At 09:26 PM 8/25/98 -0700, Uwe R. wrote: >Looking at my non-nautical worldmap it occured to me if someone has the >intestinal fortitude(read "guts") to brave the North Atlantic a person >could get from North America to Europe with a boat having around a 1000 >mile range if he/she wanted to get there real bad. >A trip to Newfoundland, hence to Greenland, then to Iceland and finally >the northern end of the UK would get you there. At 03:27 PM 8/26/98 EDT, Bob Austin wrote: >Having sailed a bit in the North Atlantic and North Sea, I would be very >reluctant to do the trip from New Foundland/Greenland/Iceland to England in >any but the most sea worthy of vessles. Most "trawlers" with ranges of 1000 >miles, or for that matter most production long range cruisers with a range of >even considerably more than that would be at substantial risk on this voyage. To all of which Paul Kruse now writes: I have read that the Vikings were almost never out of sight of land for more than three days during their Atlantic crossings. Looking at a globe, that is very easy to believe. In theory, you could cross the Atlantic in a boat with no more range than about 500 miles. The same boat could cross the Pacific in a similar manner--in theory. Having said that, I must separate theory and practice, and agree completely with Bob Austin. I have never seen a real boat that had a range of less than a thousand miles that would be safe for a North Atlantic crossing. For that matter, most boats with sufficient range would not be safe on that trip, either. A small boat with 500 miles of range could be built that would be safe for the trip, but for the life of me I cannot think of a reason why someone would want to build such a craft; unless he fell into the category that includes all the nut cases trying to get their names in the record books. Every morning at work when I log onto my computer, the screen that comes up is the current global wave height chart for that day. Another one that I look at several times a week is a map showing Arctic Ice Concentrations for that day. This year is the first one that I have seen in recent years in which you could safely make the Northwest Passage. In fact, the everything is open between the Baffin Bay and the Beaufort Sea--a nice clean straight shot, like I have never seen before. What I have learned in studying these charts is that for most of the summer, a period of time of perhaps three months, wave heights in the entire North Atlantic are less than two meters, and frequently less than one meter. It would be very easy to make a passage during that time; but it would have to be in a very sea worthy boat, since even in the summer, very nasty storms do blow up. During the rest of the year, it is not uncommon at all to see ten meter breaking waves in this part of the ocean; but it is not completely impossible that you might also see them in the summer, too. Whatever you use to cross the North Atlantic must be strong enough and sea worthy enough to survive such conditions, and then continue on after the seas abate. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ :: Paul and Cindy Kruse :: KJV Joh 14:27 Peace I leave with you, 165 South Kenneth Court :: my peace I give unto you: Merritt Island, FL 32952 :: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. E-mail: plkruse@iu.net :: Let not your heart be troubled, 407-453-6206 :: neither let it be afraid. :: +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Paul Kruse wrote: > Every morning at work when I log onto my computer, the screen that comes up > is the current global wave height chart for that day. Another one that I > look at several times a week is a map showing Arctic Ice Concentrations for > that day. Paul, Can you please share the location of these Internet sites?