The premise is to team medical professionals with boaties.

The idea is still evolving with our first trip penciled in for mid-2010.

The inaugral trip will be done on Lorna Jan – a 56′ passage maker based in Brisbane, Australia who will take a group of 6 doctors and dentists from La Cima World Missions.

At this stage, all contributions to the MediBoat project are going through our partner in the Solomon Islands venture – La Cima World Missions.

La Cima takes online donations through Paypal. Just make sure to specify in the paypal email that the contribution is for the “MediBoat Project.”

MediBoat will be taking donations directly in the future, but at this stage our registration as a charity is not completed, so we are unable to accept cash donations.

Boat Skills: If you have skills or experience in boating, then we’d love to hear from you. Specifically, we’re looking for people with ocean going experience or commercial qualifications. Navigation skills, boat maintenance and cooking skills are all looked upon favorably. Get in contact if you think you have something to offer.

Health Professionals: All of the medical professionals that we work with work under the umbrella of our partner organisation – La Cima World Missions. If you feel you have what it takes to sign on as a doctor or dentist on one of our trips, then you will need to get in contact with Dr Dave Sperow or Marty Sperow.

Computing: As we expand this project we have very big plans for this site. If you are a PHP developer and have some time to give, we would be interested to chat.

Public Relations: Going forward, we know that getting the word out about our project will be key to its success. If you have skills in PR, writing, film production, communications or related fields you could really help us. If you would like to find out more, drop us a line.

Note: The people who do these trips are a fairly special breed. Eveyone pays their own way and endures a lot of discomforts and inconveniences. We are looking for people with a genuinely charitable attitude. In return we offer the adventure of a lifetime.

Essentially, the exterior of the boat is 90% completed, but as you can see, the interior still has some way to go.

For people who have not seen a boat being fitted out before it might be difficult to imagine how things will turn out. One thing to remember though is that the inside of boats do not become pretty until VERY close to the end.

Everything from the electronics through to the mechanical side has to be done before the final fitout and varnishing is done. The interior goes from being very ugly to finished in a matter of weeks (as opposed to the months and years that the rest of the construction takes).

Anyway, here’s the video as narrated by Dr Dave Sperow. Enjoy!

At this (very early) stage, it looks like the first boat will be meeting the medical team in Munda before progressing onto the villages and towns where care is needed most. There is, however, a possibility that the boat will meet teams in the capital, Honiara, before motoring the entire distance. (This would have the added advantage of allowing the volunteers from the USA an extra 24 hours of rest time after their likely three day trek to get to Honiara!).

We will update this page with new information regarding the specific locales being discussed as our negotiations with the Solomons government progress.

Lorna Jan is a 56′ passage maker that will be able to comfortably accommodate up to 9 crew and is currently undergoing its final fit out.

Lorna Jan - 56' Passage Maker

It will have a single four-sleeper cabin, a triple cabin and a double cabin.

With an 8 cylinder gardner engine and 6000 litre fuel capacity, she has an approximate range of around 3000 nautical miles meaning it should be able to complete a single round trip to the Solomon Islands from its home base in Brisbane without refueling. We are currently assessing the viability of adding 2000 litres of fuel capacity to the boat by way of an external fuel bladder which would greatly increase range.

From the Port Rail

At the time of writing, Lorna Jan is still a work in progress. While most of the exterior of the boat has been completed, the interior fitout is still only at midway. The electronics have all been laid, the engine room is almost done and the boat is in the water, but the final cabin fitout is still at least 12 months from completion.

View From the Side