Solo Circumnavigation

[FLIGHT OF YEARS]

Hi folks -

Come New Year's Day, my 43-year-old real-estate-broker daughter will be embarking Steinhatchee, Florida, here on the Gulf coast, on her solo voyage around the world. And we'd like to cordially invite any of you who are going to be here in North Florida - if you're not too hung over New Year's morning - to come join us in seeing her off.

Her really great web site is at www.solo-sailor.com.

Reef early,

Dr. Gene Neill
Mayo, Florida

[gerry]

Just visited the website. The lady certainly has balls!
A note of caution- I see she has a link to Shelter Bay Marina in Panama. This place is very isolated, costs a fortune to use the marina bus to go provisioning and all the 'services' they provide come with a high price tag. I really recommend Panama Canal Yacht Club, close to town and far more circumnavigating 'yachties' there to share info with.

www.gerryantics.blogspot.com

[FLIGHT OF YEARS]

Hi Gerry -

No, not balls, Gerry.

Soul.

It only takes soul to be a true voyager. If you have soul, everything else will work itself out.

It doesn't take money, youth, a big boat, good health, nor even great seamanship skills to do a successful solo circumnavigation, and I can name you successful solo circumnavigators who fit all of the above categories. Even old Joshua Slocum headed out around the world in a worn-out old leaky derelict junk boat, with only $20. And one girl who solo circumnavigated admits she had not idea what anchor scope meant, til she reached the Marquesas.

It only takes soul, Gary, to really voyage great seas. And Heather has that like few I've ever known. And I'm her dad, so I know.

But we don't know about the Panama Canal Yacht Club. All we've ever heard about it is awful. We've heard "dirty, no facilities, over-crowded", and on and on, while Shelter Bay sounds like just the opposite. Beautiful, clean, new, uncrowded, all facilities, etc. We don't really know, and do appreciate your input.

And, in favor of your recommendation, I hasten to add that Shelter Bay did not reply to my inquiry about reservations for Heather there. And that's about two and a half strikes against them right off the top.

So thanks for your thoughts, Gerry.

Gene

[gerry]

Mmn lost in translation between English english and American english! Balls is a great compliment to us Brits! Sort of word that we use to describe 'our Ellen', as in MacCarthur!
What Ellen demonstrates is that you not only need to be driven you also need to be practical.

There are things I could say about Shelter bay but I would be talking about an experience one year ago ( I stayed there for 6 months and in Panama for 13) if 'your Heather 'wants to be rubbing shoulders with world girdling cruisers she's far more likely to find them in PCYC or anchoring on The Flats. If she wants to be rubbing shoulders with the AWB's ( Average White Boats) then Shelter bay will satisfy her. Somehow I rather think her spiritual home is more likely to be PCYC!

Yes Slocum set off with $20 but it was some time ago! When certainly the dollar held a deal more purchasing power than it does today! Sure money is not the main criteria, and we certainly agree on that, but the hard reality is that the 'filthy lucre' is a necessity in the world of sailing. For example, when she goes through the Panama canal, I doubt that "flight of Years' is capable of motoring at a speed of 7knots with 4 line handlers, a pilot and herself aboard! This means there will be a substantial penalty charge to pay...

Romantic idealism is a wonderful thing and I wholeheartedly subscribe to its tenets BUT I have seen too many idealists fail if they do not also recognise the wholely practical aspect of their dream. For example, food and supplies in the pacific are extremely expensive and she may then regret paying dearly for berthing in Shelter Bay rather than a free anchorage of substantially less at PCYC.!

One tip is to stock up with rum from the Free Zone in Panama and use it to trade with in the islands. You'll find that it goes a lot further than dollars!

I look forward to following the expedition.


Gerry


www.gerryantics.blogspot.com

[FLIGHT OF YEARS]

Ha - ha - no, Gerry, "balls" is not certainly an exclusive Brit term. I've been using it here in the States for some 70 years. I once read a magazine article about a friend of mine, the Special Forces founder of Delta Force, Colonel Chargin' Charlie Beckwith (honorary member of your English SAS), and it said he carried his around in a wheel barrow! Anyway - yes, of course - she has big ones. But those won't get anyone around. Lots of big burly big balled men sailors have failed in their voyages because they didn't have soul.

Who is Ellen MacCarthur, I'm sorry?

