A voyage that didn't go too well

[AdriftAtSea]

First off... having all that redundancy in navigation gear doesn't really mean much unless you've got the sailing skills and experience to take advantage of it.  While his website says things about himself, the boat and his intended voyage... it says little about his actual sailing experience. 

Personally, I'd rather and do have a sextant and navigation tables as a backup.  Even though my sextant using skills are a bit weak, they will improve, and there is no need for complicated electronics.  I have two watches—one solar powered and the other a self-winding automatic—aside from the one I wear (also solar powered), on the boat for use for sight times, and these are checked against a radio or internet time check once a month.

I think part of the problem Ken may have had is that the boat is rather large for single handing, even if it is a ketch.  Single handed sailing takes far more skill than does sailing with an experienced crew, where there is some redundancy of skills and a chance to catch mistakes made by a person by the rest of the crew.  Electronics and electric winches are dependent on battery power, which is barely reliable on a small sailboat. 

Unfortunately, the current boating press has lead a lot of people to believe that a lot of expensive gear is necessary to sail long voyages, but that hasn't ever been true.  It has also led a lot of people to think that you need to have a large (40'+) boat to be a safe bluewater passage maker—yet it was only in the past two decades that boats that large have become really common among long-distance cruisers.  If you look at most of the sailing magazines, the boats they advocate as being "bluewater passagemakers" are all 40'+ long and cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. 

Part of the problem is the economics of building sailboats.  Small sailboats, especially well-built ones that are capable of bluewater passages, are far less profitable than larger boats.  Part of the problem is the current use of most sailboats as a "summer home", by people who don't want to just own a beachfront condo.  However, most of these people don't intend on sailing their boat much past the next marina and want to have most, if not all, of the comforts of home—stereo, satellite TV, coffee maker, microwave oven, running hot and cold water, etc... most of which are luxuries, not necessities.

Also, Ken's description of his storm tactics leads me to believe that he had never tried these under less rigorous conditions.  On another sailing board, I was asked how do you get heavy weather sailing experience... my answer was that you go out in bad weather... under conditions that are worse than you would prefer to sail in, but not so extreme as to risk life and limb, and practice your technique and tactics.  One piece of storm gear I have is a Jordan Series Drogue.  I hope never to need it, but I would recommend it for anyone making a bluewater passage, especially on a smaller sailboat.

The idea of muffling your senses while at sea just strikes me as foolhardy.  Often, when I'm aboard the PG, I know that the wind has shifted just from the change in the motion or sound of the the boat.  I've be awakened from a sound sleep when the sounds of the boat changed due to another boat enter the anchorage I was in.

Another question I have is how much "shakedown" experience did he have with this boat.  What kind of conditions and voyages did he take the boat out in, prior to attempting to round the cape?  Also, did he consult with a marine engineer to check what effect on the boat's stability removing the bilge keels would have??

So many questions... so few answers.

Frank-

BTW, I don't think the boat was actually sinking or in danger of sinking.  From what I read, he was going to scuttle the boat...and you don't generally have to scuttle a boat that is sinking... I think his main problem was that he had no masts or sails and no way to move the boat, as the engine and batteries were all damaged during the storm, probably from the water that did get in the hull.  But I don't think the hull was holed in any way or that she was taking on water after the end of the storm.

[Zen]

It does not look like this boat is sinking at all to me!
Seems more like a case of panic. Ofcourse I was not there, but other than a broken mast, I see no signs of trouble. This a famous story about a couple who were demast and still sailed there boat home, looking much worse than this picture. I wonder what Neil would like of this, having to bail most of the way across the Atlantic.
Did this person even try to hand bail his boat? Although from the water line it does not seem to have taken on a substanual amount. On the other hand, being out there alone in the middle of everything, coming out of a strom that broke his mast, thing would seem pretty bleak.
I wonder did he do any offshore sailing to get some knowleage on what to do?
He could have taken a ASA  ocean passage class that would have covered all kinds of things for less than half what, half of that equipment he did not need or use cost.
IMHO

Great read everyone, can't wait to hear Ken's story.
So...I guess he just left the boat out there. From the pictures it didn't look like it was in danger of going under any time soon. Any thoughts?



