2015 Another bad year in the Azores..?

[barnakiel]

The images show possible next 24 / 48 hrs sceanario. VERY BROAD BRUSH and not to be used for navigation.

If you have yours crossing in the area you may want to tell them to consult wx sources at NOAA or whatever wx source they are using for their decisions.

b.

[Polux]

Originally Posted by monte

Yes I'm curious to find that out as well Polux. He just arrived in Flores.Will let you know the details after he's had some rest.

Thanks for having posted this link:
Vivre et Voyager en Voilier V.V.V: mai 2015

Great read and he is not only a good writer but also a very good sailor, a bit crazy for my taste dough

It seems that the mast is his regular wood spy pole and that he went for an Atlantic crossing with a 30 year old mast with a rigging that he new that on the two lower shrouds had two strands broken (how many years had the rig?) and even so he says he was forcing with the sails!!!

Lucky for him not to be very far from Azores when it broke. He talks about several other guys that are sailing offshore in boats that seem in an even worse condition and he talks about an Argentinian Spanish couple that was leaving on the same way as him for Galiza on an "odd" catamaran.

So it seems Sailcruiser is right and that the boat named Gandul (one of the boats abandoned) was not a Dutch boat but an Argentinian home made cat.

[ka4wja]

Monte,
Wow!
I just finished reading his story!! (Translate with Bing!)

Originally Posted by monte

Johnny is a very good writer, (and a very nice guy) here's the details..
Vivre et Voyager en Voilier V.V.V: mai 2015

This is a great testament to his seamanship and skills as a sailor!!
Kudos to him, especially for keeping calm and "working the problem" (as we say here)....

How cool was it that his 4m long wooden whisker pole (from the mangroves in Suriname) ended up being his saving grace!!!


Fair winds to all!

John

[monte]

This is a great testament to his seamanship and skills as a sailor!!

Too true

[boatman61]

Good man.. glad he's safe..

[Sy Silvie]

Hi

The swedish boat is a OE32, a Olle Elderlein design. This is a very classic swedish design. This is Missys blog (not updated but has some pictures of the boat). OE32 Missy | Loggbok för Missy

Some swedish websites are saying that they capsized 8 times.
A link (in swedish): Svensk båt kapsejsade åtta gånger i oväder på Atlanten | Svenska Långfärdsseglare

[monte]

Great positive outlook, a lot of it lost in translation but here's Johnny's current update in his English.

"the conditions that made her feeling bad was once demasted; it change a lot :rolls faster. i did sail like that 13O Miles to keep diesel for arrival i gona make a temporary mast with using the broken on; the upper part is 8M30. the lowest 2M, and use the midden part what is 2M50 to tube inside and rivets. it will be 10M instaed of 12M80; Main sail will be at least 2nd reffing, no furling jib at all, first.
It s passionating; azores is beautiful, cheap, harbour 10€ day included water wifi electric ( 220V had enough of 110v countrys) beer in bar 1€, restaurant a soup+fish+beer+coffee 8€50; did refuse tips... At least here in the ieland of Flores; in Fayal, city Horta where most of Atlantic salors stop; i will get there once work; done here; i did with help put everything on the dock; it takes a lot of space; tomorrow i gona disc saw the junctions properly "

I'm not sure how the blog translated, but one of his first thoughts after being dismasted, while still trying to secure the rig was anticipation of all the interesting new people he would meet while undertaking repairs and some excitement at not knowing how he would finance them. Crazy? maybe ..maybe not

[DeepFrz]

I'm not sure how the blog translated, but one of his first thoughts after being dismasted, while still trying to secure the rig was anticipation of all the interesting new people he would meet while undertaking repairs and some excitement at not knowing how he would finance them. Crazy? maybe ..maybe not

Fantastic. When I think like that life is so easy but most of the time I find myself swimming against the current. Now that is crazy...

[Claude_Marie]

Originally Posted by monte

I'm not sure how the blog translated, but one of his first thoughts after being dismasted, while still trying to secure the rig was anticipation of all the interesting new people he would meet while undertaking repairs and some excitement at not knowing how he would finance them. Crazy? maybe ..maybe not

It is difficult to figure out about someone personality just through a blog.

My personal understanding is that Johnny is far from being crazy.
He just writes in a light tone, not giving too much importance to whatever bad things when they happen.
Rudder screws keeping breaking and which he fixes himself (which suggest a poor design and NOT a lack of maintenance), bag with laptop stolen, bicycle too, nice girl with whom he spends enjoyable time, treats with respect but who eventually ask for money should he consider something else than a friendly relationship...
Even when betrayed buy some charter boat captain, he is never bitter.
He cares for his dog, his boat, the sea and himself, not in a self centered way.
He writes somewhere that he has a German passport, has lived in the Vlanderen (Flemish Belgium) for 9 years, his French is beautiful, he has learned Portuguese in Brazil, I have no doubt that he speaks English (how can you travel without speaking English ?).
So that is 5 languages (German, Dutch, French, English, Portuguese) !!!
Should you check his blog, you can see that he spends a lot of time maintening his boat, uses his language skills to shop for the best price wherever he is, get professional jobs done (see pix of boat "on the hard" after his initial Atlantic crossing).
Somebody mentionned that he was concerned about the strenght of his 1985 mast, which is correct, but he had extra running backstays fitted to reinforce it.
Definitely not crazy, a keen sailor, a nice chap.

