Founding campaign · Great Lakes
The Svala Project
Building a Great Lakes vessel for science, discovery, and storytelling.
Odyssey Discovery is exploring the restoration of a 1973 Swedish-built Albin Ballad into Svala — a Great Lakes field vessel designed to take us closer to the scientists, environments, and discoveries shaping our understanding of the Great Lakes.
The vessel is not yet an Odyssey Discovery asset. Acquisition and restoration remain subject to professional marine survey and confirmation that the vessel can be responsibly restored for our intended use.
A new chapter
A Swedish sailboat. A Great Lakes story. A new purpose.
Odyssey Discovery is evaluating a 1973 Albin Ballad — a Swedish-built sailboat designed during an era when compact Scandinavian boats earned reputations for capable offshore sailing.
The vessel under consideration, currently named Scallywag, has spent part of its life on the Great Lakes. Its reported history includes a passage to Europe and, more recently, Isle Royale. These accounts are reported history and have not yet been independently verified.
Odyssey Discovery is exploring whether this boat can begin another chapter: restored as Svala, a Great Lakes field vessel supporting science discovery, storytelling, and education.
Why Svala?
Svala means swallow in Swedish.
Small, agile, and remarkable travelers, swallows journey great distances and return with the seasons — a fitting name for a Swedish-built sailboat beginning a new chapter on the Great Lakes.
The name also reflects the spirit behind Odyssey Discovery: going into the world with curiosity, following the questions wherever they lead, and bringing the stories of those discoveries home.
Built in Sweden more than 50 years ago, this little vessel has already lived a life of adventure. If she becomes Odyssey Discovery's Great Lakes field vessel, Svala will begin another journey — this time carrying scientists, storytellers, and new questions onto the water.
S/V SVALA
Great Lakes Science & Discovery Vessel · Odyssey Discovery
Why restore?
Not because we need a boat. Because the restoration is the first chapter of the story.
Svala isn't being restored simply because Odyssey Discovery needs a boat. A newer vessel could move people across the water. Svala can do something more.
Her restoration can become the first chapter of the story: a Swedish-built sailboat from 1973, more than five decades of history, and a new mission on one of the world's greatest freshwater systems.
Bringing an older vessel responsibly back to life creates opportunities to explore craftsmanship, marine systems, Great Lakes sailing, history, engineering, restoration, and the decisions required to prepare a small vessel for a completely new purpose.
The story begins before the first scientist ever steps aboard.
The transformation story
- FOUND
- SURVEYED
- UNDERSTOOD
- RESTORED
- RELAUNCHED
- INTO THE FIELD
- SCIENCE + DISCOVERY
The restoration can be documented through Field Notes: Uncovered — following the actual questions, discoveries, challenges, people, and decisions involved in determining whether this vessel can begin another life.
- Can she be responsibly restored?
- What has more than 50 years done to the vessel?
- What original systems remain?
- What needs to be rebuilt?
- What can modern marine technology add without erasing her character?
- Who are the craftspeople helping return her to the water?
- What does it take to prepare a small Swedish sailboat for Lake Superior?
We won't invent answers, damage, or drama. The uncertainty itself is the story.
Story
A new vessel begins with a purchase. Svala begins with a history, a transformation, and a question: can this boat begin another life?
Craftsmanship
Restoration provides opportunities to highlight the people, skills, marine trades, engineering, and craftsmanship required to responsibly return an older vessel to service.
Identity
A distinctive small Swedish sailboat can become a recognizable recurring part of Odyssey Discovery's Great Lakes storytelling.
Purpose
The restoration does not end at launch. Svala's intended future mission is to support Great Lakes science storytelling, Field Notes: Uncovered, scientist access, field production, public science communication, and educational extension through Field Notes: Explorer.
Thoughtful reuse
Where responsible and appropriate, giving an existing vessel a second life can represent thoughtful reuse rather than automatically replacing something old with something new.
The most important message
We are not saving a boat at any cost.
Preservation only makes sense if it is responsible. Odyssey Discovery will move forward with the vessel currently under consideration only if professional marine evaluation confirms that she can be safely, responsibly, and economically restored for the intended mission.