-Kevin

[Norm]

Size matters.  
There was an old rule of thumb that a couple can handle a 20,000 lb sailboat and less than 1,000 square feet of sail.  Above those numbers the physics of sailing vessels begin to work against the sailors.  Ken was certainly pushing it with Privateer.  The Shannon 28 is a good counter point.

A pal of mine, Tom, works in a boat yard where they serviced the Westsail 32 featured in the Perfect Storm.  Tom knows the guy.  Must have a chat with W32-guy in the context of this drama.

The remarkable thing about the super-singlehanders on their open 50s and 60s is that they demonstrate how one breaks the 20,000/1,000 rule.  Money and practice!

Some years ago, the Pardy's wrote about doubling Cape horn in their little boat.  It was in Cruising World magazine, I recall.  Anyone know the issue?  

Adrift At Sea makes the point about training in heavy air.  It really does make sense and need not be "risky business."  (As if sailing isn't....)  

At BSC, we train sailors in whatever weather there is available during the courses.  Sometimes it is rough.  The trainees love it since they get to practice heavy weather steering, reefing, and changing headsails in real conditions.  Instructors always drill these skills before cruising.  Oftentimes it is in placid conditions of Boston Harbor.  We probably look a bit odd reefing Melissa in summer calms.  I pays off.

Ocean training courses.  The ASA has a standard (I am an ASA Evaluator Instructor through Advanced Cruising).  It is hard to find and expensive.  Some companies such as Ocean Pasage Oportunities (http://www.sailopo.com/narc_stories.html) does some work along those lines. 

The problem I have with teaching ocean passagemaking is that so much depends upon the crew as individuals and as a team.  Personal preparation is SO very critical to learning.  I, as an instructor, have no control over how "you" prepare yourself.  If "you" do a lousy job, I have to alter curriculum to work around that.  It is a complicated course... if anyone cares about the mechanics of that.

Anyone with a sailboat can practice any drill in light conditions.  At the very least one will learn how to rig the gear, what is in need of adjustment or relocation, etc.  No better way to spice up an otherwise dull sailing day!

Back to the story.  The boat suffered an awful lot of damage in a short time.  Odd.  Still flaoting high.  Salvage.  What do we think the bill will be from the Chilean Navy and the fishing vessel?  Ken had better crank up the pool business again!

I think he's lucky the boat broke where it did.

Norman

[Frank]

ANYONE trying to 'round the horn' should treat it like an expedition. Well prepared,well planned, trained and experienced.  This almost sounds like a midlife crisis...enough $$$ to 'pay' for his vision of being prepared (electronics) and GO.  Yep...I'm also suffering a bit of 'mid life crisis' turning 50.....BUT I ain't going out to buy the best pair of mountain boots there is and a great tent thinking I can climb Everest !!!    Besides..with my 6pack turning into a full keg, I wouldn't make to base camp!!   Zen...I was also thinking that it 'appeared' to be enough lying there for a jury rig of sorts...but as ya said 'we weren't there'

[Captain Smollett]

Anyone with a sailboat can practice any drill in light conditions.  At the very least one will learn how to rig the gear, what is in need of adjustment or relocation, etc.  No better way to spice up an otherwise dull sailing day!

Norm, you ever read Trailer Sailor Bulletin Board (TSBB)?

You'd be surprised the number of small boat sailors who (comments do not apply to ALL on TSBB by any stretch - but enough that I've noticed the trend):

• don't know how to reef, don't practice it, don't care to learn
• claim their comfort level for sailing is anything under 10 kts - think no one should sail a 'small boat' in over 15 kts, and 10-15 is the heavy stuff.

