Unfortunate turn!

[beachbum]

This is my first post and I hope not my last.

I to leared to drive a truck by myself and did things wrong after learning, but 15 years later I still do things wrong. I have over 2million miles accident and ticket free. Was I lucky? Yes, just like the bums crew. Did they make wrong choices while sailing and the answer is yes, did they make it 3/4 od the way around the world? Yes to that, have I followed thier voyage, Yes. Would I do the same thing and the answer is No, because I'm my own man and would do things my way. Would I listen to others, Yes and No, it depends on the help being giving. Just like in trucking you don't listen to everything you hear.

As for most on this thread, have you did what they have did or as others have posted just armchair quartebacks without any positive reinforcement for thier feat. Myself I hope to one day do the things they and others have did.

By the way the only way to find bad weather on the ocean is to be on the ocean, therefore, not having experiance with bad weather isn't a problem unless you screw up. Plus how are they causing problems with other boats, since they don't sail with others, but by themselves.

[teamivey]

As I tried to make clear you know who you are. Er maybe not if you thought that that post was directed at you. Or maybe so..... I will do things different also. To even state that you would do things differently is fine. To charcterize them as foolish because they did different though seems foolish itself. But my problem lies with the extreme posters to this thread not to those who just engage in conversation. Just remember Pat is a young funny witty guy, not for everyone but that is ok. It seems kind of like Seinfeld goes to sea, to me. And last but not least it is just sailing, been done since people thought the world was flat and even before then. They will be fine and one of the few people on the planet who have made a circumnavigation. And yes they will do plenty wrong and laugh about it post it on their website and learn from it. Oh and be lambasted for it somewhere in this thread. But guess what they'll laugh about that too.

Sean

[Lodesman]

It's been a couple months since we've seen this thread, so it's time to dig it up
For all the Bum watchers, thought you'd like to know that Bumfuzzle is for sale.

[mudnut]

You could not imagine two people sailing around the world with no experience and a defective boat not to meet other people on their voyage ,and,with that lays the real story.Along with very good jurnalistic intent.Either way they were destined to feature somewhere.Latts &Atts,maybe,on the webb,DEFFINATLY,well orchestrated by someone but never by Pat and Ali.It was deffinatly a win/win situation for the person behind the mass publication of the final outcome.Indulge me for a wee second(Please).Pat and Ali did give their correspondence with the makers of their cat to somebody,they did raise their concerns and their intended plans to sail around the world,and clearly that somebody saw a story.There are heaps of people circumnavigating the globe without all this B---Shi-,but I would hazard a guess that they have been doing this for years,no story in that,most or some of these sailors have web sites to tell of their adventures.Bumfuzzle's for sale,Whoopie do,and good on Pat & Ali for acheiving what they,I think personally,wanted to acheive.But the real Question I think,Is,who orchestrated this whole story and for what perpose.The"Oh they made it",or,The "Oh they died at sea thru their own stupidity".For whoerver concocted this peice of jurnalism it WAS a definate WIN/WIN situation.Good on ya Pat and Ali,only Question I have is"Was Rhonda the tea lady/ or the jurnalist??".Mudnut.

[jzk]

Originally Posted by Lodesman

It's been a couple months since we've seen this thread, so it's time to dig it up
For all the Bum watchers, thought you'd like to know that Bumfuzzle is for sale.

Where do you see it for sale? They are about to cross the Atlantic. Are they advertising for the sale in advance, or is it for sale now?

[seafox]

it is a link on their home page.

[Alan Wheeler]

NOOOOOoooooooooooo!!!!!!!!
Who dredged the depths and foul hooked that back to the surface :-0

;-) :-)

I haven't followed that site for yonks. So they are still surviving huh!?

[Tropic Cat]

The website says the boat is sold. The "Bums" are looking for a backup sales contract. Apparently a few years on the boat were enough, but who really knows,maybe Ali's pregnant?

Rick in Florida

[Intentional Drifter]

Oh, come on now, Wheels. Just because they aren't conventional, whatever that means in such a wild assortment of people called cruisers, doesn't mean they don't deserve some respect.

They're doing just fine, in the Canaries waiting for a weather window to cross. Pat and Ali have had an absolute blast, learned a lot, haven't hurt anyone or been seriously hurt themselves.

