All very interesting and important, but we are going off the topic of the AS29, so I've started a new thread.
Graham Cox wrote:
Chris notes that "Hasler himself said that Jester did not go well to windward. I wonder, however, how many boats of her size with more modern Western junk rigs, could make the Atlantic crossing, using Hasler's northern, windward route, in less than 38 days?"
Reminds me of that old saying, "It's not the ships, it's the (men/women) in them." You can sail just about any type of boat and rig (almost) anywhere, if you have enough gumption. Hasler had bucketfuls of it. I am about to sail out into the Tasman Sea on Sunday with wild, squally thunderstorms lashing the entire east coast and my gumption levels are distinctly low! Trouble is, I want to get to Sydney for Christmas, to meet one of my brothers whom I haven't seen for more than 20 years, so I cannot wait.
My rig is more weatherly than Jester's but that's only significant when you are sailing inshore. In the ocean, in boisterous weather, no small boat is weatherly. I think Jester, Arion and the AS29 would all fare about the same on a long passage to windward in the open sea. It would all depend on the skipper.
Graham is quite correct: Undoubtedly the greatest issue of taking a small boat to windward offshore is the skipper's attitude. I could do so much more, but am limited by my mind. The first hurdle to get over is that of simple fear. Some lucky people are naturally bold and self-confident and enjoy serious challenges. The rest of us fret, worry and wonder what the hell we are doing out there. So you need to have confidence in your boat's strength and endurance (Roger Taylor helped himself immensely here by making the Mingmings unsinkable). Once you have the confidence, the next thing to tackle is your attitude. You have to remind yourself that this is your choice and make yourself relish the noise, discomfort and loneliness. If you can't, then stick to the equally-rewarding and challenging business of coastal sailing. Then you have to learn to live in the present and just do the best you can here and now and not bother about the fact that you are not only miles off course and making precious little progress, but that there is nothing at all you can do about this until the weather changes. And ideally, you have a little ship that will sit happily with her head tucked under her wing when you are tired of trying to achieve the impossible and just need a break.
But small boats bring their own rewards - and, equally importantly - allow those with very limited financial resources to get out on the ocean and follow their dream. They are no less safe than large vessels and, arguably, their simplicity makes them more seaworthy,