Sailing New England to Australia in February

[Coastal]

Hi Everyone,

I'm worried about these two Aussies (one experienced coastal sailor with his never been sailing 66yr old Dad) sailing out of Jamestown, RI this week. I'm not experienced but even I was alarmed when I read their planned route.

From Newport Daily News February 8, 2015
"Reg and Jason McGlashan spent the weekend getting ready to embark on the journey of a lifetime. In freezing weather, the father-and-son team prepared the 43-foot sailboat “Sedona” for their 8,600-nautical-mile trip back home to Port Macquarie, Australia."
“We’ve never done anything like this. Dad’s not even a sailor, but he’s a quick study,” said Jason."
" Jason recently bought the sailboat on the online auction site eBay, and since then the McGlashans have been working to outfit and prepare it for their upcoming 8,600-nautical-mile voyage across the Atlantic Ocean, around the tip of South Africa and through the Indian Ocean to the eastern coast of Australia."

Thoughts anyone?

More here:
Father-son duo delays trip back home to Australia - NewportRI.com l News and information for Newport, Rhode Island: Local State

Once in a lifetime - NewportRI.com l News and information for Newport, Rhode Island: Page One

[Pete7]

Oh my, North Atlantic in winter sailing in a SE direction against wide and tide

[Jack Lahr]

Savvy Newport sailors unite! Meet up with these people and dissuade them from a Fool's Errand. USCG folks might even pitch in.


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[savoir]

They won't make it. Something major will break, probably the mast. The boat is an ex racer so its rig won't be overly strong.

[Coastal]

Bloody hell guys. Ok, it's as bad as I thought. Let's hope they don't need to be rescued.

[StuM]

Who says they are crossing the North Altantic?

They may well coast hop south to Brazil and then scoot across the South Atlantic

(But that 8,600NM will only get them to South Africa, not back to Aus - they need to double it for the second leg.)

[savoir]

Even if they make it to Capetown they will be arriving at the worst time. The bad weather starts in April down there so they would want to leave by 1 March.

[JPA Cate]

^^^^Indeed, and sailing into the Australian winter systems, as well. However, we don't know what has been done to prep the boat, nor the experience of the skipper.

FWIW, it will be primarily upwind as a journey, into the prevailing SE'lies. One would want a well found boat, rather than a bargain basement deal.

Ann

[RaymondR]

The most common route for sailing vessels to Australia from Europe was across the Atlantic to the coast of Brazil then back across the South Atlantic to Cape Town then down into the Roaring Forties and across the Southern Indian Ocean to the southwest coast of Australia.

This was the route first used by the Dutch East India-men after they discovered it was far faster than the alternative across the northern Indian Ocean to Batavia and is the reason why there are so many Dutch wrecks on the Western Australian coast. It was also the route used by the grain shipping wind jammers which, after loading wheat in Australia continued home across the South Pacific and around South America and back up and across the Atlantic to Britain. The trip around the world via this route lasted about a year. The last wind jammer run occured in 1939 and they were discontinued because their cloud of sails made them too easy targets for German raiders and submarines.

I would imagine these folks would wander down the east coast of the US, across the Caribbean and down the coast of South America and from there emulate sailors of yore. Probably safer than the route up the east coast of Africa and across the northern Indian Ocean with all the miscreants who populate that part of the world anyway.

[olaf hart]

She'll be right mate.

[JPA Cate]

Oh, olaf,

You mean hold your wallet tight in your pocket?

Ann

[Mr42]

I wouldn't join them, but God knows I've done things just as mad...

By the time they're halfway there, Dad'll be more of a sailor than most of the boat owners I've met.


Peace.

[Mr42]

Oh, and they'd better have a good tidy up before they go...


Peace.

[stillbuilding]

Well it would not be my choice of a boat for comfort, but of course they will make it.
Two mature smart people can handle that no problem. Boat looks adequate if Spartan.
Sneak down the East coast carefully, across the PAcific and you are home. She'll be right mate.


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[Connected]

Excessive self belief can be a dangerous commodity in the wrong hands. I feel for the services that are called upon to rescue them. The quote from the original owner says it all. “They said Australians are insane, but this is a little too much for even them.”



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