Why I'm Following Sven Yrvind

[A II]

Excluding sidetracks excludes serendipity.

 

[upchurchmr]

That's true.
Why don't you start a thread called Serendipity?
Of just call it random sh*t.

I'm gone, have fun.

 

[A II]

Serendipity is an unplanned fortunate discovery by following sidetracks, so it doesn't show up on a thread called serendipity, on a random chip thread it might occur though, however it would have less chance to be related to this thread's topic.

 

[JPE]

Here's the first line in full:

‘‘ Many people misunderstand life. They think comfort is happiness, but unfortunately, that kind of happiness only works in the short term because, like drug abuse and instalment purchases, it burns energy intended for your future well-being. ’’

I fully agree to that first line, but would like to express it a little more strongly by replacing the first word with ‘‘Most’’.

However anyone who misunderstands life in that way wouldn't agree to it as long as they misunderstand life, as ignorance is some sort of paradise, at least for the ignorant.

P.S.​

‘‘Ignorance Is Bliss’’ is a phrase coined by Thomas Gray in his 1768 Ode on a Distant Prospect of Eton College.

‘‘ - To each his suff'rings: all are men,

Condemn'd alike to groan,
The tender for another's pain;
Th' unfeeling for his own.
Yet ah! why should they know their fate?
Since sorrow never comes too late,
And happiness too swiftly flies.
Thought would destroy their paradise.
No more; where ignorance is bliss,
'Tis folly to be wise. - ’’​

I'm fully aware of the concept of delayed gratification, and how the individuals proclivity towards it usually predicts success in life.

To a certain extent delayed gratification will support sustainable happiness, pathological cases are unequivocally excluded.

You missed the point in my post by a nautical mile. If you wish to adress it, please adress it as a whole.

 

[Clarkey]

Why would I take on board the whole manifesto when, after a lifetime of experience, he keeps on making the same simple mistakes? I think he is in a vicious circle where he lacks confidence in the performance of the boat then massively over-provisions, guaranteeing that the boat will behave like a slug. There are times where I think he is almost on to something then he blows it.

I wonder how this voyage would have gone if he had actually planned to make the Azores and provisioned accordingly? The boat looked quite slippery in the (obviously inadequate) sailing trials.

 

[KeithO]

I wonder if he thought with the current covid 19 issues, that he may not have any chance of re-supply en-route ? It is a hella long way to NZ, so many people think those stuck in NZ should just sail back to their home country without touching land on the way back, but I would think trips like that are virtually unprecedented.

 

[A II]

With a little modification I still think ExLex II would make a fine boat for going around the world in shorter legs, I've posted about this on the thread Yrvind in post #615 and #620.

If windward ability on the current boat doesn't improve enough when it gets more empty, then on his first stop Sven easily could add an outside keel beam to the hull, glass it over, and continue the journey within a week or so. For ease of keel work the boat is easily to roll over on a sandy or grass soil with the help of a few people.

Besides Will's idea to use the yuloh as a makeshift leeboard (post #616), I would give the current boat a hollow keel beam just wide enough to contain the freshwater stock and the batteries and the anchors plus anchor chains, accessible through a few sole hatches, but agree, I don't think Sven would go for it.

Well as said, I don't think Sven will go for this, instead in his pre departure post of June 9. 2020 he tells (video start 2:56) to plan for added complexity in his next boat, of which I've posted my thoughts on the thread Yrvind in post #613.

A shallow fixed long keel on the next design would give the same gain in windward ability as the now planned lifting keel. But with the lifting keel the boat would be able to escape to safety over a shallow bar or reef, where deeper boats get wrecked or simply don't have an escape option there. And at open sea when lying a hull in bad weather the shallow flat bottomed boat with raised keel would be pushed aside by heavy seas, whereas the keel boat would trip over its keel and experience knock downs and rollovers all the time, which is very uncomfortable for the crew and also bad for the rig. Down wind with the keel raised the lift keel boat would be a little faster, because of its less water resistance by less exposed wetted surface. And the shallow boat also has more options to avoid the use of busy and expensive marinas and hide in beautiful little shallow coves, as well as the options of drying out level on the flat bottom while coming as last and going as first. This all comes for the price of a huge added complexity in design and build and use * where Sven all likes to experiment with and don't want to give up on the possible gain options. (* and added maintenance)

At the time of this posting Sven's position is about to cross the imaginary line between South Newfoundland and South Biscay, and so is about to leave the Northern North Atlantic, and ± entering the Southern North Atlantic.