If the survey reveals structural or financial conditions that make restoration unreasonable, Odyssey Discovery will not proceed simply to preserve this particular hull.
The mission is bigger than one boat. Svala is the vision. The vessel currently being evaluated is the candidate.
For founding partners
Founding partners are not being asked to rescue an old sailboat. They are being invited to help create a distinctive Great Lakes platform for science, discovery, storytelling, and education — beginning with the responsible transformation of a vessel with history.
Field Notes: Uncovered
A real question, from the very beginning.
Field Notes: Uncovered is built around real questions, real places, real people, and real uncertainty. The Svala Project begins with exactly that kind of question: can this vessel begin another life?
Following that question can introduce audiences to marine surveyors, boatbuilders, riggers, mechanics, sailors, scientists, historians, and the Great Lakes themselves.
And if Svala returns to the water, the next question becomes: where will she take us?
Why partners may see value
A marine technology partner
helps demonstrate how modern systems can support the next chapter of an older vessel.
A boatyard / marine trades partner
helps preserve craftsmanship while preparing Svala for a new purpose.
A Great Lakes business
helps launch a regional science and storytelling platform.
A STEM / education partner
helps carry Great Lakes discoveries beyond the shoreline and into classrooms.
A media / storytelling partner
helps document the transformation from restoration through first expedition.
Recognition is mission-focused — supporting the science, the story, and the education work, not turning Svala into a rolling billboard.
The first Svala expedition isn't across Lake Superior.
It's discovering whether she can return to it.
A vessel with a second life
One vessel. Two missions. A new chapter.
Before Svala potentially begins a new mission with Odyssey Discovery, the vessel now being evaluated may already be contributing to another one.
The 1973 Swedish-built Albin Ballad under consideration was donated to a regional land conservation organization. We are still learning the details of how she came to be donated and what her next chapter there looks like — and until those details are confirmed directly with the organization, we won't state more than we know.
What is already clear is the shape of the idea: a vessel with history, given the chance to create value for a conservation-minded purpose before she ever returns to the water.
Odyssey Discovery is exploring whether that story of stewardship can continue in an entirely new way — not ending her useful life, but responsibly restoring her as Svala, a small Great Lakes field vessel supporting science, storytelling, and education.
- DONATED VESSEL
- A CONSERVATION CHAPTER
- PROFESSIONAL EVALUATION
- RESPONSIBLE RESTORATION
- SVALA
- GREAT LAKES FIELD SCIENCE
- FIELD NOTES: UNCOVERED
- CLASSROOMS + PUBLIC AUDIENCES
The bigger idea
The Svala Project is ultimately a story about what happens when something with history is given another purpose.
One chapter of this vessel's life can support conservation. The next could help people understand the water itself — if professional evaluation confirms that she can responsibly return to service.
None of that story changes the standard she has to meet. If the survey shows she is not a responsible restoration candidate, Odyssey Discovery will walk away. Svala is the vision. This vessel is the candidate.
STEWARDSHIPCONSERVATIONSECOND LIFESCIENCESTORYTELLINGEDUCATION
An honest investigation
Who sailed this boat before?
Part of evaluating this vessel is simply learning her story — where she has been, how she arrived here, and what can actually be documented along the way.
- Where has she been in more than fifty years of sailing?
- How did she come to the Keweenaw?
- What can be verified about her reported voyages?
- What happens when a donated asset supports a conservation mission?
- Can a 1973 Swedish sailboat responsibly begin another life?
- Who are the people who can help us find out?
We won't manufacture mystery where the record is clear, and we won't state facts we haven't confirmed. Following the evidence — wherever it leads — is what Field Notes: Uncovered is for.
For founding partners
Supporting this project isn't simply repairing an old sailboat. It's the story of a donated vessel that may first create value for conservation, then — if the survey supports it — a second life in Great Lakes science and storytelling.
Help write the next chapter. A vessel with a past could become a platform for discovering the future of the Great Lakes.
