Jessica Watson's Round-the-World Voyage

[mt gay rum]

Originally Posted by paradix

This seems to have become something of an obsession with some folk around here. Since when has her progress been a secret? She has been regularly updating her blog with her progress in respect to significant waypoints (Lord Howe I, Norfolk I), her heading and her distance travelled, so surely that is enough to put a pin in the map of her approximate position. On another thread, people are criticising the kidnapped couple for publicly letting others know of their intended route. Jess is not in pirate-infested waters, but she has been in the proximity of populated islands and other vessels and is entitled to her privacy for both safety and personal reasons. Everyone who needs to know her exact position has her tracking data. Everyone who doesn't, has updates on her progress through her blog.

Thank you and could not agree more.. just people feel they have the right to exact way points on a daily basis,, when in reality they dont... Only time you need to know is when they feel it is safe for it to be published...Plan and simple.. Hell with all the electronics Panisonic has put on board id take me a month to figure it all out...

[paradix]

Originally Posted by mt gay rum

Based on her recordings shes right where she has been blogging all along.. boat speed must be pretty accurate... Glad to finally see footage... anyone see the footage on i think it is one Ten (one of her sponsors from Aus) footage on Jessica ??? any more info there???

Try here:

TEN Video Player: Watch Full Episodes and Exclusive Video Interviews

Unfortunately OneHD (a Network Ten channel) don't seem to allow some of their programs to be viewed online outside Australia for copyright reasons, so you might not be able to view it. However, the relevant footage will hopefully be loaded onto Jessica's website in the near future.
She will be interviewed again on that program (Thursday Night Live) tonight Australian time.

Is there any particular info you're after?

[mt gay rum]

thanks for the correction on one ten ( one HD),, no just enjoy reading about here voyage and now watching her footage and finally get to see fro myself what she see's ...

Again thanks and please keep posted

[mt gay rum]

Originally Posted by mt gay rum

thanks for the correction on one ten ( one HD),, no just enjoy reading about here voyage and now watching her footage and finally get to see fro myself what she see's ...

Again thanks and please keep posted

your right not available in my area but looks like the same one on her web site thanks any way...

[Ocean Girl]

Originally Posted by paradix

Hi Erika
Incidentally, you mentioned in the other thread that you thought her route was a very bad idea. Why was that? (I'm genuinely interested - not being defensive )

I am not trying to put a damper on this thread but I think the question needs to be answered. I think this is within the parameters..

Here is a quick excerpt from wikipedia. this really just skims the surface of the unique dynamics of the horn

Several factors combine to make the passage around Cape Horn one of the most hazardous shipping routes in the world: the fierce sailing conditions prevalent in the Southern Ocean generally; the geography of the passage south of the Horn; and the extreme southern latitude of the Horn, at 56° south. (For comparison, Cape Agulhas at the southern tip of Africa is at 35° south; Stewart Island/Rakiura at the south end of New Zealand is 47° south.)

The prevailing winds in latitudes below 40° south can blow from west to east around the world almost uninterrupted by land, giving rise to the "roaring forties" and the even more wild "furious fifties" and "screaming sixties". These winds are hazardous enough in themselves that ships traveling east would tend to stay in the northern part of the forties (i.e. not far below 40° south latitude); however, rounding Cape Horn requires ships to press south to 56° south latitude, well into the zone of fiercest winds.[16] These winds are further exacerbated at the Horn by the funneling effect of the Andes and the Antarctic peninsula, which channel the winds into the relatively narrow Drake Passage.

The strong winds of the Southern Ocean give rise to correspondingly large waves; these waves can attain enormous size as they roll around the Southern Ocean, free of any interruption from land. At the Horn, however, these waves encounter an area of shallow water to the south of the Horn, which has the effect of making the waves shorter and steeper, greatly increasing the hazard to ships. If the strong eastward current through the Drake Passage encounters an opposing east wind, this can have the effect of further building up the waves.[17] In addition to these "normal" waves, the area west of the Horn is particularly notorious for rogue waves, which can attain heights of up to 30 metres (100 ft).[18]

The prevailing winds and currents create particular problems for vessels attempting to round the Horn against them, i.e. from east to west. Although this affects all vessels to some extent, it was a particularly serious problem for traditional sailing ships, which could make very little headway against the wind at the best of times;[19] modern sailing boats are significantly more efficient to windward and can more reliably make a westward passage of the Horn, as they do in the Global Challenge race.

