Youngest solo Atlantic crossing
- Thread starter Dyflin
- Start date
jamesjermain
Well-Known Member
I sincerely wish them well, but I fear for this venture and the current forecasts suggests a postponement.
graham
Well-Known Member
I am all for people doing adventurous things but think this venture is driven by commercial pressure.
At 14 the lad may be very competent but perhaps not experienced /mature enough to back out if he has any reservations in his mind.
At 14 the lad may be very competent but perhaps not experienced /mature enough to back out if he has any reservations in his mind.
Blueboatman
Well-Known Member
Oh Dear. The wannabee legislators are going to love this one.
I cant see how you can develop any useful sense of,well anything really,with dad sailing along a few(?) miles away..
Sincerely though .I do wish the young guy the best of luck.
If by any bizarre chance the guy or his dad happen to be reading this forum(very unlikely I know but you never know),I will reiterate the best advice given to me before I set off across the Atlantic ''Take it easy,don't rush and don't do anything silly!''
I cant see how you can develop any useful sense of,well anything really,with dad sailing along a few(?) miles away..
Sincerely though .I do wish the young guy the best of luck.
If by any bizarre chance the guy or his dad happen to be reading this forum(very unlikely I know but you never know),I will reiterate the best advice given to me before I set off across the Atlantic ''Take it easy,don't rush and don't do anything silly!''
tcm
...
well, he's already ignored that advice by setting off on 18th November. Has the hurricane season been cancelled this year?
cookjwm
Well-Known Member
My daughter is on 95 footer leaving Palma next Friday for caribbean, they do the trip about this time most years. Not sure I would do it on little boat right now tho!
tcm
...
the toughest kickabout bit will be from Palma to canaries i suppose. 95footer definitelybit diferent -higher quality dents when the cutlery drawer falls on the galley floor etc ...
tangomoon
Well-Known Member
Well done to him! Hope he shows all the doomsayers the way. I am sure he is the envy of many young chaps. Clip on. Clip on. All the very best to him.
jimmynoboat
Well-Known Member
All the very best to him. I am sure he knows himeself better than we do and his family love him more and they've all weighed up the pros and cons and decided on going ahead. When my sister-in-law took up para-gliding she was asked 'do you have a death-wish?' and she said 'No, I wish to LIVE'.
Good luck.
Good luck.
oldharry
Well-Known Member
Agree with Graham. Just hope it is the lad who wants to do this and not the dad. He wont make it otherwise. Good luck to them both though /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
TrailerSailer
Well-Known Member
I met the lad in the summer. Very committed and passionate about the project. Good to see that in the younger generation! He seems to know what he is doing and has taken a number of sensible precautions to beef up the boat.
Good luck with the project.
Good luck with the project.
Woodlouse
Well-Known Member
I hope the boats are up to it. You'd never catch me doing a single handed transatlantic in a 28 foot trailer sailer.
Dave99
Well-Known Member
Another young person in the yachting industry trying to make it. Go for it Mike!
tome
Well-Known Member
Wish him well - he'll be made for life if he achieves this, only time will tell
I was worried when I saw the boat, particularly the construction details as visible in the photos. Maybe that's just me being a cautious old fart
Good luck to him - I'll be following his progress
I was worried when I saw the boat, particularly the construction details as visible in the photos. Maybe that's just me being a cautious old fart
Good luck to him - I'll be following his progress
Bajansailor
Well-Known Member
Mike's Tide 28 is most probably a damn sight more seaworthy (and conventional, and safer, etc) than many of the 'vessels' (for want of a better term) that have successfully crossed the Atlantic......
For instance, in the early '80's a German couple sailed a converted steam boiler across - they put a schooner rig on it, along with a keel, and got to Barbados OK.
And a few years before some folk in a heavily modified VW Beetle 'sailed' their vessel to the Canaries, and were than rather miffed (according to reports heard) when they were prevented from departing for the Windies. The interior of the Beetle was filled with foam, she had a keel, 4 masts (one on each bumper corner), and the crew lived on the 'flying bridge' erected on the roof.
I sailed across in the ARC in '86 as crew on a rather nice 44' cruising yacht - felt rather chuffed with myself afterwards, and then I later read about these two young French lads who were working in the Canaries, and had an Hobie 18 cat.....
They decided that they would quite like to visit Martinique and Guadeloupe (they were probably fed up with having to speak Spanish), and were not fazed at the prospect of taking the Hobie across - so that is what they did...... they had a provisions box lashed to the trampoline, no EPIRB or other fancy electronic gizmos (I think not even satnav, but they did have a plastic sextant), survival suits, and simply stormed across - I think in about 16 days or so.
So, the moral (?) of this story (apart from winding some folk up re sailing to the Carib)........
....... ummm well, I think I shall allow you gentle readers to come up with this one.....
Fair winds Mike, and Good Luck - as Ellen would say, A Donf!
And happy sailing everyone on this forum - we all have to follow our dreams.... more A Donf!
