Why I'm Following Sven Yrvind

[A II]

Sven makes it into the Portugues tv news:

Velejador de 81 anos passou 78 dias no mar entre a Noruega e o Faial (Vídeo) https://www.rtp.pt/acores/sociedade/velejador-de-81-anos-passou-78-dias-no-mar-entre-a-noruega-e-o-faial-video_67922

— 81-year-old sailor spent 78 days at sea between Norway and Faial — video —

Thanks for posting !

In the video the boat is rolling like hell in the little swell in the harbor, she sure needs some wind pressure on the sails.

And Sven confirms to get weather forecasts from friends by SMS through the tracker system.

 

[JPE]

...
In the video the boat is rolling like hell in the little swell in the harbor, she sure needs some wind pressure on the sails.
...

And a keel, even a small one would also seem to be nice to have. The boat of course "stiffens up" as it heels, but imagine the few occasions Sven had to drop sails and sit out a storm. Must have been a hell of a ride

Edit: It's nice to see him doing good, especially that he seems mentally fine, even though his boat did fail. He is a tough nut, I wish him the best even if I do not agree with most of his dogma.

 

[A II]

. . . . . . imagine the few occasions Sven had to drop sails and sit out a storm. Must have been a hell of a ride

He straps himself down on the bottom and is able to relax, but I believe he is one of the few who can relax that way in that boat in a storm.

It's nice to see him doing good, especially that he seems mentally fine, even though his boat did fail. He is a tough nut, I wish him the best even if I do not agree with most of his dogma.

Whether he succeeds or not, in the end he's having more fun than people who spend their time behind the telly or whatever screen, although I agree success would bring him even more fun.

 

[JPE]

He straps himself down on the bottom and is able to relax, but I believe he is one of the few who can relax that way in that boat in a storm.

Whether he succeeds or not, in the end he's having more fun than people who spend their time behind the telly or whatever screen, although I agree success would bring him even more fun.

Well. I dare to claim that at least 99.9% of people do not consider being strapped inside a small bouncy craft during a storm fun.

Fun is such a subjective thing it would be best not to make comparisons about it.

 

[A II]

I dare to claim Sven makes his life far more fun than that of the average 81-year-old of the same health, and many much younger, that's my subjective opinion about it.

P.S.​

BTW, I didn't say Sven had fun riding out a storm, I'd said he makes his life over all fun, and encountering a few unpleasant but very survivable storms in which he's still able to relax don't break the over all fun in life down for him.

 

[A II]

Some say ‘‘there is no arguing about taste’’ but this is not true, as it happens a lot, it doesn't make much sense though, as that's all about subjective opinions.

 

[Will Gilmore]

Fun is such a subjective thing it would be best not to make comparisons about it.

Except for the goal part. If it ain't fun, what's the whole point?

Even the righteous and Ascetics, have a sense of fun, in that, to find fulfillment could be considered the equal of fun where fun is that feeling that allows us to feel good about what we are doin, even if it hurts.

-Will (Dragonfly)

 

[JPE]

Some say ‘‘there is no arguing about taste’’ but this is not true, as it happens a lot, it doesn't make much sense though, as that's all about subjective opinions.

Oh about this I absolutely agree. Alas I have to admit I do root for arguing about taste, as matters of taste are pretty much the most arguable... I mean, what's the point of arguing about facts

 

[JPE]

Except for the goal part. If it ain't fun, what's the whole point?

Even the righteous and Ascetics, have a sense of fun, in that, to find fulfillment could be considered the equal of fun where fun is that feeling that allows us to feel good about what we are doin, even if it hurts.

-Will (Dragonfly)

The psychology of human motivation is a can of worms best not opened here as it would flood this, or any thread. Certain people have very perverse ideas about fun, and "fun" as such is actually not necessarily a driving force in many human pursuits at all.

I am unable, as all of us here are, to evaluate what drives Sven. I'm sure we all hope it is the fun and feeling of fulfillment he experiences when designing, building and sailing his boats.

 

[Will Gilmore]

I mean, what's the point of arguing about facts

For the fun?

-Will (Dragonfly)

 

[Dolfiman]

A larger boat may be more comfortable and faster, but would certainly be more work to operate and more costly to maintain.

What Sven seems to be aiming for is the absolute minimum needed to safely go to sea in.

Since a smaller vessel is going to require a longer passage, and that passage is going to require even more stores, a much larger portion of that vessel's displacement is going to have to be made up of payload.
............
But I like playing with design ideas for the type.

