Mountain Bike of the Oceans, Can it round Cape Horn

[jssailem]

Exlex Minor is the Mountain Bike of the Oceans. That is what Sven Yrvind, a 71 year old Swedish boat designer calls his new creation.
He shares a fascinating story of life, boat design and goal setting on his website. http://www.yrvind.com/
Following in the footsteps of his Father and Maternal Grandfather....

"I intend to test Exlex Minor rounding Cape Horn from latitude 50° south in the Atlantic Ocean to 50° south in the Pacific Ocean; east to west. This is original meaning of a Cape Horn rounding, like the ones my father and my maternal grandfather did in their youths."​

Give the site a read. It captures the imagination.

 

[kloudie1]

Very neat story.. Neat to see a guy focused on his dream and pressing on to accomplish it ..
More power to him and I support his efforts and goals!..
however.. coconuts round the horn as well.. but I'd not want to ride in one!

 

[jssailem]

Claude... Coconuts round the horn West to East.... That is the easy route. Nuts go East to West....
Reading his blog this is not the first experience. He rounded the horn in his boat Bris. Knocked down, Pitch polled, and survived... Now he's thinking let's do it in a boat the size of a bathtub.

 

[jssailem]

I found this an interesting snip-it when he was a young man and starting on his first attempt to round the horn. He had just finished the build of Bris. A boat built in the cellar of his mothers house, reminds me of Gibbs from NCIS.

"I planned to sail by way of Cape Horn against wind and waves into the pacific. Not many believed in me, one practical man less than the others. He was an entrepreneur interested in sailing. One day he had knocked on the cellar door shown interest in my project, he had come back few times and given me help and advises; a nice person. One day he suggested a deal. He would give me a thousand dollars. All I had to do was to go sailing. He would with my permission take out a life insurance of twenty thousand dollars on me in his name. I accepted eagerly. What could I lose? We went to a doctor and got a health certificate, then to the insurance company and singed papers. That was all."​

 

[kloudie1]

Funny..
He'd be a good guy to sit with and have a beer or two and listen to his experiences.. I applaud his discipline and focus..

 

[jssailem]

He appears to be a guy who would enjoy sharing a beer. I suspect he would share his ideas.

 

[rbyham]

A very different region of the world but the boat kind of reminds me of that MingMing II I see from time to time on YT. Cant recall the sailer's name but gets into some very high latitudes with minimal equipment.

 

[Ken Cross]

Interesting site. Thanks for sharing.
Ken

 

[unhinged schoolboy]

Mountain bike...or...Rosinante.