People sailing unassisted

[elad]

I am curious what others think of all these people going for sailing records that include the title "unassisted" in the record. I think it is an amazing feat to sail around the world but I guess I just question whether it is really done unassisted when you have a team on land that is able to "assist" you by watching weather patterns and telling you when it's safe to make a certain passage, Cape Horn for instance. Maybe I am a bit of a purist. I miss reading the book after the voyage is complete with all the adventure and unforeseen obstacles met along the way.....the ones you don't see or hear about with all the electronics now available. I know it's 2010 and things change but I guess I miss the past. Does anyone know how to use a sextant anymore?....or what one is? Sorry, guess I'm just musing this morning.

[Ian McColgin]

Like climbing Chomolungma without oxygen, it's all relative and a matter of choise.

Take a simple bit like weather - no matter who you are, sailing around the world involves timing and planning based on expected weather patters, which one knows from hundreds of years' experience of others. And maybe, since unlike Slocum, we have radios and even weather fax or the internet by satalite, we have a view of weather patters a thousand miles off. How much are you really adding by paying for a more educated guess than your own?

Some things are more readily quantified and measured. Non-stop all the way, no outside supply and if you do stop in a quiet harbor and make your own repair without anyone's help, well that's not so different from making the repair at sea on a calm day so long as it's not a below the waterline repair, and even at that . . . unassisted??

The people who do these things are quite right to set their own terms. Most after an experience of that power, whether a mountain or the sea, have a perspective shaped by reality and don't bother with invidious comparisons to others.

[donald branscom]

I am curious what others think of all these people going for sailing records that include the title "unassisted" in the record. I think it is an amazing feat to sail around the world but I guess I just question whether it is really done unassisted when you have a team on land that is able to "assist" you by watching weather patterns and telling you when it's safe to make a certain passage, Cape Horn for instance. Maybe I am a bit of a purist. I miss reading the book after the voyage is complete with all the adventure and unforeseen obstacles met along the way.....the ones you don't see or hear about with all the electronics now available. I know it's 2010 and things change but I guess I miss the past. Does anyone know how to use a sextant anymore?....or what one is? Sorry, guess I'm just musing this morning.

I absolutely agree with you.

When I see young kids being met at every stop by parents and or "team" members or corporate help what is it all for?
Is it just an advertisement?

Electronics are ok but being met by aircraft and having large sums of money and support it is not the kind of "victory" that it once was.
Yes...yes I know things change.
But when all the whales have propeller marks and fin cuts on them from high speed trimarans, and corporate junk all over the ocean bottom, lets just call it conquered OK. And military expenditures for rescues of million dollar corporate tri's Cheeeeessshhhh!!!

[James McMullen]

How about this? Doesn't count as "unassisted" unless you built your boat yourself! :p

[donald branscom]

How about this? Doesn't count as "unassisted" unless you built your boat yourself! :p

What about if you just walk on the water all the way? Huh huh what about that?

HAHahhahahahhahhaha

[andrewe]

I get a bit bored by all the 'record' attempts. Part of the problem is that once someone has climbed Everest, sailed around the world nonstop or canoed the channel, the next one has to do it faster or naked or blind. So no real achievement (except for them) and in the case of RTW speed, they will end up like 100mt runners. Shaving 100s of a second off the time. The youngest is just plain stupid, riding for a fall. Quite a few bods disappear at sea, but if it is young record breaker it does the 'sport' a great diservice.
The Earthrace project 'proved' that the earth could be circumnavigated on biodiesel. So?? But with huge non bio help. and in a boat that is made of not very bio-friendly materials, plus a bit collateral damage on the way (dead fisherman)

Bit ranty here, but much of it is pointless. If you want to do it,do it. The sponsership and publicity devalues it.

[donald branscom]

Mount Everest has been littered with all kinds of high tech equipment and bodies.
Matter of fact one womans body could be seen from the base of the mountain because of her hair blowing in the wind and a team had to go up and recover it.

That was a story in National Geographic.
There is probably a waiting list. The world is getting crowded.
And last night I heard a radio program by a researcher that said when boys get to age 9 intil age 15 their body is producing 20 times more testosterone than at age 9. They need something constructive to do besides video games.
They need to be learning how to build things.....like boats?