O/T: Jessica

"tom" wrote:

> I don't think she's heading for the Horn of Africa. Her proposed
> route
> will pass South Africa's coastline, the Cape of Good Hope, but the
> Horn's too far north to be a waypoint.
---------------------------------
Making posts too late in the day will get you in trouble.

Since the Atlantic doesn't come in contact with the Horn, a little
tough to get there from it without rounding the cape first.

Was picturing Cape of Good Hope in my mind, but just didn't engage
brain before using keyboard.

I stand corrected.

Thank you.

Lew

From her 01/31/10 blog:

Only 2000nm to the Cape of Good Hope. That's going to be it from me
today as I'm keen to get back outside into the sunshine!


Lew

"Martin H. Eastburn" wrote:

> Autopilots are better than thought. GPS has really made them
> functional.
> And they are used for periods of sleep and rest. They can be
> checked up on
> from time to time - and if an off course line is taken, soon it is
> turned back
> either automatically or manually when time permits.
-----------------------------------------------------

Trusting electrical devices in the open ocean is akin to signing your
own death warrant.

Sea water, salt air and electrical devices are at best, a mixed
marriage.

There isn't a whole lot of tolerance involved.

Wind vanes OTOH, do an excellent job, don't drink beer or electrical
power, and don't plug up the head.

Just a few of the reasons Jessica has a Fleming wind vane.

Another might be Kevin Fleming, designer of her windvane is also an
Aussie.

Had a good friend with a Mariner 40, a definite blue water ketch boat,
equipped with a honking big autopilot, a medium size battery bank, and
a big alternator.

I tried to warn him he needed an alternate, but he way career navy,
and had the answers.

Left L/A in 1998, headed for OZ and the 2000 Olympics.

Took a green wave over the bow, on the first leg of the trip headed
for Cabo, fouled out the alternator and spent 30 days bobbing around
before managing to hobble into Cabo where the crew abandoned ship.

(No electricity, no engine either, thus a no wind area got them.)

Never got to OZ.

Spent far to many years in the electrical business not to realize is
has rather limited reliable applications on a small boat.

Electric autopilots for day sailing is one thing, offshore is quite
another.

Lew

"Larry Jaques" wrote:

> I remember the time a friend's dad took us down to Ensenada, B.C.
> Mexico in their 40' concrete-hulled fishing boat. The trip down was
> nice and we did some fishing.
<snip>

> After 2 days
> down there, we cruised out of Ensenada harbor and hit the really
> rough
> waves. What the hell? They were coming at a bad angle for heading
> north, so we headed out a couple miles.
<snip>

Ah yes, sailing "uphill" from Ensenada or even Cabo, can be a very
nasty experience.

They start the sailing season here on the left coast with the
"Ensenada" race in late April.

The race starts in L/A and finishes in Ensenada with some serious
parting afterwards.

When it comes time to return, many captains hire an "uphill crew" to
bring the boat back to L/A.

Lew

RE: Subject

As of 01/21/10, she as passed the Falklands and is headed for the Horn
of Africa per her blog.

Even in these isolated waters word of the events in Haiti have reached
her as well as getting a flyover from an RAF pilot who is probably
based in the Falklands.

Lew

"Robatoy" wrote:

----------------------------------------------
Not to take anything away from that brave kid, but I would like to see
a chart of her support system(s). She's far from 'alone'.
--------------------------------------------

???

Lew

"RicodJour" wrote:

---------------------------------------------
It is amazing on a number of levels. I was a bit surprised that she
chose a 34' boat to single-hand. That's a bit big for a little
girl...what's that old saw about the relation of the biggest boat to
single-hand and the sail size you can handle?
----------------------------------------

It's an S&S 34 with a proven track record.

Also, fairly narrow beam, so the sail plan probably isn't much of an
issue.

Lew

If you check out her picture from the top of the mast you will see a
couple of solar panels and a wind generator hanging off the stern.

Lew

"Morris Dovey" wrote:

> In one of the videos, I heard the distinct whine of a servo, so I'd
> guess she's on autopilot and may be more passenger than crew on this
> trip...
==============================
She has a Fleming (One of her sponsors) mechanical servo autopilot
(See servo control mounted on stern).

It is wind powered.

Electrical autopilots are just not reliable for open ocean sailing.

Hand steering a boat for extended periods is simply out of the
question.

Lew

"Larry Jaques" wrote:

> 2-way marine radio, internet (with live video?), email, at minimum.
> Maybe shortwave, too?
---------------------------------------
Toys designed to fail in the open ocean.

Probably has radio contact with her base for scheduled check in
purposes, but little else.

Sat phones are still expensive and power hungry, so usage is limited.

Lew

"RicodJour" wrote:

Those toys are probably the only reason her parents are letting her do
this.

Some of her sponsors are a satellite communications company
Satsomethingorother, Iridium the satellite phone maker and Rutland
which markets wind power generators. I would also hazard a guess that
she has some solar power setup as well.
---------------------------------------------
Didn't see either solar or wind power electrical regeneration on
board, but an alternator on an 18 HP Yanmar would not be my choice as
the primary recharging device.

