Jeremy,
Thank You for the coverage here and SA.
One a$$hat out of all those views on SA ain't bad.
Todd

I must have just missed it. I got there about 9:15 am. no tin can. I saw vessel assist coming in. must have been the tow out. Jeremy neat little shop you have. Thanks for the update. I was tring to get the story. light winds today hopfully he makes it back to the bay.

Not very surprising to anyone who has sailed a cat, that the "crossbar" design was just too weak to withstand stress pressure on those welds. Especially in an ocean swell, those points looked to me that they were going to crack rather quickly. I am relieved they failed quickly.
Rex

Wow. They are the viscous sort over on SA. While totally possible that I'm an idiot, they're just harsh.

No doubt Karl! I came running back here looking for my blankie sucking my thumb. That's a good site to be anonymous. I'm more inclined to tell people like that to... Awww, never mind!

One redemption:
I guess because I'm so public, and know quite a few people in the sailing world, I got about 30 emails apologizing for that one bad apple. Good to have friends!

Lead *is* a developmental neurotoxin, of course, and those guys have been sailing monohulls since childhood.

Seriously, I think the SA guys do their 'manly' best to berate people in their forum as sort of a college hazing, one-upmanship thing; it's usually a harmless, though asinine, indulgence.

Only because most of them are college age kids, think they know it all, and the funny part is they think 8 knots is fast!

I love all the smack talk about the Tin Can breaking up and "going to the bottom". I guess it never occured to them that unless all 3 hulls are holed, it will float even if it breaks apart. One of several nice features of multihulls!

It never occured because they sail lead mines, which usually do end up on the bottom, when things get ugly.

Still, I can't believe this Tin Can guy Vann didn't do any homework when it comes to welded pipes vs. wind and waves! <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif" alt="" />

I'm hoping I misunderstood, but is he going BACK OUT? Even if it's just back to the Bay, can't somebody convince this guy it's time to just break out the Sawzall already? It just seems like such a waste of energy and resources, how 'bout welding somebody aluminum survival shelters in Tornado Alley, or a gigantic 18 person pedal powered commuter cars, you know, something that actually has a chance of working...

and he wants to take it down to the southern ocean, did you see the maxi tri groupama just capsized within the relative shelter of the nz coast

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/1/story.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10493157

OK, just got back from SD Midwinters...trying to catch up my this post I started ages ago.

So, What'd I Miss?




OK, I heard he put in to SC with a wee failure on the cross over thingie-ma-jiggy....and that he's headed back to SF....any news since he left SC?

That thing was in no shape to go upwind on the ocean prior to the failure...it's just going to collapse.

and if the groupama breakup dosn't convince vann that the southern ocean is too much for the can maybe this report from the russian trying to set a record for antarctic circumnavigation will

18th Feb 08. 1200 UTC Sat Phone Sched with Fedor
"Here at 52 South it is very harsh conditions with winds 50-55 knots, gusts up to 65 knots, and monstrous seas. Some of the waves are half the height of my 110 ft mast. It is difficult to breath on deck when standing against the wind. The main sail is completely down lashed to the boom. I have 1/3 of the stay-sail set and the boat is going at 10 knots, surfing 15 knots on the waves. It’s very rough but but boat is holding up OK and conditions are gradually weakening. Fedor”.

he's got a cv that vann should respect

http://cruising.sailboatowners.com/forums/CSBB/index.cgi?noframes;read=117829

Don't get to hung up on the SA guys. There's a lot of bluster and they like to break everyone's chops. It is a good way to eliminate the trolls. Everyone else gives what they get.

Nice pics!

I dont think that sailing in the Southern Ocean is a very good idea for this guy. He doest even have lifelines going from hull to hull, and he said that he doesnt trust having a tramp in between either. Im gonna make an early call here and say that he's done for.

From the first time I saw it, I thought it was some kind of scam or joke. I mean, it's just silly. And when I saw how supportive his wife apparently is for this venture, it just reinforced my conviction that it is some kind of a joke. (Unless she is very happy to see him go and die at sea.)

I have been trying to figure out how he has gotten $25,000 worth of publicity out of this, though. <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" />

can you say beneficiary <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Mary,
Isn't it obvious why his wife is so "supportive"? She must have a HUGE insurance policy on him!!

Bob <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

Jeremy,

You're published!
http://www.latitude38.com/lectronic/lectronicday.lasso?date=2008-02-18&dayid=74#Story2

Don't forget us when you make the big time.

That Lattitude 38 lead ariticle makes it sound like the Groupma boys knew the boat was breaking up, you can see how they turned nearly 90 degrees off course to the north, to get out of the wind and waves...

And our boy Vann will be in port until next year, fixing his toy.

I think that would be surprising. I had wondered myself how they ended up up there, but my recollection is that the blog on the Groupama site mentioned earlier that they were heading northeast to position themselves relative to a storm system.

They had to know - if they had to previously fashion a repair to the port structure arm, then it could be derived that they made a poor decision to continue.