of the endowment. This should be finalized in the next couple of months.
28 March-8 April 2009posted Feb 1, 2010, 11:45 PM by Ling Ong
The resolution we testified in favor of was passed out of the committee on 1 April and hopefully will pass the full Senate. The House version was heard on 6 April and was also passed out. Another resolution asking for a study to create a cultural heritage district within the Nu`uanu Ahupua`a was not passed. This would include the waterfront and Falls of Clyde would be part of it. Hopefully this idea will be championed by some legislators who are interested in all aspects of Hawaii’s heritage.
On the two issues mentioned above, Bishop Museum’s board did authorize the transfer of the interest to FoFOC. It was a very small amount, but we definitely have need for it to pay the ongoing bills to maintain the ship. The process of going through Probate Court to take management of the entire endowment corpus is now in the works. We hope to have control by the end of the second quarter, when we will draw down the interest again.
Bishop Museum has asked for documentation on the asbestos findings and also on quotes for the remediation. We are in the process of getting formal quotes to submit to them. We are very hopeful that this issue will be resolved in our favor. We believe that the other potential environmental issues may not materialize. Once we have satisfied the shipyard that there is no longer an environmental concern, we can get a firm drydock date.
We are preparing to take a detailed inventory of the various FOC property that is at the Hawaii Maritime Center. Once we have the details, we will be ready to put it in storage until we need it for the restoration and we may be able to have some work projects for volunteers to refurbish some things.
We are finalizing the date for our next General Meeting and will be sending out the notice soon. By the time of the meeting, we should know if we have grant money from the Atherton Foundation to carry us over the hump period until drydock. Our fundraising committee is looking at opportunities for us to get public exposure and awareness. We had a table at the recent Highland Festival sponsored by the major Scottish organizations (Hawaiian-Scottish Association, The Caledonian Society of Hawaii, the Royal Scottish Country Dance Society, Honolulu Celtic Pipes & Drums). A Scottish Country dance written in the 1980s to honor the Falls of Clyde was danced in demonstration at the Highland Festival by members of the Royal Scottish Dance Society. We received over $400 from sales of Falls of Clyde items and donations at the festival. We plan on participating with an exhibit for Earth Day Awareness activities this month in Kailua and at the University of Hawaii.
21-27 March 2009posted Feb 1, 2010, 11:43 PM by Ling Ong
The hearing on the resolution will be on Wednesday, April 1, 2009 at 1:15 in Conference Room 016 at the State Capitol. It is designated as Senate Concurrent Resolution (S.C.R. 138) and separately as Senate Resolution (S.R. 91). Senator Suzanne Chun Oakland is the sponsor. Anyone wishing to attend or submit testimony should do so. Friends of Falls Of Clyde will be testifying.
We believe that the issues about Bishop Museum paying for the asbestos remediation of the Falls of Clyde and also aiding in the transfer of the Pfeiffer Endowment to Friends of Falls Of Clyde were discussed at the Museum’s Board of Directors meeting on March 26. In a recent correspondence, Tim Johns, President of Bishop Museum, said that they were getting an accounting from Bank of Hawaii on the interest that has accrued in the past two quarters. We have requested that the interest be turned over to Friends for expenses related to the maintenance of the ship. We are hopeful that both issues will receive positive action from their Board.
13-20 March 2009posted Feb 1, 2010, 11:41 PM by Ling Ong
On the endowment issue, it appears that Bishop Museum wants to go through Probate Court to handle the transfer, which could mean a delay. We have still not seen any documents as yet. We are asking for the two quarters of interest accrued even though the principal funds cannot be transferred yet. Our reasoning is that this money is solely for the ship and we own it and must maintain it. We see no reason for Bishop Museum to hold it back.
On 17 March, President Bruce McEwan was taped for a new `Olelo program called “Honolulu Needs.” He spoke about the Falls and its importance to Hawaii. When more information is available about when the show will be aired we will let everyone know.
Another positive and unexpected event was the submission of a House Resolution by Rep. Corinne Ching titled: “Requesting the State to Recognizing the Historical Significance of the Falls of Clyde as a Sailing Jewel of Hawaii.” The two key provisions are that Falls of Clyde “is recognized as a historic jewel of Hawaii” and “should always be treasured and protected by the State of Hawaii and its residents.” Hopefully this resolution will pass with no problem, which will give us another opportunity to keep our work in the public eye.