Either way, communitation with home base would still be on scheduled
times.

Point is there is no "Triple A" or 911 service at sea.

She obviously has spent a lot of time not only developing a well
thought out game plan, but also the equipment needed and her reqired
personal preparation.

Lets face it, she has been sailing since she was a rug rat, this is
not just any 16 year old kid being thrown to the devil, but an
experienced sailor.

Lew

From her 02/06/10 blog:

> Flying-Fish, Rubbish, No Wind then Lots of Wind

Pretty much sums up her life these days as she heads for Africa.

Lew
---------------------------------------
> From her 01/31/10 blog:
>
> Only 2000nm to the Cape of Good Hope. That's going to be it from me
> today as I'm keen to get back outside into the sunshine!
>
>
> Lew

"tom" wrote:

> Boredom is highly underrated. Tom

There are advantages to being an only child.

Lew

"Larry Jaques" wrote:

> I guess the partying has something to do with the uphilliness of the
> whole thing, too, doesn't it?
--------------------------
Maybe, but a couple of days out takes care of that.

If you start from Cabo, it's almost worth sailing to Hawaii then back
to the left coast just to avoid that uphill climb.

Lew

"tom" wrote:

> Holy moley, Ella's gotten knocked over four times! Hang on, Jessica!
> http://www.youngestround.blogspot.com/
---------------------------------
That will clear your sinuses.

Lew

On Thu, 14 Jan 2010 09:47:45 -0800 (PST), RicodJour
<[email protected]> wrote:

>On Jan 14, 12:09 pm, [email protected] wrote:
>> On Thu, 14 Jan 2010 11:05:32 -0600, Morris Dovey <[email protected]>
>> wrote:
>>
>>
>>
>> >On 1/13/2010 10:25 PM, Larry Jaques wrote:
>> >> On Wed, 13 Jan 2010 16:13:59 -0800, the infamous "Lew Hodgett"
>> >> <[email protected]>  scrawled the following:
>>
>> >>> Quite an accomplishment.
>>
>> >>> It's summer at the horn with 40 kt winds when she went around.
>>
>> >>> Lew
>>
>> >>>http://www.jessicawatson.com.au/jessica-conquers-cape-horn
>>
>> >> My gawd!  Did you hear all the crap rattling around in that cabin? How
>> >> could she sleep, hove to in that?  Wishin'er luck!
>>
>> >Heh - I remember sleeping on top of a pile of ammo boxes and junk piled
>> >into the back of a bouncing jeep. You can get used to it.
>>
>> >In one of the videos, I heard the distinct whine of a servo, so I'd
>> >guess she's on autopilot and may be more passenger than crew on this trip...
>>
>> If you were a sailor, you would know that was a silly thing to say.
>
>Still a lot of work required, but it does alleviate the drudgery.
>
>What I don't understand is why single-handed sailors never mention
>that they're violating maritime law. Isn't it required that a person
>is on watch at all times? Obviously impossible on any sort of
>extended single-handed voyage.
>
>R

It's a long standing argument and both sides have some legitimate
points to consider. The colregs (Maritime law) are written
deliberately to be open for interpretation. They are not analogous to
traffic laws on land. The only time "keeping a proper watch" becomes
an issue is if there is an incident of some sort. Then, it may or may
not be deemed a contributing factor once you get to court. So, not
being personally on deck at all times looking in a 360 degree arc
isn't automatically a "violation" of anything. Even big commercial
ships don't always have someone constantly scanning a 360 degree arc
visually. "Keeping a proper watch" is open to interpretation.

I could contend that it is impossible for any vessel of any size with
any number of crew to maintain a proper watch unless they monitor
RADAR 24/7 in addition to any other measures they may take. Can
someone in a 12 foot rowboat or a 600 foot tanker keep a proper watch
in the rain, dark, or fog without RADAR? Looking all around with
binoculars when visibility is 100 feet? I'm frequently in situations
where I can't even see the bow of my own boat.

There are other things that may be part of keeping a watch. Listening
to VHF radio is just one.

It's absolutely not just about eyeballs. There are certainly special
challenges for single handing, but the big one, really, is getting
enough rest. Once you become exhausted, you won't be keeping a proper
watch of any description, and you will be far more likely to make
mistakes large and small.

On Jan 13, 7:13=A0pm, "Lew Hodgett" <[email protected]> wrote:
> Quite an accomplishment.
>
> It's summer at the horn with 40 kt winds when she went around.
>
> Lew
>
> =A0http://www.jessicawatson.com.au/jessica-conquers-cape-horn

That's dirty pool, Lew. I read the subject line, and "Hot damn!" says
I, "Gotta be Jessica Alba in a string bikini, or maybe Jessica Simpson
getting out of a car! Let's have a look..." ;)

It is amazing on a number of levels. I was a bit surprised that she
chose a 34' boat to single-hand. That's a bit big for a little
girl...what's that old saw about the relation of the biggest boat to
single-hand and the sail size you can handle?

It's great that she can stay in such good contact with the satellites
and intertubes.

