This series features guest blog posts from think tank leaders around the world. This month, we’ll learn about the work and experiences of the Seasteading Institute, written by Patri Friedman. This week we learn about their experimental event, Ephemerisle, and learn a bit about living on the water. Check out past Think Tank Diary entries here.
What is Ephemerisle ? Something in between Burning Man and a temporary Galt’s Gulch. The original idea I had back in 2001 was, it’s really hard to start a new country full time, but maybe we can do it for a weekend. People who experience new political systems and see that they work, even for that short a time, will then be more receptive to the possibility of political innovation. Thus was born the idea of a festival of governmental experimentation, to be held (eventually) on the high seas.
As an organizer
, it quickly became clear to James & I how important it was for The Seasteading Institute to host Ephemerisle. Many of our members lacked any nautical experience – not to mention our staff. Engineering and business models were going slowly – we needed to engage with reality and actually get out on the water, even in a calm river, even just for the weekend. We received criticism from many directions – that the event would teach us nothing about engineering, nothing about the ocean, that it was too expensive and too dangerous. But every time James & I reviewed our strategic principles and the event’s role in our strategy, it confirmed our decision that this was important for seasteading.There was no rest for our staff and volunteers after last week’s conference – most of them headed straight to the Ephemerisle site, 2 hours east, to help setup. I went home for the day to visit my wife and son – but spent most of the day packing and finishing my pirate pyramid art raft. Friday morning, I headed to the site. The following days were a blur of herculean effort, little sleep, constant logistical challenges, and an incredible community, so I can only give a few brief pieces.
I set out Friday evening in my small art raft , which went steadily but slowly along the 4 mile path from the marina to the site. After a couple hours, I got bored, and tried to climb up to my crow’s nest. This capsized the raft, and suddenly I was engaging with the water rather more fully than I had hoped! The current was strong, and with my raft sideways, it was steadily pulled along. After trying unsuccessfully to right it, I did the smart thing and swam sideways, towards the shore, steadily pulling my raft away from the center of the river while letting the current take us downstream. 20 minutes later, it was safely beached and I was sitting on shore, taking a cellphone out of a borrowed waterproof bag – I had hoped for the best, but (with help) planned for the worst. James & Danielle came and rescued me in a speedboat, bringing warm clothes.
Like a fight that clears the air, after that wet start, anything seemed possible. When I got to the site, I was disappointed to see a lineof houseboats several hundred feet from the main platform we had constructed. The plan had been to dock them together, but the platform had anchoring problems due to the river mud. Our community was fragmented into two different groups, and only those with kayaks and other transportation were able to go back and forth. It was sad, but there was no time to mourn, for there was work to be done. Worries about the houseboat anchoring, how they were tied up together, a seemingly endless stream of challenges to be resolved. Challenges which many people rose to meet – this was no festival of slackers and partiers, whenever a problem occurred people leaped to attack it.
By 2AM our local challenges had all been met, but we had word that Ephemerisle’s first theme camp, Apocaisle , was having problems at a local marina – they were still building their platforms, and had no way to tow them to site. It was no problem to find 3 others who felt like building instead of sleeping, and we headed over in a speedboat to help them out. We carried, drilled, nagged, managed, rested, and eventually their structure was done and ready for its maiden voyage, at which point I was dumbfounded to discover that they had not a life jacket among them! Fortunately the event speedboat was outfitted as a rescue boat with more than enough life jackets for everyone. We gingerly towed them, and, in what still seems like a miracle, quickly and easily docked them to the main platform. It was 7am, and time to snatch a few hours of sleep.
In the morning, refreshed, the community tackled the anchoring problem. The main platform was tugged in sections across the river and anchored to stumps close to shore. The houseboats did the same nearby, and we built a rope barge to connect them . I finally had time to rescue my capsized raft, and by 5PM, everything had come together. After working for 27 of the last 32 hours, I could finally relax. I gasped in amazement to see art project after art project that we had helped fund and only seen as sketches finally appear. The houseboats served as kitchens for a huge communal feast, and the magical evening turned into an all-night party.
In the morning, for the first time at the event I heard the Ephemerisle anthem – and we headed to the houseboat roofs to dance in celebration . After a fabulous brunch, the event began breaking up, as the rental houseboats were due back at the marina. The Ephemeral Isle was over – but our seasteading journey had just begun, not to mention teardown and wrap-up! The response from the community was incredible. One of the founders of Burning Man said it had the feel of the early Burning Man events. Others said they were enormously impressed by our ability to pull off such a complex and novel event. And everyone wanted to learn more about sailing, kayaking, knots, and how to live on the water. Just as James & I had said all along, a seed had been planted, a legend born, and a community founded – one with enormous potential benefit to seasteading. We stuck to our principles, hoped for the best, planned for the worst, and worked our asses off – and created something magical.
For more videos, pictures, and blog posts about the event, visit here.
Many parallels can be drawn between the struggles of the Seasteading Institute to host this event, and the struggles many of your organizations face putting on vents of your own. Join us next Monday for the final installment of the Seasteading Institute’s Diary. If you are interested in becoming the next Think Tank Diarist please contact Cindy Cerquitella.
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