Ice is a hazard to sailors venturing far below 40° south. Although the ice limit dips south around the horn, icebergs are a significant hazard for vessels in the area. In the South Pacific in February (summer in Southern Hemisphere), icebergs are generally confined to below 50° south; but in August the iceberg hazard can extend north of 40° south. Even in February, though, the Horn is well below the latitude of the iceberg limit.[20] These hazards have made the Horn notorious as perhaps the most dangerous ship passage in the world; many ships were wrecked, and many sailors died, attempting to round the Cape.


So you can see why I wish she'd sail a different route. On that note, do you know what her storm tactic will be? Her vessel has a modern underbody correct? what does that boat like in those conditions? What is her capsize ratio? Sorry. getting carried away, just very curious about her storm prep.
Erika

[painter]

New guy here...

I wanted to comment on Ocean Girl's dire warnings about the Horn.

I've gone around Cape Horn eight times between November and July, so I can speak to conditions there to some extent. Of those eight passages, only one saw sea states and conditions that would have been a definite no go for Ms. Watson's Pink Lady (55 ft. seas, 45 knots). One other passage was quite rough (20 ft. seas, 30 knots), and the rest were actually kind of nice with 6 to 15 ft. seas, and 20 knots or less of wind.

That said, sure.. it only takes one big wave. But during the period she'll likely be there, traveling the direction she is, I think the odds are much in her favor.

It's great to trot out the Wiki quotes and all, but one has to remember that vessels of all shapes and sizes round the Horn during the southern summer, including many cruisers. It just takes a decent weather window is all.

Back into the woodwork for me.

[paradix]

Hi Erika

Yes Jessica is proposing a challenging route, but as Painter has indicated, it is one well-travelled. She is aiming to be rounding Cape Horn and in the southern ocean at the time of the year when conditions should be at their best. Of course there are no guarantees, and Jessica has always said that, if things don't work out as planned, then safety issues are more important than the "rules". I'm sure that she will make a judgement, with her weather team, about how and when (and if) to tackle that part of the voyage nearer the time.

Her boat is a S&S 34, and there is a wealth of information and history on the S&S 34 Association website which should answer any doubts about how it might handle better than I can. The S&S 34 has been tested in those waters by some notable solo circumnavigators, such as Jesse Martin, David Dicks and Jon Sanders.

Sparkman and Stephens 34 Association

I'm not sure exactly how you define a "modern" underbody, but you can see the underbody of Jessica's boat here:

http://www.gccm.com.au/pink/DSC_0077.jpg

I'm afraid I don't know the capsize ratio. Somebody more qualified than me on here might be able to help? Or you could ask on the S&S34 Association website. Jesse Martin took multiple knockdowns on his voyage with only minor damage to auxiliary equipment. I was told (but I'm no expert!) that Jessica's boat is designed to pop straight up again, even if it goes fully upside down (although whether the rigging comes back up with it is an entirely different matter...).

[Wotname]

Ocean Girl,
There really is no way that one can sail RTW unassissted without sailing around Cape Horn. The only other way to get past the Americas is the Panama Canal and it is impossible to transit the canal SOLO UNASSISSTED; so until the Northern ice cap melts, one has to sail the Horn.

[cooper]

hey ocean girl,
as a broad spectrum question......as applies to ALL sailors who ply those waters........The anwser is the same !
As to the boat, there are plenty of discusions on GZ curves and righting moments...I am sure that Uncle Gord has a million examples that he can provide, the internet has a stack of the various ....and probably one for this particular boat and model. it is interesting that other young round the world record challengers have chosen boats that have a some what less reliable set of righting curves....the particiants are older and male....

[GordMay]

FWIW: The S&S 34 from Carl’s Sailing Calculator
➥ Sail Calculator Pro v3.53 - 2000+ boats

Basic quantities
LOA 33.5
LWL 24.2
Beam 10.1
Displacement 9196
Sail Area 456

Derived quantities
Displacement to LWL 290
A medium value would be 200. 300 would be high (Heavy Cruising Boat) and 100 would be low (Ultra Light Displacement-ULDB). Boats with low numbers are probably uncomfortable and difficult to sail.