R

On Thu, 14 Jan 2010 21:41:04 -0800, the infamous "Lew Hodgett"
<[email protected]> scrawled the following:

>
>"Larry Jaques" wrote:
>
>> I remember the time a friend's dad took us down to Ensenada, B.C.
>> Mexico in their 40' concrete-hulled fishing boat. The trip down was
>> nice and we did some fishing.
><snip>
>
>> After 2 days
>> down there, we cruised out of Ensenada harbor and hit the really
>> rough
>> waves. What the hell? They were coming at a bad angle for heading
>> north, so we headed out a couple miles.
><snip>
>
>Ah yes, sailing "uphill" from Ensenada or even Cabo, can be a very
>nasty experience.

The small craft warning (which we couldn't hear in Ensenada Harbor)
had something to do with our distress that day.


>They start the sailing season here on the left coast with the
>"Ensenada" race in late April.
>
>The race starts in L/A and finishes in Ensenada with some serious
>parting afterwards.
>
>When it comes time to return, many captains hire an "uphill crew" to
>bring the boat back to L/A.

I guess the partying has something to do with the uphilliness of the
whole thing, too, doesn't it?

--
The greatest fine art of the future will be the making
of a comfortable living from a small piece of land.
--Abraham Lincoln

On Thu, 14 Jan 2010 12:05:35 -0600, Morris Dovey <[email protected]>
wrote:

>On 1/14/2010 11:09 AM, [email protected] wrote:
>
>>> In one of the videos, I heard the distinct whine of a servo, so I'd
>>> guess she's on autopilot and may be more passenger than crew on this trip...
>>
>> If you were a sailor, you would know that was a silly thing to say.
>
>I'm hardly a sailor, since I've never crewed on anything larger than a
>Beneteau 34 - and have only talked with relatively small numbers of
>people about marine radar, GPS systems, autopilots and nav systems,
>sensor equipment, and sail automation...
>
>...and I'd welcome the wisdom of an experienced sailor like yourself in
>an explanation of why it's such a silly thing to say.

Use of an autopilot on a sailboat doesn't even remotely make you a
passenger.

On Jan 14, 12:05=A0pm, Morris Dovey <[email protected]> wrote:
> On 1/13/2010 10:25 PM, Larry Jaques wrote:
>
> > On Wed, 13 Jan 2010 16:13:59 -0800, the infamous "Lew Hodgett"
> > <[email protected]> =A0scrawled the following:
>
> >> Quite an accomplishment.
>
> >> It's summer at the horn with 40 kt winds when she went around.
>
> >> Lew
>
> >>http://www.jessicawatson.com.au/jessica-conquers-cape-horn
>
> > My gawd! =A0Did you hear all the crap rattling around in that cabin? Ho=
w
> > could she sleep, hove to in that? =A0Wishin'er luck!
>
> Heh - I remember sleeping on top of a pile of ammo boxes and junk piled
> into the back of a bouncing jeep. You can get used to it.
>
> In one of the videos, I heard the distinct whine of a servo, so I'd
> guess she's on autopilot and may be more passenger than crew on this trip=
...
>
> --
> Morris Dovey
> DeSoto Solar
> DeSoto, Iowa USAhttp://www.iedu.com/DeSoto/

The auto-pilot people are one of her sponsors. They probably have
telemetry right into their engineering office.

On Jan 14, 3:15=A0pm, "Lew Hodgett" <[email protected]> wrote:
> "Larry Jaques" wrote:
> > 2-way marine radio, internet (with live video?), email, at minimum.
> > Maybe shortwave, too?
>
> ---------------------------------------
> Toys designed to fail in the open ocean.
>
> Probably has radio contact with her base for scheduled check in
> purposes, but little else.
>
> Sat phones are still expensive and power hungry, so usage is limited.

Those toys are probably the only reason her parents are letting her do
this.

Some of her sponsors are a satellite communications company
Satsomethingorother, Iridium the satellite phone maker and Rutland
which markets wind power generators. I would also hazard a guess that
she has some solar power setup as well.

R

On 1/14/2010 11:47 AM, RicodJour wrote:

> What I don't understand is why single-handed sailors never mention
> that they're violating maritime law. Isn't it required that a person
> is on watch at all times? Obviously impossible on any sort of
> extended single-handed voyage.

In the couple of years I spent "at sea" as a young man working on
offshore seismograph boats, where we crossed the oceans of the world to
get to our working areas, I can't recall every seeing another vessel in
mid ocean that we weren't on a dead collision course with ... maybe not
maritime law, but murphy's for sure. :)

--
www.e-woodshop.net
Last update: 10/22/08
KarlC@ (the obvious)

Autopilots are better than thought. GPS has really made them functional.
And they are used for periods of sleep and rest. They can be checked up on
from time to time - and if an off course line is taken, soon it is turned back
either automatically or manually when time permits.

When I was on-island mid pacific - the island was 1.5 miles long 500 yards wide
and 6 feet tall over mean high tide.

Missing it was easy.

An engineer stationed there was a blue water sailer and so was his wife.
When his tour was over - she brought the sailboat from California to
the date line and equator by her self. This was in the mid 60's.
So GPS wasn't there - LORAN was.