The acquisition of this vessel and sponsorship of the Svala Project are separate matters, and support of the Svala Project is a partnership, not a charitable contribution.
The vision
What she could become.
A restored Albin Ballad: deep blue hull, clean white deck, varnished teak, and a simple working cockpit — a small, capable field vessel rather than a luxury yacht.
These two images are AI-generated illustrations of the intended restored appearance, not photographs of the vessel. Final finish, layout, and equipment depend on survey findings and responsible restoration decisions.
Mission
What Svala makes possible.
Science
Go into the field with Great Lakes scientists and researchers studying freshwater systems, wildlife, coastal environments, fisheries, shipwrecks, water quality, climate, and ecology — within approved areas of research.
Storytelling
Use Svala as a field-production platform for Field Notes: Uncovered, Odyssey Discovery's expeditionary science storytelling series.
Education
Carry discoveries from the field back to educators and classrooms through Field Notes: Explorer and other Odyssey Discovery education experiences.
How the impact travels
- 01Svala
- 02Scientists + field research
- 03Field Notes: Uncovered
- 04Podcast + digital stories
- 05Field Notes: Explorer
- 06Classrooms + public audiences
A small field vessel can create an impact far beyond the people physically aboard.
Field Notes: Uncovered
Real science is the adventure.
Field Notes: Uncovered follows real scientific questions into the places where researchers are trying to answer them.
Svala could become Odyssey Discovery's Great Lakes base for stories that begin with questions like these:
- What are scientists discovering beneath Lake Superior?
- How do researchers monitor one of the world's largest freshwater systems?
- What can shipwrecks reveal about the Great Lakes?
- How are scientists tracking changes in fisheries and aquatic ecosystems?
- What happens when we follow the research into the field?
Svala would not replace research vessels or scientific institutions. Instead, she would help Odyssey Discovery reach scientists, locations, and stories — and bring those discoveries to wider audiences.
The restoration is part of the story
Before the first expedition, there is another story to tell.
Rather than hiding the restoration, Odyssey Discovery intends to document the process honestly — including the discoveries, challenges, decisions, craftsmanship, and uncertainty involved in returning an older Swedish sailboat to responsible service.
Nothing about the boat's condition is assumed. What the survey finds is what the story tells.
- 01Finding the boat
- 02The professional survey
- 03Uncovering her history
- 04Discovering what 50+ years have done
- 05Restoring her systems
- 06Preparing for Lake Superior
- 07The relaunch
- 08First sail
- 09First science expedition
Project at a glance
A three-stage pathway.
The Svala Project moves forward one evidence-based stage at a time. Stage One is the current — and only — funding goal. Stage Two and Stage Three budgets will be set from real professional information, not assumptions.
Stage One
Acquire + Assess + Prepare
$15,000
Current funding goal
Stage One exists to answer the project's first question: have we found Svala? Odyssey Discovery will acquire the candidate vessel, complete a professional marine survey, evaluate her structural and financial restoration viability, and develop the information needed to make an evidence-based Go / No-Go decision. If professional evaluation supports moving forward, Stage One continues into restoration planning, transportation, facility coordination, professional estimates, and development of the Stage Two restoration scope. If professional evaluation shows that this vessel is not a responsible restoration candidate, Odyssey Discovery will stop investing in this particular hull and may continue the search for another appropriate vessel for the Svala Project.
Stage Two
Restore + Relaunch
Budget determined after professional assessment
No public funding target yet
Stage Two begins only if the candidate vessel passes the professional Go / No-Go evaluation. The restoration budget will be developed from professional marine survey findings, restoration-yard assessment, professional estimates, structural requirements, propulsion requirements, rigging and sailing-system requirements, electrical and mechanical requirements, safety requirements, Great Lakes operational requirements, appropriate weather protection, and mission-specific outfitting.
Odyssey Discovery will not publish or raise against an assumed major-restoration budget before we know what the vessel actually needs.
Stage Three
Activate Svala
Budget TBD
To be developed after restoration
Restoration is not the destination. Stage Three develops Svala's first operating season as a Great Lakes science, storytelling, and education platform.
