Yo... I few year back this French guy was going to row across the Atlantic
from Cape Cod, MA
I was on the Cape at the time.

There would be this big hoodoo when he got in his fancy row boat to head
off. The tv was there, everybody. It was really funny.


Anyway,,, he would leave on a Monday and by Friday they were dragging his
sad ass back into Chatham. This went on for a few weeks.


It got to be the big summer joke.


Everyone in town was doing their French accent and saying goodbye .. you'd
go down to the fishing dock and all the oldtimers would yell at each other
adieu mon ame .


I wonder if he ever got further than Nantucket. Hey,, if he got to
Nantucket he is probably still there.. which isn't such a bad place to end
up.



"Larry" wrote in message
...
"NE Sailboat" wrote in
news:gkhoh.3663$1h.712@trndny09:

All these goofballs going on and on about some nut who gets his yacht
sunk and you are true to the cause...

I think they were, initially, trying to figure out how to SALVAGE the
boat, to hell with Barnes. You couldn't see it direct, but you could
feel it.


I don't see old Larry sailing off around the world alone .. no way. I
see you knocking on the door, the door of a lost sailor ..whose boat
just sunk.. and the beautiful lady of the house answers and old Larry
says "I'm here to offer my support at this difficult time" as you
place the 4 bottles of wine, the cd "love poems" and your arm around
this sobbing beauty.

Nobody died, except one ego, so no harm done. I wonder who pays the bill
for the rescue, which probably cost a hundred grand or so. They'll be in
court for years trying to force the insurance company to pony up for the
boat. I've never seen a policy with a stupidity adventurer clause.

Me, I follow a very important rule:

"It is far, far better to be standing on the dock, wishing you were at
sea.....Than to be at sea, pukin' your guts out, wishing you were
standing on the dock."

I've been to both and the former is where I don't mind being....at my
age.

I've always been concerned with stupids putting to sea, alone, for these
adventures. You just KNOW they're in DIRECT VIOLATION of internation
laws concerning "keeping a sharp watch" on duty 24/7 while underway.
They are NOT omnipotent while the boat is sailing off on its own while
they're asleep. But, for some stupid reason, the world lets them all get
away with it and even ENCOURAGES it! Remember, Charleston is where lots
of Around Alone races started, with all the promos and spam-coated boats.

I cannot feel sorry for someone who does something THAT stupid....no
matter how much money he has or spends on it....

Larry wrote:


Nobody died, except one ego, so no harm done. I wonder who pays the bill
for the rescue, which probably cost a hundred grand or so. They'll be in
court for years trying to force the insurance company to pony up for the
boat. I've never seen a policy with a stupidity adventurer clause.

Well... as others have pointed out, he probably
was not insured, so the $200K or so that he spent
on the boat is his "sunk" cost for his sunk dream.
You could tell he was damn happy to get off of
that boat. Plenty of folks leaving their
expensive yacht in Papeete, F.P. after sailing
from California or Baja Mexico feel the same way,
even though they did not try to round the cape on
their first long offshore leg.


Me, I follow a very important rule:

"It is far, far better to be standing on the dock, wishing you were at
sea.....Than to be at sea, pukin' your guts out, wishing you were
standing on the dock."

Amen to that, although its not always possible to
avoid on a long ocean voyage.

I've always been concerned with stupids putting to sea, alone, for these
adventures. You just KNOW they're in DIRECT VIOLATION of internation
laws concerning "keeping a sharp watch" on duty 24/7 while underway.
They are NOT omnipotent while the boat is sailing off on its own while
they're asleep. But, for some stupid reason, the world lets them all get
away with it and even ENCOURAGES it! Remember, Charleston is where lots
of Around Alone races started, with all the promos and spam-coated boats.

I cannot feel sorry for someone who does something THAT stupid....no
matter how much money he has or spends on it....

Well, I do feel sorry for him because he has lost
his dream and his innocence. I agree with you
about the single handers though. Who's gonna take
care of the boat if you hurt yourself, or even
just get sick.

For my taste, even two people on the boat is not
enough for a long voyage, because a few weeks of
3on 3off will still lead to sleep deprivation and
poor decision making--at least it will for me. A
better arrangement is four people which leads to
12 on / 12 off with two people to divide each 12
hour watch. It also lets a couple explore a new
place together while leaving someone on the boat
for anchor watch, etc.

Don W.

Don W wrote in news:BBGoh.15091
:

For my taste, even two people on the boat is not
enough for a long voyage, because a few weeks of
3on 3off will still lead to sleep deprivation and
poor decision making--at least it will for me. A
better arrangement is four people which leads to
12 on / 12 off with two people to divide each 12
hour watch. It also lets a couple explore a new
place together while leaving someone on the boat
for anchor watch, etc.



I've sailed quite a bit with just two of us, able men. I worry a lot
when I see a man and his totally-unprepared, beautiful but dainty wife
sailing out on their dream. He might as well be alone with autopilot and
is better off. The autopilot will handle the helm when she panics and
starts screaming as he's thrashing around fallen overboard or his left
leg is dangling broken.

I don't like sailing more than 2 days with two. I just get too tired,
too soon after the fitful sleep of being thrown around, all your guts
churning in your sleep.

Four people or even 3 is a lot less pressure. The boat I sail on, as
crew, is loaded. I loaded it. But, no autopilot, including our B&G
Pilot with the big hydraulic battery hog, works very well when it's rough
out there. It has the power, but not the brains to anticipate that next
roller. I've cursed that big Amel helm wheel many times after fighting
with it for hours on end. I'm a great advocate for TWO on watch at all
times, even if one of them is attached to the lifeline in his harness
asleep in the cockpit, but ready for trouble. That's our normal mode on
a voyage, especially at night. We try to never have to go forward in the
dark, but sometimes you can't help it.

A good flying fish slamming into you sitting there half asleep seems to
make your watch go faster....(c;

I'll be 61 on the 18th. Cap'n is crowding 70 but in much better shape.
He used to play Rugby bach home in England. I'll sail with him anywhere,
REASONABLE.

We all keep an eye on our captain, especially if the CO2 in the
Sospenders is near the expiry date. He just disappears, having jumped
overboard to see what we'll do to come back after him. I've had him do
that with 6 non-sailor guests and me aboard, before. Try that on your
boats. It borders on pandemonium until the unprepared get used to the
idea he isn't going to drown laying back there in his Sospenders.

Step 1 - CRANK ENGINE! Furl Sails. I'm not much of a purist, I'm
afraid....(c;

Sometimes I just wish he wouldn't play dead when we get back to him, just
to see if we can get 225# of dead weight aboard. "Just leave him
dangling from the mizzen boom. I think he's dead.", I mused to their
horror. "THANKS, MATE!", I hear from the end of the boom...(c;

We don't want him stinkin' up the whole cabin, do we?