Is anyone following this circumnavigation? I would love to see some discussion of what Ken Barnes is going through now (e.g. his concern about chafing, wear and tear on the gear and the boat holding up in the last blog) and what he faces at the cape.
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kensolo.com - it's all there ?????
I checked his website and the answers and information you are seeking appear to be in the news section of his site. What more do you want? Given that he is at sea and a million miles from nowhere he seems to be doing a grand job of telling the world about his boat and the trip. I have followed many friends on their offshore voyages and Ken's site is way more informative than most. I wish him well, the trip may get rougher before it get's better.
I checked his website and the answers and information you are seeking appear to be in the news section of his site. What more do you want? Given that he is at sea and a million miles from nowhere he seems to be doing a grand job of telling the world about his boat and the trip. I have followed many friends on their offshore voyages and Ken's site is way more informative than most. I wish him well, the trip may get rougher before it get's better.
I have never understood why someone
would want to sail around the world non-stop. You end up spending 250 days at sea and see nothing but water for the entire trip. And if you make this effort solo you have no one to share this adventure with until you return to solid ground. I suppose that people are too important to me to sail completely around and not meet any of the people in the lands where they live. It just seems like a waste of good opportunities having spent so much time and money and having memories only of flying fish and porpoises, and bad weather.
would want to sail around the world non-stop. You end up spending 250 days at sea and see nothing but water for the entire trip. And if you make this effort solo you have no one to share this adventure with until you return to solid ground. I suppose that people are too important to me to sail completely around and not meet any of the people in the lands where they live. It just seems like a waste of good opportunities having spent so much time and money and having memories only of flying fish and porpoises, and bad weather.
Ross....
the fact that you don't understand it doesn't mean squat to most people. It's not your adventure, it's his. No doubt most of us would choose the adventure of cruising round the globe at a leisurly pace rather than a challenging non-stop solo circumnavigation, but ken is obvioulsly being called by a different power. Give the man some credit, at least he's out there living his dream. None of us has any right to criticize that.
the fact that you don't understand it doesn't mean squat to most people. It's not your adventure, it's his. No doubt most of us would choose the adventure of cruising round the globe at a leisurly pace rather than a challenging non-stop solo circumnavigation, but ken is obvioulsly being called by a different power. Give the man some credit, at least he's out there living his dream. None of us has any right to criticize that.
I can dig it
There are all kinds of reaons why people sail long distances solo. "The Long Way" by Bernard Moitessier provides one perspective. For others it's about setting a goal and seeing if you really have what it takes to achieve it. Some people run marathons, climb Mt. Everest, or free-dive hundreds of feet into the ocean for the same reason. Peter H23 "Raven"
There are all kinds of reaons why people sail long distances solo. "The Long Way" by Bernard Moitessier provides one perspective. For others it's about setting a goal and seeing if you really have what it takes to achieve it. Some people run marathons, climb Mt. Everest, or free-dive hundreds of feet into the ocean for the same reason. Peter H23 "Raven"
we wish him well
I spent the last half hour reading about Ken's adventure. He makes it exciting reading for all. Not all people want to climb Everest or drive a race car. We all have different dreams. Ken is living his. Go for it Ken & good luck. Ken.
I spent the last half hour reading about Ken's adventure. He makes it exciting reading for all. Not all people want to climb Everest or drive a race car. We all have different dreams. Ken is living his. Go for it Ken & good luck. Ken.