Despite having bought a terrible boat and made some silly mistakes (which they readily admit - not sure I would do the same), they've managed to keep it together enough to get them 3/4ths of the way around the world and, from the looks of things, will likely get the last 1/4th, too.

They've put together great memories, wonderful pictures, and enough stories to some day fascinate a passle of grandkids.

I hope to be able to say the same.

ID

[Holding Pattern]

I probably shouldn't wade into this but...Their logs are not endearing to read. You're right, they seem to have very little appreciation... but then again I am an enormous Jackson Pollock and Grateful Dead fan, bizillions of people would wholeheartedly disagree with me. So, just because I appreciate something doesn't mean anyone else in the world has to. I do notice that their expenses are largely in 3 areas: electronic chartsmarinasWhat they spend on a marina in a month. $1489 in one month alone... wow.That is almost 3 months budget for us.And paying someone else to install/do their work for them.But I will defend one thing - their age and experience (or lack of)As an early 30-something Biologist from landlocked Ohio, I had zero exposure to splicing, engine repair, etc. It is easy to crew on peoples boats but when the shizzle hits the fan no one wants to take the time to show you how to change fuel filters, change zincs, or do the myriad things that cruising entails. Now, with that said, they seem neither humble nor apologetic about the unwillingness to learn (why couldn't they install their own SSB? why do they pay for so many repairs instead of tinkering themselves?) Maybe being independantly poor my view is skewed but...the best way to learn is put on the hip boots and wade in. If we ever have a problem that we're unable to figure out - if we go to someone more knowledgable we have never been turned down, they have helped us willingly 100% of the time. I am not too proud to ask for someone else's ideas - especially when they have 5, 10, 25 years of cruising under their keel.Pizza? If some dude in Iowa is willing to donate for me to have a pie out, I am more than willing to take their cash/donation. In fact,I'm hungry now, anyone willing to pitch in?When you're up to your ass in alligators its hard to remember your original intention was to drain the lake.

[southernman]

omg - mudnut have you been smoking some of that Aussie weed - everyone is sounding a little paranoid - come on give them a break - they didn't start out looking for a busted boat and media coverage.

They have done more sailing than most of the punters in here who yadder yadder on about sailing but I have to laugh at them as well - could you call it sailing or motoring around the world!! I give it to them having done a lot of sailing 2 handed with my wife this season in the Pacific - it's not the most easy thing to do - and to put it on the web that takes balls. I should put our stories and dairy up for you to read - then you would get some real laughs or scares like the time we missed a reef by a couple of metres in Fiji and it was uncharted in the middle of nowhere!

I think if we look deep at ourselves we are all a little interested in what they are up to and this subject has certainly polerised people's opinions and has provided hours of heated discussion so come on let's hear peoples take on this subject again!

Everyone is free to dissagree with me!! Southernman

[Alan Wheeler]

Missing an uncharted reef in Fijian waters by only metres is not bad boatmanship southernman. It's normal Pacific rock hoping. There's uncharterd reefs all over the pacific and you have more chance of hitting one than a container.
Now the real issue as I see it, is if you hit one and the boat sunk, could you find your survival gear like say, liferaft if it were painted grey. ;-) :-)

Notice the wink and smiley face before biting folks.
I am so over that fuzzle story.

[southernman]

love the grey bit wheels - funny you should say that but the original post made me survey everyone's MOB pole in the pacific and it seems that it is trend happening with some colour coordinated yatchs - painting their MOB pole the same colour as the yacht - white!! yep you'll really see that.

On the reefs yep their are reefs everywhere but acutally Fiji is pretty well charted and most of the charts show the reefs - this one was not charted anywhere and it was at least 20m long - my wife only spotted it once we had just passed a line of foam on the surface and saw a small wave a few metres from our stern. If anyone wants any info on cruising Fiji or Tonga I've just done the whole groups this season so I've got fresh info. If you have Maxsea I can even send you our tracks so you can go through those reef entrances at night!!

Southernman, I have stayed out of this thread for awhile, but I have to comment here. That is the most useful post that has come out of this whole thread in my opinion.

[Alan Wheeler]

Umm, but I take it you will bend that line missing the reef by a few ft won't you ;-)