Friday, November 28, 2003
Annals of Record Breaking--The Need For Speed: In the world of sail power the magic number is 50--50 knots (almost 60 mph). That's the sailing equivalent of the sound barrier and no sail powered vessel--either windsurfer or hi-tech purpose built multihull--has ever gone past it. The world record, set in 1993, by an otherworldly machine called "Yellow Pages Endeavour" stands at 46.52 knots. But the cool thing about this record is that it gets traded back and forth between the sailors and the windsurfers. And right now a pack of windsurfers are making a concerted effort to steal it back. The venue is in the south of France, a 1100 meter canal that is just 15 meters wide and perfectly designed for speed runs (because even when the wind blows hard the canal keeps the water flat). To take the record the windsurfers have to average more than 46.52 over a distance of 500 meters in the French Trench, and this past weekend two of them managed 45 knots in winds blowing 30, gusting to 40. Top speeds were probably close to 47-48 knots, which must seem insane on a windsurfer. One of them, Finian Maynard, describes the experience:
"The second 45-knot run felt the best and was the best. I got a solid gust at the start, a small wind-shadow in the middle and another solid gust at the finish. It felt like my gear was not even touching the water. It was sensational and I'll never forget it. I think that it is within reason to think that YP can be broken for sure. If we can get a more usual record day with 40 knots and gusts to 45-48 knots, then YP will go down. Taking from my experience now, I think that getting to 50 knots might be harder than we all think. Time will tell."
There are a bunch of windsurfers and sailing teams out there that are gunning for the record this year, so TWC will keep you posted....
The Current Champ: Crazy, no?
"The second 45-knot run felt the best and was the best. I got a solid gust at the start, a small wind-shadow in the middle and another solid gust at the finish. It felt like my gear was not even touching the water. It was sensational and I'll never forget it. I think that it is within reason to think that YP can be broken for sure. If we can get a more usual record day with 40 knots and gusts to 45-48 knots, then YP will go down. Taking from my experience now, I think that getting to 50 knots might be harder than we all think. Time will tell."
There are a bunch of windsurfers and sailing teams out there that are gunning for the record this year, so TWC will keep you posted....
The Current Champ: Crazy, no?
Posted by Tim Zimmermann @ 7:28 AM 
Shekhdar Southern Ocean Row PPS--Jim's Thinkin' Crazy I guess you have to be pretty stubborn and determined to row across oceans. So maybe it is no surprise that Jim Shekhdar, still on his way back with his boat to New Zealand aboard a rescue ship, is already talking about another attempt to row to South Africa. One hitch: apparently the New Zealand maritime authorities are tempted to ban Jim from rowing off into danger again. But you can't keep a crazy man down:
"My world at present seems to be a constant procession of quotations and supportive thoughts - the benefit of being totally isolated from the reality of the mainland - I have heard that there is some pressure on the MSA not to allow me to go again - even if I decide I want to! A meeting is set for whenever I get back - before I left however I had been surprised how positive the media and authorities had been and am hopeful that I will be able to convince them that this effort and any future effort - if it happens - will have a much better than evens chance of success - I said before I left 98% survival and 80% chance of success - I guess the 5/1 odds sometime pay!!! I would hope with the current level of 'experience' I can improve the odds for any future attempt - mine or someone else's!"
If he goes again I'm tempted to nominate him for the Dumbass Hall of Fame....unless he finally pulls it off, of course.
Shekhdar Rescue and Cracked Noggin: Uhhh, Jim, remember this?........
(Photos: Shekhdar via ExplorersWeb)
"My world at present seems to be a constant procession of quotations and supportive thoughts - the benefit of being totally isolated from the reality of the mainland - I have heard that there is some pressure on the MSA not to allow me to go again - even if I decide I want to! A meeting is set for whenever I get back - before I left however I had been surprised how positive the media and authorities had been and am hopeful that I will be able to convince them that this effort and any future effort - if it happens - will have a much better than evens chance of success - I said before I left 98% survival and 80% chance of success - I guess the 5/1 odds sometime pay!!! I would hope with the current level of 'experience' I can improve the odds for any future attempt - mine or someone else's!"
If he goes again I'm tempted to nominate him for the Dumbass Hall of Fame....unless he finally pulls it off, of course.
Shekhdar Rescue and Cracked Noggin: Uhhh, Jim, remember this?........