Its budget will be developed from actual scientific partnerships, production plans, operational requirements, Field Notes: Uncovered plans, educational opportunities, insurance and regulatory requirements, and confirmed program opportunities.
Current funding goal
$15,000
Stage One · acquire + assess + prepare
Have we found Svala?
Stage Two will receive a real budget only after the professional marine survey and professional restoration estimates exist.
Stage Two
Restore + relaunch
Budget determined after professional assessment
Stage Two begins only if the candidate vessel passes the professional Go / No-Go evaluation described below.
The Stage Two restoration budget will be developed from:
- Professional marine survey findings
- Restoration-yard assessment
- Professional estimates
- Structural requirements
- Propulsion requirements
- Rigging and sailing-system requirements
- Electrical and mechanical requirements
- Safety requirements
- Great Lakes operational requirements
- Appropriate weather protection
- Mission-specific outfitting
The purpose is to return Svala to safe, dependable, beautiful Great Lakes service while building the partnerships, storytelling, science relationships, and operational foundation required for her future mission.
Important
Odyssey Discovery will not publish or raise against an assumed major-restoration budget before we know what the vessel actually needs. No Stage Two fundraising target exists yet.
Stage Three
Activate Svala
Restoration is not the destination. It is what makes the mission possible.
After Svala is restored and commissioned, Odyssey Discovery will develop her first operating season as a Great Lakes science, storytelling, and education platform.
Stage Three's budget will be developed from actual scientific partnerships, production plans, operational requirements, and program opportunities.
Stage Three may support
- Great Lakes field expeditions
- Scientist partnerships
- Field Notes: Uncovered
- Field Notes: Explorer
- Public science storytelling
- Field research support
- Media production
- Educational development
- First-season operations
- Accessibility / adaptive-sailing program development where professionally feasible
Stage Three is kept separate from Stage One and Stage Two. No Stage Three funding goal has been assigned yet.
How the work would be sequenced
Survey first. Then the work.
A sequence, not a schedule or a commitment. Actual phases, duration, and scope would be set by the professional survey, restoration-yard assessment, professional estimates, parts availability, and weather.
Phase 1
Acquire + survey
Purchase the candidate vessel and complete the professional marine assessment.
Phase 2
Transport + plan
Move the vessel to the selected restoration facility and develop the final professional restoration scope.
Phase 3
Structure first
Complete structural, hull, deck, mast-support, keel, rudder, and other priority work identified by the survey.
Phase 4
Systems + propulsion
Address rigging, electrical, plumbing, sailing systems, and new propulsion.
Phase 5
Restore the Ballad
Restore interior woodwork, exterior finish, cockpit, upholstery, hardware, and the visual character of the vessel.
Phase 6
Great Lakes weather protection
Design and fabricate the removable dodger, bimini, and cockpit enclosure system.
Phase 7
Commission + test
Rig, launch, test systems, complete sea trials, correct deficiencies, and prepare Svala for field operations.
Outcome
S/V Svala — Great Lakes science + discovery vessel
The complete Svala journey
From a 1973 hull to Great Lakes discovery.
- 01STAGE ONE — ACQUIRE + ASSESS + PREPARE · CURRENT GOAL · $15K
- 02GO / NO-GO — PROFESSIONAL EVIDENCE DECIDES
- 03STAGE TWO — RESTORE + RELAUNCH · BUDGET SET FROM SURVEY + PROFESSIONAL ESTIMATES
- 04STAGE THREE — ACTIVATE SVALA · BUDGET SET FROM ACTUAL OPERATING + SCIENCE + PRODUCTION PLANS
- 05S/V SVALA — GREAT LAKES SCIENCE + DISCOVERY VESSEL
- 06SCIENTISTS + FIELD RESEARCH
- 07FIELD NOTES: UNCOVERED
- 08FIELD NOTES: EXPLORER
- 09CLASSROOMS + PUBLIC AUDIENCES
The final project story
- 1973 Albin Ballad
- Discovered
- Acquired
- Professionally surveyed
- Transported to a professional restoration facility
- Restored
- Outfitted for a new mission
- Relaunched as S/V SVALA — Great Lakes science + discovery vessel
This is not about making an old boat new. It is about giving a remarkable boat a new purpose.