Horn Conditions
December - January conditions at 45S around the Horn and back to 45S are not too bad. 17 knots average in December, and about 19 knots average in January. Average wave height under 10 feet and less than 10% chance of gales. He would have probably been better off going South on 125W rather than 120W, the pilot charts show the light air that he has experienced. 120W is better than 115W by about 5 days, 125W is about another 5 days faster. I thought his choice of navigation software was interesting. One of the concerns crossing an ocean on a sailboat is weather. AFAIK theCAPN software is not able to do weather routing. He has radio communications and is receiving weather fax's but his software cannot use the information to plan the fastest route for him. With so much invested in electronics, I wonder what prompted his choice? While I admire people that have dreams and follow up on them, I question the voyage. A very good case can be made that solo ocean crossings are unsafe and not legal under COLREGS. His plan to average 150M a day says he plans to sleep while sailing. He cannot keep a proper lookout while sleeping. He is at or near the limits of SAR attempts, should there be a problem. His choice to follow his dream has the potential to put other lives at risk. Playing the devils advocate here, should SAR attempts be made for solo sailors? The organized solo racers are addressing this problem by keeping close tabs on the boats and advising the other racers of events. There have been several cases where a solo sailor has needed rescue and another racer was closest and best able to provide assistance. A dreamer in the Southern Ocean on a non-stop around the world lark has none of the support of a solo racer and exposes SAR teams to greater risk. How admirable is that? Who is going to foot the bill when his chafed gear fails? Why is he sailing a boat that slats in 6knots of breeze? Why is he sailing angles that allow the boat to slat instead of heading up and making some apparent wind? The boat would be faster, chafe less, and he wouldn't have to wear his ear muffs. I hope he doesn't have his ear muffs on when the freighter runs him down because he couldn't hear it coming. From his log entries, he sounds like a passenger on the boat. Sitting and reading with ear muffs on while the gear chafes itself to pieces? Why not actively sail the boat and get some speed on to quiet things down? Sorry, this guy looks like a yahoo to me. You asked what people think, there you go.
December - January conditions at 45S around the Horn and back to 45S are not too bad. 17 knots average in December, and about 19 knots average in January. Average wave height under 10 feet and less than 10% chance of gales. He would have probably been better off going South on 125W rather than 120W, the pilot charts show the light air that he has experienced. 120W is better than 115W by about 5 days, 125W is about another 5 days faster. I thought his choice of navigation software was interesting. One of the concerns crossing an ocean on a sailboat is weather. AFAIK theCAPN software is not able to do weather routing. He has radio communications and is receiving weather fax's but his software cannot use the information to plan the fastest route for him. With so much invested in electronics, I wonder what prompted his choice? While I admire people that have dreams and follow up on them, I question the voyage. A very good case can be made that solo ocean crossings are unsafe and not legal under COLREGS. His plan to average 150M a day says he plans to sleep while sailing. He cannot keep a proper lookout while sleeping. He is at or near the limits of SAR attempts, should there be a problem. His choice to follow his dream has the potential to put other lives at risk. Playing the devils advocate here, should SAR attempts be made for solo sailors? The organized solo racers are addressing this problem by keeping close tabs on the boats and advising the other racers of events. There have been several cases where a solo sailor has needed rescue and another racer was closest and best able to provide assistance. A dreamer in the Southern Ocean on a non-stop around the world lark has none of the support of a solo racer and exposes SAR teams to greater risk. How admirable is that? Who is going to foot the bill when his chafed gear fails? Why is he sailing a boat that slats in 6knots of breeze? Why is he sailing angles that allow the boat to slat instead of heading up and making some apparent wind? The boat would be faster, chafe less, and he wouldn't have to wear his ear muffs. I hope he doesn't have his ear muffs on when the freighter runs him down because he couldn't hear it coming. From his log entries, he sounds like a passenger on the boat. Sitting and reading with ear muffs on while the gear chafes itself to pieces? Why not actively sail the boat and get some speed on to quiet things down? Sorry, this guy looks like a yahoo to me. You asked what people think, there you go.
I have just finished reading everything Ken
has written to date. I must agree with Moody. Ken seems to have made excellent material preparations but seems disappointed in the light air performance of his boat. If he had conducted extensive sea trials, before starting this trip, this would not be coming as a surprise to him. The most experienced sailors that I have read, Lyn and Larry Pardey, Quoted from their sailing logs that for more than 90 per cent of their sailing the winds have been less than 12 knots. Their daily routine involves keeping the boat in every aspect seaworthy. Always tidy, squeaks are located and corrected, chafe is not allowed. There is always someone on watch.
has written to date. I must agree with Moody. Ken seems to have made excellent material preparations but seems disappointed in the light air performance of his boat. If he had conducted extensive sea trials, before starting this trip, this would not be coming as a surprise to him. The most experienced sailors that I have read, Lyn and Larry Pardey, Quoted from their sailing logs that for more than 90 per cent of their sailing the winds have been less than 12 knots. Their daily routine involves keeping the boat in every aspect seaworthy. Always tidy, squeaks are located and corrected, chafe is not allowed. There is always someone on watch.
kensolo.com
Do you find it odd that in his log entry for November 4 he defines a knot as "seven tenths of a statute mile per hour?" That seems a little weird to me, and makes me wonder how accurate his readings in knots really are. If there is anyone who does now know, a knot is one nautical mile per hour, which is 1.15 statute miles per hour.
Do you find it odd that in his log entry for November 4 he defines a knot as "seven tenths of a statute mile per hour?" That seems a little weird to me, and makes me wonder how accurate his readings in knots really are. If there is anyone who does now know, a knot is one nautical mile per hour, which is 1.15 statute miles per hour.
Soloing
To be honest, I'm sick of this arguement. The only boat that is at risk for a soloing boat to run into is a boat without somebody at the helm for a long time too. So, if you are going to take the risk of leaving the helm for more then 30 minutes, you are taking the same risk as a solo sailor and shouldn't bitch about it. As for him needing help in the event of equipment failure, that he needs help SHOULDN'T be determined by how many people are on board. Single handling a boat needs a captain who has a backup plan for everything. One has to have a plan for getting up the mast, for fixing a leak, for replacing running rigging and so on. A single handler shouldn't be like the guy to was at sea for months before he was found because he couldn't go aloft. As for going around the world non-stop...it can be done a lot less then 250 days. There was a woman who did it in 70 something days. Granted she had a multi million dollar multi-hull but it does show that it can be done. Also, just doing it is not only a challenge, but also an education and a major test. If he completes this, he will be in a league of only a few and none of us will ever be able to touch him...not even me if I complete my 5 year trip of the world. Being in that league will bring him all kinds of riches and fame. I wish him luck.
To be honest, I'm sick of this arguement. The only boat that is at risk for a soloing boat to run into is a boat without somebody at the helm for a long time too. So, if you are going to take the risk of leaving the helm for more then 30 minutes, you are taking the same risk as a solo sailor and shouldn't bitch about it. As for him needing help in the event of equipment failure, that he needs help SHOULDN'T be determined by how many people are on board. Single handling a boat needs a captain who has a backup plan for everything. One has to have a plan for getting up the mast, for fixing a leak, for replacing running rigging and so on. A single handler shouldn't be like the guy to was at sea for months before he was found because he couldn't go aloft. As for going around the world non-stop...it can be done a lot less then 250 days. There was a woman who did it in 70 something days. Granted she had a multi million dollar multi-hull but it does show that it can be done. Also, just doing it is not only a challenge, but also an education and a major test. If he completes this, he will be in a league of only a few and none of us will ever be able to touch him...not even me if I complete my 5 year trip of the world. Being in that league will bring him all kinds of riches and fame. I wish him luck.
Riches and Fame?
Riches and fame? I doubt it. There is nothing remarkable about this trip. He's just another guy sailing around the world. This voyage is no different than countless others. He is not the first, is not the oldest or the yougest, he won't be the fastest, and I doubt that he will be the slowest. The boat as nothing special, not the largest or smallest, not unique in any way. Like many "safe" cruisers, his boat sails poorly in light air, yet it is well known that the average wind speed on the ocean is 10-12 knots. Just how is this voyage going to make the sailor rich and famous? Even if he looses the boat, is adrift for weaks and learns to like sushi, that book has been written too. I'm not arguing against solo sailing. I'm only pointing out that it puts the boat and skipper at greater risk. I think that people should be allowed to make such voyages, I enjoy sailing solo too. I also think that they should be liable for any SAR attempt undertaken on their behalf. ----- The Rules of the Road International Regulations for Avoiding Collisions at Sea Part A - General Rule 1 Application (a) These Rules shall apply to all vessels upon the high seas and in all waters connected therewith navigable by seagoing vessels. --- Part B - Steering and Sailing Rules Section I - Conduct of Vessels in any Condition of Visibility Rule 4 Application Rules in this section apply to any condition of visibility. Rule 5 Look-out Every vessel shall at all times maintain a proper look-out by sight as well as by hearing as well as by all available means appropriate in the prevailing circumstances and conditions so as to make a full appraisal of the situation and of the risk of collision. --- Sorry, but sleeping while underway and wearing ear muffs are blatant violations of COLREGS. The fact is that if you have 5 miles of visibility and a ship is making 20 knots, it will travel from over the horizon to you in 15 minutes. Say you are in 6 foot seas, and take a 360 deg scan of the horizon every 2 minutes. You can't see 5 miles half of the time because you are in a wave trough, it would be very easy to not see a ship until it was only 5-10 minutes away. If you are sitting reading a book with your ear muffs on, you are not aware of what is going on around you. If you are asleep, you are unconscious. Again, I'm not arguing against single-handed voyages. I think everyone should be able to choose to do any darn fool thing they want. I don't think that they should expect much assistance when the choice they made puts them in peril. Glorifying unseamanlike actions does nothing to enhance the image of sailing. He may be your hero Franklin, he's not mine.