(Photos: Shekhdar via ExplorersWeb)
Posted by Tim Zimmermann @ 6:36 AM
Wednesday, November 26, 2003
Annals of Alaska--The Hell With Selling Cookies!: While girl scouts in the lower 48 conduct bake sales and go door-to-door, the tough little ladies up in Alaska have other things to do--such as trapping and skinning beavers. The thirteen girls of Troop 34, aged 10-12, are preparing their traps, sharpening their knives and fending off the outraged cries of animal rights activists. The bureaucrats at Alaska Fish & Game consider the large beaver population a problem, because the beavers are doing what beavers naturally do: build dens and dam waterways, which on occasion causes rivers and stream to flood beyond their banks (Oh, no!). Some anti-beaverites also claim that the beavers and their dams are contributing to excessively warm winters (Huh?). Anyhow, the geniuses at Fish and Game decided they'd get children to do their dirty work, and created a "Take a Kid Trapping" program so schoolkids could get their hands bloody and learn the realities of living in the wild. PETA and the usual suspects are raising a big hue and cry over the program. As for the girls, they are planning to tan the hides to make mittens and thumbing through beaver meat recipes.....
Will PETA-Pammy Get Involved?: Pam Anderson, beaver...Don't get me started, but it will be a caption writer's dream come true
Will PETA-Pammy Get Involved?: Pam Anderson, beaver...Don't get me started, but it will be a caption writer's dream come true
Posted by Tim Zimmermann @ 12:12 PM
Maeghan Carney Ski Everest Postcript--The Snow Sucked: Maegan Carney has posted an explanation of why she gave up on her plan to ski Everest, while Wally Berg and others stuck around to try and summit:
"As those of you know who followed our expedition, I made it to Camp 3 (23,600ft/7,200m) twice but decided it was unsafe to ski Everest this season. When we first arrived in base camp, the skiing conditions were great but the monsoons kept us pinned down low. Then we had to wait out a week of huge avalanches. The window of clear skies and low winds was incredibly short this autumn and by the time our Sherpas had cleared a route through to the South Col, the jet stream was resting on our summit. Painfully, I watched the snow blow off the 5,000ft/1,500m Lhotse face and expose the very old, gray ice of the glacier.
When I was at Camp 3 on October 21st I thought it remained skiable because I could see a route through the ice that still held snow. Unfortunately, the winds were gusting at 60 mph (100k/h) and after a sleepless night we retreated back to base camp in hopes of a break. The winds roared even harder the next day, further stripping my coveted snow, then we had a freak storm that dumped one meter of snow at Camp 2. The winds continued unabated and I knew it was no longer safe for me to ski; the majority of my descent route would have been wind slab snow over ice, essentially a recipe for avalanches."
Well, okay. It's hard to second guess someone when their life is on the line. Hope she tries again.......
"I didn't wimp out....I swear!"
"As those of you know who followed our expedition, I made it to Camp 3 (23,600ft/7,200m) twice but decided it was unsafe to ski Everest this season. When we first arrived in base camp, the skiing conditions were great but the monsoons kept us pinned down low. Then we had to wait out a week of huge avalanches. The window of clear skies and low winds was incredibly short this autumn and by the time our Sherpas had cleared a route through to the South Col, the jet stream was resting on our summit. Painfully, I watched the snow blow off the 5,000ft/1,500m Lhotse face and expose the very old, gray ice of the glacier.
When I was at Camp 3 on October 21st I thought it remained skiable because I could see a route through the ice that still held snow. Unfortunately, the winds were gusting at 60 mph (100k/h) and after a sleepless night we retreated back to base camp in hopes of a break. The winds roared even harder the next day, further stripping my coveted snow, then we had a freak storm that dumped one meter of snow at Camp 2. The winds continued unabated and I knew it was no longer safe for me to ski; the majority of my descent route would have been wind slab snow over ice, essentially a recipe for avalanches."
Well, okay. It's hard to second guess someone when their life is on the line. Hope she tries again.......
"I didn't wimp out....I swear!"
