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Hi Richard. Thanks for the kind words but we're far away in Colorado for hurricane season. Talisman is on the hard in Antigua, as has been the way we've done it in the past (our insurance only covers within the Caribbean). But the pics of Carriacou have looked devastating, especially the marina in Terrel Bay. Knowing a lot of cruisers, we have come o realize that a lot either can't find or can't afford full coverage. I suppose it's a risk you take, but still.

No, we have 3 flexible SunPower panels on the bimini, putting out an anemic 490W (when new). However, this output, which translates to about 8A-12A @24V during the middle of the day will keep us charged during that period. But we lose power overnight, and will need to do something eventually to recharge. Luckily, the 840Ah of LifePo4 lithium batteries have been a game changer for us, letting us go for 10 days or more on a single full charge. Monohulls like ours don't have the real estate for solar panels like the catamarans have. There are options like stern arches for more solar, but we're happy with a couple hours of generator time.

Head south to Trinidad. And do so several days in advance so as to be able to sail the 96+/- nautical miles. This because the wind usually dies in the 4-8 hours prior to the system arriving. You'll see big swells coming in for at least a day in advance, then a calm. I saw a screens shot on Facebook of all the AIS signals as boats left literally the morning the storm was predicted to hit. And while there's something to be said for having lots of sea room, the reality of being at sea during a Cat 3 or 4 storm is something people have no real appreciation of. I get asked fairly often if I've ever been in a hurricane, and I answer "no, and if I have any say in the matter I never will".

Thanks Dan. Scenes were shot on an older GoPro Hero5 in a plastic case. These cameras get better every year, especially the internal video stabilization features. Pretty much everything we do these days is 4K or higher.

Yes, you're quite observant. Areas above the waterline that aren't painted on the inside are somewhat translucent. However, this doesn't translate to light or thin fiberglass. Having drilled through it for seacocks and such, I can report that it's 1/4" thick at minimum, and thicker in the areas of higher stress, like near chainplates and deck transitions. Hull thickness at the angle between the upper hull and keel stub was greatest at over 10cm/4" solid glass when we cored for the refrigeration through-hulls. All boats work this way, with materials being added and subtracted due to required strength. But the semi-custom or bluewater boats are built to be heavier and stronger in this regard.

@@SailingTalisman ,,,the 485 appears to be built like a tank. That fellow on Zingaro drilled out a piece and it was more than two inches thick and solid. Wow!

@@SailingTalisman Yeah our Bristol is 3/4 of an inch thick at the least and much more then that in some places.

@@Coleen-Love Yeah, that's James. He's stayed with us on Talisman a few times. Talisman is a rockin boat, and I have to say that while her speed tops out at about 9 knots, we keep pace with most other boats. This is because exceeding 9.5 knots or so on most boats gets to feeling like you're abusing things. And so even fast boats tend to run about 9-10 knots max when looking to comfortably cruise. Of course the bigger the boat the longer the waterline, and waterline translates to more speed. So these can go a lot faster. But Talisman holds her own on most days.

@@svsalserenity4375 There's always a point of diminishing return (not saying you've reached it). I watched a video once where a guy was talking about how when fiberglass was first introduced, nobody knew how long it would last or if it would lose strength over time. The wooden boat guys joked about cheap plastic boats. As it turned out, the stuff is nearly indestructible, and blistering was the only real problem that needed to be solved. In the intervening years it has turned out that most of the older boats (including Talisman) were way overbuilt. But the heavier displacement led to increased seakindliness, albeit at greater expense. If I had to buy another boat today I'd buy another Oyster 485, perhaps newer (they ran to 2001) or maybe an Oyster 56 (the most popular and numerous of the Oyster line).

You could probably order it as direct drive from the factory. It has to be an option, and once the 495's start hitting the used market I suspect they'll be seen in both versions. But the way this works is that if the builder chooses Saildrive as the default, the manufacturer of the engine (Yanmar, Volvo Penta, etc.) will cover warranty for the entire assembly. Otherwise, Oyster ends up having to cover the stern gland, alignment, prop, and anything else not part of the engine and transmission. And as for Talisman, appreciation in price since 2017 has almost offset our investments in the boat. And that's a serious number, approaching $175,000. It's one of the key drivers of why I'd almost certainly buy another Oyster if we ever had to repurchase.

@@SailingTalisman I don't think there's a direct drive option on them - the responsiblity issue as you mention plus the design of the boat being pretty short by Oster standards. You'd have to talk ot Oyster to be sure though.

@@SailingTalisman ...for fun I emailed Oyster and they don't offer the direct drive option. That is so weird for Oyster. I know several people simply refuse to purchase that Sail Drive due to all the issues with it. Catamarans are having huge corrosion issues with them and that huge rubber seal has to be changed on every haul out (according to Yanmar's specs). The lower oil changes also require a haul out. ..and then the water leaks and risk of sinking is simply unacceptable on a blue water sailboat. Total nightmare.

