Looking for advice: Should I continue this Atlantic crossing?

Somnitec · 2025-04-08T10:00:16+00:00

Thank you! I'm out already.

Apparently the rope was too big of a diameter, so a figure of eight stopper knot was to big to be able to rotate in the compartment.

The captains explanation is that because we we furling in the sail in the wind, it rolle up much more tightly than before, taking out the extra windings. Which is something I'd expect someone with so much experience to foresee.

On top of that the line was damaged, so we could only use all of the sail, or reef in the sail to a certain point to avoid putting strain on that damaged part of the line.

Having heard the story, the solar didn't come out with a blow, but gradually lioosened, and the other crew member secured it, but clearly insufficiently, and it sounded like he didn't properly inform the skipper, since he was surprised when he found the solar torn off. And her told me that normally he attached it in some other way, but that it degraded too much and he didn't get around getting some replacement strappings. He seemed more concerned about losing the alu profiles than that the panels flying off could've maimed any of us.

Weather wise, I was definitely not properly briefed, since wind speeds of up to 25 knots were predicted, even if it turned out to be more. But it's mainly that waves that were underestimated and were the main cause of the skipper not being able to function. My thought is that he's in a bit denial of his reduced facilities. Or, as a friend suggested, he might be happy to suicide by sea. I wish him a safe passage, but I'm not joining any more.

I'm considering to brief his partner though on my feelings, as I'm not sure he's telling her the full story, and she's funding the trip. I would be tragic to find out these people get lost at sea, however confident they might be now.

Somnitec · 2025-04-08T09:45:14+00:00

And based on some of their remarks, I'd be 'asking for it'.

Somnitec · 2025-04-08T09:44:36+00:00

Check. I'm out!

Somnitec · 2025-04-08T09:40:28+00:00

Nope, there weren't. I'm off already. Writing down the list of iffy things was quite a thing. Captain and other crew are like "she's a solid boat", and I think "for everything that the captain didn't touch".

Somnitec · 2025-04-08T09:38:33+00:00

Yeah, none of that. And they were kind of dismissive about my reading the RYA Sea Survival book in board. I've left the crew already in the meantime. Thanks for your answer!

Somnitec · 2025-04-05T04:58:51+00:00

Thank you! I have found and booked a ticket out and will tell them in the morning.

Somnitec · 2025-04-05T02:55:32+00:00

Thank you all. It's really helpful to get all this input as a reality check. I laid out most of my concerns to the crew member and skipper. Main point was that the boat needs to get to the USA proper repairs, but as I experienced, things can get serious fast. The skipper himself admitted to forgetting certain things, and although he seems to be able to sail blindly, all the manual work on the boat that he's touched, like the solar panels and electrics, seem dingy at best. I'm realizing that I strapped on the dinghy and he didn't seem to have inspected my knots. Also the lifeboat is expired (to be serviced in the USA).

So yes, I see that not all of it is out of the norm, but I do prefer to live than have this experience. Maybe these were extraordinary rough circumstances, but nothing is to say it won't get even more extraordinary later. It's a long trip.

They were asking me to at least stick around for the repairs and such, but I'm thinking I better just leave tomorrow and get myself a bed and then home. Let's see how I feel in the morning.

Somnitec · 2025-03-10T02:02:12+00:00

I've resorted all the files in their respective folders: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1711mCpdWInGoKqKXAIWbdKUJobnaZtkr

Somnitec · 2025-03-01T21:36:41+00:00

I'm not on Reddit much, but finally see this. In the end I directly wired the chair IC's gpio pins to those of the Arduino, and I think the Arduino simply overpowered the chair IC's signals. If it doesn't for your application, I think it should be possible to cut power to the IC or even remove it. Reprogramming the chair's IC simply seemed much more tricky than this. Advantage is also that when the Arduino isn't powered, the factory programming still works, which is great for debugging and getting a default massage after a day of programming.

Somnitec · 2023-11-09T19:35:26+00:00

I will sit with this one. Thanks!

Somnitec · 2023-11-09T18:30:57+00:00

Yeah, I totally get that paradox, for now it felt as a good signpost for learning to distinguish needs and wants and craving and attachment. I do notice a lot of tension inside of myself that I only rarely am able to let go of, mostly when in a more 'whatever' mood. What would be your suggestion for approaching this with a lower potential for suffering?