Earlier in the year, I wrote a few instructional "emails" for a friend of mine new to sailing.  Along with recommending some good starter books (such as Jobson's ASA related book), I gave him some terminology, points of sail, that sort of thing (the stuff you CAN explain in a book or written message).  Then I took him sailing, and once we motored out of the cove, gave him the tiller.

Well, while writing up this set up emails for him, I was trying to come up with a good contrast between cruisers and racers.  I came to the simple conclusion that cruisers and racers, those "serious" about either, have more in common than differences, but there is a third type of sailor about which we seldom hear.  I called it them the "sport" sailors.  I'm talking about attitudes, not gear or goals.

In my mind, both cruisers and racers are always trying to learn, improve and perfect.  They will innovate for their own boats and circumstances.  Both know, in principle, the Rules of the Road and apply them.  I easily find the term "seaman" can apply to sailors that focus on either cruising or racing.

But folks in my third class, the 'sportsters,' are only in it for the fun of the moment.  They refer to sailing as a hobby - it is something they are interested in today, in lieu of a other pasttimes tried and given-up on.  They bely no desire to learn terminology (which, imo is VERY important on board a boat for when things get dicey - you need to communciate specific things in a hurry), will now at most maybe two useful knots (and argue others are never needed, a waste of energy to learn), 'the Rules of the Road don't apply to me, I'm a lake sailor,' and a whole host of unseamanlike behaviors.  They'll NEVER sail in the rain, and they won't even think about venturing out in conditions less than "relaxing" - ever.

These are the ones that criticize 'real' sailors for 'sailing.'  These 'sport sailors' would parrot the sailing rags and say "no way, that's just dumb" to any notion of a blue water passage (or even in some circumstances, relatively mild coastal cruising) in whatever they deem is a small boat.  I was once heavily criticized for even asking if anyone with a boat identical to mine had taken, or would consider taking, their boat from Key West to the Dry Tortugas.  The boat is similar to WWP19 (which has made crossing to Bahamas and from CA to HI) and M-17 (one of the toughest "little" small boats around), so I figured it was a fair question.  I was told I was stupid to even consider it.

My point is that this 'sport' group is large and spends a lot of money in the sailing industry.  They have a voice.  Sometimes, I think they have a bigger voice than we do.  But for me, I'll take the opinions of the Hiscocks and the Pardeys with a little more seriousness.  The conventional wisdom on boat-size and necessary gear has been proven wrong sufficiently often that I personally don't see how it could be called conventional or wisdom.

{rant off}

[oded kishony]

I thought I read that he'd cut his thigh down to the bone!!?  With significant loss of blood and possibly the impaired use of a leg, that would make a very big difference compared to just being shook up and scared.

Oded Kishony

[K3v1n]

I came across this list of wind speeds some time ago.

Light Air(0-5 knots)
Light to Medium Air(6-12 knots)
Medium to Heavy Air(13-18 knots)
Heavy Air(19+ knots)

PS.
A Com-Pac 16 sailed to the Marquesas Keys, a little bit more and your at the Dry Tortuga's. I believe it is something like 75 miles or so.



Why not?
After I gain a bit more experience we'll have to team up, your Skipper's Mate and my CP19.

-Kevin

[Captain Smollett]

After I gain a bit more experience we'll have to team up, your Skipper's Mate and my CP19.

I'm ready; just say the word.  A "fleet" of under twenty footers going out of sight of land - GASP.

[CharlieJ]

lol- Captain Smollett- Those you refer to as "sport sailors" are likely the same group I call "motor sailors"

Motor out to the middle, raise sails, sail back and forth, drop sails and motor back in. And if it gets ANY kind of rough, dump those nasty old sails and crank that motor.

Some of us keep trying to tell them, the motor is gonna get you in trouble- learn to SAIL the boat.

Seemingly to no avail with part of them Some DO listen though. SOME will transition to become "seamen"

Gotta admit- there are some darn fine sailors on that board

[Captain Smollett]

Gotta admit- there are some darn fine sailors on that board

Indeed, and my comments were directed at a specific minority on that board.  I've noticed this attitude on other boards and at the club in which I used to be a member.

