# Why the hate for the guy who built a yacht out of concrete and sailed it for 1000 days, alone? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 12, 2011, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-hate-for-the-guy-who-built-a-yacht-out-of-concrete-and-sailed-it-for-1000-days-alone/578041 "2011-04-12T02:02:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Otara](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/a88e4f/32.png) [@Otara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otara)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2011, 5:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-hate-for-the-guy-who-built-a-yacht-out-of-concrete-and-sailed-it-for-1000-days-alone/578041/21 "2011-04-12T05:07:49Z")
Pointless stunt. Over 1000 days had already been done a _century_ ago, all he did was extend the record by another few months. Its a record bid rather than anything new scalewise. Edit: Not even that maybe [http://1000daysreality.blogspot.com/](http://1000daysreality.blogspot.com/) Otara ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2011, 5:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-hate-for-the-guy-who-built-a-yacht-out-of-concrete-and-sailed-it-for-1000-days-alone/578041/22 "2011-04-12T05:55:12Z")
A 50 year old professional drifter snags a 19 year old groupie and some sponsors for his next adventure. I won’t be going to see the movie but congrats on escaping life in the real world. ---
**Author:** ![Darryl\_Lict](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7cd45c/32.png) [@Darryl\_Lict](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darryl_Lict)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2011, 6:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-hate-for-the-guy-who-built-a-yacht-out-of-concrete-and-sailed-it-for-1000-days-alone/578041/23 "2011-04-12T06:47:20Z")
> [@Otara](#): > > Pointless stunt. Over 1000 days had already been done a _century_ ago, all he did was extend the record by another few months. > > Its a record bid rather than anything new scalewise. > > Edit: Not even that maybe > > [http://1000daysreality.blogspot.com/](http://1000daysreality.blogspot.com/) > > Otara Who did it a century ago? I’m under the impression he never docked for supplies. I agree the website is pretty crappy. I can’t find any information on how he built the boat which must be on there somewhere, but I just can’t find it. ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2011, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-hate-for-the-guy-who-built-a-yacht-out-of-concrete-and-sailed-it-for-1000-days-alone/578041/24 "2011-04-12T13:28:41Z")
It is pretty impressive, actually. Ordinarily, douchebags at sea just wash up with the first tide or stay out and are ripped to confetti in short order. This is real triumph for douchebags. ---
**Author:** ![constanze](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f9ae1b/32.png) [@constanze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/constanze)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2011, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-hate-for-the-guy-who-built-a-yacht-out-of-concrete-and-sailed-it-for-1000-days-alone/578041/25 "2011-04-12T13:57:57Z")
> [@Submerged](#): > > So if a guy did this voyage and was not a shitty father or nutjob, what would be the opinion? Pointless stunt or worthwhile for research purposes? What research purpose? There are a group of people near Moscow right now, in a simulation of a space ship, simulating the trip to Mars and back (over 2 years). They are watched by scientists to record and evaluate the psychological (and physiological) problems that will occur, and test the best strategies to deal with them. This is useful research. The arctic research stations also double for the effects of isolation (and light deprivation) in addition to their geologic and meteorolgic research. Putting a group of people into a Big Brother container and filming them 24/7 is not research, just money-grabbing while degrading to human dignity. Similarly,[one doctor](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hannes_Lindemann) preparing himself and sailing the ocean alone with a Klepper foldable boat over the ocean in the 1950s (before satellite radio, GPS and other rescue) to find out what ship-wrecked people needed to do in order to survive at sea - that was useful research. Doing a stunt just to show that it can be done, without preparation, feedback and recording of scientists - not research. So, to sum up: important research questions have already been done; you need to ask the questions before you start; you need to have scientists interested in your method and observe you. ---
**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2011, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-hate-for-the-guy-who-built-a-yacht-out-of-concrete-and-sailed-it-for-1000-days-alone/578041/26 "2011-04-12T14:12:09Z")
> [@Submerged](#): > > So if a guy did this voyage and was not a shitty father or nutjob, what would be the opinion? Pointless stunt or worthwhile for research purposes? Did people laugh at the brave men and women who spent two years in the Biosphere? Oh, wait, they did. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2011, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-hate-for-the-guy-who-built-a-yacht-out-of-concrete-and-sailed-it-for-1000-days-alone/578041/27 "2011-04-12T16:45:38Z")
> [@Larry\_Mudd](#): > > This is real triumph for douchebags. One small step for a douche… 😃 ---
**Author:** ![paperbackwriter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/53a042/32.png) [@paperbackwriter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/paperbackwriter)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2011, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-hate-for-the-guy-who-built-a-yacht-out-of-concrete-and-sailed-it-for-1000-days-alone/578041/28 "2011-04-12T19:25:57Z")
> [@Darryl\_Lict](#): > > Who did it a century ago? [Joshua Slocum, for one.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joshua_Slocum#First_solo_circumnavigation) To be precise, Slocum’s voyage was 1160 days long and completed 112 years ago. And he at least went somewhere - all the way around the world all alone, using equipment and methods that were considered antique even then. I fail to see what this gentleman has accomplished to advance knowledge. ---
