Thanks for watching & sailing along with us! To see repairs to the damage as a result of the collision check out Episode 87 th-cam.com/video/9vdcZLhIpf0/w-d-xo.html and Episode 88 th-cam.com/video/9Ex-FZ8tpY8/w-d-xo.html Of course you will miss some beautiful ocean sailing and a few wonderful places we stopped at in Brazil if you skip ahead 🙂
You should get a decent pair of night vision goggles, even the digital ones are good nowadays. These UFOs, i have noticed, give off alot of infrared spectrum light. Light you can't see with the naked eye.
That's why we always sailed with double or triple reefed main at night and never tried to go over about three knots. Because, we didn't want to hit anything going any faster than that. We've just sailed close by too many things in the daytime, that I wouldn't want to hit at night going seven or eight knots.
Hi ralph :-) That is very cautious and prudent seamanship, good on ya'. Whatever this was, 7 or 8 knots of speed would have been really bad! Stay safe!!!
Having seen logs, barrels and containers, it could have been a number of other things. I would fear hitting a container because the corners can make a large hole. Thank God you did not have catastrophic damage.
We like the sleeping whale theory. Maybe a large tree? Whatever it was, we will never know. It must have been "softer" than the fiberglass (which we were very thankful for) but with enough mass to spin and lift the boat. Agree, probaby not a container as no jagged gouges, that would be very bad!
Have had a big hammerhead shark knock my 14000lb sailboat around while anchored at night in the fl keys. My keel was only 2ft from the bottom so probably just swimming along and didn't even see my keel. And probably got a headache since my keel was solid lead and was going a good pace to make the boat sway back and forth.
Friend of my dads hit a floating container many years ago off the South African east coast. They started taking on water. They were saved by a SA Airforce helicopter in some rough waters. Yaght had to be blown up and sunk as it was in a busy water way. Glad you guys had a much better outcome.
I can understand your adrenaline rush. I’d be the same way once yours get life jackets that’s sort of panicky and I’d deal with it but once all seems ok. No leakage. That’s when it would totally fill me of what just happened including replaying in my mind over and over. Lol
I'm watching this while wearing my Hella Mega concert T-shirt for Green Day, FOB, and Weezer. You were playing that Green Day song in this one, and singing Africa in another episode... which Weezer covers. Wondering if you guys went to the same concert tour?
Hitting something at sea is pretty scary, we collided with a large whale about 200 miles from Aus on our way home to NZ. Thought we'd collided with a trawler ,luckily we were 4mm steel so the whale came off worse. The rest of the pod came to it and lifted out of the water so it could breath in what's known as 'the Maugarite Formation'. I turned on the depth sounder to make some sort of sound and snuck away.
Wow! Thanks for sharing that story! Definitely not a fun time to hit things, especially if it causes serious damage. Fair winds and stay safe out there!
You handled the bump-in-the-night very well, sharing it on video. We had a bump crossing the Pacific, luckily our Dufour 35 was well made and did not let any water in. I am looking forward to your cruise down the Brazilian Coast to the Rio del Plata. Are you going to call in Punta del Estes, reportedly a favorite port for the old Whitbread Sailors.
Hi Rauf! How are you this week? Thanks! Glad you made it through the pacific unscathed, lots of stuff floating out there. We do hope to stop in Uruguay, some friends of ours are there now ans say it is nice.
Heading to Australia from Ventura Ca in 2013 we hit a lot of small stuff from the Japanese tsunami 2 years before. A few of the Transpac boats had been damaged a couple of weeks before. Our boat was a cold molded wooden boat 25mm thick, guess we got lucky. We saw the debris for a few hours. It's best not to think too much about hitting containers etc, drives you crazy especially if you're by yourself. I've had many occasions when I start wondering why am I thinking about a container, is it because there's one just ahead? then go and check up at the bow and peer into the night. Your mind goes round and round in circles and there's no escape. Eventually you just give up and get ready to die at any moment if that's your destiny as there's nothing you can do about it. I hate that feeling.
Good video. This should bring out all the internet detectives to help figure this one out. Glad you all are safe. I would think if you hit anything metal it would have left severe gouges in the paint and fiber glass. Only puzzling part for me is how the back side of the rudder was damaged. Yall keep having fun and stay safe.
Nice job covering what I’m sure was a very stressful event. The underwater footage was a cool addition and helped understand what information you had available for on the spot decision making.
Thanks Kevin! It was definitely stressful waiting until daylight to check the outside of the hull. Thanks for the comment! 😊 Picking up the camera was not easy..
Everything that could go wrong it always happened at night, and when it is raining, glad that you are doing well, thank for sharing your sailing experiences, the life os sailing......like seeing you playing the guitar.....
Thanks xtransam! Glad you enjoyed the guitar playing and video(s). We are fortunate that we get to share our experiences with you! And certainly the night did not help as we couldn't see anything in the rain! At least the wind let us right then 👍🏻😬
Just caught up on this video, just pleased you’re both ok , let’s hope the damage is not too serious. Must be a nightmare sailing at night in bad weather , you did well keeping it together. 👍
Hi g l! :-) We will share more details about the damage in the future, but luckily we could sail on! We are pretty used to the dark and weather these days, it does take some getting used to for sure!!
That would freak me out as well. Great job keeping your wits about you Kate, and Curtis I liked how you were steady in reminding Kate to record everything. Glad y'all are safe.
Kate you did an amazing job keeping it together when the adrenaline was pumping and all sorts of thoughts are rushing through your mind in those immediate moments. You are both great sailors and more importantly a great team. So natural and easy to watch. So glad you are putting these videos together and sharing with us. Looking forward to the unfolding adventure. 💕P&J
Hey thanks Peter and Jennene and welcome aboard once again! It was definitely hard to keep it together, but I wanted to give my raw reaction as close to the incident after we figured it was safe to do so. Glad you are appreciating the content! Some weeks are harder than others 😊
Glad you were there to inspect the bottom for your guy that did not want to get in the water apparently or stop the boats so you could do a proper inspection.
Having been on a boat hit an identifiable object offshore at night, it was nerve wracking. You were 8 days out, a long way from anything. Kate did really well to give such a clear update so soon after the event. In the event of losing the rudder/breaking the shaft a watertight bulkhead forward of the rudder post area would be a vital to maintain hull integrity. I'd much rather be in a disabled boat than in a liferaft, especially so far from help.