[Polux]

Originally Posted by Sy Silvie

Hi

The swedish boat is a OE32, a Olle Elderlein design. This is a very classic swedish design. This is Missys blog (not updated but has some pictures of the boat). OE32 Missy | Loggbok för Missy

Some swedish websites are saying that they capsized 8 times.
A link (in swedish): Svensk båt kapsejsade åtta gånger i oväder på Atlanten | Svenska Långfärdsseglare

Thanks for the information.



If the boat capsized 8 times and rolled several times no wonder that they had asked for a rescue
On the link you posted it says that they issued a mayday but later they declined help since the conditions were better and the boat was under control. Is that confirmed? If so they should have a band and music waiting for them in Açores, not to mention a bottle of Champagne. If I was there I would be glad to offer that personally.

That's the kind of sailors that know what is a mayday for and keep sailing if their boat or lives are not in danger. Chapeau to them.

It seems that we really have everything on this lot of boats that asked for rescue, from a old Swan 44, to an old small heavy full keel boat, two cats, one a modern production one (a Lagoon 400) the other a home made one and a First 47.7.

I cannot find more information on that First and as in the Swan case it seems it was abandoned because the crew of two had enough but I surely wanted to know more about that. Anybody knows more? Probably a bit difficult since it seems the boat had an American flag but the skipper was Serbian.

[Polux]

Originally Posted by Claude_Marie

...
Somebody mentionned that he was concerned about the strenght of his 1985 mast, which is correct, but he had extra running backstays fitted to reinforce it.
Definitely not crazy, a keen sailor, a nice chap.

Maybe he had not the money and just went for it hoping he would not find really bad weather and that his mast stayed in one piece but would you go for an Atlantic crossing knowing you had on the two lower shrouds two strands broken? That is a sure sign that the shrouds need replacement and are near breaking limit.

Maybe you would went for it, not me.

But this thing about being a bit crazy is just a question of perspective: Some think that the ones that cross oceans with 40ft main market mass production boats are a bit crazy, others think that the ones that cross oceans on old boats in need of urgent maintenance are a bit crazy, just a question of perspective

[arsenelupiga]

Originally Posted by Polux

Thanks for the information.



If the boat capsized 8 times and rolled several times no wonder that they had asked for a rescue
On the link you posted it says that they issued a mayday but later they declined help since the conditions were better and the boat was under control. Is that confirmed? If so they should have a band and music waiting for them in Açores, not to mention a bottle of Champagne. If I was there I would be glad to offer that personally.

That's the kind of sailors that know what is a mayday for and keep sailing if their boat or lives are not in danger. Chapeau to them.

It seems that we really have everything on this lot of boats that asked for rescue, from a old Swan 44, to an old small heavy full keel boat, two cats, one a modern production one (a Lagoon 400) the other a home made one and a First 47.7.

I cannot find more information on that First and as in the Swan case it seems it was abandoned because the crew of two had enough but I surely wanted to know more about that. Anybody knows more? Probably a bit difficult since it seems the boat had an American flag but the skipper was Serbian.

proven design for 2000 years:

[hoppy]

Originally Posted by Polux

On the link you posted it says that they issued a mayday but later they declined help since the conditions were better and the boat was under control. Is that confirmed? If so they should have a band and music waiting for them in Açores, not to mention a bottle of Champagne. If I was there I would be glad to offer that personally.

Don't go rushing ahead and booking a band, buying champagne and tickets to the Azores....

The article also stated that they had decided to change course to Madeira

[Polux]

Regarding the Lagoon 400 that sunk (an almost new boat) it seems that there is more to be known. The boat was reported capsized and sunk. Now some sources talk about a small fire and others say that the ship that had come to their rescue collided with it

So it seems that there is a lot more to now about it: if the boat was capsized and sunk with the collision if the boat was capsized by a collision or if they abandoned the boat after a fire. All very confusing. Not even French sailing forums seem to know what happened.

Expresso | Tempestade no Atlântico. A megaoperação que durou 34 horas

Naufrage d'un voilier : Ferrières-d?Aunis sous le choc - SudOuest.fr

The home made cat was abandoned with broken rudders and the First 44.7 was reported by the crew "as not being able to be sailed". They did not reported a broken rudder and it is not clear if they had a problem on the steering system or if they (2), face to the conditions, were not able to sail the boat.

[monte]

Thanks Polux. We will be following closely as details come to hand, especially our sister ship the L400. Unfortunately it's likely to be a while till any facts come amongst a lot of speculation. Thanks for the updates though.