This week some interesting sailing quotes and comments on them.

The below quote is from an article on the 2004 Quebec St Malo transat. The crew was an all star one with the total number of circumnavigations, etc. almost immeasurable. The quote describes a crucial moment in the race.

“Here the computers go down for 4 hours, cutting off our access to ex data and we miss a trought’s rotation and sail into and parallel with it for several hours…we get passed…”

How important have computers become to sailing and racing? Even the worlds best need them.

“For now everyone is washing their Patagonia shirts and their Musto shorts and drying out. The Patagonia silk weight gear is fantastic for these conditions and I highly recommend it. Some of the Patagonia gear I’ve got on this trip was bought in 1998 and is used regularly! Any cotton would have rotted by now!”

Will Oxley the navigator of Doha 2006 makes the above comment on wardrobe. I am fully in agreement with this thoughts.

A sailing lyric snippet from Stan Roger’s Barret’s Privateers

On the King’s birthday we put to sea,
We were 91 days to Montego Bay
Pumping like madmen all the way

This from an interview with American Vendee Globe sailor Bruce Schwab.

Q: What eats up most of your time?

Bruce Schwab: Email takes about half my time, and in fact, after rounding Cape Horn I had about 50 e-mails I had to answer. The sailing is one thing, but you have to share the experience, too.”

More evidence of the power of the computer. Going sailing may not mean freedom from modern office madness anymore.

Tim Zimmerman of Wetass Chronicles on the future of Race Class/G Class cats, “So, where does this impressive cat leave the world of maxi-sailing? In trouble, I would say. There’s no boat in the current generation that can touch Orange II for high average speeds. So forget it, De Kersauson. Forget it, Cam Lewis. Have a seat Dave Scully, Tony Bullimore, and anyone who was thinking about buying Kingfisher or Doha 2006….Franck Cammas is getting ready to launch a new, giant tri, and that boat could be the only real competitor on the horizon. But the big multihull game has just gone from a field of 5 to a field of, maybe, 2…My money says the focus will shift to breaking the 50 knot barrier, and the head to head solo competition between Ellen MacArthur and Francis Joyon…”

That’s probably the hardest most realistic take I’ve seen. It’s Cammas or not at all.

So, let’s think, who might get into the solo competition other than Macarthur or Joyon? Does somebody have the capability to sail one of the 100 foot plus cats around the world solo?

Zimmerman also has an article on the Sleep Doctor in the new issue of Outside Magazine.

From Procul Harum’s Salty Dog

Across the straits, around the horn: how far can sailors fly?

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