Re: Solo Cir***navigation

"Calif Bill" <bmckeespam@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote in message 
news:366dnb4Shpc4v8XVnZ2dnUVZ_qTinZ2d@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>
> "Wilbur Hubbard" <wilburhubbard@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote in message 
> news:485804ca$0$203$892e0abb@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>>
>> "Scott ***ton" <no@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote in message 
>> news:MPG.22bf8c85f21449b69896a0@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>>> Zac departed on leg 1 of his quest this weekend:
>>>
>>> http://www.zacsunderland.com/blog/2008_06_14_archive.html
>>>
>>> I'll be keeping an eye on this.  What an experience this will be for
>>> him.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Green with envy,
>>>
>>> Scott ***ton
>>
>>
>> He's only two days out and already he's having problems with the wind 
>> vane. Can you say untried steering system? Can you say poor
preparation? 
>> Can you say he never sailed with it before because he doesn't seem to 
>> understand it?
>>
>> From the website:
>>
>> "On a positive note, all power and charging has been amazingly good. I
am 
>> running my fridge, computers, radio and charging Sat phone and ipods
and 
>> have more than enough power. Thanks again Mike!! My power is being 
>> generated entirely by solar panels and a wind generator so this is
really 
>> good news. Have had some trouble with the self steering wind vane. Not 
>> sure if it is just me??? Will press on with this."
>>
>>
>> And he's running a fridge and everything else off a wind generator and 
>> solar panels. He has limited solar panel power (looks like about six
amps 
>> high noon) and his crummy wind generator only produces four or five
amps. 
>> The kid sounds clueless when it comes to electricity.
>>
>> The result of this is not enough power available for everything he
wants 
>> to run. If he's smart he'll turn off the fridge and hope for the best. 
>> Otherwise he'll have to run his engine an hour or two or three a day
and 
>> there goes his fuel after about a month.
>>
>> It's your typical publicity stunt. He's not serious. He's not
qualified. 
>> His priority seems to be to broadcast his blog when his priority should

>> be about the basics of the voyage. He needs to loose the gimmicky crap 
>> and concentrate on the real job at hand but first he needs to
understand 
>> what the real job at hand is. For him it's, at this point, just a game.

>> He'll soon learn how wrong he is provided he survives.
>>
>> Notice how there is no re****t for the 17th yet. Can it be his
electronics 
>> have already gone on the fritz? Probably. Stupid kid, turn around and
go 
>> home before you get yourself killed!
>>
>> Wilbur Hubbard
>>
>
> Do not know that much about an Island 36, but my father in law had an 
> Islander 30 mk ll and even though was a very nice sailboat, was not one 
> for long range cruising.  Was a good boat for San Francisco bay and
maybe 
> cruising down to Santa Cruz.


The 36s are nice boats, well-made, and offshore capable if set up properly

(all things being equal). I think a 30 footer for most boats would be the 
minimum size for venturing off the Pacific Coast for anything approaching 
serious cruising mode. As you say, from SF to Santa Cruz would be fine.
Not 
to mention stowage considerations, every day you're offshore with crew,
the 
boat gets a foot shorter. :)

-- 
"j" ganz @[EMAIL PROTECTED]