1-12 March 2009posted Feb 1, 2010, 11:39 PM by Ling Ong [ updated Feb 1, 2010, 11:41 PM ]
The insurance has been arranged for us to get the Pier 7 lease, so it is just a matter of processing paperwork. This will give us a definite spot to return to after the drydock period.
We continue to research the environmental remediation requirements and have been advised from a source at the University of Hawaii to have an environmental consultant work with us. We are looking for sources of government funds to help with the cleanup.
Four board members met on 10 March with Dr. Charman Akina, Chair of the Bishop Museum Board, and Tim Johns, the Museum’s CEO. We discussed the two most pressing issues for us, which is the environmental remediation and Pfeiffer Endowment. With regard to the remediation, the Museum’s position is still that they have no responsibility because we should have recognized that there was an environmental issue, because we had access to the ship and could have discovered the asbestos. It is unclear, however, how we could have discovered the sandblast grit, which is under the ballast water, or how we would have discovered that the ballast water itself may be contaminated. Admittedly, we are not entirely sure of the latter two issues as yet. They do not accept our position that the sale was not a true commercial transaction, but the transfer of stewardship of a national landmark and subject to a “good faith” relationship between the parties, which would have required affirmative communication of the environmental conditions. Anyway, by the end of the meeting they agreed to take the asbestos remediation issue to their board at their next meeting, which we believe is on March 26. Hopefully they will step up and pay for the remediation of the asbestos.
The discussion on the endowment was very positive. They explained why they had been delaying and agreed to expedite the transfer. We are hopeful that we will have access to the accumulated interest in the next week or so and that the cash in the endowment will be transferred to the FoFOC account.
On another front, we have been looking at possible grant funds. We will receive word from the Atherton Foundation next month about a grant application we currently have pending. We have also submitted a proposal through OHA for grant monies, which will tie Falls of Clyde more closely to Hawaiian history and the Hawaiian community. We see a partnership that could provide jobs during our restoration period and educational opportunities in the maritime industry.
One item on the negative side is that the U.S. Navy has declined to find a space in Pearl Harbor where the Falls can be berthed and worked on.
We are looking for a general meeting date during the week of March 23 and will send out a notice via our e-mail list once the date, place, and time are set.
9 February-28 February 2009posted Feb 1, 2010, 11:38 PM by Ling Ong
These past few weeks have been used to do some research and gather cost estimates for the environmental cleanup that needs to be done before we can go into drydock. Board members have a meeting with Tim Johns and Dr. Akina, Chair of Bishop Museum’s board of directors, on March 10. Our hope is that Bishop Museum leadership has changed its position on paying for the cleanup of the ship. We also want to get a firm commitment to transferring the Pfeiffer Endowment to Friends. We know there is interest accumulation from the last quarter of 2008 and we should have some for the first quarter of 2009. The insurance premium paid by Bishop Museum on the ship runs out at the end of March, so we need funds to continue for the next six months. We have also pout in a grant application to the Atherton Foundation, but won’t know the result until mid-April.
President Bruce McEwan and John Wright both spoke about Falls of Clyde at the symposium mentioned above on February 21. We both gave an open and honest perspective on the history and current situation we face in our goal to preserve and restore Falls of Clyde. Of greatest interest at the symposium were the presentations on Star of India, Glenlee, and USS Bowfin. In each case these vessels were in worse shape than Falls and have been successfully restored. In addition, Ray Ashley of Star of India and Jamie White of Glenlee both went aboard Falls and opined that the hull is in shape to be preserved. Another speaker at the symposium was the executive director of the USS Missouri Foundation, who mentioned that a surveyor had declared some of the tanks in the ship to be wasted away and needed serious steel work. The Foundation then hired two corrosion experts from Great Britain to inspect the ship and they countered the opinion of the surveyor and declared that the tanks did not need the extensive work, which will save the Foundation a great deal of money. Friends was fortunate enough to be able to have the two experts also inspect Falls of Clyde and they declared the hull to be sound and not in imminent danger of sinking, as had been stated by the surveyor Bishop Museum used. Not surprisingly, the surveyor for both the Missouri and Falls was the same person. Mahalo to Skip Naftel for coordinating the visits to the ship by the various experts who are supporting our position that preservation and restoration can and should move forward.
