Boating chit chat thread.

And in a more sustainable way of moving through the water…..

I love the fact that the twin prop drives can feather the blades for maximum regen while under sail, so you can completely fill the battery again in about 10 hours or so….

I've been dipping in occasionally to YB to check on Pat Lawless's progress, and pleased to see he's still in 3rd place.

Tonight I noticed the numbers.... he's doing 4. 1kts at the last ping - and he has just over 24,000nm still to go.

😱

Pat Lawless on board video from start of GGR

Looked normal enough to me. The only issue I see is the mast should have been cut a way, if it cannot be retrieved. The mast can damage the hull if left banging over the side. Not sure why the life raft was launched, unless they though it was safer to transfer from it to the helicopter.

The life raft was dropped by the RAF.

Route de Rhum start tomorrow been postponed till Tuesday or Wednesday due to weather

Terribly sad for him if he does have to pull in!!! but yeah, you would not want to be going into the Southern Ocean with broken or jury rigged parts!!!!! especially on the steering vane!

So my dream of becoming the first solo non stop circumnavigating Irishman lives for another few years...... :D

Pats retired from the race because of his self steering

Sounds like a very..... eventful.... start to the Route du Rhum!

Injury on the start line, race abandoned due to tech issues and ill health, crash with a cargo ship, broken daggerboard, waves of fronts hammering the boats - it's all happening out there!

Route de Rhums becoming a bit of a demolition derby. Collision with a container ship, broken masts and a capsize along with broken foils

*damaged imoca 60 heading to Portugal this morning (monday) had an explosion and then went on fire. The skipper had to abandon ship and get rescued by a cargo shop

Indeed, I expect the level of beachcombing on the NW coast to rocket for the next few weeks/months!

Even if you were promised millions, what would possess you to take on the Atlantic in winter, with no nav equipment, and seemingly no comms either. Never mind the no passports!

Anyone watch Pat Lawless arrival and interview here? https://youtu.be/eTC5YuggfP4

Bit of a clusterduck by the interviewers getting their act together and a lot of repetitive "good to see you" and "it's over". But to his enormous credit he was very calm and collected. He'd clearly come to terms with it ending in the five days he'd spent initially trying to fix it and then sailing in without the self steering.

I was surprised to hear his Aries pendulum system was nearly as old as the boat and had not had all bearings replaced. At that age, I'd be replacing the entire system for a circumnavigation for fear of fatigue cracking or invisible corrosion. Plus I'd have gone for the hydrovane because there's A) a lot less complexity/moving parts and B) being independent of the main rudder it offers a fall back steering system.

Incidentally Pat's approach into the marina was a bit hard to understand to say the least! Fatigue or night blindness from media lights?

He did us proud and I hope he tries again as he put a great package together and would probably do even better in heavier conditions overall like they got in 2018.

Jaysus 😮

ETA - from a GGR facebook post

UPDATE : TAPIO DISTRESS.... Tapio is communicating with the YB3 Tracker-Texting device from the life raft..The YB3 tracker is giving positions with the EPIRB and PLB. He has no Glasses, so hard to read and send messages. He has the GRAB BAG. He is in his survival Suit. Asterias went down stern first in 5 minutes. Press release shortly with more information. #GGR2022

You'd be doing well to get yourself into a survival suit, grab the grab bag, get at liferaft, launch and board liferaft, all within 5 minutes!

I'm sure that took longer than five minutes to try to find and deal with the source and have to assess it as beyond saving, activate the Epirb, suit up and abandon ship. Could easily have been twenty minutes but would have passed in a flash with the adrenaline and stress.

Even though it went down stern first, the water could have come from anywhere but the speed I'd venture brand a through bill fitting failed. The head, engine intake, shaft seal or rudder bearing. He's very lucky the incident didn't occur in heavy weather or he'd have had no chance with the boat likely swamping or rolling with little warning with all that water moving the CoG about.

The rescue contingency planning was as good as you could hope for -to the organisers credit👍

Sounds like the boat was already well on its way to sinking when he heard the bang rather than that was the start of ingress. That bang was very likely a hatch or compartment cover getting blown off by water pressure as it came in. The speed at which it filled from when he got moving suggests something more than a through hull fitting, like the hull integrity itself was compromised.

He was very lucky and also made some very good decisions under pressure, e.g. not going back below deck for additional grab bags believing he'd be picked up quickly.

I was a bit shocked that Kirsten wasn't carrying a survival suit. Clearly not mandatory - probably because they're so bulky but......

So many experts there it's worse than a post-match discussion! What seems clear is that lots of 'stuff' is not replaced or upgraded or (apparently) properly tested before setting off onbevents like this. I know it costs, the people are on a tight budget, begging sponsorship but to expect to go that far on old gear is staggering!

On a more positive note, SY Eleanora (the classic yacht rammed & sunk in Tarragona) has been bought by a work colleague of the former owner (Zak) and is being brought to the Netherlands for a comprehensive structural repair and full refit. New owner is from Glencore, so has deep pockets and it will be great to see her afloat again.

If anyone is looking for some nautical themed candle holders, Penny’s have these winter candles in stock again…

I picked up a set about 2 years ago and when the candle was finished, I cleaned them out and they made great tea light holders…

When I got the first set they were clearance at €1 each, but I picked up another set last week and had to pay the outrageous sum of €2.50 per candle!!

Sydney Hobart mickey swinging contest started over night. Short vid and full 90 minute start vid

looks like they’ll get their boat back!!

And meanwhile a photo of an illegal sail configuration means a trophy is handed back!!

Well, the in-port race for the start of the Ocean Race was the most boring telly I've seen in quite some time!

They only showed the IMOCA race, but I believe the VO 65s were even worse, only one finished.

Sailing is a terrible spectator sport at the best of times - this will have done nothing for its reputation!!