I consider an ocean capable sailboat with a sum of 30 ft (in Beam, Length an Draft) and a loaded displacement of 1.5 short tons or less, to be a mini-voyager.

On the same subject and within a similar thread, I did a tentative rationale of the oceanic micro to mini cruiser, here at quote # 115 :
Frenchman sets sail across Atlantic in a barrel! https://www.boatdesign.net/threads/frenchman-sets-sail-across-atlantic-in-a-barrel.61606/page-8

 

[A II]

Here's a direct link to post #115 in the thread ‘‘Frenchman sets sail across Atlantic in a barrel!’’

P.S.​

Jean-Jacques spent 127 days and 6 hours (over ⅓ year) in his barrel to cross the Atlantic, and experienced several storms in there, with as only propulsion the wind and the current on the hull and without steering, it turned out to be a once in a lifetime experience for him in the sense of never again, his epilogue is quoted in post #179 of the above mentioned thread.

 

[MoeJoe]

Sven Yrvind in a longer interview with Swedish Sailing Online Magazine Hamnen.se :
Yrvind når Atlantö efter 78 dagar https://www.hamnen.se/artiklar/segel/yrvind-nar-atlanto-efter-78-dagar/

 

[sharpii2]

On the same subject and within a similar thread, I did a tentative rationale of the oceanic micro to mini cruiser, here at quote # 115 :
Frenchman sets sail across Atlantic in a barrel! https://www.boatdesign.net/threads/frenchman-sets-sail-across-atlantic-in-a-barrel.61606/page-8

I carefully looked at YOUR spreadsheet, and I think it is pretty accurate, especially the anticipated average speeds.

I think of two categories of very small voyagers:

The smallest, I call "micros". They have a Length, Beam, and draft sum of 20 ft or less. And they displace one metric ton or less. An around-in-ten boat would fit this class. Gerry Spies' Yankee Girl fits this bill (10 ft + 5 ft + 2ft, IIRC.) Although such a small vessel may be seen as a stunt boat, I believe it can be made to work as a real ocean crossing sailboat.

The next size up would be what I call a "mini". It would have a Length, Beam, Draft sum of more than 20 ft, up to 30 ft, and a displacement of more than 1.0 metric ton, up to maybe 2.0 metric tons.

Most of Sven's creations, including his present one, fit this second category. A whole lot of other boats, including one which sailed around the world, do too.

By "draft" I mean fully extended draft.

By "displacement" I mean the fully loaded boat.

I have seen that speed is often mentioned as a primary safety concern. I agree to some extent. But I think it can be somewhat over rated.

Suppose you had a choice between two vessels. One was say 50% faster than the other. Now, let's suppose that the slower one is all but guaranteed to recover from a 180 degree capsize, but the faster one isn't.

Which vessel would you choose to make an ocean passage in?

 

[Dolfiman]

I have seen that speed is often mentioned as a primary safety concern. I agree to some extent. But I think it can be somewhat over rated.

Speed is also and in my opinion mostly important for its influence on the necessary loading when considering an oceanic crossing (let'say a > 30 days sailing). For two mini boats having a certain % of average speed difference in coastal sailings, this % can increase a lot when considering an oceanic crossing. And moreover an extra loading, not always easy to put low in the boat, can degrade the ultimate stability. So speed has several consequences in cascade. In my opinion, there is minima to say it is a sailboat : to have a minimum 4 knots speed potential when sailing upwind (flat sea, with force ~ 3 to 5) , and to avoid too heavy DLR, i.e. remain < 350 (when D = full load displacement).

Suppose you had a choice between two vessels. One was say 50% faster than the other. Now, let's suppose that the slower one is all but guaranteed to recover from a 180 degree capsize, but the faster one isn't. Which vessel would you choose to make an ocean passage in?

50% faster in average speed means a lot difference in length, 2,25 in average at same Froude, e.g. a L 5m >> L 11,25 m
>>> may I reformulate your dilemma with let'say ~ 22% faster equivalent to ~ 50% in length, e.g. a L 5m >> L 7,5 m
Well, I will choose the slower as long as the two above conditions (> 4 knots upwind, DLR < 350) can be fulfilled.

The ClassGlobe 5.80 concept launched recently :
https://www.classglobe580.com/2020/03/officially-launches-home-built-class-mini-5-80/

And a story of the (really!)micro-cruisers (in French but with the pictures and often main dimensions in metric units) :
Histoire de micro-yachts – Nautical Trek https://nauticaltrek.com/bateaux/histoire-micro-yachts/