Rethinking the smallest boat circumnavigation

Discussion in 'Boat Design' started by stonedpirate, Feb 17, 2012.

  1. BATAAN
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    BATAAN Senior Member

    The beach is full of ignorant dreamers looking out at that horizon, yearning for 'freedom', and thinking some boat (insert boat obsession here) will give it to them.
    They are almost always mis-informing themselves, as there is no more merciless slave owner than the ocean over boat owners.
     
  2. Milehog
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    Milehog Clever Quip

    I had one. They are good, well balanced boats and they stand up to strong wind better than just about anything in their class. One of Gary Mull's more successful designs.
     
  3. TeddyDiver
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    TeddyDiver Gollywobbler

    I think it's better to wait a decade or two, take cruise to north pole and sail around it with an optimist cut half shorter to make this new record harder to beat.. :)
     
  4. Yobarnacle
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    Yobarnacle Senior Member holding true course

  5. die_dunkelheit
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    die_dunkelheit NA Student

    That would be an interesting regatta.. A handful of races around the various large islands or groups of islands in the world. Australia, Greenland, the British Isles, the Hawaiian Islands... Maybe somebody with a ton of money should look into that.
     
  6. mydauphin
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    mydauphin Senior Member

    Circumnavigating Australia seems a big enough challenge for anyone.
     
  7. PAR
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    PAR Yacht Designer/Builder

    I mentioned this in one of my posts, but of course I've never offered him any good advice as far as he's concerned and knowing what I have posted, suggests his comprehension level is quite low, possibly oxygen deprivation induced.
     
  8. whitepointer23

    whitepointer23 Previous Member

    a bit off topic , but do any of know what became of the round the world power boat rally or race, i am not sure what it was called but i remember reading about it a while back, they were going to be 1 design displacement launchs around 7 meters long with small yanmar diesels, it was quite interesting but i lost track of it. just wondering if anything became of it.
     
  9. Nick.K
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    Nick.K Senior Member

    Don't worry about that, time for a change of subject.
     
  10. viking north
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    viking north VINLAND

    And on that note for all you multihullers out there I just learned a tid bit- Nigel Tetley was the first to circumnavigate the world in a multihull --The first to do it non stop-- and to boot in a non specialized --non designed for this purpose craft. He did it it in his regular family live aboard plywood trimaran ketch--Victress in the first ever Golden Globe Race. Taking nothing away from Knox Johnston- This was a amazing feat in a highly untried class of vessels.
     
  11. pdwiley
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    pdwiley Senior Member

    What year was the circumnavigation?

    PDW
     
  12. Nick.K
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    Nick.K Senior Member

    Have you read about Donald Crowhust in the same race in his catamaran
    (back on topic again...suicidal obsession with a sailing record!)
    A tragic but gripping history.
     
  13. JosephT
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    JosephT Senior Member

    Year was 1968. I've found the best book on this race is below...very exciting read to say the least.

    [​IMG]

    http://www.amazon.com/Voyage-Madmen-Peter-Nichols/dp/0060957034/

    Warning: Reading this book might give you crazy ideas of solo circumnavigation LOL. As I recall Tetley's trimaran actually sank in the mid-Atlantic just shy of the finish, but they gave him credit for the circumnavigation. Sadly, years later he ended up comitting suicide (as did Crowhorst during the race). It's a book of trials and tribulations. RKJ (Knox Johnson) & Moitessier faired best during the race. Their boats held up quite well as did their emotions.

    It takes a special breed of person to do a solo circumnavigation. It takes a good boat and a good brain. Even then it's a risk.
     
  14. Nick.K
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    Nick.K Senior Member

    Both men were very experienced on the sea and in small boats and perhaps more importantly did it for the challenge and love of the sea, so much so in Moitessier's case that he passed up on the trophy to continue sailing even though he could have easily won it......take note S.P
     

  15. JosephT
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    JosephT Senior Member

    Agreed. Both of those chaps really loved the sea...particulary Moitessier. He was in his element and I think the pic below on his wiki page really sums things up.

    [​IMG]

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bernard_Moitessier

    RKJ also recently did another solo circumavigation in the Vellux 5 Oceans race & set the record for the oldest person to do it. As I recall he said he would "never" do that again and about had it with the circumavigation bit.

    Moitessier, if here were still with us, would have probably done it until his final days and disappeard like Joshua Slocum.

    Vito Dumas is way up there with Moitessier on his circumnavigation...very emotionally grounded, high spirits & well prepared.

    [​IMG]

    All these guys have written books too and their on-board reading libraries were extensive.
     
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