CF Member Subject of Article : Boat Alexandra

[Adelie]

Originally Posted by daletournier

No one's cruising on $1/day, including this chap. . . .

And you know this because you’ve seen his budget or because you have reason to believe the $1/day was a misquote?

[daletournier]

Originally Posted by Adelie

And you know this because you’ve seen his budget or because you have reason to believe the $1/day was a misquote?

Haven't seen his budget. Do you really believe someone can keep a boat going while sailing around the world, particularly one that was so cheap , feed himself, pay the variety of fees one occurs etc etc for 1$/day without charity or outside assistance?

Can I prove this? Of course not. I struggle to believe someone can maintain a boat even at the bare minimum, sail around the world and live of $365/year for several years.

I have no issue with someone choosing help from others. But the cost is paided somewhere, it always is.

Think about it $1 per day, everyday for several years, you think that's possible? It's a goal sure, possible? I don't believe so.

[thomm225]

The first few paragraphs of the article do give you a bit of an idea that he is definitely doing it with very little money.

From the Article:

Every now and again you meet someone who manages to alter your perceptions, re-align your values and generally give your heart a good shake-up. Back in 2015 we sailed South West from Chagos, to Rodrigues in the southern Indian Ocean, a strenuous 6 day passage that tested our capabilities. After a thorough bashing we finally raced in to the tiny harbour on the island of Rodrigues, on a day when even the local schools had been closed due to high wind strengths. Frankly, I've never been so happy to arrive anywhere.


Next day, a small sailboat came in off that same angry ocean, with just one young man on board. It had no roller furling sails, not even an engine. There was no generator, no refrigeration, no fancy autopilot systems, no electric toilets and certainly few comforts below decks. The boat was simple, minimalist, in fact so basic I was shocked. It was not in great condition, but it got him there.

Sean D'Epagnier had just crossed the southern Indian Ocean in that boat, on his own, through some dreadful weather. Having no engine, he sculled his way into harbour with a single large sculling oar, settled in and lit a wood fire in a pot on deck, heating a meal of seafood he'd caught. Squid lay on the deck, drying in the sun - his means of preserving fish he caught by line or by diving.

There in Rodrigues we helped Shaun with some fasteners and glue, and a chunk of timber to make a new sculling oar. Then, over the next two years, we bumped into Sean a couple of times, first in the BVI's after crossing the Atlantic and then again in Charleston, South Carolina. Each time I looked at the approaching sailboat and instantly said to myself - that just has to be Sean.

He's an intriguing character, doing it his own way. By his own words he's interested in the weather, climate, mathematical algorithms and graphics. Very importantly, most cruising sailors already benefit from Sean's work - he's a member of the development team that produce Open CPN, the superb freeware chart plotting program (check it out here). So there is a lot more to Sean than initial appearances might suggest. Behind this crusty and unusually tough adventurer are a million stories.

He purchased his boat, a Bristol 27 built in 1973, for $1,000. She's named Alexandra. Departing California in 2011, he crossed the Pacific and arrived in New Zealand in 2012. There he became the subject of a search by local authorities, as his family in the USA hadn't heard from him for some months - it turns out Sean was fine, busily working his way around the New Zealand coast. Of course he didn't understand the fuss.


....he commented online about the cruising equipment that he considers essential - his list included spare sails, a sculling oar, a sailing kayak, a wood stove and squid lures. It's fair to say that most of these items are not on my list...

[Pete7]

I thought he said his aim was 1 dollar a day as a target, not actual. I too find it hard to believe but if that is a personal target then fine.

Pete