bad old days

[snowleopard]

just been re-reading eric hiscock's voyaging under sail, pub.1959, revised 1970. made me realise how much things have changed and almost always for the better.

the one example of course is that all the harbours he mentions are now jammed with yachts or turned into marinas.

a few examples of the improvements:

"the passage from the canaries to barbados takes 25-40 days" on the ARC we were 50th boat in after 15 days.

numerous examples of landfalls in thick weather with broken chronometer etc. (remember the days before gps?)

problems with stowage and hoisting of large headsails. in the 70's my forepeak was full of sailbags, today i keep no sails below at all.

how to beat the teredo

careening to apply antifoul

"wanderer 2 had a 15 gallon water tank, and two 2.5 gallon cans in the cockpit. we wanted to double this for a trip to the azores" we start with 100 gallons and carry a watermaker and most people think that's mean.

"apply a mixture of equal parts of varnish and boiled linseed oil to servings on galvanised stays"

"...the jib-headed (bermudian or marconi) rig is more efficient than the gaff rig..."

all ocean-going boats were one-off, the idea of a production cruiser straight from the mould going offshore wasn't even considered.

so next time the old git at the end of the bar goes on about the good old days....

 

[SimonJ]

Ah, but how is your rig?!
Assume you are the Snow Leopard last seen rigless in St Maarten and later heard you had a further rig problem after leaving Bermuda! Is this really better.
Any comments on the Aero rig?
The bit I admired in "Come Aboard" was making up the two bunks with sheets each night and the crew turning in all night, every night, when crossing the Atlantic.
That could explain some of the extra days of passage!

SimonJ

 

[snowleopard]

fingers crossed

yes, we were the ones in st maarten. rig has since had a complete overhaul and we are hoping for the best.

it's not an aero rig- they are a solid one-piece unit where we have a separately rotating mast. problems basically down to the extra stress of a cat that can't heel to spill wind pressure. apart from the problems with structure it works very well and i wouldn't want to go back to a stayed rig.

see www.freewingmasts.com

 

[HaraldS]

bad or good? It's hard to tell. Prompted by your note I pulled it from the bookshelf and started reading. Brought up old memories, but also surpriced me, as this book has been our bible then, now it seems to read like an old school book.

I agree, that technology has changed and that it is inherently easier to just cross an ocean, or so. Back then we all felt special. Hardly found another yacht in an harbour. Marinas didn't quite exist, and so on.

In my childhood I spent every summer sailing in the Croatian islands, and we didn't see anothter yacht for a week. I was just wonderful. -- Now I don't sail in the Med any more, but hear all these terrible stories from my brother, or just read that one of the big charter companies is bringing another 2000 !!! boats to Croatia.

Luckily the bulk of the boats keeps to certain areas or routes and we can take our new high-tec boats to really remote places that we wouldn't have dared then.

Better now or then? Just differnt and sailing is still fun.





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[SimonJ]

Re: fingers crossed

Glad your rig ok- we never actually saw it! (But it is a small world.) Sorry to be so cheeky as to mention your percieved problem, but could not resist it!

SimonJ