OT: Vendee Globe Has Begun!

[RU4Real]

On November 6th, twenty nine sailors will launch from Les Sables d'Ollone, France, for the start of the 7th Vendee Globe. Run every four years since 1989, the Vendee is the only single-handed (solo) nonstop around the world race and as such is arguably the most challenging event in the sporting world.

As shown in the graphic, the Vendee starts in France and runs south along the coast of Africa to the Cape of Good Hope. From there the racers take a course roughly due east, between the 40th and 50th parallel, south of Australia to Cape Horn - in essence circling Antarctica. After rounding Cape Horn they turn left for the run back to France.

The route takes the racers through some of the most difficult and dangerous waters on the planet - the renowned "Roaring Forties" and "Furious Fifties". A stretch of the Southern Ocean totally uninterrupted by land, where the prevailing easterly winds continuously circle the globe. In the worst conditions typically encountered, wind speeds can reach 80 knots sustained and wave heights can, in the vicinity of Cape Horn, reach 100'. The sailors must manage these conditions aboard a 60' boat, alone - no external assistance is allowed and is grounds for automatic disqualification.

Most of the racers in the International Monohull Class Association (IMOCA) are from France, where ocean racing is the national sport. This year the United States is represented by Rich Wilson, for the second time (Wilson also competed in the 2008/09 edition). Rich, who hails from the Boston area, is 66 years old - one of 3 sailors in this year's race over the age of 60.

For those who have experienced the thrill of ocean racing, the Vendee is the Super Bowl, the World Cup and summiting Everest, all rolled up into one event. For those who know little or nothing about the sport, the Vendee is a curiosity on the level of, perhaps, a NASCAR race at Talladega - something really exciting and potentially tragic is bound to happen. There are boat casualties in every race and there have been, on several occasions, human casualties as well.

Since the average run time of the race is something on the order of 85 days (the record is 78 and change and the slowest completions take around 100) the early November start means that the event will finish sometime in late January. I'll provide weekly updates, links to videos and race reports. If someone needs to be rescued by the Australian Navy, I'll track that, as well.

I'm not expecting everyone to be interested in this event, but for even the most casual fan of sporting events in general, it is interesting. For those with any interest, stay tuned and feel free to discuss. For those not interested there's the rest of football season and maybe a "hot chicks" thread.

 

[RutgersRaRa]

About 20 years ago one of the major races, and I'm thinking it was the Vendee, set sail from Liberty Landing in Jersey City, my old marina. I read a book or two on the Vendee Globe, and it is unbelievable what conditions these sailors face. 60 foot waves, which create calm conditions in the trough and brutal conditions at the crest, occasional pitchpoling, hurricanes, rogue waves, little sleep, cutting their toothbrushes in half to keep weight off the boat, etc. I think it was Joshua Slocum who, one year, after being way ahead in the race, just blew off the finish and kept on sailing. This books were unbelievable re-telling of the conditions at sea.

 

[RU4Real]

About 20 years ago one of the major races, and I'm thinking it was the Vendee, set sail from Liberty Landing in Jersey City, my old marina. I read a book or two on the Vendee Globe, and it is unbelievable what conditions these sailors face. 60 foot waves, which create calm conditions in the trough and brutal conditions at the crest, occasional pitchpoling, hurricanes, rogue waves, little sleep, cutting their toothbrushes in half to keep weight off the boat, etc. I think it was Joshua Slocum who, one year, after being way ahead in the race, just blew off the finish and kept on sailing. This books were unbelievable re-telling of the conditions at sea.

Since the Vendee runs nonstop from Les Sables d'Olonne and back, Jersey City isn't an option. Also, because... ya know... French. The French sailors I've spoken to have a poor opinion of J.C.

Without checking and if memory serves, what you're probably thinking of is what used to be known as the BOC Challenge and is now called the Volvo Ocean Race. It's a crewed (12 guys) race that's run in 5 legs, around the world. One of the stops is pretty much always the NYC area.

