Offshore Sailing

Throwback Thursday. "Frank Dye Crosses The Norwegian Sea In Wayfarer Dinghy"

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NZ9Qh9hv8eQ]

51353527

Frank dye

The film above documents Frank Dye's second major sea passage, a Norwegian Sea crossing from Scotland to Aalesund, Norway, Dye and his crew, Bill Brockbank, narrowly survived four capsizes and a broken mast during a Force 9 storm. In Ocean–Crossing Wayfarer (1977), written with his wife Margaret, Dye recalled the scene: "It was impossible to look into the wind. It was screaming and the tops of the waves were blown completely away, feeling like hail. Within our limited vision the whole sea seemed to be smoking. Just to see such seas break away on the beam was frightening – 25ft of solid water, with another 12ft of overhanging crest above it. It was only a matter of time before we got one aboard."

When the inevitable happened, both men hauled on the warps, frantically trying to pull Wanderer through the crest: "She rose gallantly, but it was an impossible position: she seemed to be rising at 60 degrees and there was still a 15ft crest curling above us. Down it came and we were driven bodily under. With ears roaring under immense pressure, and swallowing water, I fought back to the surface, only to find Wanderer was lying bottom up."

After three more capsizes, Dye reflected: "Possibly we were the only people alive to have taken an open dinghy through a Force 9 gale, but we felt no elation, just a reaction of wetness, coldness and extreme tiredness." The pair recovered the mast from the sea, made a jury rig and went on to make landfall in Norway without further incident.

No Es Bueno.

Darling

If you're going to steal a sailboat, at least know how to sail it. Imagine sitting down to a nice cup of coffee, you turn on the TV to watch the morning news and flashing before your eyes is your yacht bouncing off the shore down the coast. That's what happened to the owner who promptly called the police when she realized that her boat was the one on the screen.

Via Pressure Drop and Latitude 38.

Did You Lose Something?

41023173361507784992

George David's RAMBLER100 capsized and the crew being rescued by the Baltimore RNLI lifeboat
© Calro Borlenghi /Rolex

Two quotes from the great C. A. Marchaj have just popped into my brain. "To be seaworthy, a vessel must be able to defend herself against the incursion and peril of the sea." and "A competitive approach to sailing: above all, speed. Relatively small, overcanvassed and overpowered boats, suffering notorious lack of stability, dominate the contemporary racing scene."

Via Pressure Drop.

Bye, Bye Brasil. Hello Australia.

[vimeo 19740188 w=466 h=262]

Travessia do Pacífico - Parte 10- Austrália from Eduardo Teiman on Vimeo.

Beto Pandiani and Igor Bely sailed across the Pacific on a Clairefontaine 25 foot beach cat from South America to Australia. The journey started in September 2007 from Vina del Mar, Chile and ended at Bundaberg, Australia in November 2008. This is one of many videos chronicling their journey. Mais videos.
It's funny, I didn't know that I could understand Portuguese.

Via the Fatu-Hiva Team

Aloha Friday.

http://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf

The kitchen sink of photos from Hawaii.

If you don't want to go there after looking at these photos, then I'm lost at how I'm going to persuade you.....it's actually your lose.

Vendée Globe: Les Photos Et Les Vidéos Du Départ Des Sables.

Gidiup Little Horsey. Thomas Coville, Ride'm Cowboy !



"J'ai envie d'y aller, j'attends ça depuis des années!" déclarait Thomas Coville peu avant d'enjamber le ponton et d'embarquer sur le maxi-trimaran Sodeb'O. Ce mercredi, à 13h47, heure française, le solitaire a doublé le phare d'Ambrose, au large de New York.

Thomas Coville et Sodeb'O sont partis "tout schuss" pour une tentative de traversée de l'Atlantique à un tempo d'enfer. Un seul objectif: faire mieux que Francis Joyon, sur Idec, en 2005, soit 6 jours, 4 heures, 1 minute et 37 secondes pour rallier le Cap Lizard. Au moment du départ, le vent soufflait du Sud-Ouest et il devrait rapidement monter à une vingtaine de noeuds. Française | English

Technorati Tags: , , , ,

16 Year To Sail Solo Around The World.

http://www.oceanrescue.tv/mediaplayer/mediaplayer.swf

Zac Sunderland, a 16 year old high school sophomore, is leaving Saturday from his Southern California home to sail around the world alone. I'm amazed by his poise and self confidence, it's something I didn't have when I was 16.
I wish him fair winds and following seas.

Video: Ocean Rescue TV.
Zac's website.

Technorati Tags: , , ,