We are also getting a lease for the Pier 7 berth direct from DOT-Harbors. Bishop Museum gave up their lease and as long as we can provide the insurance we will have the berthing. We are currently arranging with our insurance broker to meet the State’s requirements.
After our meeting with Bishop Museum leadership on March 10, Friends will hold a general meeting for interested people in order to provide an update and report on our plans.
27 January-8 February 2009posted Feb 1, 2010, 11:37 PM by Ling Ong
Since the last log entry, Friends has been researching the environmental requirements for the problems we have uncovered. We have also been getting quotes for cleanup of the ship. It will be several hundreds of thousands of dollars, which we plan to press Bishop Museum for. We have also renewed our effort to get Bishop Museum to complete their contractual obligation to help transfer the Pfeiffer Endowment set up specifically for the Falls of Clyde over to the trusteeship of Friends of Falls Of Clyde. There was a recent article in Honolulu Weekly addressing this issue. Donations to Friends can be made directly to us through our website, so we encourage anyone and everyone to take advantage of that opportunity.
Representatives of Friends will be involved in an upcoming Symposium on Maritime Archaeology and History of Hawai`i and the Pacific on February 21-22. We want to make sure people are kept aware of our plans to continue to preserve and restore our magnificent historic landmark.
27 December 2008 -26 January 2009.posted Feb 1, 2010, 11:35 PM by Ling Ong
I’m afraid that the new year has not started out in the best manner for Falls of Clyde. Since the last log, the ship was prepared to be towed to Marisco’s drydock on 15 January. Because of the weather front that came in and the likelihood of high wave action, the tow was postponed for safety reasons. That postponement resulted in losing drydock slot and also the use of the towing tug, which had other obligations out of Hawaii.
The weather, however, was only part of the problem. While preparing for the tow, the surveyor discovered that material covering some old pipes that had been part of the steam boiler system contained what he thought was asbestos. We had the material tested and confirmed that it is indeed asbestos (chrysotile). In addition, when the tanks were sounded for ballast water volume, we discovered that sandblast grit had been left in the tanks when work was done a few years ago. The grit is under water, so was not identified earlier. In addition, we have found that a temporary toilet was put into use while the ship was being derigged and the waste was dumped directly into a tank, most likely polluting the ballast water, which is periodically circulated between tanks. Contaminated water cannot be pumped into State waters, so we are having the water tested to determine its content. The long and the short of it is that the shipyard will not take the ship until it is free of any potential environmental hazards. She will remain in berth at Pier 7 until this all gets sorted out.
Bishop Museum was put on notice of our findings early last week, but we have heard nothing in reply. Our hope, of course, is that the museum will step forward and clean up the ship so that we can proceed with our preservation work. The log will be kept up more frequently as this issue plays itself out. A news release was issued by Friends today and we are being open about the findings, although only the asbestos has been confirmed as an environmental hazard to be cleaned up.
13-26 December 2008posted Feb 1, 2010, 11:33 PM by Ling Ong
Happy Holidays!! We received notice just before Christmas that an emergency drydocking of a tug at Marisco has delayed our ability to access the drydock on 29 December as previously scheduled. All parties have been advised and we do not expect any problems from Bishop Museum even though the 90-day period to move the ship will have been exceeded because of this unavoidable delay. Skip Naftel devised the tow plan and had it approved by the Coast Guard. Everything is ready with the tow insurance and with American Marine/PENCO personnel who will be the riding crew and escort vessel.
Many thanks to everyone who has been contributing funds to pay the expected costs being incurred for the drydock phase. We have exceeded the $10,000 level and believe it is only a matter of time before we get the larger donations we need to get to our $65,000 goal. Discussions are currently underway to kick off our Bob Krauss Million Quarter Drive after the first of the year. We have yet to receive the Pfeiffer endowment documents from Bishop Museum. We are told they will be available after the first of the year. We know there is just over $500,000 in cash in the bank right now that will have to be invested after the market stabilizes. We can draw the interest once we have trusteeship of the funds.