[Norm]

Hello all:
One of the benefits, if you will, of the kensolo adventure is that E & I have some excellent context for our discussions about boats to consider (and those not to...).  Associated with kensolo is his perfect counterpart:  The Donna Lang story is interesting.  Next payday, I think I will slip her a contribution. 

Our paths crossed, I read, too bad I never met her when we were both in the Caribbean.  It is a big place.

Met lots of other interesting folk who are small craft sailors.  One guy I will never forget.  He sailed into St Maarten's Simpson Bay one morning in January 2005 aboard a tiny sloop with the German flag painted on the wind vane.  New arrivals are not uncommon there but his boat was SO much smaller than everything else, I motored over in my dinghy to say Hi.  A big grin and some broken English about a 30 day trip from Aruba, upwind in light air.  The good news, he'd learned a bunch of news tunes on his guitar and was  ready to get some gigs at warterfront bars (they feed the singers.  sensible career choice?)  He did fine.

I'm thinking: The DL story is the one I'm following.

Best, Norman

[AdriftAtSea]

Donna Lange's story is pretty amazing, and she is an inspiration to all of us sailfar philosophy sailors. 

I've taken the Pretty Gee out on many days where there was a "small craft advisory" to work on my heavy wind skills, only to have my friends at the marina tell me when I got back, "Dan, you know your boat is technically a small craft." 

Voyaging on a sailboat takes a lot more than just getting the boat in shape.  The captain and crew has to be in shape and have the skills and the experience to handle whatever the sea throws at them, and know the boat well enough to handle the unforseen happening.

I can understand why Ken asked to be taken off of his boat... no sails, no working diesel, no rudder, and a storm system on its way in.   But it sounds to me that the boat was too large for his ability to single-hand in storm conditions, unlike Donna and her Southern Cross.  It also sounds like his storm survival techniques and experience sailing in such conditions left a fair amount to be desired.

Norm's point about the single-handing of the Open 50's & 60's, as well as the experiences of sailors like Ellen McArthur and Dee Caffari, is very valid. They have several major advantages over people like Ken.  The first is experience—years of it, in all sorts of conditions on many different types of boats.  The second are skills.  The third is the financial wherewithal to properly prepare and equip a boat....they spend hundred's of thousands, if not millions of dollars to get their boats into the proper configuration to do what they do.  The fourth is support—they have full-time assistance available via long-distance communications.

Single-handing around the world in small sailing craft, on a low-budget, is going to have a fairly significant share of risks.  Doing so without proper preparation of the the sailor as well as the craft will make those risks much larger.

[Cmdr Pete]

Here is the old ad for Ken's boat.

http://www.seeboats.com/boatlisting.cfm?intBoats_ID=5508&show_results=1&startrow=1451&show_results=1&sort=DESC#

I stumbled on the ad looking for a line drawing for the boat. Just seemed odd that a 50,000 lb. boat would draw 5' 6"

I don't know

[Captain Smollett]

Nice marketing copy, given the hindsight how things went:

...Hummingbird ... will take you and your mate to the ends of the earth in safety, comfort, and simple elegance. This bullet-proof little ship was designed ... and built ... to represent the ultimate shorthanded cruising vessel with a particular affinity for heavy weather. ... she is ... ready to sail any ocean.

Of course, maybe all that was true - at one time.  We know Ken removed the bilge keels - what other seaworthiness mods did he make?

[AdriftAtSea]

I noticed that the ballast, with the bilge keels was only 12000 lbs. out of 39000.  Removing the bilge keels obviously lowered this number.  I doubt that the boat had even 29% ballast by weight at that point—which strikes me as being a fairly low percentage for a bluewater boat.  Ken's website also states that the boat was about 50,000 lbs when fully loaded for cruising...which brings the actual ballast percentage down to 22.4% or so. 

