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I grew up on a sailboat and am about to embark on the first crossing of the South Atlantic on a boat with no motor or cabin, AMA.
Hello Reddit, my name is Igor Bely. Along with my friend Beto, I plan to cross the South Atlantic in a few weeks. It will be a great journey as we will sail without a motor or cabin. This is the second leg of a circumnavigation of the globe on a sport catamaran. We have already crossed the Pacific ocean previously and hopefully we will continue with the Indian Ocean.
We will go from Cape town to Rio de Janeiro in a sports catamaran. We will only be using clean energy for this journey and we hope to demonstrate that tough challenges can be met without conventional energy. Since I grew up on a boat where we always had to be frugal with our resources, this is a cause I strongly believe in. I will be happy to answer any questions you have about our trip and everything involved with it.
Our website is http://capetowntorio.com/
A few blog posts with information: http://capetowntorio.com/blog/2013/2/9/the-menu-for-the-trip http://capetowntorio.com/blog/2013/1/16/picole-still-in-germany http://capetowntorio.com/blog/2013/1/27/introducing-picole
Proof for mods- http://capetowntorio.com/blog/2013/2/10/ask-me-anything-thread-on-reddit
Edit: Oh, here's a video from the Pacific Crossing: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lYE-STt6mMI
Edit 2: Here's a bit about me- http://capetowntorio.com/igor-bely/
Edit 3: [Redacted]
Edit 4: As requested, pictures from my previous expeditions, including trips to Antarctica- http://igorbely.tumblr.com/
It's bed time in France! I'll try to be back in my morning. For now, thank you for all your interest and your questions!
I'll definitely be back to provide updates as we set off on our trip. You can also follow our progress on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/CapeTownToRio) and Twitter (https://twitter.com/CapeTownToRio).
capetowntorio271 karma
so people pay more attention because it is more chalenging! just that
TheYuri28 karma
Or maybe because Klink's boat had a cabin when he rowed solo across the South Atlantic 20 years ago, and you want to be able to say that you're first in something, 20 years later?
EDIT: I just realized Klink's trip was actually 30 years ago, not 20. (damn I'm getting old).
capetowntorio23 karma
amyr is a good friend , no competition, the atlantic is just one crossing among 3 other to circum navigate the globe, this was not amyrs goal
irrelevantwallflower154 karma
Do you wish you had a bengal tiger or any other animal with you during your travel?
PaulMcGannsShoes90 karma
How the heck do you calculate how much food and water you'll need?
How much do you rely on the sea to provide you with that?
capetowntorio85 karma
well we are both skinny so it makes thing easier!!
we don't really relay on the see, when we have som flying fish or take a fish on the fishing line we eat it raw beacause we can' really cook , just boil water and boiled fish is not the best, dont try it!!
al the food we take can be prepared with just boiling water: pasta, mashed potatos, soups, freeze dry..... and we calculate how much by the experiend of other expedition we have done in the past.
we just take a few gallons of water with us , just in case. the everyday water comes from our manual water maker... you pump for an our and you get a gallon of water ( and one pint of sweet) .... no fresh water showers!
whatstheinterwebs69 karma
What are your sleeping arrangements like? Also, where do you poop?!
capetowntorio120 karma
the sleeping depends a lot on the weather, i the weather is good we can sleep a lot on the little tent taht we have on our wings. if the weather is not ok ... then we dont sleep much. this is why we go north fist to catch the trade winds and get calm weather.
for the second question ... the ocean is big!
zanthelad55 karma
Say there was a storm, are the size of the waves not going to be a big risk to your life in such an open vessel?
capetowntorio88 karma
we try to avoid stoms and as stoms dont happen in five minutes we usaually have the time to avoid them or at least to get ready. the biguest risk for us is to capsize during a storm because our sistem to get back is not usable if there are big waves.... and big waves would probably destroy the boat....
Pilpecurb47 karma
A stowaway is somebody which would sneak on your boat and hide there as you sailed.
capetowntorio86 karma
hahah, the stoaway would have to be very smal because there is not much room in the boat!
Voicy40 karma
Good luck with the journey, it should be quite something!
My dad's friend, Peter van Kets did went across the atlantic in a solo rowing boat (no sail/motor/propulsion) after winning a double-row the previous time.
He's doing a bunch of stuff now and even joined his wife who ran around the border of South Africa.
capetowntorio39 karma
not mutch for the moment but i'm sure i ll be nervous a coupple of days before we leave....