Posted by Tim Zimmermann @ 11:51 AM
"Wrong Way" VDH Update--Livin' Large: Sailing around the world into prevailing winds isn't always sheer hell. Right now VDH is enjoying fine sailing in the southeast tradewinds, off Brazil, and has time to turn his attention to one of the top obsessions of any offshore sailor: food. Here are a few notes from his logbook:
"While doing my tour of the deck this morning, I found a huge flying fish 32 cm long. It looked like a big mackerel, and it will be going in the pot, even if it has to be cut up to fit in it! It will be accompanied with some real potatoes and I'll have a glass of white Jongieux with it. I couldn't stop myself from sending you a photo of the creature, which is bigger than my plate!...[and later on] Today, I shall be eating my last piece of bread from Les Sables d'Olonne. After three weeks, it is a little tough, but still very good, and I regret not bringing more than six of them. I still have some fresh produce left: potatoes, onions, carrots, apples, grapefruit and especially, plenty of oranges. I've finished reading «Moon Valley», the Jack London novel and am just going to make a start on «Eleven minutes», a book by the Brazilian, Paulo Coelho. The cover notes say that it begins in Rio De Janeiro... It's just the right moment!"
Almost makes sailing around the world non-stop sound like fun. Well, VDH should enjoy himself while he can. In a few weeks he'll be around Cape Horn, freezing his ass off, and cursing the day he decided to set off again.....
Nice Belly, VDH. It will be interesting to see what it looks like in 2 months.....
"While doing my tour of the deck this morning, I found a huge flying fish 32 cm long. It looked like a big mackerel, and it will be going in the pot, even if it has to be cut up to fit in it! It will be accompanied with some real potatoes and I'll have a glass of white Jongieux with it. I couldn't stop myself from sending you a photo of the creature, which is bigger than my plate!...[and later on] Today, I shall be eating my last piece of bread from Les Sables d'Olonne. After three weeks, it is a little tough, but still very good, and I regret not bringing more than six of them. I still have some fresh produce left: potatoes, onions, carrots, apples, grapefruit and especially, plenty of oranges. I've finished reading «Moon Valley», the Jack London novel and am just going to make a start on «Eleven minutes», a book by the Brazilian, Paulo Coelho. The cover notes say that it begins in Rio De Janeiro... It's just the right moment!"
Almost makes sailing around the world non-stop sound like fun. Well, VDH should enjoy himself while he can. In a few weeks he'll be around Cape Horn, freezing his ass off, and cursing the day he decided to set off again.....
Nice Belly, VDH. It will be interesting to see what it looks like in 2 months.....
Posted by Tim Zimmermann @ 11:42 AM
Tuesday, November 25, 2003
Annals of Invention--Personal Hovercraft: Meet the Hov Pod (the marketing department must be staffed by engineers...). It could be useful for anyone who wants to skim across really shallow water or over hard sand. Here are the vital stats:
Top Speed Water 40 mph – 60 km/h
Cruise Speed Water 25 mph – 50 km/h
Fuel tank 25 litre
Cruise fuel consumption 10 - 15 litre/hour.
Weight Payload (on water start) 250Kg.
Options include Intercom Kit Fast unload Trailer, Custom Cover.
The retail price of the Hov Pod is £14,750 plus VAT (about $23,000)
And it looks like it could even be fun. But there is only one real question to ask: is there any chance it could wipe out the most noxious, annoying, combustion-powered device ever invented....yes, the JetSki? If so, I love this thing.
"Sh*t, I thought this thing was supposed to attract good-looking women...."
Top Speed Water 40 mph – 60 km/h
Cruise Speed Water 25 mph – 50 km/h
Fuel tank 25 litre
Cruise fuel consumption 10 - 15 litre/hour.
Weight Payload (on water start) 250Kg.
Options include Intercom Kit Fast unload Trailer, Custom Cover.
The retail price of the Hov Pod is £14,750 plus VAT (about $23,000)
And it looks like it could even be fun. But there is only one real question to ask: is there any chance it could wipe out the most noxious, annoying, combustion-powered device ever invented....yes, the JetSki? If so, I love this thing.
"Sh*t, I thought this thing was supposed to attract good-looking women...."