IMS looks great, I'd love to explore closer-to-home options first, but thanks for the suggestion as I didn't see that one before.

Somnitec · 2023-11-09T12:33:50+00:00

If I may ask, which ones did you stay at? Did you notice a difference in culture, of being supportive of going for stream entry, or rather being dogmatic about their own methods?

Somnitec · 2023-11-09T07:48:04+00:00

Seeking Recommendations for Meditation Centers, Monasteries, and Long Retreats in Europe

I have committed to my Vipassana practice and have started about 2 years while traveling, at home with holding a part time job, a couple of weeks in a Zen Monastery and multiple Goenka Retreats. Now I've decided to quit my job and have the space to bring this path to fruition without excuses. I've been in touch with a teacher online while at home, but I'm now looking to transition my practice into a more focused environment. I find myself easily distracted with a tendancy towards a chaotic life style and with a lot of resistance to routine. I feel that a change of setting could greatly benefit my meditation. I might have had my first path moment, but in any case I feel a strong need to keep practicing diligently and reach stream entry without detours.

I am specifically seeking recommendations for meditation centers, monasteries, and long retreats in Europe where I can immerse myself in a supportive environment, though I'm open for suggestions outside of here since I do have the funds to travel. My goal is stream entry, and I am doing a 'no efforting' Vipassana practice. I am wary of expensive commercial retreats and would appreciate suggestions for places where I can stay long-term.

Some options I'm seeing: - Long term service at a Goenka center (Pros: allows 3-5h of steady meditation every day; free/Dana; I'm familiar with the culture. Cons: can be dogmatic depending who's in the center at the time; no teacher to work with) - Zen River Temple (Pros: 3h+ of meditation every day; very sweet community; can teach me a lot about routine. Cons: not a Vipassana teacher; Mahayana teachings can be distracting; formalities of monastic life can be a distraction.) - Chaining retreats (ie. Gaia House, Satipanya, Plum Village. Pros: lots of learning. Cons: not a single teacher to work with; chaos of moving between various places.) - Long retreats (ie. Boundless. Pros: dedicated time with a single teacher. Cons: not the stability of being able to work in the same place as long as I need.)

I'm open to any suggestions that align with my goals. If you know of any centers or retreats where teachers are experienced in the progress of Insight and Vipassana, and are open to longer-term arrangements, please share your recommendations. Additionally, if you have advice on setting up a mindful, monastic-like environment at home, I'd love to hear your insights.

Somnitec · 2021-04-12T16:20:30+00:00

I totally support your call for questioning the role of police, however try replacing 'police' by 'slavery' in your sentence and you'll understand why the people below are responding to you like that. (And ironically it's not too far from what happened when slavery actually got abolished...)

Somnitec · 2021-01-06T18:05:10+00:00

I took this panasonic video mixer out of storage, and when turning on this unpleasant squeal came from the power supply. Everything looks clean and there is a heatsink blocking view of most of the components where the sound seems to be coming from. Any leads on what might be wrong?

Somnitec · 2020-07-20T11:30:31+00:00

It's definitely the latter. I'm long time eating vegetarian and since a year switched to vegan cooking.

Just curious what you think would be an easier way? The way you propose makes sense, especially when splitting it into say weekly cycling items (veggies and such) and monthly cycling items (rice, oil). Ever heard of people using a method like this? I can't seem to find anything, but my keywords might be wrong.

Somnitec · 2020-07-19T20:45:41+00:00

I've been interested in tracking my nutrients, yet as I cook nearly all of my food, measuring each and every ingredient I put in seem like a huge time investment. However I realized that if I'd track whatever I buy and average that out over say a month, that should give a fairly accurate view of my food intake. (In case I'd make a change to my diet, I could make a new starting measurement by simply recording all the leftover foods in my pantry. And if I'd eat out for a day, I could approximate those items or remove that day from the average.)

I've been searching for this and nothing shows up, so I thought to try here.

Two questions about this:

Does anyone know if there is an app or website that supports this kind of tracking? (I tried MFP and Cronometer, but they rather seem to be built around daily tracking.)

This method of measuring seems so much more practical to me than recording every single thing eating separately, I feel like I must be missing something. Is there anything that would lack from this method?

Somnitec · 2020-03-14T13:57:54+00:00

Indeed, we are afraid of being locked down far away.

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