Some more images. Pity the coverage was so bad. Some beautiful boats out there with some demanding conditions would give a very nice footage.
This race has the potential top become a Classic. The Idea is very interesting, the weather conditions have bean great. It just needs more truly race boats to become a more serious business. They have already plenty of big luxury yachts.
It's quite the event... great fleet, normally great conditions. We attended the after party and awards at the Antigua YC a few years back... that year the trades actually died and competitors were still out there... The committee didn't even set a time limit since the 'Trades never quit' but that year they did. We ended up motoring half way from Guadeloupe to Antigua in flat calm.
A remarkably laid back affair, the party, considering the luminaries hanging out there...
__________________ ".. there is much you could do at sea with common sense.. and very little you could do without it.."
Capt G E Ericson (from "The Cruel Sea" by Nicholas Monsarrat)
We talked about this one when It was just a project. Now it is on the water and it looks fast:
This is a Morrelli & Melvin Design and comes after the R33. I guess the scope was to make the boat more multivalent, not only as a racer but as daysailer and a week end cruiser. They say that the boat has accommodations for four in two cabins with a head, icebox and stove and is trailerable.
About those accommodation I did not seen anything and also the complete absence of light in the interior or aeration seems not functional. I guess they could do better in what regards program definition. A pity because the boat seems very interesting.
Copacabana is sending me a book about some part of the beautiful coast of Brazil. Nice of him. Hell, I can also share something with you guys, something that give me a lot of work, regarding Greece.
I guess that some around this thread had already sailed there and others will sail because Greece is something that should not be missed. Greece has some particularities being one of then the constant winds on the summer. If someone intends to sail extensively there it is better to plan carefully the voyage because on the Cyclades and Dodecanese region the Wind can blow between force 6 and 8 for weeks and I am sure nobody wants to get upwind with that kind of wind.
Another particularity in the Med is that marinas ate expensive and nowadays even small ports charge you for mooring. That is not a problem if the cruise is short but if he takes several months than it can be a problem. He only go to marinas or ports when we need water or diesel. Out of that we prefer to lunch at Tavernas with the money that would be "wasted" on marina or ports.
This requires also a good planing because not all anchorages are safe enough if wind raises and they are not distributed in a regular way.
So as a way to help planing I just made a blow up of a Rod Heikell map with the wind directions and researched extensively for anchorages, putting them on the map. These are anchorages for the predominant winds on the summer and to my experience predominant here means 90% of the time or over.
This will make easier to plan not only a zig-zag course escaping upwind sailing (I am sure I will get some) but also one that takes me to places where I have safe anchorages in nice places at the end of the day.
Too much talk. The map:
As red dots, the safe anchorages. There could be more around, those are only those that can give a good protection.
Red Islands mean that they have so many anchorages that I did not bother to mark them. Orange Islands, Islands with some anchorages (they are marked in some). Blue Islands, Islands with no or bad anchorages.
I hope it will be useful for some. I know it will be for me
The Finngulf will continue to produce the Karl Johan Strahlmann designs (they have the molds) and the boats will be made in Estonia.
Curiously they will not produce the last launched boat (the 43 designed by Farr) anymore. They will continue to produce among others the 37 and 41 that are classic beauties with a swan look and fast too:
The 41:
The 37:
Both are beautiful boats but I find the 37 very well designed. It is very difficult to make a 37ft boat so well proportioned. The boat looks just perfect, I mean the 41 too, but that is a lot easier to do that on a 41ft boat than in a 37ft boat. Maybe we can have the same quality at a lower price.
We're all very happy to see that your scent for interesting sailboats is perfectly intact, Paulo .
If everything also goes well for Alessandro Di Benedetto, he and his is IMOCA 60’ Team Plastique will arrive tomorrow at Les Sables d’Olonne. And thereby end this 2012-2013 edition of the Vendée Globe, “the Everest of the seas”.
Almost three weeks behind the winner François Gabart, but with a boat launched more than 14 years ago. One of he oldest designs and the only one with a fixed keel in this race. A major disadvantage, except for its reliability because this boat already participated (and finished!) in three previous Vendee Globe races. In fact Alessandro, although last to finish in this edition of the race, will be the fastest ever on this particular boat. Even after losing all of his downwind sails in the final stage of the race.
If you understand French, enjoy the highlights of Alessandro:
Last Sunday Tanguy de Lamotte crossed the finish line with his Initiatives-coeur. Also a quite old design but with a canting keel. He also got his share of misfortune, hitting an UFO with severe damage to his starboard rudder and daggerboard.
Meanwhile he succeeded to motivate hundreds of thousands people to “like” his "Initiatives Coeur” project. Thereby 15 children in need of cardiac surgery but without the necessary resources will be helped. I like that kind of engagement.
Tanguy and Alessandro never pretended to compete at the top. Their only ambition was to finish the race, if possible within an honorable time.
Both succeeded in this and I think they also did a wonderful job with their enthusiastic video’s, permitting us to enjoy this extraordinary race almost in real time and giving us a human insight in this quite inhuman kind of sailing.
Yes, I have said already, I am a fan of Alessandro, not only as a sailor but as a man. Put that guy on the sea in a boat and he starts smiling and keep on smiling all race
I am very curious about the reception he is going to have.
Even Tanguy de Lamotte that was not properly impressive in my opinion (he is a professional racer with lot's of experience in Open 60) had this welcome:
and this video had already 47 200 hits in 8 hours
Alessandro performance as a sailor was far more impressive and if I am not mistaken the public knows that. I will not be surprised if the crowd waiting for him tomorrow noon is as big as the one that waited for the leader
I also hope this vendee and popularity helps him to find the sponsor for a competitive Open 60. He had proved that he is not only an adventurer but also a very good sailor that can be competitive if he has the means.
