By Canoe, Alone, Across the Atlantic - DONE

[bobconnie]

Yea here we go again!! Look at the words used Stupid Silly Wrong and suspect cus 40 some miles are to many to have paddled ECT ECT Its the same thing armchair folks say all the time !! This is something I don't wish to do But I sure respect his having done it !!! and ya know what, way back in 1957 when I sailed a folk boat to Hawyee,they called me stupid also but it was a easy trip that I prepared for !! as this man did !! and in those days there were Damn few Con trails to follow !! LOL come on guys just cus you don't wanna do it ! don't downgrade some one whos LIVING his dreams!! OK?

[barnakiel]

To the technically inclined, this boat has a nice, fine foil under her very sleek body and there is a very fine BULB sitting at the very bottom end of the foil ... very cool.

One of Hungarian Mini (or Maxi, I do not quite remember) sailors/designers co-oped in having the boat built/designed. So, apparently, it is not only Tokai that they make very well out there in Hungary!

So, it is a rowing and a design achievement, (and one done 'with a little help from the sailing friends' - hallelujah!).

I like the part of this discussion where others have noted the 'how big a boat do I need...' relevance. There sure is one! But there is also one along the lines of 'how seaworthy'. (!)

b.

[mbianka]

Originally Posted by
;918651

1) You would have to ask the record authority (whatever it is for the rowing records) if and why the require a tracking system.

2) Yes. It was fast. But since people saw him departing and others saw him arriving, he probably just made it. 42 miles per day or whatever. BTW I am not sure he called at the Azores ... just have a look at the chart.

You may be right about all the publicity/records/world's first/world's best mumbo jumbo - there is a lot of it today. Just look at VOR website - how much of the "information" there is but marketing spam? No wonder others may opt to use similar publicity tricks - after all, they are all targeting the same niche of the public.

But, on the sailing level, a man with a paddle got into a small boat and rowed across an ocean. Full stop.

Hugs,
b.

barnakiel:

You are right he stopped at the Canary Islands not the Azores. My mistake. I'm not saying this guy did not do it. I'm just a little skeptical. I don't think I'm the only one. “We were disappointed he had no satellite tracking on board,” said Tatiana Rezva-Crutchlow, editor-in-chief of the society’s website.

1) He has no tracking device onboard.

2) He arrives 20 days ahead of "schedule"

3) Lost his electronics in a capsize? Hmmm. Did not plan for that or expect that to happen in a canoe on the Atlantic Ocean? Did he not prepare for that? No backups in a dry bag?

4) Was not able to contact passing ships. I guess carrying a waterproof handheld VHF never occured to him on this trip either? Or even a backup handheld VHF in a drybag?

5) His wife was never concerned after "communications" were lost? No need for search and rescue? Don't know many wives that would be that unconcerned if their husband's communications stopped while they were in a small boat somewhere in the Atlantic.

Yeah, people saw him leaving and people saw him arriving. I could say I'm heading off from New York for England in my 8 foot dingy people would see me leave. They would not see my friend pick me up in his ocean crossing Oyster (if I had a friend who had Oyster that is) Then sail over to Europe hang out for a few weeks and then people would see me rowing my dingy arriving in Southhampton one day. Of course I had no tracking devices on board and no communications not even a VHF radio. Would anyone doubt my claimed accomplishment?

I'm really sort of playing devils advocate here but, I'd like to see more proof than people saw him leave the Canary Island and arrive in the middle of the night in Antigua. He may well have done it but, IMO he was curiously under equipt for such a record breaking journey. Just sayin'

[barnakiel]

Originally Posted by mbianka

1) He has no tracking device onboard.

2) He arrives 20 days ahead of "schedule"

3) Lost his electronics in a capsize? (...)

4) Was not able to contact passing ships. (...)

5) His wife was never concerned after "communications" were lost?(...)

6) Yeah, people saw him leaving and people saw him arriving. I could say I'm heading off from New York for England (...)

