Portland Pudgy to Cross the Atlantic Ocean

[baz]

I just had to post this as I own a Sunset Yellow Portland Pudgy. The video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e6ZRX7pLUC0 is kinda cool as well. There are some video black outs, but be patient as it does continue with more images etc.

The full article is at Portland Pudgy's blog site http://portlandpudgy.com/blog/

This guy (Jonathan Trappe) spent 53 hours in this Portland Pudgy to prepare himself for the Atlantic crossing.

I sure wished he had photographed himself experimenting with living on it for two days, practicing capsizing it, righting it, and climbing aboard from the water. I would have found this instructional... :lol:

 

[PHIL RUDIN]

It might be worthwhile to point out that Mr. Trappe intends to FLY over the Atlantic using a "cluster" of helium filled balloons with the Pudgy as a "gondola" for the trip. The Pudgy seems an excellent choice in the event of a problem.

Phil Rudin

 

[jtrappe]

Team:

We have flown the Pudgy, in manned flight, under a towering cluster of helium filled balloons. This was done in sunny Mexico, and we did capture some interesting footage as we completed the splashdown test. We launched into the blue skies of Mexico, and then returned to the surface of the earth to splashdown in the Pudgy onto the lake surface. That made us a very unusual sailboat for a while-- with the Pudgy being powered by a wind and rather giant sail made of balloons.

After the splashdown, I released ballast and returned to the skies. The flight then continued for 7.5 hours, ranging up to 20,000 feet MSL and covering 118 miles in manned flight.


YouTube - “Trans-Atlantic Cluster Balloon - SAPAL - Test Flight”
http://youtu.be/qxYv5RfO7to


So you know, 'SAPAL' is the civil water authority for that locality in Mexico, where we flew. They are responsible for the water supply, including the lake we landed on. You will see their logo in the video.

Some additional photos and footage:

Mail Online – “Fearless adventurer takes to the air in boat carried by hundreds of BALLOONS as he prepares to cross Atlantic”
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... antic.html

Barcroft - Adventurer Set To Cross Atlantic In Cluster Balloon
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EA4-jWMy ... re=related

Thank you,


-Jonahtan R. Trappe

 

[baz]

Jonathon: Nowhere in the Daily Mail article did it mention the Yellow dinghy being a Portland Pudgy... 🙁 :? It was mentioned as a "yellow rowboat" and "the boat" as far as I read !!!! Maybe after your Atlantic venture it will take on its real name. :lol:

 

[baz]

Here's the latest blog for this awesome Atlantic crossing... "flying lifeboat saga, and to a video of the Portland Pudgy on its flight 20,000 feet up." -- http://portlandpudgy.com/blog/