Posted by Tim Zimmermann @ 9:28 AM
Woodvale Transatlantic Rowing Race--Heating Up....Finally I knew this thing would stop being so boring if I just ignored it for a while. And for the first time in this event an unholy battle has broken out at the front of the fleet, with two boats--Team CRC and team Holiday Shoppe Challenge--dueling it out, stroke for stroke and blister for blister. Team CRC has been leading most of the way, but Holiday Shoppe must have been inspired by a desire to be home in time for Christmas and has rowed flat out to take the lead by a mere 28 miles. Further back in the fleet, light winds and a counter-current are making teams miserable (well, what did you expect, when you decided to ROW across the Atlantic?). Here's what Atlantic Wholff had to say about things:
“Yes, we're still in the treacle! As well as our sense of humour the last 10 days spent in this very unusual phenomenon has cost us about 15 miles per day in lost distance and will add 2/3 days to our crossing time...”Life within this current has been really strange. There have been no fish to see (or catch) and very little bird life, which is in complete contrast to previous weeks when there has been abundant wildlife and we have had to put up with a continuous nightime barrage of flying fish intent on knocking us out! Last night we witnessed from about 10 miles a most incredible electrical storm and as we were on the same track, were able to have our route illuminated for us throughout the hours of darkness."
Atlantic Wholff Finds the Countercurrent: "Dammit, I told you we should ignore the advice of that stupid bear in the bow...."
(Photo: Challenge Business)
“Yes, we're still in the treacle! As well as our sense of humour the last 10 days spent in this very unusual phenomenon has cost us about 15 miles per day in lost distance and will add 2/3 days to our crossing time...”Life within this current has been really strange. There have been no fish to see (or catch) and very little bird life, which is in complete contrast to previous weeks when there has been abundant wildlife and we have had to put up with a continuous nightime barrage of flying fish intent on knocking us out! Last night we witnessed from about 10 miles a most incredible electrical storm and as we were on the same track, were able to have our route illuminated for us throughout the hours of darkness."
Atlantic Wholff Finds the Countercurrent: "Dammit, I told you we should ignore the advice of that stupid bear in the bow...."
(Photo: Challenge Business)
Posted by Tim Zimmermann @ 9:05 AM
Monday, November 24, 2003
Sailing Update I--Bye, Bye Olivier!: Facing a forecast that was pleasingly pathetic, Olivier De Kersauson turned tail and is sailing back to Brest, abandoning his attempt to break my...sorry, I mean Steve Fossett's east to west transatlantic record. From the boat:
"This Sunday morning, Geronimo is on course back to Brest. Wind conditions
have deteriorated even further for the French crew, with less than 10
knots of wind, which is backing easterly all the time. Worse still, the
24- and 36-hour forecasts leave no doubt of what would lie ahead: a gaping
windless hole opening up before the bows of Geronimo. The anticyclone will
extend as far as 15° south and no trade wind is forecast until next week.
With no chance left of beating the record set by Playstation, Geronimo's
skipper has laid a course back to base."
It makes sense, in a way. DeK cares more than anything about the round the world (RTW) record, which he lost last year, and is planning to make an attempt this winter. So if he sails the boat all the way to the American seaboard without even breaking a record, he'd have to rush back to France to get set up for an RTW departure without having anything to show for his troubles. The record breaking game is a tricky one, and De Kersauson has always been willing to pull the plug if he thinks things aren't looking good. So my world record certificate can continue hanging, for the moment. There don't seem to be any other pretenders setting up for a run at it. Phew...til next year.....
Heading Home: "Don't let the door hit you in the ass......"
"This Sunday morning, Geronimo is on course back to Brest. Wind conditions
have deteriorated even further for the French crew, with less than 10
knots of wind, which is backing easterly all the time. Worse still, the
24- and 36-hour forecasts leave no doubt of what would lie ahead: a gaping
windless hole opening up before the bows of Geronimo. The anticyclone will
extend as far as 15° south and no trade wind is forecast until next week.
With no chance left of beating the record set by Playstation, Geronimo's
skipper has laid a course back to base."
It makes sense, in a way. DeK cares more than anything about the round the world (RTW) record, which he lost last year, and is planning to make an attempt this winter. So if he sails the boat all the way to the American seaboard without even breaking a record, he'd have to rush back to France to get set up for an RTW departure without having anything to show for his troubles. The record breaking game is a tricky one, and De Kersauson has always been willing to pull the plug if he thinks things aren't looking good. So my world record certificate can continue hanging, for the moment. There don't seem to be any other pretenders setting up for a run at it. Phew...til next year.....
Heading Home: "Don't let the door hit you in the ass......"
