I was following Shane Freeman on his youtube channel as he got his yacht ready to do the GGR.
it soon became apparent Shane had a lot more money than I would ever have as he removed the mast, new sails, Fleming, Jordon Drogue ETC.
most of this stuff I can see within my budget spread out over many years as I save my next thousand for the next project.
BUT what puts a black cloud on the horizon is reading up on what happened to mega budget and in some cases sponsored yachts that where so well prepared coming to grief , yachts whose reputation is by far above my little yacht which I am still slogging away money to get to the stage I can confidently engage a storm and ride it out.
I know most will say well they where in the Southern Ocean , but as we all know we can get smashed right here on the east coast of Australia.
So as I put my head down and put another thousand into the kitty , are we fooling ourselves in our dreams of sailing over the horizon in boats produced to make a profit for the company ?

it soon became apparent Shane had a lot more money than I would ever have as he removed the mast, new sails, Fleming, Jordon Drogue ETC.

Z it just goes to prove that money can't buy luck.
All of those boats were about as well prepared and you can be and money didn't limit their preparedness.
However, if you are in the wrong place at the wrong time, that's it.
Having the best golf clubs is not going to help you win the game if you get hit by lightning in the middle of the 8th hole.
Don't fret too much.


Gary

I can't remember , wasn't the CGR timing a bit ordinary, like right on the cusp? The place is almost guaranteed to nail anyone in winter. It makes me think of how many really good, and really bad people have had their comeuppance down there. Isabelle Autissier, Raphael Dinelli, Alain Dilord, Tony the pommy fella that popped up like a champagne cork to name a few good ones, Abby Sunderland and her parentts at the other end.
Had to link this, only because it's the best vid yet of a Southern Ocean swell.

Great video Shaggy.
Why is he dragging a line off his stern?

Probably a drogue to help control boat speed and direction.

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Bundeenabuoy said..
Great video Shaggy.
Why is he dragging a line off his stern?

Hi Bundeenaboy,
As Plev mentioned it's a drogue of some form. Wouldn't mind finding out which type, it seems to make the difference between smiles and sheer terror. They mentioned their highest surf was 34 knots. not bad for a 40' cat.

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Zzzzzz said..
I was following Shane Freeman on his youtube channel as he got his yacht ready to do the GGR.
it soon became apparent Shane had a lot more money than I would ever have as he removed the mast, new sails, Fleming, Jordon Drogue ETC.
most of this stuff I can see within my budget spread out over many years as I save my next thousand for the next project.
BUT what puts a black cloud on the horizon is reading up on what happened to mega budget and in some cases sponsored yachts that where so well prepared coming to grief , yachts whose reputation is by far above my little yacht which I am still slogging away money to get to the stage I can confidently engage a storm and ride it out.
I know most will say well they where in the Southern Ocean , but as we all know we can get smashed right here on the east coast of Australia.
So as I put my head down and put another thousand into the kitty , are we fooling ourselves in our dreams of sailing over the horizon in boats produced to make a profit for the company ?

Hi Zzzz,
Yep, I think about this all the time. I had one those all-round days yesterday, 20 knots on the nose into an abating sea from the low down south, to beam reaching in flat water, and knocks of 30-60 degrees. When you fall into a trough hard enough for the whole boat and the rig to shake like a dog I often worry what else is shaking itself loose/apart. After a few hours I find I have to go around the boat sticking my head in corners, just to makes sure everything is still in the right place.
I was doing it yesterday by pushing off the beach 6 odd miles waiting for a forecast strong wind warning. In case something failed I wanted sea room, which in reality really sucked because the seas were worse, I was getting knocked on both tacks and no strong wind appeared anyway .
So, is thinking about this just prudence, or is it showing an underlying lack of trust in all things assembled ?
I don't know, but I do spend a lot of time thinking 'what the hell do I do next if (insert critical thingy here) fails'. Engine and sea cocks are my favorite worries.
If I, or someone I know, has assembled said thingammy, I am a lot more comfortable. But man there are a lot of thingammys on a boat.

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shaggybaxter said..

Bundeenabuoy said..
Great video Shaggy.
Why is he dragging a line off his stern?

Hi Bundeenaboy,
As Plev mentioned it's a drogue of some form. Wouldn't mind finding out which type, it seems to make the difference between smiles and sheer terror. They mentioned their highest surf was 34 knots. not bad for a 40' cat.

awesome video. goosebumps just watching it!

in the comments they said they were towing a 300 foot warp with a bight in the end...

35 knots in a 40 footer???????????????? Hmmmm.

I think the 120 ft(?) racing tri BP had a 47 knot top speed when she got the rtw record. A 40 ft conservative cruising cat is not going to go 75% of the speed of a carbon racing machine three times as long and driven to the max by pros. That's like me saying I drive my station wagon 75% of the speed of the F1 world champ.

On the original post; there's a big difference between facing a gale off most parts of the coast, and racing week after week through the southern ocean or punching to Hobart as fast as you can

It's interesting when t
you do as Shaggy mentioned and check the boat after bouncing across Bass Strait under storm trysail alone, and find both forward weather frames have cracked. It does tend to make you a bit cautious for the last 200 miles. But normally our boAts are stronger than we are, and a good and careful driver can nurse them through a lot