Martin

Lew Hodgett wrote:
> "Morris Dovey" wrote:
>
>> In one of the videos, I heard the distinct whine of a servo, so I'd
>> guess she's on autopilot and may be more passenger than crew on this
>> trip...
> ==============================
> She has a Fleming (One of her sponsors) mechanical servo autopilot
> (See servo control mounted on stern).
>
> It is wind powered.
>
> Electrical autopilots are just not reliable for open ocean sailing.
>
> Hand steering a boat for extended periods is simply out of the
> question.
>
> Lew
>
>
>

On Jan 22, 10:57 pm, "Lew Hodgett" <[email protected]> wrote:
> RE: Subject
>
> As of 01/21/10, she as passed the Falklands and is headed for the Horn
> of Africa per her blog.
>
> Even in these isolated waters word of the events in Haiti have reached
> her as well as getting a flyover from an RAF pilot who is probably
> based in the Falklands.
>
> Lew

I don't think she's heading for the Horn of Africa. Her proposed route
will pass South Africa's coastline, the Cape of Good Hope, but the
Horn's too far north to be a waypoint. Tom

On Thu, 14 Jan 2010 12:05:32 -0800, "Lew Hodgett"
<[email protected]> wrote:

>
>"Morris Dovey" wrote:
>
>> In one of the videos, I heard the distinct whine of a servo, so I'd
>> guess she's on autopilot and may be more passenger than crew on this
>> trip...
>==============================
>She has a Fleming (One of her sponsors) mechanical servo autopilot
>(See servo control mounted on stern).
>
>It is wind powered.
>
>Electrical autopilots are just not reliable for open ocean sailing.
>
>Hand steering a boat for extended periods is simply out of the
>question.
>
>Lew
>
>
If more young people had her gumption to meet a goal I'd sure feel a
lot better about the future. Just nice to see someone so young driven
to meet their goal.

Mike M

On Jan 14, 11:24=A0pm, Larry Jaques <novalidaddress@di\/ersify.com>
wrote:
> On Thu, 14 Jan 2010 12:15:56 -0800, the infamous "Lew Hodgett"
> <[email protected]> scrawled the following:
>
>
>
> >"Larry Jaques" wrote:
>
> >> 2-way marine radio, internet (with live video?), email, at minimum.
> >> Maybe shortwave, too?
> >---------------------------------------
> >Toys designed to fail in the open ocean.
>
> >Probably has radio contact with her base for scheduled check in
> >purposes, but little else.
>
> >Sat phones are still expensive and power hungry, so usage is limited.
>
> If so, how is her blog being filled and how are her videos getting
> out? =A0Hmmm...

Messenger pigeons.

R

On Jan 13, 11:25=A0pm, Larry Jaques <novalidaddress@di\/ersify.com>
wrote:
> On Wed, 13 Jan 2010 16:13:59 -0800, the infamous "Lew Hodgett"
> <[email protected]> scrawled the following:
>
> >Quite an accomplishment.
>
> >It's summer at the horn with 40 kt winds when she went around.
>
> >Lew
>
> >http://www.jessicawatson.com.au/jessica-conquers-cape-horn
>
> My gawd! =A0Did you hear all the crap rattling around in that cabin? How
> could she sleep, hove to in that? =A0Wishin'er luck!
>
Have you listened to any of the 'music' 16-year olds are listening to
these days?

On Jan 14, 12:09=A0pm, [email protected] wrote:
> On Thu, 14 Jan 2010 11:05:32 -0600, Morris Dovey <[email protected]>
> wrote:
>
>
>
> >On 1/13/2010 10:25 PM, Larry Jaques wrote:
> >> On Wed, 13 Jan 2010 16:13:59 -0800, the infamous "Lew Hodgett"
> >> <[email protected]> =A0scrawled the following:
>
> >>> Quite an accomplishment.
>
> >>> It's summer at the horn with 40 kt winds when she went around.
>
> >>> Lew
>
> >>>http://www.jessicawatson.com.au/jessica-conquers-cape-horn
>
> >> My gawd! =A0Did you hear all the crap rattling around in that cabin? H=
ow
> >> could she sleep, hove to in that? =A0Wishin'er luck!
>
> >Heh - I remember sleeping on top of a pile of ammo boxes and junk piled
> >into the back of a bouncing jeep. You can get used to it.
>
> >In one of the videos, I heard the distinct whine of a servo, so I'd
> >guess she's on autopilot and may be more passenger than crew on this tri=
p...
>
> If you were a sailor, you would know that was a silly thing to say.

Still a lot of work required, but it does alleviate the drudgery.

What I don't understand is why single-handed sailors never mention
that they're violating maritime law. Isn't it required that a person
is on watch at all times? Obviously impossible on any sort of
extended single-handed voyage.