Copacabana is sending me a book about some part of the beautiful coast of Brazil. Nice of him. Hell, I can also share something with you guys, something that give me a lot of work, regarding Greece.
I guess that some around this thread had already sailed there and others will sail because Greece is something that should not be missed. Greece has some particularities being one of then the constant winds on the summer. If someone intends to sail extensively there it is better to plan carefully the voyage because on the Cyclades and Dodecanese region the Wind can blow between force 6 and 8 for weeks and I am sure nobody wants to get upwind with that kind of wind.
Another particularity in the Med is that marinas ate expensive and nowadays even small ports charge you for mooring. That is not a problem if the cruise is short but if he takes several months than it can be a problem. He only go to marinas or ports when we need water or diesel. Out of that we prefer to lunch at Tavernas with the money that would be "wasted" on marina or ports.
This requires also a good planing because not all anchorages are safe enough if wind raises and they are not distributed in a regular way.
So as a way to help planing I just made a blow up of a Rod Heikell map with the wind directions and researched extensively for anchorages, putting them on the map. These are anchorages for the predominant winds on the summer and to my experience predominant here means 90% of the time or over.
This will make easier to plan not only a zig-zag course escaping upwind sailing (I am sure I will get some) but also one that takes me to places where I have safe anchorages in nice places at the end of the day.
Too much talk. The map:
As red dots, the safe anchorages. There could be more around, those are only those that can give a good protection.
Red Islands mean that they have so many anchorages that I did not bother to mark them. Orange Islands, Islands with some anchorages (they are marked in some). Blue Islands, Islands with no or bad anchorages.
I hope it will be useful for some. I know it will be for me
Been there, done that. Several times, because I fully agree this is an exceptional cruising area.
But our sailing would have been a lot easier and much more enjoyable if we had this synthetic map .
To check with the short term forecasts, of course. But these general wind patterns are indeed quite consistent and allow to avoid upwind courses as much as possible, with typically very uncomfortable wave patterns because of the strong winds and short fetch. Exactly what you don't want for a relaxing summer cruise.
And take advantage of the (also frequent) windless days to motor to a favourable location before the wind comes back.
And select a safe anchorage when it hits .
This makes me think of going back sailing there, but now I certainly would'nt without having this map permanently on my chart table .
Been there, done that. Several times, because I fully agree this is an exceptional cruising area.
But our sailing would have been a lot easier and much more enjoyable if we had this synthetic map .
To check with the short term forecasts, of course. But these general wind patterns are indeed quite consistent and allow to avoid upwind courses as much as possible, with typically very uncomfortable wave patterns because of the strong winds and short fetch. Exactly what you don't want for a relaxing summer cruise.
And take advantage of the (also frequent) windless days to motor to a favourable location before the wind comes back.
And select a safe anchorage when it hits .
This makes me think of going back sailing there, but now I certainly would'nt without having this map permanently on my chart table .
Best regards,
Eric
Hi Eric,
Last year I had been on the Ionian and there the wind picked up in the afternoon and I remember very few days without any wind.
You talk about windless days. You are talking about Dodecanese and Cyclades in July/ august? No experience there but for what I have read they are pretty rare. Much more windy then the Ionian. Maybe I am misinformed. Can you give a help here.
Regarding motoring, I am in a pretty sailing only kind of voyage, not only for the money (that is important) but most of all for the fun and because using the engine is a limiting factor on my boat autonomy.
This year I would be sailing in Greece for three months, coming out of Rome. This map become necessary for me because there are too many Islands, too many information. After a while I had difficulty in visualizing all information and difficulty in planning a 3 month voyage.
Where would I find nice anchorages and most of all where would I not find them? If you look at the map you will see that there are big coastal areas without any decent anchorage. Of course this is just the beginning but know I can plan a Zig-Zag course that takes me through Crete and Dodecanese Islands, Cyclades, Coastal Greece and Northern Islands and back to Corinth Channel. The fine running goes next with a selection of the nicest places and the ones that I want to see and be there.
On that phase, that I have begun already I had thought on your boat and on the big advantage that represents the very reduced draft in what regards visiting small ports. With my draft I have some that I cannot visit but most of all I have the permanent doubt about the depth of the water near the quay and that is very important because it is where my ruder will be and it is a deep one (I guess almost 2.00m).
I had already that problem in Croatia, no in what regards anchoring, but in what regards going backwards to the quay. Many don't speak English and they are never very sure about the depth there. I am studding the possibility of mounting in the boat a forward looking depth sounder to make first a reading, bow to the quay, after turning around and set anchor, coming then backwards to the quay.
Do you know about someone that have used that kind of depth sounder?
On your boat it is a lot simpler...but then you need a bow thruster to move around in the port. Even so, with that, yours (or Hannas's boat) are definitively the boats easier to explore those wonderful small ports that all small Islands have.
Nice to know that you find the map helpful If you want PM me an email and I will send you a full size copy.
I had read several test sails about this boat and they are all unanimous in stating that this is a great cruiser. You can read the one that refers to the movie downloading it from Yacht.de (2 euros in German). It is certainly one of the best test sails, as it is usual on this magazine.
For me the really problem with this boat in what regards its success is the aesthetic side of the question. Nothing wrong with it but they broke on this line a basic rule of sails: They made all models according with the aesthetically line that comes from 409. We can see that this boat resembles the 409. That is a no no, a bigger and more expensive boat should not resemble the less expensive and smaller one, quite the opposite
Let's see how the public reacts to that. It is a shame because I am sure that is a great boat even if I find stupid that they had used the image of the 409 to make it look as belonging as the same design "line".
I guess that the main competition will come from the Bavaria vision 46 that costs 22 000 euros less. I had also read only nice things about the Bavaria Vision 46.
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