in message ,
Chrisssssss................ ')
wrote:

Hopefully this post is a joke.

If you haven't sailed before, then simply forget any attempt to sail
such a distance single-handed.
Only when you really know what you are doing should you consider it.
Any attempt to do so when inexperienced, and you deserve everything
you (will certainly) get.

Errrmmmm...

I suspect this guy is a fantasist.

However, several now-well-respected long distance sailors set out on
their first long singlehanded passages with little or no sailing
experience. Sir Chay Blyth comes to mind. And everyone involved in
short-handed passage making once did their first short-handed passage.
Sailing is not desperately difficult, and these days navigation is not
desperately difficult either.

If ten beginners in ten reasonably sound boats set out to cross the
Atlantic, I'd estimate that four would make it, five would give up
because it was too tough for them (but would get safely back into
shelter without much help) and one would either kill him (or her) self
or cause massive problems for the search and rescue services (or, of
course, both).

It would be extremely irresponsible to advise a total beginner to 'just
go for it', of course. But it isn't _that_ dangerous, either. I
certainly wouldn't want to live in a world where people were prevented
from undertaking significant personal risks and challenges.

--
(Simon Brooke) http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/
;; "If I were a Microsoft Public Relations person, I would probably
;; be sobbing on a desk right now" -- Rob Miller, editor, /.