Cross an ocean in a dinghy?

Take note, stonedpirate! It's everyone's inclination to save your skin. It's not like you're up sixty storeys and everyone's shouting, "Jump!... Jump!"
A short boat is about the same as a tea cup out where the big waves are. It has very little inclination to sail at all when the waves are over a couple of feet high and you'd likely experience about 25% sailing and 75% drifting off course. Only tradewinds would reliably move you in one direction but that's not guaranteed.
I've been in a small sailboat in much nicer conditions and the motion was hateful. Of course, I was in a harbor and among other boats. Alone out there, it could go on for days or even weeks, a retched existence to say the least.
All this doen't even begin to address survival. Discomfort is discomfort, but imagine smashing into a steel shipping container or some other piece of debris. Imagine a leak that will soak the interior while you're puking your guts out, something you have to address immediately. Or a failure of the rig with no recourse but to go on deck in raging conditions.
If all this sounds doable, I say, go for it.

 

I dont mean to be rude as we all have the right to dream, however if you look at adventurers and their achievements, they're usually gained on the back of major periods of preparation, training and assessment of the risks and difficulties and ensuring come the day of the off, that all possible problems have been properly taken into account and catered for.

Sailing marathons, rowing passages, open water swimming, cycling round the world or climbing mountains - the preparation process is exactly the same.

Stoned wants his boat designed and built in 6 months then after learning to sail, to be off.

I wish him well, logic dictates his chances of success are small but at least we´ll be able to reopen the thread in a few months and congratulate eachother with "I told you so..." comments. This is my last word on the subject.


I just hope to god this isnt a reincarnation of Frosty winding us all up........

 

Since the last time you asked, I thought you allready built your boat and was underway.
Sailor you are slow
Daniel

 

Did you ever consider that these people had prior knowledge and experience in sailing, boat handling, adverse conditions and a real plan for every contingency? From what I can tell you haven't taken in to consideration any one of these points. Simply having a boat and a desire doesn't mean that it is feasible for you. The vast majority of the people who attempt these things have years of experience on the water...from what I gather you don't have all that much. Do you really understand that puking your guts up because you picked the wrong type hull won't disable you at a critical moment...?

 

That's not true, he is a pirate don't forget. Stoned perhaps, but a pirate just the same.
Daniel

 

Having a Christopher Cross moment when the height of the waves is more than the length of the boat isn't something I would take on if I wasn't stoned... Unfortunately...it is the only way to enjoy it and probably the last enjoyment you would have!

 

Just so you'd know, I spent the morning doing a FREEship model of what would be a more appropriate hull than a dinghy for a trip such as you envision.
It is 11 feet since you said that that was short enough for the record you hope to tackle. It is large enough to afford some small degree of comfort. The displacement is 3600 lbs. It should have some bilge plates for roll dampiing and sitting upright takiing the ground. I will attach the FREEship file and the linesplan bitmap.

 

and here is the one I did for the "Around in Ten" group... This and subsequent hulls are 10 ft LOA tip to tail but are designed to withstand severe use and are also designed to be as forgiving as possible.



and one of the final versions that displaces 2050 lbs

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5vK074Ymlqw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=swdyn713M-Q&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mPBaqh3dcVM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m2LeNBY_5gk

 

The linesplan bitmap had to be converted to an appropreate file type, and here it is.

 

The hulls shown can stand up to the seas in the videos shown...if built correctly! Picture an aluminum dinghy in the same situation...figure your chances.........................

 

Hi Gilbert, I was not able to open your fbm file. Most likely Stoned will also not. Any chance in converting it to a different kind of file?

Stoned, I first thought that you had us for a good 1st of April fools joke. But as it is past the first of April, I have understood that you are serious in your attemp.

I was shot down with a plan to reduce a proper very well designed 28 feet displacement boat by 13% and can understand your loneness. I therefore appreciate the reply from Gilbert. Turn the project around and instead of saying it cannot be done, lets help Stoned in what must be done to make it work. Maybe then he will be able to accept what he has to do, to make it work or to go for a worldtrip with the QE2.

Bert

 

Yes...please add the version of Freeship you are using...earlier versions may not be able to open your file.. Also denote whether it is actually freeship or delftship. I was able to open the file in Delftship Pro...but there was no indication of which program actually created the file.

 

I like your design. I have the feeling that stoned will be able to make it in such a design. We need a very small "water from seas converter" for him. Anybody some suggestion?
Bert

 

I actually agree that if this is what Stoned Pirate really wants to do then who are we to piss on his parade...Afterall..he may be a little stoned now and then but basically he does not sound at all like someone crazy...people get killed trying to set all sorts of records...and most know the dangers and are willing to accept them. What i absolutely CANNOT tolerate however, are those people who try to set daring records who do not prepare adequately and wind up having to make a mayday call and then putting the lives of search/rescue folks on the line for their foolhardy record attempts. If the expedition is well-planned and executed then still fails that is one thing...but the jack-asses who try such attempts without doing their homework really kind of rub me the wrong way..(not saying Stoned Pirate is one of those yet...like I said..I dont think he's crazy..and he is asking for help...for now I have to ultimately agree with Bertku...lets perhaps try to help him out...