SeaEagleii 1 Posted November 3, 2014 Author Share Posted November 3, 2014 All fair enough comments.. When I left SA 99% of the people said I was crazy and that my home built boat could never make the trip across the South Indian Ocean ( especially cos I did most of the work on it) and that I myself could never make the 5400nm trip. Well yes .. It was not super easy, tired, wet and not easy - but hell I'm glad I did it - and was perfectly fine both boat and myself at the end of it.. Not all things are fun to all people- some people enjoy a challenge .... And all people that are scared to do stuff themselves will be against it.. Ask anyone I sail with .. I'm over cautious and very safety conscious - I got a never sailed before lady safely across 5400 nm and 52 days at sea passing St Paul and into Freemantle. Iv sailed single handed with a 3 and 7 year old and never caused anyone injury in 22 years of sailing .. Across the Atlantic , east coast of Africa and the duck pond of Auckland area.. I think that with having single handed or short handed ( yes not racing ) slow and enjoyable sailing over many miles including some of the not very easy sailing places on this planet. A steady sail 140 nm up the coast is really not so crazy.. Some thrive on challenge and find it fun..at times Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Posted November 3, 2014 Share Posted November 3, 2014 If you can get 10-15mins good shut eye every 2 hours you can go for a long time so a solo coastal should be easy peasy. Power napping is a well known method for extending your range, so to speak. Rug up warm and tuck yourself in to the corner of the cockpit and your good to go. If you are like me and can snooze anywhere any time it may pay to get a good loud kitchen timer just to remind you to wake up In a Akll to BoI finding a few 10min windows isn't that hard. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Dambo 44 Posted November 3, 2014 Share Posted November 3, 2014 I love the way you make it sound appealing Quote Link to post Share on other sites
johnMi 2 Posted November 3, 2014 Share Posted November 3, 2014 Good on you Thinkhappy. I have a saying ' If you are not living on the edge you're taking up far too much room' Single handed sailing has always been a love of mine, sailing round the coast of the North Island and in the good old days a beer and a cigarette in my hands. I love singlehanded races and joined the shorthanded sailing assoc to promote Singlehanded sailing, only to be told SH Sailing is too dangerous. Bollocks! As you say, what damage can a tracker do to another boat if you hit it. You might scratch the paintwork, or might even puncture the hull if you hit it just right, but far less damage than that boat hitting a floating container. You will always get the 'holier than thou' telling you you are Naieve, or careless, but hey, tne only one I believe is in danger is you. My biggest fear has always been falling off the boat, but now with the GPS PLB it,s just about waiting till someone picks you up. Wear a lifejacket and have a PLB and 'Live on the edge'. If I was twenty yrs younger I would challenge you to the Singlehanded Coastal Classic. I will look on in interest. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
SeaEagleii 1 Posted November 3, 2014 Author Share Posted November 3, 2014 Preparation yes is key- Having sailed it 2013 - with 4 crew 2 extremely sick not knowing the boat (not as the skipper ) and the other lady a trooper but not extremely experienced on a boat that was a nightmare to sail.. And then again this year 2 handed on a boat that both of us had only ever sailed once before..etc etc etc we got in with at average of 7.2 knoT's 19hrs on 9.5 meter mull ..Which is not race set up in the least .. And I'll be l doing the course again this year for xmas fun with the family .. I think I'll be well prepped for next year. If anyone wants to loan me a faster boat than a tracker to do it . .. Hell .. Feel free.. But right now we could afford a Tracker and a Tracker is what I have.. If I come in after the cut off time .. Blaaa so what I'm in it for the challenge and believe it or not the fun I won't take risks that could danger others knowingly ( sailing fully crewed with incompetent crew 100% more dangerous and shattering) and I can pull in to any number of places along the way if I'm not able to manage- it's not the Southern ocean 42 degS where you do or die- it would not kill me to pull out if things went wrong ..... As things do in sailing .. No matter how good or not tired or prepared you are... If I'm scared of what could possibly go wrong then I should just stay in bed Quote Link to post Share on other sites
SeaEagleii 1 Posted November 3, 2014 Author Share Posted November 3, 2014 Preparation yes is key- Having sailed it 2013 - with 4 crew 2 extremely sick not knowing the boat (not as the skipper ) and the other lady a trooper but not extremely experienced on a boat that was a nightmare to sail.. And then again this year 2 handed on a boat that both of us had only ever sailed once before..etc etc etc we got in with at average of 7.2 knoT's 19hrs on 9.5 meter mull ..Which is not race set up in the least .. And I'll be l doing the course again this year for xmas fun with the family .. I think I'll be well prepped for next year. If anyone wants to loan me a faster boat than a tracker to do it . .. Hell .. Feel free.. But right now we could afford a Tracker and a Tracker is what I have.. If I come in after the cut off time .. Blaaa so what I'm in it for the challenge and believe it or not the fun I won't take risks that could danger others knowingly ( sailing fully crewed with incompetent crew 100% more dangerous and shattering) and I can pull in to any number of places along the way if I'm not able to manage- it's not the Southern ocean 42 degS where you do or die- it would not kill me to pull out if things went wrong ..... As things do in sailing .. No matter how good or not tired or prepared you are... If I'm scared of what could possibly go wrong then I should just stay in bed Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Island Time 1,235 Posted November 3, 2014 Share Posted November 3, 2014 The fact that it is the Coastal is the issue - I and many others here have sailed considerably more than 1 or 2 thousand miles, and done quite a bit of single-handed stuff, including races, short and long distance. Sure, Auckland to BOI can be done single-handed. Absolutely. Doing it in a fleet of several hundred other yachts is another matter IMO. Would I go? Sure I would, if the organizers put in a single handed class I'll consider it. (have to find some $, and complete some work on the boat first ) IMO the risk is more for the organizing committee - NZ has had volunteer sporting event organizers in court before after a death. They are the ones that have to weigh up the risks, make a risk management plan, write the rules of sailing, and decide if they should accept single-handed entries. Oh, and you may be interested to know there was a Tracker in the 2010 Solo Tasman, sailed by Trish Lewis.... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Clipper 343 Posted November 3, 2014 Share Posted November 3, 2014 Reactor, not tracker? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Island Time 1,235 Posted November 3, 2014 Share Posted November 3, 2014 Doh!! Quite right!! Sorry Quote Link to post Share on other sites
SeaEagleii 1 Posted November 4, 2014 Author Share Posted November 4, 2014 Awesome! Yea sailing the East coast of Southern Africa will teach you a fair amount of coastal sailing- I claim to not be an expert at coastal sailing but have done a fair amount of it- try sailing around Cape point, coming into PE , east London .. Durban , Richards bay, Hout Bay - 1500 nm of African coast line and harbours under sail alone with no engine as back up .. May teach you a bit about coastal sailing- Quote Link to post Share on other sites
SeaEagleii 1 Posted November 4, 2014 Author Share Posted November 4, 2014 IMO the risk is more for the organizing committee - NZ has had volunteer sporting event organizers in court before after a death. They are the ones that have to weigh up the risks, make a risk management plan, write the rules of sailing, and decide if they should accept single-handed entries. ------ But accepted or not .. There will still be a 7.7 tracker in the fleet single handing... If not accepted.. A single handed without all the safety Of being looked out for in doing it as part of the race... That lady Trish did it on her reactor I see Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Posted November 4, 2014 Share Posted November 4, 2014 Writing a 300 page Risk Management plan means nothing. You have to be actually doing something to mitigate the risk and writing about it doesn't cut the mustard. So it wouldn't be hard for the RC to let solos go, if they so desired, as long as they took a step or two to offset any possible extra risk. Maybe add a couple more reporting points and change the fairway marks to make sure no Solos are trying to shoot gaps or push things too much towards the end i.e maybe Cape Brett to Port rather than allow one to shoot that gap. The solo course is outside all Islands to allow them more wiggle room. Maybe set a 20hr time limit and say if you're outside that no point pushing on park and have a snore off. It shouldn't be too tricky to make it work for everyone.... assuming the numbers were there to make it worth while for the RC do to. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Changed 10 Posted November 4, 2014 Share Posted November 4, 2014 a few year ago Dave did it on Crickey Dick single handed. About the same speed as a tracker. He got in before the cut-off, from memory. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
SeaEagleii 1 Posted November 4, 2014 Author Share Posted November 4, 2014 Trish Lewis did it solo 2008 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ScottiE 174 Posted November 4, 2014 Share Posted November 4, 2014 IMO the risk is more for the organizing committee - NZ has had volunteer sporting event organizers in court before after a death. They are the ones that have to weigh up the risks, make a risk management plan, write the rules of sailing, and decide if they should accept single-handed entries. WOW! Really? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Island Time 1,235 Posted November 4, 2014 Share Posted November 4, 2014 Yep. See http://rivers.org.nz/article/criminal-nuisance-prosecutions-in-recreation for one example. There are others. Members of the organizing club could be charged with "Criminal Nuisance" IMO singlehanded competitors are aware of the risks - to them, and possibly other boats, but not necessarily others. Clubs/Organizers can take out insurance against this. Court cases often go on for years, and can ruin peoples lives. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Posted November 4, 2014 Share Posted November 4, 2014 That incident was over 10 years ago and since them has been slammed as extreme wankery by everyone and I think was overturned by the Court a year or 2 later. It seems it hasn't happened again. But the risk is there should some bureaucrat, who won't have the faintest idea of the subject, want to make a name for themselves. Just work on - 'It's easier to ask for forgiveness afterwards than it is for permission in the first place' I've never once seen any race entry with a death wish so I'm assuming all who would enter will do so knowing the risks and taking whatever actions they see fit to mitigate those risks. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Island Time 1,235 Posted November 4, 2014 Share Posted November 4, 2014 Thanks km it good to know that decision was overturned. I didn't know. I've not been involved with a club committee for quite a while, I obviously have not kept up! I always thought it was a stupid decision. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Kaihe Atamai 2 Posted November 4, 2014 Share Posted November 4, 2014 Consider racing the route66 singlehanded. 66nm, Auckland to whangarei... I believe it is the longest sanctioned singlehanded race in nz, excluding the TT. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Posted November 4, 2014 Share Posted November 4, 2014 Chris Sayer did it single handed a couple/several times in his 6.5m Mini Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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