**Author:** ![SandyHook](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dec6dc/32.png) [@SandyHook](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SandyHook)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2011, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-hate-for-the-guy-who-built-a-yacht-out-of-concrete-and-sailed-it-for-1000-days-alone/578041/29 "2011-04-12T20:01:06Z")
I followed his trek from day 1 to day 1,100. The problem (as best I can see, and I do know a couple of folks that are into sailing big time) that others in the sailing world have with Reid Stowe is that he is a blithering idiot. When Soanya was on the boat and doing the bulk of the posting it was interesting reading. Lot of good insights and observations on the day-to-day happenings. Reading most of Reid’s posts was almost painful at times. For instance, he’d catch a tuna and there would be a long rambling post about blessing the fish’s spirit etc. A small nitpick. I’m pretty sure he didn’t build the boat for this cruise. If I remember correctly it was something like 20-25 years old when he started. But I do seem to remember him saying he either built it of did some major rebuilding when he first got it. ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2011, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-hate-for-the-guy-who-built-a-yacht-out-of-concrete-and-sailed-it-for-1000-days-alone/578041/30 "2011-04-12T20:12:20Z")
> [@Ravenman](#): > > Did people laugh at the brave men and women who spent two years in the Biosphere? > > Oh, wait, they did. That was a much better [movie](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0115683/) than people think. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2011, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-hate-for-the-guy-who-built-a-yacht-out-of-concrete-and-sailed-it-for-1000-days-alone/578041/31 "2011-04-12T20:23:23Z")
> [@](#): > > I have managed to live alone on the high seas for longer than any man in history and I rise to contemplate timeless and eternal realities. Anyone else thinking Narcissistic Personality Disorder? As well as misinformed. And an insufferable penis. ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2011, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-hate-for-the-guy-who-built-a-yacht-out-of-concrete-and-sailed-it-for-1000-days-alone/578041/32 "2011-04-12T20:24:57Z")
> [@MsWhatsit](#): > > When this got posted on my parenting message board a while back, I would say that pretty much 100% of the animosity was directed at the fact that he did not stop the experiment when it meant missing the birth of his child and the first year or so of that child’s life. > > I mean, I’m not really getting into the debate about whether that animosity was justified or not, but if you want to know why at least some people felt pissed off at the guy, that’s one of the reasons. > [@MPB\_in\_Salt\_Lake](#): > > Maybe it doesn’t sit well with some people that he didn’t abandon his pointless voyage to help out with his new child until two years after she was born, leaving his girlfriend to do the work of both mom & dad by herself? > > While I think the guy sounds like an attention whore and all around jackoff, I have to say that the girlfriend should have fucking known what she was getting herself into before allowing herself to get knocked up by good ol’ Capt. Crunchy… > > (that said, maybe she did, and was fine with his decision to keep on floating, which would make me feel a little bit less judgmental about the both of them) > [@Submerged](#): > > But the voyage wasn’t “pointless”…it was an experiment to see if a human could live on the ocean for 1000 days. And he did it. > > Sure, the pregnancy was unexpected, but the mom seemed cool with the plan and they seem happily re-united. > > Some poor choices aside, it still seems like a hell of a thing to me. > [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > An experiment? At best, it was a stunt. > [@Arrendajo](#): > > Good lord his writing is nothing but overwrought new age babble. Example: > **We could use the Mars Ocean Odyssey as a dynamic example. I propose that a magnificent unprecedented experience constantly acting upon an open soul flying through eternal space will create a super human mystic understanding if the voyager survives with grace.** > He should be forced to stay at sea until he learns to write properly about the experience, even if he does not survive with grace. Big meh - military wives tolerate going hubbyless when they get deployed, and have for decades [and in some cases the practice of husbands going off to war predates history] and we seen to get along just fine. And it isnt as if we don’t have experience with experimental isolated living experiences - we had people living underwater, we have people living in submarines, we have people experimenting with alternatives for those who had been living in satellites. He was just pulling a stunt … But then again, as I said, big meh- military wives pop kids out without the husbands being home all the damned time. ---
**Author:** ![SandyHook](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dec6dc/32.png) [@SandyHook](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SandyHook)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2011, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-hate-for-the-guy-who-built-a-yacht-out-of-concrete-and-sailed-it-for-1000-days-alone/578041/33 "2011-04-12T20:32:35Z")
> [@paperbackwriter](#): > > [Joshua Slocum, for one.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joshua_Slocum#First_solo_circumnavigation) To be precise, Slocum’s voyage was 1160 days long and completed 112 years ago. And he at least went somewhere - all the way around the world all alone, using equipment and methods that were considered antique even then. I fail to see what this gentleman has accomplished to advance knowledge. But Slocum did put into port just about every chance he got. Reid Stowe set out to be out of sight of land for 1,000 days and was totally alone for the larger part of the cruise. Unlike the people in the Russian experiment he was at substantial risk for that time. There was nobody to help him if things went south. I think there is some value in his cruise. But the guy is still a dick. ---
