Hi Eric, that impact would have sunk a lesser boat. I have no idea if it is sensible but I run my forward looking sonar at sea, not expecting to see a whale ahead but that the sonar may warn a whale of my approach. Foolish? Don' know but I've never hit a whale 

Danny

SM 299 Ocean Pearl

On 14 May 2021 at 03:54 eric freedman <kimberlite@...> wrote:

While Sailing West of Africa towards the Caribbean we were surfing down the waves in the Trade Winds using our gennaker one day we averaged 10 knots.

At first, I did not see it, But I hit a whale in the middle of its body. It stopped us dead and I heard it hit the boat twice. I assume it first hit the bow and then the keel,

The stop was so sudden that one crewmember flew from the saloon to the forward berth without injury.

I started the engine to warn any other whales. We were checking the bilges but based upon the configuration that would be of little help.

 

As the whale went by it was much bigger than Kimberlite. I looked it in the eye, and it seemed to give me a dirty look, I also think he flipped me the flipper.

The seas were large so I could not dive at that time. 2 days later I dove on the boat and everything was where it was supposed to be and now after 15 years everything is still AOK.

Fair Winds

Eric

Kimberlite Amel Super Maramu #376

 

 

From: main@AmelYachtOwners.groups.io On Behalf Of Bill Kinney
Sent: Wednesday, May 12, 2021 1:59 PM
To: main@AmelYachtOwners.groups.io
Subject: Re: [AmelYachtOwners] Warning about "UFOs"

 

Just a word of reassurance.  This topic is one that comes up all the time, and is passed around the sailing world and it seems to grow larger and more panicked with each telling. It's is a great boogy-man story because it has the evil, greedy shipping companies as the villains and the poor smallboat sailor as the helpless victim.

All I can do is give my personnel take on the topic as someone who has been intimately connected with the sailing world for several decades. Ignoring press stories, and scuttlebutt that starts with "I heard about a guy...", and staying with things I know first hand.  Your experience might be different, so, here goes: I HAVE seen many things floating on the ocean that I would NOT want to hit, most of them large trees, or pieces of lumber. But...

• In 10's of thousands of ocean miles sailing I have NEVER seen a container in the ocean.  
• NEVER have I seen one wash up on a beach. If there were a significant number of them floating in the ocean surely this would happen?
• NEVER have I talked to anyone who has actually, first hand, seen a container floating in the ocean or washed up on a beach.
• NEVER have I heard from someone who actually can confirm they hit a floating container.  
• I know of just one boat that hit an unidentified floating object, at night in the middle of the ocean but what it hit was just that, unidentified.  
• Never have I hit a container at sea.

On the other hand, I know personally of two boats that sunk after hitting whales, and two others that were disabled after whale strikes. I have been on a boat that hit a whale, thankfully without consequences.  By my reckoning, whales are at least 50 times more dangerous to small boats than shipping containers, and the risk of boats hitting reefs are at least 50 times higher again.

It is human nature to feel that risks we have no control over are much higher than those things were we think we can control. This is why many people have a fear of flying, but not of driving a car, even though the risk presented in an automobile is many times higher. We, quite rightly, feel that there is very little or nothing we can do ourselves to mitigate the risk of a collision with a container at sea.  This lack of control of the risk causes us to greatly inflate the relative risk of the event.

I am not saying that hitting a container is impossible, but the risks are WAY WAY down on the list of things we deal with at sea.  The risk does not deserve the number of words written about it over the years. (Even though I just added to them!)

 

 

On 13 May 2021, at 20:31, Danny and Yvonne SIMMS <simms@...> wrote:



Hi Eric, that impact would have sunk a lesser boat. I have no idea if it is sensible but I run my forward looking sonar at sea, not expecting to see a whale ahead but that the sonar may warn a whale of my approach. Foolish? Don' know but I've never hit a whale 

Danny

SM 299 Ocean Pearl

On 14 May 2021 at 03:54 eric freedman <kimberlite@...> wrote:

While Sailing West of Africa towards the Caribbean we were surfing down the waves in the Trade Winds using our gennaker one day we averaged 10 knots.

