Maxprop wrote:
"Joe" wrote in message
ups.com...

OzOne wrote:
On 25 Sep 2006 17:57:21 -0700, "Peter"
scribbled thusly:


Maxprop wrote:
What can you tell me about Larry Ellison's boat Sayonnara? I'm told
he
raced it in the Hobart the year so many died. Any knowledge about
that?

I was looking it over rather thoroughly today. It's in storage in a
building in Holland, MI, waiting for who knows what. Sure is a big
*******.

I saw it when it got into Hobart in 1998. Yep it's a big *******. IIRC
he took line honours & swore he'd never do that race again.

PDW

My understanding is that he was totally disabled by seasickness and
fear after the storm hit, and yes, he did say that he would never do
that race again despite surviving and taking line honours.

I don't hold that in any way against the man, I know of a dozen or
more who gave up distance ocean racing after their experiences in '98.
One, a yachtsman of world renown has not sailed outside Sydney Heads
since if my memory serves me well.


Geeeze, what a bunch of pussies.

Heh . . . big talk from one who never spent what must have felt like a
fortnight in monstrous waves and hurricane-force winds.

Max

Max, I have been in several hurricanes at sea. 2 in the gulf and one in
the south China Sea. The one's in the gulf was on a standby boat. The
seas got so bad we had life rings washed of the bridge wings and
tangled in the mast approx 50-60 ftrs. The hurricane formed right
around us. Other time on a 32 ft Layfetta Skiff. Took us 4 hrs to get
out and 26 to get back in.. seas 25-40 ft. The worst by far was in the
South China sea with waves in the 60-80 ft class, same storm that the
fellow was killed on the tug trying to pull our ship away from the
dock. While delivering a boat to Wick Scottland we were hit by a rogue
in the north sea, normal waves were 30+ ft the rougue was around 60ft
and tore a 30 ft weld and moved the wheelhouse back 2 inches and blew
in every window. One of the wildest night ever was evacuating a rig 110
miles offshore, we had to wait to the last min for 5 guys to decide to
shut down the rig, we had 20fts off the stern all the way in, that boat
was screaming and surfing like you could not even imagine. Terry(my
wife) rode out Hurricane alicia on a 60 ft shrimpboat that had every
port and window smashed in with every wave putting at least a ft of
water in the wheelhose, waves in the 40 -60 ft range.

Joe