BigMinnow24 karma
Top five things that you should have on hand in every boat in case of a disaster at sea?
capetowntorio62 karma
luck luck luck luck luck
haha kidding !
luck is important but you don't have to rely on it . we have a good medical kit on bord and by satemeite phone we can reach at any moment a doctor that can help us.
we also had sewing lessons!
CommercialPilot19 karma
Wow, I envy you having the opportunity to embark on such a journey. I've always wanted, for my entire life, to be able to sail the seas. I am a pilot of course, but something about sailing entices me. Simply never had the opportunity to sail, having never befriended anyone whom owns a sailboat, or does any sort of sailing.
What city/town/port are you departing from and arriving to?
capetowntorio17 karma
we are leaving from CAPE TOWN and hope to arrive in Rio
it is never too late!!
capetowntorio29 karma
it depends on the weather. usually we slow down and find a way so that the boat gose by itself and in this case we just stay a little awake one at the time. if the weather is not good we sometimes have to stay awake...
rememberaaronswartz18 karma
Do you have an emergency transponder and is it registered? How will you track weather and what safety equipment will you have?
capetowntorio17 karma
we have : Iridium EPIRB ( yes , registered!!) and yellowbrick to transmit our position!
we have iridium contact every 2 days for weather forecast
capetowntorio31 karma
not much running for sure but we do exercice all the time even when we sleep because the boat mooves all the time .... so you body works all the time
The_Punniest15 karma
Hi there Igor, It looks to me like you are using one man tents for shelter? Have you ever considered using a hammock? They are great with the waves.
capetowntorio19 karma
I think that it would meve to much with the movement of the boat!! i would get see sick!
capetowntorio27 karma
belive me there are millions of things to do!! always a broken thing on the boat to repare, food to prepare, a bird to watch!
Sir-Fucks-aLot12 karma
Thank you so much for doing this AMA!
- What kind of technology/electronic equipment will you have on you?
- Are your loved ones worried?
capetowntorio22 karma
yes they are but my parents can t really say anything because they told me to do wxhat I wanted a few years ago and they have been living on a sail boat for 40 years..!
kutletta12 karma
Will you keep track of your journey through photos? Would love seeing an album of the voyage once you arrived in Brazil. Cheers, and best of luck mate!
capetowntorio10 karma
yes, we even hope to be able to transmit some pics from the bat during the trip!
capetowntorio11 karma
If we go as fast ( or as slow..) as we did in the pacific crossing we shoudl be arrond 28 at see. we always hope that we will go faster!!
capetowntorio16 karma
many ! and with these previos stories/experiences we can meke happen more new expeditions!
Waddupp10 karma
When you arrive in Rio, how many naked ladies will be awaiting you and your friend to reward you with sex?
capetowntorio9 karma
the boat is in a container at see right now... cainda hard, but I have some from the previous boat!
capetowntorio20 karma
my day job is actually a night job!! I work half of the year in france as a paty organazer... very different!:
diehardargyle9 karma
Have you heard of these guys? http://oarnorthwest.com/ They're currently crossing the Atlantic (from West Africa to Miami) in a rowboat!
capetowntorio12 karma
if the weather is cold we can wear our drysuits. for the rest we use water proof cases. we only get very wet when the weather is bad or if we go fast, if we slow down can can get som duy moments!
CandidCandy8 karma
How do you fund such a lifestyle? What did your family do for funds when you were growing up?
periskope7 karma
Hi,I applaud your courage and zeal to embark on this voyage. I just have one question: Are you nuts??
capetowntorio9 karma
hahaha, yes maybe! but I do think that I like my project and what I do !
effortDee6 karma
You must love the ocean! Me too, I haven't seen it in a few weeks though, so if you get there first, can you say hello to it for me please. Hope it welcomes you with open arms.
ohsnape6 karma
What big mistake did you make on your last trip, and how are you going to avoid it this trip?
Outside of the joy of sailing, what will you do for fun?
capetowntorio5 karma
we used a old used boat ( so we could save time and money) but it came out that the boat had many problems... this time we are using a new boat. we also took to many useless stuf, this time we are travelling light!
jolly_green_gardener5 karma
When you die (hopefully in a long time) how do you want to be buried?
capetowntorio9 karma
in 2008 we crossed the south pacific, we dit lots of mistakes !! we learned a lot. this time will do less mistakes but.... we have EPIRBS with us and we are in permanent contact with MRCC so thay can reach us in a few days if we have a problem!
capetowntorio3 karma
yes , we have a device that sands our position every 3 h and it will be on our blog!
capetowntorio5 karma
and our final destination should be Rio or Ilha bella in brasil but anywhere in brasil is fine!!