R

Holy moley, Ella's gotten knocked over four times! Hang on, Jessica!
http://www.youngestround.blogspot.com/

On Feb 9, 5:12 pm, "Lew Hodgett" <[email protected]> wrote:
> From her 02/06/10 blog:
>
> > Flying-Fish, Rubbish, No Wind then Lots of Wind
>
> Pretty much sums up her life these days as she heads for Africa.
>
> Lew
> ---------------------------------------
>
> > From her 01/31/10 blog:
>
> > Only 2000nm to the Cape of Good Hope. That's going to be it from me
> > today as I'm keen to get back outside into the sunshine!
>
> > Lew

Boredom is highly underrated. Tom

On Jan 13, 9:10=A0pm, "CW" <[email protected]> wrote:
> "Lew Hodgett" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>
> news:[email protected]...
>
> > Quite an accomplishment.
>
> > It's summer at the horn with 40 kt winds when she went around.
>
> > Lew
>
> >http://www.jessicawatson.com.au/jessica-conquers-cape-horn
>
> Very impressive. With determination like that, she will be successful at
> anything she ends up doing.

Not to take anything away from that brave kid, but I would like to see
a chart of her support system(s). She's far from 'alone'.

On Jan 13, 5:13 pm, "Lew Hodgett" <[email protected]> wrote:
> Quite an accomplishment.
>
> It's summer at the horn with 40 kt winds when she went around.
>
> Lew
>
> http://www.jessicawatson.com.au/jessica-conquers-cape-horn

She's my hero. Tom

On Thu, 14 Jan 2010 20:56:37 -0800 (PST), the infamous RicodJour
<[email protected]> scrawled the following:

>On Jan 14, 11:24 pm, Larry Jaques <novalidaddress@di\/ersify.com>
>wrote:
>> On Thu, 14 Jan 2010 12:15:56 -0800, the infamous "Lew Hodgett"
>> <[email protected]> scrawled the following:
>>
>>
>>
>> >"Larry Jaques" wrote:
>>
>> >> 2-way marine radio, internet (with live video?), email, at minimum.
>> >> Maybe shortwave, too?
>> >---------------------------------------
>> >Toys designed to fail in the open ocean.
>>
>> >Probably has radio contact with her base for scheduled check in
>> >purposes, but little else.
>>
>> >Sat phones are still expensive and power hungry, so usage is limited.
>>
>> If so, how is her blog being filled and how are her videos getting
>> out?  Hmmm...
>
>Messenger pigeons.

Of course. The ever-ready Antarctic Carrier Pigeon Service.

--
The greatest fine art of the future will be the making
of a comfortable living from a small piece of land.
--Abraham Lincoln

On 1/13/2010 10:25 PM, Larry Jaques wrote:
> On Wed, 13 Jan 2010 16:13:59 -0800, the infamous "Lew Hodgett"
> <[email protected]> scrawled the following:
>
>> Quite an accomplishment.
>>
>> It's summer at the horn with 40 kt winds when she went around.
>>
>> Lew
>>
>> http://www.jessicawatson.com.au/jessica-conquers-cape-horn
>
> My gawd! Did you hear all the crap rattling around in that cabin? How
> could she sleep, hove to in that? Wishin'er luck!

Heh - I remember sleeping on top of a pile of ammo boxes and junk piled
into the back of a bouncing jeep. You can get used to it.

In one of the videos, I heard the distinct whine of a servo, so I'd
guess she's on autopilot and may be more passenger than crew on this trip...

--
Morris Dovey
DeSoto Solar
DeSoto, Iowa USA
http://www.iedu.com/DeSoto/

Morris Dovey wrote:
> On 1/13/2010 10:25 PM, Larry Jaques wrote:
>> On Wed, 13 Jan 2010 16:13:59 -0800, the infamous "Lew Hodgett"
>> <[email protected]> scrawled the following:
>>
>>> Quite an accomplishment.
>>>
>>> It's summer at the horn with 40 kt winds when she went around.
>>>
>>> Lew
>>>
>>> http://www.jessicawatson.com.au/jessica-conquers-cape-horn
>>
>> My gawd! Did you hear all the crap rattling around in that cabin?
>> How could she sleep, hove to in that? Wishin'er luck!
>
> Heh - I remember sleeping on top of a pile of ammo boxes and junk
> piled into the back of a bouncing jeep. You can get used to it.
>
> In one of the videos, I heard the distinct whine of a servo, so I'd
> guess she's on autopilot and may be more passenger than crew on this
> trip...

you wake up fast when it goes quiet, once you get used to the noise.

On 1/14/2010 11:09 AM, [email protected] wrote:

>> In one of the videos, I heard the distinct whine of a servo, so I'd
>> guess she's on autopilot and may be more passenger than crew on this trip...
>
> If you were a sailor, you would know that was a silly thing to say.

I'm hardly a sailor, since I've never crewed on anything larger than a
Beneteau 34 - and have only talked with relatively small numbers of
people about marine radar, GPS systems, autopilots and nav systems,
sensor equipment, and sail automation...

...and I'd welcome the wisdom of an experienced sailor like yourself in
an explanation of why it's such a silly thing to say.