At first, I did not see it, But I hit a whale in the middle of its body. It stopped us dead and I heard it hit the boat twice. I assume it first hit the bow and then the keel,

The stop was so sudden that one crewmember flew from the saloon to the forward berth without injury.

I started the engine to warn any other whales. We were checking the bilges but based upon the configuration that would be of little help.

 

As the whale went by it was much bigger than Kimberlite. I looked it in the eye, and it seemed to give me a dirty look, I also think he flipped me the flipper.

The seas were large so I could not dive at that time. 2 days later I dove on the boat and everything was where it was supposed to be and now after 15 years everything is still AOK.

Fair Winds

Eric

Kimberlite Amel Super Maramu #376

 

 

From: main@AmelYachtOwners.groups.io On Behalf Of Bill Kinney
Sent: Wednesday, May 12, 2021 1:59 PM
To: main@AmelYachtOwners.groups.io
Subject: Re: [AmelYachtOwners] Warning about "UFOs"

 

Just a word of reassurance.  This topic is one that comes up all the time, and is passed around the sailing world and it seems to grow larger and more panicked with each telling. It's is a great boogy-man story because it has the evil, greedy shipping companies as the villains and the poor smallboat sailor as the helpless victim.

All I can do is give my personnel take on the topic as someone who has been intimately connected with the sailing world for several decades. Ignoring press stories, and scuttlebutt that starts with "I heard about a guy...", and staying with things I know first hand.  Your experience might be different, so, here goes: I HAVE seen many things floating on the ocean that I would NOT want to hit, most of them large trees, or pieces of lumber. But...

• In 10's of thousands of ocean miles sailing I have NEVER seen a container in the ocean.  
• NEVER have I seen one wash up on a beach. If there were a significant number of them floating in the ocean surely this would happen?
• NEVER have I talked to anyone who has actually, first hand, seen a container floating in the ocean or washed up on a beach.
• NEVER have I heard from someone who actually can confirm they hit a floating container.  
• I know of just one boat that hit an unidentified floating object, at night in the middle of the ocean but what it hit was just that, unidentified.  
• Never have I hit a container at sea.

On the other hand, I know personally of two boats that sunk after hitting whales, and two others that were disabled after whale strikes. I have been on a boat that hit a whale, thankfully without consequences.  By my reckoning, whales are at least 50 times more dangerous to small boats than shipping containers, and the risk of boats hitting reefs are at least 50 times higher again.

It is human nature to feel that risks we have no control over are much higher than those things were we think we can control. This is why many people have a fear of flying, but not of driving a car, even though the risk presented in an automobile is many times higher. We, quite rightly, feel that there is very little or nothing we can do ourselves to mitigate the risk of a collision with a container at sea.  This lack of control of the risk causes us to greatly inflate the relative risk of the event.

I am not saying that hitting a container is impossible, but the risks are WAY WAY down on the list of things we deal with at sea.  The risk does not deserve the number of words written about it over the years. (Even though I just added to them!)

 

 

 

On 14 May 2021 at 03:54 eric freedman <kimberlite@...> wrote:

While Sailing West of Africa towards the Caribbean we were surfing down the waves in the Trade Winds using our gennaker one day we averaged 10 knots.

At first, I did not see it, But I hit a whale in the middle of its body. It stopped us dead and I heard it hit the boat twice. I assume it first hit the bow and then the keel,

The stop was so sudden that one crewmember flew from the saloon to the forward berth without injury.

I started the engine to warn any other whales. We were checking the bilges but based upon the configuration that would be of little help.

 

As the whale went by it was much bigger than Kimberlite. I looked it in the eye, and it seemed to give me a dirty look, I also think he flipped me the flipper.

The seas were large so I could not dive at that time. 2 days later I dove on the boat and everything was where it was supposed to be and now after 15 years everything is still AOK.