**Author:** ![Submerged](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/da6949/32.png) [@Submerged](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Submerged)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2011, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-hate-for-the-guy-who-built-a-yacht-out-of-concrete-and-sailed-it-for-1000-days-alone/578041/34 "2011-04-12T20:34:12Z")
> [@SandyHook](#): > > A small nitpick. I’m pretty sure he didn’t build the boat for this cruise. Actually, yes he did (well he and his brothers). They built Schooner Anne in the 70’s in the front yard of their house in NC. Here is a link: [http://1000days.net/home/media/boatbuilding/boatbuilding.htm#](http://1000days.net/home/media/boatbuilding/boatbuilding.htm#) This is the same boat he did the 1000 days trip on. ---
**Author:** ![Submerged](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/da6949/32.png) [@Submerged](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Submerged)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2011, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-hate-for-the-guy-who-built-a-yacht-out-of-concrete-and-sailed-it-for-1000-days-alone/578041/35 "2011-04-12T20:37:53Z")
> [@SandyHook](#): > > The problem (as best I can see, and I do know a couple of folks that are into sailing big time) that others in the sailing world have with Reid Stowe is that he is a blithering idiot…Reading most of Reid’s posts was almost painful at times. For instance, he’d catch a tuna and there would be a long rambling post about blessing the fish’s spirit etc. True enough, but then who wouldn’t get a little wacky after 1000 days alone? I would think that would be expected. ---
**Author:** ![Submerged](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/da6949/32.png) [@Submerged](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Submerged)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2011, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-hate-for-the-guy-who-built-a-yacht-out-of-concrete-and-sailed-it-for-1000-days-alone/578041/36 "2011-04-12T20:44:15Z")
> [@Submerged](#): > > [http://1000days.net/home/media/boatbuilding/boatbuilding.htm#](http://1000days.net/home/media/boatbuilding/boatbuilding.htm#) That’s really quite an amazing slideshow, it shows the 3 brothers building the schooner from scractch out of wire mesh and concrete. ---
**Author:** ![even\_sven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dfb087/32.png) [@even\_sven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/even_sven)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2011, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-hate-for-the-guy-who-built-a-yacht-out-of-concrete-and-sailed-it-for-1000-days-alone/578041/37 "2011-04-12T20:54:06Z")
“Research” is meaningless without research design. Whatever information he may have possibly got (and I doubt there is much) is not in any way useful unless it’s part of a plan to ask and answer specific questions. You can’t just call everything you do “research.” ---
**Author:** ![MsWhatsit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb8c5e/32.png) [@MsWhatsit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsWhatsit)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2011, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-hate-for-the-guy-who-built-a-yacht-out-of-concrete-and-sailed-it-for-1000-days-alone/578041/38 "2011-04-12T22:16:29Z")
[QUOTE=aruvqan] But then again, as I said, big meh- military wives pop kids out without the husbands being home all the damned time. [/QUOTE] I wonder why we don’t hear of people criticizing soldiers for leaving their families for years at a time. It’s odd, because going off to serve your country in the line of duty seems roughly equivalent to goofing off on a boat for no discernible reason. It’s a mystery. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Darryl\_Lict](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7cd45c/32.png) [@Darryl\_Lict](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darryl_Lict)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2011, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-hate-for-the-guy-who-built-a-yacht-out-of-concrete-and-sailed-it-for-1000-days-alone/578041/39 "2011-04-12T23:23:46Z")
> [@paperbackwriter](#): > > [Joshua Slocum, for one.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joshua_Slocum#First_solo_circumnavigation) To be precise, Slocum’s voyage was 1160 days long and completed 112 years ago. And he at least went somewhere - all the way around the world all alone, using equipment and methods that were considered antique even then. I fail to see what this gentleman has accomplished to advance knowledge. As I said before, it appears that Reid Stowe NEVER DOCKED. This is significantly different than a solo circumnavigation with many ports of call. That’s not to say that Joshua Slocum’s feat was not amazing and perhaps way more impressive, but Reid Stowe had to haul ALL his supplies as far as I can tell. I guess that what you are saying is that Reid Stowe did not circumnavigate the planet. Of course, his website is so shitty, I can’t even find a map of his travels, and it’s not even clear what his route was. If he didn’t, well then that’s completely unimpressive because you could just get a big old boat and park it in the middle of the Mediterranean for 3 years and accomplish the same thing. I don’t blame the guy for dropping his wife off though. She knew what she was in for. Couldn’t she have brought along 3 years worth of birth control? Who knows, maybe they ran out of rubbers after a year. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Fight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/90ced4/32.png) [@Cat\_Fight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Fight)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2011, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-hate-for-the-guy-who-built-a-yacht-out-of-concrete-and-sailed-it-for-1000-days-alone/578041/40 "2011-04-12T23:29:34Z")
> [@Submerged](#): > > This guy: [http://1000days.net/home/](http://1000days.net/home/) That homepage looks like the cover of a bad sci-fi that’s gone straight to video. I’m on the internet, that’s all I need to get hatin’! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-hate-for-the-guy-who-built-a-yacht-out-of-concrete-and-sailed-it-for-1000-days-alone/578041.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-hate-for-the-guy-who-built-a-yacht-out-of-concrete-and-sailed-it-for-1000-days-alone/578041.md?page=3)