--
Morris Dovey
DeSoto Solar
DeSoto, Iowa USA
http://www.iedu.com/DeSoto/

Lew Hodgett wrote:
> "RicodJour" wrote:
>
> Those toys are probably the only reason her parents are letting her do
> this.
>
> Some of her sponsors are a satellite communications company
> Satsomethingorother, Iridium the satellite phone maker and Rutland
> which markets wind power generators. I would also hazard a guess that
> she has some solar power setup as well.
> ---------------------------------------------
> Didn't see either solar or wind power electrical regeneration on
> board, but an alternator on an 18 HP Yanmar would not be my choice as
> the primary recharging device.
>
> Either way, communitation with home base would still be on scheduled
> times.
>
> Point is there is no "Triple A" or 911 service at sea.
>
> She obviously has spent a lot of time not only developing a well
> thought out game plan, but also the equipment needed and her reqired
> personal preparation.
>
> Lets face it, she has been sailing since she was a rug rat, this is
> not just any 16 year old kid being thrown to the devil, but an
> experienced sailor.

Geez, you auld fartes. She's a teenager and it's the 21st century. She's
posting to her blog and putting videos on youtube. And if she's a typical
singlehander she has a wind generator and solar panels--people have been
circumnavigating singlehanded since 1898--this isn't something new or
novel--the technology to do it is very well established.

Regardless, she's crossed the Pacific and passed through the Straights of
Magellan. What have any of the folks posting here done that make them
bigger experts than she is?

Martin H. Eastburn wrote:
> Autopilots are better than thought. GPS has really made them
> functional.
> And they are used for periods of sleep and rest. They can be checked
> up on from time to time - and if an off course line is taken, soon it
> is turned back either automatically or manually when time permits.
>
> When I was on-island mid pacific - the island was 1.5 miles long 500
> yards wide and 6 feet tall over mean high tide.
>
> Missing it was easy.
>
> An engineer stationed there was a blue water sailer and so was his
> wife.
> When his tour was over - she brought the sailboat from California to
> the date line and equator by her self. This was in the mid 60's.
> So GPS wasn't there - LORAN was.

First, many boats will steer themselves for long periods without any kind of
autopilot. Second, wind-vane autopilots are nothing new--they were
commercially available in the '60s. Third, modern electronic autopilots
have been used successfully on many circumnavigations.

As for navigation, celestial worked fine for the Royal Navy in the late
1700s and for the US Navy in WWII. Loran and GPS and the rest are nice but
one does not _need_ them. Joshua Slocum circumnavigated using dead
reckoning and no autopilot. Someone attempting a nonstop circumnavigation,
in any case, does not need to find places, just avoid them.





>
> Martin
>
> Lew Hodgett wrote:
>> "Morris Dovey" wrote:
>>
>>> In one of the videos, I heard the distinct whine of a servo, so I'd
>>> guess she's on autopilot and may be more passenger than crew on this
>>> trip...
>> ==============================
>> She has a Fleming (One of her sponsors) mechanical servo autopilot
>> (See servo control mounted on stern).
>>
>> It is wind powered.
>>
>> Electrical autopilots are just not reliable for open ocean sailing.
>>
>> Hand steering a boat for extended periods is simply out of the
>> question.
>>
>> Lew

Lew Hodgett wrote:
> RE: Subject
>
> As of 01/21/10, she as passed the Falklands and is headed for the Horn
> of Africa per her blog.
>
> Even in these isolated waters word of the events in Haiti have reached
> her as well as getting a flyover from an RAF pilot who is probably
> based in the Falklands.

And Abby is off Saturday morning on her trip. Be interesting to see if she
overtakes Jessica.

tom wrote:
> On Jan 22, 10:57 pm, "Lew Hodgett" <[email protected]> wrote:
>> RE: Subject
>>
>> As of 01/21/10, she as passed the Falklands and is headed for the
>> Horn of Africa per her blog.
>>
>> Even in these isolated waters word of the events in Haiti have
>> reached her as well as getting a flyover from an RAF pilot who is
>> probably based in the Falklands.
>>
>> Lew
>
> I don't think she's heading for the Horn of Africa. Her proposed route
> will pass South Africa's coastline, the Cape of Good Hope, but the
> Horn's too far north to be a waypoint. Tom

Yep. Lot of people get Cape Horn and the Horn of Africa confused.

tom wrote:
> Holy moley, Ella's gotten knocked over four times! Hang on, Jessica!
> http://www.youngestround.blogspot.com/

And contrary to the doomsayers she's still under sail and her electronics
haven't died the death.

Good on her and fooey on the doomsayers.

On Fri, 15 Jan 2010 00:40:14 -0500, the infamous "J. Clarke"
<[email protected]> scrawled the following:

>Martin H. Eastburn wrote:
>> Autopilots are better than thought. GPS has really made them
>> functional.
>> And they are used for periods of sleep and rest. They can be checked
>> up on from time to time - and if an off course line is taken, soon it
>> is turned back either automatically or manually when time permits.
>>
>> When I was on-island mid pacific - the island was 1.5 miles long 500
>> yards wide and 6 feet tall over mean high tide.
>>
>> Missing it was easy.
>>
>> An engineer stationed there was a blue water sailer and so was his
>> wife.
>> When his tour was over - she brought the sailboat from California to
>> the date line and equator by her self. This was in the mid 60's.
>> So GPS wasn't there - LORAN was.
>
>First, many boats will steer themselves for long periods without any kind of
>autopilot. Second, wind-vane autopilots are nothing new--they were
>commercially available in the '60s. Third, modern electronic autopilots
>have been used successfully on many circumnavigations.
>
>As for navigation, celestial worked fine for the Royal Navy in the late
>1700s and for the US Navy in WWII. Loran and GPS and the rest are nice but
>one does not _need_ them. Joshua Slocum circumnavigated using dead
>reckoning and no autopilot. Someone attempting a nonstop circumnavigation,
>in any case, does not need to find places, just avoid them.

