Hi Kay and Doug,
I would like to respond personnaly to your Adventure Gone Wong article by saying first off all I am sorry you left under the circumstances you did when I was not aboard.
Before going to sea, we always have a ships meeting where I show where and how the flares are and work. They are all new from France. We have 3 Para Red Rocket Mk8 by Pains Wessex 4 Floating Day signal 3 min smoke. There is a brand new Life raft purchased in Lisboa wich is stored below the galley table.
All Fire extinhuisers are in the green. All life jackets were replaced in France and Holland, we have 12 aboard.
The ships sails where made by Hans n Willem in Enkhuizen Holland who make sails for most tall ships in Europe, although old sails we took the best parts and recut and stiched and gromettted them. They will last for another circumnavigation. And we do carry contact glue, spare sail material, a needle and palm aboard.
Concerning the toilet, the inside brass toilet is off high quality and has a brush and container next to the toilet to clean. The aft deck long drop is also cleaned between rains. Everybody is responsible of the state of the toilet.
We had 2 G.P.S. go missing in Cuba , and as they can not be replaced there I asked Megan to bring one and have bought it from her.
In refitting the Wong for the trans Atlantic I replaced the engine mounts, put a new stainless steel exhaust pipe, rebuilt the transmission , front and back end , and replaced the damper plate, cleaned main fuel tanks, replaced all fuel lines , injector pump serviced, starter motor serviced , new alternator, new hydrolic hoses , 2 new 180 amp batteries , new flange for shaft n new coupling bolts, new power light , new L.E.D. lights for every cabin, engine room rewired. We painted below and above decks , and replaced all running rigging. The vessel is in Sea worthy condition.
Probably because of your sea sickness and not being able to participate in the running of the good ship you were not able to enjoy the life aboard as we all know how dismal life seems when seasick. We feel if you had stayed on you would have overcome and found your sea legs.
Three of the crew were aboard for five months and had always planned departing in Cuba. Most people do leave in a good spirit and have left their thoughts and experiences in the Guest Book which we will publish on our blog with our response. Many have returned to sail with the Wong again and again. We realize that we don t have the luxuries one would expect on more expensive charter vessels. The Wong is not for everybody.
I run a dry ship at sea but do enjoy a beer when ashore. Sometime I may of appeared grumpy from lack of sleep covering for disabled crew , but have never forgotten what my parents tought me , Manners Maketh Man.
Having said that I leave it at that. I wish you the best success with your Project and hope you will feel more comfortable on a bigger vessel Kay.
Thanks again for the loan of the camera equipment, which you took with you and that it is in the same working order as we got it. Sylvie did pay you for the memory cards you proposed to leave aboard.
We dep here for Panama soon and hope we can come to a suitable solution to our differences.
Standing by for your reply.
Respectfully submitted , Clive
I crossed the Atlantic ocean and sailed 3 months across the Carribean sea aboard the Wong. It was my first experience at sea.
ReplyDeleteI met Kay when she joined the boat in Cuba. We were excited to meet her as we were in contact for several months as she proposed to send us her HD Sanyo camera in order to continue the documentary I was shooting which is gonna be called "Learning how to Live".
I wasn't surprised she left 10 days after because she was obviously not happy on the boat but I was surprised to read that article she published two weeks later on her blog as she left pretexting she was too old and not ready for that kind of Adventure anymore. I found her really strange that day and asked her three times what was the problem, if she was desappointed, if we did something wrong? She was evading me and I never got answer to my questions. I felt sorry for her, I thought she was sad because her dream was falling apart as she was obviously not seapeople.
Although the Wong is sea worthy, after twenty years circumnavigation and 7 ocean's crossing she could use some cosmetics. Maintaining a 15m steel boat costs a lot of money which the contributions Clive asks to the travellers don't cover entirely. But the essential is done. Clive as a responsible captain would never let the junk go to sea if she was not ready for it and we worked a lot all together before leaving Portugal. All the details of the refit figure in Clive's answer.
The boat is safe, strong, secure and sea worthy but you have to work it to see that because the appearances may scare non-seapeople.
Sailing aboard the Wong can be though. Mostly for people like Kay and me who never worked on boat before and got seasick. It's not for everybody and nobody said it was gonna be easy as Clive says.
Clive is like his junk: rough and though outside. But most of the people know they don't have to stop to the appearances.
The truth is Kay was not ready for the Adventure, as she admitted to us. She spent most of her time at sea sleeping in her bunk under the hatch. She couldn't do her watch or work efficiently the sails or in the galley.
As all stories have two sides I felt my point of view had to be published as well.
I hope more people will have the chance to know the Wong as it is a piece of art, built on Love and Courage.
Sylvie, 8 months crew member about the Nuthin Wong.
Having been on the good ship many years ago, it would appear Kay's problems were what scared her. No wonder she did not have a good time.
ReplyDelete"And no, Kay is more excited about starting the build than ever, being on
ReplyDeletethe Nuthin Wong was actually great for raising her confidence level. She knows she can handle being sea-sick and she knows she can be on a boat the size on the Nuthin Wong and make it a much better experience."
this is a quote from Doug (Kay's husband)
http://dir.groups.yahoo.com/group/origamiboats/message/26167
July, 5, 2011