Hello BM! We couldn't agree more. Would love to add a watertight bulkhead. Maybe this incident will give us the time to do that. I'm glad you could understand my update through my shaky voice! I still can't believe the wind dropped just then, and you are definitely right about the nerve wracking feelings, especially so far offshore! Hopefully neither of us has to experience that again!
I agree that spade rudders are not “seaworthy” for a voyaging boat. In an impact they can easily have a shaft failure, and are nearly impossible to fix at sea. A fair number of boats have been abandoned at sea from rudder failure. A metal shaft is going to bend, jamming the system, often holding the boat yawed to one side such that a jury steering system cannot overcome the force it exerts. The only cure is if possible to jettison the rudder downward if even possible, then do a jury rig of some sort. The abandoned cat Rainmaker is the classic case…..sliding backward I believe, the rudder(s) was / were fully deflected, and bent. I would not want to make a transoceanic passage in such a boat without a plan to deal with this.
@@SailingSweetRuca you (and others in similar situations) might consider a forward-looking sonar. There's a few on the market, some under $1k. Sounds like reasonable insurance.
Ask Bob Perry. He states that most skegs are held on by the rudder! And I would also consider the multiple instances of Malos with partial skegs that have their hulls breached by collisions or grounding against the skeg.
@@kylek2794 I think it depends on the skeg. Some of the vestigial ones appear more or less decorative and I doubt if they help at all. But in the end, nothing is as protective as a full keel, but that means compromises in sailing agility as well as reducing the pool of available boats pretty radically. Personally, I like a full keel with a cutaway forefoot; they handle well enough, since it's the underwater profile forward of the mast that most affects tacking. But that doesn't mean they're perfect, it's just my preference.
It amazes how it's such a big space and the odds are so long, and yet yachts hit stuff fairly frequently. Still, you got through it and all is okay. Hopefully that's your bad luck out of the way.
We could carry a spare rudder and make mounts on the transom to fit a cassette (a lot of ocean racing programs do this) but it is very expensive to set up properly. It is on the wish list along with watertight bulkheads.
A close family friend was an experienced sailor that had circumnavigated many times. His sailboat was sunk on purpose by pilot whales him and his wife spent 53 days at sea in a raft. He wrote a book about it called our last chance. There are old charts that mark the location this happened with warnings for whales attacking boats.
Read Jonathon Swifts book Tale of A Tub. British Sailors carried empty wooden barrels on board to toss off for whales to play with instead of whales playing with their wooden planks vessels and creaking leaky planks
Glad you guys are alright. There's is so much junk around this part of the coast lots of huge debris much bigger than my boat as I was bombing it down from canaries to Dakar. Now currently in Gambia will stay for 1 year then head out to Cape verde. The trash is a massive concern doesn't matter how fast your going it can seriously end you passage fast.
Hi SV Pantera! Scary stuff! Sounds like you had a good rip of a passage through there also! Not much can be done but cross your fingers and hope for the best. We are working on the episode this week where we finally cut into and repair the damage.
@@SailingSweetRuca yeah exactly when you see the trash in day light your worried but at night your less worried I find when your flying through it but in the back of your mind you remember how big some of the trash was which brings that level of concern back again. Its exhausting especially hand steering all the way. Need match sticks for the eyes. Happy recording will check it out. 👍🏿
Every offshore sailor's worst nightmare. Near the end of 2018 Newport Bermuda one night there was report of a large partially submerged structure right near the fleet. It caused a lot of anxiety to say the least. I'm planning a transatlantic race in 2025 with my Baltic 51. Collision is my worst fear. At night, we sail with our radar on. But its the stuff just below that is scary. You guys did well with no panic! I've enjoyed your channel.
Hi High Note :-) We dig the logo!!! Scary stuff for sure, at least racing other boats are around, but still you can't reall slow down either! Good luck in the race, we will have to follow along!!! If you have time to do watertight bulkheads in the Baltic, it may be worth the peace of mind. Smart about the radar, we do as well. A lot of times in dual range mode (short and long). Uses some battery, but cheap insurance! Cheers!!!!
@@SailingSweetRuca Thanks for the logo praise. My wife and I came up with it with the help of a talented designer in Newport. I love the new B&G radar. The dual range is a huge improvement and it doesn't kill the batteries like the old systems. I am going to make a watertight bulkhead up forward. The anchor fore peak already has a fiberglass tabbed bulkhead separating it from the V berth. There are a few penetrations for plumbing and electric but those can be sealed. It is my aft compartments I worry about where my rudder post is. It is very difficult to access and if we had flooding there, it would be difficult or impossible to deal with. I've enjoyed your channel because you guys are real sailors and are not just fumbling around! I do like helping people to learn also. I had Bums on a Boat with me to Bermuda last summer.
@@SailingSweetRuca I hit a container on a delivery off the south Island of NZ once , We just managed to see it 20 meters ahead , It was simurged , Covered in mussels ,witch is all you could see on the surface , Just a glancing blow & that was in the 80s when there was a lot less containers around , Reported it but the coast guard never found it (Hope it sunk)
Great video. Scary stuff to get hit like that. Good luck that you did not break the rudder blade as it had to be a big hit to bend the rudder blade to make the marks in the back of it. If I am correct it is not designed to bend but to be stationary. My rudder shaft is stainles, i knew that you can have it made in carbon but did not know that there are ones made like yours. Waiting to see what damage you got from this unfortunate collision. BTW do you have normal keel in sweet ruca? The keel looks shallow.
Hi Topc! Sweet Ruca has the shallow draft keel 6'3". She is designed to just barely fit into the intercoastal waterway (draft and rig height). More later for sure, lots of good info and cool insider boat design stuff to come. J used a large diameter fiberglass shaft. Basically the rudder and shaft are almost all one piece. Fiberglass is more flexible than carbon or steel, allowing it to deflect and absorb impact rather than break. It seemed to work as designed in this case. We think, but don't know....a carbon shaft may have transfered more shock to the hull and bearings, and possibly if the shaft was steel in this case, it could have bent far ebough to render steering impossible. We think we are pretty lucky.
@@SailingSweetRuca sounds like a clever design. You make a good marketing for j boats. It has to be a rare insident to hit the side of the keel and then the rudder. What ever it was you are wery lucky as it did not hit straight to the keel. Propably with a lead keel you would stay afloat but lose a part of the lead. With 4 knots it is a huge bang but at that speed you wil not lose the keel, but you will have a big problems and repair (like expedition Evans).
