Refitting S/V American Saudade

Preparing the Vessel. Building the Mission.

 

From SubSafe to SailSafe

 

ASI is refitting and modernizing S/V American Saudade, a Pacific Seacraft Crealock 37 cutter, in preparation for a planned Atlantic heritage voyage.

 

Currently on the hard in East Providence, Rhode Island, with her mast unstepped, the vessel is the focus of a developing program of inspection, maintenance, systems planning, and offshore preparation.

 

The project connects practical maritime work with ASI’s educational mission: preserving heritage, explaining marine science and engineering, and sharing the decisions involved in preparing a vessel for ocean passages.

 

This page describes the refit’s scope and objectives. Proposed equipment and upgrades are subject to inspection, professional recommendations, funding, and installation planning; their inclusion does not mean they have been completed.

 

A Voyage Begins Long Before Departure

Our planned heritage voyage will connect Newport, Rhode Island, with the Azores, Madeira, the Canary Islands, and Cape Verde before returning to New England.

 

Preparing for that journey requires more than adding equipment. It requires understanding the vessel’s condition, identifying weaknesses, making compatible improvements, and demonstrating that systems and crew can perform reliably.

 

The refit will proceed in stages, with safety and essential systems guiding priorities. Departure will depend on demonstrated readiness, resources, seasonal conditions, and passage planning.

 

SubSafe to SailSafe—A Culture of Readiness

Through SubSafe to SailSafe, ASI is adapting lessons from submarine service to the preparation and operation of an offshore sailing vessel. The guiding principles include disciplined inspection, preventive maintenance, clear procedures, documented work, emergency preparedness, and verification before relying on a system.

 

The program encourages us to ask:

• What could fail?

• How would we detect the problem?

• What would the consequences be?

• Can we isolate it, repair it, or continue safely?

• Have we tested the equipment and practiced the response?

 

SubSafe to SailSafe is ASI’s educational and operational initiative. It does not represent U.S. Navy SUBSAFE certification or Navy approval of the vessel.

 

Readiness must be demonstrated through inspection, practice, and testing.

 

Hull, Deck, and Essential Integrity

The foundation of the refit is the vessel itself.

 

Inspection priorities include the hull and deck, structural attachment points, chainplates, rudder and steering components, through-hulls, seacocks, hoses, and areas where water intrusion or deterioration may affect reliability.

 

Hull preparation and protective coatings will be considered alongside necessary repairs. The objective is to address underlying condition before covering it with new finishes or equipment.

 

Rigging, Sails, and Sail Handling

With the mast unstepped, the rig is accessible for detailed inspection and service planning.

 

The scope includes:

• Standing rigging, terminals, and turnbuckles

• Chainplates and attachment points

• Mast, boom, spreaders, and fittings

• Sheaves, tracks, and masthead components

• Running rigging and deck hardware

• Reefing arrangements and sail handling

 

The proposed sail plan includes a mainsail with three reef points, supported by lazy jacks and a stack pack. Final sail and rigging decisions will follow specialist assessment and the vessel’s intended offshore use.

 

The goal is a dependable rig and a sail-handling arrangement suited to reduced sail, demanding weather, and manageable crew workloads.

 

Propulsion and Mechanical Reliability

The vessel’s Universal M40 diesel and associated systems will be assessed as an integrated propulsion package.

 

Refit priorities include fuel quality and tank condition, filtration, cooling, exhaust, hoses, belts, electrical starting and charging, and access for maintenance.

 

The transmission, shaft, coupling, alignment, and related components also form part of the assessment.

 

Reliable auxiliary propulsion supports maneuvering and passage operations. It must be backed by maintenance records, appropriate spares, and an understanding of how to diagnose common problems.

 

Electrical Power and Renewable Energy

ASI is developing an electrical modernization plan to support navigation, communications, lighting, refrigeration, and other onboard needs.

 

Options under consideration include:

• A redesigned house battery bank

• Lithium battery storage, subject to suitability review

• Solar panels on an engineered arch and suitable rail mounts

• Integration of the existing wind generator where practical

• Compatible charging equipment and an inverter/charger

• Battery monitoring

• Appropriate circuit protection, isolation, and marine wiring

 

A Victron-based system is among the options being evaluated.

