sailing heros ??

[Auspicious]

had never witnessed such a smooth and effortless display of boathandling...as if you or I were simply backing out of a parking space with our cars.

Nice. That's worth practicing boathandling for ...

[gltea]

My hero is BERYL SMEETEN.  She was born in 1905 and died in 1979, I think.  Everything I say is from memory, so take it with a grain of salt.  In her early 20's, she walked and rode horseback through China and Burma alone.  She explored southern Patagonia by horseback alone.  She was the first women to climb to 7,000 meters.  At the age of 52, she and her famous husband, Miles Smeeten, bought a boat in England and took off with little or no experience with the idea they just needed to get their funds out of the country legally and into BC, Canada.
They spent the next 20 years afloat and accumulating  over 100,000 miles of off shore voyaging.  They pitch poled and dismasted while rounding the horn.  She had serious injuries but managed to secure the boat and limp into Chile.  In her senior years, they bought a farm in the Rocky Mountains of Calgary and made a 160-acre game sanctuary. 

     She inspired me to trailer The Edge from Vancouver to Jacksonville and sail her to the Bahamas alone just 5 years ago.

     The best book I read about them was "High Endeavours" by Miles Clark.  He brings out their personalites. 

     "As for Beryl, Miles wrote 'Her love for adventure smolders within her like an eternal flame.'"

   

[Tim]

My hero is BERYL SMEETEN. 
   

Thank you for the name Sarah, I am going to pass it on to my first mate's daughter, who for her senior thesis spent 3 months traveling around gaucho country by herself with just two horses and a dog. Last summer along with two friends she kayaked along the west Greenland coast climbing glaciers. At only 22 she is well on here way to a lifetime of adventuring. :)

Tim

[Frank]

Again, as with you..by memory.The story goes that when they pitch poled in the roaring 40's, the cabin roof came off. Beryl kept her composure and went about useing screws and not allowing a fast repair with nails ;-). I bought Judy that book about her for Xmas a few years back. She was quite the gal.

[Frank]

All here seem to love small craft.Most sail them,many cruise them...so we understand the restrictions of storage,tankage and stowing anthing while at the same time living abourd for a week or more at a time.Don't know why I haven't thought of it..but for a true small boat hero...what about Dave and Jaja Martin who not only 'sailed around'..but did most of it on a cal 25 (low head room) AND HAD 3 KIDS ON THE WAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Spend 2 weeks on a small boat and it will put this in perspective. WOW!!!

[gltea]

Hi Frank,

    I know she was pretty badly injured at the time.  It seems to me that her head had a huge gash in it and she had broken ribs.  I have to get that book again. 

[CharlieJ]

If you'll listen to the Furled Sails pod cast interview with John Guzzwell, he tells of the pitchpole. He was aboard with Miles and Beryl at the time. He has lots good to say about them both.

Beryl was thrown overboard and swam back to the boat, with the gashed head and a broken shoulder, if I recall correctly..

Actually they tried again later and pitchpoled AGAIN. Their third try was successful. Miles wrote a book about it titled "Once is Enough" 

Frank- actually Dave and Jaja had TWO kids aboard "Direction" their Cal 25. I read where Dave said the birth control system was the ONLY one that failed during the trip. When they found out she was pregnant with the third, they sold Direction and got the 33 foot steel boat they have now- Driver.

[Captain Smollett]

Spend 2 weeks on a small boat and it will put this in perspective. WOW!!!

Well, we haven't done two weeks yet, but 9 days with the four of us on the Alberg (the children were 2 and 5).  Not cooped up like an offshore run, however.

It's a different sort of adventure even just say sailing with small children.  Some of the stresses are magnified, but then so are the joys.  The first time I let my daughter steer the boat all by herself was just one those times you really cannot describe.  And seeing my son ride out 50 degree rolls from a passing container ship wake in the Charleston channel just off Ft. Sumter without batting an eye...well, you sure don't get that watching them play video games.

My hat's off to the Martins.  They are among my inspirations, and part of the reason why I want to take my children cruising while they are young.

[Shipscarver]

My hero  - Sir Francis Chichester
Of course, beating his last record is a great dream! ::)

[gltea]

CharlieJ,

     Back to Beryl...When they pitch poled, she was on the tiller.  I believe the other two were below.  When they came out, she was gone.  That is what I remember.  I think she was 50' from the boat when she swam back.  How she handled the boat recovery to Chile really impressed me...when the adrenaline rush wears off and you are faced with days of trying to survive.  Wiping the blood off her face and everywhere was the last thought on her mind.

     When she finally settled down she devoted her life to saving animals.