With the back top corner of the rudder damaged, by a forward moving strike, it means the rudder flexed enough for the back of the rudder to ram the hull. Bringing into question the condition of the rudder shaft and hull support. REDUCE SAIL AND HEAD FOR THE NEAREST SAFE HARBOR‼️
Hey Superman, where do you think the nearest safe harbor was from their reported position of 8.5°N x 23 °W? I assume Natal. This was a great video and I am happy to know they got somewhere safely.
Thanks Jim!!!! You are correct also. At the time the easy angles Africa were not a great option for yachts and with possible damage, we did not want to sail upwind into the trades. We are also prepared for this risk, to sail rudderless, etc. Continuing with the trades and closer to shipping lanes seemed the best option for us after an inner hull, bulkhead, keel bolt, and rudder inspection (we didn't film any of this as cameras were the least of our concern at the time).
Your boat look very fast! What Brandt and model you have! Thanks for the delightful image and quality of the music ambiance. Feel really like we are sailling with you two!
I have always been a devotee of the long-keeled sailboat. I am a little cautious of deep-fin keels, exposed props and spade rudders. They are more vulnerable. Long keels have less performance but they are less vulnerable. The long-keel will heave-to a little better, too. Long-keel is king. Fair winds !
WOW! What a small world. We are glad you are safe. That had to be a terrifying experience. Are you back out sailing? Do you have a website or sailing channel to follow you as well? Sounds like our collisions to the rudder were similar. We did end up taking on some water months later from a small crack made by the impact that was difficult to find. Hopefully when we make it to your neck of the woods we can stop and say hello! Cheers!
Hit a sunfish on a 94 ft tug off coast of California, didn't see it sunning on the top of the water, it was huge and ended up almost stopping two massive 4 blade kort nozzle wheels with 4000 HP, by the time I felt and heard the engines bog down , the body of the fish went thru the wheels all there was was blood and fish pieces all around the vessel, the engines never fully stopped and we gained our rpm's back and kept going. Pretty crazy though, if we were a fiberglass vessel I can't imagine !
Orcas have recently been very active attacking sailing boats along the coast of Portugal, mostly aiming rudders, apparently for fun 😮(?) That is what happened to you, for sure!
god bless ! I worry the bump in the night created a compression of the material under the fiberglass + compromised the structural unity of the keel - but pray I am wrong - nice music choice - greetings from South Louisiana
Wow! Small world! It was such an awesome boat and sad ending for her, but glad everyone made it safely to Hawaii! A Transpac is high up on our bucket list!
Dealing with the unknown is not alway comforting.But going really fast across the ocean is amazing it alway taking that chance the adrenaline if flowing, Thank god you were be watched over and protected ! You two are amazing real life sailing ! Thank you !
There should be a collision notification service for Maritimers. GPS coordinates of the strike, sea state, time, etc. is all valuable data. Every city does this same record keeping for accidents, and its important at sea as well.
Not sure exactly if there are Orca's where we were, but we have seen one surface close to us in Brazil. Intimidating! Our friends in spain had their rudder broken near Portugal by them.
@@SailingSweetRuca Yes, there's been quite a few incidents off the coast of Portugal of Orcas attacking sailing yachts. Curious and worrying behaviour. Would like to know the cause.
the worst thing we have thank god nearly hit was a mine, yes naval mine , a big spiky ball ! we did not even see it until it was along side us. This was in the Mediterranean of all places. We reported it to windy station on Gibraltar , they were not even surprised, They said they come from the black sea and break free and drift down though the med. 10 feet to the left and it would have been BOOM.
Curious, first, why didn't you just drop the main and stop the boat for the inspection. Lacking that, why did you not tie a lashing to Kate in case she lost her grip?
We did stop the boat (the hit stopped it for us) as we inspected right at the time of the incident. Don't worry I was tied when I went off the side. Off the transom, we were trailing a line and in the process of slowing.
One lesson to be taken along .. be prepared and slow down at night. A nice tool for the bad weather is radar .. it will tell you how big the squall is and how much rain.
On a crossing to the azores we brushed up against a container about 150 NM west of Horta ,we went over the side and found it scrapped the entire length of our boat ,the sound was scary to hear (steel hull)
Horses for courses. We like pretty much all boats, and like people every one is different. For us the preference is speed to give flexibility in routing and the pure enjoyment of sailing itself.
My first thought was that the rudder probably got hit from the front, not the rear, so if it was hit in the front in such a way that paint was knocked off the top rear, there could have been some really interesting (i.e. expensive) forces at work during the collision. For example, did the rudder shaft flex so that the top rear rudder struck the hull? There could be all sorts of strain damage inside the rudder if it bent and hit that way!
That's a scary situation! Looks like you both handled it as well as possible! Just conjecture, but assuming it was a whale, I wonder if the rain played a role? I'm not a whale biologist or underwater audiologist, but I know whales rely on sound for information. I would bet the rain drowns out the sound of the boat underwater (especially with no engine running). Maybe the whale was just as surprised as you were! All things considered, this could have been much worse. Glad you three are OK!
If you lose your rudder completely you should probably let someone know immediately what your dealing with along with exact position,wind speed ,direction etc. just in case things go from bad to worst.
The weird wave part of the collision makes me think whale fluke. I think you hit a whale. Especially since there was no real damage. The barnacles probably were the cause of the strange paint scuffs. You guys got lucky. 😀
That seems like such a personal question ;-) Does the size matter? It is actually about 6.5 inches. Here is a link to the rudder bearings drawings www.jefa.com/ftp/old_boat_spare_parts/J-Boat/J120/J120_bearings_retrofit.pdf
In an interview with the guy who designed the Kraken 50 boat, he describes taking the prototype out for a sail. The boat just stopped dead, sending everyone flying, then carried on. Minimal damage. He guesses it was a whale
Thank you! I'm in a horrible nadir in my life but have had a surge of live giving positivity coming up with a three year plan to get a sailing boat, learn to sail, and go all over. Hopefully as a decent versatile guitarist I'm hoping busking will keep me going financially. I m experiencedr in uk but not do much abroad. Any thoughts maybe? Subbed to you..see you out there!
There needs to be some kind of pinger device that would warn whales a boat is coming. Another thing I'm looking into is integrating a forward looking sonar into a boat, sort of like an automatic collision avoidance mechanism.
That was an example shot from earlier in the night since we weren't filming at 3am. It is nearly impossible to film 24/7. Sorry if that made it confusing.