 

Final battery capacity and charging arrangements will be determined through an energy budget, installation constraints, weight considerations, and professional review.

 

Equipment must function safely as a system—not simply as a collection of individual products.

 

Steering, Autopilot, and Stern Integration

 

Offshore steering arrangements are a major refit priority.

 

The project includes evaluation of a below-deck autopilot and a proposed Hydrovane installation, alongside emergency steering provisions.

 

These decisions must be coordinated with the solar arch, dinghy davits, wind generator, boarding access, and stern structure. Before fabrication or installation, the arrangement must account for operating clearances, structural loads, service access, and weight distribution. Equipment should remain accessible for inspection and repair without obstructing essential functions.

 

Navigation and Communications

The notes identify a mixed inventory of older navigation instruments, chartplotters, radar, radios, and steering electronics.

 

ASI will assess what can be retained, serviced, integrated, or replaced. Modernization priorities include dependable navigation, radar, depth and wind information, AIS capability, and suitable offshore communications.

 

The existing ICOM IC-M802 HF radio will be evaluated for continued service. Satellite communications and independent backup equipment are also being considered.

 

The objective is reliable information and communication, supported by practical alternatives when a primary system becomes unavailable.

 

Emergency Preparedness and Life Aboard

 

The refit will address equipment and procedures for fire, flooding, person-overboard incidents, steering failure, medical emergencies, and abandonment.

 

Planning includes life-saving equipment, distress signaling, bilge pumping, firefighting arrangements, first-aid resources, emergency communications, and crew familiarization.

 

Water, sanitation, storage, ventilation, and maintenance access also matter. A vessel prepared for extended passages must support the people aboard as well as the machinery that carries them.

 

Commissioning, Sea Trials, and Progressive Testing: Installing equipment is only one stage of the work. Before offshore departure, the vessel will need commissioning checks, dockside testing, sea trials, and progressively more demanding coastal operations. These activities will assess propulsion, steering, sail handling, charging, navigation, communications, and emergency arrangements under realistic conditions. Findings will be recorded, deficiencies addressed, and relevant systems retested. Crew practice and operating procedures will develop alongside the vessel. A successful test is evidence of progress. An unresolved fault is a reason to keep working.

 

The Refit as an Educational Project

 

ASI intends to document the refit through photographs, videos, technical explanations, and project updates.

The material will connect with NAV 360, 360-DEEP™, and SubSafe to SailSafe, showing how inspection findings, engineering compromises, costs, and operational requirements influence decisions.

 

We will distinguish planned work from completed work and share both achievements and lessons learned.

The vessel’s preparation is itself part of the educational mission—long before the first ocean passage begins.

Skills, Services, and Collaboration

 

A project of this scope benefits from experienced marine tradespeople, engineers, surveyors, riggers, sailmakers, fabricators, and suppliers.

 

ASI welcomes expressions of interest from professionals, potential partners, and volunteers who can contribute appropriate expertise, documentation, research, or approved practical assistance.

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Hands-on participation will depend on qualifications, supervision, safe working arrangements, and insurance review. Certain work will require professional contractors.

 

Potential collaborations will be described as confirmed only after responsibilities and terms have been agreed upon.

 

ACTA NON VERBA

Deeds, Not Words.

 

The heritage voyage begins here—with inspections, measured decisions, maintenance, and the steady work of preparing a vessel and her crew.

 

Each completed and verified task brings S/V American Saudade closer to carrying ASI’s mission across the Atlantic.

 

Preserve the heritage. Prepare the vessel. Demonstrate the readiness.

 

Follow the Project

• S/V American Saudade — Learn about the vessel at the center of the project.

• SubSafe to SailSafe — Explore ASI’s approach to offshore preparedness.

• Great Circle Heritage Voyage — Discover the planned journey and its purpose.

• NAV 360 — Explore maritime science, engineering, and naval history.

• 360-DEEP™ — Examine the broader questions behind maritime decisions.

• Videos Production — Follow refit documentation and updates.

• Volunteering — Express interest in an appropriate project assignment.

• Partnerships — Discuss technical or institutional collaboration.

• Contact Us — Offer expertise or ask about the project.