No, the Flats, as you know, are a filthy and very deep and rolly mud bottom; no one won't want to stay there for long.

Yes, sure, PCYC sounds fine, if you're telling me that all the bad stuff we heard about it is untrue. Did you stay there? Plus, again, I'm very unhappy Shelter Bay did not answer my email. Amy Vanderbuilt says that is rude. Yes, you're right, I think Heather's spiritual home would best be found in the PCYC - if all the bad things we've heard about it are untrue.

No, she won't be fined for her slow speed, going through the canal. She'll be tied to a tug. And she already has an agent there, by the way.

You need not concern yourself about her finances. She has that under control.

And yes, I understand about bartering Rum. I've spent a lot of time in 44 countries, on 5 continents, and booze does indeed speak an international language! In fact, she'll probably have a dram or two set aside for her first landfall in Isla Mujeres, Mexico, where it also speaks loudly.

Anyway, thank you very much, Gerry, for your suggestions.

Dr. Gene Neill
Mayo, Florida

[gerry]

The Flats are not that bad. I have spent some time anchored out there,probably 9 weeks in all.Depths vary from 3 to around 12 metres, we usually put the hook down in around 7 metres. Shallower near the shore but more likely to drag. Actually I found it far less filthy than Gibraltar or Cartagena...
There are usually at least 20 boats anchored there, many more from Feb thru to May, the prime season for transiting the canal.

I cannot say that all you have heard about PCYC is incorrect but in my opinion it is certainly a feasible and efficient stop before transiting. You will however find it difficult to obtain a berth for any length of time. But given the size of Flight I have no doubt they will do their best to find a spot. I always found them helpful and friendly. The marina staff know their business well. If there are any mechanical problems somebody will know where to fix it! Its not the cleanest place I have been in but it will be far superior to many of the ports that Heather will visit. The world of long distance cruising is not a sanitized Disneyworld.

I am surprised that Heather has paid an agent to transit, its really easy to sort out the paperwork through the PCYC, organize lines and tyres. The going fee last season for help with paperwork was around $100, to include hiring 4 approved handling lines. Most yachties take friends from the sailing community as handlers and reciprocate by helping the handlers boats through.A visit from the admeasurer and then a trip into town to pay the fees at the bank and visit the authorities.

I highly recomend that Heather do a stint as a line handler before taking her boat through. Being tied to a tug is no guarantee of a problem free passage and a couple of seasons ago a boat was sunk in such a position....

I did not question Heathers finances rather your assertion that 'It doesn't take money'. That is a naive and ignorant statement, in my opinion.

I am most concerned at the romanticizing of long distance sailing by those who know better. Far from being an exercise in spiritual adventure there is a massive deception by these correspondents who seek to eulogize what is a dangerous and formidable task.It takes vision, certainly, but it also takes preparation and research. Constantly updating and listening and reading.... for sure the more you know the more you know you don't know! Faith is a wonderful thing but God helps those who help themselves....

Reading your daughters website I admire the enthusiasm with which she records the preparations that began in April this year, and I cannot fault her optimism BUT beware of encouraging indiscriminately the dreamers that so often we see fallen at the first fence.This may not be what you want to hear but it would be irresponsible to believe that 'soul' is all you need. Luck and skill and strength play an enormous part in ocean voyaging and it is a foolish man who thinks otherwise.


Ellen Macarthur is the British lass who holds the world record for the fastest solo circumnavigation of the globe! And you haven't heard of her! I used to think she overreacted to stress when I watched the videos of her at sea. After my first ocean crossing I was humbled to admit that I completely understood her feelings of fear and helplessness in the face of overwhelming problems.

One final thought....satellite telephones are notorious for bad reception, if any, once you leave the environs of the USA. If there is one thing you may perhaps think of at this stage of preparation I would strongly suggest an SSB radio receiver and transmitter. The recent rescue operations in the Caribbean and Pacific that involved cruising yachts have ALL been directed via the SSB route. weather forecasts can be obtained and even email sent and received. Not to mention the ability to talk with other cruisers as you transit wide, empty oceans.

I understand your pride in your daughter's venture and I hope all goes well.
If money is not a problem ditch the CQR and Delta and invest in a Rocna, I wish I could afford one!A good anchor, a long chain and an SSB would be the best insurance you can buy her!

