Challenge: Youngest Goat to Circumnavigate?

[David_Old_Jersey]

Whilst away from CF.com have been working on a couple of projects..........

Seizing the spirit of the age, with youngest, fastest, first etc etc I have decided that rather than me sailing RTW would be a challenge to send a Goat around in my place.

The First and Youngest and Fastest Goat to sail solo RTW.

Obviously a couple of practical hurdles to overcome:-

I think the licensing thing can be sorted by making this a Non-Stop RTW, around both Capes. The Goat agrees.

Navigation is however proving slightly more problematical than I first thought. The Goat is ok when navigating uphill, but doesn't quite yet have a hang of the finer points of Astro. Not helped by being on our 10th set of Astro Navigation Tables...........

But the good news is that the Goat is a surprisingly able helmsan , certainly surprised me given the rather poor previous efforts at flying a plane. But I guess sailing is a tad easier than aerobatics.......

Given the advances in technology I think it quite feasible to hook up the autopilot to a chartplotter and plug 'em into a PC for remote access by me. The clever bit is rather than use an expensive satellite connection to instead use WIFI - the plan being to Zig Zag between coasts / continents as whenever near shore the WIFI kicks in and I can simply remotely set the next course. (Zig or Zag, as required). The Goat agrees, with the proviso that it would be prudent to also keep a sextant onboard. and 2 dozen Astro Navigation Tables, the lemon flavoured ones.......

Food - Apart from fishing, the Goat will be living on Goat Pellets. and these can be easily rationed and dispensed automatically on a regular basis in the Goat-o-Matic-RTW-Goatsailor-Dispenser ™.

I think that pretty covers everything (unless anyone can suggest any areas I have not covered).


Obviously some will say it is irresponsible to help a Kid acheive it's dreams of sailing solo RTW, but if you look into those deep dark eyes you just know that the Goat is ready for anything

The Challenge?

- Well, we need to choose the best boat to send a Goat RTW (Goat expresses no opinion on Mono vs Multi). Google (and WIKI) has proved surprisingly unhelpful on this subject .

- and of course we will need to name the Boat......

- and I was also thinking that a catchy slogan would also be useful to help attract sponsorship. The Goat suggested: "Goat on a Boat - RTW in 2010 - How hard can it be?", but I am not so sure as sounds a bit unprofessional........and not the image we want to project to potential Sponsors.

[Cheechako]

Hell do just fine, after all, many of today's sailers just interface the plotter, gps and auto pilot. His watch skills will be equal to most sleeping singlehanders. It will be mindnumbing for you to pre plan the circumnavigation and enter it into the electronics, but once done.... send him off and wish him luck! Now where to put all those hay bales...... so he wont eat the sails....

[edsailing]

For a boat name, how about

Nanny the Kid or altenatively Kid the Nanny

[speakeasy]

For SponsorShip, might I suggest

Say Goat Cheese Please!

Or the ever popular:

[TaoJones]

I had many misgivings about the young girls who were planning to set off, alone, amongst the hardened crews on the bounding main, but I'm much more worried for your kid, DOJ! Those deep, brown, soulful eyes, naively staring out at the world, will just trigger the darkest impulses of many a scurvy sailor.

But if you're determined to help your kid achieve his/her dream, then I guess I must be supportive. Perhaps we could start a new Forum here called Goat Afloat, where members could offer advice to all the kids with similar sailing dreams. Not a b-a-a-a-a-d idea.

As for naming the boat so as to attract sponsors with the deepest pockets, how about s/v I Kid You Not to get Comedy Central to offer free air time to promote the effort? Or, maybe, s/v A Bracing Adventure, since your kid is the perfect poster child for sponsorship by, say, the American Association of Orthodontists.

I am more than a bit worried that a lightning strike to the top of your kid's head could cause his mouth to be welded shut - perhaps you should look into an Invisalign sponsorship.

TaoJones

[Cheechako]

I'm thinking more along the lines of a Single Handing Salamander. They can go months without eating and like being wet. It could go in a RC controlled boat... possibly even a submarine. Costs would be reduced much... Please join the Singleanding SalamanderSociety ........Please go to my website : http// SinglehandingSalamaderSociety (SSS) and donate. Do you hear me Bill Gates....? Give an amphibian a life!

[barnakiel]

How rude!

[Pelagic]

Welcome back DOJ and as usual you have nibbled your way right down to the very root of this testosterone filled topic.

I think “Randy Pan” is an appropriate name for the youngest goat to single hand his way on a RTW non stop sailing attempt. (That name is a natural money maker via internet revenue to pay for on board cameras and other electronics,….especially from those armchair goats with a fetish for feta)

There might even be a full length film in all this footage…just think…. “Deep Goat!” or . “Two Horns around Two Horns”.

Critical for this sponsorship is a good boat name that reflects the values of those willing to put in serious money so as you say… we need to find a good name.

My first attempt is purposely tacky: “Kid you Knot” but I know we can do better.

On a small operational note, make sure you color code those food pellets to be different from the ones Randy produces, otherwise clearing quarantine will be problematic

Great idea DOJ and I look forward to other ideas on how we can make this happen

Cheers!

[Pelagic]

Tao... great minds think alike...LOL

[TaoJones]

One of the hazards of simultaneous-composition, Pelagic.

TaoJones

[David_Old_Jersey]

The Goat has asked me to pass on his thanks for all your positive comments .

But feels the boat name & slogan need some more work - although he does like "The Love Goat" logo. especially as he has indicated that once the RTW solo challenge is completed he will be looking to find his Soul Mate

On a practical note, the sail and / or goat poop eating situation are currently under active consideration.

In respect of Sponsorship, I have both alerted Bill Gates (bill.gates@microsoft.com) and the Goat has bought me a Gorilla suit which I will soon be wearing around the Island of Jersey - to raise awareness of the GoatSailor RTW Challenge and as my contribution to solving Global Warming - Youtube to follow

[Dune]

Just one question before you get the go(at) ahead with this endeavor. What happens when your goat boat ventures too close to one of those countries where food is scarce? I see goatshead soup in his/her future.
As to boat names I suggest Billy Boat Bluff The website tag could read...'Help Billy become the youngest kid to RTW solo.'

[Pelagic]

While you are getting your YouTube up and running just consider that their already exists some pretty good marketing material for you to use.

For Randy Pandy……Try casting your net with this one to see which sponsors swim in for a closer look

YouTube - The Great God Pan

[Fishspearit]

A Goat-cam so that students around the world can monitor his progress might help gain sponsorship.

[Dune]

Shouldn't that be a 'Nanny Cam'?