Joshua Slocum was the first man to sail alone around the world, on a 36' boat that he built himself. He started out from Boston in 1895 and returned in 1898, having made numerous stops along the way - mostly to enjoy the, um... "delights" of French Polynesia. Slocum published a book of his adventure in 1900 called Sailing Alone Around the World. It's a sailing library staple and a pretty fascinating read for anyone.

Slocum was somewhat ironically lost at sea, in the North Atlantic, in 1909.

The renegade racer you confused him with was the great French sailor Bernard Moitessier. He was a participant in the Sunday Times Golden Globe Race in 1968, which was the first 'round the world sailing race, and was a solo event. Moitessier was so captivated by the experience that when it came time for him to make the turn out of the Southern Ocean toward the finish line in the English Channel, he simply kept going. He bopped around French Polynesia for a year or so, before returning home to Alicante to write his book, The Long Way. The Golden Globe was won by British sailor Robin Knox-Johnston.

Moitessier is, however, vital to the evolution of ocean racing, especially in the Southern Ocean. It was he who determined, somewhat accidentally, that the best way to deal with high winds and huge seas was to carry some sail and run with them. He pioneered the method of "downhill sledding" which all Southern Ocean racers use today, and for which the boats are specifically designed. The idea is that if you're running before a 60 knot wind on a boat that can surf at 30 knots downwind, then the apparent wind is only 30 knots and the conditions are thereby lessened substantially.

 

[Silvers88]

Did he say "Hot Chicks Thread"??

On November 6th, twenty nine sailors will launch from Les Sables d'Ollone, France, for the start of the 7th Vendee Globe. Run every four years since 1989, the Vendee is the only single-handed (solo) nonstop around the world race and as such is arguably the most challenging event in the sporting world.

As shown in the graphic, the Vendee starts in France and runs south along the coast of Africa to the Cape of Good Hope. From there the racers take a course roughly due east, between the 40th and 50th parallel, south of Australia to Cape Horn - in essence circling Antarctica. After rounding Cape Horn they turn left for the run back to France.

The route takes the racers through some of the most difficult and dangerous waters on the planet - the renowned "Roaring Forties" and "Furious Fifties". A stretch of the Southern Ocean totally uninterrupted by land, where the prevailing easterly winds continuously circle the globe. In the worst conditions typically encountered, wind speeds can reach 80 knots sustained and wave heights can, in the vicinity of Cape Horn, reach 100'. The sailors must manage these conditions aboard a 60' boat, alone - no external assistance is allowed and is grounds for automatic disqualification.

Most of the racers in the International Monohull Class Association (IMOCA) are from France, where ocean racing is the national sport. This year the United States is represented by Rich Wilson, for the second time (Wilson also competed in the 2008/09 edition). Rich, who hails from the Boston area, is 66 years old - one of 3 sailors in this year's race over the age of 60.

For those who have experienced the thrill of ocean racing, the Vendee is the Super Bowl, the World Cup and summiting Everest, all rolled up into one event. For those who know little or nothing about the sport, the Vendee is a curiosity on the level of, perhaps, a NASCAR race at Talladega - something really exciting and potentially tragic is bound to happen. There are boat casualties in every race and there have been, on several occasions, human casualties as well.

Since the average run time of the race is something on the order of 85 days (the record is 78 and change and the slowest completions take around 100) the early November start means that the event will finish sometime in late January. I'll provide weekly updates, links to videos and race reports. If someone needs to be rescued by the Australian Navy, I'll track that, as well.

I'm not expecting everyone to be interested in this event, but for even the most casual fan of sporting events in general, it is interesting. For those with any interest, stay tuned and feel free to discuss. For those not interested there's the rest of football season and maybe a "hot chicks" thread.

 

[bitnez]

I learn a lot of interesting things on this board. I'll check in from time to time on the thread. Thanks.

 

[brodo]

...
Most of the racers in the International Monohull Class Association (IMOCA) are from France, where ocean racing is the national sport.
...

