American solo sailor Ryan Finn has become the first to sail around Cape Horn in a proa.Ryan Finn arriving in San Francisco. Photo: Merfyn OwenAmerican sailor Ryan Finn has become the first yachtsman ever to sail around Cape Horn in a proa.
\nFinn completed his New York to San Francisco solo record attempt on his 36ft proa Jzerro on April 21, after 93 days at sea.
\nFinn set off from Brooklyn, New York in mid January, attempting to set a new record over the historic 13,000-mile course which follows the great California Gold Rush of the 1840s and 1850s from the eastern seaboard to the western United States.
\nRyan Finn and Jzerro arriving in San Francisco, April 2022. Photo: Merfyn Owen
\nOver 200 record attempts have been made over the route, in everything from ocean trimarans to maxis, but it has proved particularly difficult to beat. The clipper ship\u00a0Flying Cloud set a record time of 89 days 8 hours in 1854, which stood \u00a0for a remarkable 135 years.
\nThe course record had never previously been attempted in a proa. Finn\u2019s proa is also the smallest yacht ever to attempt the route sailed single-handed.
\nA lightweight Pacific proa
\nFinn\u2019s Russel Brown designed proa is exceptionally light (at 3,200 lbs or 1,450 kgs), designed for fast off wind sailing in the Pacific islands. To sail it single-handed, against the prevailing winds and into challenging head seas around Cape Horn, is a remarkable feat of seamanship.
\nJzerro is a lightweight proa. Photo: Merfyn Owen
\nFinn\u2019s first attempt in 2021 ended after the boat suffered structural damage due to being overloaded with the weight of gear and provisions needed for the voyage. For his second attempt he added a watermaker, enabling Jzerro to sail far less loaded.
\nFor his second attempt, Finn sailed more than 14,000 miles \u2013 through Bermuda, past Brazil, and around the fearsome Cape Horn, before passing the Clipperton Islands on his way up to San Francisco.
\nDamage forced him to stop for repairs in Brazil and Patagonia, meaning his voyage was not non-stop (the single-handed non-stop record currently stands at 81 days) but his arrival in San Francisco is a huge achievement nonetheless.
\nCape Horn challenge
\nBlog posts on his facebook page \u20182Oceans1Rock\u2019 detail the extremity of the challenge.
\nOn 18 March, off southern Chile, he wrote: \u201cI\u2019m scared. What lies ahead is frightening and I\u2019m not looking forward to it.
\n\u201cThe race to get north, well ahead of the second depression is on and honestly at the top of my list of things I fear today is getting becalmed tonight. I\u2019ve been becalmed almost every 24 hour period since getting south of Brazil.
\n\u201cNormally that would be frustrating, but in this case it\u2019s dangerous. I have a narrow window and I don\u2019t need to be sloshed around in a windless hole for hours, as I was last night and the night before.
\n\u201cIt\u2019s supremely frustrating and in this case terrifying.\u201d<\/p>\n
Two days earlier he had rounded Cape Horn, posting: \u201cI sailed past Cape Horn in the early AM hours today. All I could see were the two lighthouses.
\n\u201cIt\u2019s been very tricky getting this far. The rain has only stopped intermittently this morning and I\u2019m still getting overrun by showers with 18 knots of wind, followed by 5. This is slow and kind of miserable.
\n\u201cIt promises to be as hard or harder for at least the next three days. I\u2019m already tired. However, I have to remind myself that this is a privilege and I feel blessed to be where I am.
\n\u201cI\u2019d like to think that I\u2019m sneaking out of here, but for sure the great Cape is watching my progress. You can feel it down here.\u201d
\nRyan Finn is the first sailor to round Cape Horn in a proa Photo: Merfyn Owen
\nFeat of seamanship
\nRenowned yacht designer Merfyn Owen, a friend of Finn\u2019s, greeted him into San Francisco. Owen commented: \u201cMy old mate Ryan Finn sailed into San Francisco Bay this evening completing what I hope will be recognised as one of the greatest feats of seamanship ever completed by an American sailor. New York City to San Francisco, solo, in 93 days, on a 36\u2032 proa! He looks like he\u2019s just been out for the weekend.
\n\u201cA more modest sailor you will not meet. He must know, but you couldn\u2019t tell from his demeanour if he knew what he\u2019d just pulled off. I\u2019m in awe.\u201d
\nThe post Around Cape Horn in a proa appeared first on Yachting World.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
American solo sailor Ryan Finn has become the first to sail around Cape Horn in a proa.Ryan Finn arriving in San Francisco. Photo: Merfyn OwenAmerican sailor Ryan Finn has become the first yachtsman ever to sail around Cape Horn in … <\/p>\n