I'm glad you guys are OK. I have to admit that for me, a boat with a steel hull, or perhaps and aluminium hull, would be preferrable, because of the inate strength. UFO = Unidentified Floating Object (as distinct from flying object)...
There are safer boats. There is always something better. But one has to make choices within terms budget, availability, and performance. For us the Sweet Ruca was the right boat at the right time. If we won the lottery that would change things.
@@SailingSweetRuca Well, I hope you guys remain safe. You're not just doing coastal sailing here, and the dangers of getting into trouble whilst in mid-ocean are obviously greater than they would be for people who are less adventurous. I follow the journeys of Sailing Yatch Florence on You Tube, and the design of their boat is clearly more robust than is yours. Anyway, best wishes and stay safe.
Thanks for the well wishes Tim. Once again, tradeoffs. Their boat is considerably slower. In just a few hours we would be over their horizon. For every 1,000 miles sailed, they would likely be at least 24 hours behind us. For example a 1,000 mile run to the Falklands/Malvinas a full day or more is a huge difference when talking 3-4 day weather windows between systems with deep lows. On a long passage they could be over a week behind, putting them in a completely different weather cycle with no escape. This is hard for non-experts in that department to grasp, so the default is to sail old and heavy tanks down the rumb line. Also, FYI, solid fiberglass is not more robust by default, that is an old wives tale, steel rusts, and aluminium is costly to purchase and difficult to repair in remote places and can corrode as well. That said, if we had the funds we would buy a slightly larger aluminium or carbon fiber boat with significantly more safety features. If you would like us to get another boat, there is a place called Patreon where contributions can be made ;-) Sailors make the boat, not the other way around. We could cross an ocean in a Hobie Cat or Melges 24 if we wanted to. We can also chat about keels falling off of Oysters and how the Titanic was made of steel and unsinkable.
![She CROSSED THE LINE While SAILING in The Middle of NOWHERE [Ep. 72]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/XIN3s7qpMhU/mqdefault.jpg)
![She CROSSED THE LINE While SAILING in The Middle of NOWHERE [Ep. 72]](/img/tr.png)
![Cutting Into Our SAILBOAT - Collision Damage REVEALED [Ep.87]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/9vdcZLhIpf0/mqdefault.jpg)
Thanks for watching & sailing along with us! To see repairs to the damage as a result of the collision check out Episode 87 th-cam.com/video/9vdcZLhIpf0/w-d-xo.html and Episode 88 th-cam.com/video/9Ex-FZ8tpY8/w-d-xo.html Of course you will miss some beautiful ocean sailing and a few wonderful places we stopped at in Brazil if you skip ahead 🙂
Thanks
You're welcome!
That is some scary sh*t! I'm so glad you guys weren't ripping along as usual....just glad you're safe!
Thanks @Ken K. Yes, super glad we were not doing 10+ with the kite up at that moment!
You should get a decent pair of night vision goggles, even the digital ones are good nowadays. These UFOs, i have noticed, give off alot of infrared spectrum light. Light you can't see with the naked eye.
That's why we always sailed with double or triple reefed main at night and never tried to go over about three knots. Because, we didn't want to hit anything going any faster than that. We've just sailed close by too many things in the daytime, that I wouldn't want to hit at night going seven or eight knots.
Hi ralph :-) That is very cautious and prudent seamanship, good on ya'. Whatever this was, 7 or 8 knots of speed would have been really bad! Stay safe!!!
Having seen logs, barrels and containers, it could have been a number of other things. I would fear hitting a container because the corners can make a large hole. Thank God you did not have catastrophic damage.
We like the sleeping whale theory. Maybe a large tree? Whatever it was, we will never know. It must have been "softer" than the fiberglass (which we were very thankful for) but with enough mass to spin and lift the boat. Agree, probaby not a container as no jagged gouges, that would be very bad!
3:28 Big Tree Logs fall into Rivers and get washed to Sea, then drift with currents for years.
We've had a run in with one of these as well, but it happen to be in a canal 😬
Have had a big hammerhead shark knock my 14000lb sailboat around while anchored at night in the fl keys. My keel was only 2ft from the bottom so probably just swimming along and didn't even see my keel. And probably got a headache since my keel was solid lead and was going a good pace to make the boat sway back and forth.
That is a pretty awesome story. We can only imagine the visual when you looked over the side! Crazy!!!
Friend of my dads hit a floating container many years ago off the South African east coast. They started taking on water. They were saved by a SA Airforce helicopter in some rough waters. Yaght had to be blown up and sunk as it was in a busy water way. Glad you guys had a much better outcome.
WOW! Holy smokes Gary, that is some scary stuff. Thankfully he was rescued. So sad to hear about the boat's fate. That had to be devastating.
What a story!
Run 40 ft. Line out of he back in case you let go when swimming in while underway
Thanks. There is a line but not quite 40 feet. Longer is better though for sure. Just have to remember to pull it up before the motor comes on
I recommend inspection ports for rudder and keel...
yes know how you feel... I've had hairy experience's at sea... take care may U be safe 🙏🇦🇺
Glad you're safe, too! That's living I guess! Many thanks
I can understand your adrenaline rush. I’d be the same way once yours get life jackets that’s sort of panicky and I’d deal with it but once all seems ok. No leakage. That’s when it would totally fill me of what just happened including replaying in my mind over and over. Lol
I'm watching this while wearing my Hella Mega concert T-shirt for Green Day, FOB, and Weezer. You were playing that Green Day song in this one, and singing Africa in another episode... which Weezer covers. Wondering if you guys went to the same concert tour?
We did not but we share a similar taste in music! Haha what a fun moment of coincidence. Thanks for sharing 😁
Wow,,Amazing!
Keep it together. 🤙🏻
Thanks Chris! Will do 👍
Hitting something at sea is pretty scary, we collided with a large whale about 200 miles from Aus on our way home to NZ. Thought we'd collided with a trawler ,luckily we were 4mm steel so the whale came off worse. The rest of the pod came to it and lifted out of the water so it could breath in what's known as 'the Maugarite Formation'. I turned on the depth sounder to make some sort of sound and snuck away.
Wow! Thanks for sharing that story! Definitely not a fun time to hit things, especially if it causes serious damage. Fair winds and stay safe out there!
Sailors should deploy some kind of sonar as a whale-warning device. Can depth sounders be set to a low power mode?