I find it very hard to believe that the national sport of France is ocean racing.

 

[RU4Real]

I find it very hard to believe that the national sport of France is ocean racing.

It's difficult to measure because the major events don't happen that often. In terms of things like annual spectator attendance and television viewership, soccer is certainly bigger. But sailing in France is a huge, huge deal - so big as to be beyond the comprehension of most people in the U.S., where sailing is connoted as rich people drinking at the yacht club and competitive sailing is known only to an extremely small group.

The penetration of competitive sailing among amateurs is higher in France than any other country in the world. The overwhelming majority of the "superstars" in sailing are French. And the Vendee Globe will draw 300,000 spectators to Les Sables d'Olonne for the start of the race. There aren't many events in the world that draw 300,000 live spectators. For the duration of the race, coverage on French television is nearly constant and another quarter million people will show up for the finish.

Here's a good New York Times article written around the start of the 2008 race.

 

[RutgersRaRa]

Since the Vendee runs nonstop from Les Sables d'Olonne and back, Jersey City isn't an option. Also, because... ya know... French. The French sailors I've spoken to have a poor opinion of J.C.

Without checking and if memory serves, what you're probably thinking of is what used to be known as the BOC Challenge and is now called the Volvo Ocean Race. It's a crewed (12 guys) race that's run in 5 legs, around the world. One of the stops is pretty much always the NYC area.

Joshua Slocum was the first man to sail alone around the world, on a 36' boat that he built himself. He started out from Boston in 1895 and returned in 1898, having made numerous stops along the way - mostly to enjoy the, um... "delights" of French Polynesia. Slocum published a book of his adventure in 1900 called Sailing Alone Around the World. It's a sailing library staple and a pretty fascinating read for anyone.

Slocum was somewhat ironically lost at sea, in the North Atlantic, in 1909.

The renegade racer you confused him with was the great French sailor Bernard Moitessier. He was a participant in the Sunday Times Golden Globe Race in 1968, which was the first 'round the world sailing race, and was a solo event. Moitessier was so captivated by the experience that when it came time for him to make the turn out of the Southern Ocean toward the finish line in the English Channel, he simply kept going. He bopped around French Polynesia for a year or so, before returning home to Alicante to write his book, The Long Way. The Golden Globe was won by British sailor Robin Knox-Johnston.

Moitessier is, however, vital to the evolution of ocean racing, especially in the Southern Ocean. It was he who determined, somewhat accidentally, that the best way to deal with high winds and huge seas was to carry some sail and run with them. He pioneered the method of "downhill sledding" which all Southern Ocean racers use today, and for which the boats are specifically designed. The idea is that if you're running before a 60 knot wind on a boat that can surf at 30 knots downwind, then the apparent wind is only 30 knots and the conditions are thereby lessened substantially.

Given that I'd read about 20 sailing books in rapid succession after I'd gotten my boat, I have little doubt that I mixed up details.

As for the race out of JC, there was one that I recall having been moved from one European location due to a problem there, and starting here. IIRC it was an around-the-world race, but don't think it was crewed by that many folks. Might be wrong, of course.

 

[RU4Real]

Given that I'd read about 20 sailing books in rapid succession after I'd gotten my boat, I have little doubt that I mixed up details.

As for the race out of JC, there was one that I recall having been moved from one European location due to a problem there, and starting here. IIRC it was an around-the-world race, but don't think it was crewed by that many folks. Might be wrong, of course.

Can't find anything... The closest I can come up with is that Tim Troy stopped at Liberty Landing in September of 2006 with his IMOCA 60, "Margaret Anna". Troy was "on tour" prior to the start of the Velux 5 Oceans race, which was run from Bilboa, Spain to Freemantle, Australia to Norfolk, VA and back to Bilboa. It was also a solo race.

This was the Margaret Anna:

 

[LC-88]

4Real, cool stuff. Thanks. Looks like they get real close to the Sargasso Sea. Not good for a sail boat.

