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Post by NigeL on Nov 23, 2007 8:23:10 GMT 1
That has to be one of the main items - plannede / designed to do the trip.
Many famous photos of Jester (think it was that one) with the aircraft Astrodome fitted so that he had not only possibility to do sextant work but also keep dry ....
Bunks ripped out and storage fitted in. Buoyancy "tanks" etc.
I remember an article on a bigger boat - a Centaur altered to cross the Atlantic. The guy had fashioned special ply covers for the windows / ports, he'd altered bulkheads, storage, bunks etc. to get water / stores etc. in. The alterations were considerable and really IMHO constituted a complete rethink of a Centaur !
Funny just read back ... "article on a bigger boat" .......
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Post by martinschulz on Nov 23, 2007 12:05:19 GMT 1
Oh yes - I do have a pocket-yacht story to tell (depends on if you consider my 24ft, deepkeeled yacht a pocket yacht)
A few years ago I tried to contact all those owners of those 13 Brixham built wooden 24ft Quay Punt Style yachts, of which mine was the prototype. Very early I found out that while my boat was always gaff-rigged while the other 12 had a Bermuda rigg.
Anyhow...I found an sale-advert for a boat that sounded like mine and contacted the owner. He said that I was right and his boat was one of those boats built at Brixham. He wanted to sell the boat, because of family-increase and he told me that he just came back from Greece where he had lived the last 10 years. He sailed all the way from the Med with his 24ft boat without engine to Ireland in 14 days (experienced some stronger wind in the Biscay and decided to stay further out in the atlantic ).
That left me thinking that while I hardly do any serious cruising, my boat is well enough constructed to sail around the world.
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Post by NigeL on Nov 23, 2007 12:15:53 GMT 1
It always amazes me the voyages that some people do. I am very nervous if I get reasonable distance of from shore .. maybe thats a good thing. My boat is 25ft and I would be reluctant to put Biscay on my route map.
Still - next year should see some more "daring" voyages from my boat and I ..... getting older and won't be long before the physical effort will be limiting me.
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Post by oldsalt on Nov 23, 2007 12:23:02 GMT 1
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Post by martinschulz on Nov 23, 2007 12:31:03 GMT 1
My boat is 25ft and I would be reluctant to put Biscay on my route map. Yes, I feel the same way, but on the other hand I have been in a lot of troubles in the Baltic. Some strong Southwest Winds hit me when coming out of Marstall, Denmark and I had a very uncomfortable ride back into the Flensburg Bay, including anchoring over night to let the storm pass. The most uncomfortable thing were the steep and short Baltic waves (1, 2, 3...slam). Fact is my boat was designed for the channel and the large waves of the Atlantic, not for those short, steep Baltic waves. So sailing around the Bay of Biscay may be a better idea then sailing inside the islands of the danish southsea in a 6-8Bft storm.
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Post by NigeL on Nov 23, 2007 12:59:11 GMT 1
I have to agree .....
Baltic and North Sea as well can be real serious places to be if weather turns bad. The shallow water and its tendency to whip up quick into short steep waves can be most frightening. I used to do Seismic work in North Sea on converted 1000 ton Trawlers and it was not funny when weather got up.
It is one aspect of crossing the Baltic from Latvia that takes my interest seriously - checking the wind and wave situation. It's as Martin knows and many here realise not only so much the strength of the wind, but near as important it's direction. East / West winds for me fetch up extremely short and sharp seas very quickly and can be murderous. North / South fetch slower and longer seas with more kindly feel to them.
My dislike of Biscay stems from the horrible atlantic rollers endured when I used to come up from Africa etc. on tankers. Often rolling enough to bring bilge rails near surface ! That is some roll ! I found it mind numbing and physically demanding hanging on all that time against such constant rolling.
On one ship - ST Zaphon, 69000 Ton tanker. Approx 850ft long. We were pushing north through Biscay, approx 15kts.
Day was nice with moderate seas and swell. I was up on bridge with the 3rd Mate, I was cadet then, when an almighty shudder went through the ship and a wall of water curved up and around the bow. It travelled literally the length of the deck and smashed into the accommodation front. It buckled the accommodation false front bulkhead, bent the water-tight door closings so no longer water-tight. On decks up from maindeck as the water flew upward - ripped of the beautiful teak cappings bolted to the steel bulwarks. All during this we had crew on midships maindeck painting under the deck pipelines. The water missed them, but were they shaken up ! For me - it was the best display of power from the oceans. No compromise, no warning. Just sheer brute force.
We later heard reports that a freak wave had crossed Biscay and that was what we had hit ... and we also learnt that it is not a rare occurrence.
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Post by martinschulz on Nov 23, 2007 14:13:12 GMT 1
It is one aspect of crossing the Baltic from Latvia that takes my interest seriously - checking the wind and wave situation. It's as Martin knows and many here realise not only so much the strength of the wind, but near as important it's direction. East / West winds for me fetch up extremely short and sharp seas very quickly and can be murderous. North / South fetch slower and longer seas with more kindly feel to them. But you should! Gotland is a place to see as is of course Bornholm. The problem with the polish coast is that the harbours are almost all designed on estuaries of small rivers. After a very narrow harbour entrance there is usually only a small basin and then a very narrow canal with large tractor-tires attached as fender. When the wind is blowing from north you will have very high, steep waves building up in front of those harbour entrances. We got the advise to keep the staysail up when going in and to...squeeze your cheeks together! Having sailed along the polish coast I guess it is a better idea to cross over to Sweden/Gotland, then Bornholm and from there to Copenhagen (if that is the goal).
