Does size matter?

[AdriftAtSea]

In Issue #49 of Small Craft Advisor, Sven Yrvind writes:

At sea it's different...If a small boat sailor leaves the coast he is deemed mad.  If he successfully returns to land after having crossed an ocean, he is hailed as a hero.  But what he has done is not madness or heroism, because oceans are regions of wilderness, stunningly beautiful in their ever-changing magnificence.  To roam them in a small, safe, environmentally friendly boat, propelled by wind and muscle-power is healthy and mentally enriching.

I must stress the importance of safety because the sea is ruthless in its fury.  The small boat, far out to sea, has no place to hide.  Alone, without help, it must be able to survive storms of the worst kind.

Some things are inherently dangerous.  Fires, electricity, and cars can hurt you, but we have not done away with them.  We've made them safer and developed better ways to handle them.  Oceangoing production boats are big not because bigness makes them safe, but because there is more money in big than in small boats, and much money spent gives the owners status.

He is building a custom 16' gaff rigged cat-schooner.  He is planning on sailing her from Bodo, Norway, north of the Artic Circle, non-stop via Cape Horn to Valdivia, Chile.  His article has some excellent ideas with regards to stowage, boat design and ventilation that I think many on this site might like.  His website is one that most of you might find interesting.

[CharlieJ]

Kewl!!

And amazingly enough, I've BEEN to Bodo , Norway.

Flew in from Iceland to deliver a new engine to one of the "barrier" early warning planes that had been forced down there.

I have a model viking ship sitting in my china cabinet I got from that trip. Scratched in the bottom is "Bodo, Norway  3-4 Apr, 1963". Happens to been two months after Laura was born  ;D

Bodo is above the Arctic Circle by the way.

[CapnK]

Very interesting. I wish more of the site was in English. :) Interesting concepts, I like how he thinks (because it is so similar to my own, of course... ;) )

[sailorflo]

Capt k is right, I started sailing in lake mich,on a 25ft cal, my ex fixed the keel to make sure the boat never sailed again :-[ After that scary learning exp,Ive owned a Grampian 26, Catalina 27, Coronado 25 Dickerson 35 ketch, and now own a tartan 37 that was left to Marty and I after he passed on... We sail the boat as much as we can, Spend winters in South Carolina summers in North Carolina, this summer we are going to go to Maryland and were ever the wind blows

[Lost Lake]

Very interesting man!

I am impressed by his dress at the royal presentation, unimposing, simple, comfortable. Much like Einstein would dress....

[maxiSwede]

Sven is definetely a character. One of my early sources of inspiration in the 70-ies. He built his first boat in his mother's basement. The size of the door to the basement was the limiting factor re. boat size. He then sailed down to Cape Horn and passed it single-handed east to west. The boat is in Newport, Rhode Island IIRC, in a museum there. He has lots of interesting ideas and projects, even though he hasn't been sailing very much the latest 20 years. He did cross the atlantic this fall in a Vega with another swedish guy, around 20 y o.

[Pappy Jack]

Yes, I remember his articles in Cruising World back in the 70's. He couldn't get the hull out of the basement at first because of a bit of granite sticking out of the doorway. He had to push the hull back in and then take a hammer to the offending granite nib. He also lived on $1.00 a day (that's a 70's $1.00 by the way). It's a good thing he is short...I know I'd never get my big fat bum ::) plus supplies in a boat that small.  And yes, he is a character and the world is a better place because of people like him. Let us all raise a tankard of grog (near beer for me) for Sven! ;)

Pappy Jack

[CharlieJ]

I clearly recall a story about him testing his first Bris out in the north sea. He got capsized, with a broken mast and almost ALL of his provisions got soaked, making them in-eatable. All he had left were some cases of Swedish Meatballs, which he survived on for some 3 weeks ( or so) thil he made it back into port.

He claimed it was YEARS before he could face a Swedish Meatball again!! ;D ;D ;D