At the last Board meeting, two working committees were formed for Fundraising & Development and Archives & Documents. Those people who indicated an interest in one of these committees at the last General Meeting will be contacted shortly by those Board members chairing these groups. Two other committees that will be formed a bit later are the Marketing committee and Project committee. This latter one will be the group that will plan out the preservation and restoration of the Falls of Clyde. Ours is ongoing, active preservation work, so we want a marketing group to help keep our activities in the public eye.
We are still working to find a home for the ship where the actual preservation and restoration will take place.
Friends of Falls Of Clyde see the next few months as being critical to the future of Falls of Clyde. Finding a location, raising funds, getting people involved, and maintaining public interest are challenges that we face, but we believe that we will have the wind in our sails to take us where we need to go. The best of the New Year to all!!!
9-12 December 2008posted Feb 1, 2010, 11:32 PM by Ling Ong
On 9 December, board members Ed Lott and Bruce McEwan met with the board of the Navy League. They briefed the board on the status of the ship and the plans for drydock and post-drydock. The primary purposes of this meeting were to let the Navy League know that we are actively working toward a viable preservation of the ship; that we need any assistance we can get to find a location, like Pearl Harbor; and, that we need to raise the $65,000 as soon as possible. The board members asked some questions, thanked us for our preservation and work to date, and said that they would discuss our request and get back to Ed.
Today, 12 December, is the actual birth date of the Falls of Clyde, when she first came out of the shipyard. A small group is planning a birthday ceremony at 1800 at the ship for anyone interested to mark the 130th year of her life. We all know that she has many more birthdays to be celebrated as soon as we get over this current “bumpy” period and have smoother sailing.
26 November-8 December 2008posted Feb 1, 2010, 11:29 PM by Ling Ong
We have not yet received the endowment documents from Bishop Museum. We are following up with their in-house counsel to get the required documents. The inventory of items that were part of the sales documents appears to be inaccurate with regard to what is physically at the Hawaii Maritime Center so we are trying to document what is missing and plan to ask Bishop Museum to make good for items that are short. We also have to arrange to have Bishop Museum move whatever items we want to a storage facility for us. We are currently looking for enough space to house some larger items. An estimate of 300 sq. ft. has been made for the needed storage space.
Hooray!! On 6 December we received our letter from the IRS granting 501(c)(3) status as a charitable organization. We can take donations directly, apply for grants, and move forward with major fundraising activities. Our “Bob Krauss Million Quarter Drive” will be our first major event. We are looking for a bank to partner with for the drive.
Our meeting at the Waikiki Yacht Club went well. There were about 20 people in attendance. An update was given on the drydock schedule, which is now confirmed for 29 December, with the ship to be moved at about 0700. The board has decided that no special ceremony will be held for the departure. It is likely, however, that there will be some new coverage. We need approximately $65,000 to cover the cost of insurance for the tow, the tug costs, and the drydock costs. While all parties involved are supportive, we do need to pay our way. There is a request in to Matson to help with the costs and we are hopeful that as word gets out that we have our charitable designation that more substantial donations will come in. We also need to have a location to take the ship after she comes off drydock. The purpose of the drydock is to assess the degree of work that needs to be done in the short and long term. Based on the joint surveyors’ report, the board will decide on how the preservation and restoration will proceed. We are making inquiries into the possibility of locating the ship in Pearl Harbor near the USS BOWFIN, which is under the jurisdiction of the National Park Service.
We will create three committees to begin working on key components for the preservation/restoration and future of the Falls of Clyde. We will have a Fundraising Committee to look at the various options to raise money as we plan out the phases for the preservation and restoration. A Project Committee will run the actual preservation and restoration. This committee will need to establish a phase timeline, gather the expertise for the project, recommend a project manager, identify resources needed, etc. This will be a very big and technical task. The Archives Committee will be responsible for organizing all of the documents, including pictures, that we have. This material will eventually be used in marketing and fundraising efforts and help us put together the educational component of the Falls future.
