Thursday, June 20, 2019
Toronto man abandon ships crossing the atlantic
Neil Hetherington has decided to abandon ship crossing the atlantic. Details here. |
| In happier days |
Here are some the relevant quotes from it:
Hetherington said the Boundless encountered strong winds and waves about six metres high.
We had an excellent sail from Baddeck going over a thousand miles and were right in the middle of the Atlantic. A wave hit the boat in a fashion that snapped our rudder. The rudder is made of aluminum, it's a heavy duty aluminum rudder, and it snapped in half and it was parallel to the surface of the water. We knew at that point that we were in complete distress.
Are you kidding me? I have been on the atlantic in tough conditions, tho never lost a rudder. BUT, BUT, I have read enough and know enough that losing a rudder is probably the most common item to prepare for!
Here is a quote from one of my favorite author, Don Casey:
After hull integrity, rudder integrity is the most vital component of a seaworthy vessel, yet most sailors pay more attention to LED lighting or smartphone apps than they do to their boat’s rudder. Before you shrug off rudder failure as a remote concern, consider that the incidence of mid-ocean rudder failures is close to 1 percent.
Any trips across an ocean should have components (woods, fibreglass, epoxy, etc) and tools to jury rig: rudder, mast and sails and more. Just like you had tools and item to fix breach of water intrusion, from leaks to actual holes.
Check this document for dealing with rudder failures. Will it still be a challenge? Of course!
I guess I am of the opinion that if you go out to sea, if situation is not life threatening you should deal with it and be creative about finding solutions. Yes, it will take you much long, but generally you'll arrive safely.
If you wanted to cross the atlantic without any adversity, take a cruiseship!
Am I too harsh?
Friday, May 24, 2019
Sold our C-Dory 22
Well, its been awhile since I blogged, I am going to try restart. |
| Tillicum is off to new owners |
First, last year October we sailed from Gibraltar to Canary Islands (Lanzarote).
The weather conditions were pretty rough, and we both did great. So with that in mind, the wheels were officially in motion to go back to sailing.
As much as I'd like, I cannot keep multiple boats, so the first item was to see our C-Dory. Luckily C-Dorys have quite the following and it was sold quickly to a great father and son team who do live fairly close by.
I miss her already.
Next, we are starting to shop for our retirement sailboat.
More about that in future posts.
Thanks!
Thursday, July 26, 2018
A harrowing story
Not that I like harrowing stories, but when it is well documented like this one, I find it helpful to prepare you and see what you would have done differently.
| Kelaerin - An Omega 45' Cutter |
Also, in this case, the couple had been circumnavigating the glove for 17 years, and they have over 270,000 sea miles experience, so it is even more interesting to see/understand what happened.
Read and learn.
Interesting to know, the boat, was recovered and still floating a month later.
Reading the Coast Guard report, one thing I noticed was: "The sailing vessel wasn’t actively taking on water, but seawater had washed aboard."
Not sure why they abandoned the ship then, however reading the story, there was not much time to make a decision, so I would probably have done as they did.
Of course, sobering, but if you have time do read Steven & Linda Dashew: Surviving the Storm: Coastal and Offshore Tactics.
Thursday, May 17, 2018
Small boat single handed race across the atlantic
If you like me, prefer small simpler good boats and seamanship, a challenge (not a race) about a week ago (on May 7, 2018). |
The challenge runs from Plymouth, England to Newport, Rhode Island, USA.
The no entrance fee challenge is held bi-annually, is for boats under 30 feet. There is no time limit to complete the race, and that is it for the rules!
It is called, the Jester Challenge 2018. The first one was in 2016. In 2018, 7 competitors started, with one who may depart soon.
You can follow the progress on the Jester Challenge website.
How about a challenge the other way?
Monday, May 14, 2018
Chasing Coral documentary
Yesterday, I came across the "Chasing Coral" documentary on Netflix. |
| A Netflix documentary |
We all have heard about coral bleaching, did you know how serious this is? It's actually until now an unseen tragedy. If you have not seen it, do watch it, its an eye-opener.
It's actually quite depressing to watch this documentary, however, it does give you more energy to want to fight climate change, as it shows how real it is.
I would say that if you know climate change deniers, and unfortunately I know too many. This would be a great movie to watch. The way to introduce it to them without sounding alarmist, or they will simply be turned off, might be to ask them "Do you like Oceans? Do you live fish and corals?", and simply tell them, if so, that they should really watch this informative documentary.
Ultimately, we need to get as many people to take notice and realize what is happening. That's our only chance, please watch and take action!
Cheers!
Tuesday, May 8, 2018
Hawaii banning sunscreens
Hawaii passed a bill that will ban sunscreen with chermicals that are destructive to corals. These chemicals are used even in the Hawaiin Tropic brand.
 |
| Not so innocent |
This is great and a step in the right direction. Bayer (maker of Coppertone) opposed the ban. So, I suggest to do like me and ban all Coppertone products, not just in Hawaii. Corporations have to get the message that the mighty dollar is not the only thing that matters, as the corporations have no scrupples obviously.
Now, I hope this ban will be reviewed and endorsed in more places.
Cheers!
Tuesday, April 10, 2018
Viola 14 Sailing Canoe
I'm not sure, but maybe it should be renamed "Voila"!
 |
| Fun sailing dinghy |
Wow, what a great little boat, unfortunately, I dont need another project, or this would be top of list!
Check out the video here. It looks likes so much fun! Plans available here for $100.
Cheers!
