My Message in a Bottle, Found

[leftbrainstuff]

Originally Posted by Wendi

While I was crossing the Atlantic with the ARC, I wrote messages in about 10 wine bottles. I tossed them at different points, but all before the halfway point. So at least 1500 miles away from land.
I just got a call from a man in Florida who was fishing 20 miles offshore. He saw some fish huddled around my bottle and he picked it up! It had some barnacles on it and he read my note and called me.

I am quite giddy about having the first bottle found. The rest are making their way to landfall soon! It was 8 months ago that I tossed overboard.
I guess the fish were enjoying it on it's way.

Fantastic. Your own 6 degrees experiment is off and running.

Sent from my GT-I9300 using Cruisers Sailing Forum mobile app

[LakeSuperior]

Originally Posted by Wendi

I am getting good at getting crapped on around here. Everyone's got opinions. When I bought my Lagoon last October and got on this forum (which I have been a member of for years) to express my excitement about getting into the ARC at the last minute, AND getting my dreamboat, I got a big old crapload of crap. Apparently I had no business buying a sailboat and crossing the Atlantic with the ARC. Sailors are so weird sometimes.

Everyone does things their own way, as did I. It all came together by the start date for the ARC. My bad luck however, was being on the hardest Atlantic ARC crossing in their 20 years of crossings. Hard. But good, because now there is not much that will scare me. At least not more than that.

Wendi - Well, I was one of the guys that "crapped" on you wrt to a short notice ARC crossing on a new boat (to you and onboard for 2 weeks before leaving?) and relative to your experience level.

So how did rush to make the ARC work for you. Based on your own accounts, police down to the boat to throw your crew off. Midnight confrontations in the middle of the ocean, a ton of interpersonal anguish while trapped in a small place with an unstable crew. Not my idea of cruising.

Which BTW could have ended way worse and would not have happened with measured planning and preparation. You made across and showed us that cautioned you but IMHO you paid a high price to say you made it.

[DaveC]

Originally Posted by LakeSuperior

Wendi - Well, I was one of the guys that "crapped" on you wrt to a short notice ARC crossing on a new boat (to you and onboard for 2 weeks before leaving?) and relative to your experience level.

So how did rush to make the ARC work for you. Based on your own accounts, police down to the boat to throw your crew off. Midnight confrontations in the middle of the ocean, a ton of interpersonal anguish while trapped in a small place with an unstable crew. Not my idea of cruising.

Which BTW could have ended way worse and would not have happened with measured planning and preparation. You made across and showed us that cautioned you but IMHO you paid a high price to say you made it.

The problem with any long distance voyage is that you never know your crew's true personality until your a few days into the trip. If you're only a hundred miles from shore when their true personalities come out, you have the option of a day's worth of sailing to port to kick them off. If you're 1500 miles from shore, you're stuck with them for at least two more weeks.

No amount of planning will help you determine the true personality of your crew if they are new to you. You just interview them and try to make your best judgement.

[Blue Skye]

You win LakeSuperior, she should have never joined the Arc and gained that experience I'm 100% positive if she could do it all over again, she would have listened to you and stayed home

Seriously though, many of the very experienced sailors here have written about bad crew, they are no doubt wiser after experiencing it.

[smj]

Originally Posted by DaveC

The point of this thread was a sailor was posting that they were excited that a message that they put in a bottle was found. It then got hijacked by a few self-righteous people that turned the simple, fun thread into political and legal BS.

First off, I'm quite certain that the organization's committee was simply stating the law about what was or was not legal to toss over so that none of their contestants would violate the law. I doubt they were trying to "authorize" or promote littering. Really??

Secondly, nobody likes to see litter in the water. Discarded waste? Who wants to see that? As sailors more than anyone I think that most of us despise littering and do our best not to, and to clean up other litter we see. But a bottle with a message in it isn't litter. It's serving a little purpose, to see if someone finds it. Kind of like all the plastic, wooden, and metal bottles that we are all floating around in with masts sticking up off of them. Are our boats litter? Why not?

And then someone said what would happen if everybody did it... lol! Relax, everybody doesn't do it.

