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Wheelie Bin Sailing the Atlantic


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This chap is sailing the Atlantic in a homemade craft. He described it will be like being in a wheelie bin on a rollercoaster for 90 days. 
 

Incredibly it also has edible walls! Hopefully he doesn’t have any accidents on said walls - considering what happens on rollercoasters alot.

 

If this is possible to cross the Atlantic in a craft resembling a dust bin, surely it’s possible in a narrow boat?

 

Few modifications, some outriggers and the walls plastered in porridge oats and peas!

78834F6C-A0C5-4524-9BB2-73A54256C4EF.jpeg

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20 minutes ago, Owls Den said:

https://www.lancs.live/news/lancashire-news/daredevil-lancashire-dad-sail-three-26817467?int_source=amp_continue_reading&int_medium=amp&int_campaign=continue_reading_button#amp-readmore-target

 

This chap is sailing the Atlantic in a homemade craft. He described it will be like being in a wheelie bin on a rollercoaster for 90 days. 
 

Incredibly it also has edible walls! Hopefully he doesn’t have any accidents on said walls - considering what happens on rollercoasters alot.

 

If this is possible to cross the Atlantic in a craft resembling a dust bin, surely it’s possible in a narrow boat?

 

Few modifications, some outriggers and the walls plastered in porridge oats and peas!

78834F6C-A0C5-4524-9BB2-73A54256C4EF.jpeg

I think he needs his head examining!

But, it takes allsorts.

As for crossing the Atlantic in a narrowboat, it's not for me.I like the reassuring sight of dry land a few yards either side.

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He does seem to have alot of experience, but it’s a huge risk regardless. 
 

At least he painted it orange for the inevitable.

 

But imagine doing it in a narrow boat, could risk it all and get featured in the local rag!
 

 

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4 minutes ago, churchward said:

I expect he has done the calculations but I would have thought the challenge for such a small boat is carrying enough water for the crossing rather than food.

 

I hope he makes it.

 

I read a book once about a bloke who rowed the Atlantic in a small boat.

 

He ballasted the boat with fresh drinking water and replaced it with sea water as it was used up.

 

He reckoned the biggest challenge was the isolation and began to hear voices in his head after a few days.

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35 minutes ago, ditchcrawler said:

 

 

 

 

Springer made a boat to do the Atlantic Challenge but it wasn't really NB shaped.

 

 

I had a link to pictures of it but they appear have been removed from the web.

The link now takes you to the C&RT website and has no relevance to the Springer Boat

Edited by Alan de Enfield
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Hopefully the images appear on Google or something would like to see that!

48 minutes ago, churchward said:

I hope he makes it.

I am taking the mick a bit but me too!

45 minutes ago, cuthound said:

He reckoned the biggest challenge was the isolation

That’s what happens to ends people’s experiences on survival shows, particularly my fav US show ‘Alone’

46 minutes ago, booke23 said:

Found the below video. She seems a little tender on the stability stakes, I suspect it might be more like being inside a washing machine...switched on, but good luck to him.

 

 

 

 

Good find! Christ it’s tiny. 

 

Reminds me of a scaled down version of the WW2 Pilot rescue buoys.

45 minutes ago, Alan de Enfield said:

Springer made a boat to do the Atlantic Challenge but it wasn't really NB shaped.

https://www.grannybuttons.com/granny_buttons/2004/06/canal_news_i_fr.html

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He's budgeted a thousand calories per day, I doubt that he'll manage, just being in a boat which is moving around will use a lot more than that, imho.

I think it's a waste of time, personally I'd rather see guys like that doing something for humanity.

Edited by LadyG
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7 minutes ago, LadyG said:

He's budgeted a thousand calories per day, I doubt that he'll manage, just being in a boat which is moving around will use a lot more than that, imho.

I think it's a waste of time, personally I'd rather see guys like that doing something for humanity.

I must admit was bit surprised when there was no mention of raising funds for a charitable cause. That’s why I thought the ‘boat’ was called Big C.

 

Some conflicting information about the Atlantic springer. One link says Brian Crutcher, another Tom McLean?
 

https://www.jonesboatyard.co.uk/boat-sales/springer-boats-for-sale.html
 

They even made the famous bottle boat which was sailed across the Atlantic in 1990 by Tom McClean.

Edited by Owls Den
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49 minutes ago, Owls Den said:

 

No it was a 'bottle' shaped steel 'narrowboat.

 

Found these but there were much better pictures :

 

RIMG1583.jpg

 

RIMG1581.jpg

 

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll6/satellitegu351/RIMG1583.jpg

 

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll6/satellitegu351/RIMG1581.jpg

 

 

Edited by Alan de Enfield
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3 hours ago, cuthound said:

 

I read a book once about a bloke who rowed the Atlantic in a small boat.

 

He ballasted the boat with fresh drinking water and replaced it with sea water as it was used up.

 

He reckoned the biggest challenge was the isolation and began to hear voices in his head after a few days.

Sure but in a small boat, such as this "wheely bin" there is not a lot of room for the water whether used as ballast or not.

