Jeanne Socrates' "Nereida" Damaged in Record Attempt

[JPA Cate]

If you Google on " sv Nereida + blog" you can read for yourselves about Jeanne, and the strife she's in off NZ.

Boat broached, water ingress, loss of solar panels and wind generator. Must be darned scary! She, herself, seems to be well and in fighting spirits.

We met her some years back in Hobart, and she's a tough and determined lady. One hopes she can continue on, but without electricity, and with the wind vane hors de combat, she may not be able to.

Wishing her well.

Ann

[Breaking Waves]

She is certainly tenacious.

If she try’s to keep going I will applaud the courage and wish her well.

But I think perhaps it is the right time to head for NZ port. There is quite a bit of important damage (in addition to that listed in this blog, mainsail has been inoperable for some while) and she is perhaps starting to make poor decisions from sustained fatigue/stress.

I know her also and she is not a natural seaman. She has learned a ton during her sea time, and really works hard at it, and does not give up. All essential characteristics. But it does not come easy or naturally to her, and that may make it increasingly difficult if the fatigue and stress have built up.

After she rounds NZ there is still a decent hike, and east bound in the pacific is not the easiest garden path.

But again...applaud her courage and wish her the best however she decides.

[model 10]

What an amazing person. She mentioned having fuel for her generator. How about a solar panel transfer like they did with her life raft a few years ago?

[JPA Cate]

Well, her record attempt is an unassisted Great Capes one, so she can't get help if she maintains the attempt. She either has to have what she needs aboard, or do without.

She did finish mending her mainsail, and got it on while she was becalmed, before this all came about. So, as far as I know (last contact was last week for us) she does have the main on, on the Strong Track.

It is really going to hinge on what she can do for non-use of electricity. That will mean no more ham radio contact, and using the gen set for power for the batteries. No idea how much fuel for the gen set she has. And, no idea if she has enough extra bits aboard to re-create her wind steering.

Ann

[Don C L]

Amazing woman. If anyone can do it I bet she can.

[picklesandjesse]

I hadn't checked her blog for a few days. This is a great shame. She has suffered a lot already. I thought she was already past Stewart Is by now. Better check it now.

[JPA Cate]

Last I looked, her position was near the heel of Fiordland, she wrote that she was 90 mi. off NZ.

[Dockhead]

Boy has she been through some adversity.



The story with the solar panels, incidentally, underlines why it is that I don't like solar panels on boats intended for strong conditions, however much I like solar power.

[Tillsbury]

I was going to ask why she was heading for Stewart Island rather than ducking up the east coast of Oz, but presumably she’s counting South Cape as one of her capes to leave to port. That’s hardcore - good on her. I hope she gets up the east coast of NZ ok then it should be much easier going from there onwards...

[Kenomac]

Originally Posted by Dockhead

Boy has she been through some adversity.



The story with the solar panels, incidentally, underlines why it is that I don't like solar panels on boats intended for strong conditions, however much I like solar power.

Solution:

Solbian deck mounted flex panels.

I wouldn’t want to be her insurace company.... if I’m not mistaken, her first boat sank fifty miles short of her destination on her first attempt.

[El Pinguino]

Originally Posted by Kenomac

Solution:

Solbian deck mounted flex panels.

I wouldn’t want to be her insurace company.... if I’m not mistaken, her first boat sank fifty miles short of her destination on her first attempt.

Flat mount panels not the best idea in high lats....

That said 'cold is good' when it comes to solar and most boats in the south have solar that you can 'trim to sun'....

However most boats in the south aren't rounding the bottom of NZ in May...

The only solar panel that I have lost to the weather went west south east in 35ºS........

Moving right along.... hard to figure what her plans are.... now about 250 miles up weather from Stewart Island....

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by El Pinguino

Flat mount panels not the best idea in high lats....

That said 'cold is good' when it comes to solar and most boats in the south have solar that you can 'trim to sun'....

However most boats in the south aren't rounding the bottom of NZ in May...

The only solar panel that I have lost to the weather went west south east in 35ºS........

Solar is good in cold places and is good to have in remote places, so one surely wants it for high latitudes.


But I still don't know how to mount it. A really stout arch seems to be the classical solution, but I hate them with a passion for all the windage and general kludge. A really stout arch would get them out of the way of green water -- is there another way?


I've seen a number of KM Yachts built vessels with the whole pilothouse coachroof encrusted with some kind of embedded panels. That would seem to be an ideal solution other than not being able to angle them. Zero windage; zero risk from green water. Because of the shape of the pilothouse, and the large quantity of them, you could choose electronically to use the ones which are roughly aimed at the sun. Not as good as angled flat panels, but maybe good enough.

[daletournier]

It's hard for me to understand the motivation of people like her and Web Chiles, what makes them subject themselves to such challenges?

Do not take that the wrong way, I have nothing but respect for them, they are made of different stuff, much tuffer than I am.

In a world that is full of many that have unearnt success people like this lady stand tall.

[daletournier]

Originally Posted by Dockhead

Solar is good in cold places and is good to have in remote places, so one surely wants it for high latitudes.


But I still don't know how to mount it. A really stout arch seems to be the classical solution, but I hate them with a passion for all the windage and general kludge. A really stout arch would get them out of the way of green water -- is there another way?


I've seen a number of KM Yachts built vessels with the whole pilothouse coachroof encrusted with some kind of embedded panels. That would seem to be an ideal solution other than not being able to angle them. Zero windage; zero risk from green water. Because of the shape of the pilothouse, and the large quantity of them, you could choose electronically to use the ones which are roughly aimed at the sun. Not as good as angled flat panels, but maybe good enough.

I have a well mounted aluminium arch with solar, so far its never been a problem and its seen some rough stuff including 50k+ around cape good hope.
I've never been in real high latitude stuff (and won't be).

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by daletournier

It's hard for me to understand the motivation of people like her and Web Chiles, what makes them subject themselves to such challenges?

Do not take that the wrong way, I have nothing but respect for them, they are made of different stuff, much tuffer than I am.

In a world that is full of many that have unearnt success people like this lady stand tall.

Well, many people feel that a really tough, pure challenge like this, gives extra meaning to life. So people do it for glory, but many do it just to find and push their own limits. I think I understand it very well. Good for Jean. How persistent and dogged she is. It makes her feel alive; I can imagine very well.



I would love to do the Five Capes, actually, but I'm not interested in glory, and not interested in the particular extreme challenge of doing it single handed. I like long distance sailing with a good crew of crack sailors, working together. If the boat is big enough, six or seven is a good number, so you have three watches of two people each, and give people time off when watches don't need to be doubled. So that everyone is strong and fresh even in challenging conditions, and you have plenty of strength and plenty of different skill sets to use to deal with whatever might come up.



I understand the appeal of doing it all yourself, but it's not appealing to me personally. It's just that much more dangerous and more exhausting. If I were to sail a trip like that, I would be looking not for having somehow survived it all by myself, but for having done it in a superbly organized way with an excellent crew, arriving fresh and happy and without any drama -- successfully planning and executing it so that there is no drama, is a different kind of a achievement, and I say no less significant, than surviving it somehow all by yourself, even if it won't get you into the Guinness Book or get your a gold medal from the WCC. But to each his own, and I greatly admire Ms. Jean.