Any thought on these guys sailing across the North Atlantic in a 20 ft open cat? That being crazy enough now they have a possible Huricane passing by there sterns. That should make for some interesting sailing. I hope the story ends well.
http://www.ocean-express.org/ny/index.php/fre/cartographie

Sheet in!

HAhah... Brilliant!

Thanks for the link Craig.

Anyone know why they appear to be heading due east when the shorter route would be the great circle, ie. up along the US east coast and then down on the other side? Do they have a set course in mind or are they just following the more favorable winds at the moment?

Or maybe they are going due east to try to stay south of the projected track of TS Danni?

Thoughts? Sure, at least two.

1: They are late in the season.
2: The french rocks when it comes to sailing.

At their current rate, it looks like they should be able to get east of most of the storm before it gets north...regardless, that's going to be some crazy-a$$ surfing.

Dude I'm salivating thinking of the swells. I LOVED being able to surf the course down in Myrtle.

It looks iffier to me. I'd guess they will be in the worst part of it. Not a risk I would have taken, in spite of competancy on the water.




Buoys and ships in the vicinity of the storm are reporting 10-16 seas.

I don't disagree that I wouldn't want to be out there! However, in three days they're already due south of Nova Scotia. In three more days, the storm is predicted to be roughly centered over Nova Scotia ... they should be a little east of a due south line from Greenland at that point on about the 40N line. I would hope that as the storm gets closer, the wind from it should start pushing them toward some 300+ mile days (if they can keep up that pace). It certainly won't be comfortable but I don't think they'll be in the worst part (unless that storm turns more right...which is definitely possible).

I know the track is more west than is usual, but if history is any indicator, the storm will begin to tracking with the prevailing westerlies soon after its northward track picks up velocity. I wouldn't rule out a fast jog to the right if it starts moving. The longer it is stalled, the better off they are. They made an informed decision to keep their track south, as both VMG away from the storm is better, and giving them options on their point of sail/bearing if things get hairy.

ps: Might be some good surfing in Point Judith, RI from this one.

Question on their ballast system as shown in the videos on their site. My French isn't that good, is the ballast for:

1. just to weight down the windward hull
2. for both hulls to gain more stability overnight
3. both

Is it a one off design or a modified cat?

Jon

It's a one off design. They built it themselves after work in 2006 for their first Atlantic crossing. In the video they are just explaining that there are two ballasts in each hull, but they don't detail how they are used.

Well...... these guys have~~ BIG ONES !!!!
Good luck !

Looks like the French Dudes are still out there. They sprung a leak but seem to have fixed it. From their blog:

on the 30th
Yesterday the sea was very rough with 30 knots of wind (60km/heure) and waves of 2 meters. This morning the sea is calmer, the wind fell a little, there are cons grains. At 9:00 with a heading of 75 ° and an average speed of 8 knots, Octo Finance continues its road.

Todays blog
The experience of our two browsers combined with a morale of steel and high tenacity enabled them to cope with a major technical problem with calm and serenity. We know since Sunday that the crew found the source of the leak appeared Saturday, a game important link between the boom and the float route.

Since the vacation Monday night at the base, the crew has brought more accuracy.

It is the attachment between the starboard float and the beam is located at the rear of the boat (there are two beams: the front that supports the mast and the rear).

The fixation is via two bolts and one had taken the game (probably because of the efforts caused by rough seas) which led the roundness of the hole in the hull of the float composite. This has created a leak, the danger was that the float dissociated himself from the rear beam, then the resulting failure of fixation of the same float on the beam before ... and the dislocation of the boat!

Fortunately before coming here, there are solutions. Pierre Yves and Benedict have a very solid experience in the technical preparation therefore, in the middle of the Atlantic, begun meetings DIY!

Stopping at the first time about 3 hours around midnight French time on the night from Sunday to Monday (late afternoon on Sunday for them), they then sailed without much fire on the boat during the night to to see what gave them compensation. At dawn Monday (noon French time), they found that their compensation was not required, thereby forcing a new technical stop in the middle of the Atlantic. After 3 hours of work (before slipping into the float to reach the other end of the bolt), they seem to have a repair gives more satisfaction.

To be brief, they were secured to the beam and the float in the now firmly against each other with ropes surrounding the float and the beam, rope turned up with a system of pulleys.

The crew seemed reassured, and the requirement to divert their route to St Pierre and Miquelon or the Azores seems so far rejected. They will of course monitor consistently repair. To overcome their fears that this problem appears elsewhere, they will also make regular checks of other attachments between the beams and floats.

A few hours after the vacation, the crew sent a photo of their compensation.

We invite all the Lorient encourage them to come and ask questions every evening at 18:30 (states) in the bar restaurant "La Base" near the City of Sail, when the vacation online. No doubt the feat before they try to do the applause which conclude each vacation can only encourage and support their morale!






Got to keep going at his point...

These guys are almost home~~~ 522 miles to go (if I read that right)

Those guys are going need WD-40 for their balls of steel!

154 milles left!!!

Good for them, hope nothing happens between now and the finish. Would be a shame to make it this far and not finish.

Fingers crossed

Slow going 29 miles to go at 10:00pm est.

16 miles left....... 5:31 AM EST