Best of luck

Gerry

www.gerryantics.blogspot.com

[FLIGHT OF YEARS]

Hi Gents:

Thought you'd enjoy knowing Heather just got back from her 170 mile shakedown cruise aboard her fabulous little yacht, FLIGHT OF YEARS. And nothing shook down - everything worked flawlessly, her C.A.R.D. system, Air-X wind turbine, sat phone, GPS units, etc. And her Monitor wind vane, which she has lovingly named Mortimer Monitor - steered matchlessly for her the last 24 hours alone.

The purpose of the "shakedown cruise" was not really to check out all systems; we knew they would work flawlessly. The real motive was to get the boat down to Crystal River, for sand/water blasting the bottom down to the factory applied Interlux Interprotect 2000E layer, and to get three new coats added to that, plus four coats of Interlux Ultra-Kote red. Fortunately, her #434 flicka was built of vinylester resin, not polyester, plus it had the Interprotect from the factory. Thus, in eight years on the water, there was not the first sign of osmosis nor blistering, and of course there now never shall be.

The cruise was a great success, and now Heather is all set for her embarkation New Year's Day.

Reef early!
Dr. Gene Neill
Mayo, Florida
Heather's dad

[FLIGHT OF YEARS]

Some English lady recently posted some matters concerning my daughter's solo circumnavigation, and this is in reply to her questions.

No, Gerry, forgive me, but we don't like the Flats in Panama at all; it's a filthy, deep mud bottom, a long dinghy ride from shore, and the nearest practical landing is the Panama Canal Yacht Club, which is dirty, poorly run, right in a high crime area, and has very inadequate services. We simply have never cared for either. On the other hand, the Shelter Bay Marina, where Heather has her reservation, is just the opposite: new, spotlessly clean, away from crime, has complete overhaul and repair facilities for any sized yacht; it's beautiful, secure and the only place to stay on the Caribbean side of the canal.

And yes, most folks who have been through the canal a number of times - like Jimmy Cornell - always recommend an agent. They're not expensive at all, and can save days and even weeks of aggrivating times. Heather would not think of going through without an agent. In many countries now, the agents are required, and even in Mexico they are a great advantage. Plus Heather is definitely not a "yachtie" type, as you mentioned, and not at all interested in their thoughts nor customs.

I'm sorry, but I checked with the Panama Canal Authority, and they said you were mistaken, that no yacht has ever been sunk in the canal, much less going through tied to a tug. Someone has given you some dreadfully wrong information.

You say I am naive an ignorant, lady? I have over fifty years of ocean cruising behind me, with voyages in the Baltic Sea, the North Sea, too much time in the English Channel, lots of sailing in the Bay of Biscaye, all over the Bahamas and Caribbear, California and Hawaii, and I have ten years of university training and two doctorates. Good grief your poor wretched husband!

No, I hadn't heard of Ellen Macarthur, but I don't follow the doings of famous English lady sailors.

And no, you are also mistaken about sat phones. The Iridium system is totally reliable all over the world. Perhaps you're thinking of one of the little sat phone companies which deal only in the States. And yes, Heather has SSB capacity, and she has her own three retained weather forecasters, covering her entire voyage, so the SSB yachtie weather chatter is unimportant to her.

Again you're mistaken. You really ought to read her web site. 22,000 people have read this far in December. Heather does not have a CQR and a Delta. She has two CQRs and a large Fortress, but the Rocna is a dismal failure as an anchor. With its massive roll bar, it cannot even be held in any normal bow platform roller assembly, but has to be lashed on deck somewhere. And it ranks near the very bottom in all of the authoritative anchor tests here in America. Perhaps you like it because it is English like you are? And if you can't afford one, you're in big trouble financially. It is much cheaper, pound for pound, that either of Heather's CQRs. Perhaps you don't like the CQRs because they are made in Scotland? And yes, you're absolutely correct about chain. Heather's working anchor is on a 200' all chain rhode, and her heavier anchor has 200' of chain, plus 250' of heavy Nylon three ply rhode - overkill indeed for a mere 20' boat.

Reef early!

Dr. Gene Neill
Mayo, Florida

[gerry]

Oh dear, I am sorry that you feel aggrieved. My criticism was meant constructively and kindly. I didn't believe you could be so arrogant that you thought you knew all the answers.

