Cape Horn - from Chile To Antartida in a beach cat

They finally got started. I hope nobody dies.

For those interested in following the adventure of the crossing of the Drake Strait in a (very) modified Hobie 21, enter the "expedition's" official site (English version) here or go to the normal site here and then use the "English Version" link in the top/right.

Cheers,

Luiz,
I thought they were dead many years ago. Apparently, these were among the same men Rick and I happened to meet at Miami Yacht Club back in 1994.

There were two brand new Hobie 21 Sport Cruisers sitting on the beach at the club, and four South American guys were loading them up with water and provisions. So I, of course, started asking them questions.

They were planning to island-hop their way to South America and then go up the Orinoco River and down the Amazon, which matches the course shown on the website you linked in your post. They had total sponsorship from some big company in Brazil.

The amazing thing was that they said they had never before sailed these particular boats and I think their only experience with catamarans was on Hobie 16's. They were planning to just shove off and head for South America.

Since they were going to be crossing the Gulf Stream and likely encountering bad conditions somewhere along the journey to South America, I was especially alarmed that one of the boats was carrying a set of Cat Trax lashed to the hulls just in front of the main beam. They said they would need them to pull their boats out of the water at their stopping points.

They seemed to be so naive and such greenhorns about sailing that, to Rick and me, it looked like certain disaster.

But they were young and strong and enthusiastic and idealistic. So it is exciting to me to see that they not only survived that voyage but have gone on to do even more challenging adventures.

By the way, in the information I have been receiving about their Drake Passage, it sounds like they have a 62-foot support boat with them. That lessened my concerns for their safety -- but only a little bit. And I still have concerns about their sanity.

P.S. It's kind of ironic, because I have thought of them many times and wondered whether they actually made it to South America. And when I started getting the reports about the Drake Passage attempt, also on a Hobie 21, I thought, "Could it possibly be the same guys?"

Mary,
I was wondering why their having the beach wheels where they were was alarming. When I camp I always carry my wheels like that.

Mike

Just because it seems like so much weight forward and I worried about how it would affect the stability of the boat in big seas. They had a lot of their water jugs up forward, too, and I suggested that they move them farther aft.

I don't know -- maybe having beach wheels strapped forward of your beam would make the boat more stable, less likely to pitchpole and less likely to capsize. I'm not an engineer.

I just know that Rick and I both thought it was a really bad idea; maybe because we are so familiar with the Gulf Stream.

I wish I knew whether they were able to carry those wheels with them for the entire trip.

I never knew this was going on. I checked out their site and it's fantastic what they have accomplished. I would love to hear some of their stories. And about the wheels I am only sailing 2-3 miles with them up there. Though with the boat I have they travel nicely up there.

Mike

I've sailed with my wheels up there on my 5.2 on several occasions 2-up in seas. While they did drag the water frequently, they didn't pose much of a problem or give me any cause for concern other than speed.

After the launching problems just trying to borrow the one set of wheels at the Sandusky Steeplechase (start at one point and finish where your trailer and the rest of your gear is at), I think I'll be racing with my wheels up there on the 6.0 this year so I don't have to wait for the one set of wheels. I think the 6.0 hulls are tall enough to keep them from hitting all but the bigger chop Lake Erie usually throws out.

Maybe somebody needs to invent super-light, collapsible, stowable beach wheels that can be easily transported on the boat. Or, then again, maybe not.

Mary,

The sailing adventure you saw starting in Miami was successfull, but I believe they did not cross the Gulf, preferring to sail near the coast most of the time.

Think of it as a giant tropical Worrel without the hurry. If you wait for the right weather windows and do not push it too hard, it is not bad at all.

On the other hand, I think sailing the rivers in the Amazon in beach cats was very dangerous, because very frequently there are no cities to stop by, no supplies and lots of big insects and tropical diseases - not to mention thieves, isolated primitive natives, aligators, snakes, etc.

More recently the same team went all the way from Chile to Rio in two H21 SCs through the Magelan Strait. All was filmed and the tapes made it to sunday night TV during the journey. I suspect they went slower then necessary in order to coordinate their route with the TV needs and to maximize the number of appearances. Needless to say, they are reasonably famous in the region now (Chile, Argentina and Brazil).

Now they are going to Antartida, but apparently only one was crazy enough - or maybe the other guy has a sponsor - I don't know. This is not a funny crossing and the only possible reasons to do that are to prove the it can be done and to become famous. One could say that it promotes the popularity of beach cats, showing the how seaworthy they are on TV , but do you think anyone buys this? I don't. Besides, what happens if they die in the attempt?

This reminds me that they are not the first multihull adventurers from Brazil. There was a failed attempt to cross the Atlantic from Cape Town to Bahia in a Supercat 17 some 20 or 25 years ago. One of the sailors died and the other was rescued almost dead, hevaily burned (sunburns). It was a very sad story. They did not know enough about ocean crossings and were not prepared for the attempt. By the way, the boat was in relatively good shape, if I recall correctly.

Afterwards, another local adventurer, Amir Klink, succeeded in doing the same crossing in a rowing boat. Apparently he learned from the experience - his next boat was a sloop with no rows... Expeditions to and around Antartida are his favorites, lately. He is still on monohulls, though.

(but I have to admit that a monohull is a sensible choice when the specificationss include the ability to break way through ice and withhold ice compression during an entire winter there)

Ok, that's enought stories for a day. Sorry for the long post.
Take care,

Yes, of course. Take the axis apart and attach the wheels to the crossbeam with a rotating lever that can lock in the up or down position. This is feasible - but isn't it easier to simply tie the wheels to the boat?

Actually, I was thinking of something much more collapsible than that -- like having wheels that can be deflated and stowed and then easily inflated at destination. Or maybe even something that uses those skinny little wheels that the A-Class cats use on their dollies. Not the kind of thing you would use on a regular basis -- just for traveling, camping, etc. Sort of like boaters have lightweight, collapsible bicycles. As I implied, this doesn't sound like a feasible invention -- probably not a moneymaker.
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And, also, regarding your prior post, I don't think it is possible to get to South America without crossing the Gulf Stream. The only way I know of would be to sail up the West Coast of Florida and all the way around the perimeter of the Gulf of Mexico and then along the shoreline all the way to South America.

Their Miami-South America course at their website shows that they crossed the Gulf Stream and traveled easterly north of Cuba and the Dominican Republic. It looks like they ended up at Puerto Rico and followed the Leeward and Windward Island chains down to South America. They did not describe the route in any detail in their story about that trip.

Thanks for providing so much information about these adventurers. I hope you will keep us all posted if you hear updates.

Jake,
the best bet for the Sandusky to Put-in-Bay Steeplechase is to get there on Friday and put your boat on the padded seawall and take wheels and trailer to PIB. Then just push it in the water on Saturday AM and all is well.
I certainly would not like to sail in Lake Erie with wheels (it can be a pretty treacherous lake).
See ya there,
Rick

Another good way to drag your boat up without wheels is PVC pipe. One friend uses this method when going camping. Hobie made something similar for the 21 sport cruiser using PVC pipe attached to tramp material.

Mary,

I goofed and you are right- they crossed the Gulf hoping from island to island. Not exactly coastal navigation, but also not as bad as a Worrel, if you follow the trade winds.

Now they are at sea for four days without problems, well inside the Convergence line. Looks like they will be the firsts ever to sail to Antatida in an open boat.

Cheers,