Very Low Budget Atlantic Crossing

[SV.Maverick]

It seems like a very interesting story I may have to look at it on Amazon

[fatherchronica]

I once picked up Howard Hughes who was hitchiking from Acapulco to Managua. Just joking, I believe you. I guess I am gullible, but it seems to me it would be a rare bird to falsify a logbook. A pathological liar, like my ex attorney Mr. Swanson, might do it, but even he would need to believe he could steal a lot of money to bother. I would be suprised if a person could earn enough money for a new cooker by putting a logbook on Amazon.

[atlantical]

It was very interesting, made more interesting because I didn't have any money, or a lot of the equipment I should have had. Its not the boat on the cover, didn't have a photo of it at sea, so publisher got that photo of same type of boat, southern cross 31, mine didn't have the gear that has though. I am going to get him to just put the sea on the cover, he did that cover without consulting me.

The boat was great, but lot of problems, it hadn't been sailed in ten years, or out of the water for that time. I got it out of the water, but it needed so much, I just couldn't do everything.

When I met the old gentleman that was selling it, I hadn't seen the boat, and at the same time, I was thinking of a Bristol 39 for 16000, but that would have been everything I had, so I told him I would give him 8500 dollars for the boat without seeing it, and he took my offer, I regretted that when I saw the boat, it was a floating shame, covered in moss, and every bit of wood on it, dried out and cracked, it was just such a project. I could have sold the mussels and oysters that were on the hull.

I got it back to the UK, it wasn't easy, I had a lot of good luck, I had to go into St George Bermuda under sail twice, which is something I would never have set off to attempt, but I got in. My strength was the tools I had onboard, the bits of wire hose wood, nuts bolts plates, and bits and pieces, that came in very useful, my technical skills, and just refusing to give up.

Hope you buy it, and hope you enjoy it.

[atlantical]

I don't like the way people suggest falsifying a log book. I was in the merchant navy for years, and its a legal document, I have the original, that was written in pen, I typed this exactly from it. The guy who published it (when I first suggested it) said "give it to me and I will re write it" I had to explain to him, that you can't re write a log book, its what happened. You cant change history. Even Donald Crowhurst, had his real log aboard the boat, and he was falsifying his to keep his family from being homeless.

I had to put things in, that I are not the sort of mistakes and stupid things that people would want to admit to, but if I edited them out, then it wouldn't be a log book.

Besides which, it could all be checked, I stated dates position wind direction weather, that can all be checked.

To fake a log correctly would be like faking a moon landing, it would take more effort to fake it, than it would take to do the real thing. Crowhurst killed himself, because he knew his logs wouldn't stand up to scrutiny, and he had set out to fake them, but he made claims of the fastest days run ever, my claims might be nearer the slowest days run ever, non of my days runs were fast. I also don't claim to have sailed through a force twelve (unlike the majority of RYA yachtsmasters I have met, even though they have never been out of the Solent.

[atlantical]

Oh you can also still check the boat name on the US coastguard website (well it was there last time I looked) I didn't bother getting the title until I got to the UK, and then they would only give me the short title.

and If you give my your e mail address, it will e mail some photos of the boat as she is now.

[Obs]

I just couldn't let this go by, having been a lurker for a long long time, finally registered to say this. Bloody hypocrisy of so many who make snide remarks about this person's adventure of a lifetime/ A few things they need reminding of : a) nobody is above criticism of being insufficiently prepared b) ALL sailors rely on the kindness of strangers, both in good times and bad c) how often have I seen posts drumming up charity to help out people who have lost boats and gear worth hundreds of thousands of dollars/euros/pounds? d) a good number of our most famous and successful sailors went to sea for the first time without experience, without a clue on how to sail, and with boats at the bottom end of seaworthiness.
The kind of unhelpful snobbery displayed on this website does nought but damage its reputation. As it stands, I'd rather help this fellow out mid Atlantic than some stuck up in a classy yacht who couldn't figure out how to read their brand new GPS chart displays.., or who skimped on insurance to afford a bigger (brand new) yacht./
Well that is my first and last post.

[fatherchronica]

Nicely put Obs, and Atlantical, I am going to find your story and read it. I am sorry so many folks are so full of whatever it is that prompts them to be so mean spirited. As an aside I would add that Robin Knox-Johnston on a shoestring beat Moitessier in the first non stop round the world race in a 30' wooden boat built in India that was truly falling to pieces early on as he entered the Southern Ocean.

[GordMay]

Greetings and welcome aboard the CF, Obs.

[Cherod]

je sius " atlantical "

some of these comments are disgusting, some even from contributers whom i normally respect . strange be it that an obviously wealthy family who stupidly loose their boat get all sorts of support whereas a less well funded successful sailor gets this sort of ridicule,, aye strange world.

[atlantical]

Thanks for your comment, I read Knox Johnstone's story, at one point in the Pacific, he had to go underneath the boat, with some copper strip, and cotton, and nail it on to the hull to stop the water coming in. Is there any one that would do something like that today. I read about another two men, who crossed the Atlantic in the sixties, and improvised all sorts of things, even made an oven out of a biscuit tin, and managed to make bread in it. They spent the last week of their trip, doing I think it was fifteen hundred strokes of the bilge pump per watch. Today the e mail goes out on boats, and they head for the nearest port to get it fixed.

[atlantical]

When I read about the first round the world yacht race, Chay Blyth, had to be given a hand to raise his sails at the start of the race, and apart from rowing the Atlantic, his only sailing experience was prior to the race, in a lake. He did get as far as South Africa. Robin Knox Johnstone, had a radio, (that didn't always work) and a sextant, and the french guy didn't even have a radio. He would sling shot a film container with a message onto the deck of a passing ship.

[Cherod]

Meanwhile there is s ten page thread on whither it is safe to cross 100 miles from Florida to the Bahamas without air conditioning , Makes one wonder just who is taking the **ss ��