Let me state VERY CLEARLY where I am coming from.

I believe, as much as you do, in “dreams”, in “soul”, in “balls”, in “a spirit of adventure”, in “a high-level, driving, sense of purpose”. No one would suggest that an undertaking like this doesn't take determination and ambition.

But I don't believe in romantic nonsense that trivializes the challenges of ocean sailing today, and is just plain misleading. In any undertaking, the people who are truly risky are those who deny or don't believe they take any risk.

It is time to blow the whistle on the deception and misinformation propagated by too many people in the yachting world with something to sell.

With a far more clear-sighted and down-to-earth approach, more people are going to succeed and enjoy long, happy cruising adventures. Without feet planted firmly on the ground, their first major equipment failure or storm will be an unnecessarily rude (and dangerous) awakening.

So it's important that we do get the facts straight here. Not only for Heather's safety but for anybody else who reads this public thread.

A transit through the Panama Canal is NOT without hazards and it's just basic commonsense to go through once as a line handler for somebody else before you attempt it yourself. Of course the authorities do not advertise the fact but, I quote, ' damage to vessels of all sizes is frequent'. See http://www.takehersailing.com/articles/Pan_Canal.htm.

Who then go on to say: “Do not underestimate the possibility of damage to your boat during a canal transit. I have known people who have made the transit with no mishaps, and who subsequently tell newcomers that it’s a “piece of cake.” In my opinion, they are spreading serious misinformation. There are so many things that can go wrong, most of which you have no control over, that a problem-free transit should be considered a piece of good fortune.”

The specific incident I referred to is described here http://www.pmbc.ws/htmls/brokenboat.html

Technically, you, and the canal authorities, are correct: the boats did not actually sink, they couldn't afford to have them blocking up the canal, but they don't look particularly seaworthy to me in these photos! And note, from their website: “A professional pilot of the Canal Company was on each yacht. In the lock we were tied sideways to the Autoridad de Canal de Panama (ACP) tug Lider. Our Antares is very heavily damaged and it is questionable whether it can be repaired.”

A short search on Google will unearth plenty of similar stories (and with ten years in university and two Doctorates you should be able to manage this).

With respect to the Rocna (a New Zealand not a British) anchor, I refer you to the report in Yachting Monthly magazine December 2006 in association with the US magazine Sail, which you can read here http://www.rocna.com/press/press_0612_wm_ym_testing.pdf
The Rocna was consistently rated amongst the top performers.

You appear to willfully misunderstand my comment on ignorance.

I said : “Reading your daughter's website I admire the enthusiasm with which she records the preparations that began in April this year, and I cannot fault her optimism. BUT beware of encouraging indiscriminately the dreamers that so often we see fallen at the first fence. This may not be what you want to hear but it would be irresponsible to believe that 'soul' is all you need. Luck and skill and strength play an enormous part in ocean voyaging and it is a foolish man who thinks otherwise.”

I took issue when you asserted that “It only takes soul to be a true voyager. If you have soul, everything else will work itself out.” I stand by my response to that statement.

I did not question Heather's finances rather your assertion that 'It doesn't take money'. I wrote: "that is a naive and ignorant statement, in my opinion.”

So what about the money spent so far on 'Flight of Years'? Are you really saying that it wasn't necessary? Somehow I doubt that!

You are, of course, entitled to your opinion about facilities in Colon. I only spent 6 months in Shelter Bay marina, 2 months plus anchored on the flats and many visits to PCYC. But as 'your Heather' does not want anything to do with 'yachties', I guess it really won't matter where she is. What a pity and what a lost opportunity that will be for assistance, encouragement, learning and 'soul' development.

I am delighted that she has SSB capacity but saddened to learn that “the SSB yachtie weather chatter is unimportant to her”.

So finally, if Heather is not a 'yachtie' type then what is she? And where does the interest of the world's sailing magazines and communities come into play – or do you just want their money? You write: “Heather is definitely not a 'yachtie' type, as you mentioned, and not at all interested in their thoughts nor customs”. If Heather can't be bothered to feign interest in other sailors, such as Ellen MacArthur, or other yachties, why does she think they should be interested in what she is doing, and why are you promoting her expedition in Cruising World (which is, by definition, for yachties)?