@@tomriley5790 Thanks Tom. Yes, I spoke off the top of my head, but on thinking about it more, direct drive would change a lot of specs and structure around the stern area.

@@Coleen-Love I thought the service interval for the "diaphragm" was ten years (for Volvo Penta). But still, it's a massive job that involves unbolting the outdrive and possibly moving the actual engine forward to make the clearances work for removal of the drive. It's pretty known technology, but I would only do direct drive myself too.

The water and the natural lighting of the Caribbean are what you're seeing. It's pretty much what you see with the eye (sometimes not, but mostly). It's why we love clear blue water so much.

@@SailingTalisman ..it would be hard to leave that place as it looks like a dream life. Do you think that you will make it to South East Asia and all those wild islands like Vanuatu and Solomon Islands all the way through Philippians and Indonesia and Thailand etc.? There is a British channel called Sailing Florence that went through there (unfortunately during that recent shut down period) and I think that Talisman would sparkle in that region :)

@@Coleen-Love We have loose plans to join a few friends of ours for a charter in Thailand. I think that's as far as we go as as far as the Pacific/circumnavigation go. I think if we were younger it would be more of an option.

Thanks Dan. Great hearing from you again!

Thanks Norman. Hope all is well.

Hi Richard. It's odd to say, but there's something especially rewarding about the work that goes into getting to the fun.

Thanks Christian!

That's the truth. We just celebrated our 21st wedding anniversary a couple of days ago, and I'd marry her again in a heartbeat. And thanks so much for watching and being with us!

We'll see what we can do.

Yep. I'm half idjit when it comes to setting things up. I get so focused on the moment that often enough we miss filming entirely (even after having cameras in place). And that's actually the problem here. We had a port and starboard camera, and one died before the action started. Next time we'll do better, I hope.

@@SailingTalisman It happens. In all a great Ep. Some sailing, some berthing, some eating, some snorkelling, some sea life and great music

As you see with many islands in the Caribbean, government jobs are "good" jobs. You work indoors in air conditioned rooms, and get to wear nice cloths. But after a point you've got 30-40% of the population working in government, and the rest of the island is expected to pay for it. So they get a lot of pushback about reducing staff. But wait, a new idea comes to mind. We'll take the money from the tourists and yachties. And this is all well until the tourists and yachties go somewhere else. At least the charter companies have formed a lobbying group and have some juice. I do agree that the BVIs are exceptional, but there are other options, and one of the rules of business (immutable) is that the highest price you can charge for something is rarely the most profitable. This is because profit is margin times volume. And volume is the driver. Lose the volume, and your business will slowly fail. Finally, I believe (and I could be wrong) you're conflating the person and the boat. It's the boat they were giving us 30 days on. We would have had 90 days if we flew in and put 90 days on our immigration ticket. They would have stamped us in and all would be well. But another rule of dealing with officials is never ask questions or interact with them more than necessary. The second you start telling them about your boat and health issues, red flags are raised with them. it only goes downhill from there.

@@SailingTalisman My boat is imported to the BVI. 30 days is the max for a person as they currently apply "their" rules. My mistake was landing in Tortola other than Virgin Gorda, where they are much more relaxed.

@@robertgranafei2781 Indeed, Robert. We find that Soper's Hole is more relaxed as well. We've heard about people getting abused at Road Harbour for anchoring out and then walking over from the marina area (accusing the person of having entered the island before clearing in), and also have been personally threatened with fines for tying up, out of the way of ferries, at the ferry dock where immigration and customs offices are. We were twice charged $50 "Harbor Fee" there, even though we were obviously in-and-out. I hate that place. But on the plus side, for people reading, once you're past these gatekeepers, everything chills on the islands. The issue I feel the BVI officials should address is how bad your first and last touch can be when visiting. The negative experiences follow the guests home, and that is never good.

Let me know what happens when you do. If the gen engine isn’t starting right away, like after 10 or 15 secs after turning it over, shut off the raw water sea cock. Be ready to open it up if the engine catches, but failing to do so (absent exhaust gasses to push water through) can lead water to back up into the exhaust manifold and then into the cylinders through open exhaust valves, thus hydrolocking the engine. Doing so can bend valve push rods and even bend connecting rods. This applies to the main engine too. Like I say, report back. My email in the “About” tab at SYT landing/home page.

Thanks Rick. It didn’t start out that way.

I think that's the result of having a diaphragm pump. Ours is a bit more robust, Jabsco Maxi Puppy 3000 impeller pump. These are agricultural utility pumps that are rated for pretty much anything that's liquid and not flammable. This is what came on the boat, and its ability to drain a bathtub's worth of water is pretty impressive. I swapped the original out for new a few years ago just to make sure it wouldn't fail in our moment of need.