 

[RutgersRaRa]

Can't find anything... The closest I can come up with is that Tim Troy stopped at Liberty Landing in September of 2006 with his IMOCA 60, "Margaret Anna". Troy was "on tour" prior to the start of the Velux 5 Oceans race, which was run from Bilboa, Spain to Freemantle, Australia to Norfolk, VA and back to Bilboa. It was also a solo race.

This was the Margaret Anna:

Hmmmm, it's possible that was it, but something tells me it was earlier than that by about five years and the racers either started from there or stopped there. I remember talking with people at the marina about it, too, but details are fuzzy.

 

[RU4Real]

Hmmmm, it's possible that was it, but something tells me it was earlier than that by about five years and the racers either started from there or stopped there. I remember talking with people at the marina about it, too, but details are fuzzy.

Meh... we'll figure it out.

 

[RU4Real]

4Real, cool stuff. Thanks. Looks like they get real close to the Sargasso Sea. Not good for a sail boat.

Good catch. That graphic shows the return route through the middle of the North Atlantic for what I can only assume are "artistic reasons". In reality, the return route very nearly traces the outbound route through the North Atlantic specifically to avoid areas of slack wind. Traditionally, the only challenge they face is through the doldrums south of the equator.

This is a better image, from the Vendee Globe's own site. This image also shows the "gates" in the Southern Ocean, which are Lat/Lon waypoints that the racers must leave to starboard (pass north of) in an attempt to keep them out of the higher latitudes where ice is a potential safety hazard.

 

[RUBlueLot]

Very interested as a former sailor as a kid

 

[RutgersRaRa]

Good catch. That graphic shows the return route through the middle of the North Atlantic for what I can only assume are "artistic reasons". In reality, the return route very nearly traces the outbound route through the North Atlantic specifically to avoid areas of slack wind. Traditionally, the only challenge they face is through the doldrums south of the equator.

This is a better image, from the Vendee Globe's own site. This image also shows the "gates" in the Southern Ocean, which are Lat/Lon waypoints that the racers must leave to starboard (pass north of) in an attempt to keep them out of the higher latitudes where ice is a potential safety hazard.

Can't miss the opportunity to bring up an all-time classic.

 

[RU4Real]

Can't miss the opportunity to bring up an all-time classic.

View embedded media

One of my absolute favorites. Seeing them do it live (twice) was a bucket list item.

Oddly enough, the song "Sailing" by Christopher Cross has some pretty great lyrics, if you're a sailor.

 

[AshSaturday]

On November 6th, twenty nine sailors will launch from Les Sables d'Ollone, France, for the start of the 7th Vendee Globe. Run every four years since 1989, the Vendee is the only single-handed (solo) nonstop around the world race and as such is arguably the most challenging event in the sporting world.

As shown in the graphic, the Vendee starts in France and runs south along the coast of Africa to the Cape of Good Hope. From there the racers take a course roughly due east, between the 40th and 50th parallel, south of Australia to Cape Horn - in essence circling Antarctica. After rounding Cape Horn they turn left for the run back to France.

The route takes the racers through some of the most difficult and dangerous waters on the planet - the renowned "Roaring Forties" and "Furious Fifties". A stretch of the Southern Ocean totally uninterrupted by land, where the prevailing easterly winds continuously circle the globe. In the worst conditions typically encountered, wind speeds can reach 80 knots sustained and wave heights can, in the vicinity of Cape Horn, reach 100'. The sailors must manage these conditions aboard a 60' boat, alone - no external assistance is allowed and is grounds for automatic disqualification.

Most of the racers in the International Monohull Class Association (IMOCA) are from France, where ocean racing is the national sport. This year the United States is represented by Rich Wilson, for the second time (Wilson also competed in the 2008/09 edition). Rich, who hails from the Boston area, is 66 years old - one of 3 sailors in this year's race over the age of 60.

