How is this Supposed to Work ?

[aegean adrift]

Fantastic Voyage - Saga Magazine

"In January an 84-year-old adventurer will set out on a rudimentary raft made with industrial plastic pipes on a 60-day, 2,800-mile voyage across the Atlantic."

[swagman]

He is being helpful - starting a training exercise for the emergency services.

John

[MarkJ]

Maybe its that goose who wrote on here he wanted to go around the UK on a raft.
we encouraged him too much!!

I am glad I am going this month and not in January. I would hate to read the headline: "Beneteau Splatters Geriatrics on Raft!"

"Gas Pipes for Sale - Apply Sea Life"

[SaucySailoress]

What a cool dude!! Total respect for that man!!

"He is, after all, 84 years old, with a gammy leg and still recovering from a near-fatal car accident. And he is planning to sail nearly 3,000 miles across the Atlantic with three other men in their later years. On a raft made of gas pipes."

Near fatal accidents do indeed change your perspective and willingness to get up and go. Admittedly, telling my boss to F&*# Off (after my accident screwed up my hormones) might not have been such a great idea, but now I feel so free, and eager to live life to the full!

How do I find this guy and cheer him on? Looking up an A.Smith in West London - not easy!

[MarkJ]

Originally Posted by Saucy Sailoress

Near fatal accidents do indeed change your perspective and willingness to get up and go.

He probably caused the accident and the 'near fatal' was probably the injuries he caused some innocent motorist.

Originally Posted by Saucy Sailoress

telling my boss to F&*# Off (after my accident screwed up my hormones

I rest my case in pieces.

[swagman]

Fully agree - a real dude.
As Londons only just up the road from me, and I know his full name (Charlie Arthur Smith Herringbone - our nickname is CASH), why not show your support by sending me a reasonably sized money order?
Use his nickname - I will pass it on. Honest ;-)
JOHN

[Hud3]

Steve Callahan did it in a life raft in 76 days, though not on purpose.

Amazon.com: Adrift: Seventy-six Days Lost at Sea (9780618257324): Steven Callahan: Books: Reviews, Prices & more

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by MarkJ

He probably caused the accident and the 'near fatal' was probably the injuries he caused some innocent motorist.
I rest my case in pieces.

Man your harsh....
but then a lotta folks said the same about the 'Kon Tiki' experiment...
Anyone gonna recommend minimum equipment.. C/P's. EPIRB's, Liferafts, Watermakers, Radar etc....

[SailFastTri]

From the article: "Well, the sharks aren’t going to be a problem because none of us is going to swim. And the storms and big waves shouldn’t be too bad because we’re going at the best time of year. And the reefs the other side will be treacherous, but we’ll be famous by then and there’ll be welcoming parties helping to guide us through the channels…” "“Why a raft? Because it’s interesting and it’s safe and it’s easy,” he says. Rafts, he says, are stable, impossible to overturn, surprisingly easy to steer and have a remarkable safety record."

Anyone know of anything that is "impossible" to overturn at sea? I guess we should just delete all the mono-vs.-multi threads

BTW I wasn't aware January was the best time of year to be in the North Atlantic. Hope he doesn't succumb to the heat or go crazy from boredom.

[David_Old_Jersey]

Some more details:-

Adventurer, 84, to cross Atlantic on raft - Telegraph

And he has a website (obviously - no bikini though. not yet )

An-Tiki


and a donate now link

[boatman61]

Ahh.... now that does look like it'll make it ok... and he IS a 'cool dude'....
Good on him...

[Blue Stocking]

Now lets analyse this endeavour:

Narrowly escaped death as a fighter pilot in WW2
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" by freezing in an updraft
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" by dissolving in a caustic lake.
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" in a vehicle accident
Cant rent a car in some EU states
Finds the North Atlantic safe in January
Says a raft is easy to steer.

IMHO the only relevent question is "What color is the pipe"

Ballsfuzzle blog ???????

[boatman61]

Narrowly escaped death as a fighter pilot in WW2 = Skilled successful pilot
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" by freezing in an updraft = Resourceful
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" by dissolving in a caustic lake. = Agile
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" in a vehicle accident = Good reactions
Cant rent a car in some EU states = Neither can I
Finds the North Atlantic safe in January = Some parts are... it goes a long way South...
Says a raft is easy to steer. = Most things are down wind

IMHO the only relevent question is "What color is the pipe" = Blue and Yellow

[Mark1977]

W.T.H There are cheaper ways to be buried at sea.

[bljones]

You read the article and realize this is a man who, on land, has had to stop living life on his own terms. This raft trip is ingenious- if he succeeds, he's a hero and an inspiration, if he fails, he went out on his own terms, instead of dying a day at a time in a flat where he no longer has control of his own life.


If i manage to make it into my dotage, i want to be just like him. Except for the car accidents.