All it would take is a little common sense and the world would be a much nicer place.

Common sense would say it's the law and no one should be allowed to do it. What gives a few people the privilege of doing it but making it illegal for others? That is common sense.

[smj]

Originally Posted by Wendi

The crappers did not bring me down... well maybe just a tad.
And the opinions about the bottles, it is all taken with the best of advise. I am learning more about this, and the opinions are varied on a message in a bottle. Lots to ponder.

I hope I didn't come across as crapping on you. Wasn't my intention.

[LakeSuperior]

Originally Posted by DaveC

The problem with any long distance voyage is that you never know your crew's true personality until your a few days into the trip. If you're only a hundred miles from shore when their true personalities come out, you have the option of a day's worth of sailing to port to kick them off. If you're 1500 miles from shore, you're stuck with them for at least two more weeks.

No amount of planning will help you determine the true personality of your crew if they are new to you. You just interview them and try to make your best judgement.

I was of the impression Wendi's crew had been around and crewed on other deliveries. I speculate the crew screening was not at the level needed due to the rush factor.

However, I agree though that this sort of risk cannot be driven to zero just minimized. I've even had my wife turn on me (just kidding here.)

[DaveC]

Originally Posted by smj

Common sense would say it's the law and no one should be allowed to do it. What gives a few people the privilege of doing it but making it illegal for others? That is common sense.

Common sense is understanding the intent of the law.

[LakeSuperior]

Originally Posted by Blue Skye

You win LakeSuperior, she should have never joined the Arc and gained that experience I'm 100% positive if she could do it all over again, she would have listened to you and stayed home

Seriously though, many of the very experienced sailors here have written about bad crew, they are no doubt wiser after experiencing it.

I guess you are suggesting that learning the hard way is the way to go. Good for you. It's really no skin off my nose. I didn't have to endure 20 days at sea with dysfunctional crew that hated me. You didn't pay the price for her experience either.

[smj]

Originally Posted by DaveC

Common sense is understanding the intent of the law.

Common sense is abiding by a law, unless of course you consider yourself above the law. And the intent of the law is to stop pollution and floating debri in the ocean.

[Aikiguy]

Wendi,

Good on you! That is a dream come true. I have never tossed one overboard, nor have I ever found one in all the junk I have picked up off of beaches etc. Although I do look in all the bottles I find!

I would have loved to have found it!

One man's trash is another mans treasure!

Guy
:-)

[SailingwithSoul]

Can the ARC be single-handed? Because that would solve alot of crew issues?

[DaveC]

Originally Posted by smj

Common sense is abiding by a law, unless of course you consider yourself above the law. And the intent of the law is to stop pollution and floating debri in the ocean.

Heaven forbid a young boy wants to play with a toy boat at the beach. If it gets away from him he'll certainly be on your list, won't he. And probably arrested and fined too, huh?

[nigel1]

Hi Wendi

Sorry to see that what started out as a light hearted post took such a downward spiral so soon, there could have been some better responses to explain the intricacies of the MARPOL regulations.
Hey, if you had done the 2012 ARC, you would not have faced such an onslaught, as the amended regs came into effect in January 2013.

I have attached a simplified chart which helps explain what can go over the side, and where. Might be an idea to post something like this on your lagoon, (if its classed as over 12m in length, you have to post a similar placard)
For more info, just google MARPOL Annex V 2013

Who ever gave you the info on what you could dump over the side was basing this on the pre 2013 regs.

One lesson I can pass on is just dont the word of someone else when you are the skipper and responsible for the boat.

Having been skipper on various boats and ships for the past 25 years, that is one lesson I learned the hard way.

In this case, I think you're safe, might be getting a bit of hard time from some of the CF'ers, but I dont think any one from the IMO is going to chasing after you

Wish you well for the future, and don't forget to put that placard up

[smj]

Originally Posted by DaveC

Heaven forbid a young boy wants to play with a toy boat at the beach. If it gets away from him he'll certainly be on your list, won't he. And probably arrested and fined too, huh?

Really grasping at straws aren't you. Sign of losing a debate.