For those who have experienced the thrill of ocean racing, the Vendee is the Super Bowl, the World Cup and summiting Everest, all rolled up into one event. For those who know little or nothing about the sport, the Vendee is a curiosity on the level of, perhaps, a NASCAR race at Talladega - something really exciting and potentially tragic is bound to happen. There are boat casualties in every race and there have been, on several occasions, human casualties as well.

Since the average run time of the race is something on the order of 85 days (the record is 78 and change and the slowest completions take around 100) the early November start means that the event will finish sometime in late January. I'll provide weekly updates, links to videos and race reports. If someone needs to be rescued by the Australian Navy, I'll track that, as well.

I'm not expecting everyone to be interested in this event, but for even the most casual fan of sporting events in general, it is interesting. For those with any interest, stay tuned and feel free to discuss. For those not interested there's the rest of football season and maybe a "hot chicks" thread.

 

[AshSaturday]

Think I saw a documentary on the race many years ago. Fascintating. If I remember correctly they have emergency beacons and someone set one off in deadly conditons. Another racer may have "gone back" to help. Didn't help-the racer perished.

 

[RutgersRaRa]

One of my absolute favorites. Seeing them do it live (twice) was a bucket list item.

Oddly enough, the song "Sailing" by Christopher Cross has some pretty great lyrics, if you're a sailor.

When Stills sings, "We got eighty feet of waterline, nicely making way," is that 40 on each side or did he have an 80-footer?

 

[RU4Real]

When Stills sings, "We got eighty feet of waterline, nicely making way," is that 40 on each side or did he have an 80-footer?

80 feet of waterline would mean precisely that. When I envision the boat in the song, I always imagine a clipper-rigged ketch, so an LOA of 90' or better.

 

[AshSaturday]

When Stills sings, "We got eighty feet of waterline, nicely making way," is that 40 on each side or did he have an 80-footer?

So does your "Southern Cross" you mentioned. From a previous CSN concert at PNC its one of the CSN/Y songs everyone knows the lyrics to- Jimmy Buffett does a wonderful cover pretty much every concert. A staple of his.

 

[RU4Real]

Think I saw a documentary on the race many years ago. Fascintating. If I remember correctly they have emergency beacons and someone set one off in deadly conditons. Another racer may have "gone back" to help. Didn't help-the racer perished.

In the '96/'97 race several competitors encountered conditions severe enough to result in the loss of the boat.

Gerry Roufs, from Canada, was listed as missing and subsequently declared dead.

Tony Bullimore (GBR) and Rafael Dinelli (ITA) both capsized. Dinelli was rescued by fellow competitor Pete Goss (GBR) who was the closest to Dinelli (about 100 miles) when the Italian's EPIRB went off. Goss turned his boat and clawed his way upwind in hurricane conditions to rescue Dinelli, who by that time was nearly 20 hours in the water and near death.

Bullimore is a great story. He was sailing through the storm on autopilot when the keel broke off his boat. At the precise moment of the failure, Bullimore was standing in the cabin below the bridge deck enjoying a cup of tea and a cigarette. When the keel dropped off the yacht rolled 180 degrees. Bullimore was able to simply sidestep along the cabin and when the boat settled, upside down, he was still standing - with his cigarette in one hand and his tea in the other. As Tony tells the story, the first thing he did was finish his tea.

 

[John Otterstedt]

I wonder if many teachers turn this into a series of lessons for their students. I've seen people turn the Iditarod into a unit of study, so I bet people have used this, too.

 

[ngrant]

Since the Vendee runs nonstop from Les Sables d'Olonne and back, Jersey City isn't an option. Also, because... ya know... French. The French sailors I've spoken to have a poor opinion of J.C.

Without checking and if memory serves, what you're probably thinking of is what used to be known as the BOC Challenge and is now called the Volvo Ocean Race. It's a crewed (12 guys) race that's run in 5 legs, around the world. One of the stops is pretty much always the NYC area.