Svala's next chapter could take scientists, storytellers, and questions onto the Great Lakes — and bring what they discover back to classrooms and public audiences.
Founding campaign
Building Svala — one responsible stage at a time
The Svala Project will move forward in stages.
We will not raise money for a restoration before we know what the vessel actually needs.
We will not commit to major restoration work before professional evaluation confirms that the vessel is a responsible candidate.
And we will not confuse the cost of restoring the boat with the larger investment required to build the science, storytelling, and education program around her.
The first two stages take Svala from candidate vessel to restored Great Lakes field platform.
Stage One
Acquire + assess + prepare
Current funding goal: $15,000
Before we restore Svala, we need to know whether we have found her. Stage One funds the professional work required to acquire the candidate vessel, evaluate her condition, and make an evidence-based decision about whether restoration is responsible.
The first decision comes before the restoration
- RAISE
- ACQUIRE
- SURVEY
- DECIDE
If yes
TRANSPORT → PLAN → STAGE TWO
If no
STOP → SELL / DISPOSITION AS APPROPRIATE → CONTINUE THE SEARCH
Stage One is deliberately structured to limit unnecessary spending.
First, Odyssey Discovery will acquire the candidate vessel and complete a professional marine survey. Then we decide.
If the survey and professional evaluation support restoration, the project moves into transportation, restoration-yard planning, professional estimates, and Stage Two development.
If the vessel proves structurally or economically unsuitable, Odyssey Discovery will not spend additional project funds transporting and restoring a vessel that does not meet the mission. The candidate vessel may be responsibly sold or otherwise dispositioned as appropriate, and the search for Svala may continue.
Svala is the vision. This vessel is the candidate.
Stage One budget
A planning budget. Transportation, heated winter project space, trailer preparation, and related post-survey expenses are conditional — they should only be incurred for this candidate vessel if professional evaluation supports proceeding. Not every category must be spent.
Vessel acquisition
$1,500
Acquire the 1973 Albin Ballad currently being evaluated as the candidate for Svala.
Professional marine survey
$1,200
Professional assessment of the vessel's structural condition and restoration viability, with particular attention to the hull, keel, deck/core, rudder/skeg, mast-support structure, rig attachment points, through-hulls, systems, and other areas identified by the marine surveyor. This is a current planning allowance and should be updated if the final professional quote differs.
TransportationConditional
Up to $1,500
Transport the vessel to the selected Great Lakes restoration facility — only if professional evaluation supports proceeding.
Heated winter project spaceConditional
Up to $3,000
Secure appropriate indoor heated space where professional restoration work can take place — only if professional evaluation supports proceeding.
Trailer + transport preparationConditional
Up to $500
Inspect and prepare the vessel and trailer for safe transport — only if professional evaluation supports proceeding.
Insurance + documentation + administration
Up to $500
Support acquisition documentation, appropriate insurance, and essential project administration.
Project development + management
$5,000
Support professional coordination of the acquisition, survey, evaluation, restoration-yard research, sponsor development, partnerships, budgeting, and Stage Two development.
Stage One contingency + vessel-evaluation reserve
$1,800
Provide responsible flexibility for unforeseen Stage One evaluation expenses. This reserve is not money that must be spent.
Stage One total: $15,000
What does the first $15,000 actually do?
Stage One does more than purchase a boat.
It funds the disciplined process required to determine whether Odyssey Discovery has found the right vessel. At the end of the initial evaluation, we intend to know:
- Is the candidate vessel structurally sound enough to restore?
- Can she be responsibly prepared for Great Lakes service?
- Does the restoration make financial sense?
- Does the vessel support Odyssey Discovery's intended science, storytelling, and educational mission?
- What work would actually be required?
- What would professional restoration actually cost?
- Should we move forward with this vessel — or continue looking?
The purpose of Stage One is not to guarantee that this hull becomes Svala. The purpose is to make the right decision.
What Stage One accomplishes
Stage One gives Odyssey Discovery the resources to:
- Acquire the current candidate vessel.