Average resolution for GPS is six feet. What's the average resolution
for celestial navigation, 1/2 to 1 minute? Both usable, point to GPS.

While we're here, HF has solid brass alidades for $26. now we can
navigate our big backyards! And their solid brass sextants are
$19.99, including a detailed 2-page product manual! Trust 'em? <vbg>

--
The greatest fine art of the future will be the making
of a comfortable living from a small piece of land.
--Abraham Lincoln

On Wed, 13 Jan 2010 20:58:17 -0800 (PST), the infamous Robatoy
<[email protected]> scrawled the following:

>On Jan 13, 11:25 pm, Larry Jaques <novalidaddress@di\/ersify.com>
>wrote:
>> On Wed, 13 Jan 2010 16:13:59 -0800, the infamous "Lew Hodgett"
>> <[email protected]> scrawled the following:
>>
>> >Quite an accomplishment.
>>
>> >It's summer at the horn with 40 kt winds when she went around.
>>
>> >Lew
>>
>> >http://www.jessicawatson.com.au/jessica-conquers-cape-horn
>>
>> My gawd!  Did you hear all the crap rattling around in that cabin? How
>> could she sleep, hove to in that?  Wishin'er luck!
>>
>Have you listened to any of the 'music' 16-year olds are listening to
>these days?

I surely try not to. Rap makes me miss Disco, and I truly hated Disco.

--
What helps luck is a habit of watching for opportunities, of
having a patient, but restless mind, of sacrificing one's
ease or vanity, of uniting a love of detail to foresight, and
of passing through hard times bravely and cheerfully.
-- Charles Victor Cherbuliez

On Wed, 13 Jan 2010 18:10:15 -0800, the infamous "CW"
<[email protected]> scrawled the following:

>
>"Lew Hodgett" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>news:[email protected]...
>> Quite an accomplishment.
>>
>> It's summer at the horn with 40 kt winds when she went around.
>>
>> Lew
>>
>> http://www.jessicawatson.com.au/jessica-conquers-cape-horn
>>
>
>Very impressive. With determination like that, she will be successful at
>anything she ends up doing.

Pray that the pirates don't get her.

--
What helps luck is a habit of watching for opportunities, of
having a patient, but restless mind, of sacrificing one's
ease or vanity, of uniting a love of detail to foresight, and
of passing through hard times bravely and cheerfully.
-- Charles Victor Cherbuliez

"Lew Hodgett" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Quite an accomplishment.
>
> It's summer at the horn with 40 kt winds when she went around.
>
> Lew
>
> http://www.jessicawatson.com.au/jessica-conquers-cape-horn
>
>

Very impressive. With determination like that, she will be successful at
anything she ends up doing.

On Wed, 13 Jan 2010 23:32:55 -0800, the infamous "Lew Hodgett"
<[email protected]> scrawled the following:

>
>"Robatoy" wrote:
>
>----------------------------------------------
>Not to take anything away from that brave kid, but I would like to see
>a chart of her support system(s). She's far from 'alone'.
>--------------------------------------------
>
>???

2-way marine radio, internet (with live video?), email, at minimum.
Maybe shortwave, too?

I think Toy's pointing out is that she has daily contact. The others
were totally isolated except for the harbors they pulled into to
restock or whatever. It's the total isolation which freaks out or
kills most people.

--
What helps luck is a habit of watching for opportunities, of
having a patient, but restless mind, of sacrificing one's
ease or vanity, of uniting a love of detail to foresight, and
of passing through hard times bravely and cheerfully.
-- Charles Victor Cherbuliez

On Wed, 13 Jan 2010 16:13:59 -0800, the infamous "Lew Hodgett"
<[email protected]> scrawled the following:

>Quite an accomplishment.
>
>It's summer at the horn with 40 kt winds when she went around.
>
>Lew
>
> http://www.jessicawatson.com.au/jessica-conquers-cape-horn

My gawd! Did you hear all the crap rattling around in that cabin? How
could she sleep, hove to in that? Wishin'er luck!

--
What helps luck is a habit of watching for opportunities, of
having a patient, but restless mind, of sacrificing one's
ease or vanity, of uniting a love of detail to foresight, and
of passing through hard times bravely and cheerfully.
-- Charles Victor Cherbuliez

On Thu, 14 Jan 2010 12:15:56 -0800, the infamous "Lew Hodgett"
<[email protected]> scrawled the following:

>
>"Larry Jaques" wrote:
>
>> 2-way marine radio, internet (with live video?), email, at minimum.
>> Maybe shortwave, too?
>---------------------------------------
>Toys designed to fail in the open ocean.
>
>Probably has radio contact with her base for scheduled check in
>purposes, but little else.
>
>Sat phones are still expensive and power hungry, so usage is limited.

