How in the world can a raft like that be at all seaworthy?
This question is in reference to the Son of Town Hall, the raft that crossed the North Atlantic in the summer of 1998. First, the Son of Town Hall is unsinkable, because its hull is filled with logs and foam water moves in and out of the hull, and it floats because of the materials with which it is constructed, rather than depending upon being watertight like a boat would. Second, this raft is also self-righting, which means if it is knocked down or turned over in the waves, it comes back right side up, by itself. We tested this several times under extreme conditions, before we put out to sea. And third, the Son of Town Hall is self-steering in storm conditions, and keeps itself perfectly aligned in the waves, so that it never turns sideways to the waves. (Called broaching, this would put it in big danger of being rolled over.) We spent 3 years testing the raft along the Atlantic coast between New York and Maine, and redesigning it over and over until all of the above features were inc
