Crew Wanted: Captain/crew and Boat needed - Puerto Rico - April

[JoshT]

Hello all!

I require a motor boat and crew for 1/2 days between April 13th to the 18th (sailing date to be discussed) to sail out to the deepest point of the Puerto Rican Trench (19°35'N, 66°30'W) where I will drop a small submersible (it's only the size of a soccer ball) into the Ocean and await it's return (via marine GPS) 5 to 6 hours later before heading back to shore.

The trip should take no longer than a long day (from San Juan and back) and I only have one other colleague with me - a cameraman. I have a budget but and I can offer other incentives to the boat charter crew on top of this.

Anyone interested or feel they could help, please get in touch to work on this ground breaking project. Much appreciated.

Thanks!

[engine1218]

That trench location is roughly 125 nm North of San Juan.

Assuming a loong 18 hr day, and 6 hours to launch and retreive your submersible, that leaves 6 hours travel time out, then 6 hours return. To travel 125 nm in 6 hours, this motor boat will need to travel nearly 21 nm/hr in ocean conditions!

1/2 day will not happen, full day quite difficult also.

More like travel out in the wee hours of morning midnight to 10AM, launch and retreive the submersible 10 AM to 4PM, travel back all evening 4PM to 2AM.

Just trying to give you a heads up.

[JoshT]

Hey - thanks for the stats!

Absolutely I understand it's a long day out at Sea or even an overnight trip. The submersible should in theory only take 4 hours but wanted to err on the side of what if?

It might be that we go for a different position, slightly closer to shore but still deep.

Thanks again!

Originally Posted by engine1218

That trench location is roughly 125 nm North of San Juan.

Assuming a loong 18 hr day, and 6 hours to launch and retreive your submersible, that leaves 6 hours travel time out, then 6 hours return. To travel 125 nm in 6 hours, this motor boat will need to travel nearly 21 nm/hr in ocean conditions!

1/2 day will not happen, full day quite difficult also.

More like travel out in the wee hours of morning midnight to 10AM, launch and retreive the submersible 10 AM to 4PM, travel back all evening 4PM to 2AM.

Just trying to give you a heads up.

[Hud3]

If you can believe Wikipedia, this is what they say about the deepest point of the Trench..

Milwaukee Deep, also known as The Milwaukee Depth, (19°35'N, 66°30'W) is the deepest part of the Atlantic Ocean and is part of the Puerto Rico Trench. It has a maximum depth of at least 27,493 feet (8,380 m). It is just 76.0 miles (122.3 km) north of the coast of Puerto Rico.

76 statute miles is 66 nm, so a motor yacht traveling at 11 knots could make it out there in six hours.

[Teknav]

...and...you'll be within the boundaries of the Bermuda Triangle...calm seas are NOT the norm there. Good luck in your research!

Mauritz
Fred Flintstones' law of gravity: "What goes up, must come down HARD".

[Rubikoop]

You might as well aim at a fishing charter boat that is designed for the potentially rough conditions you may encounter. It might be cheaper to rent a helicopter!!! I can't imagine the challenge of locating via GPS and retrieving a bowling ball sized gadget in big seas. I'd like to see that video. :-)

[JoshT]

76 miles is a lot more optimistic! Thanks. I've talked to a few Captains who have guided me but not have the boat to help me out....they all are positive and said it's doable though!

A helicopter is a great idea - I'll look into that. There will be a video to go alongside the project. I would share my website with you but do not think mods will allow it.

Thanks for the help and suggestions so far!

[Everestmaritime]

Contact Mike at

http://culebrasailing.com/

He can probably help you.