Guinness Book of World Records (TM)

Novmember 5, 2007
Guinness Book of World Records(TM) notified me we have the record for the "Longest Non Stop Ocean Voyage in a Flats Boat". WOW, that means we went further across the ocean in a flats boat than anyone else in history. WOW.



My brother Bob wrote a book about this trip, you can order a copy from him at

http://www.authorhouse.com/BookStore/ItemDetail~bookid~48327.aspx


The record has also been certified by the World Records Academy
As "The Longest Unescorted Oceanic Crossing in a Flats Boat."
Set by Robert and Ralph Brown for 1547 miles from Atlantic Beach, N.C. to Bermuda to New York Harbor.

http://www.worldrecordsacademy.org/business/longest_unescorted_oceanic_crossing_in_flats_boat_70139.htm

Perspective

DO NOT DO THIS. I AM A PROFESSIONAL AND I SPENT ABOUT EIGHT MONTHS PREPARING FOR THIS TRIP!!!!

In the same area between North Carolina and Bermuda during the same time we were on this trip four much larger vessels had to call in for rescue. Only three crews were rescued. Three professional sailors lost their lives.
DO NOT DO WHAT WE DID.
P.S. In the middle of the trip the Coast Guard sent me an email stating the rescues going on. My wife read the email. She was not a happy camper. Your wife will not be either.

Many people have a little trouble realizing just how far Bermuda is from North Carolina and back to New York Harbor. We thought the picture might put it in perspective. Bob and I trusted this 21 ft Flats boat (Intruder 21) to get us there and back. In the boating community large areas of shallow water are called "Flats." Boats designed to run in these flats are called "Flats boats." The Intruder 21 handled the waves perfectly. The pictures below are leaving North Carolina weighted down by almost two thousand pounds of fuel as well as equipment and food stores. As we burned our fuel off the boat got quite a bit lighter and rode much higher.












This is what an Intruder 21 rides like without all that weight.

Your friends will enjoy this discussion.

Dream Boats, Bermuda Run

Some call it suicidal, others call it proof.On April 30, 2007, two Tampa Bay men, Ralph Brown and Patrick McMunn will depart the coast of North Carolina in a 21 ft flats boat, headed for Bermuda, and then to New York Harbor, 1,400 miles of perilous ocean to prove the seaworthiness of this unique boat that is also comfortable operating in less than six inches of extremely shallow water, and by God's Grace hopefully set a new world record for unescorted oceanic crossing in a flats boat.

Thanksgiving weekend seven years ago, Ralph and his two boys were boating with Larry Strong and his kids. They hit a rock and broke the lower unit of the motor. A few months later, Ralph’s wife Anne was in a car wreck and had to have extensive hospitalization. His income went down considerably as he had to take many days off work, taking her to doctors. His best friends became bill collectors. Ralph found himself hiding from his problems in a boat design. He gradually became consumed with the concept of making boats that would be able to go over the rocks in shallow water without damage and still be very seaworthy.

After two and a half years, his wife had all she could take. You could not talk to Ralph about anything else. She demanded that he either do it or “shut up.” She thought he was going to shut up. Little, did she know? That night he incorporated as Dream Boats, Inc. He was broke, actually closer to bankrupt, with nothing more than a dream, and by God's Grace a boat load of sheer determination. His first plans did not work well.

He spent four and a half years chasing investors, developing, testing, and rebuilding boats. Over one million dollars later, the finished product is unbelievable; a small extremely seaworthy boat with a simply magical ride. Proving that it runs in shallow water is easy, just ride in it. People who have never ridden in it find it hard to believe how seaworthy this boat is. Now he is putting his life where his mouth is and taking one to Bermuda and back. Some call it suicidal; Ralph calls it proof.

