Maidentrip - Laura Dekker

[deckofficer]

It was a flight with a friend in his experimental plane if I remember.

[JPA Cate]

So, where are all the people who think they need to have $750k+ boats in which to circumnavigate?

Yoohoo to all you with less financial resources: Look at Jeanne Socrates' Nayads, look at Kay Cottee's Cavaliers. There are as many ways as there are cruisers to cruise the world, from Pardey's boats to Hawk, to Heart of Gold, and on and on and on.

Ann

[John Casey]

We liked Maidentrip much more than Wild Eyes.

BTW, for those who can't get Netflix where you are, just use a VPN client that allows you to select an IP address from the US, Canada, or another market that has Netflix.


Sent from my iPad using Cruisers Sailing Forum

[scarlet]

Originally Posted by Rustic Charm

'Flying recreationally' is not expensive no. It costs $124 an hour and anymore than two hours in such small planes becomes very uncomfortable. Taking three buddies, would not be recreational, it would require a private pilots license and the rental to something like a 175 C which the rental then jumps up to about $205 an hour.

My point was... is... even a $124 an hour is expensive for a teenager who doesn't appear to have a job. But, maybe she made money from her movie...

btw... my husband is ALL about planes, and when we went to Alaska a couple of years ago.. end of season, I treated him to an hour on a float plane over the glaciers. It was almost $400, and we couldn't afford both of us to go...

[crazyoldboatguy]

The admiral bought me a flight on a WW2 plane, an T-6 Texan. I think it cost about $400. I told her she was NUTS. I already have built several model airplanes that can fly - that's not a cheap hobby. I told my dear spouse that she was risking it big time if I loved it so much I decided I would have to have a full sized airplane along with the boats we can't afford.

It was a great flight. I got to do a wing over which was really cool. Beautiful plane. I love those old war birds. I successfully resisted the urge.

I doubt Dekker has to spend much - folks really take to her when they meet her and I have no doubts she has to spend much money on the adventures she is invited to join.

[Rustic Charm]

Originally Posted by scarlet

My point was... is... even a $124 an hour is expensive for a teenager who doesn't appear to have a job. But, maybe she made money from her movie...

btw... my husband is ALL about planes, and when we went to Alaska a couple of years ago.. end of season, I treated him to an hour on a float plane over the glaciers. It was almost $400, and we couldn't afford both of us to go...

She has a 38 foot ketch! Even if she flys once a week $124 an hour is peanuts compared with running a 38 foot ketch. I have a 36 foot ketch and I fly two seat Jabiru aircraft. By far, flying is cheaper. By thousands.

And good for you for purchasing him a trip on a float plane. BUT it's not comparative to what we are talking about. Not in the slightest. You paid for a commercial tourist venture, came with a pilot your paying for as well. My wife shouted me a half hour ride in a Yak for my birthday. That would have been around $400 too. But that's irrelevant as its nothing like what Laren did. I can hire (if I was qualified) a twin engine at our club and that's $580 an hour without an instructor. Again, it's not comparative.

[deckofficer]

What I have found most interesting about Laura (besides her 6th sense for seamanship) was her transformation from before she set sail to now. Her dad and her were looked down on in Holland, she didn't really have friends, and her whole life centered around sailing. Now she is comfortable making new friends, globe trotting around the world for the promotion of her book, and doing a lot of non sailing activities.

A few pictures of Laura out and about enjoying her freedom and independence. Does anyone recognize who she is with in the 1st picture?

[deckofficer]

A few more for those interested....

[sardinebreath]

Originally Posted by crazyoldboatguy

Sheesh, sardinebreath, she went flying - I saw NOTHING about her purchasing an airplane or paying for lessons or anything else like that. I bet someone saw who she was and offered her the ride - FREE. Maybe if you brushed your teeth someone would offer YOU a ride, but only if you are nice, young and cute like Dekker is. And didn't eat sardines…...

My statement didn't have anything to do with Dekker. I don't know squat about how Dekker got herself into an airplane. I do know a shyteload about flying however and I was responding to someone making the generic assertion that flying wasn't expensive. I get that you were just trying to be funny but it falls kind of flat when you respond to the wrong post.

[sardinebreath]

Originally Posted by Rustic Charm

'Flying recreationally' is not expensive no. It costs $124 an hour and anymore than two hours in such small planes becomes very uncomfortable. Taking three buddies, would not be recreational, it would require a private pilots license and the rental to something like a 175 C which the rental then jumps up to about $205 an hour. You only rent the plane for time it's operating too unless the club has sur charges.

Flying 'recreationslly' is far cheaper than owning and using a boat, it's cheaper than owning horses ( been there). Unless you go and buy a recreational plane, in which case you do so for convenience, then flying recreationslly for a sport is NOT expensive and is in fact one of the cheaper things you can do.

And flying recreationally is even cheaper than owning a car.. Think about that.

The picture showed Lauren in a recreational plane, not with three buddies. She may be learning to fly which is about $7000, Then $200 a year for the license, $500 a year for incidentals. That's a cheap sport. But, she may simply have experienced a flight with friends.

Yeah, I guess it's all relative. $7000 dollars for the privilege of spending at least another $250 anytime you want to go up for a couple of hours; to most people I think that's going to sound expensive but I accept that it doesn't seem that way to you.

[a64pilot]

Flying recreationally can be inexpensive
First buy an older well found aircraft, make sure your an A&P, with your IA so you can do your own annuals, and work at an aircraft factory so your parts are free

If you can't do most of that, we'll be prepared to pay

My little C- 140 burns 5 GPH of car gas and cruises 110 mph, so maybe $20 an hour to fly?

[Yowieboy]

Originally Posted by John Casey

BTW, for those who can't get Netflix where you are, just use a VPN client that allows you to select an IP address from the US, Canada, or another market that has Netflix.

Just for the record:
Unfortunately, you also need a credit card with a billing address in a Netflix supported country to open an account with them. So if you already have that, using a VPN client to access your Netflix account while in an unsupported location is fine, but to open one in the first place, VPN by itself is not enough.

That said, there are other sources...

As for Maidentrip, I also greatly enjoyed the film. I thought the most fascinating thing about it, besides Laura's evident love of sailing, was seeing how she grew into a clearly more mature and interesting person towards the end, as compared to when she set out. (Given the scale of her accomplishment, and her age, that's of course to be expected, but still... )

[crazyoldboatguy]

Originally Posted by sardinebreath

My statement didn't have anything to do with Dekker. I don't know squat about how Dekker got herself into an airplane. I do know a shyteload about flying however and I was responding to someone making the generic assertion that flying wasn't expensive. I get that you were just trying to be funny but it falls kind of flat when you respond to the wrong post.

There's flying and then there's flying. The folks here are opining about a young lady having the opportunity to do some fun stuff when folks invite her, someone comments about how expensive some of the stuff she is doing and then the experts come out and inform us of just how expensive it is. If we go back to the beginning we can be reminded that the flying she is doing is basically an invitation to go up in a plane for a ride. I doubt that was very expensive.

I have read enough of these streams on forums to see how the pattern develops. By the third page the initial comment from the OP is long gone and folks are into the esoteric fine points having little to do with the original post. All I was doing was referencing that.

And as far as the attempt at humor goes - everyone loves a critic.

[Rustic Charm]

Originally Posted by deckofficer

A few more for those interested....

I hope your not staulking her?

[Factor]

If you are looking for great stories in that genre, TRUE SPIRIT by Jessica Watson is a great read, I have met the magnificent young woman a few times, most genuinely natural and unaffected lady, with great determination.