Tom McNally nears epic start in world's smallest yacht

It's taken a long time to get ready for this epic voyage, but finally, Tom McNally (affectionately dubbed the 'Crazy Sailor') is almost ready to set off on his epic voyage in the world's most diminutive trans-Atlantic sailing boat - the amazing 3-foot 10-inch 'Big C'.

Tom, who is sailing for the Sail 4 Cancer charity, had hoped to embark last year; but his plans were scuppered when thieves stole his main battery-housing and the lead-filled keel bulb for their scrap value. "Thanks to some help from my sponsors we are back on-track and we can see light at the end of the tunnel again; I just hope it's not another train," joked Tom at the Southampton Boat Show.

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Schoolgirl Seeking Round-the-World Sailing Record Sparks Debate

Oct. 17 (Bloomberg) -- An Australian schoolgirl's bid to become the youngest person to sail solo, non-stop and unassisted around the world will start from Sydney tomorrow, amid a debate about the wisdom of her undertaking such a dangerous voyage.

Jessica Watson, 16, expects to spend about 240 days at sea on a 23,000-nautical mile (42,596-kilometer) journey that will take her past Fiji, up to the equator, then on to Cape Horn and the Cape of Good Hope before she heads back to Australia.

"It's a bit scary and possibly a dangerous thing," said Watson, who began sailing at the age of eight. "But I'm not here without confidence."

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Amateur Boat Building How-to: Making a half model

Half model making is the precursor to lofting. In a sense one is lofting in a different medium. Boat builders were obviously familiar with wood and the tools required to shape wood, and probably less familiar with working out a design starting with a blank sheet of paper and a pencil and some battens. They could carve a model and, working by eye, eventually arrive at a shape that, to their experience and aesthetics, would work.

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