Mighty Merloe

[Fat Point Jack]

Here is probably what will become of the MANGLED MERLOE when it runs up dockage fees in Mexico.

This is the 118' LOA RTW trimaran designed and (nearly) <80% finished in Hawaii. I was asked to try and do some renderings for the bare hulls and beams to make more saleable after the builder died. His widow had hoped to recoup some of the 10 years cash (and sweat!) that had gone down the drain. Jim Antrim had contributed to the design and he must have thought I would take on the rendering (and additional modeling) on a Pro Bono case but that never happened. Sad story really but she did get an absurd offer from some Australian booze cruise operators that did eventually motor it down under where it underwent and incredible transformation.

Before:

After!

View attachment 573826

Actually the trip to Brisbane from Hawaii was a record setting foolhardy event! I think the set up a small thatch roof over the steering station and hung a small outboard or two and just toughed it out. I can start on the 3d concept money for Capt Don just as soon as I get a retainer fee from one of his 'foundations'...

When I saw it in Multihulls Magazine, I had such hope that he could succeed.

 

[Rasputin22]

When I saw it in Multihulls Magazine, I had such hope that he could succeed.

Yeah, Ed Edwards had a lot more going for him in such an undertaking and wasn't looking for GoFund Me and the various grifting we now see in such out of reach endeavours. You have to hand it to the Aussies who somehow managed to get that rudimentary trimaran home and turn it into an awesome party barge. I'll have to do some follow up on the results. It blew me away when I saw the renders of the proposed 'floating night club'.

Wow, they actually built this thing from poor Jody and Ed Edwards broken dreams!

https://yotclubprod.wpenginepowered.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/YOT_Corporate_20201_03.mp4

 

[longy]

Hard to tell from the ad video, but it looks like the main hull is now a lot wider in the stern & probably up to at least amidships
Ama sterns may also be widened a lot

 

[valcour2]

Did they motor or sail that thing to OZ?

 

[longy]

Motored it the entire way. It's never had a spar

 

[munt]

This is all a fascinating study, the fine line between a dream and a nightmare. Mike Plant worked his ass off and probably owed lots of people money but his sincerity was born out by his incredible sailing accomplishments. On the other end of the spectrum we have Crowhurst, more interested in the publicity than the actual sailing and obviously bit off way more than he could chew. If Crowhurst would have just stepped off the boat on the banks of that South American river he could have at least gone home to his wife and kids or maybe started a successful cargo cult in the jungle. Maybe he could have hoofed it down to Tierra del Fuego and claimed that the Cape sank his boat and he swam ashore.

 

[Wess]

I have been reading this thread since his accident at Anacapa Island and biting my tongue, and it was confirming to see a lot of comments even before that accident.
I was the swimmer who recovered his boat off the island and assisted him in getting underway again from Ventura. He told us he had insurance, so we recovered his boat. Well, he didn't have insurance to cover the recovery. What legitimate non-profit would take people from yacht clubs and youth sailing programs onto their boat without insurance?! (He purchased a very basic liability-only policy to meet the marina's requirements in San Pedro right before the accident) I was waiting to say something, hoping not to scare off his donors so I could still get paid, but I gave up hope! Some exciting facts left out of his story were that his motor wasn't working... he ran out of fuel. I also believe he didn't have any battery power as he didn't have a working engine to recharge his batteries. He called for help on a cell phone. Attached is his AIS track which lost him about 12 hours before his accident, so he likely ran out of fuel even before that and this was when he lost his electronics.
With this in mind, I personally don't think he was trying to anchor at Anacapa. Who would try or be able to anchor that boat in an unprotected kelp-covered cove at night under sail with no engine? I personally think they were navigating without electronics or off their phones when this happened and have a navigation error. Maybe this post will get Donald to return my calls!

View attachment 573825

Jesus. This thread gets more depressing with each new post. How the hell did this guy convince anyone he is anything but a poser?!? Hope the boat gets to extract its pound of flesh from the F-er. Freaking sad.