Riches and fame? I doubt it. There is nothing remarkable about this trip. He's just another guy sailing around the world. This voyage is no different than countless others. He is not the first, is not the oldest or the yougest, he won't be the fastest, and I doubt that he will be the slowest. The boat as nothing special, not the largest or smallest, not unique in any way. Like many "safe" cruisers, his boat sails poorly in light air, yet it is well known that the average wind speed on the ocean is 10-12 knots. Just how is this voyage going to make the sailor rich and famous? Even if he looses the boat, is adrift for weaks and learns to like sushi, that book has been written too. I'm not arguing against solo sailing. I'm only pointing out that it puts the boat and skipper at greater risk. I think that people should be allowed to make such voyages, I enjoy sailing solo too. I also think that they should be liable for any SAR attempt undertaken on their behalf. ----- The Rules of the Road International Regulations for Avoiding Collisions at Sea Part A - General Rule 1 Application (a) These Rules shall apply to all vessels upon the high seas and in all waters connected therewith navigable by seagoing vessels. --- Part B - Steering and Sailing Rules Section I - Conduct of Vessels in any Condition of Visibility Rule 4 Application Rules in this section apply to any condition of visibility. Rule 5 Look-out Every vessel shall at all times maintain a proper look-out by sight as well as by hearing as well as by all available means appropriate in the prevailing circumstances and conditions so as to make a full appraisal of the situation and of the risk of collision. --- Sorry, but sleeping while underway and wearing ear muffs are blatant violations of COLREGS. The fact is that if you have 5 miles of visibility and a ship is making 20 knots, it will travel from over the horizon to you in 15 minutes. Say you are in 6 foot seas, and take a 360 deg scan of the horizon every 2 minutes. You can't see 5 miles half of the time because you are in a wave trough, it would be very easy to not see a ship until it was only 5-10 minutes away. If you are sitting reading a book with your ear muffs on, you are not aware of what is going on around you. If you are asleep, you are unconscious. Again, I'm not arguing against single-handed voyages. I think everyone should be able to choose to do any darn fool thing they want. I don't think that they should expect much assistance when the choice they made puts them in peril. Glorifying unseamanlike actions does nothing to enhance the image of sailing. He may be your hero Franklin, he's not mine.
I have read many accounts one sailing around
the world and learn something new from each. I applaud anyone that has the time, resources physical, financial and psychological to make the effort. There are at this time three families in the Mount Hood area that are very concerned about the fate of three men that challenged the mountain in December. Thousands of dollars are being spent to find and rescue or recover these men. When I was on a cruise ship heading towards Grand Bahama there was a power cruiser of perhaps forty feet off our port beam and on a converging course with a constant bearing. For the next half hour we watched this vessel continue course and speed until he closed to less than a 1000 feet,( we could see his boot stripe) when he abruptly reduced speed and turned right and passed under our stern. The ship I was on didn't sound his whistle so I don't know what alerted the skipper of the private vessel. My opinion is that his boat was on autopilot and the ships bridge hailed him by radio if they were even aware of his presence. If the cruiser had collided with the ship we may have had an interesting voyage and much more riveting stories to tell. Franklin is getting tired of this discussion but there is much to be learned from every ocean voyage. Ken anticipated a trip of about 8 months. He has made no reference to food provisioning. But you need about one pound of dry food per day the maintain good nutrition. He has stated that he doesn't cook. So I presume that dry foods are not on his menu. That rules out flour, rice, pasta, oatmeal, instant mashed potatoes. He does mention in his credits for help, 2 medical professionals. So perhaps he has stocked with vitamins in tablet form. The reason it was such a long time before the Pacific Ocean was explored was scurvy. Many ships that left Manila arrived in Mexico with 2/3 of the crew dead from scurvy. The Atlantic is narrow enough that it can be crossed before scurvy take its toll. As soon as the crew is back on fresh green food they get enough vitamin "C" and scurvy ceases to be a concern. I want to see this voyage and this discussion continue. No matter how it turns out there is much to be learned here.