Fair Winds

Eric

Kimberlite Amel Super Maramu #376

 

 

From: main@AmelYachtOwners.groups.io On Behalf Of Bill Kinney
Sent: Wednesday, May 12, 2021 1:59 PM
To: main@AmelYachtOwners.groups.io
Subject: Re: [AmelYachtOwners] Warning about "UFOs"

 

Just a word of reassurance.  This topic is one that comes up all the time, and is passed around the sailing world and it seems to grow larger and more panicked with each telling. It's is a great boogy-man story because it has the evil, greedy shipping companies as the villains and the poor smallboat sailor as the helpless victim.

All I can do is give my personnel take on the topic as someone who has been intimately connected with the sailing world for several decades. Ignoring press stories, and scuttlebutt that starts with "I heard about a guy...", and staying with things I know first hand.  Your experience might be different, so, here goes: I HAVE seen many things floating on the ocean that I would NOT want to hit, most of them large trees, or pieces of lumber. But...

• In 10's of thousands of ocean miles sailing I have NEVER seen a container in the ocean.  
• NEVER have I seen one wash up on a beach. If there were a significant number of them floating in the ocean surely this would happen?
• NEVER have I talked to anyone who has actually, first hand, seen a container floating in the ocean or washed up on a beach.
• NEVER have I heard from someone who actually can confirm they hit a floating container.  
• I know of just one boat that hit an unidentified floating object, at night in the middle of the ocean but what it hit was just that, unidentified.  
• Never have I hit a container at sea.

On the other hand, I know personally of two boats that sunk after hitting whales, and two others that were disabled after whale strikes. I have been on a boat that hit a whale, thankfully without consequences.  By my reckoning, whales are at least 50 times more dangerous to small boats than shipping containers, and the risk of boats hitting reefs are at least 50 times higher again.

It is human nature to feel that risks we have no control over are much higher than those things were we think we can control. This is why many people have a fear of flying, but not of driving a car, even though the risk presented in an automobile is many times higher. We, quite rightly, feel that there is very little or nothing we can do ourselves to mitigate the risk of a collision with a container at sea.  This lack of control of the risk causes us to greatly inflate the relative risk of the event.

I am not saying that hitting a container is impossible, but the risks are WAY WAY down on the list of things we deal with at sea.  The risk does not deserve the number of words written about it over the years. (Even though I just added to them!)

 

From: main@AmelYachtOwners.groups.io On Behalf Of Bill Kinney
Sent: Wednesday, May 12, 2021 1:59 PM
To: main@AmelYachtOwners.groups.io
Subject: Re: [AmelYachtOwners] Warning about "UFOs"

Just a word of reassurance.  This topic is one that comes up all the time, and is passed around the sailing world and it seems to grow larger and more panicked with each telling. It's is a great boogy-man story because it has the evil, greedy shipping companies as the villains and the poor smallboat sailor as the helpless victim.

All I can do is give my personnel take on the topic as someone who has been intimately connected with the sailing world for several decades. Ignoring press stories, and scuttlebutt that starts with "I heard about a guy...", and staying with things I know first hand.  Your experience might be different, so, here goes: I HAVE seen many things floating on the ocean that I would NOT want to hit, most of them large trees, or pieces of lumber. But...

• In 10's of thousands of ocean miles sailing I have NEVER seen a container in the ocean.  
• NEVER have I seen one wash up on a beach. If there were a significant number of them floating in the ocean surely this would happen?
• NEVER have I talked to anyone who has actually, first hand, seen a container floating in the ocean or washed up on a beach.
• NEVER have I heard from someone who actually can confirm they hit a floating container.  
• I know of just one boat that hit an unidentified floating object, at night in the middle of the ocean but what it hit was just that, unidentified.  
• Never have I hit a container at sea.

On the other hand, I know personally of two boats that sunk after hitting whales, and two others that were disabled after whale strikes. I have been on a boat that hit a whale, thankfully without consequences.  By my reckoning, whales are at least 50 times more dangerous to small boats than shipping containers, and the risk of boats hitting reefs are at least 50 times higher again.