Hull Speed 6.59

Sail Area to Displacement 16.62
The sail area is the total of the main sail and the area of the front triangle. I cannot be sure that this datum was entered correctly for each listed boat. A racing boat typically has large sail area and low displacement. A number less than 13 probably indicates that the boat is a motorsailer. High performance boats would be around 18 or higher.

LWL to Beam 2.4
A medium value would be 2.7. 3.0 would be high and 2.3 would be low

Motion Comfort 24.01
Range will be from 5 to 60+ with a Whitby 42 at the mid 30's. The higher the number the more comfort in a sea. This figure of merit was developed by the Yacht designer Ted Brewer and is meant to compare the motion comfort of boats of similar size and types.

Capsize Ratio 1.93
A value less than 2 is considered to be relatively good; the boat should be relatively safe in bad conditions. The higher the number above 2 the more vulnerable the boat. This is just a rough figure of merit and controversial as to its use.

Sailing Category: Cruiser
The four categories are racer, racer/cruiser, cruiser/racer, and cruiser in order of descending performance

Pounds/Inch Immersion 873
The weight required to sink the yacht one inch. If the boat is in fresh water multiply the result by 0.975. If you know the beam at the waterline (BWL) multipy the result by BWL/Beam.

[mt gay rum]

Gordmay,,,, you are a wealth of Knowledge!!!!!! Awesome... Thanks..

[Ocean Girl]

Not dissing the boat guys, was just curious. I ask these questions to discuss it. I love to talk design/storm tactics, so that was all I was trying to do. I know where to get the capsize ratio (1.93 I think). I just wasn't sure of her exact design because I thought there were two different 34s made?? I understand some of the defensiveness due to the previous threads but I am not trying to plod over a well worn path on a closed thread.

Paradix, thanks for the pic, and yes, that is considered a modern underbody design. I think that is one of the best design for cruising (though I have a full keel ). She has made some good time, do you figure January/February for the horn? I only have the pilots chart and one chart of South America/the horn.

Painter- wow too cool! It is great to hear from someone with experience rounding the horn, What kind of vessels were you in? east bound? What was your highest latitude?You said november and july, so I am assuming not the time of year jessica will hit it? My mom passed the horn on her way to Antartica, she was on a Big 200-250 footer research vessel.

Wotname-I am not touching that with a ten foot pole

Normally, us sailors love to expand and even exaggerate the storm conditions or the size of the waves. The biggest storm I have encountered so far was in the Atlantic with 70 knots of wind and monstrous waves (though some days when I tell the story it shoots up to 80 knots ). Anyways, I have the feeling the horn is one place where exaggeration is unnecessary.

Does anyone know of her chosen storm tactics? weather windows aside, what do you guys think would be a good plan?

Erika

[sneuman]

My experience does not include high latitudes, so I can only guess. From what I've read, Painter is right, there are plenty of people who have passed the Horn in relative benign conditions.

But, as a whole, the Southern Ocean is going to be a huge challenge for her. The cold is going to zap her energy and impair her decision making. It's one thing to be out there in 30-40kts. in temperate climates, quite another in the Roaring Forties and Furious Fifties.

[osirissail]

Actually the north polar route is available for the summer season - a cruiser went through this summer. However it would add significant mileage and months as you still have need to circle Antartica. She could go through the Beagle Channel or Straights of Magellan but that would inside the territorial waters of up to two countries with the requirements to check-in/out. So her route is the only viable route from her home country.

[TaoJones]

Originally Posted by osirissail

She could go through the Beagle Channel or Straights of Magellan but that would inside the territorial waters of up to two countries with the requirements to check-in/out. So her route is the only viable route from her home country.

Any vessel has the right to pass through the territorial waters of a nation without checking in/out as long as no one on the vessel ever makes landfall. See Transit passage - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Of course, this does not mean that a vessel might not very well be stopped and boarded by authorities from the country whose waters you're transiting, and that would ruin someone's "solo" and "unassisted" standing, placing a big asterisk on their record-breaking attempt.

TaoJones