the world and learn something new from each. I applaud anyone that has the time, resources physical, financial and psychological to make the effort. There are at this time three families in the Mount Hood area that are very concerned about the fate of three men that challenged the mountain in December. Thousands of dollars are being spent to find and rescue or recover these men. When I was on a cruise ship heading towards Grand Bahama there was a power cruiser of perhaps forty feet off our port beam and on a converging course with a constant bearing. For the next half hour we watched this vessel continue course and speed until he closed to less than a 1000 feet,( we could see his boot stripe) when he abruptly reduced speed and turned right and passed under our stern. The ship I was on didn't sound his whistle so I don't know what alerted the skipper of the private vessel. My opinion is that his boat was on autopilot and the ships bridge hailed him by radio if they were even aware of his presence. If the cruiser had collided with the ship we may have had an interesting voyage and much more riveting stories to tell. Franklin is getting tired of this discussion but there is much to be learned from every ocean voyage. Ken anticipated a trip of about 8 months. He has made no reference to food provisioning. But you need about one pound of dry food per day the maintain good nutrition. He has stated that he doesn't cook. So I presume that dry foods are not on his menu. That rules out flour, rice, pasta, oatmeal, instant mashed potatoes. He does mention in his credits for help, 2 medical professionals. So perhaps he has stocked with vitamins in tablet form. The reason it was such a long time before the Pacific Ocean was explored was scurvy. Many ships that left Manila arrived in Mexico with 2/3 of the crew dead from scurvy. The Atlantic is narrow enough that it can be crossed before scurvy take its toll. As soon as the crew is back on fresh green food they get enough vitamin "C" and scurvy ceases to be a concern. I want to see this voyage and this discussion continue. No matter how it turns out there is much to be learned here.
When Ken runs out of money....
well, lets say if he runs out of money and starts begging for help...how many of you are going to contribute. Frankly, I agree with the guy who said this is nothing special just another person going around the world. Three months from now few of you are going to be reading the daily boring ordeals of this guy.
well, lets say if he runs out of money and starts begging for help...how many of you are going to contribute. Frankly, I agree with the guy who said this is nothing special just another person going around the world. Three months from now few of you are going to be reading the daily boring ordeals of this guy.
Chuck asks about the boat.
Is it well found for this venture? Well enough, although somewhat undercanvased for the light air that he has encountered. Someone else asked if he runs out of money, how many of us will contribute? Where can he spend money on a non-stop circumnavigation?
Is it well found for this venture? Well enough, although somewhat undercanvased for the light air that he has encountered. Someone else asked if he runs out of money, how many of us will contribute? Where can he spend money on a non-stop circumnavigation?
Cape Horn
I came across some interesting quotations when trying to look up Cape Horn: ...in no part of the world could a rougher sea be found than at this particular point, namely, off Cape Pillar, the grim sentinel of the horn. -JOSHUA SLOCUM from Sailing Alone Around The World, 1900 I will not say that I expected all fine sailing on the course for Cape Horn direct, but while I worked at the sails and rigging I thought only of onward and forward. It was when I anchored in the lonely places that a feeling of awe crept over me. -JOSHUA SLOCUM from Sailing Alone Around The World, 1900 A hell of a Christmas Day, boys, A hell of a Christmas Day, boys, For we are bound for the bloody Horn Ten Thousand miles away. -Sailor's song
I came across some interesting quotations when trying to look up Cape Horn: ...in no part of the world could a rougher sea be found than at this particular point, namely, off Cape Pillar, the grim sentinel of the horn. -JOSHUA SLOCUM from Sailing Alone Around The World, 1900 I will not say that I expected all fine sailing on the course for Cape Horn direct, but while I worked at the sails and rigging I thought only of onward and forward. It was when I anchored in the lonely places that a feeling of awe crept over me. -JOSHUA SLOCUM from Sailing Alone Around The World, 1900 A hell of a Christmas Day, boys, A hell of a Christmas Day, boys, For we are bound for the bloody Horn Ten Thousand miles away. -Sailor's song
As far as the sleep issue
What do the solo ocean racers do? It would seem odd that a sanctioning body would tie their name to an illegal activity. So what's up?