Happy New Year

Gerry

www.gerryantics.blogspot.com

[Jolly_Jack]

He is famous across a number of sites for abusing anyone who disagrees with his somewhat sad and outdated ideas. I feel sorry for his daughter but I hope that when she gets away from his clutches she will take better advice along her route.

What he fails to mention in his inflated view of himself is that he is a convicted felon (its on his web site).

See http://www.go-to-jail.org/

Click on his photo and it will give you his resume;

"When he was forty, Neill became deeply involved in organized crime, and was sentenced to serve fifty years in a Federal penitentiary. Indictments under which he was sentenced included large-scale narcotics distribution, possession of machine guns, a pistol with a silencer, massive insurance frauds and related conspiracies."

He found GOD (or more likely GOB (the Good Old Boy network)) and he was released after 2 years.

Since then he has been preaching to a captive audience in prison who no doubt are very interested in how he scammed himself out of a 50year stretch. He also touts his book, printed in 1975 and now out of print.

He is rather ill at the moment and I wish a speedy recovery and I wish his daughter well on the trip. Any more of your wise advice will however, be wasted. As the saying goes, "She who washes the head of a pig looses both her time and her soap".

I'm just happy that under Florida law he cannot vote!!!

[gerry]

Whoa!! Blimey Jolly Jack I am stunned at this information... I had a feeling there was more to this than the obvious!

As you say one can only feel sorry, and very afraid, for 'Captain Heather', I sure hope she doesn't reflect her Dad's views once she gets offshore.

But what the hell are the sailing comics doing giving these people space to promote their bizarre attitudes to the sailing and cruising world. Come on Cruising World Magazine, lets see some real journalism on those pages of yours, get the story out there in your next edition!

Yet another 'missionary' using the sailing community to further their own ends. Well I don't know about you but I am seriously pissed off with that kind of abuse. I resent my sport and chosen lifestyle being used as a money-making vehicle for these phonies.

You may be interested in the story I ran on my blog about Windword Ministries see this link gerryantics.blogspot.com/2007_10_01_archive.html look for the item titled 'How to get tons of money and buy a bigger boat'

Obviously raising money through sailing is easier, and safer, that getting it through drugs and organized crime!

I look forward to investigating this story more thoroughly!

Thank you for the information,

Gerry

[Jolly_Jack]

Funny, my wife and I have also cruised and stayed in the Rio Dulce. We absolutely love the place, but that was before your friend on the '67 foot trawler'. Hopefully he will get the call and leave for greener grass somewhere. Perhaps Gene's Prison Mission will have a vacancy when Gene retires. Maybe Jireh's captain will start his prison ministry as an inmate, just like Gene did. Truly, I say to you, God works in mysterious ways.

[gerry]

You sure ain't whistling Dixie there mate!

www.gerryantics.blogspot.com

[FLIGHT OF YEARS]

Hi Jolly Jack -

Ha-ha-ha, what a delightful post!

But you're going to be heartbroken to know (a) that I am allowed to vote in all elections, state and federal (since my civil rights were restored decades ago), and (b) that my autobiography, "I'm Gonna' Bury You!" is not only still in print, but it is also a current international bestseller in five languages, and you can buy a new one on Amazon or in leading bookstores everywhere, and (c) My health is now just fine. Come on up to my front door here in Mayo, Florida, Jolly, and I'll be delighted to illustrate to you how healthy I am.

You're right about the prison ministry, sort of. I've conducted chapel serivces in over 2,500 penitentiaries, in 44 countries on 5 continents, but the audiences are not captive; the convicts are not required to come hear me. Plus I've also spoken in 1800 churches.
The only inhabited continent on which I have not spoken in all the major prisons is Australia, the former Botany Bay prison colony, and they will not grant me a visa because of my 37-year-old criminal record.

But I'll tell you what I'll do to make you and this English lass happy: I'll bow out of here and not come back to haunt you further. Patently we don't belong on the same page together, so I'll do the honorable thing and scram.

Bye.

Dr. Gene Neill
Mayo, Florida

[Jolly_Jack]

wow, there can't be many boards left where he can post his specific brand of BS.

The following was cut and pasted from Amazon.com

"I'm gonna bury you! (Paperback)
by Gene Neill (Author)

Availability: Available from these sellers.

15 used available from $0.59
Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,908,131 in Books"

At least his book is in the top 2 million, but at 59 Cents and plus they give it free to inmates, you have to wonder why he calls it a "best seller".

