Cactus Cowboy
Well-Known Member
I just spent some time watching these enjoyable videos of Comanche, the bad@$$ monohull which is so fast on the water... except in light airs, LOL. Moi, I'm an old school monohull man, mainly because monohull sailing has so many traditional elements... sure, the multihulls go faster, but to see a boat like Comanche doing well over 30 knots while tearing across the surface, that just brings a smile to my face. The science & technology behind this boat are amazing too... which is why I included the tour video, I really dig the stringers in the hull, the method of construction just screams 'light yet strong and fast.' And the hydraulic systems?!? Holy Mackerel!!! 
I'm not much into racing, though I love flying across the surface at top speed... however, I had a glimpse into the life of professional sailors when I met and worked alongside Bill Bennett so many years ago. Billy Bones, I called him, while others called him "Baby Dennis" due to his resemblance to Dennis Conner. Bones was quite the hand, a damned good sailor in anybody's book, and we hit it off pretty well on a job we both worked... he'd tell me stories about life 'behind the scenes' in the world of professional sailboat racing, and he was a funny guy too, easy to listen to as he shared his knowledge & insight.
Bones would've loved working aboard Comanche, and he was good enough to do it too... but unfortunately, he passed away a few years ago. As a "struggling sailor" (his own words), he would have been happy to hook up with some billionaire---"the wallet"---willing to throw money at every problem, just to give boat & crew every possible advantage. A dream job for a guy like Bones, but those pro sailors earn their money too at times, especially when weather gets rough and things get more dangerous. Moi, I don't make a very good team player, nor am I any good at sucking up to rich folk, but I can respect the combined efforts of skipper & crew aboard boats like Comanche... that is one fast monohull.
You look at that video of the Atlantic crossing and note the discomfort put up with by the crew... and yet, in those supreme moments when the boat is just FLYIN' across the surface, you realize why those pro sailors deal with it. Somewhere in their souls, there's that hankering to go as fast as possible across the water, to rise above all adverse circumstances and set new records aboard boats which are on the cutting edge of science & technology. Moi, I just like to go fast... same way I like to go fast on a dirt bike, LOL. I'll probably never have enough money to buy a boat like Comanche---you won't find such craft on Craigslist---but a cat can look at a king, aye? Or a queen, in the nautical sense...
It's also interesting to note how much of an edge modern technology gives racers today, as opposed to their counterparts in centuries past. All that computer work, crunching data with regard to weather systems and whatnot... and then having boats which are lighter and faster in every way, well, that makes a huge difference. Navigators of old also relied upon the stars, while modern GPS and other tools allow today's racers to push the envelope, so to speak. Funny thing, in the interview with Ken Read, he mentions the crappy compass at the helm---a requirement due to regulations---and then he says nobody ever looks at it, LOL. BTW, the dude interviewing him is wearing a Laser shirt...
Anyway, I enjoyed these videos, even if they are a bit dated... that is one lean, mean sailing machine, the Comanche. Ken Read tells it like it is too: he knows things can get wildly out of control aboard such a boat if the skipper & crew don't stay on top of things. I liked his outlook on fear too---you don't wanna be scared of a boat, you wanna learn as much as possible about her so you can control her in a safe and productive manner. That's wisdom for all the novice sailors here at this site, good advice which boosts marine safety. I look at Comanche under sail, bending on the friggin' knots, and I'd love to take a turn at the helm, just to feel her FLY... but I don't know any rich folk, LOL.
Here are the videos I watched:
If you haven't already seen these videos, check 'em out, they are worth watching... that one crew member in the Atlantic crossing video is funny, talking about how the crew sleep down below with their feet forward, so if the boat collides with anything the impact will be felt by their feet (and not their heads, LOL). Makes perfect sense to me!!! A hand could break his neck in a collision at high speed... the boat tearing along at nearly 40 knots or whatever. That guy was funny in other parts of the video too, the classic mug and quintessential pro sailor. I must admit, the few pro sailors I met in years past all had good senses of humor, guess that goes with the territory in the world of cutting-edge sailboat racing.
I'm not much into racing, though I love flying across the surface at top speed... however, I had a glimpse into the life of professional sailors when I met and worked alongside Bill Bennett so many years ago. Billy Bones, I called him, while others called him "Baby Dennis" due to his resemblance to Dennis Conner. Bones was quite the hand, a damned good sailor in anybody's book, and we hit it off pretty well on a job we both worked... he'd tell me stories about life 'behind the scenes' in the world of professional sailboat racing, and he was a funny guy too, easy to listen to as he shared his knowledge & insight.
Bones would've loved working aboard Comanche, and he was good enough to do it too... but unfortunately, he passed away a few years ago. As a "struggling sailor" (his own words), he would have been happy to hook up with some billionaire---"the wallet"---willing to throw money at every problem, just to give boat & crew every possible advantage. A dream job for a guy like Bones, but those pro sailors earn their money too at times, especially when weather gets rough and things get more dangerous. Moi, I don't make a very good team player, nor am I any good at sucking up to rich folk, but I can respect the combined efforts of skipper & crew aboard boats like Comanche... that is one fast monohull.
You look at that video of the Atlantic crossing and note the discomfort put up with by the crew... and yet, in those supreme moments when the boat is just FLYIN' across the surface, you realize why those pro sailors deal with it. Somewhere in their souls, there's that hankering to go as fast as possible across the water, to rise above all adverse circumstances and set new records aboard boats which are on the cutting edge of science & technology. Moi, I just like to go fast... same way I like to go fast on a dirt bike, LOL. I'll probably never have enough money to buy a boat like Comanche---you won't find such craft on Craigslist---but a cat can look at a king, aye? Or a queen, in the nautical sense...
It's also interesting to note how much of an edge modern technology gives racers today, as opposed to their counterparts in centuries past. All that computer work, crunching data with regard to weather systems and whatnot... and then having boats which are lighter and faster in every way, well, that makes a huge difference. Navigators of old also relied upon the stars, while modern GPS and other tools allow today's racers to push the envelope, so to speak. Funny thing, in the interview with Ken Read, he mentions the crappy compass at the helm---a requirement due to regulations---and then he says nobody ever looks at it, LOL. BTW, the dude interviewing him is wearing a Laser shirt...
Anyway, I enjoyed these videos, even if they are a bit dated... that is one lean, mean sailing machine, the Comanche. Ken Read tells it like it is too: he knows things can get wildly out of control aboard such a boat if the skipper & crew don't stay on top of things. I liked his outlook on fear too---you don't wanna be scared of a boat, you wanna learn as much as possible about her so you can control her in a safe and productive manner. That's wisdom for all the novice sailors here at this site, good advice which boosts marine safety. I look at Comanche under sail, bending on the friggin' knots, and I'd love to take a turn at the helm, just to feel her FLY... but I don't know any rich folk, LOL.
Here are the videos I watched:
If you haven't already seen these videos, check 'em out, they are worth watching... that one crew member in the Atlantic crossing video is funny, talking about how the crew sleep down below with their feet forward, so if the boat collides with anything the impact will be felt by their feet (and not their heads, LOL). Makes perfect sense to me!!! A hand could break his neck in a collision at high speed... the boat tearing along at nearly 40 knots or whatever. That guy was funny in other parts of the video too, the classic mug and quintessential pro sailor. I must admit, the few pro sailors I met in years past all had good senses of humor, guess that goes with the territory in the world of cutting-edge sailboat racing.
Last edited:
