Is it possible to cross Ocean’s in small yachts? Well, yes it’s possible and there is a long history of people crossing long distances in many different designs of craft.
We have probably all heard of the Talisker Whisky Atlantic Row where competitors row more than 3,000 miles across the Atlantic taking over 40 days.
Perhaps less well known outside of sailing world are mini races such as the Mini Transat 6.50. This is effectively the “Formula One” of mini yacht racing, crossing the Atlantic, solo, on high tech 6.50m speedsters.
Long before these challenges took place “Trekka” was built by John Guzzwell, British born but settled in British Columbia. “Trekka” was just 20 feet 6 inches long, around 6m, when 25 year old John set off in 1955 to eventually circumnavigate the World – solo. His book “Trekka Round the World” is a great read and tells not just a tale of sailing but also a world in a very different time. Well worth a read!
Other small craft have been built to recreate “classic” journeys. For instance Don McIntyre, with three others, sailed 4,000 miles across the Pacific in a 25 ft open whale boat recreating the epic voyage of survival of William Bligh and 18 of his men following the Mutiny on the Bounty. In 2013 Tim Jarvis, and 5 others, recreated the epic voyage of Ernst Shackleton sailing a replica of the James Caird from Elephant Island, in the Southern Ocean, to South Georgia, just as Shackleton did in 1916.
It all goes to show that you don’t need a big boat to cross an Ocean, literally size doesnt always matter. What does matter is the design of the craft, the skills of the sailors, and always the cooperation of Mother Nature.
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