safety in the new millenium

[sailbadthesinner]

hurley silhouttes i have been told have made it safely from bangor and beaumauris to the ilse of man and ireland
from our side (of yns mon) we can only leave from holyhead
brother and i are sceptical about such a journey
A) elderley seagull long shaft
B) not much space to stow a spare (long shaft or short shaft spare)
C) no rom for a life raft danbouy or much else
D) no epirb (although this can be resolved
E) no real space for tender after all other kit stowed
would we be fool hardy( wind and weathr accepted) setting out?
it has been done before ( ie the original cc in the area had lots of similar boats but in this new climate would we be considered mad?
plus i heard of a silhouette being capsized in windermere
i have been out in a force six and the bilge config meant upwind was no an op[itipn at alll and it was very scary
am i being mad?

<hr width=100% size=1>Beer. Source of and answer to all life's problems.

 

[Johnboy2004]

well i plan to do a similar trip in a beneteau 211...........am i mad?


its all bout getting good weather for the passage,,,,,,,,,,




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[tcm]

yes, you are a bit mad. You were crapping yourself on jimi's stinkraggie benny 331 last year when I evidently ripped his rudder off in a measly 30ish knots behind us, and you now have major Responsibilities and so should now confine yorself to the gentlemanly yachting pursuits such as loafing about at Boat Shows, painting things, sanding things, unscrewing things, and putting important self-adhesive notices up in the saloon or at the helm.

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[Juggler7823]

Yes, you must get the best available weather information available but there is no guarrantee that you will get it. There might be no wind, do you g=have enough fuel to motor or time to wait it out? There might be more wind than the forecast. Can you divert to other refuges? Can you handle an expected F6 on the nose?

I am NOT saying you are mad or should not go, just that you must consider all the relevant factors. At the end of the day, it is YOUR decision.

<hr width=100% size=1>LOM

 

[robp]

If you did decide that you had a good weather window as reliable as can be expected - you could rent a valise L/R and live with it on the cabin sole during passage. You might be able to borrow or rent a more up to date and reliable motor too. (As substitute).

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[Sybarite]

In a boat that size in bad weather the waves begin to seem very big. Do you have a self draining cockpit. If so, that removes one big worry of being swamped by a breaking wave. Do you suffer from sea-sickness? (The best cure = sit under a tree -> Spike Milligan).

I believe you should always have a second means of locomotion on a boat if the first fails. Seagulls are very simple machines and are normally reliable provided you make sure you have clean fuel and a clean run to the carb.

Whether or not I might envisage a trip like that for myself I would never encourage anybody else to do it in a boat that size - even if others may have crossed the Atlantic- especially as you say you cannot get upwind in a force 6. Weather can change very quickly in the Irish sea.

9 times out 10 you would probably be OK...

John







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