The Spray…and Joshua Slocum

[SaltyC]

For once not the fault of the Irish Sea, Dave welded some additional bilge keels on to Zane Spray, and there was we think a fault in his welding as one of the keels dislodged and ripped a hole in the hull.

OOOPS.Just remember a comment from an experienced Ocean sailor about my 'Silly Little Boat' who 2 days later stated, it isn't the boat it is the Sea.

 

[Wansworth]

Club member built a 2/3 (I think) replica of Spray and used to claim victory in all club races on handicap - he claimed every other boat he had ever met could overtake him,

 

[DownWest]

Assorted reports at the time suggested Slocum was a bit bored and tired of it all. Spray was less than tidy. His yearly trip to the Carib ( wife not included..) went wrong. One idea was a steam packet ran him down. The packet in question did have some sort of collision.

 

[AntarcticPilot]

Assorted reports at the time suggested Slocum was a bit bored and tired of it all. Spray was less than tidy. His yearly trip to the Carib ( wife not included..) went wrong. One idea was a steam packet ran him down. The packet in question did have some sort of collision.

In 1906, Slocum was accused of raping a12 year old girl. The court eventually decided he hadn't, but the important part is that Slocum couldn't remember the events. It is probable that the girl saw him indecently exposed (by 1906 standards, that might have been something as trivial as his fly being undone or him being surprised taking a pee). To my mind, the whole episode sounds like a man in the early stages of some form of dementia; poor recall of recent events and carelessness about clothing. So I suspect that may have played a part in his loss; either he failed to keep a proper lookout, or he failed to recognize that Spray was on the edge of her stability envelope. The episode makes sad reading.

 

[Frank Holden]

Slocum, of course, used the well-known downwind sailing passages using the Trade Winds. I doubt if he ever went to windward for any significant length of time; if the wind wasn't right, he either waited or went somewhere else! Sailing to Windward would be something he only did to enter a port or other end-of-voyage maneuvering.
.....

Not altogether too sure the above is correct.
NE US to Gib, Across the Tasman into Bass Strait and up to Melbourne, and a rounding of 'the Cape of Storms' are hardly trade wind passages. Not to mention his passage down to and up from along with his transit of Estrecho de Magallanes . A clearer copy of the below map can be found here American Sailing Hero: Joshua Slocum | showing his struggle to get into the Strait and up to the Narrows plus his experience at the Western end.
I've been out through the eastern end of the Strait, I wouldn't dream of coming in that way, Le Maire is a far easier passage. Nor would I think of going 'outside' up past Evangelistas.
The issue getting into the Strait from the east is not only the prevailing strong westerlies but also the tide and the short steep seas esp when the wind is against the ingoing tide.

 

[AntarcticPilot]

Not altogether too sure the above is correct.
NE US to Gib, Across the Tasman into Bass Strait and up to Melbourne, and a rounding of 'the Cape of Storms' are hardly trade wind passages. Not to mention his passage down to and up from along with his transit of Estrecho de Magallanes . A clearer copy of the below mapView attachment 164270 can be found here American Sailing Hero: Joshua Slocum | showing his struggle to get into the Strait and up to the Narrows plus his experience at the Western end.
I've been out through the eastern end of the Strait, I wouldn't dream of coming in that way, Le Maire is a far easier passage. Nor would I think of going 'outside' up past Evangelistas.
The issue getting into the Strait from the east is not only the prevailing strong westerlies but also the tide and the short steep seas esp when the wind is against the ingoing tide.

I mean that the vast majority of his passage-making was downwind. Of course he went to windward when necessary - but he chose his routes so it was not necessary most of the time. In confined waters such as the Straits of Magellan, he went to windward - he had to! You can see in your plot above how poor Spray was to windward - look at how little she's making on each tack near Cape Virgins!

 

[Frank Holden]

Most people's passage making is off the wind. Reading the book he copped some pretty severe w'ly weather after having passed Cabo Virgenes.
This is what it looked like on my reasonably windward capable boat trying to go to weather in a moderate breeze in May 15 years ago.
Trying to get through Paso Tortuoso aka Crooked Reach against a foul tide. Shortly after this shot was taken we gave up and retired to Bahia Mussel where we jogged around for a few hours waiting for the tide to turn. Two nights later we settled in for a week in Slocum's Notch, Puerto Angosto , waiting for the NWlys to abate.