For instance, in the early '80's a German couple sailed a converted steam boiler across - they put a schooner rig on it, along with a keel, and got to Barbados OK.
And a few years before some folk in a heavily modified VW Beetle 'sailed' their vessel to the Canaries, and were than rather miffed (according to reports heard) when they were prevented from departing for the Windies. The interior of the Beetle was filled with foam, she had a keel, 4 masts (one on each bumper corner), and the crew lived on the 'flying bridge' erected on the roof.
I sailed across in the ARC in '86 as crew on a rather nice 44' cruising yacht - felt rather chuffed with myself afterwards, and then I later read about these two young French lads who were working in the Canaries, and had an Hobie 18 cat.....
They decided that they would quite like to visit Martinique and Guadeloupe (they were probably fed up with having to speak Spanish), and were not fazed at the prospect of taking the Hobie across - so that is what they did...... they had a provisions box lashed to the trampoline, no EPIRB or other fancy electronic gizmos (I think not even satnav, but they did have a plastic sextant), survival suits, and simply stormed across - I think in about 16 days or so.
So, the moral (?) of this story (apart from winding some folk up re sailing to the Carib)........
....... ummm well, I think I shall allow you gentle readers to come up with this one.....
Fair winds Mike, and Good Luck - as Ellen would say, A Donf!
And happy sailing everyone on this forum - we all have to follow our dreams.... more A Donf!
clyst
Well-Known Member
Sorry chaps but the boats at the end of the day "Trailer Sailers" however they are modified they are still designed as a trailer sailer --- similar to the Macgregor 26(not exactly an ocean going craft) . A boat a hull profile that makes it capable of Zooming along with a "fat " outboard on the back has IMHO no place off shore !! Sorry folks to put a downer on things but I rate this as nothing more than a suicide mission . Hope I'm proved wrong though . Cant help thinking this is a publicity stunt for the boat more than a burning ambition to cross the atlantic .
Strathglass
Well-Known Member
Re: Youngest solo Atlantic crossing- publicity stunt?
Yes,
I think you are correct. Before the trip had even started the commercialism was already appearing.
I seem to remember an advert at the back of one of the yachting magazines recently saying something like -
'I taught my son to sail the atlantic so I can easily teach you to sail'
Given the correct weather window, yes, it is possible. But a much more seaworthy back up boat should have been used.
There is the potential for the sea/weather conditions to well exceeding the capability of both boats.
The possibilities for disaster are very real.
Saying that.
It is up to them if they wish to try the trip for their own satisfaction but to use it as a publicity stunt for commercial gain is totally wrong - in my opinion.
Iain
Yes,
I think you are correct. Before the trip had even started the commercialism was already appearing.
I seem to remember an advert at the back of one of the yachting magazines recently saying something like -
'I taught my son to sail the atlantic so I can easily teach you to sail'
Given the correct weather window, yes, it is possible. But a much more seaworthy back up boat should have been used.
There is the potential for the sea/weather conditions to well exceeding the capability of both boats.
The possibilities for disaster are very real.
Saying that.
It is up to them if they wish to try the trip for their own satisfaction but to use it as a publicity stunt for commercial gain is totally wrong - in my opinion.
Iain
Goldie
Well-Known Member
Re: Youngest solo Atlantic crossing- publicity stunt?
I think the advert to which you refer was actually by the guy who went across with his son in Contessa 32s and the ads only started to appear after the crossing had been successfully completed. I've met him, and both boats and son were exceptionally well prepared.
I think the advert to which you refer was actually by the guy who went across with his son in Contessa 32s and the ads only started to appear after the crossing had been successfully completed. I've met him, and both boats and son were exceptionally well prepared.
Woodlouse
Well-Known Member
Re: Youngest solo Atlantic crossing- publicity stunt?
I don't doubt they'll make it. Going down south like that they'll be in the trades and it should be a pleasant force 4-6 all the way. The Jester challenge and the old OSTAR taught us to reserve judgement on seemingly unseaworthy boats.
However, the large outboard and seemingly open transom are two things you definately don't want on an ocean going boat. But maybe they've been changed for the trip.
I don't doubt they'll make it. Going down south like that they'll be in the trades and it should be a pleasant force 4-6 all the way. The Jester challenge and the old OSTAR taught us to reserve judgement on seemingly unseaworthy boats.
However, the large outboard and seemingly open transom are two things you definately don't want on an ocean going boat. But maybe they've been changed for the trip.
clyst
Well-Known Member
Re: Youngest solo Atlantic crossing- publicity stunt?
My point being is that if a boat is designed to either plane or to be semi-displacement then the underwater profile is hardly that of a boat suitable for ocean passages . I'd be interested what sort of RCD classification the boats have .
My point being is that if a boat is designed to either plane or to be semi-displacement then the underwater profile is hardly that of a boat suitable for ocean passages . I'd be interested what sort of RCD classification the boats have .