Suicide or Proof

We are attempting to set what we believe will be a new world record for the longest unescorted oceanic crossing in a flats boat. We will be leaving from Atlantic Beach, North Carolina crossing over to Bermuda, then continuing on to New York Harbor, over 1,400 miles of open ocean. The Intruder 21 boat can be viewed in detail at http://www.dreamboats.net/. This is a super shallow running boat that can be configured as a deck boat, or as a fishing boat often referred to as a flats boat. The Intruder 21 is produced by Dream Boats, Inc. Dream Boats, Inc. claims that this boat is the World's most seaworthy flats boat and is seeking to prove it by this trip.We are planning to leave Atlantic Beach, N.C., at 8:30 a.m., April 30, 2007, from the Day's Inn Boat Ramp, 602 W. Ft. Macon Rd, Atlantic Beach, N.C. There will be a chase boat for media to run out for 5 - 10 miles. After going to Bermuda we will continue on to New York Harbor, and dock at the Liberty State Park, (Statue of Liberty State Park), in Jersey City, New Jersey at approximately 8:30 a.m., Friday May 4, 2007. Ralph Brown, can be reached for comment at 352-346-2365 or you may go to http://www.dreamboats.net/ There will be downloadable broadcast quality video after 1:pm April 30 at that website.

The Suicide Challenge Begins

The two Brown brothers began their first leg of the perilous journey to Bermuda and back to New York Harbor, 1400 miles of open ocean. Bob Brown is accompanying his brother Ralph Brown... At 6:00 am Monday morning, the continued preparation began. At around 7:00 am, Ralph and Bob went to fill up four gas tanks totalling nearly 300 gallons of gas. That's 2000 pounds of fuel. An hour and a half later they were at the dock and ready to go. After meeting with the Mayor of Atlantic Beach and making some final arrangements, the Intruder 21 was in the water and all systems were go. A chase boat followed Ralph and Bob out for almost 10 miles, to allow for some photographs and media video. And then just like that, the were off in the horizon. We later received our first satellite phone call from Ralph with a report that everything was going as planned. Due to the extreme weight of the fuel, they were travelling at a slower speed then originally intended. Ralph hopes this will change when they burn off some fuel. More updates to come when we next hear from Ralph. Leave Ralph a comment to encourage him on his journey.

Half way there

We arrived in Bermuda on Wednesday at about 1:00 p.m. There was no small commotion. No one could believe that we had made the crossing in a 21 ft. flats boat. Everyone seemed to believe it was the first time anyone had ever done that. We got to meet a bunch of government officials. They turned out to be very helpful.
The crossing actually went quite well taking 51 hours including a lot of down time on the phone. My Brother Bob, who had never been on the boat until we started for Bermuda, was surprised the first time we went over some six footers. He then realized why I was so confident in the boat. That turkey, later told me that he thought I would turn back at the first big waves. The boat handled the waves beautifully. Most of the waves were 3-6 ft in size. For about 100 miles or so they were larger ones. We thought they were 6 - 8 footers. We found out later from the government that they were nine and ten footers. We only had five waves come over the bow and only two as far as the wind shield. None of them were real bad. Unfortunately the wind was up most of the way 10 - 25 mph, maybe even a little faster than that and blew alot of water back on us. There was nothing dry on that boat.
It looks like there is a front comming through from N.Y. and we will have to wait here for a day or two to sit out the weather, life is rough, stuck in Bermuda, but somebody has to do it. I want to remind everyone, that I am the builder, and this is not something I would recommend to do at home. If you are ever in Bermuda stop in at Triangle Dive Shops and Blue Hole Water Sports. www.trianglediving.com and www.blueholewater.bm

Bermuda at Grotto Bay

We arrived in Bermuda on Wednesday at about 1:00 p.m. There was no small commotion. No one could believe that we had made the crossing in a 21 ft. flats boat. Everyone seemed to believe it was the first time anyone had ever done that. We got to meet a bunch of government officials. They turned out to be very helpful.
The crossing actually went quite well taking 51 hours including a lot of down time on the phone. My Brother Bob, who had never been on the boat until we started for Bermuda, was surprised the first time we went over some six footers. He then realized why I was so confident in the boat. That turkey, later told me that he thought I would turn back at the first big waves. The boat handled the waves beautifully. Most of the waves were 3-5 ft in size with occassional larger ones, even up to eight foot. We only had five waves come over the bow and only two as far as the wind shield. Unfortunately the wind was up most of the way 10 - 35 mph and blew alot of water back on us.
It looks like there is a front comming through from N.Y. and we will have to wait here for a day or two to sit out the weather, life is rough, stuck in Bermuda, but somebody has to do it. I want to remind everyone, that I am the builder, and this is not something I would recommend to do at home. If you are ever in Bermuda stop in at Triangle Dive Shops and Blue Hole Water Sports. www.trianglediving.com and www.blueholewater.bm

