Another Circumnavigator - Natasza Caban

[dnice]

Hey guys,

There was a link to her site in Zac Sunderlands blog today.
first time i've heard of her so I thought I would post it here.

She's a 30yo Polish girl, circumnavigating solo in an S&S 34 out of Hawaii.

Main Site - Click the British Flag for the English version.
Blog
YouTube Interview
Sailing Video

[AdriftAtSea]

Thanks for the link...

[chris2998]

all I know is she's HOT

[Pappy Jack]

Ya she's hot but did you see her almost go over the side without a safty harness? Not smart...not smart at all. I wonder if she will make it?

[AdriftAtSea]

She also appears to be pretty clumsy...she's got huge bruises all over...  She apparently never heard of one hand for yourself and one hand for the boat...

[Frank]

Wow...I ache watching that. A broken rib wouldn't be fun 800 miles offshore.Can't imagine her in a storm....but she's probably come a long way since the video.

[AdriftAtSea]

I hope so... what is kind of funny is that she has a photo in her gallery that has a caption that basically reads "One hand for yourself and one for the ship...." 

Wow...I ache watching that. A broken rib wouldn't be fun 800 miles offshore.Can't imagine her in a storm....but she's probably come a long way since the video.

[chris2998]

yeah seen her video and you're right no lifevest yeah I don't know about that. Every weekend I go fishing wheather by myself or with someone else I wear a lifevest you just never know what could happen best to be somewhat prepared.
I sure as heck would like to circumnavigate with her   ;D  seeing her video and hopefully she survives will deffinitly help to inspire me for my adventure. I may not have the experience like her but I may have a little more common sense in terms on lifevest and onehand for the boat that is deffinitly something I learn on a boat thank god because I would have been overboard.

[CharlieJ]

UH- a question here-

You are 500 miles offshore ( or even just 50 or 100 miles), single hand- means all alone. What earthly good will a life vest do you??

When you go sailing outside the sight of land ( or even within site in places) Drill this into your head-

DO NOT FALL OFF THE BOAT, else you are


                                                      DEAD

Wear a harness and tether, clip it to appropriate jack lines or a hard point ( there are threads on here about both) and DON"T fall off the boat.

[Captain Smollett]

UH- a question here-

You are 500 miles offshore ( or even just 50 or 100 miles), single hand- means all alone. What earthly good will a life vest do you??

When you go sailing outside the sight of land ( or even within site in places) Drill this into your head-

DO NOT FALL OFF THE BOAT, else you are


                                                      DEAD

Wear a harness and tether, clip it to appropriate jack lines or a hard point ( there are threads on here about both) and DON"T fall off the boat.

Indeed.

PFD means the only difference is discovering the body.

Like we used to say in EOD...a "bomb suit" only means the difference in "closed casket" vs "open casket."

I don't typically wear a PFD offshore...haven't and don't plan to.

Harness and tethers, however, I DO wear, especially singlehanding (which in this context means being topside alone with no other crew on deck)

[CharlieJ]

Exactly. When Laura and I are offshore, on passage, each has a watch, at least at night, but even in the daytime usually.

With the other person asleep below, you ARE single handing. And if you part company with the boat the other will never know WHERE or WHEN you fell.

Whatever it takes, you stay aboard, period.

Or you die.

[chris2998]

well that is what I was thinking as well.. some kinda lifevest and being attached to the boat at all times, sorry I should have been more precise.

Chris

[AdriftAtSea]

IIRC, old time sailors didn't even learn to swim, since they saw it as only prolonging their suffering, since the ship was very unlikely to turn back to save them... had schedules to keep and all. 

STAYING ON THE BOAT is really the only viable option, especially when singlehanding or sailing as a couple.  How many of you have done an actual MOB recovery??? Even in dead calm waters, it is very difficult... now think about the impact that would have on your partner if you're sailing as a couple—knowing that they weren't able to get the boat back to you in time, if at all. 