Calculator_on_Desk5 karma
On a trip like this, how long do you think you will go between seeing other people not on your boat?
And how will you cook your fish?
capetowntorio7 karma
we can eat the fish raw, we take som soy sauce an wasabi!!
waybe we will se some boats on the horizon !
Sir-Fucks-aLot4 karma
How long is your boat? Wide? Sail size?
Thanks! Best of luck to you guys!
FuckingIronic4 karma
I wish you only the best but nothing pisses me off more then when the inevitable shit hits the fan and there is a multi national search and rescue operation which tax payers foot. And let's be honest there aren't altruistic motives, just pride and the belief you can succeed where everyone else has failed.
capetowntorio8 karma
80 % of our succes depends on our good preparation, this is what permited us to do succesfully our previos 7 expeditions.... there is always a risk thanks for the best wishes!
Chachbag4 karma
Have you ever considered bringing MREs ( Meal ready to eat aka military bag food) with you on a trip. They do not all taste horrible and at around 1.3k calories a bag, they will keep you going. Also, gl;hf
Razuto224 karma
that's awesome! i've always been fascinated by sailing and boating. On your previous trips, what kind of wildlife have you been able to see? And have you sailed in Antarctica before? Thanks and good luck!
capetowntorio6 karma
I v been about 20 times to the antarctic.... it is geat place.
during the pacific crossion we dit not see a lot of wild life, some whales, dolfins, birds , plastic bottles...
Talltran4 karma
Did you literally grow up on a sailboat? That would be far more interesting
rpt1234 karma
Are you intentionally leaving near the March equinox? Is this the calmest time of year in the South Atlantic Ocean?
capetowntorio8 karma
no... we are late. the right time is right now... but we have some funds problems so we had to delay...
capetowntorio3 karma
haha, yes ! I dont really like competition but we, the vendee globe I would do it!
andrewnakas2 karma
What kind of pollution do you see in the ocean? How do you think pollution affects the ecosystem?
capetowntorio3 karma
I dont know how much it affects the ocean but what I know is that during the pacific crossing there was not ONE day that I did not see some floating plastic trash...
GothamMayhem1 karma
Would you rather fight 1 Shark sized clownfish or 100 clownfish sized sharks?
eckliptic1 karma
Are you suggesting the world revert to sail power for our ocean faring vessels? Or have you come up an alternative, clean, energy source to power boats that can match the speed and safety of our current technology?
Otherwise this seems like a huge vanity project to get people to fund a trip around the world because you enjoy sailing and kind of care about the environment
What would be the long term impact of 2 people sailing around the world. People have sailed around the world without motors. That's done and proven. What else are you bringing to the table.
capetowntorio3 karma
I dont want to change the world, but I think that there are always diferent ways of doing things. tomorw big ships will probably still use big motors. I ll be happy if you turn of the lights because you are not using them because you remebered that i m in the middle of the ocean with no lights at all , then I ll be happy.
imgonnacallyouretard0 karma
(Assuming you've been speaking English for a number of years) Did your parents give you any kind of schooling while you were growing up? Your spelling is atrocious.
capetowntorio1 karma
sorry.... we can speak in french, spanish or portuguese if you want , it will be better.
k955301-3 karma
What's your explanation to the team that gets sent out to rescue you when Mother Nature deals you more than you can deliver and someone else has to put their life at risk to save you?
Get a motor.
capetowntorio2 karma
because you think that these guys go out more to get sailors then motor sailors???
joetromboni-3 karma
why are you demonstrating something that has been done hundreds of times?
capetowntorio7 karma
in 2008 we did the south pacific now we are doing the atlantic and in a few years we will be doing the indian ocean
arrond the world with no cabin !
mcnaughtier6 karma
That's quite a challenging trip but hardly the "first journey of its kind."
This guy went around the world in an open boat 10 years ago:
capetowntorio1 karma
what anthony did is great and inspires us a lot and personally I would rather do it his way! some people say that our boat is more open than his, we are wet almost all the time because of the fact tht it is a sport catamaran. then I should say that we will be the first to do it on a sport catamaran !!
fussballbot3000237 karma
I get why you dont have a motor. Why no cabin?
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