You handled the bump-in-the-night very well, sharing it on video. We had a bump crossing the Pacific, luckily our Dufour 35 was well made and did not let any water in. I am looking forward to your cruise down the Brazilian Coast to the Rio del Plata. Are you going to call in Punta del Estes, reportedly a favorite port for the old Whitbread Sailors.
Hi Rauf! How are you this week? Thanks! Glad you made it through the pacific unscathed, lots of stuff floating out there. We do hope to stop in Uruguay, some friends of ours are there now ans say it is nice.
This what I get for watching you guys sail around the world ..you've got me to where I worry about you guys ..stay safe..
Awww. Don't Worry JOJO, we will stay safe! Promise :-)
@@SailingSweetRuca
Heading to Australia from Ventura Ca in 2013 we hit a lot of small stuff from the Japanese tsunami 2 years before. A few of the Transpac boats had been damaged a couple of weeks before. Our boat was a cold molded wooden boat 25mm thick, guess we got lucky. We saw the debris for a few hours. It's best not to think too much about hitting containers etc, drives you crazy especially if you're by yourself. I've had many occasions when I start wondering why am I thinking about a container, is it because there's one just ahead? then go and check up at the bow and peer into the night. Your mind goes round and round in circles and there's no escape. Eventually you just give up and get ready to die at any moment if that's your destiny as there's nothing you can do about it. I hate that feeling.
Thanks for the tips. We definitely know that feeling now more than ever. Thanks again for sharing the story.
You are a sweetie. And you're so brave. I think you can Relax. And enjoy the ride.❤
Thanks Clarence!
Good video. This should bring out all the internet detectives to help figure this one out. Glad you all are safe. I would think if you hit anything metal it would have left severe gouges in the paint and fiber glass. Only puzzling part for me is how the back side of the rudder was damaged. Yall keep having fun and stay safe.
Thanks stubby! Thats what we think also. We now know why the back of the rudder was damaged, but it took us a while to figure it out.
Nice job covering what I’m sure was a very stressful event. The underwater footage was a cool addition and helped understand what information you had available for on the spot decision making.
Thanks Kevin! It was definitely stressful waiting until daylight to check the outside of the hull. Thanks for the comment! 😊 Picking up the camera was not easy..
We iWe y
Everything that could go wrong it always happened at night, and when it is raining, glad that you are doing well, thank for sharing your sailing experiences, the life os sailing......like seeing you playing the guitar.....
Thanks xtransam! Glad you enjoyed the guitar playing and video(s). We are fortunate that we get to share our experiences with you! And certainly the night did not help as we couldn't see anything in the rain! At least the wind let us right then 👍🏻😬
It gives us an idea of what humanity is doing to this planet
Just caught up on this video, just pleased you’re both ok , let’s hope the damage is not too serious. Must be a nightmare sailing at night in bad weather , you did well keeping it together. 👍
Hi g l! :-) We will share more details about the damage in the future, but luckily we could sail on! We are pretty used to the dark and weather these days, it does take some getting used to for sure!!
Wow Sailor, 👍
😊
That would freak me out as well. Great job keeping your wits about you Kate, and Curtis I liked how you were steady in reminding Kate to record everything. Glad y'all are safe.
Thanks Paul!!! Great to hear from you. Hope you have been well!!! Cheers!!!!
There are bound to be scary events out at sea. Wishing many more safe voyages... stay safe.
Thank you for the well wishes Mary!! :-)
Never know what's out there for sure
Glad this turned ok, good thing you were going so slow. Think about that rudder if you were going 10.
We agree. At normal speeds we sail this could have been a major disaster.
Kate you did an amazing job keeping it together when the adrenaline was pumping and all sorts of thoughts are rushing through your mind in those immediate moments. You are both great sailors and more importantly a great team. So natural and easy to watch. So glad you are putting these videos together and sharing with us. Looking forward to the unfolding adventure. 💕P&J
Hey thanks Peter and Jennene and welcome aboard once again! It was definitely hard to keep it together, but I wanted to give my raw reaction as close to the incident after we figured it was safe to do so. Glad you are appreciating the content! Some weeks are harder than others 😊
Glad you were there to inspect the bottom for your guy that did not want to get in the water apparently or stop the boats so you could do a proper inspection.
Having been on a boat hit an identifiable object offshore at night, it was nerve wracking. You were 8 days out, a long way from anything. Kate did really well to give such a clear update so soon after the event. In the event of losing the rudder/breaking the shaft a watertight bulkhead forward of the rudder post area would be a vital to maintain hull integrity. I'd much rather be in a disabled boat than in a liferaft, especially so far from help.
Hello BM! We couldn't agree more. Would love to add a watertight bulkhead. Maybe this incident will give us the time to do that.
I'm glad you could understand my update through my shaky voice! I still can't believe the wind dropped just then, and you are definitely right about the nerve wracking feelings, especially so far offshore!
Hopefully neither of us has to experience that again!
I agree that spade rudders are not “seaworthy” for a voyaging boat. In an impact they can easily have a shaft failure, and are nearly impossible to fix at sea. A fair number of boats have been abandoned at sea from rudder failure. A metal shaft is going to bend, jamming the system, often holding the boat yawed to one side such that a jury steering system cannot overcome the force it exerts. The only cure is if possible to jettison the rudder downward if even possible, then do a jury rig of some sort. The abandoned cat Rainmaker is the classic case…..sliding backward I believe, the rudder(s) was / were fully deflected, and bent. I would not want to make a transoceanic passage in such a boat without a plan to deal with this.
Agreed
We think it is seaworthy, lots of boats with spades make it around the world. Every boat is a comprimise. You are not wrong about the steel shafts.
@@SailingSweetRuca you (and others in similar situations) might consider a forward-looking sonar. There's a few on the market, some under $1k. Sounds like reasonable insurance.
Ask Bob Perry. He states that most skegs are held on by the rudder! And I would also consider the multiple instances of Malos with partial skegs that have their hulls breached by collisions or grounding against the skeg.
@@kylek2794 I think it depends on the skeg. Some of the vestigial ones appear more or less decorative and I doubt if they help at all. But in the end, nothing is as protective as a full keel, but that means compromises in sailing agility as well as reducing the pool of available boats pretty radically. Personally, I like a full keel with a cutaway forefoot; they handle well enough, since it's the underwater profile forward of the mast that most affects tacking. But that doesn't mean they're perfect, it's just my preference.