If so, how is her blog being filled and how are her videos getting
out? Hmmm...

--
The greatest fine art of the future will be the making
of a comfortable living from a small piece of land.
--Abraham Lincoln

On Thu, 14 Jan 2010 11:05:32 -0600, Morris Dovey <[email protected]>
wrote:

>On 1/13/2010 10:25 PM, Larry Jaques wrote:
>> On Wed, 13 Jan 2010 16:13:59 -0800, the infamous "Lew Hodgett"
>> <[email protected]> scrawled the following:
>>
>>> Quite an accomplishment.
>>>
>>> It's summer at the horn with 40 kt winds when she went around.
>>>
>>> Lew
>>>
>>> http://www.jessicawatson.com.au/jessica-conquers-cape-horn
>>
>> My gawd! Did you hear all the crap rattling around in that cabin? How
>> could she sleep, hove to in that? Wishin'er luck!
>
>Heh - I remember sleeping on top of a pile of ammo boxes and junk piled
>into the back of a bouncing jeep. You can get used to it.
>
>In one of the videos, I heard the distinct whine of a servo, so I'd
>guess she's on autopilot and may be more passenger than crew on this trip...

If you were a sailor, you would know that was a silly thing to say.

On Thu, 14 Jan 2010 11:05:32 -0600, the infamous Morris Dovey
<[email protected]> scrawled the following:

>On 1/13/2010 10:25 PM, Larry Jaques wrote:
>> On Wed, 13 Jan 2010 16:13:59 -0800, the infamous "Lew Hodgett"
>> <[email protected]> scrawled the following:
>>
>>> Quite an accomplishment.
>>>
>>> It's summer at the horn with 40 kt winds when she went around.
>>>
>>> Lew
>>>
>>> http://www.jessicawatson.com.au/jessica-conquers-cape-horn
>>
>> My gawd! Did you hear all the crap rattling around in that cabin? How
>> could she sleep, hove to in that? Wishin'er luck!
>
>Heh - I remember sleeping on top of a pile of ammo boxes and junk piled
>into the back of a bouncing jeep. You can get used to it.
>
>In one of the videos, I heard the distinct whine of a servo, so I'd
>guess she's on autopilot and may be more passenger than crew on this trip...

Oh, yeah, most definitely. Nobody steers their own ship any more.

I remember the time a friend's dad took us down to Ensenada, B.C.
Mexico in their 40' concrete-hulled fishing boat. The trip down was
nice and we did some fishing. The bluefin and dorada (IIRC) were
running and we were using 5-gal buckets of gory, bloody chum and
something strung on a long trolling line. Anyway, they were coming
right up to the boat and we were hauling them in every couple of
seconds with unbarbed hooks. What a total hoot that was. I caught a
nice little bonita and was happy. Everyone else said "Ewww!", but I
preferred bonita to albacore at the time. We rode the autopilot down
the coast and the weather was great, the seas smooth. After 2 days
down there, we cruised out of Ensenada harbor and hit the really rough
waves. What the hell? They were coming at a bad angle for heading
north, so we headed out a couple miles. As soon as we got out there,
we could hear the small craft warnings from San Diego. There was a
large hurricane coming up Baja. We started heading for the States and
were riding these peaks and troughs. I went up and found her dad at
the helm. It was 26 or 28' over the water. What a difference that made
in the rocking motion from the deck! The peaks were over our heads,
even at that height. He told me not to worry, that both he and the
crew member were ex-Merchant Mariners and had plenty of time in rough
seas under their belts. Then he told me that the rough water had
broken the auto-pilot, that the crew member was attempting a fix. He
ended up manually steering all the way back. We all started thinking
about the concrete hull and the 2 miles to swim in those seas if
anything happened, and unsoiled shorts were not to be found anywhere
on the boat. It took something like 6 hours to get back. It sure felt
nice to pull into San Diego harbor's nice, calm waters.

The next ship I was on was the wooden-hulled Pilgrim. She pulled into
Oceanside Harbor and was offering working 3-hour cruises for $20. I
didn't even know she was going to be there so I jumped at the chance.
We got to hoist the sails (that's work, guys!) and climb some of the
rigging once we were at sea (a mile out.) Even in light seas, you're
really moving around on that rigging. I imagine the crew in the crow's
nest got extremely tired during their watches. You can do 12' circles
in mild seas! If you ever get the chance to go on a sailing ship,
_jump_ at it! You won't forget it. Remember, with Global Warming, we
may not see much free, liquid water in the future. It may all be ice!

--
What helps luck is a habit of watching for opportunities, of
having a patient, but restless mind, of sacrificing one's
ease or vanity, of uniting a love of detail to foresight, and
of passing through hard times bravely and cheerfully.
-- Charles Victor Cherbuliez