Joshua Slocum was the first man to sail alone around the world, on a 36' boat that he built himself. He started out from Boston in 1895 and returned in 1898, having made numerous stops along the way - mostly to enjoy the, um... "delights" of French Polynesia. Slocum published a book of his adventure in 1900 called Sailing Alone Around the World. It's a sailing library staple and a pretty fascinating read for anyone.

Slocum was somewhat ironically lost at sea, in the North Atlantic, in 1909.

The renegade racer you confused him with was the great French sailor Bernard Moitessier. He was a participant in the Sunday Times Golden Globe Race in 1968, which was the first 'round the world sailing race, and was a solo event. Moitessier was so captivated by the experience that when it came time for him to make the turn out of the Southern Ocean toward the finish line in the English Channel, he simply kept going. He bopped around French Polynesia for a year or so, before returning home to Alicante to write his book, The Long Way. The Golden Globe was won by British sailor Robin Knox-Johnston.

Moitessier is, however, vital to the evolution of ocean racing, especially in the Southern Ocean. It was he who determined, somewhat accidentally, that the best way to deal with high winds and huge seas was to carry some sail and run with them. He pioneered the method of "downhill sledding" which all Southern Ocean racers use today, and for which the boats are specifically designed. The idea is that if you're running before a 60 knot wind on a boat that can surf at 30 knots downwind, then the apparent wind is only 30 knots and the conditions are thereby lessened substantially.

 

[ngrant]

great OT stuff. Who was the hot chick who circumnavigated some years ago. 16 years old? Finished in New York. Was she part of a race. I'm a fan of Whitbread-Volvo races.

 

[RU4Real]

I wonder if many teachers turn this into a series of lessons for their students. I've seen people turn the Iditarod into a unit of study, so I bet people have used this, too.

In fact, they do.

The sole American sailor, Rich Wilson, has (and will continue to, I believe) given special race reports targeted towards school children and strongly believes in the Vendee Globe as something that teaches positive values to kids. When he's not sailing competitively, Wilson uses his boat as one of the "entry points" for his SitesAlive web-based instructional toolkit. That site is linked here.

Similarly, Enda O'Coineen, the sole Irish competitor and representative of Great Britain in this year's race, is the founder of the Atlantic Youth Trust, self-described as an educational and cultural outreach program for children utilizing classic sailing vessels, including a tall ship.

Edit: @John Otterstedt, here is a link to the lesson plan on Wilson's web site for the upcoming Vendee.

 

[AshSaturday]

Any chance of getting Harbaugh interested in this race?

 

[RU4Real]

great OT stuff. Who was the hot chick who circumnavigated some years ago. 16 years old? Finished in New York. Was she part of a race. I'm a fan of Whitbread-Volvo races.

Tania Aebi.

I met her when she got back and she was all cute and stuff. I was super impressed with her boat choice (Contessa 26), given that it's pretty close to the smallest boat to ever circumnavigate. (I believe a couple of people have done it on Dana 24s) After reading her book, however, I wasn't particularly impressed by the voyage itself. She had a great deal of help, made several stops for long periods of time and at one point may not have actually been alone, as it seems that she may have had the company of some guy she met on a stop in the Indian Ocean.

Also, hers was a "canal trip" - Suez and Panama - and as such avoided both of the major cape roundings.

 

[Ole Cabbagehead]

So from what I am gathering, easy sex in Oceania is a big part of this whole sailing around the world thing.

Seriously though... Thanks for posting. As someone who enjoys watching epic races like the cycling grand tours and also the americas cup, this seem s right up my alley. I had never heard of it before and look forward to paying attention.

 

[RUBand]

Amazing stuff, keep us updated.

 

[RU4Real]

So from what I am gathering, easy sex in Oceania is a big part of this whole sailing around the world thing.

Seriously though... Thanks for posting. As someone who enjoys watching epic races like the cycling grand tours and also the americas cup, this seem s right up my alley. I had never heard of it before and look forward to paying attention.

