Frenchman sets sail across Atlantic in a barrel!

I hope Jean-Jacques again has caught some fish to supplement his diet and to extend his travel term . .

 

He is now in a good sequence of ~ west route for the next 8 days, but with quite no more south, so it is a heading towards Cuba to Bahamas I am afraid.
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=23.08116077150768%2C-37.73955074220834&z=8
Weather Forecast Maps https://www.ventusky.com/?p=19.5;-47.0;3&l=wind-10m

 

Have not chimed in here on Jean-Jacques for a while. He has definitely made some good progress. Much better course, though painfully slow as expected. He would be foolish not to bring a fishing pole on board to catch breakfast/lunch/dinner. He'll be better off with fresh protein vs. packaged food. I have no idea where he will be week to week, but why not guess on which islands he will pass closest to. My current guess is he will slide right in just north of the Leeward islands...perhaps to the BVIs. If he's lucky an ice cold dark & stormy (dark rum, ginger beer + lime squeeze) will be waiting for him. A few loops & north/south swings tossed in for good measure. Hopefully he gets there before hurricane season!

 

After a good sequence of 10 days, he again will face about 8 days of ~ South wind which can put him one more time on a North route, meaning a lengthy crossing and a final landing towards Cuba or Bahamas or …?
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=22.236304565305158%2C-43.233136308386975&z=8
Weather Forecast Maps https://www.ventusky.com/?p=21.9;-45.6;5&l=wind-10m

 

Good idea, I vote for St Kitt's (having narrowly missed Barbuda).

 

Having no ability to steer he might miss the islands and ends up in Venezuela, sharing his last food there, and become the new power station with his solar cells, so Venezuela has my vote.

 

With the on going power outages in Venezuela, there is hope after all! On a more serious note, there are skipper reports to avoid pretty much the entire Central American & South American coast line. For the last couple of years it is well known there are armed bandits [off the coast of Venezuela] who will approach vessels and rob them at gunpoint. If he misses an island he will be smart to radio for a quick tow to a nearby island with safe harbor. There are indeed pirates in the Caribbean!

Ref: For any sailor going to the Caribbean CSSN - Caribbean Safety and Security Net - Crimes Against Yachts https://safetyandsecuritynet.org/

 

Jean-Jacques was towed out to sea, and without steering and no other propulsion than wind and current I think he sure will be on the radio asking for a tow when he gets near to any shore . . .

Sterke Yerke ^Frisian — Sterke Yerke → Stranding (1979)​

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‘‘ After a 154-day voyage from Harlingen in Holland to the Netherlands Antilles, fate strikes in the night of December 14th - 15th, 1979. The wind has fallen away after a storm and Sterke Yerke was moved only by the currents. The raft maneuvers erratically towards the east coast of Bonaire. There is nothing else than waiting and the raft and crew to get ready for a stranding on the coral reefs of the coast on Bonaire. At 23.30 hours fate strikes. The raft is beaten with crew on the rocks of Washikemba. The stranding is a fact. The crew jumps ashore and so secure themselves. . . . ’’

 

They're very lucky to beach on Bonaire, which is as friendly an island as yo will find in the Caribbean. As it is Dutch territory, which was lucky for them. Jean-Jacques should definitely keep his radio handy. I would be on Channel 16 under solar power 24/7 if I were him. Imaging a big tanker cruising through the night. Without that radio on he could be in trouble.

 

That only works if the approaching ship has someone on the bridge, 13:30 to 15:52 in the below vid is about that . .

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Suzie and Jules, they're such sweet sailors . . ​

 

Yes, it helps to have someone on the bridge, paying attention to the horizon, "always on the alert" as they say. Unfortunately, today we're seeing more accidents caused by a basic lack of attention at the helm.

 

I've just done some more reading about the stranding of Sterke Yerke III in post #143, and watched a 26 min. dutch retrospective documentary* from 2011 with the 4 crew members, all the text and video info says they saw the stranding as inevitable when they came at the point of no wind while the current drove them towards the coast of Bonaire, so they knew nothing else to do but wait for it to happen.