You also have to wonder if Dr Gene was an African American, who had committed the same crimes, would have been released after just two years. I suspect he would still be ministering from inside the prison as an inmate. Truly its great to have friends in high places (and I'm not referring to God).

"1 Peter 5:5 Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble."

[gerry]

I understand that after leaving Florida on 3rd January, "Captain' Heather has turned back as she has some damage, a lost hatchboard, broken safety clip, engine problems etc.
Thats a pity as the forecast for the upcoming few days is good..........

www.gerryantics.blogspot.com

[Jolly_Jack]

His Post from 20 Dec.

" Thought you'd enjoy knowing Heather just got back from her 170 mile shakedown cruise aboard her fabulous little yacht, FLIGHT OF YEARS. And nothing shook down - everything worked flawlessly, her C.A.R.D. system, Air-X wind turbine, sat phone, GPS units, etc. And her Monitor wind vane, which she has lovingly named Mortimer Monitor - steered matchlessly for her the last 24 hours alone.

The purpose of the "shakedown cruise" was not really to check out all systems; we knew they would work flawlessly. "

His most recent e-mail;

" Number one, she got locked out of the salon. There is a little sliding catch inside so you can lock the sliding hatch when you're inside. And the seas were so rough the latch slid shut by itself, and she couldn't get below, so she had to break out the thick plastic drop board I made for her, so she could get below to the GPSs, etc. But now she has a huge hole where the drop board used to be. Dangerous at sea.

Then one of the clasps on her top-of-the-line safety harness broke; also her engine went out (not in this order), and she has only reverse gear.

But she's closer here than Isla Mujeres, so she's heading back from way out in the Gulf of Mexico to fix all this.

It's hilarious: Everybody asked about her shakedown cruise, and I said there's no such thing as a shakedown cruise. Every time you pull away from your dock you're on a shakedown cruise. Not one thing went wrong on her solo 170 mile shakedown cruise. But now that the real thing comes along - look what happens!"

I am amazed that the first e-mail came from a person with "over fifty years of ocean cruising behind me, with voyages in the Baltic Sea, the North Sea, too much time in the English Channel, lots of sailing in the Bay of Biscay, all over the Bahamas and Caribbean, California and Hawaii, and I have ten years of university training and two doctorates."

With my limited sailing experience I am amazed when anything works at all, let alone flawlessly.

This post casts NO aspersion on Heathers decision. Good for her in returning to port and regrouping. Let her take stock of the task she has set herself. I have no doubt that with a realistic approach she will achieve all she wishes to do.

Just one word of advice. Ban "Daddy Dearest" from the keyboard. He has managed to alienate a large group of cruisers (some, including me, by personal e-mail). Daddy's comment that "Heather is definitely not a "yachtie" type, as you mentioned, and not at all interested in their thoughts nor customs" is not a smart one. I have found these "yachtie types" to be generous to a fault when approached with an open mind. They have certainly helped me on numerous occasions.

Fair Winds Heather, but you are old enough to plot your own course.

[Jolly_Jack]

A man who is not afraid of the sea will soon be
drowned, he said, for he will be going out on a
day he shouldn’t. But we do be afraid of the sea,
and we do only be drownded now and again.

- J.M. Synge, in The Aran Islands

[gerry]

So "Captain" Heather has returned, turning back after 100 miles. Her account of the 4 days is so poetic and glorious that I wonder why she turned back!

Still in the words of Sophocles : "We must wait until the evening to see how fine the day as been".

www.gerryantics.blogspot.com

[Jolly_Jack]

"It only takes soul, Gary, to really voyage great seas. And Heather has that like few I've ever known. And I'm her dad, so I know." Heather's Daddy

Hmmmmmmm!

http://www.solo-sailor.com/ShipLog.htm

[gerry]

A little more realism and a whole lot less razzamatazz and, maybe, she would have stood a better chance of success?

At the very least she could have ensured herself a far happier experience. Maybe the 'cheerleaders' might like to ponder on their uncritical commendations in light of the sad outcome of this ignorant and arrogant venture.

www.gerryantics.blogspot.com

[stationr]

I have to say, this is some of the most entertaining reading I've had in months! Woman sets out on ambitious circumnav, hits some minor snags, and gives up on the dream after 100 miles under the keel. Meanwhile, the proud father (why is there always a father like this in the story?) alienates everyone with his arrogance and makes the whole thing that much sadder and stranger.