- Complete a professional marine survey.
- Determine whether the vessel is a responsible restoration candidate.
- Investigate and document the vessel's condition and history.
- Develop the Go / No-Go decision.
And if the answer is yes
- Transport the vessel to an appropriate restoration facility.
- Secure appropriate winter project space.
- Obtain professional restoration estimates.
- Develop the Stage Two restoration scope.
- Build the next partnership campaign from actual information rather than assumptions.
If the answer is no
- Stop major spending on this hull.
- Responsibly sell or otherwise disposition the candidate vessel as appropriate.
- Apply remaining eligible Svala Project resources according to sponsor agreements and project requirements.
- Continue evaluating an appropriate replacement vessel if Odyssey Discovery determines that is the responsible path.
This is the current funding milestone.
What if this isn't Svala?
That is exactly what Stage One is designed to discover.
If professional evaluation determines that the current candidate vessel cannot be structurally, financially, or operationally restored responsibly for Odyssey Discovery's intended mission, we stop. We do not restore a vessel simply because we bought it.
The candidate may be responsibly sold or otherwise dispositioned, and Odyssey Discovery may continue evaluating another vessel for the Svala Project.
Partner support remains governed by the applicable partnership agreement and the stated purposes of the Svala Project.
The mission is bigger than one hull.
Before restoration begins
Major Stage Two restoration will not be authorized simply because the vessel has been acquired.
Before substantial restoration begins, Odyssey Discovery intends to require:
- A professional marine survey supporting restoration.
- A professional restoration scope and realistic cost estimates.
- Confirmation that the vessel remains appropriate for Odyssey Discovery's intended Great Lakes mission.
- Appropriate insurance and operational review.
- A meaningful level of committed Stage Two cash and/or approved in-kind project support.
Stage Two funding gate
Odyssey Discovery will not authorize major restoration until sufficient cash and/or approved in-kind support is committed to responsibly undertake the approved restoration scope.
The specific funding threshold will be established after the professional survey, restoration scope, and professional estimates are complete. Its purpose is to avoid beginning a major restoration without sufficient resources to responsibly continue it.
We are not saving a boat at any cost.
Svala is the vision. This vessel is the candidate.
What happens after the survey?
If professional evaluation supports moving forward, Odyssey Discovery will develop a detailed Stage Two plan using actual professional information. That plan may address:
- Structural restoration
- Hull, keel, deck and rudder
- Mast-support structure
- Rigging and sailing systems
- Propulsion
- Electrical systems
- Plumbing and through-hulls
- Navigation and communications
- Safety equipment
- Great Lakes weather protection
- Interior restoration
- Cockpit restoration
- Mission-specific field outfitting
- Commissioning and testing
- Professional project management and production
The final scope will be based on what this vessel actually needs — not what we guessed before opening her up.
Survey first. Real scope second. Fund the work third.
Project management + production
A professional project requires professional management, and Odyssey Discovery does not hide that cost. Project-management and production funding may support:
- Planning
- Sponsorship development
- Partnership development
- Vendor coordination
- Restoration oversight
- Budget management
- Documentation
- Field Notes: Uncovered development
- Science partnership development
- Educational integration
- Media and production planning
- Launch preparation
- Sponsor fulfillment
The specific Stage Two project-management budget will be established after the professional restoration scope and project timeline are known.
Important funding disclosure
Final acquisition and restoration of the vessel currently under consideration are subject to professional marine survey, confirmed restoration requirements, appropriate insurance, operational review, and determination that the vessel can responsibly support Odyssey Discovery's intended mission. Odyssey Discovery will not proceed with an economically or structurally irresponsible restoration simply to preserve this particular hull. If this hull proves unsuitable, the broader Svala Project may continue with another appropriate vessel.
Financial discipline
Our commitment to responsible use of partner support
Odyssey Discovery will treat the project budget as a planning ceiling — not a spending target. We will spend what the project responsibly requires. We will not manufacture expenses simply because funding is available.
