"Mic" wrote in message
...
On Fri, 17 Jun 2005 20:15:30 -0400, DSK wrote:

(Mic) wrote:
With certain "mods" like Dave and Aja on ther 25ft Catalina did for
their circumnavagation these could be contenders.


And if your uncle had wheels, he'd be a tea cart.



A SetSail visitor recently asked: What modifications did Dave make to
his Cal-25 DIRECTION to prepare it for a circumnavigation? What
thought processes were involved in his decisions? In a general sense,
what should a prudent mariner look for when modifying a stock
production boat for offshore sailing?

Thought process. I chose to modify my Cal-25, DIRECTION, because it
was the only boat I could afford."

Seems to me he's changed his story over the years, when he first started
getting published he admitted it was a foolish thing to do, that he'd
been headstrong instead of smart, and the he wouldn't do the same thing
over. It would have been better to put the same amount of work into
making more money to buy a better boat, but that was the boat he had and
he was emotionally attached to it.

It's interesting to read his description of the boat after almost two
years of hard sailing... clapped-out, severe oilcanning, very little
structural integrity in the fiberglass laminate of the hull itself. He
said the keel swung back & forth like the clapper of the bell.

Was that before of after the "mods"? I cant recall which magazine,
but earlier this year I was at a nautical book store and saw an
article regarding the mods that were made with a photo spread.
Amazing how after so many years it is a feature regarding boat
modifications.

Regardless I think that the suggestions and the mods he did make are
reasonable and thought out. What mods you u suggest?

Here is another like to a production boat journey.

http://members.tripod.com/~lbucko/mship.htm

"In 3,000 miles from Santa Barbara to Costa Rica you can get to know a
boat, and by that time you either hate it, tolerate it, or love it.
Fifteen years ago, I made the same trip from California to Costa Rica
in a 22' MacGregor-Venture and described it as "Sea-friendly".

http://www.mavc2002.com/caledoniayawl/aegresum.htm

"12,000 miles in a 21ft Shetland boat?

A voyage from the North of Scotland (above) to Tahiti (right) and
beyond.....

Pre GPS, email and Weatherfax, and with no engine or electrics, a
standing lug rig and flush deck giving maybe 4ft of headroom below,
this was truly minimalist sailing. But back in 1973 for my then
partner Julie (20) and myself (23), The Aegre was a ticket to a most
amazing adventure.

This is a brief account of the origins of the idea, the preparation
and the voyages. Voyages which took us from the far north of Scotland
to Madeira and the Canary Islands then on across the Atlantic to the
West Indies, across the Caribbean, through the Panama Canal and half
way across the Pacific. "

http://www.btinternet.com/%7Edov/ngp/Atlantic99.html

"Since 1973 when he crossed the Atlantic in a homemade plywood sloop,
Tom has made a total of eight voyages in an assortment of tiny craft
increasing in knowledge and experience with every journey, his last
venture in 1993, saw him breaking the world record for crossing any
ocean in the smallest boat. Vera Hugh I, Pride of Merseyside measured
5 feet 4 and 1/2 inches, seven inches smaller than himself."

Sounds like now that he's making money off it, he's talking a different
line. A little surprising, I've met Dave Martin when they lived in
Oriental NC and he struck me as quite a decnt type fellow.

Fresh Breezes- Doug King

I done a little blue water sailing, have figured out that if you can stay
reasonably well fed and dry, it can be a pleasant experience, even when
conditions aren't. Don't see how you can manage either of these goals on
boats of this size. Just my 2 cents.

John Cairns