Wow! Do you think maybe Captain Heather should have picked her way down the coast to the Keys and island-hopped down the thorny path to learn her boat and her trade before putting out to sea?

Gerry was absolutely right! You need more than a dreaming soul to sail around the world.

[stationr]

I have to say, this is some of the most entertaining reading I've had in months! Woman sets out on ambitious circumnav, hits some minor snags, and gives up on the dream after 100 miles under the keel. Meanwhile, the proud father (why is there always a father like this in the story?) alienates everyone with his arrogance and makes the whole thing that much sadder and stranger.

Wow! Do you think maybe Captain Heather should have picked her way down the coast to the Keys and island-hopped down the thorny path to learn her boat and her trade before putting out to sea?

Gerry was absolutely right! You need more than a dreaming soul to sail around the world.

[gerry]

Well I don't know how to say this but 'Captain' Heather has just announced her comeback!

... and she says if you haven't got anything nice to say keep quiet!

I'm not holding my breathe on this one!


www.gerryantics.blogspot.com

[gerry]

A light year away from the debacle of 'Captain' Heather....
http://www.bigoceans.com/2008/01/26/lisbon-canary-islands-in-10-days/

This is worth reading as the young sailor writes about how he felt during his recent solo passage, 'Captain' Heather could learn a thing or two...

www.gerryantics.blogspot.com

[jaxcaptain]

While Heather seems to be wholly spiritually and emotionally vested in her undertaking and has taken many correct steps to prepare herself and her boat she also seems to demonstrate a tendency toward ignoring the realities of her undertaking. It seems by some of her actions she relies heavily on faith and optimism and far less on things practical. It is disconcerting to read passages such as: Dad has drilled me, over and over again, on the procedures to heave-to and deploy the anchor. I’m repeating it in my sleep these days! "From a hove-to port tack position, deploy the retrieval line (the big red ball and yellow float in the picture), slam dunk the parachute anchor (the orange chute on the left side of the bag) under the bottom safety line, and cut loose the tie-ties which hold the pendant line on the port cap rail", whereby her lack of foul weather experience is replaced only by a well remembered drill. And if this was indeed the tactic shes used in the gulf while caught in 33k wind with 10 to 12 foot seas while lying in her bunk for hours on end is there any question why she got violently ill on the first short days of her journey? Perhaps if she knew how to sail in 33 knots. The Flicka is capable. In any regard, perhaps she has been "seasoned" by her adventure and will fair better next time.

[gerry]

Well a sad, but inevitable end to a sorry tale... the boat is on the market. Yours for only $73,000! ...she's still in la-la land then!

www.gerryantics.blogspot.com

[kirbynew]

Wow, that's a little harsh.

[Shipscarver]

I've been on the boat, and it is the most beautiful, best equipted small boat I have ever seen. I think she is also looking to get a primium because it is the last Flicka made. It is beautiful.

[gerry]

So would you pay $73,000 for it?

www.gerryantics.blogspot.com

[circumnavigator]

WHAT AN INTERESTING EXCHANGE OF IDEAS! This is a lot of months late to agree with someone, but this father's arrogance in the face of his daughter's adventure is criminal.

[circumnavigator]

Has anyone investigated whether this whole solo-sailor thing was a well-crafted scam? I visited the website and found that she rather quickly abandonned her dream and her boat is for sale. She also accepted money from donors to supprt her trip. "Beans and rice" money she calls it. I hope a lot of people weren't duped by this seemingly innocent website.

[stationr]

If you read the website, it's clear this was no scam...Heather and her father spent a lot of time and money working on her Flicka, and I would be very surprised if they ever had any hope of turning a profit of any sort on the deal.

No, the real story (one that I'm afraid Heather may never tell, although she's a good writer) is how she got hooked on that classic "sail away and leave it all behind" dream and then only made 100 miles before turning around and ultimately giving it all up. In all honesty, I think she made the right decision in turning around: she simply was not ready to sail across the Gulf of Mexico alone, much less around the world. Others with no experience have certainly done it, but they always seem to be 20 year surfers who think they can survive anything.

A good sailor is likely a dreamer, but dreams aren't enough to get you safely across an ocean.