To give an idea of what other bluewater sailboats in that size range have:

A Hallberg-Rassy 43 has 35.5% for ballast;
a Island Packet 440 has 37.5% for ballast;
the Windbird (a Tayana 42) has 40.5% for ballast;
a Whitby 42 has 34% for ballast. 

I wonder how much thought went to the removal of the bilge keels, and whether a solid analysis of what effects on stability it would have was really done. I also wonder if the boat was overloaded. 

He also added a some gear that would add weight aloft and increase windage:  two wind generators, and radar.

Also, he had 14 new AGM batteries, a 4.5kW genset, and a water maker... all of which are relatively heavy and depending on where and how they were installed, could have added to the problem.

[Frank]

Disclaimer....I'm NOT a great sailor,I am NOT a super experienced sailor....but I've been offshore a lot more than 'average' and in the one 'gulfstream gale' I weathered, I can say this....it is draining and exhausting!! You get tired solo....really tired. Ya get feeling 'beat-up'...ya feel very vulnerable.Your judgement gets blurry. I'm sure he made mistakes...I too wonder at his keel mods...I'm also sure he was not 'personally' prepared nor experienced enough.I too don't think he practiced foul weather boat handling enough beforehand ( a MUST).I'm sure we can ALL find fault....but..BUT..1-as Zen wrote...We weren't there..in his shoes..feeling what he felt    2- He TRIED !! He followed his dream.   I forget the name now,but back in the early 80's, a relatively inexperienced young sailor bought a new Montgomery 15 and sailed off to Hawia...and MADE IT.  Foolish..probably   A 15ft across the Pacific wouldn't be that far off to this failed horn attempt .   Point being..he made it...readers think...'what a great adventurer'...good for him...see,I new a small boat could do it.     Had he not...readers would jump on the story...FOOL..why would ANYONE try that in a 15fter...he had no experience.    Fun topic to debate...lots of valid points....but bottom line...he tried.   Here's to lifes adventures...following your heart and your dream. Many also dream...but NEVER leave the bay !!!   All mistakes in judgement and boat handling aside...grog to him for 'leaving the bay'

[CharlieJ]

one point here- he had the boat reviewed by Bob Perry, NA, who ok'd the removal of the bilge keels and checked stability figures. Those bilge keels were flat steel plates and only removed 400 pounds.

I think it's great he tried, but it would have been greater if he had gained some offshore experience first, like maybe a down wind to Hawaii? Before challenging Cape Horn.

[Cmdr Pete]

Ken says that his dinghy was torn off the deck during the rollover.

http://video.msn.com/v/en-ap/v.htm??g=d7247fd3-b2a2-4c3d-bb41-cd939ab14b36&

Nice dink, but wouldn't be much use on a nonstop circumnavigation

 

[AdriftAtSea]

one point here- he had the boat reviewed by Bob Perry, NA, who ok'd the removal of the bilge keels and checked stability figures. Those bilge keels were flat steel plates and only removed 400 pounds.

I think it's great he tried, but it would have been greater if he had gained some offshore experience first, like maybe a down wind to Hawaii? Before challenging Cape Horn.

Actually, from what I read it was 400 per plate, 800 lbs total.  Between the lower stability, the lower ballast, and the fact that the boat sounds like it was overloaded... it's displacement is supposed to be 39000 lbs, and Ken's website said that it was at 50000 lbs.   

My question is what the heck do you put on a boat that weighs over five tons??? 

You wouldn't need that much food and water.  A friend of mine estimated the daily food and water would be about 15 lbs max... that's about a six quarts of water and five pounds of food.  10000 lbs would be enough for 550 days at sea without a watermaker or taking on additional supplies, assuming that you use some of the weight for the fuel to cook it with.

[Captain Smollett]

My question is what the heck do you put on a boat that weighs over five tons??? 

Fourteen AGM batteries is probably a good percentage of that.  Group 27's weigh what, about 80 lbs?  That's about 10% of his added weight right there.