Heading for New York

We have been here in Bermuda for two days waiting out the front. It appears that we will be able to leave today, Friday, May 4, late afternoon. We added a new wave brake to the front of our console in case we have to go through waves bigger than 10 ft. We have already been through a few 8 ft waves. The wave brake is absolutely perfect in what we wanted. The wonderful folks at Ocean Sales St. Georges Bermuda built it for us. They did an excellent job on short notice. www.oceansails.com If you are ever in Bermuda see Steve, Suzanne, and Rod. The stay has been fun. The people excellent, and very helpful. Everything here is a little expensive. Our Suzuki 115 four stroke has run great.

We have also met two different people in Bermuda who have expressed an interest in investing in Dream Boats, and two seperate individuals who have expressed an interest in opening up dealerships in Bermuda, and one in N.C. Details will have to be worked out.

The people at Bermuda, Radio have agreed to track us back to N.Y. on radar. We will be reporting to them Six hours. The Royal Gazette has updated articles if you want to read them.

Still in Bermuda

Last night we were supposed to leave, pending one last weather report. It showed 18 ft waves 100 miles off of N.Y. That means they would have been 20 -30 ft in the gulf stream. While Bob and I might be a little gutsy we are not crazy. It looks like we are going to have to wait until Tuesday night or Wednesday morning to leave. That should put us in at about noon Friday, in New York Harbor.

While the people in Bermuda have treated us like royalty, we were even given honorary membership in the St. George's Boat and Dingy Club, this trip would not be possible without the four greatest people in my life: Anne, my wife, Phillip, Heath, and Brittany, my children. Anne has gone way beyond any expectations to help me. She even volunteered to accompany me across the Atlantic when my first mate, had to back out due to unforeseen circumstances. That is a pretty brave woman.

As far as we can tell no one has ever made the crossing in a single engine flats boat before. Most of the men, we met in Bermuda says they would not do it. (They have more common sense than I.) Most of them have been across in much larger boats. All kinds of Government officials, even the American Consolate have been trying to talk us out of going on to N.Y. Even the newspaper reported that the Bermuda Radio strongly recommends we abandon the rest of the trip. Some even called Bob and I crazy idiots, I still call it proof. After they realized we were not going to be persuaded to cancel they became very helpful in planning the rest of the trip.

I know in the beginning she was rightfully sceptical as any responsible woman would be when her crazy husband took much needed money and started a boat company. She has put up with me for five years while we struggled to get this started.

Lord Willing we shall arrive in N.Y. Harbor on Friday.

The Perfect Storm

From North Carolina to Bermuda, (675 miles of open ocean),
From Bermuda to New York Harbor, (775 miles of open ocean).
in an UNESCORTED FLATS BOAT. By definition a flats boat is a single engine,
low profile, open fishing style boat, that can run in less than one foot of water. This Intruder 21 can run in 4 - 6 inches of water.

****NEW READERS SHOULD START AT THE BOTTOM*********

Currently there is a major storm off the coast of N. C. and another forming near N.Y. some people have called them the perfect storm. We are waiting out this situation. I flew back to Florida to take care of some business issues while Bob stayed with the boat, to make some preparations. My temporary cell phone number is 352-346-2365.

I will be flying back to Bermuda on Tuesday, May 8 and planning to slip out the back behind the storm either late Tuesday or early Wednesday to be in New York Harbor about noon Friday.










.

From North Carolina to Bermuda

From North Carolina to Bermuda, (675 miles of open ocean),From Bermuda to New York Harbor, (775 miles of open ocean).in an UNESCORTED FLATS BOAT. By definition a flats boat is a single engine,low profile, open fishing style boat, that can run in less than one foot of water. This Intruder 21 can run in 4 - 6 inches of water.

*********New Readers should start at the bottom*********

The US Coast Guard called me today to emphasize that this kind of project should not be done at home. They currently are involved in several search and rescue attempts that were related to the storm mentioned earlier. Thank God the Intruder will not sink. Of the four boats that went down between North Carolina and Bermuda in the last month, only three crews could be saved. One professional crew of three sailers perished.