7) I'm really sort of playing devils advocate here but, I'd like to see more proof than people saw him leave the Canary Island and arrive in the middle of the night in Antigua. (...)

1) he had a sat phone that stopped working when wet, this is, I believe, what his website says, I also believe this is what they do,

2) he set the schedule, arriving early only proves he rowed faster than his estimates, (we too arrived 'before schedule' and 'after schedule' 9 times out of 10 we crossed oceans, does it imply we did not cross them?)

3) apparently he did not lose the GPS, did he? what other electronics do you have in mind? an IPod?, I think an ocean rowing canoe is not quite so electronics-dense,

4) well, you have clearly not crossed Atlantic ocean on this route yet: a) there are not too many ships there (e.g. we met 1 on our 1st crossing), not all of them respond to VHF, do not ask me why,

5) and how many wives do you know that did row the ocean?

6) very far fetched scenario, not my deck of cards,

7) nothing stops you from contacting Gabor and asking him your doubts,

I am 100% with you on the way 'records' are set today in sailing (climbing, rowing, diving, to name but a few). If I were to organize such an event, I would too make sure all possible tracking/beeping and otherwise devices were onboard and I would twitt and update my facebook profile daily ... However, it was neither me nor you out there rowing and apparently there is more than one take on such issues.

And since it was neither me nor you out there rowing, I think spreading one's unsubstantiated doubts as to whether this guy actually did it is, well, not seamanlike.

Cheers,
b.

[mbianka]

barnakel:

I did some research and some calculations and have to admit my skepticism of Gabor's achievement was entirely out of place. Researching his first leg from Lagos to the Canary Islands he covered 640 miles in 16 days 40 miles per day. In the second leg heading west it makes sense he could do just as well or better with a favoring easterly wind heading in that direction. So he does deserve all the alcolades due him for his journey. Though I still shake my head about his lack of some type of tracking signal and some backup handheld VHF radios on board. He saw several ships but, was not able to contact them. All he had was flares. I'd be curious to see what he actually carried and what equiptment failed. Still an impressive trip. Makes me think a sturdy ocean canoe might be one of the better boats to cross an ocean with too. If you are young enough.

[barnakiel]

Originally Posted by mbianka

(...) I'd be curious to see what he actually carried and what equiptment failed.

Doh.

I too was surprised to see no active radar reflector nor AIS transponder. And carrying no tracker of any kind may make it difficult for Gabor to have his record claim approved by their rowing authority.

BTW an active AIS can be used as a tracker too - even mid-ocean!

We know from his website the satphone failed. I know there is a ruggerized unit out there but I looked up the price and I think I can understand why he carried a plain one.

Cheers,
b.

[Geoduck]

I'm thinking about fly fishing my way across the Pacific in my Cabelas float tube! I'll need a few guys to come along to take pictures and record the trip. I was thinking we could use my 6-man life raft as a base camp but I need someone to volunteer to tow it along, I only have one float tube so you'll have to get your own. I'll supply the pots & pans and Starbucks coffee!! Leaving from Anacortes this summer!!

[mbianka]

Originally Posted by barnakiel

Doh.

I too was surprised to see no active radar reflector nor AIS transponder. And carrying no tracker of any kind may make it difficult for Gabor to have his record claim approved by their rowing authority.

BTW an active AIS can be used as a tracker too - even mid-ocean!

We know from his website the satphone failed. I know there is a ruggerized unit out there but I looked up the price and I think I can understand why he carried a plain one.

Cheers,
b.

Barniakel:

I can understand him trying to save a some money and carrying a lower end Sat phone but, he should have at least keep it in a dry bag when he was not using it. It's cheap insurance especially when thats the only comms he seemed to have with the outside world. Hell, I carry three VHF's on board and an AIS is on top on my wish list and I'm not planning on any record breaking ocean crossings. I could also see a Spot unit in my future and I'm not looking to get my name in the record books like he was. A sat phone would be much lower down on the list for me. Nice to have though if you can afford it and you make sure it will work when you need it.