Waterworld
Esquire Singapore|January 2021
In a world of environmental disaster, political turmoil, economic crisis, social upheaval and public health emergency, is the logical next step for humanity the construction of floating maritime communities? Or is so-called seasteading just an extravagant passion project for paranoid tech bros and alt-utopian dreamers?
Max Olesker
Waterworld

Chad Elwartowski and Nadia Summergirl were a couple with a dream of living out on the ocean. They would make their home on a purpose-built floating structure, far from any shore, and create a life of total freedom—unencumbered by the trappings of society or the edicts of any government. They could spend their days snorkelling, scuba diving, sailing, kayaking, playing strategy games, reading, eating spicy Thai papaya salad (Summergirl), and tacos and chilli chicken wings (Elwartowski), and drinking the occasional piña colada. Eventually, perhaps, others would join them, in neighbouring structures, and a community would form.

It’s a movement known as seasteading, and the concept had captivated Elwartowski since he first stumbled across it online in 2008. For years, seasteading had been discussed on forums and talked about at conferences, but it had never been fully achieved and, in 2019, Elwartowski and Summergirl became determined to be the first to make it into a long-term reality.

They formed a company, Ocean Builders, along with a couple of likeminded individuals, and they built the world’s first modern seastead. It was a homely looking, octagonal shack they christened XLII (pronounced Ixly) which floated atop a steel Genesis spar (a vertically moored buoy used in oil rigs). The couple placed XLII 12 nautical miles off the coast of Thailand, moved in, hosted a week-long Certification Course for a small group of curious would-be seasteaders, and were heralded as the first couple of the seasteading movement. Just over a week later, the government of Thailand accused the pair of treason—a crime which carries the death penalty locally—and mounted the largest manhunt in the country’s history.

Diese Geschichte stammt aus der January 2021-Ausgabe von Esquire Singapore.

Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.

Diese Geschichte stammt aus der January 2021-Ausgabe von Esquire Singapore.

Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.

WEITERE ARTIKEL AUS ESQUIRE SINGAPOREAlle anzeigen
THE MILD HANGOVER
Esquire Singapore

THE MILD HANGOVER

Hangovers get a bad rap. We know. If you’ve gotten this far in the magazine, you’ve surely divined that we’re mildly hungover most of the time.

time-read
2 Minuten  |
November 2022
AN ELECTRIC FUTURE
Esquire Singapore

AN ELECTRIC FUTURE

Polestar, the minimalist electric Swedish car brand, turns the voltage up on its competition.

time-read
3 Minuten  |
November 2022
LET'S GET REAL (ESTATE): LUXURIOUS LONDON
Esquire Singapore

LET'S GET REAL (ESTATE): LUXURIOUS LONDON

Royalty, shopping, the best tea and scones the world has to offer, and a lifestyle worthy of what you're working for. Here's why London is ripe for your next investment

time-read
4 Minuten  |
November 2022
NEXT UP....ZARAN VACHHA
Esquire Singapore

NEXT UP....ZARAN VACHHA

As Co-founder of the events and talent agency Collective Minds and Managing Director of the Mandala Masters, Zaran Vachha is definitely not new to the culture scene, but he's certainly shaping what comes next.

time-read
6 Minuten  |
November 2022
WHAT I'VE LEARNED...
Esquire Singapore

WHAT I'VE LEARNED...

I DON’T WEAR SOCKS except in January.

time-read
3 Minuten  |
November 2022
The Body Is a Language
Esquire Singapore

The Body Is a Language

A bad handshake is such a turnoff; we feel irked when someone rolls their eyes at us; we can't stop pacing when we're nervous-ever wondered how certain body language has the power to change how we feel instantly? We explore why.

time-read
4 Minuten  |
November 2022
EYE OF THE TIGER
Esquire Singapore

EYE OF THE TIGER

Hailing from Singapore, Japan and Brazil respectively, Evolve Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) athletes Darren Goh, Hiroki Akimoto and Alex Silva are proof that the ring demands as much from mind as it does from matter.

time-read
10+ Minuten  |
November 2022
THE ADONIS COMPLEX
Esquire Singapore

THE ADONIS COMPLEX

With the rise of superhero culture making a return and bringing with it the celebration of the classically ‘masculine’ body type, can men really overcome the pressure to conform when culture keeps getting in the way?

time-read
8 Minuten  |
November 2022
FUNNY BUT TRUE
Esquire Singapore

FUNNY BUT TRUE

A comedian, an iconic Singaporean, and now a man much evolved. After overcoming two years of pandemic limbo, unlocking career milestones one after another and undergoing a life-defining physical transformation, Rishi Budhrani is ready to emerge into the world renewed-and anew.

time-read
10+ Minuten  |
November 2022
LIKE NO OTHER
Esquire Singapore

LIKE NO OTHER

With its horological triumphs, Hermès has truly come into its own as a watchmaking maison. In this exclusive interview with Esquire Singapore, CEO of Hermès Horloger, Laurent Dordet sheds some light on his timepieces' rising stardom and the importance of being different.

time-read
4 Minuten  |
November 2022