It amazes how it's such a big space and the odds are so long, and yet yachts hit stuff fairly frequently. Still, you got through it and all is okay. Hopefully that's your bad luck out of the way.
Agree completely
Hero, Picking up the camera and invite us, amazing, thank you guys 🤟🏋🏻♀️
Welcome aboard M K!!! :-)
Can you carry a spare rudder?
We could carry a spare rudder and make mounts on the transom to fit a cassette (a lot of ocean racing programs do this) but it is very expensive to set up properly. It is on the wish list along with watertight bulkheads.
A close family friend was an experienced sailor that had circumnavigated many times. His sailboat was sunk on purpose by pilot whales him and his wife spent 53 days at sea in a raft. He wrote a book about it called our last chance. There are old charts that mark the location this happened with warnings for whales attacking boats.
Wow that's crazy. Thanks for sharing the story. That's the risk we take. We are very lucky.
Read Jonathon Swifts book Tale of A Tub. British Sailors carried empty wooden barrels on board to toss off for whales to play with instead of whales playing with their wooden planks vessels and creaking leaky planks
Glad you guys are alright. There's is so much junk around this part of the coast lots of huge debris much bigger than my boat as I was bombing it down from canaries to Dakar. Now currently in Gambia will stay for 1 year then head out to Cape verde. The trash is a massive concern doesn't matter how fast your going it can seriously end you passage fast.
Hi SV Pantera! Scary stuff! Sounds like you had a good rip of a passage through there also! Not much can be done but cross your fingers and hope for the best. We are working on the episode this week where we finally cut into and repair the damage.
@@SailingSweetRuca yeah exactly when you see the trash in day light your worried but at night your less worried I find when your flying through it but in the back of your mind you remember how big some of the trash was which brings that level of concern back again. Its exhausting especially hand steering all the way. Need match sticks for the eyes. Happy recording will check it out. 👍🏿
Hmm, I have a twin keel boat, although I do have a skeg rudder. Just thinking about that...On the plus side, it doesn't go very fast !
Cool! Another plus is it won't tip over if the tide goes out too far!
Great episode you guys. I’m glad you guys are safe and getting everything sorted out.
Thanks @KGladie!
Such an adventure. Great video. Hope your boat isn't too banged up.
Thanks Mark!!
you should tie off if you are going in the water while the boat is under way, even slowly.
Thanks Forest :-)
Every offshore sailor's worst nightmare. Near the end of 2018 Newport Bermuda one night there was report of a large partially submerged structure right near the fleet. It caused a lot of anxiety to say the least. I'm planning a transatlantic race in 2025 with my Baltic 51. Collision is my worst fear. At night, we sail with our radar on. But its the stuff just below that is scary. You guys did well with no panic! I've enjoyed your channel.
Hi High Note :-) We dig the logo!!! Scary stuff for sure, at least racing other boats are around, but still you can't reall slow down either! Good luck in the race, we will have to follow along!!! If you have time to do watertight bulkheads in the Baltic, it may be worth the peace of mind. Smart about the radar, we do as well. A lot of times in dual range mode (short and long). Uses some battery, but cheap insurance! Cheers!!!!
@@SailingSweetRuca Thanks for the logo praise. My wife and I came up with it with the help of a talented designer in Newport. I love the new B&G radar. The dual range is a huge improvement and it doesn't kill the batteries like the old systems. I am going to make a watertight bulkhead up forward. The anchor fore peak already has a fiberglass tabbed bulkhead separating it from the V berth. There are a few penetrations for plumbing and electric but those can be sealed. It is my aft compartments I worry about where my rudder post is. It is very difficult to access and if we had flooding there, it would be difficult or impossible to deal with. I've enjoyed your channel because you guys are real sailors and are not just fumbling around! I do like helping people to learn also. I had Bums on a Boat with me to Bermuda last summer.
yea, that'd get a sailors attention....
when do you hope to cross cap horn? I'm curious
Hi non. :-) We hope to in the next southern summer.
@@SailingSweetRuca same here. of course why i was asking...
I'll be in touch..
owe ya'll a hand shake anyhow.
Probable a old long line with heavy bouy attached
Heya bill! A good possibility! Not sure we will ever know the answer?
@@SailingSweetRuca I hit a container on a delivery off the south Island of NZ once , We just managed to see it 20 meters ahead , It was simurged , Covered in mussels ,witch is all you could see on the surface , Just a glancing blow & that was in the 80s when there was a lot less containers around , Reported it but the coast guard never found it (Hope it sunk)
Great video. Scary stuff to get hit like that. Good luck that you did not break the rudder blade as it had to be a big hit to bend the rudder blade to make the marks in the back of it. If I am correct it is not designed to bend but to be stationary. My rudder shaft is stainles, i knew that you can have it made in carbon but did not know that there are ones made like yours. Waiting to see what damage you got from this unfortunate collision. BTW do you have normal keel in sweet ruca? The keel looks shallow.
Hi Topc! Sweet Ruca has the shallow draft keel 6'3". She is designed to just barely fit into the intercoastal waterway (draft and rig height). More later for sure, lots of good info and cool insider boat design stuff to come. J used a large diameter fiberglass shaft. Basically the rudder and shaft are almost all one piece. Fiberglass is more flexible than carbon or steel, allowing it to deflect and absorb impact rather than break. It seemed to work as designed in this case. We think, but don't know....a carbon shaft may have transfered more shock to the hull and bearings, and possibly if the shaft was steel in this case, it could have bent far ebough to render steering impossible. We think we are pretty lucky.
@@SailingSweetRuca sounds like a clever design. You make a good marketing for j boats. It has to be a rare insident to hit the side of the keel and then the rudder. What ever it was you are wery lucky as it did not hit straight to the keel. Propably with a lead keel you would stay afloat but lose a part of the lead. With 4 knots it is a huge bang but at that speed you wil not lose the keel, but you will have a big problems and repair (like expedition Evans).
Always have some Splash Zone with you on those long journeys.
Excellent advise!
With the back top corner of the rudder damaged, by a forward moving strike, it means the rudder flexed enough for the back of the rudder to ram the hull. Bringing into question the condition of the rudder shaft and hull support. REDUCE SAIL AND HEAD FOR THE NEAREST SAFE HARBOR‼️
Hey Superman, where do you think the nearest safe harbor was from their reported position of 8.5°N x 23
°W? I assume Natal. This was a great video and I am happy to know they got somewhere safely.
they stopped in Brazil
they had to get special clearance
This is good and CORRECT ADVICE! Thank you Clark for sharing for others if they ever encounter this!!!