What do the solo ocean racers do? It would seem odd that a sanctioning body would tie their name to an illegal activity. So what's up?
Moody
He's not my hero....you are Just kidding...I don't have heros. If it's a sailboat, I can see him at least 5 miles away in 6 foot seas during the day and mostlikely it's not doing 20 knots. If it's a ship, I'm pretty sure I will be able to see him 5 miles away too...but...a ship doesn't fit into this arguement because I was talking about endangering others. A ship would roll right over me and not even feel it so I wouldn't be endangering others...just me and that's the risk that all single handlers take. I'm not against hearing that it's dangerous to the single handler and if you want to argue that a single handler needs to pay for his rescue then you might as well add everybody else to that list because there isn't any difference. What I am sick of is the stupid arguement that single handlers are a danger to others on the high seas.
He's not my hero....you are
Just kidding...I don't have heros. If it's a sailboat, I can see him at least 5 miles away in 6 foot seas during the day and mostlikely it's not doing 20 knots. If it's a ship, I'm pretty sure I will be able to see him 5 miles away too...but...a ship doesn't fit into this arguement because I was talking about endangering others. A ship would roll right over me and not even feel it so I wouldn't be endangering others...just me and that's the risk that all single handlers take. I'm not against hearing that it's dangerous to the single handler and if you want to argue that a single handler needs to pay for his rescue then you might as well add everybody else to that list because there isn't any difference. What I am sick of is the stupid arguement that single handlers are a danger to others on the high seas.
The accident investigation would determine that
the missing sailor failed to keep an adequate look out and was at fault. No charges will be prefered against the captain and crew of the container ship that ran that little boat down. Chances are that the only knowledge that the sailor had gone missing would be the failure to report on schedule. I think that only the US Navy considers thirty foot sail boats a threat to their ships. A couple of tugboat skippers that I know aviod running down sailboats mostly to avoid the paper work involved.
the missing sailor failed to keep an adequate look out and was at fault. No charges will be prefered against the captain and crew of the container ship that ran that little boat down. Chances are that the only knowledge that the sailor had gone missing would be the failure to report on schedule. I think that only the US Navy considers thirty foot sail boats a threat to their ships. A couple of tugboat skippers that I know aviod running down sailboats mostly to avoid the paper work involved.
Thanking Radar
Ok, so here's to the ship captains and helmsmen that change course to avoid the sleeping sailor. Probably cussing but not killing the tired soul. I'm not alone in this, I fantasize about sailing the world, but without stopping? No way. I can't wait to move aboard and travel. The POINT is to suck up all the life I can before I kick. 6-8 months lost in 1 solitary adventure has to be something he REALLY wanted to do. He's no spring chicken and has to be aware of his numbered days. That may be the motivator in his case. Anyway, I hope he accomplishes everything he wants to. Singing his own song.
Ok, so here's to the ship captains and helmsmen that change course to avoid the sleeping sailor. Probably cussing but not killing the tired soul. I'm not alone in this, I fantasize about sailing the world, but without stopping? No way. I can't wait to move aboard and travel. The POINT is to suck up all the life I can before I kick. 6-8 months lost in 1 solitary adventure has to be something he REALLY wanted to do. He's no spring chicken and has to be aware of his numbered days. That may be the motivator in his case. Anyway, I hope he accomplishes everything he wants to. Singing his own song.
Doug, "He's No spring chicken " at forty-seven?
I passed that mark 21 years ago and while I would not attempt a solo voyage around today. I wouldn't have considered it twenty years ago. But give me a strong companion and the time and money and I would leave this summer.
I passed that mark 21 years ago and while I would not attempt a solo voyage around today. I wouldn't have considered it twenty years ago. But give me a strong companion and the time and money and I would leave this summer.
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