Sail the Atlantic in 3 DAYS

That’s the time the giant trimaran Banque Populaire V is hoping to SAIL across the Atlantic in 3 DAYS :!:

Well 3 days and several hours is more accurate, but you get the drift. Can they do it? The trimaran is big enough and fast enough, given the right weather window, but two things are worrying Pasacal Biddégorry – whales and icebergs. In his own words, after the voyage to New York “We saw an incredible number of marine mammals. It’s always astonishing to see them close to, especially the whales …. a bit much for my liking. On the one hand they make for a fascinating spectacle, on the other there is always the fear of collision, which increases the need for vigilance. We also had to take a relatively southern route, because we detected the presence of icebergs at 40°N, in a water temperature of 18°. That didn’t bother us on the delivery voyage, but the return journey could be more complex. I just hope the route north will become clear quickly as the waters warm up.

...courtesy Sailing Anarchy

 

Hi Brian,

Are they not able to use a sonar system to detect the large whales and fish or objects they are worried about? Sure at their speed, 1 kilometer sonar response should be good enough
BertKu

BertKu

 

Sonars don't show a **** in a chop on the surface..

 

At 25+ knots, I wouldn't expect any sort of forward-looking sonar to be of much use unless you get it several metres down. At which point it would be more speed-brake than sonar dome.

An Atlantic crossing in 3 days, under sail... that will be one heck of a chaotic trip for that crew, best of luck to them

 

Sonar

Here lies a real challenge for the electronic people to come up with a solution. It is a pity that my hands are full at present with the Capacitor project. It would have been a nice project. We have the whales giving birth at present in the choppy waves, here 800 meters from my home. They will be around for about 2 months and then they are gone again for a year.

BertKu

 

Reckon wideband radar has better capasity for such task..

 

I can't give a comment, not enough knowledge on Radar, but I assume that we need something what detects 2 meter below the waterline and 2 meter above the water line. Some method to wipe "water marks" from the screen and have only real objects left over. Something similar to noise compensation in very faint radio signals.

BertKu

 

Thats named "Broadband" Teddy. And you´re right, it seems to be a solution. But "seems" I said, I only have seen one example at a boatshow, no open sea valuation by myself.

Regards
Richard

 

A close encounter!

Some years ago, I was helping deliver the Whitbread 60 yacht Tokio II from Newport Road Island to the UK. It took us seventeen days as we were under crewed. One of the constants en route were dolphins and whales.

One of the guys on board had a T shirt with six different types of whales on. During the course of the voyage we saw all six types - which was pretty special.

On one particular occasion, one of the crew who hadn't seen a whale was helming the boat. Suddenly he spots a whale and shouts "whale!" then he started to steer the boat towards the whale for a better look!

His actions had "Darwin Award" written all over! This whale was identified some distance away as a hump back - weighing in at a cool sixty tonnes and thirty feet in length!

After our crew member had atoned for his mistake, we drew the analogue of driving a car into a brick wall - he got the message!

 

Yes, whales breach. Yes, they sometimes rise up when bubble-net feeding and sometimes nap while laying at the surface. Under most conditions, day or night, a lookout is all that is necessary to avoid whales. This attempt can afford FLIR; http://www.flir.com/US/ , Whales are almost always a glancing blow. IMO, not much of a consideration. Ice, on the other hand, requires utmost vigilance. Again, FLIR.
RADAR requires greasy calm to well spot whales before you are on them - Even broadband. Consider that a humpback might stay down for fifteen or eighteen minutes (fins and seis a little more, blues and sperms a lot more). At 25 KTS, that equates to about seven miles, for the sake of argument, let's say three miles. In wind that produces 25 kt sailing, no way.
On a trip like this, there are variables - like the wind. Whales are just not enough of a consideration to devote much energy.

 

Perhaps some kind of whistle or noise generator might warn the whales you are coming, although they are, by all accounts inquisitive critters - especially dolphins.

There must be good and bad times of year for icebergs but then there might be overriding considerations for best time of passage. Aren't iceberg sightings available on satellite by now?

Nobody has mentioned drifting containers yet. In another thread these have been cited as a major menace particularly in heavily infested, sorry I mean travelled waters like the North Atlantic.