Something like this happened to a couple I know sailing on the Lake Erie. My friend Erin was in the cockpit, and her boyfriend, Mike, was down below.  Erin went forward in relatively mild weather, probably similar to what was in Natasza's video, and got dumped overboard when the boat gybed unexpectedly.  By the time Mike got up to the cockpit, Erin wasn't to be seen.  Erin was picked up by a passing stinkpot, but the whole incident left her boyfriend, now husband, terrified of it happening again—and both tether in 95% of the time. 

One of Tania Aebi's anecdotes, from her book, I've Been Around, also comes to mind.  IIRC, she and her husband were doing a boat delivery with the owner aboard as crew.  In the middle of the ocean, miles from anywhere, the owner decides to jump off the bow and swim round to the stern.  He finds this so invigorating that he decides to do it second time.  Seconds after he gets back up the swim ladder a large shark hits the stern of the boat... needless to say, the owner didn't do much more swimming that trip. 

That brings up the point... out on the ocean, we're not the top of the food chain... we're food... it isn't our natural element, and as such, we really need to give it the respect and caution it deserves.  We can't swim very long, we can't breathe underwater... it can crush our boats like the tiny corks they are—regardless of whether they're 18' or 80' LOA.  STAY ON THE BOAT.

[Bill NH]

IIRC, old time sailors didn't even learn to swim, since they saw it as only prolonging their suffering, since the ship was very unlikely to turn back to save them... had schedules to keep and all. 

Not schedules, those were so unpredictable in the days of sail that a vessel just arrived when it arrived.  Only in the later days of the North Atlantic packet lines did they attempt to publish schedules, but those were mostly for departure days, not predicting arrival.

The reason that deepwater sailing ships didn't go back for people is that they couldn't.  Square rig doesn't go to windward well, in fact it hardly goes to windward period  (80 degrees on the wind made good is pretty good).  Add in the time taken to to maneuver a full ship and recovery is rarely a possibility.  Heaving to is more complicated, you don't want to bring down the rig getting caught aback in heavy weather.  The feeling of a 300+ foot square rigger making 15 knots on a broad reach is indescribable, like riding a barely under control freight train.  Very sobering when you think about trying to stop though...

[dnice]

Ok I have to come to the poor girls defense... SHE'S POLISH!! ;D

Joking aside,
I agree a harness should be worn at all times while on deck and underway and alone.

I think for the most part, she is showing off for the camera (judging by her 'posing'). Obviously thats not very smart to begin with.
But I think (hope) this was shot early on in her trip and now that she has thousands of ocean miles under her keel, she has probably learned quite a few lessons and developed some respect for the sea.

The good news is, this proves my theory that you don't have to be an expert seaman (nor a genius!) to sail around the world, she's made it close to halfway and judging from the videos, I already know more about voyaging than she did when she left :o

She's going for the record of Youngest Female Solo Circumnav.
Whether she makes it or not, she gets my vote for the Cutest Attempt  ;)

[Pappy Jack]

I always thought that jack lines were simple in concept. Boy was I wrong :o. I sure learned a lot from the discussion in 'Boat Bits' about the working of the "simple" jack line. I would suggest everybody go back and read, or reread, what was said...especially if you are going offshore.

Fair winds,

Pappy Jack

[Frank]

Dnice...thats not very nice  ;D  Polish...where would we be without Polish sausage,sauerkraut and perogies??? Posing you say?? If I looked like that I'd be posing too.Problem is ...in reality all I'd attract  by posing would be whales ;)

[Zen]

"...in reality all I'd attract  by posing would be whales Wink"


maybe a few sharks... ;D

[Shipscarver]

How do you have your jack lines rigged? Pictures?

[Pappy Jack]

No pics of jack lines but I will have them rigged from stem to mast. Then will have two from mast to either side of companion way. Also I'll have lines running from stem to stern just on the outside of the stanchions so that I would be able to slide along the hull to the aft where the boarding ladder is. I'll also have two 3' teathers on my harness. I might have to add an attachment or two in the cockpit to hook on to but that's about it. Anything to add or change ???? "cause I can use all the help I can get ::).

Fair winds,

Pappy Jack