Hi Molly(?). Yes, in the past I've used GoPro sewn adjustable head mounted (on your head) camera mounts, and they worked well until the elastic straps began to fail, making it hard to get them adjusted tight enough. Anyway, last year we went to full 4K video and this year we'll be introducing a whole new range of mics, including a set of Rode wireless lapel mics. We're really looking to control wind noise. Of course part of the problem is that we sail in a lot of wind, but other channels have solved the problem and I think we should be able to as well.

Well that's awesome Camilla. Some of it is applicable only to our type if boat (mid-sized heavier bluewater cruiser with direct drive feathering prop and barn-door style hinged skeg-hung rudder). But I generally mention that somewhere too. Feel free to contact me if you want further details. Our contact data is in the "About" tab of the Sailing Yacht Talisman landing page.

No, I had that a few years ago and it was no fun. But I did pull a muscle in my back (I think that was it, but it's been a while). This past season I got an ear infection that never really went away (despite many treatments), and a cut on my foot that I was worried about having get infected. These two problems kept me from swimming for the entire second half of the season. Anyway, injuries aboard while cruising can get dangerous really quick.

Well thanks for the kind words Brian. I always considered myself a pretty poor public speaker, but if the observations are helping people then this whole project is a success. We went to 4K video last year and will be introducing new mics this season. Hopefully we'll be able to get the wind noise under control. And thanks for watching.

Hi Richard. Yes, so true. They do, more or less. Without repairs and upgrades you end up with almost too much free time.

There are days ...

Oh Kevin, I realise all this angst was in the past but I bet you felt like sailing back to Antigua and threading that mainsail through the sailmakers abdomen.😳

@@normanboyes4983 Yes, I was frustrated. It's really the first time I've really hung a supplier out to dry on the channel (it takes a lot). I keep waiting for a call or email about it.

"The Rigging Co"? We used them in Annapolis.

@@jefflukowski9246 Yep, same team! Jimmy runs both, I have used them at both locations

Yes, Quantum in St Thomas (up on the hill) has done repairs on our sails before, and they're quite good. Repair was excellent, done relatively quickly, and at a good price. Unfortunately, Talisman's sails are not Dacron. What we have is laminated Dyneema and insanely expensive. These are usually constructed at the main lofts in Europe, and while our current supplier Dolphin (OEM supplier to Oyster) quoted $24k for the two this year, we're probably going to go with Elvstrom (OEM to Hallberg Rassy) given that they are quite a bit less at $15k +/-. This is the part of the cruising life that I kind of hate.

@@SailingTalisman Same here, I had Quantum check mine before I headed up last year and they said good for trip but time to replace soon. So I bought new ones this year (yes I have dacron so lot less) but still full set was 15k. The Genny was the most, and when they talked they said lets build to max 17kts on genny and then jump back to the staysail. I have been out on 30+ and Staysail pulls me along all by itself. And yes part of the problems with my old sails was the repair work that had been done in shop in St Thomas over by the IBY. Finding good people down there in the islands was always a problem, some of them only seem to cater to the charter fleet (get it done fast). Are you coming back to Annapolis this year?

@@SailingTalisman Like it has been said, "Cruising is going to great spots and doing boat work"

Hi there Mr Scott. The Swan 46 episode is pretty old, from when we were doing what you’re doing, and coming to the same conclusions. We purchased an Oyster 485 (1994), but had to go abroad to Scotland in order to find it. As for your choice, it’s hard to go wrong with Swan. They are a true ocean-going boat, and will hold their value well. As with Oyster, future buyers will largely pay for the improvements you make over the years, especially in light of the fact that Swan almost owns the market for 80-120’ smaller super-yachts these days. People are in touch with us constantly (due to the SYT channel) regarding what boat to purchase, and while buying a true bluewater boat isn’t for everyone, you won’t get yourself in trouble by doing so. When the subject comes up, I say that when you buy a boat you’re really buying the hull and interior joinery, which Swan does better than most. Further, you can generally identify a Swan simply by the ridiculous number of oversized winches and other heavy duty bits like turning blocks and standing rigging. They really focused, and still focus, on building an indestructible tank. Plus, they’re not slow, being more of an offshore racing machine that’s also a comfortable cruiser. Olin Stevens, of S&S fame, and mentor to German Frerers, was the father of stability curve (AVS) calculations, and this is why despite being fast, the boats were stable and stiff, being able to carry a lot of sail area in high winds. Excellent choice. Our contact info is in the “About” tab on the Sailing Yacht Talisman” home page. Send us an email and we’ll talk.

@@SailingTalisman As a long time racer, Swan and Oyster were always the boats one wanted to get a ride on, but somehow seats were never available.

@@yzScott That happens a lot.

Hi Andrew. I must have missed it. Which finished item are you referring to? Sometimes we miss filming something, but this seems different.