small boat

[solo]

Last weekend I had the pleasure to meet Serge Testa. Between 1984 and 1988 he sailed around the world in a boat 3.6 meters long.
His boat is now in the qld museum in Brisbane. I think he is a very interesting person, not really what I expected .
I think with some alterations the Investigator563 should be very good for a tour like that. If I was a 14 year old kid I could get sponsorship and be called a hero, at my age I would be called an old fool who should be locked away. Rightly so ! His record for the smallest boat still stands.
A few years ago some one tried it in an 8' boat but as far as I know he did not make it out of the harbour.
Gunter

[RobertB]

Hi Gunter,

Last year I was podering if it would be fun, in an axhausting sort of way, to sail up the outside of Stradbroke and Moreton Islands. Heading out throught the Southport seaway and sailing non-stop all the way round to Tangaloom. In favorable conditions this might be done in 24 to 28 hours (80 miles at 3.5 knots = ??). If one had a southerly or south-easterly and could get along at over 4 knots it would be ok. Leave at 3 in the morning and arrive at 11 that night.
Of course, one could pull in sooner at the top of Moreton on that north facing beach and rest/sleep.
Just a thought. Would be fun to do it in company.

Speaking of which, I am going sailing with some Careel 18s this Sunday 26th July. A picnic on Green Island and then a sail round it and back to RQSC ramp at Manly. Depart the ramp at 8.30am. Bob Kennedy is thinking of coming. Would you like to join us?

Cheers, Robert

[Ozzie]

Hi Gunter
I have just come back from a few weeks in Tasmania and as we drove down I armed myself with some sailing podcasts from "Furled Sails" to listen to on the road. Serge Testa was one of them, below is the link. A very interesting man with a lot of guts I'd say. His boat was aluminium with water tight compartments and as he says the smaller the boat the stronger you can make it.


I think an Investigator while well ballasted would need a way of locking down the swing keel, much better hatch retention methods, a fixed down poptop and additional drainage from the cockpit to be a good ocean crosser but yeah the smaller the stronger analogy probably would be moving close to the mark. Not that I will be trying in this lifetime.

http://www.furledsails.com/article.php3?article=759

I like listening to "furled sails" particularly the boat builder guys.

I sailed across Port Phillip Bay on Spirit of Tassie#I this time. Last trip was on Spirit#3 from Sydney back before they canned it (Shame) PPB is huge I guess its a great sailing ground but feels like open sea LM can get rough but you are never too far from shore.

Hope to go sailing tomorrow.

Cheers