Contessa 26: Cape Horn (Page 1 of 2)

Outer chain plates make it easier to move forward and removes any chance of leakage. To hell with the tacking angle. My windows are already polycarbonate (high impact strength).  Acrylic (plexiglas)has poor impact resistance (even at 1/2").  My companionway "boards" (three) are 12mm polycarbonate. You're right, they'll need a super means for locking from the inside. 8mm uppers may be an overkill, but it's cheep stuff.  You may want to add a baby stay to the list for a small storm jib or high clewed "mule".  Also a good booze locker.

Jeeezed, Stef, only rotgut rum can be kept in stainless.  For the good stuff (Mount Gay & Capt Morgan) you need crockery.  O gawwd, you young guys have so much to learn.  Otherwise, it's a fantastic idea.

Three HUNDRED gallons?  Thats just a little out of my budget range...  Just because everyone thinks you have money cause you have a boat, doesn't mean.........

Moving the chain plates outboard and increasing the spreader length (so the the uppers are parallel) is to give greater strength to the overall rig and to lessen the possibility of deck leakage.  Getting a slightly better passage along the weather decks is a freebee and should be considered as a slight dab of frosting on the cake and nothing more.

The heavy rudder places its weight at the extreme end of boat.  Any weights at either end of any boat causes hobby-horsing.  That's why, when using all chain for the anchor, the chain is lead via a pipe to a storage area (ideally) at the center of the vessel.  The heavy rudder also contributes to pintle and gudgeon loads that increase as the mass of the rudder increases.  In sloppy seas, this can be significant.  Weight is seldom a component of strength.  I mentioned the use of carbon fiber for construction.  Kevlar is another possibility.  With proper design and construction, it would not be unusual to half the weight (mass) and double the strength.

I didn't say anything about attaching the additional ballast with bolts. I said "FRP encapsulated".

My fuel tank is well restrained and would easily survive a roll. 

"Design/build an engine restraining mechanism".  I should have been more clear with this.  The restraining gear would have to be such that the engine would not shift during a roll.  It would not always be in-place but quickly put into operation when needed.

You're probably right if the roll was a sweet and gentle one and not preceeded by a day or two of pounding through all sorts of slop and you didn't trip off a wave top while hollering "Oh Shit!".  But I wouldn't be planning for anything so benign and would lock the sucker down big time.  The last thing that I would need (afer being terrified for a reasdonable period of time)would be to find that my engine had come adrift and ferneubled my shaft log that, by the way, was leaking like a beer hound after a Saturday night bash.

You got it, Chris. Keep in mind that the rum tank should be the first priority.

Do you mean to tell me that I've wasted my entire summer replacing my waterlogged plywood decks?  When all I needed was rum and wind?  Geeeeezz.

When you get to Halifax be sure to stay at the Armdale Yacht Club.  We have four Contessa 26s here: Eagh Marrey, Tantrum, Freehold, and...um...another one formerly known as Dragonfly II.

If I might throw in a few comments on this subject.  First, adding a 350 pounds to the foot of the keel makes sense but the additional weight aloft due to the heavier wire (and possibly a radar dome) will cancel out any stability benefits the extra weight might offer.  I am also concerned that the boat's stability will be further compromised by the weight of all the gear and supplies stowed in the cabin.  Since space is at a premium, the boat's center of gravity is certain to rise.

I also believe that these boats are already overbuilt.  Compare them to other boats that have made such voyages.  Also, when was the last time one of us lost their mast?  If I am sailing in conditions where my mast in in serious jeporady then I expect to have a great number of other more pressing problems, such as waves, and staying on board, and being wet and cold.

So far we do not know if we are travelling alone or with a companion.  My preference is the latter of course but this exacerbates the challenge as you will read below.  Basically, work out your personal needs and then multiply by at least two.

Now here is the real problem with these boats.  Day-to-day living.  Next time you go sailing, set the boat on a beat, healed over to 25 degrees or so, and then spend an hour below making lunch.  Try dressing.  Try Sleeping.  Will you sleep in the V-Berth or in one of the quarter berths?  Which one?  Then try reading a chart.  Where will you keep your charts?  How about today's chart?  And what happens when you open that ice box to retrieve your rum bottle?  Where will the chart go?  When heeled 25 degrees it will be on the cabin floor for certain, as will everything else.  And because there are no good options for what to do with foul weather gear (remember we are paying a visit to Cape Horn) all below will not only be chaos but will be wet too.

Next, what about supplies?  Food and water?  Clothes (remember that we will pass from the tropics to the sub-arctic and back)?  Sails and miscellaneous gear?  These boats are tolerable for a week's cruising but one would have to give a lot more thought to stowage before heading off on such a long voyage. 

Watermaker?  Probably a good idea.  But powering this and the rest of our toys will be part of another post on this subject.  What about cold?  A diesel fired furnace such as Espar's would be a great thing but adds both complexity and cost to our boat.  (Aside:  it is a pity that I cannot think of a good place to install a small stove such as a Force 10 as these are much less expensive!  Sigh.)

Basic priorities then:  safety (meaning keep the boat afloat and ourselves on board), then protection from the elements (read warm and dry), closely followed by food and drink (assuming one can keep anything down).  I believe that the boats are quite capable of making this trip as presented (although I do like the idea of a water-tight lower hatch board).  The question that I would like to propose is what changes are necessary to ensure that WE can make the trip?

I agree with you too, Christopher. That's the beauty of it. I think smh's comments were very smart, based on rational and sound judgement combined with the voice of experience. You too are right.
I believe the boat would make it but we are the weakest link in the system.
People often make 2 mistakes when they go offshore: they're not in good shape and they didn't sail their boats enough.
Being in good physical shape is a prerequisite here, because physically this is the Everest. Mental strength is THE MOST decisive factor in all this. A solid inner structure is required in an individual here, because obviously this is not a place for the faint-hearted.
Patience is another virtue, the lack of which could kill you, pushing one into making stupid decisions when no decision may be necessary.
And most important of all, we have to want to be there and nowhere else. When this becomes a necessity rather that a fluke, it helps us mentally to go through the tough moments we will encounter, simply because we are where we should be.