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capnsensible

capnsensible

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We had a stroll along the prom at Playa Blanca this afternoon after I had been doing some boaty jobs in the marina. As is usual at this time of year, the marina is toppers with transients heading westward as the official Atlantic hurricane season draws its curtains for another year. The anchorage is very busy, some waiting to get in the marina as others depart.

Of course it's nearly ARC time too.

But hey, guess what? There are catamarans in abundance!!

And monohulls with portlights (them windows) in the Hull.

And total shock horror knock me down with a wet kipper, catamarans with windows in their hulls! :eek::eek::eek:

If only those ill informed folk realised that if they were sat in a comfy armchair in the warm and dry in front of their computers, they would know what a dangerous and deadly mission they are about to undertake, pack their bags and go home.

Poor, poor people. :rolleyes:
 
Not having ever done an ocean crossing, I am something of an expert on the subject. I do know that when a friend of ours did a Pacific crossing they left Panama in a group of six boats, of which two foundered on reefs, largely due to tiredness, and a third foundered in NZ or Oz, making a 50% attrition rate. I'm sure the Atlantic is a lovely place, but not perhaps to be taken lightly.
 
johnalison said:
Not having ever done an ocean crossing, I am something of an expert on the subject. I do know that when a friend of ours did a Pacific crossing they left Panama in a group of six boats, of which two foundered on reefs, largely due to tiredness, and a third foundered in NZ or Oz, making a 50% attrition rate. I'm sure the Atlantic is a lovely place, but not perhaps to be taken lightly.
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Sounds like they were doing a Captain Cook re-enactment
 
johnalison said:
Not having ever done an ocean crossing, I am something of an expert on the subject. I do know that when a friend of ours did a Pacific crossing they left Panama in a group of six boats, of which two foundered on reefs, largely due to tiredness, and a third foundered in NZ or Oz, making a 50% attrition rate. I'm sure the Atlantic is a lovely place, but not perhaps to be taken lightly.
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Wonder how many hundreds of others did it with no problem?

Yeah ocean sailing needs good preparation. But deadly problems are thankfully rare, it seems.

Sailing across the Pacific is a fab adventure. You can see the Southern Cross quite clearly at night and Orion stood on his head.
 
capnsensible said:
We had a stroll along the prom at Playa Blanca this afternoon after I had been doing some boaty jobs in the marina. As is usual at this time of year, the marina is toppers with transients heading westward as the official Atlantic hurricane season draws its curtains for another year. The anchorage is very busy, some waiting to get in the marina as others depart.

Of course it's nearly ARC time too.

But hey, guess what? There are catamarans in abundance!!

And monohulls with portlights (them windows) in the Hull.

And total shock horror knock me down with a wet kipper, catamarans with windows in their hulls! :eek::eek::eek:

If only those ill informed folk realised that if they were sat in a comfy armchair in the warm and dry in front of their computers, they would know what a dangerous and deadly mission they are about to undertake, pack their bags and go home.

Poor, poor people. :rolleyes:
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🤣 very well spotted. There will also be Bavarias, and boats with Ikea interiors, and boats equipped with electronic chartplotters too. Some may even have Rocna or Mantus anchors. Amazing how short sighted and ill-informed some people are…. !
 
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johnalison said:
Not having ever done an ocean crossing, I am something of an expert on the subject. I do know that when a friend of ours did a Pacific crossing they left Panama in a group of six boats, of which two foundered on reefs, largely due to tiredness, and a third foundered in NZ or Oz, making a 50% attrition rate. I'm sure the Atlantic is a lovely place, but not perhaps to be taken lightly.
Click to expand...
Well modern boats with hull windows wasn’t the problem then! We’re these before modern navigation tools ?
 
dunedin said:
Well modern boats with hull windows wasn’t the problem then! We’re these before modern navigation tools ?
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I think it would have been in the ‘90s. My friend sailed with his son and son’s girl friend in a Tayana 37 just to Tahiti, wher one f the other boats came to grief trying to enter through the wrong passage. My friend was a radio ham and I think it was before GPS was usual.
 
johnalison said:
I think it would have been in the ‘90s. My friend sailed with his son and son’s girl friend in a Tayana 37 just to Tahiti, wher one f the other boats came to grief trying to enter through the wrong passage. My friend was a radio ham and I think it was before GPS was usual.
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In fairness, trying to enter through the wrong passage is rarely appreciated 🤔
 
capnsensible said:
We had a stroll along the prom at Playa Blanca this afternoon after I had been doing some boaty jobs in the marina. As is usual at this time of year, the marina is toppers with transients heading westward as the official Atlantic hurricane season draws its curtains for another year. The anchorage is very busy, some waiting to get in the marina as others depart.

Of course it's nearly ARC time too.

But hey, guess what? There are catamarans in abundance!!

And monohulls with portlights (them windows) in the Hull.

And total shock horror knock me down with a wet kipper, catamarans with windows in their hulls! :eek::eek::eek:

If only those ill informed folk realised that if they were sat in a comfy armchair in the warm and dry in front of their computers, they would know what a dangerous and deadly mission they are about to undertake, pack their bags and go home.

Poor, poor people. :rolleyes:
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Back in 1984 I sailed on this from Gibraltar to Antigua, via Tenerife. Note the windows in the hull :unsure:

August 1, 2001

Although this boat is no more, it never sunk but was eventually washed ashore after this abandonment.
 
johnalison said:
Not having ever done an ocean crossing, I am something of an expert on the subject. I do know that when a friend of ours did a Pacific crossing they left Panama in a group of six boats, of which two foundered on reefs, largely due to tiredness, and a third foundered in NZ or Oz, making a 50% attrition rate. I'm sure the Atlantic is a lovely place, but not perhaps to be taken lightly.
Click to expand...
Is this somewhat amusing post actually a surreptitious test of whether we spot the mathematical error? Anyway it's slightly more interesting than the other posts.
 
Yorkshire Exile said:
Is this somewhat amusing post actually a surreptitious test of whether we spot the mathematical error? Anyway it's slightly more interesting than the other posts.
Click to expand...
Nothing wrong with my ‘rithmetic. Six boats started out, of which two foundered in the Pacific and one and the end of the trip. 3/6 is as near to 50% as I can be bothered to calculate.
 
capnsensible said:
And total shock horror knock me down with a wet kipper, catamarans with windows in their hulls! :eek::eek::eek:
Click to expand...

A friend had a Fontaine-Pajot catamaran that had windows in the inward sides of the hulls. They were of modest size and in the toilet/shower compartments (1 in each hull). The windows were openable, and prominent stickers warned they had to be locked shut when underway.

It was initially disconcerting, but soon entertaining to see solid water frequently passing part-way up the windows as the hull passed through waves. It took somewhat longer to become accustomed to being able to see straight into the toilet /shower compartment in the opposite hull!
 
LittleSister said:
A friend had a Fontaine-Pajot catamaran that had windows in the inward sides of the hulls. They were of modest size and in the toilet/shower compartments (1 in each hull). The windows were openable, and prominent stickers warned they had to be locked shut when underway.

It was initially disconcerting, but soon entertaining to see solid water frequently passing part-way up the windows as the hull passed through waves. It took somewhat longer to become accustomed to being able to see straight into the toilet /shower compartment in the opposite hull!
Click to expand...
I like them. Delivered one from St. Lucia to Croatia. Also used to do occasional skipper on my friends Athena on local Day charters.

Amazed I lived to tell the tale.
 
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