851 Miles in One Day

[Simon Sexton]

Hey Guys,

I found this on the internet and found myself completely shocked. Check it out! This guy, Francois Gabart (French solo sailor) set the new 24-hour speed record in his 98 foot trimaran, MACIF. His average speed was about 35.4 knots, and overall he covered 851 miles of South Atlantic waters.

http://www.yachtingworld.com/news/8...e-new-sailing-record-in-giant-trimaran-111225

 

[Whatfiero1]

Man that's fast. Got to be a balanced boat to solo sail. Those Americans cup boats look like a handful at speed

 

[Gunni]

He’s not the fastest, he’s just crazy enough to go that fast, solo. Kinda like that powerboat dude who puts his boat on auto, sets the throttles and goes down to make lunch. Everyone else is in charge of staying out the way.

 

[DArcy]

Kinda like that powerboat dude who puts his boat on auto, sets the throttles and goes down to make lunch.

Ha, not quite. Francois Gabart is in a completely different league than us mere mortals. I agree traveling at 35 knots with no lookout on deck is not generally advised but the boat is well set up for solo sailing at speed. Take a look at this page describing (at a very high level) the technology on board https://iq.intel.com/smart-sailing-francois-gabarts-floating-tech-lab/
There is still risk involved, which I'm sure is part of the allure, but it is much less than you might at first expect. Also, the highest speed portions of his course are in vastly unpopulated waters.

 

[shemandr]

It's crazy fast. The Volvo boats make it look easy to sail at 20 kts. It probably isn't but from the video I've seen it looks completely controlled - until it isn't. The trimaran seems to be more on the edge. Volvo boats have around the clock watches with somewhat rested crew. Trimaran has one guy. One incredible guy because he must not need sleep and can apparently sail for long periods of time on the edge without succumbing to stress induced mental trauma. Maybe the boat is more stable than I imagine. Nevertheless, wow!

 

[jssailem]

Kinda like that powerboat dude who puts his boat on auto, sets the throttles and goes down

Like this guy from a year ago?
https://www.seattletimes.com/seattl...th-washington-state-ferry-near-vashon-island/

 

[Will Gilmore]

Like this guy from a year ago?

Did that guy think he had right-of-way over a fully loaded ferry that takes 100 car lengths to stop?
I think there are some people who would just watch their boat collide with another just because they think it's up to the other guy to give-way. Maritime law holds both parties responsible in the case where the person with right-of-way fails to take action to avoid a collision.
- Will (Dragonfly)

 

[uncledom]

The name of the boat is "nap time". LOL

 

[Will Gilmore]

LOL!
There are some other names that would be appropriate too. My wife thinks, 'Falling Down Drunk Time' or 'Margaritas Early Time'
- Will (Dragonfly)

 

[DayDreamer41]

How about, "Flying Computer" seems like Intel should be named at least first mate of a single handed vessel.

 

[jssailem]

In the after action investigation it was said the boat owner had gone below to relieve himself.

 

[Will Gilmore]

seems like Intel should be named at least first mate of a single handed vessel.

Intel? Or Google?

In the after action investigation it was said the boat owner had gone below to relieve himself

Wait!, wasn't he in a marked channel? There was shoreline in the background. Ferries run a regular known route. That guy went to pee while operating in a marked waterway? Where traffic was expected?
Did he lose his boat? Get a huge fine? Become born again because he didn't die or kill anyone?

Anyhow, back to the French dude, it looks like he broke his own record by a substantial margin, in the same boat. If he comes across a submerged container or something out there, he'd probably just skip right over it and never know it was there, or the concussion from slamming into the foreward bulkhead would kill him.

- Will (Dragonfly)

 

[DayDreamer41]

Intel for Francois Gabart, Google for man with a leak.......

 

[jssailem]

Did that guy think he had right-of-way

Since you ask... Here is a summary of rules and observations from educated mariners...

https://www.passagemaker.com/trawle...anding-right-of-way-to-avoid-certain-disaster
Conclusions:

So, what can we learn from this as recreational mariners? What is the take away here? When Robert and I debated this the other night we were both in agreeance that if we were the judge overseeing this future case, we’d want to assign 100% of blame to both parties. Of course, that is not how maritime courts work and we aren’t judges much less lawyers. But if you ask me how I think the blame here would fall, I’d put a hefty 60% of it on the owner of Nap Tyme with 40% being the fault of the Chetzamoka captain.

Blame for this incident should fall on both parties, with the obvious burden on the captain who left the helm with his boat in gear, running at a decent rate of speed, without anyone on watch.As boaters, we have a responsibility to the vessels we operate, our passengers, and everyone else on the water to maintain a watch and do the one thing the navigation rules require of us: don’t hit anyone.

That said, we’ve all taken our eyes off the water, even if momentarily, to hit the galley fridge for a snack or the head. And we’ve all pushed our right of way or our perceived right of way with another vessel. And those actions are risks that can be easily mitigated.

If you must leave the helm, put the boat in neutral, and get yourself out of traffic lanes. Certainly, don’t leave the helm when you are clipping along about to cross a ferry lane.

 

[marke14]

Wow, what a story about the trimaran but especially that video of the trawler auto-piloting in front of a ferry.

Not sure how, if the skipper of the smaller vessel had left the helm unattended, the authorities ascribed any blame to the commercial boat and her crew. I suppose they could have gone full-reverse on the throttles and also steered toward the trawler (or whatever that is considered) to try to duck behind it. Not sure how effective that would be by the time they realized that the collision was eminent. Those big ferries must carry an awful lot of momentum with a full load ... in my experience with WA state ferries, they begin to decelerate pretty far out from their intended berthing point.

EDIT- I read the info related to the collision avoidance rules and I see why the ferry captain was held partially responsible.

 

[Will Gilmore]

EDIT- I read the info related to the collision avoidance rules and I see why the ferry captain was held partially responsible.

Yes, not being restricted in maneuverability, the ferry should have been the stand off vessel. However, it had to have been very confusing for the captain. I would like to know if there were any damages to hold the them responsible for.
- Will (Dragonfly)

 

[Head Sail]

I cross that ferry lane many times. They ferry didn’t hit him. He hit the ferry which gave plenty of warning blasts for anyone paying attention to hear. 100% the fault of the pleasure boat.

 

[CloudDiver]

And here I am wishing I could have an affordable cruiser that will average 9 to 10 kts per hour...

 

[Gunni]

In the after action investigation it was said the boat owner had gone below to relieve himself.

And failed to provide an adequate watch...urgent haircut or not.

 

[uncledom]

jssailem, I'm gonna hafta go with Gunni, the first rule is keep a watch. 99.999% Nap Tyme's fault. If anyone brings up "vessel not under command" please keel haul them.