P.S. - I've posted an elaboration on the above in post #144.

 

[A II]

I wonder if he thought with the current covid 19 issues, that he may not have any chance of re-supply en-route ? It is a hella long way to NZ, so many people think those stuck in NZ should just sail back to their home country without touching land on the way back, but I would think trips like that are virtually unprecedented.

To go directly for NZ were pre Covid-19 plans with a planned departure from south west Ireland, leaving from Norway the plans were changed into reaching the Southern North Atlantic and cruise around there till food runs out (the boat was pre Covid-19 already stocked for the trip Ireland - NZ), fresh water stock supplemented by catching rain, and then restock in ± November in eg. Santa Maria in the Azores, and then go for NZ from there.

 

[KeithO]

I dont know how he does it, in the tropics I was dehydrating on less than 5L water per day and he is claiming to use only 1L / day. Maybe the activity level is lower than what I had in the military but one sweats without even moving ?

 

[A II]

You're talking about average fresh water use, Sven uses less than half of the average minimum, and is still doing fine when he rations on that, and he's a very experienced rain catcher who always comes in with enough fresh water.

 

[Tiny Turnip]

Excluding sidetracks excludes serendipity.

No problem at all with sidetracks, Angel, if they don't go on toooo long. I'm absolutely a culprit myself. Its the digression into politics and other contentious subjects that result in testosterone fuelled willy waving (uk colloquialism!) that is less than constructive.

My teacher father inlaw says 'the red herring is sacred'

Speaking of red herrings (see what I did there) I was delighted to discover recently that the term originated fromWilliam Cobbett (whose wonderful writings include 'Cottage Economy', 'Rural Rides') who apparently sabotaged hunts by distracting the dogs with the strong smell of a kipper.

 

[A II]

Thanks Adrian, I'll think it's indeed better now to follow Marc's suggestion in post #107, so I've started a Random Chip Thread for any possible further elaboration about the sidetrack that occurred here, as well as a home for any future sidetracks wherever they might occur, and for all other homeless random chips that wander around over these wonderful forums . .

 

[sharpii2]

For piloting a sailboat which cannot go upwind, he seems to be doing quite well. He has been at sea for over a month and a half and seems to to be heading more or less in the direction he wants to go.

I imagine the performance of his boat is very similar to that of 16th century ships which brought the first English colonists to America. I suppose they didn't go to windward well either.

I have heard that they used a "sail and hold" methodology, in which, when the wind was favorable, they sailed. When it was not, they hove to. In the end, they got where they wanted to go. But it could take a l-o-n-g t-i-m-e.

I'm still kind of curious as to why he can't get his boat to sail upwind. He seems to always have plenty of wind, even for his cut-down rig. And he has three sails to choose from. I wonder if he has tried using the two aft most sails and leaving the forward one furled.

I don't think he's headed for New Zealand anymore. I think he's planning to hang out in the Sargasso Sea for awhile after he re-provisions. I do know that he enjoys being at sea, which is probably one reason why performance never seems to be at the top of his list of qualities he wants in a vessel.

Having read his autobiography, I can see that he was treated as an outcast by his society due to learning difficulties. It is disheartening to see how people in modern society are judged on just one criteria: academic achievement (this is, of course, when they're not being judged by skin color and/or gender).

So, he has not only cast convention aside, but has condemned it for good measure. Doing so, has led him to sometimes not make the best design decisions, but he is a boot-strapping story, if I have ever seen one. Everything he has he has built with his own two hands, including all of the boats he has designed.

 

[JPE]

Regarding testing all possible configurations, I bet he's done that. He seems like a very methodological and systematic person.

What I think is the problem here (well overload of course, but...) is the immersion rate of Exlex Minor. Flat sides mean every extra pound sinks the boat quite much.

 

[A II]

. . . . Flat sides mean every extra pound sinks the boat quite much.

No flare in the sides means the boat keeps sinking at the same rate when extra loading, which is no problem if the total center of gravity is kept low, and the load is balanced along the length of the boat, then the extra load only slows down the boat a bit, especially in light airs.