8-25 November 2008posted Feb 1, 2010, 11:24 PM by Ling Ong
We met with Bishop Museum’s COO and General Counsel and found that the Pfeiffer Endowment monies have been converted to cash transferred to the Bank of Hawaii because of the current downturn in the market. Bishop is providing us with the various documents supporting the endowment, but there is no endowment agreement per se. We are researching the legal process to take control of the funds. It is likely that some funds will be available to us by the end of the year.
A letter was sent to the IRS requesting expediting of our 501(c)(3) application because of our inability to apply for grants and schedule fundraising events without it. We should know by the end of this week if it will be expedited.
We have been approached by a film company that is in Hawaii filming a new version of Shakespeare’s Tempest. They have a need to film inside an old ship and perhaps do some on-deck shots. They have visited the Falls and have indicated interest in using it for location shots. We are awaiting a proposal from the company.
A general meeting of those interested in the Falls of Clyde is scheduled for Monday,
December 8th, at the Waikiki Yacht Club at 5 p.m.
1-7 November 2008posted Feb 1, 2010, 11:23 PM by Ling Ong [ updated Feb 1, 2010, 11:27 PM ]
Our Million Quarter Campaign is now delayed also because of the need for charitable status. Fortunately, the Matsunaga Charitable Foundation has arranged for Friends of Falls Of Clyde web donations to be channeled through their organization and bank. The Caledonian Society of Hawaii, Inc., another 501(c)(3), has also extended its organization as a channel for Falls of Clyde donations. We hope that these options will begin a flow of much needed cash. There is now a donations link on this website and we hope it will be well used.
Board members will be meeting with the COO of Bishop Museum to begin the process of transferring trusteeship of the Pfeiffer Endowment over to Friends of Falls Of Clyde. This endowment was provided by the late Bobby Pfeiffer of A&B for the maintenance of Falls of Clyde. It was agreed that the endowment should rightfully go with the ship.
We have also been advised that the initial drydock opening during the week of 17 November has been closed because of an emergency vessel repair. Right now it looks like mid-December for the drydocking. We have until 29 December to move the ship from Pier 7.
19-31 October 2008posted Feb 1, 2010, 11:22 PM by Ling Ong
We were contacted by both foundations to say that our applications would not be processed without Friends being a 501(c)(3) organization. In addition, we did not meet the criteria for the Castle Foundation. The Board is seeing if the IRS application can be expedited. In addition, we have kept our Congressional delegation apprised of our activities and have specifically asked Representative Abercrombie to see if there is any way we can get some assistance in expediting the application. The Board will meet very two weeks with periodic general meetings.
18 October 2008posted Feb 1, 2010, 11:21 PM by Ling Ong
We held a general meeting of interested stakeholders to determine what resources we have and to gather ideas for fundraising and for how the preservation should progress. We hope to be able to create small working groups to plan and carry out specific activities.
1-17 October 2008
posted Feb 1, 2010, 11:19 PM by Ling Ong [ updated Feb 1, 2010, 11:20 PM ]
During this period of time the Board was busy focusing on what needs to be done over the next couple of months. The two critical pieces are fundraising and finding a location for the ship after she comes out of drydock. The application for 501(c)(3) status from the Internal Revenue Service was filed in early-September. To date we have only received notice that the application was received. Preliminary grant applications were sent to the Atherton Family Foundation and the Castle Foundation. Planning was started for a Million Quarter Campaign.
30 September 2008
posted Feb 1, 2010, 11:16 PM by Ling Ong [ updated Feb 1, 2010, 11:20 PM ]
This seems the most appropriate date to start since it was the day Friends of Falls Of Clyde took ownership and stewardship of Falls of Clyde. It was a wonderful occasion for those who spent so much time and effort keeping the ship from being scuttled by Bishop Museum. The event began with a piper, Dan Sinclair, calling the attendees to their seats. The crowd was entertained with a Highland dance by Linda Schupp. Helen Baskett from Glasgow sang a song of the River Clyde. There were short speeches by Bruce McEwan and Tim Johns, President of Bishop Museum, who then formally signed the sales documents. McEwan paid over $1.00 to close the sale. Representative Corinne Ching presented a Certificate from the House of Representatives marking the occasion. Ginger Krauss, daughter of journalist Bob Krauss, who was a staunch advocate and biographer of the ship, said a few words to close the ceremony. A reception was held at Gordon Biersch.