Buy The Boat!
Frank
Optimum Route on GSC
Displacement boats, like Frank, rely on the length of hull in the water to counterbalance the wind in the sails & generate movement through the sea. Planing boats use forwards momentum through the water to lift the hull dynamically out of the water, reducing resistance and increasing speed with a direct transfer of wind power from the sails to the boat’s direction.
So a displacement boat has a speed limiter. Its length of hull in the water determines the max amount of wind power that it can convert into movement.
Great job by Philippe Delamare: he “has sailed only 800 Nautical miles in excess of the theoretical route with a “wastage” of just 3.2%”
https://globalsolochallenge.com/100-days-everest/
Philippe Delamare ahead of the GSC pack.
Approaching Cape Horn – GSC
New Sails
I bought this new fully-battened mainsail last year. These pics are from the local UK Sails guy, Doug Weakly, in Corpus.
Doug ran the mainsail up the newly-installed tracking, installed by Matt Sebring at Coastal Bend, who also arranged the sail making. UK Sails’ loft in in Houston.
UK Sails – https://www.uksailmakers.com/lofts/texas/
Coastal Bend Yacht Services: Matthew Sebring cbyscc@gmail.com 361-461-4067
The sail is strengthened to give protection against high winds. The full battens will provide extra stiffness. Hopefully I’ll get out to sea next spring, to try them out!
Aussie joins the race: GSC
Ex RAAF vet Kevin Le Poidevin set sail on Thanksgiving, belatedly joining the solo sailing race around the world, with the leaders heading east, already south of his homeland.
Read more here … https://globalsolochallenge.com/kevin-le-poidevin-sets-off/
GSC update
“I coulda bin a contender”
Meanwhile, update on the actual contenders: https://globalsolochallenge.com/latest-updates/
GSC Penultimate Starter
Andrea Mura sets sail. https://globalsolochallenge.com/andrea-mura-sets-sail
GSC Tracker
Watch the Global Solo Challenge RTW race here: https://globalsolochallenge.com/tracking/
Fettlin’ Day! October 29, 2023
Frank used to have a 12volt fridge, which also ran off mains when alongside.
I mentioned (https://wordpress.com/post/frank-justfrank.com/306 October 2015) the fridge, which I extracted from its hole by the engine : “Most useless kit: the refrigerator. I donated this to a charity in Dartmouth. Every time I had a problem with the electrics or engine I had to haul it out of its home.”
So ever since I have had this hole, having converted the icebox to be a fridge:
I am going to finally turn it into a storage cupboard. I’ll leave access to the engine water inlet. There is a separate access door under this pic.
Crow’s Nest
Frank is at the end of her pier. Originally I was Billy Nomates, and happy with it. Less busy and easier to park (Frank is a bitch to park..).
Now, it is busier. But a disadvantage of being here is the bird shit. The birds make free, and some of them are baby pterodactyls. With poop to match.
People put streamers on the standing rigging and rubber snakes on the deck. Owls and eagles on the mast. Here is my solution:
Bird Spikes! Here’s the view tonight as the foul fowl avoid Frank (mind you, me sat here might be a factor…
Will it work? Dunno. The pterodactyls break off my windvanes and antenna atop the mast. I think this is a pterodactyl: gotta be 2 feet high. Zoomed in pic on someone else’s boat.
