Offshore Sailor Needs Advice

[Pelagic]

Originally Posted by eyschulman

Why would anyone in there RIGHT MIND choose to sail alone or even in company across oceans.

Why? ....to get to the other side of course....

[highseas]

There are some sailors who actually like being at sea,maybe even alone.Bernard Moitessier was one such person.He was in a right mind and nor was he seeking glory.

[GordMay]

Ronnie writes (posted today) < Open Blue Horizon >:

“... My fate has been sealed, at least for now it would seem, that I will for sure leave Hong Kong on a mountain bike. Having been re-taught that preparation is everything, during my ill fated trip to Hawaii, I plan to put in a lot of hard work over the next two months, and leave Hong Kong having been fully well prepared and focused for the trip ahead, on January 1. I intend to take a few days and ride into China a couple hundred miles and back some time in December. ...”

[Pelagic]

Originally Posted by highseas

There are some sailors who actually like being at sea,maybe even alone.Bernard Moitessier was one such person.He was in a right mind and nor was he seeking glory.

Actually Bernard admits himself that he went a little bit crazy in his book ...the Long Way... especially when the sea birds started to answer him...

[Wotname]

I have refrained from posting this but now others have brought up Bernard Moitessier, I would like to remind some of us the Bernard himself lost a few of his boats in his early days.

Sure the circumstances are somewhat different but the fact remains he was shipwrecked at least twice (IIRC) before becoming a sailing legend.

[Pelagic]

-BM was a great sailor who built and sailed his own boats in Indonesia before setting off on his solo adventures.

-He was a great sailor before he started writing his books and at a time when DR and an occasional fix was what you got and meat was obtained with a slingshot or a rifle.

I hope you are not comparing with our friend Ronnie who cried for help after the first few hundred miles. That would be an injustice.

[Wotname]

I concur that a direct comparison would certainly be an injustice to BM.

One point I am making is that sometimes we forget that "legends" had sometimes steep learning curves and suffered significant defeats. Events that in the moment would rightly be considered failures. That they didn't give up after such failures is possibly how they learned, progressed and became legends.

Another point is that it is possible that the occasional person (like Ronnie) might be one of our future legends even though it may not seem likely at this point in time.

However I am not suggesting that Ronnie himself will become a legend that could fill BM shoes (not that BM wore shoes all that often as I understand )

Nor am I suggesting that Ronnie won't become a legend; it is just too early to tell.

I am suggesting that just because Ronnie bit off more than he could chew and in many senses failed in his stated mission, this doesn't preclude him from perhaps becoming a legend some day.

[Capt. Dan]

According to his most recent posts It would appear that Ronnie is far more likely to become a legend of bicycling than sailing.

[Amgine]

A bicycle is merely a much less expensive mode of transportation than a sailboat. I believe it's been less than a month since Ronnie lost his boat and it's going to take time to rebuild the kitty enough to replace it. (Although I know of a nearly sail-away Alberg 30 in cream-puff condition for $10k, so maybe it won't take too long. Burger-flipping or grocery-bagging could get that boat in a year of focused saving.)

However, biking across Asia, Middle East, and then boat bumming through the Med and the transat would be adventurous and give Ronnie mentoring under different captains in sailing before landing him in the home of the sunbleached ex-charter yachts. Just one of many ideas I'm sure he's considering.

[Capt. Dan]

How is that uncalled for? He said he has purchased a bike and will ride to Spain. That pretty much takes care of the "sailing around the world" part of his story and it is now a bicycle adventure that will likely be just as interesting to follow.

[Amgine]

Ronnie hasn't suggested he's done with the sailing cruise around the world. This trip could be seen as similar to Graham's meander into the Australian outback (by plane/train), any of the Pardey's sightseeing trips like their European ventures by motorcycle, or my own carrying of a road bike when sailing to take tours where I get to.

Personally I see it as an attempt to see China as long as he's there, and try to raise funds via sponsorship because he probably cannot work in the country.

[Capt. Dan]

Now I'm confused. In his most recent post he stated that he purchased a bike, planned to do some rides in China and then ride fronm Hong Kong to Spain. Where is the "sailing cruise aronnd the world" part? Not trying to be difficult, nor diminishing the magnitude of his new challenge, just going by Ronnie's words

[imagine2frolic]

He's young, and probably with very limited funds. Sounds to me like he will open what ever door there is a knock on. I don't blame him one bit for just seeing what he can see. He can always return to sailing in any given destination at any given time. Kind of like Webb Chiles?

[Amgine]

Actually, I hadn't noticed the phrase 'to Spain'... But, looking at the bike, you and I both know he's not going to get to Spain on that ride. Even with fatty slicks. Might be a good choice for some stretches of the trip though.

::shrug:: Even so, there's the Atlantic to get across. The eastern archipelago and the Indian Ocean aren't great places for a beginner on his own, but the Atlantic westabout from Europe should be do-able on somebody else's boat.

[Capt. Dan]

Amgine, I asked him about the bike choice on his blog and suggested he consider a touring or cyclecross bike. He seems to think that parts won't be as available on his route and that he is more comfortable riding a mountain bike. I think he's making a mistake, a mountain bike has a tremendous amout of rolling resistance when compared to a road bike, he will likely come to regret his decision, but he has a tendency to get his mind set.