Thanks Jim!!!! You are correct also. At the time the easy angles Africa were not a great option for yachts and with possible damage, we did not want to sail upwind into the trades. We are also prepared for this risk, to sail rudderless, etc. Continuing with the trades and closer to shipping lanes seemed the best option for us after an inner hull, bulkhead, keel bolt, and rudder inspection (we didn't film any of this as cameras were the least of our concern at the time).
Hi Rick! You get the super slueth award this week ;-)
Hit something hard in the middle of the night south of Haiti in '79. Gave us a nasty sinking feeling.
Woof! Scary stuff, and back then, no EPIRBs or SAT Phones. Hope all turned out well!
Your boat look very fast! What Brandt and model you have! Thanks for the delightful image and quality of the music ambiance. Feel really like we are sailling with you two!
Hi! Glad you enjoyed. You can learn all about the boat here sweetruca.com/about-the-boat/
you should have a harness on when you do that
Not a bad idea. Probably better than just a trailing line. But all is well that ends well
I have always been a devotee of the long-keeled sailboat. I am a little cautious of deep-fin keels, exposed props and spade rudders. They are more vulnerable. Long keels have less performance but they are less vulnerable. The long-keel will heave-to a little better, too. Long-keel is king. Fair winds !
To each their own 😀 fair winds indeed!
Or just stern hung rudder
I can hear your dogs panting & concern when you were in the water checking out your rudder damage.
Roxy tries to be a lifeguard :-)
You guys are nuts. Good luck.
Thank you and thank you 😁
That’s our boat sinking at the start of your video! We got hit by a sunfish!!! Glad you didn’t take on any water 💦
WOW! What a small world. We are glad you are safe. That had to be a terrifying experience. Are you back out sailing? Do you have a website or sailing channel to follow you as well?
Sounds like our collisions to the rudder were similar. We did end up taking on some water months later from a small crack made by the impact that was difficult to find.
Hopefully when we make it to your neck of the woods we can stop and say hello! Cheers!
Hit a sunfish on a 94 ft tug off coast of California, didn't see it sunning on the top of the water, it was huge and ended up almost stopping two massive 4 blade kort nozzle wheels with 4000 HP, by the time I felt and heard the engines bog down , the body of the fish went thru the wheels all there was was blood and fish pieces all around the vessel, the engines never fully stopped and we gained our rpm's back and kept going. Pretty crazy though, if we were a fiberglass vessel I can't imagine !
Always something to hit in the ocean 😬
Orcas have recently been very active attacking sailing boats along the coast of Portugal, mostly aiming rudders, apparently for fun 😮(?)
That is what happened to you, for sure!
btw, it's "killer whales" in english
You may be right about this! We will never know for sure as it happened in the night and we saw nothing.
god bless ! I worry the bump in the night created a compression of the material under the fiberglass + compromised the structural unity of the keel - but pray I am wrong - nice music choice - greetings from South Louisiana
Hi Space Ace! We were worried about that also. Lots to learn in future episodes. We didn't escape free and clear, but the boat handled it very well.
OEX was owned by my best friend! I've sailed many a competition nautical mile with him...
Wow! Small world! It was such an awesome boat and sad ending for her, but glad everyone made it safely to Hawaii! A Transpac is high up on our bucket list!
Well they do say ufos come from the sea not the sky...
Dealing with the unknown is not alway comforting.But going really fast across the ocean is amazing it alway taking that chance the adrenaline if flowing, Thank god you were be watched over and protected ! You two are amazing real life sailing ! Thank you !
Right on Neal! Thank you!
👏👏👏
There should be a collision notification service for Maritimers. GPS coordinates of the strike, sea state, time, etc. is all valuable data. Every city does this same record keeping for accidents, and its important at sea as well.
That is a great idea Edward! You have got the wheels turning :-)
Unless you tag the object once spotted it's hard to predict how it's going to move.
When there is so much fear, why do You stress Yourself sailing? -Leads to selfullfilling prophecy
Maybe you found that container that fell of my ship :-). Glad you OK
Hahahahaha! :-)
Do you get Orca's in that part of the ocean? They've been bumping into yachts lately so I wonder if that's what you came into contact with.
Not sure exactly if there are Orca's where we were, but we have seen one surface close to us in Brazil. Intimidating! Our friends in spain had their rudder broken near Portugal by them.
@@SailingSweetRuca Yes, there's been quite a few incidents off the coast of Portugal of Orcas attacking sailing yachts. Curious and worrying behaviour. Would like to know the cause.
Same here!
It was probably one of the red buoys that check for tsunami
Might have made a different sound if it was metal but I suppose it could be!
the worst thing we have thank god nearly hit was a mine, yes naval mine , a big spiky ball ! we did not even see it until it was along side us. This was in the Mediterranean of all places. We reported it to windy station on Gibraltar , they were not even surprised, They said they come from the black sea and break free and drift down though the med. 10 feet to the left and it would have been BOOM.
OMG! That is scary!!!!!
Heave to on a starboard tack to dive the hull offshore
Good idea!
Unidentified Floating Object. Steel containers Floating beneath the surface?
I hear the pup panting anxious mom is in the water
We arent sure if she is anxious or jealous to be honest 😂
Curious, first, why didn't you just drop the main and stop the boat for the inspection. Lacking that, why did you not tie a lashing to Kate in case she lost her grip?
We did stop the boat (the hit stopped it for us) as we inspected right at the time of the incident. Don't worry I was tied when I went off the side. Off the transom, we were trailing a line and in the process of slowing.
Wow man!
Cheers tatman!
@@SailingSweetRuca Hold fast y'all.
Rogue Orca? Ther's a crazy pod around that area. They don't like boats.
Could be? Only one hit, but you never know. We have heard they are out on the prowl again, scary stuff for sailors!
One lesson to be taken along .. be prepared and slow down at night.
A nice tool for the bad weather is radar .. it will tell you how big the squall is and how much rain.
Right on Monk!
On a crossing to the azores we brushed up against a container about 150 NM west of Horta ,we went over the side and found it scrapped the entire length of our boat ,the sound was scary to hear (steel hull)
Scary stuff for sure J K! You guys had to be really glad to have a steely at that moment!!!
@@SailingSweetRuca it absolutely was
I'd go back and pay myself with the content.
So glad you are pk i have been worried all week i hope everything works out ok be safe
Thank you Brad! Don't worry, we are OK, but we learned a lot from this.