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Post by NigeL on Nov 23, 2007 15:29:26 GMT 1
Martin ... check out the Baltic and Scandinavia listing - I did it in August ! Fantastic.
We went from Ventspils to Farosund. Stopped and rested before then onto Archipelago.
18 hrs each leg approximately. It hads to be one of the most wonderful cruises I have ever had. I will be repeating it as often as possible in the coming seasons !
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Post by NigeL on Nov 23, 2007 15:32:34 GMT 1
Found the Africa Article ... www.eventides.org.uk/news2-1.htmKindly found by John of the EOG. OK - I made small error and attributed Kenya .... when it should have been Dar Es Salam - Tanzania. Sorry. But well worth the read - kept me glued to screen last time I read it ..
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Post by martinschulz on Nov 23, 2007 15:35:01 GMT 1
I will be repeating it as often as possible in the coming seasons ! Well I was actually trying to lure you to Flensburg
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Post by NigeL on Nov 23, 2007 18:08:20 GMT 1
I will be repeating it as often as possible in the coming seasons ! Well I was actually trying to lure you to Flensburg Flensburg ... mmmmmmmmm just goggled Flensburg for location (purely to see how far !) and got this ............ In Germany, Flensburg is known for the nationwide database of traffic violators its beer Flensburger Pilsener, also called "Flens" the center of the Danish national minority in Germany the greeting Moin the large erotic mail-order companies Beate Uhse and Orion its handball team SG Flensburg-Handewitt Sounds like my sort of town !! Seriously that's what Wikipedia came up with ! The problem I think is time to do the trip and time there. I am limited on time away from my companies, which I hope will improve later next year. It would also be difficult to find crew who can take such length of time away - BUT it's on the list and I shall look at it seriously - it not 2008 then maybe 2009 !
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Post by martinschulz on Nov 23, 2007 18:27:27 GMT 1
Sounds like my sort of town !! Seriously that's what Wikipedia came up with! You should have scrolled a bit more: Museums * Museumsberg – Museum for artistic and cultural history. * Schifffahrtsmuseum – Museum for shipping and shipbuilding. * Rummuseum – History of the "Rum Town" of Flensburg. * Naturwissenschaftliches Museum – Animal and plant worlds of northern Schleswig-Holstein. * Museumshafen – Private initiative for maintaining old traditional working boats mainly from the Baltics (Segelschiffe). * Museumswerft – Shipbuilding (sail) of bygone centuries. The place also has a children's boatyard. * Fischereimuseum – Initiative of the fishery association, lies on the old Fischery harbour. * Phänomenta – For experiencing and understanding nature and technology. * Salondampfer "Alexandra" – Passenger Steamer built 1908. The "Alexandra" regularly makes small trips in the Flensburg Förde (Bay) * Klassische Yachten Flensburg – Classic Yacht Harbour. Private Initiative to present classic yachts typical for the Baltics.
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Post by NigeL on Nov 23, 2007 18:34:53 GMT 1
Forgive me Martin ... just my daft sense of humour.
I did read on down and it really sounds interesting. I particularly liked when you posted about the "Living Museum" and Classic Boat stuff you are involved with. I have great respect for people who can do that, I don't have the patience of knowledge.
I will be discussing with people who crew on my boat and let's see what we can come up with.
I'll also have to have a search through charts to see best way there ... trip lengths etc.
I admit that I am not one to leave my boat in foreign place to return home and then see it later ...
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Post by NigeL on Nov 23, 2007 19:21:12 GMT 1
I will be repeating it as often as possible in the coming seasons ! Well I was actually trying to lure you to Flensburg I'm going to continue specific to possible trip to Flensburg in the Baltic section of Club ...Martin please look down there ?
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Post by kilter on Nov 25, 2007 19:54:31 GMT 1
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Post by martinschulz on Nov 26, 2007 10:01:56 GMT 1
Expedition yacht? Who are they trying to fool? The only expeditions that are probably done on this boats are cruises down the knickers of present ladies. Meanwhile real expeditions are done with 1920 built ex Danish fishing boats.
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Post by mirelle on Nov 26, 2007 11:38:00 GMT 1
I have trouble with the concept: Luxury Expedition Yacht !
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Post by martinschulz on Nov 26, 2007 11:56:35 GMT 1
I have trouble with the concept: Luxury Expedition Yacht ! And this is what happens to "luxury expeditions":
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Post by NigeL on Nov 26, 2007 11:58:39 GMT 1
Martin trying to get sorted via PM ... ref. Flensburg ...
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Post by mirelle on Nov 26, 2007 13:34:42 GMT 1
In the days of her youth, that ship was called the Lindblad Explorer and she was half owned by, and managed by, the shipping company whom I then worked for. We sold out because she was losing money and their style was not ours.
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