 

[Wess]

It will have died doing what it loved: Breaking sailors!

That’s a great comment and way to look at it!

 

[unShirley]

Thank you @ChannelWatch for joining in. Your firsthand knowledge and experience is highly valuable to this discussion. And, more importantly, thank you for doing what you can to keep us safe and/or rescue us when we get in trouble in the SB Channel. In over 40 years of transiting the Channel often I have only needed to be towed in once, when the impeller of my OB on my 19' center console power cat sucked up some seaweed transiting through the shipping lanes at night (circa2003). But, I was tremendously grateful to get that tow and it is very comforting to know you are there every time I go.

 

[sail(plane)]

Please dont use DL. ;-) There is only one DL when dealing with trimarans. Certainly this guy is going to the same pantheon of eternals, along with Reid, Tin Can , etc.
Why dont we use DLaw or something

 

[mathystuff]

Please dont use DL. ;-) There is only one DL when dealing with trimarans. Certainly this guy is going to the same pantheon of eternals, along with Reid, Tin Can , etc.
Why dont we use DLaw or something

Just that he hasn't added foils YET doesn't mean he won't

 

[MR.CLEAN]

That’s a great comment and way to look at it!

What else is left for these things? Either keeping their mast and breaking sailors, or becoming a party barge. Anyone with desire to set records and money to actually do it will grab one of the MODs or Ultims on the market.

ORMAs are:
Too old to spend a lot of money on the necessary sailability upgrades
Too expensive to sail/own/insure for anyone on a shoestring
Too powerful to be a cruiser convert

 

[r.finn]

What else is left for these things? Either keeping their mast and breaking sailors, or becoming a party barge. Anyone with desire to set records and money to actually do it will grab one of the MODs or Ultims on the market.

ORMAs are:
Too old to spend a lot of money on the necessary sailability upgrades
Too expensive to sail/own/insure for anyone on a shoestring
Too powerful to be a cruiser convert

This is true. They were beautiful monsters. An unforgettable and dramatic era of sailing.

 

[Crump's Brother]

What and how would one normal individual or charity go about procuring some sort of liability and or comprehensive insurance for The MM? The actuary in underwriting would shit a brick if he looked at the vessel and 'captain' involved.

Would a $175/yr Boat US vessel assist policy have covered the 'Anacapa Incident'? 😆

 

[solosailor]

Maybe, maybe not. Towing, yes. Once a vessel is "aground" I think it gets muddy re: salvage, etc.

 

[ChannelWatch]

Would a $175/yr Boat US vessel assist policy have covered the 'Anacapa Incident'? 😆

Nope, the towing membership only covers non-emergency assistance and towing.
When you are aground on rocks in a national park and national marine sanctuary where even the coast guard couldn’t get close enough, that’s when a boat’s hull insurance policy takes effect for a recovery or wreck removal.

 

[ChannelWatch]

Once a vessel is "aground" I think it gets muddy re: salvage, etc.

Soft groundings where the water is around the boat completely like a shoal or sand bar or where with tide, you can get off on your own is covered by the membership. Emergency response to a vessel being damaged on rocks constitutes a hard grounding and the element of peril for a salvage claim.

 

[Wess]

Nope, the towing membership only covers non-emergency assistance and towing.
When you are aground on rocks in a national park and national marine sanctuary where even the coast guard couldn’t get close enough, that’s when a boat’s hull insurance policy takes effect for a recovery or wreck removal.

You know there are many folks here that wished you guys had claimed salvage and save the boat from him LOL.

 

[Crump's Brother]

You know there are many folks here that wished you guys had claimed salvage and save the boat from him LOL.

Imagine the optics involved in doing this. Smart business decision to just cut CDL & MM loose without a claim.

 

[Wess]

Totally agree. Its more of a joke on a sad situation where we all likely wish there was some way to save the boat from him.