Professional assessment, competitive or appropriate vendor quotes, safety requirements, project needs, and approved partnership commitments will guide spending. Where practical, Odyssey Discovery will seek qualified in-kind partners to reduce cash requirements and strengthen the project.
If we can do it for less, we will.
If professional restoration costs less than projected, or qualified in-kind partnerships reduce cash requirements, Odyssey Discovery will not create unnecessary restoration work simply to consume the original budget.
Any material change in project scope or use of unrestricted project funds should remain consistent with the stated Svala mission, sponsor agreements, responsible project administration, and applicable accounting requirements. Restricted partnership funds must be used according to the applicable partnership agreement.
Every dollar should have a job
Svala Project expenditures should meet at least one of these tests:
SAFETY
Does it make the vessel or operation safer?
SERVICE LIFE
Does it responsibly extend the vessel's useful operating life?
MISSION
Does it enable Great Lakes science, storytelling, education, or field access?
DELIVERY
Does it fund the professional work necessary to develop, manage, document, and deliver the project?
If an expenditure cannot reasonably support one of these purposes, it should not be treated as a priority Svala Project expense.
Mission restoration, not luxury
Safe. Structurally sound. Reliable. Beautiful. Mission-ready.
The restoration goal is a capable field vessel — not a luxury yacht. Aesthetic restoration is appropriate where it protects the vessel, preserves the Ballad's character, supports longevity, creates a professional field environment, supports filming and storytelling, or contributes to Svala's recognizable identity. Unnecessary luxury upgrades that do not materially support the mission are not priorities.
Preserve what is good. Restore what matters. Replace what safety and reliability require.
What partners are building
Partners are not being asked to increase the resale value of an old sailboat.
They are helping create:
- A restored Great Lakes field vessel
- A platform for scientists + storytellers
- Field Notes: Uncovered stories
- Classroom connections
- Public science communication
- Great Lakes discovery
- A recognizable vessel that can support this work for years to come
The boat is the platform. The discoveries are the purpose.
This is more than a restoration project.
The physical vessel is one part of a larger mission connecting Great Lakes field science, storytelling, and education. The Svala Project includes professional evaluation, restoration, Great Lakes outfitting, project leadership, sponsor and science partnership development, documentation, production development, commissioning, and preparation for future science, storytelling, and educational work.
The return on partner support is not the resale value of Svala. The intended return is mission impact.
Svala is being developed as a reusable Great Lakes platform capable of supporting multiple seasons of scientist access, field investigations, Field Notes: Uncovered stories, podcast conversations, Field Notes: Explorer educational extensions, public science communication, research and conservation partnerships, and Great Lakes storytelling.
Specific impact goals will be established before the first operating season based on confirmed scientific, production, education, and operational partnerships.
The first $15,000 answers the first question
Have we found Svala?
Can this 1973 Swedish-built sailboat responsibly become Svala?
Help us acquire her.
Help us professionally survey her.
Help us understand what she needs.
And if the evidence says yes —
Help us bring Svala back to the Great Lakes.
Build Svala responsibly
The first goal isn't to restore a boat. The first goal is to determine whether we've found the right one.
Stage One allows us to acquire the candidate vessel, bring in professional expertise, understand what she needs, and make an evidence-based decision.
If the answer is yes, partners can help transform Svala into something much larger than a restored sailboat:
- A GREAT LAKES FIELD PLATFORM.
- A WAY TO REACH SCIENTISTS AND STORIES.
- A HOME FOR FIELD NOTES: UNCOVERED ON THE GREAT LAKES.
- AND A VESSEL CAPABLE OF CARRYING THOSE DISCOVERIES FAR BEYOND THE PEOPLE PHYSICALLY ABOARD.
The boat is the platform. The discoveries are the purpose.
Sponsor message
You don't have to fund the whole boat to help build Svala.
Different partners may help make different pieces possible. These are partnership pathways — not rigid sponsorship packages:
- Structural restoration partner
- Rigging partner
- Sail partner
- Propulsion partner
- Electrical + energy partner
- Navigation partner
- Safety partner
- Accessibility partner
- Science equipment partner
- Field Notes: Uncovered partner
- Winter home partner
- Transportation partner
- Founding vessel partner
Project management + production
A professional project requires professional management, and we don't hide that cost. Project-management funding may support planning, sponsorship, partnerships, vendor coordination, restoration oversight, budgets, documentation, media development, educational development, launch preparation, and sponsor fulfillment — represented transparently as Project Management + Production.
Partnership levels
Ways to participate
Founding Vessel Partner
$25,000
One primary founding vessel partnership unless otherwise approved.
- “The Svala Project made possible with founding support from [Partner].”
- Prominent recognition on the Svala project page
- Appropriate recognition within the launch and restoration story
- Selected Field Notes: Uncovered project recognition where appropriate
- Recognition at an appropriate launch or project event
- Project and impact updates
- Right to publicly identify as a Founding Vessel Partner of the Svala Project for the agreed term
Great Lakes Discovery Partner
$10,000
- Prominent project recognition
- Website recognition
- Appropriate Uncovered and project recognition
- Project updates
- Launch or event recognition where applicable
Science & Education Partner
$5,000
- Recognition connected with Svala's science and education mission
- Project-page recognition
- Appropriate project communications
- Impact updates
- Appropriate launch recognition
Supporting Partner
$2,500
- Project supporter recognition
- Svala page acknowledgment
- Project updates
- Appropriate launch or project acknowledgment
Recognition is designed to support the project, not to turn Svala into a corporate-branded yacht. No level includes ownership of the vessel, equity in Odyssey Discovery, permanent naming rights, ownership of Field Notes: Uncovered or its footage, scientist endorsements, or editorial control.
Custom + strategic partnerships
Odyssey Discovery welcomes conversations with organizations interested in larger, multi-year, media, science, education, regional, or strategic partnerships connected with Svala, Field Notes: Uncovered, Field Notes: Explorer, and Great Lakes science storytelling.
In-kind partners
Help build Svala
Odyssey Discovery is also interested in qualified in-kind partnerships in restoration yard and labor, fiberglass work, marine survey, heated winter storage, transportation, restoration labor, propulsion, rigging, sails, electrical systems, marine electronics, navigation, communications, safety equipment, marine canvas, upholstery, coatings, marine hardware, science equipment, field equipment, and production equipment. In-kind contributions can substantially reduce the amount of cash required to complete the project.
Not every dollar of Svala's project value needs to be raised in cash. Cash funding and approved in-kind project value are tracked separately, and in-kind contributions are project value — not cash received by Odyssey Discovery. In-kind recognition is set only after fair-market value and the partnership itself are approved.
- Restoration yard / labor
- Fiberglass work
- Marine survey
- Heated storage
- Transportation
- Propulsion
- Rigging
- Sails
- Marine electrical
- Batteries / energy
- Marine electronics
- Navigation
- Communications
- Safety equipment
- Marine canvas
- Upholstery
- Woodwork
- Coatings / paint
- Marine hardware
- Science equipment
- Media / field equipment
Partner value
More than a boat.
Partners help create:
- A Great Lakes field platform
- Real science stories
- Access to field research
- Field Notes: Uncovered content
- Podcast conversations
- Educational extension
- Public science engagement
Editorial independence
Svala and Field Notes: Uncovered are built around credible science storytelling. Partnership support does not purchase scientific conclusions or editorial control. Scientists and researchers remain the experts, and Odyssey Discovery retains appropriate editorial independence.
Partner experiences
Partnership does not currently include sailing days, passenger trips, corporate outings, or client entertainment aboard. Those could only be considered after vessel safety, insurance, captain licensing, regulatory requirements, and operational capacity are confirmed. For now, partner experiences may include launch events, dockside gatherings, project previews, and impact briefings.
Get involved
Become a founding partner
The first $15,000 answers the first question: can this 1973 Swedish-built sailboat responsibly become Svala? Start a conversation to help fund Stage One — or discuss an in-kind partnership.
Every partnership begins with a conversation — no checkout, no forms to sign here. Prefer email? Reach Kirsten directly at connect@joinodysseydiscovery.com.