In the departure picture from Holland I see two anchors on the bow, but nowhere is mentioned the option of dropping them and so trying to avoid the stranding, if the anchors were used then they might have ended up in front of the rocky coast instead of on it, and later towed or sailed away from there.

(* 4 links, which all have the same 26 min. dutch retrospective documentary from 2011, so there are some spares: 1 — 2 — 3 — 4)

 

Bonaire is full of beautiful reefs so dropping an anchor to prevent a grounding would have been very unethical. They're better to damage the boat on the rocks than drag an anchor through the reefs. You'll find many reefs around the world are "no anchor" zones. Must read the charts and find the precise spot or tie up to a mooring. Without a motor or other means of reliable propulsion it's hard to do either one. I do see they have some cloth available to sail...wonder why they didn't use it? Always sad to see a boat hit the rocks like that.

 

Most had different ethics about an emergency anchoring on a reef in 1979, so I doubt that was the reason they didn't do it.

In the 26 min. retrospective documentary in Dutch they tell they did try to sail away, but there was to less wind at that time, and also the raft was almost only capable of downwind sailing, so if there had been wind, then it was likely to be a lee shore anyway because of the trade winds.

Their route was going with the trade winds and the currents, they did have sails and a rudder, but due to the bad windward ability, keeping the raft on the planned course needed early anticipation to avoid unplanned island visits.

But because of bad weather and a storm they were blown off course just prior of the stranding, while because of no sun in those stormy days they couldn't determine their position, and so they ended up on the east coast of Bonaire while heading for Curaçao.

They also tell in the retrospective documentary they'd realised that in case of a MOB on such a bad tacking craft they couldn't return against the trade wind and the current to recover the MOB. Nevertheless I didn't see anyone tethered to the raft in the shown original footage of their voyage.

 

Bad sequence presently, this North position becomes a real concern for the success of his crossing, which final destination ? in which duration ? , himself shares his thoughts on his last vacation answering to his followers :
"Responses to the comments of the 72nd Day
Considering the current weather as I wrote yesterday, I have another objective in mind which is to forget the West Indies and to land before the tropical depressions…
Considering the departure from the Canary Islands, I had warned some relatives 70 days ago that I had little chance of arriving in Martinique.
So KEN: Meet in Florida, my capsule that runs aground at CAP CANAVERAL... like Jules Vernes!
Yes DEBORAH same day only the time difference changes
EDGAR thank you for sharing your sister and mother my journey,
SYLVIE I have already explained it my new radio has worked 20 minutes…
I'm cut off from all information, I'm in my bubble, that's enough for me. The paradox is that everyone asks me for information but nobody gives it to me (for my relatives).
JORGE: no I am no longer halfway... DESTINATION UNKNOWN
TOOD the trip is great, except the wind but I don't have to worry about it anymore!
CHOUBI yes the book will be released, there will be other comments and very nice pictures.
GEIR in calm weather like today, I will spend 2 hours comfortably sitting at the top of the perch and observe the environment, as soon as it blows a little bit I can only observe 5 minutes so much the swing and the reminders are painful. So I saw very little aquatic wildlife
BORAH, no, I never tie myself to swim and hunt, the rifle is attached with 10 meters of cable to the hull.
HANA my cabin has become my companion, we know each other well, it behaves very well on the waves. I listen to him converse with the lapping or the waves, I know his speed and the power of his engine which is the wind.
Everything is in its place, it is really comfortable... Thanks again to LUCIEN PÉDEAU.
JEF thank you we will meet again at ARÈS with pleasure, I no longer think about the finish: "I sail the way I am".
JEAN since yesterday there is no more than half of the route, I changed trains... it will be there towards the West, if the trade winds that go up along the West Indies raise the level crossing... without that, the BERMUDES fief of Queen ELISABETH of England and then there is the triangle…
RAYMONDE, I only drink tea, I will miss some, infusions with spices will complete.
INGRID you will have enough to pick for your next article!
Thank you ADELYNE, I am very happy to learn that a school follows me every day.
Thank you all every time I spend a pleasant moment reading and answering you."