[AdriftAtSea]

BTW, Sarah, it is Beryl Smeeton IIRC. :) Haven't read a book by them in a long, long time though.

[macdiver]

While I would not classify him as a hero, a small boat sailor that I admire is Glenn Tiemann.  He spent 10 years cruising on a Wharram Pahi 26 in the pacific.  This boat had no engine, no fixed interior i.e. used a camping stove and bucket.  He lived on an average of 1 to 3 dollars a day.

Currently, he is cruising down the coast of Mexico getting ready to head offshore on his Wharram "Child of the Sea" catamaran.  This boat again has no fixed interior or standing headroom.  While the Length overall is around 36 ft it has at least 10 feet of overhangs for the "sea axes" on each end.  This catamaran uses the traditional Polynesian Crab Claw sails and is based on a canoe hull from Polynesia in a museum somewhere.  As with the previous boat, he is sailing without an engine.

One caution from him I that read somewhere about sailing without an engine is do not try sailing without an engine if you have to be at work on Monday morning.  Not having an engine requires time and patience as well as skill.

If anyone is interested there are some articles about Glenn and his boat on the Wharram website under the latest news section.  I would post a like if I was internet savvy.

[psyche]

Sara,
I agree both Beryl and Miles are two very notable sailors and individuals but I think John Guzzwell is also a notable sailor, boat designer and his Trekka Around the World is a well written account of sailing a small boat around the world. He also has a brief account of the pitch poling of the Smeeten's boat and their recovery in his book. Dan

[Pappy Jack]

I've been thinking ::) about this for awhile and I've come to the conclusion that my HERO is the guy or gal who is just out there doing it :D. Simple ideas from simple minds :-*.

Fair winds,

Pappy Jack

[nick]

I don't really like the term 'hero', but two people I respect are Bill Tilman, for is combination of mountaineering and sailing, and for being seemingly as hard as nails. Mucho respect also for the then 19 year old Jarle Andhøy, for being insane enough to take an Albin Vega around Cape Horn and onto Antarctica with two crew who didn't know how to sail. And then, for hitting something and saving himself in the dinghy on route to Africa.

n.

[mudnut]

Jessy Martin,the youngest to circumnavigate,Not because he is an Aussie,because the film footage showed how scared you can really be out there.And lets not forget Kay cotty.Maybe it was the film of both these fine sailors that brought the "Loneliness"home stong.Mudnut.

[nick]

Jessy Martin,the youngest to circumnavigate,Not because he is an Aussie,because the film footage showed how scared you can really be out there.And lets not forget Kay cotty.Maybe it was the film of both these fine sailors that brought the "Loneliness"home stong.Mudnut.

Jesse's first book was a good read too. I didn't read his second, but maybe one day I'll find it somewhere. Have you seen the truth behind Jesse's circumnavigation?

http://youtube.com/watch?v=pjntiSOo7ks

;)

[mudnut]

Jessy Martin,the youngest to circumnavigate,Not because he is an Aussie,because the film footage showed how scared you can really be out there.And lets not forget Kay cotty.Maybe it was the film of both these fine sailors that brought the "Loneliness"home stong.Mudnut.

Jesse's first book was a good read too. I didn't read his second, but maybe one day I'll find it somewhere. Have you seen the truth behind Jesse's circumnavigation?

http://youtube.com/watch?v=pjntiSOo7ks

;)

C'mon,don't tell me he didn't really do it!!!!
                                                                                                                            The truth,don't know what ya asking really.I know he lost a lot of film from the knock downs,he had an imaginary friend aboard(so did Kay Cotty)well at least they thought they did.Jessy runs a charter bis NE of OZ somewhere.All I really know is what I saw in the film he took inside the boat"Lion Heart".Now I haven't watched any other self documented films from anyone else,not intentionaly anyway,but he sure looked scared and disorintated to me,Kays on the other hand sent home the reality of loneliness.Help me out,tell me.Mudnut.

[mudnut]

Wow,I had to set my puter up to hear that.So have you got full coverage of all that and "NOT" something out of context.Seems a load of "Utube to me"
                                                                                                                     
     The bit I remember seeing was deffinately Jessy stating he wasen't "ALONE on the boat"had to do with his "IMAGINARY friend"brought about by deprevation.Truth,I would like to see some in regards to that.Mudnut.I have seen a lot of poop on utube to beleive that on face value.Sorry,Mudnut.

[nick]

Haha, Mudnut, it's a joke!!

Did 'mangina' not turn your humour meter up to ten? ;)

Of course he did the trip - It's a comedy skit.

nick