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From: Peter Pisciotta (no email)
Date: Fri May 05 2006 - 22:38:43 EDT
> I believe the link actually is (http://www.idlewildexpedition.ca/)
> and, yes, it is quite an impressive undertaking. The mere fact that
> a 55' sailboat would get pretty much no press for attempting a such
> a voyage indicates just how out of the ordinary it is.
Thanks for the URL correction.
I think Idlewild has gotten only a modest amount of press (mostly
small, local newspapers along the way), and a sailboat would get about
the same if they trekked through the Northwest Passage, then rounded
Cape of Good Hope. Not sure how the owner managed to pull this off (or
why), but he positions himself as a Canadian farmer of some sort -
hardly a Steve Fossett type. Once he gets back to BC, he'll sell the
boat.
> One doesn't need a large chunk of
> change to sail around the world.
The wind is free, but harnessing it isn't. Sure, you don't really need
a 45-foot boat with 2-speed self-tailing winches and extra sails to
circle the globe, but most folks these days want them. And they want
watermakers and A/C in warm climates which means a generator and a
larger boat boat than what sailors tolerated back when the Pardey's
were extolling simple virtues.
Most sailor/cruisers are amazed at how many hours they put on their
diesels, and very few would leave port without a strong diesel - its
not a convenience but a necessity (though I admit, there are options in
the event of a diesel failure at sea). So while it may cost Idlewild
$20K in diesel to circumnavigate, most modern sailboats would have a
significant percentage of this cost in addition to all the sail-related
gear (to be fair, Idlewild has a stablizing rig that should also be
factored in, and most boats in this class have a get-home engine).
Sure, there are other things to consider - diesel failure and the "Zen"
of being under sail alone (though the engine vibration and sound on a
modern trawler is much, much more comforting than the diesel on a
comparable sized sailboat), but the real cost differential is probably
close enough that it's a non-issue, especially when compared to all the
other costs.
Just my opinion. Just trying to broaden the perspective of world
cruising.
Peter
Willard 36 Sedan
San Francisco
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