Is It Unwise To Sail a Composite Catamaran To Antarctica?

[captlloyd]

There is still ice in the Antarctic? (Here we go)!

[44'cruisingcat]

Originally Posted by barnakiel

Is it unwise to sail a wooden boat into ice and winter there?

Well, some top explorers did.

b.

Some died too.

[Redreuben]

Robin Chamberlain did it, the boat was XL2 I think.

[Redreuben]

No, was Excess. Sailed within 3 nautical miles of Commonwealth Bay.
http://www.catchcryhamm.com/old/robin_chamberlin.html

[leftbrainstuff]

Composites have very poor impact resistance and hardness compared to a steel or non ferrous hull. Even a small growler will grind through a composite hull in short order.

Spoke to some marina neighbours who were anchored out near Poulsbo in the PNW this past winter. They woke up one night to hideous screeching along the hull. It was mm thick sheet ice flowing past the hull. I could see the witness marks along the waterline.

Read the book Icebird. I think the answer is no to composites and ice.

[snort]

I recently finished reading Tim Severin's The Brendan Voyage in which he and his crew made it to Canada from Ireland in a leather-skinned wooden-framed boat. They got holed by ice before reaching shore, but were able to repair the boat.
In the book, however, Severin mentions a Canadian ice-breaker that was ironically holed by ice and sank. That was a robustly built steel boat designed and built for the purpose of breaking through ice.

[Mike Banks]

My cousin and some other lads sailed I think a steel boat down there. No one is certain exactly what happened after they got there--but those remaining on the vessel perished.

[StuM]

Originally Posted by barnakiel

Is it unwise to sail a wooden boat into ice and winter there?

Well, some top explorers did.

b.

But many of them didn't get to sail those wooden boats back out again

[MerlinBrasil]

Out of curiosity, does Forward-Looking Sonar pick up images of ice below the waterline?

Actually, having FLS makes complete sense to me in any marine environment. Too limiting, IMO, to only see what's on the surface.

[fatherchronica]

In my opinion it would be, but I seem to recall that the first yacht to circumnavigate Antarctica close in and going ashore and through ice was a ferrocement boat. And I would be less inclined to do that personally.

[El Pinguino]

I assume the OP is talking about the Peninsula.

I would give serious consideration to what the the 600 mile ( approx ) passage back to TDF may involve. A course somewhat to the west of north where the prevailing winds are out of the west.

Not for the faint of heart in any class of yacht....

[Boatwright]

If one is OK with crossing the "roaring 40's" with constant 20'+ often breaking seas, has their will in order, doesn't have a wife and kiddies to leave with no dad....... I say go for it!

I've seen too many pictures of upside down cats that never made it to the Bahamas, and think this has to be as joke question.

[Boatwright]

If one is OK with crossing the "roaring 40's" with constant 20'+ often breaking seas, has their will in order, doesn't have a wife and kiddies to leave with no dad....... I say go for it!

I've seen too many pictures of upside down cats that never made it to the Bahamas, and think this has to be as joke question.

[44'cruisingcat]

Been seeing a lot of pictures of sunken monos that never made it out of a marina lately...

Cats have been to Antarctica, a couple of eccentric guys even sailed a cat over the ice to the north pole.

It's possible. Sensible is a different question.

[hamburking]

A big feature of cats is they go fast. When dealing with ice, slow is better, as it reduces the impact forces when you slam into some ice.

If you are going to Antarctica, then you will deal with ice. There is no substitute for a thick strong hull, and slow speeds.

You asked for opinions...and now you have mine...UNWISE. Its one of the most dangerous places on earth. Stack the deck in your favour as much as you can.