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Inspiring Story of a Captain Staying with his Vessel

Discussion in 'General Yachting Discussion' started by brian eiland, Sep 5, 2011.

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  1. Yachtjocky, Sep 6, 2011
    #21
    Yachtjocky

    Yachtjocky Senior Member

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    1st off, I certainly do know what Jury-Rig is all about and secondly thankfully you said probably in the above post as you will have no idea what seas any of us have been in. Try 2 typhoons crossing our path in the south china sea in a nine day period and we managed to go back wards 23 miles in a ship of 75,000tons and capable of 24.8 knots cruise.

    I never doubted that these guys are tough just like I would say Mike Tyson is tough, but smart, I have my doubts. It is one thing to go out there and risk your own life but think of the dangers others faced going to rescue him and the hurricane all around. Now those are tough dudes and smart to boot.
  2. C4ENG, Sep 6, 2011
    #22
    C4ENG

    C4ENG Senior Member

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    Yes Mr. Eiland, I am afraid you did loose some credibility assuming what I or any posters may have experienced in life offshore on this web site.
    But I really would like to know some more beneficial ways of judging one's seamens ship abilities oppose to capsizing a vessel in a hurricane that the whole world knew about.
  3. brian eiland, Sep 7, 2011
    #23
    brian eiland

    brian eiland Senior Member

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    That hurricane at the time of his departure was waaaay down in the lower Bahamas...absolutely no threat to his position on the ocean. And in fact that very day I flew into Miami Fl and felt no ill effects of the hurricane that was still south of Miami.

    So he was not exercising any poor seamanship.

    If you look at the record crossings of the Atlantic that he was after, you would realize that had he not capsized he would likely have been in England before the hurricane even got to North Carolina.

    His capsize was a VERY FREAK occurance that was just nothing like he had experienced in a great number of years of racing around the open oceans of the world.
  4. brian eiland, Sep 7, 2011
    #24
    brian eiland

    brian eiland Senior Member

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    BTW, I did not intend my comment as an affront to what individuals on this forum may have experienced at sea. It was more of a statement that these SAILING vessels can cross broad spans of rough oceans that many power YACHTS can not.
  5. C4ENG, Sep 7, 2011
    #25
    C4ENG

    C4ENG Senior Member

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    I have to admit that I am not that familiar with those sort of tri-sailing veseel. At first glance they certainly do not look like very strong rugged vessels in comparison to a steel mono haul yacht ect.
    I just might have some un resolve issues lingering from days past where I followed captains poor decisions to cross in heavy seas while being job scared. Forecast may say 10 to 12 ft, and I have learned you can almost expect anything on that forecast offshore. That is when you find the flaws, weak points and the un foreseen of the vessel you did not know about. Example, look at the placement of the ER air intake/exhaust ports for ventilation on different types of yachts, some placements better than others. Some yachts in heavy broad side seas can push water through those intakes and cause very alarming situations. It is then not a matter of how tough the humans are, but how reliable is that life saving platform of a vessel that you pushing to the limits with?
  6. brian eiland, Oct 15, 2011
    #26
    brian eiland

    brian eiland Senior Member

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    Back in France Under 'Jury Rig'

    After IDEC's capsize mid-August shortly having departed New York on an attempt on the singlehanded west to east transatlantic record, so Francis Joyon has managed to repatriate IDEC back to France. Joyon achieved this with IDEC sailing on her own bottom under jury rig.

    "We managed to build a jury rig with the top section of the mast and recut the sails to fit," says Joyon. "With the help of Hunt Construction, we were able to step a 16m high mast [32m normally]. Then we tried it at sea then it only remained to wait for a weather window."

    Returning to France under jury rig avoided the expense of shipping the giant trimaran as deck cargo, Joyon maintaining his 'Glenans' philosophy: to try to resolve problems ourselves, intelligently and without cost. Together with Roger and Didier Ganovelli Rouzeaud and Lawrence Apollo who he met in Brooklyn, the crew only took 16 days to bring IDEC back to France under jury rig.

    IDEC back in France | The Daily Sail
  7. Bamboo, Oct 15, 2011
    #27
    Bamboo

    Bamboo Senior Member

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    I hope this story "inspires" others to be safe not sorry. If he was as experienced as claimed then he would have been able to better deal with "freak" conditions I would think. On the other hand he obviously was not concerned with safety as much as record breaking. That viewpoint is referred to in the everyday vernacular as a "fatal flaw".
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