It is human nature to feel that risks we have no control over are much higher than those things were we think we can control. This is why many people have a fear of flying, but not of driving a car, even though the risk presented in an automobile is many times higher. We, quite rightly, feel that there is very little or nothing we can do ourselves to mitigate the risk of a collision with a container at sea.  This lack of control of the risk causes us to greatly inflate the relative risk of the event.

I am not saying that hitting a container is impossible, but the risks are WAY WAY down on the list of things we deal with at sea.  The risk does not deserve the number of words written about it over the years. (Even though I just added to them!)

Congratulations enjoy the adventure 👍🏻😁

On May 13, 2021, at 10:26 AM, Mark Garver via groups.io <mgarver=me.com@groups.io> wrote:

Welcome to a wonderful group of Amel owners and congratulations!

Mark and Jennifer Garver

S/V It’s Good

SM #105

On May 13, 2021, at 7:03 AM, Herman Goverse <h.goverse@...> wrote:

Hello all,

after looking at Super Maramu’s for years we have signed the contract on our Amel Super Maramu ‘Kolibri’. The great help and advise from Bill Rouse has been (and still is) of great value for us in the process of becoming Amel owners.

We believe Kolibri was well looked after and we will give some extra love and attention in the coming years before se set of on our great sailing adventure in the next years. 

Guess we will find some help and advise on this forum in our journey in sailing and maintaining Kolibri. 

Hella and Herman
--
SY-Kolibri - SM #174

On May 13, 2021, at 10:26 AM, Mark Garver via groups.io <mgarver@...> wrote:

Welcome to a wonderful group of Amel owners and congratulations!

Mark and Jennifer Garver

S/V It’s Good

SM #105

On May 13, 2021, at 7:03 AM, Herman Goverse <h.goverse@...> wrote:

Hello all,

after looking at Super Maramu’s for years we have signed the contract on our Amel Super Maramu ‘Kolibri’. The great help and advise from Bill Rouse has been (and still is) of great value for us in the process of becoming Amel owners.

We believe Kolibri was well looked after and we will give some extra love and attention in the coming years before se set of on our great sailing adventure in the next years. 

Guess we will find some help and advise on this forum in our journey in sailing and maintaining Kolibri. 

Hella and Herman
--
SY-Kolibri - SM #174

On May 13, 2021, at 7:03 AM, Herman Goverse <h.goverse@...> wrote:

Hello all,

after looking at Super Maramu’s for years we have signed the contract on our Amel Super Maramu ‘Kolibri’. The great help and advise from Bill Rouse has been (and still is) of great value for us in the process of becoming Amel owners.

We believe Kolibri was well looked after and we will give some extra love and attention in the coming years before se set of on our great sailing adventure in the next years. 

Guess we will find some help and advise on this forum in our journey in sailing and maintaining Kolibri. 

Hella and Herman
--
SY-Kolibri - SM #174

On Tue, 4 May 2021 at 7:57 pm, Mike Ondra via groups.io

<mdondra@...> wrote:

Eric,

We had both the outhaul and furling motor for the main shear several years ago.

Mike

On May 3, 2021, at 11:01 PM, eric freedman <kimberlite@...> wrote:



Hi Mike,

What furling motor is this? Main or Genoa?

Fair Winds

Eric

sm

 

From: main@AmelYachtOwners.groups.io On Behalf Of Mike Ondra via groups.io
Sent: Monday, May 03, 2021 9:11 PM
To: main@AmelYachtOwners.groups.io
Subject: [AmelYachtOwners] Furler motor to gearbox sm2000

 

Picking up on a thread from last year re shearing of the motor shafts on the furling motors between the motor and gear box.  Happened to SV Delos as shown in Episode 317 around the 10 min. mark. Others have experienced this, all at the same place (Nebo sm251, Aletes SM 240 twice, and I believe Delos is in the 250’s or 260’s). Curious if others have experienced this and if anyone has an explanation. This is a fairly stout shaft and it would seem the motor should stall before shearing if the shaft was healthy (no fatigued). There is no shaft exposure to weather.

 

Mike Ondra

Aleses SM#240

Chesapeake Bay, USA