Glad you guys are okay🙏💝🙏
Thanks boss man!!!! Diggin' the screen name BTW :-)
THIS is why a full keel boat will always be THE boat for blue water.
Yea, Chassing Lattitudes, I’m talking to you!!!! 😀
Horses for courses. We like pretty much all boats, and like people every one is different. For us the preference is speed to give flexibility in routing and the pure enjoyment of sailing itself.
My first thought was that the rudder probably got hit from the front, not the rear, so if it was hit in the front in such a way that paint was knocked off the top rear, there could have been some really interesting (i.e. expensive) forces at work during the collision. For example, did the rudder shaft flex so that the top rear rudder struck the hull? There could be all sorts of strain damage inside the rudder if it bent and hit that way!
You are right on James!!! Lots more on all of this in future episodes. The grinder will come out eventually, and..... ;-)
That's a scary situation! Looks like you both handled it as well as possible!
Just conjecture, but assuming it was a whale, I wonder if the rain played a role? I'm not a whale biologist or underwater audiologist, but I know whales rely on sound for information. I would bet the rain drowns out the sound of the boat underwater (especially with no engine running). Maybe the whale was just as surprised as you were!
All things considered, this could have been much worse. Glad you three are OK!
That seems to be a good theory regarding the whale and sounds. We didn't think of that.
Are there orcas in this region. They have been known to ram and sink boats as well as attach rudders.
If you lose your rudder completely you should probably let someone know immediately what your dealing with along with exact position,wind speed ,direction etc. just in case things go from bad to worst.
Great advice! We were prepared to pass that information.
The weird wave part of the collision makes me think whale fluke. I think you hit a whale. Especially since there was no real damage. The barnacles probably were the cause of the strange paint scuffs. You guys got lucky. 😀
We got lucky to complete the trick, but unfortunately there was some real damage, but you'll have to keep watching! Barnacles is a good theory!
Cod be a fish orcas have trashed rudders b4
Wow, what is the diameter of your rudder shaft?
That seems like such a personal question ;-) Does the size matter? It is actually about 6.5 inches. Here is a link to the rudder bearings drawings www.jefa.com/ftp/old_boat_spare_parts/J-Boat/J120/J120_bearings_retrofit.pdf
@@SailingSweetRuca ha! Good stuff
What a scary event im very happy you both are ok stay safe my friends
Thank you William!
In an interview with the guy who designed the Kraken 50 boat, he describes taking the prototype out for a sail. The boat just stopped dead, sending everyone flying, then carried on. Minimal damage. He guesses it was a whale
Oh wow! We are with you Phillip.
Thank you! I'm in a horrible nadir in my life but have had a surge of live giving positivity coming up with a three year plan to get a sailing boat, learn to sail, and go all over. Hopefully as a decent versatile guitarist I'm hoping busking will keep me going financially. I m experiencedr in uk but not do much abroad. Any thoughts maybe? Subbed to you..see you out there!
There needs to be some kind of pinger device that would warn whales a boat is coming. Another thing I'm looking into is integrating a forward looking sonar into a boat, sort of like an automatic collision avoidance mechanism.
That would be super cool! Let us know what you find out about sonar :-)
Yes, so glad you were going that slow. Could easily have been worse. Good job
Hi Steve! Thanks! :-)
Maybe some floating netting or something of that nature. Nice video! Thanks 🇺🇸
Hi Al, could be? Glad you enjoyed!!! :-)
Glad your ok
Thanks paul!! :-)
If it was raining with squalls and incumbent weather surrounding,then what is the bright light above your boat in the dark night sky?
That was an example shot from earlier in the night since we weren't filming at 3am. It is nearly impossible to film 24/7. Sorry if that made it confusing.
thats unfortunate and frightening ... hope you are fine
We are OK and very thankful that it was not worse.
@@SailingSweetRuca yea .. can imagine :)
yep the way those container ships move in the sea one could hit and sink you and never know you were there cause there so giant
Those things are HUGE! We try to stay far away from them :-)
In the movie with Robert Redford sailing, I think he hits a container.
You are right on! We are glad we had a different outcome! To see the damage we found later & fix check out episode 87 & 88.
I'm so happy you are good. Def will watch your other episodes.
Wonderful! Welcome aboard!
I've still got my Eye on you and believe it or not I am psychic in several ways. Glad you two and the boat are doing well.
Thanks David. We appreciate it!
Oh my gosh I'm glad your ok!
Thanks AU!
Irs pirates you need to be worried. Lol in your current location
They were definitely a consideration at this time
I'm glad you guys are OK. I have to admit that for me, a boat with a steel hull, or perhaps and aluminium hull, would be preferrable, because of the inate strength. UFO = Unidentified Floating Object (as distinct from flying object)...
There are safer boats. There is always something better. But one has to make choices within terms budget, availability, and performance. For us the Sweet Ruca was the right boat at the right time. If we won the lottery that would change things.
@@SailingSweetRuca Well, I hope you guys remain safe. You're not just doing coastal sailing here, and the dangers of getting into trouble whilst in mid-ocean are obviously greater than they would be for people who are less adventurous. I follow the journeys of Sailing Yatch Florence on You Tube, and the design of their boat is clearly more robust than is yours. Anyway, best wishes and stay safe.
Thanks for the well wishes Tim. Once again, tradeoffs. Their boat is considerably slower. In just a few hours we would be over their horizon.
For every 1,000 miles sailed, they would likely be at least 24 hours behind us. For example a 1,000 mile run to the Falklands/Malvinas a full day or more is a huge difference when talking 3-4 day weather windows between systems with deep lows. On a long passage they could be over a week behind, putting them in a completely different weather cycle with no escape. This is hard for non-experts in that department to grasp, so the default is to sail old and heavy tanks down the rumb line.
Also, FYI, solid fiberglass is not more robust by default, that is an old wives tale, steel rusts, and aluminium is costly to purchase and difficult to repair in remote places and can corrode as well. That said, if we had the funds we would buy a slightly larger aluminium or carbon fiber boat with significantly more safety features. If you would like us to get another boat, there is a place called Patreon where contributions can be made ;-)
Sailors make the boat, not the other way around. We could cross an ocean in a Hobie Cat or Melges 24 if we wanted to. We can also chat about keels falling off of Oysters and how the Titanic was made of steel and unsinkable.
A steel hull and taking it slow if I ever do this!
A good choice as well!