 

A passage of 20+ days is quite a lot of water even if one forgoes washing etc. either drinking or using in foods particularly if taking a lot of dried foods to save weight and space.  3 litres per day would not be excessive and for good health/contingency nearer 4.

 

For safety and health many advise around a minimum (per person) 150 litres for a 3 week crossing time.

 

Provisioning for a Cross-Atlantic Sailing Voyage — Navigate Content

 

Mental strength to combat the sheer boredom and repetitive nature of an ocean crossing is indeed a challenge too. I read an account of a lone 6-7 week passage in the Pacific and they too started to hear voices.  When all you can see every day is sea and sky it can get to you.  I like sailing and living on a boat for days but blue-water ocean crossing sailing is something else. I'd like to say I had crossed the Atlantic once done but I am unsure if I would enjoy it much whilst doing it for most of the time.

Edited by churchward
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I imagine there is a manual RO system on board to convert sea water to drinking water. No shortage of time available to pump the handle. 

 

 

I imagine there is a manual RO system on board to convert sea water to drinking water. No shortage of time available to pump the handle. 

 

 

 

 

Take two for system redundancy and exercise for both arms..

This sort of thing. 

 

https://www.katadyngroup.com/ch/en/8013419~p6786

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I doubt you have ever tried pumping a manual RO system, it requires some extreme effort (calories) to get even a couple of litres - he would probably burn up all of his 1000 Kcal per day producing water.

 

If he has a manual RO I would hope that someone has explained this to him.

Edited by Alan de Enfield
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3 hours ago, LadyG said:

He's budgeted a thousand calories per day, I doubt that he'll manage, just being in a boat which is moving around will use a lot more than that, imho.

I think it's a waste of time, personally I'd rather see guys like that doing something for humanity.

I think you are right.  I know from dinghy sailing, (not racing), sailing for several hours I will be quite tired and feel the strain on my muscles. It's not strenuous high impact but you are moving all the time, even if only for balance against the rolling sea.

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3 hours ago, Alan de Enfield said:

 

No it was a 'bottle' shaped steel 'narrowboat.

 

Found these but there were much better pictures :

 

RIMG1583.jpg

 

RIMG1581.jpg

 

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll6/satellitegu351/RIMG1583.jpg

 

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll6/satellitegu351/RIMG1581.jpg

 

 

I went on board this bottle shaped boat when it spent a few days at Hull.  I think it was in the early 1990’s. 

It was very spartan inside and I thought it quite claustrophobic inside. I think the owner had a history of weird boats but I can’t remember now  if he actually made it across the Atlantic but he seemed to very confident that he could make it without too many problems. 
 

Howard

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27 minutes ago, howardang said:

I went on board this bottle shaped boat when it spent a few days at Hull.  I think it was in the early 1990’s. 

It was very spartan inside and I thought it quite claustrophobic inside. I think the owner had a history of weird boats but I can’t remember now  if he actually made it across the Atlantic but he seemed to very confident that he could make it without too many problems. 
 

Howard

 

It did, it came West to East and there were newspaper articles, pictures, write ups and all sorts of things - but now seemingly all 'gone'.

 

 

Found some 'stuff' :

 

Big Red Bottle Boat – Fort William, Scotland - Atlas Obscura

 

In 1990, this 37-foot red steel bottle sailed from New York to England. 

THIS 37-FOOT RED STEEL BOTTLE boat was sailed from New York to Falmouth, England. It was built for Tom McClean, a Scottish adventurer who has crossed the Atlantic five times.

McClean made his first Atlantic crossing in 1969 at the age of 26, a solo journey that took him 70 days. In 1982, he set a record for sailing the smallest yacht across the Atlantic, then reclaimed the record after it was taken from him by sawing off part of his original boat. In 1985, he lived on the tiny uninhabited islet of Rockall for 40 days, then rowed across the Atlantic once again, this time in a record 54 days.

In 1990, McClean completed yet another Atlantic crossing in the Typhoo Atlantic Challenger, a bright red bottle-shaped vessel. The bottle ship was equipped with a motor and sail, and the crossing took 37 days.

 

 

He wanted a Whale Boat :

 

Tom McClean's whale-shaped boat Moby

 

The full story :

 

Tom McClean: The man who still dreams of crossing Atlantic in a whale - BBC News

 

Edited by Alan de Enfield
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13 hours ago, cuthound said:

 

I read a book once about a bloke who rowed the Atlantic in a small boat.

 

He ballasted the boat with fresh drinking water and replaced it with sea water as it was used up.

 

He reckoned the biggest challenge was the isolation and began to hear voices in his head after a few days.

That reminded me of Donald Crowhurst. Voyage of Madmen is one of my favourite books.

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16 hours ago, Owls Den said:

 

 

This chap is sailing the Atlantic in a homemade craft. He described it will be like being in a wheelie bin on a rollercoaster for 90 days. 

 

 When he gets there they'll ask "Have you wheelie bin across the the Atlantic in that?" :o 

 

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