Frenchman sets sail across Atlantic in a barrel!

Definitely has generated publicity so far. The sticker providers must be pleased.

 

Kids do things like that unmanned, and follow the track at home . . . (thanks to Tiny for the news)

- This Playmobil Toy Boat Has Been Sailing the High Seas for Almost a Year April 16, 2018

- The Playmobil Boat Sailing 3,000 Miles Across the World May 2, 2018

 

I was sailing around the Windward Islands when that tiny boat was spotted near Barbados. I had a serious itch to bear east and track it down, but abandoned the notion. Even with an intermittent GPS tracker it would be hard to spot on the horizon.

The big barrel though LOL, that would be a sight to see. I just may have to rendezvous with that one. With the obligatory bottle of rum of course.

 

Probably before he even leaves French territorial waters. The French are strange creatures.

 

He leaved from El Hierro / Canaries Islands to immediately take advantage of the trade winds which should "land" him somewhere in one Caraibian island, his first vacation :
"The weather is great - I've got a swell of one metre and I'm moving at two or three kilometres an hour," meaning 1 to 2 Knots.
Of course, leaving from France would give him no chance but to rapidly ground on the coast.
He also will (modestly) contribute to both the professional and the amateur of the Oceans in situ observation. The professional network of networks is the JCOMMOPS, here their role and on the map the huge numbers of profiling floats and drifting or mooring buoys :
JCOMMOPS https://www.jcommops.org/board?qparams=%7B%22queryId%22%3A%22allActiveFloats%22%7D&cruises=%7B%22queryId%22%3A%22default%22%7D&contacts=%7B%22query%22%3A%22def%22%7D&lines=%7B%22queryId%22%3A%22default%22%7D&ships=%7B%22query%22%3A%22def%22%7D&modules=
The French amateur association is the RIEM, collecting marine data from coasts and from pleasure boats, probably that you have the same in your countries :
Réseau Initiatives des Eco-explorateurs de la Mer https://riem-asso.com/

 

I was thinking about a double cardanic mounting* for the bunk, so he might be better off in a sphere instead of the barrel . .

* gimbal like, but with the axes in the center of the sphere and the bunk at the bottom of the sphere, so the bunk stays kinda stable there, I hope...

Hieronymus Cardanus​

 

We should all sing the 'beer barrel polka' on his arrival

 

So, more seriously, it looks like the bottom has a couple of fins. The boat is not meant to roll atoll. And I expect it affords some tracking. Does he have a rudder as well? Why not pedals for some near shore help?

I have this vision of him missing an island entirely.

What did I miss?

 

Here you can follow his progression :
Traversée de l'Atlantique en Tonneau - Google My Maps https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer?fbclid=IwAR2mEJ-mP_znARe5wf6cmkAYNlQSUODf-h4bK4q1cyCBkaVOio-RflY-ed4&mid=1UiW0t61m2NF2aHiWQ8Q3S3TvQhdhfRoW&ll=28.648793987929682%2C-20.48137647437079&z=7

 

Very good points. I noticed the following features from one of his YouTube videos:

• Two fins. Not sure if they're weighted twin keels or just tracking fins.
  
• Main keel
  
• Transom step at the waterline (e.g. for standing or mounting a small outboard)
• Ladder steps on stern for climbing in/out
• Tow mounts on the bow & stern

If he has a small outboard he could mount it to the stern and get in/out of harbors. If not, he's totally at the mercy of ocean currents & wind. If he gets into too much trouble another vessel can reel him in LOL.

 

Still a waste of time/effort. But its his own time to waste. He's not going to collect any information that already isn't gathered by the megabyte and by the 2nd day, the sea is going to be a monotonous annoyance. Might as well lock himself in a bathroom with a box of food and a stack of DVD movies.

 

Now James give him some credit. He's retired and crossed the Atlantic several times. It's quite clear he loves it there. If he's anything like the legendary Bernard Moitessier he will be in a perfect Zen state much of the time. And why not collect a little data along the way? He's in no hurry. Plenty of time to reflect, enjoy a zillion stars, feed the sea birds and watch the flying fish (there are millions in the regions he's passing through). He'll get some attention, perhaps a world record, a tattoo...who knows?

Such is life in retirement. Secretly many wouldn't mind being in that barrel...for a while any way. It will be one hell of a ride.

​

 

I suppose. But I don't think there should be an pretensions to higher goals/utility. Like I said, its his own time.

 

Indeed. Most sailors motor through the doldrums (equator zone). If he loses his mind anywhere it will be there. No wind. Hot. Muggy. Water like glass 24 hours a day. A vast mirror of water that can last for weeks on end without a motor or sail.

Beyond that, he's not able to adjust sails on that barrel. The current winds are from the east/southeast, putting him on a west/northwest heading. These winds bend further north as he proceeds on his current route. If that continues he may very well end up in the North Atlantic. What could possibly go wrong in a barrel? That mess of winds up north doesn't look too inviting. If he had a sail to rig he could be on a beam reach half way across the Atlantic, transitioning to downwind sailing into the Caribbean. But he has no sails.

This could get interesting.



Ref: earth :: a global map of wind, weather, and ocean conditions https://earth.nullschool.net/#current/wind/surface/level/orthographic=-34.73,22.89,671/loc=-64.182,18.306

 

Oh yes Joseph you are right, there is a strong North wind corridor that will catch him, it is even more visible with the Ventusky simulation, aie, aie, aie ....:
https://www.ventusky.com/?p=26.1;-26.2;4&l=wind-10m