When I view photos of boats under sail, I am struck by different things. Of maxis going to windward I am impressed by how flat their sails and how far inboard the headsails are sheeted. On photos of Steve Earley’s Pathfinder 17, SPARTINA, how neat and well organized she is, proof of a sailor on top of his game, as you can see in the photo above taken yesterday on a Thanksgiving Day sail.
If you go to his website and check past images I don’t think you will find any of SPARTINA, under way or at anchor, in which she is cluttered and disorganized. Perhaps Steve doesn’t share those moments with us. They must come to every boat. But I believe that on SPARTINA they are rare.
------
In an email Jud reminded me of one of the most admirable, and relatively unknown, at least in the United States, voyages of our times: the non-stop solo circumnavigation by Alessandro di Benedetto in a Mini-Transat.
Mini-Transat boats are built for the 4,000 nautical mile race of that name from France to Brazil with a single stop at Madeira. They are slightly shorter and lighter than GANNET, but with more beam, draft and sail area.
What is perhaps most remarkable about Alessandro di Benedetto’s circumnavigation is that roughly the last quarter of it was made after his boat had been dismasted. His time of 268 days is slow, but not for a boat under jury rig. I would be interested to know his average daily run before and after the mast came down.
Here are some links, including a short video, if you want to know more.
———
Another reason to prefer the Southern Hemisphere: Donald Trump is in the Northern.
———