Sailing groupies are an actual thing. Whodathunkit.

Funny, I've been sailing for a long time and never really got into the Americas Cup scene. It's a LOT of money spent on developing boats specifically for one race series that's run in protected waters and cancelled if the wind exceeds 12 knots. "Back in the day", Americas Cup races were run offshore in ocean-going vessels. To me, the AC scene is to sailing what drag racing is to motorsport - there's definitely something to it, but it lacks the element of practical engagement.

 

[RUBlueLot]

So from what I am gathering, easy sex in Oceania is a big part of this whole sailing around the world thing.

Seriously though... Thanks for posting. As someone who enjoys watching epic races like the cycling grand tours and also the americas cup, this seem s right up my alley. I had never heard of it before and look forward to paying attention.

Why do you think we buy boats and fast cars?

 

[J.L. Gotrocks]

"But if we get lost, we'll just pull in somewheres and ask directions"
-- Captain Ron

 

[mildone]

If I remember correctly they have emergency beacons and someone set one off in deadly conditons.

Pretty much all ocean going races require the boats to have EPIRBS, have inspected life-rafts, and many mandate things like man-overboard drills and such (which are useless when single-handing).

It's been awhile since I've used it and I am too lazy to go look, but I think my harness (combo inflatable vest and harness used to clip into jack-lines on either side of the boat) has a personal EPIRB as well as light.

 

[RU4Real]

Pretty much all ocean going races require the boats to have EPIRBS, have inspected life-rafts, and many mandate things like man-overboard drills and such (which are useless when single-handing).

It's been awhile since I've used it and I am too lazy to go look, but I think my harness (combo inflatable vest and harness used to clip into jack-lines on either side of the boat) has a personal EPIRB as well as light.

The EPIRB batteries are probably expired. And depending on the age, you might want to update it to a 406 MHz unit.

It's a silly equipment combo anyway. Harnesses are vital in heavy weather but the inflatable PFDs are useless because they're going to get wet, so they're going to auto-inflate. Same with the EPIRB attached to the vest - it gets wet, it goes off.

Generally speaking, if you're on watch in seriously heavy weather you'll want to be wearing a separate harness / non-auto PFD and have on your person an EPIRB that needs to be manually activated.

I'm lately reading an account of the '98 Sidney-Hobart. Fascinating clusterf*ck, that.

 

[mildone]

The EPIRB batteries are probably expired. And depending on the age, you might want to update it to a 406 MHz unit.

It's a silly equipment combo anyway. Harnesses are vital in heavy weather but the inflatable PFDs are useless because they're going to get wet, so they're going to auto-inflate. Same with the EPIRB attached to the vest - it gets wet, it goes off.

Generally speaking, if you're on watch in seriously heavy weather you'll want to be wearing a separate harness / non-auto PFD and have on your person an EPIRB that needs to be manually activated.

I'm lately reading an account of the '98 Sidney-Hobart. Fascinating clusterf*ck, that.

Had gotten curious after posting and went and looked. No personal EPIRB (that I could find). The harness has a strobe (battery dead for sure) and the inflatable vest is separable.

I would only use the harness w/jack-lines at night in heavy weather, as you said. There were times in rough weather where we'd want to peel to a heavier chute and I'd have to unclip to shimmy out the pole to blow the guy (that will surely prompt comments from non-sailers [laughing]). Used to live for that kind of shit.

I've only been out (bay racing) once in like the past six or seven years. Life got busy for awhile. So many great memories though.

 

[RU4Real]

Had gotten curious after posting and went and looked. No personal EPIRB (that I could find). The harness has a strobe (battery dead for sure) and the inflatable vest is separable.

I would only use the harness w/jack-lines at night in heavy weather, as you said. There were times in rough weather where we'd want to peel to a heavier chute and I'd have to unclip to shimmy out the pole to blow the guy (that will surely prompt comments from non-sailers [laughing]). Used to live for that kind of shit.