Posted by Tim Zimmermann @ 10:38 AM
Sailing Update II--"Right Way" Joyon: It's raining round the world sailing record attempts. Last Friday, French multihullista Francois Joyon set off from the English channel, sailing solo in a trimaran (French only). He's attempting to break the solo round the world record, and unlike our friend VDH is going the right way around (west to east), so the winds in the Southern Ocean will be behind him. Joyon's trimaran, sponsored by IDEC, is none other than Olivier De Kersauson's old steed. DeK set a crewed round the world record in the old girl, in 1997, and has attempted at solo circumnavigations in the boat as well. His best solo time was 125 days, but he stopped at least once (and maybe twice) and did not go out of his way to admit that--which is one of the reasons he annoys people. I believe, in fact (based on research I did for my book), that no one has ever managed to solo a multihull around the world non-stop, so that is one first that Joyon can try to put on the board. In terms of time, interestingly, the fastest solo RTW voyage is 93 days, in a monohull. With a full crew, multihulls leave monohulls over the horizon (the crewed RTW record is about 30 days faster). But when one tired wretch is responsible for keeping everything going (and in the case of multihulls, responsible for keeping the boat upright) the performance difference between multis and monos shrinks fast. So it will be very interesting to see how Joyon does, and if he sails safely he will have the probable pleasure of waving to VDH somewhere off Antarctica as he skims downwind and VDH slogs upwind. Bon chance, Francois.....
"25 knots boatspeed, and downwind in the Southern Ocean. What's Van Den Heede thinking, the poor bastard....."
"25 knots boatspeed, and downwind in the Southern Ocean. What's Van Den Heede thinking, the poor bastard....."
Posted by Tim Zimmermann @ 10:05 AM
Sailing Update III--VDH in the Southern Hemisphere : "Wrong Way" VDH's GPS went from positive latitude to negative latitude last Friday, as he crossed the Equator, the first big milestone in any around the world voyage. The next part of the trip involves sailing south along the coast of South America, toward the dreaded Cape Horn. Once VDH gets there, the sh*t starts hitting the fan, as he has to pound his way west, into the teeth of Southern Ocean gales that can blow 60-knots plus. Oh yeah, and the temperature will be in the 30s. Can you say "MASOCHIST." Anyhow, for the moment VDH is enjoying warm trade wind weather, and Cape Horn is a long, long way ahead. He's 16 days in and almost two days ahead of the existing record. Here's his latest report:
"Since crossing the Equator at 11 minutes past 5 CET on Friday night, everything has been going well!
I have picked up the fine SE trade winds. With my ballast tanks filled with 3 tonnes of water, I should manage at least 250 miles per day without any problem, especially when the wind gradually comes around to the East. For the time being, I am sailing upwind but not too close-hauled, with the solent and the mainsail raised.
I have carried out some minor repairs. I managed to find the tiny fuel leak in the portside Volvo engine. It was just a screw, (which had worked loose because of the vibrations, I suppose) that needed tightening up a bit. Then, I patched up the mainsail, where it had been rubbing on the reefing point.
I’m keeping an eye on anything that rubs and frays all the time. Last night wasn’t the quietest of nights, as I was sailing along with a cargo ship on either side of me, and they were both on the same course as me and were hardly making any faster headway. I had them within sight for a large part of the night. Now they have moved off and I’m going to have a little nap!"
Mmm, nap. That sounds good......
"Since crossing the Equator at 11 minutes past 5 CET on Friday night, everything has been going well!
I have picked up the fine SE trade winds. With my ballast tanks filled with 3 tonnes of water, I should manage at least 250 miles per day without any problem, especially when the wind gradually comes around to the East. For the time being, I am sailing upwind but not too close-hauled, with the solent and the mainsail raised.
I have carried out some minor repairs. I managed to find the tiny fuel leak in the portside Volvo engine. It was just a screw, (which had worked loose because of the vibrations, I suppose) that needed tightening up a bit. Then, I patched up the mainsail, where it had been rubbing on the reefing point.
I’m keeping an eye on anything that rubs and frays all the time. Last night wasn’t the quietest of nights, as I was sailing along with a cargo ship on either side of me, and they were both on the same course as me and were hardly making any faster headway. I had them within sight for a large part of the night. Now they have moved off and I’m going to have a little nap!"
Mmm, nap. That sounds good......
Posted by Tim Zimmermann @ 10:03 AM
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