I've only been out (bay racing) once in like the past six or seven years. Life got busy for awhile. So many great memories though.

Hmm. We should chat. I've been trying to finagle a Newport - Bermuda for years.

As for blowing guys... lol... The world has passed you by, bro. It's all about asymmetricals now - no poles needed, everything sheeted in the cockpit.

The J/105 I used to crew had two A-sails, one smaller and heavier than the other. I remember our first regatta after the owner bought the boat - we went through all of Saturday using the small chute. Sunday morning the bowman pops up through the hatch and says "Hey! Did you guys know there's another spinnaker down here? I wonder what that's about?"

We ran it up the halyard at the dock and realized it was almost twice the size of the one we'd been using. I looked at it flapping in the breeze and said, "Well, that kinda explains last place..."

 

[mildone]

Hmm. We should chat. I've been trying to finagle a Newport - Bermuda for years.

As for blowing guys... lol... The world has passed you by, bro. It's all about asymmetricals now - no poles needed, everything sheeted in the cockpit.

The J/105 I used to crew had two A-sails, one smaller and heavier than the other. I remember our first regatta after the owner bought the boat - we went through all of Saturday using the small chute. Sunday morning the bowman pops up through the hatch and says "Hey! Did you guys know there's another spinnaker down here? I wonder what that's about?"

We ran it up the halyard at the dock and realized it was almost twice the size of the one we'd been using. I looked at it flapping in the breeze and said, "Well, that kinda explains last place..."

LOL - yeah, that would explain it. We should definitely talk. I see myself getting back to doing more sailing soon - just need to get some stuff done first.

The boat I did most of my racing on was a Cal 40 - awesome ocean racing boat under medium to heavy wind conditions. I did a number of ocean races on that boat, including Newport - Bermuda. Also did Annapolis - Newport and Around Long Island bunches of times.

I've bay-raced on the Cal 40 (a lot, back in the day) as well as on boats w/asymmetrical spinnakers including a Kiwi (35, IIRC) which was kind of the polar opposite of the Cal 40 in terms of stability. No blowing the guy on the asymmetricals, but one still usually has to shove out one's pole out before popping the chute. :D

 

[RU4Real]

LOL - yeah, that would explain it. We should definitely talk. I see myself getting back to doing more sailing soon - just need to get some stuff done first.

The boat I did most of my racing on was a Cal 40 - awesome ocean racing boat under medium to heavy wind conditions. I did a number of ocean races on that boat, including Newport - Bermuda. Also did Annapolis - Newport and Around Long Island bunches of times.

I've bay-raced on the Cal 40 (a lot, back in the day) as well as on boats w/asymmetrical spinnakers including a Kiwi (35, IIRC) which was kind of the polar opposite of the Cal 40 in terms of stability. No blowing the guy on the asymmetricals, but one still usually has to shove out one's pole out before popping the chute. :D

Conversations like this will invariably send me to Yachtworld so that I can run a search and find things like this 1973 Tartan 41 for sale in Halifax (favorable exchange rate!) with a perfect hull, nice interior, full electronics including an Autohelm 4000 and Furuno radar, wind and solar power and a 6 man inflatable liferaft. It's already done multiple crossings, so it's ready to go.

 

[mildone]

Conversations like this will invariably send me to Yachtworld so that I can run a search and find things like this 1973 Tartan 41 for sale in Halifax (favorable exchange rate!) with a perfect hull, nice interior, full electronics including an Autohelm 4000 and Furuno radar, wind and solar power and a 6 man inflatable liferaft. It's already done multiple crossings, so it's ready to go.

Good review of that boat here.

I have been staying away from perusing yacht sales because buying one to live on has been a semi-formed plan of mine for about five or six years now. Not quite ready yet, so I've avoided looking at boats. 'Cause once I start...

It's only very recently lately that a very different type of move to Wyoming or Montana (or hell, maybe just upstate NY) has started to gain ground on the sailboat with a berth in BVI (or similar) plan.