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good luck!

How does the Doogee R20 hold up in bright sunlight? this is the only thing that holds me back buying one, as I don't have a sprayhood or bimini. But I love your channel, I'm very jealous...

Happy and Safe sailing!

What an incredible family...wow

Pffffff all excuses pffff stop talking man pffff so typical English

I assume you have a EPRIB

Hi Guys the only thing i would be doing before setting off is fore and aft safety lines you need them in place now no good waiting until weather is bad and i assume you have harnesses fair weather and good sailing

Love your family! 😎🥰❤️🥰😎

Update on the Doogee R20 display. They report 300 nits. To me - my opinion - it's not usable outdoors except at night. Below in the cabin certainly. Obviously this is not first hand knowledge.

"piss or get off the pot" as they say , Obscure Joking aside, and you are likely half way here to NZ by now (if so Haere mai haere mai), Bon voyage and safe travels.

It’s so wonderful to see where you guys are at with your adventures. Big Hug and Bon Voyage 🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹

Have you considered installing high pressure anchor wash unit

Just caught up with this as Charlotte and I were actually sailing in Croatia for a week. So glad you’re on your way, looking forward to following your adventures! Fair winds and following seas!

Do you have an anchor snubber bridle? Used when at anchor to stop the chain noise and allow you all to sleep.

We love our Doogee R20 and do hope yours will fit your purpose. Praying you all a safe and marvelous voyage.

anchor needs better fastening before ocean trip

Great job you have done I wish you all the best the best for the start of your trip👍👌👌

CONGRATULATIONS. XXXX

Very good - thanks Werner

Must admit I got a bit disfused till I realised you were covering some stuff you had done a little while ago. Though doing those panels the Day B4 you left, wow 🙂All I can do is wish you luck with what you will already have done, looking forward to you letting us all know about it.

Add in a spare impeller for the outboard too.

Another milestone. After 1 yr heading north, about 20 miles. Then gradually heading south, vilage by village.

You’re doing a great job. I like the new panels and I’m glad you label your cables. Not enough people do that.

Nice work on your electrical panel -but my thought would have been to make it a more temporary task (Cheap plywood-painted, with the intention to use as a template for a more permanent install (varnished, etc.) once you’ve really done a considerable shake down period-with presumably multiple enhancements over what you now see as necessary (Youve got too many places to spend your pre-voyage hours on)

I expected that you would have a (solar) desalination device to make fresh water at sea, (rainman?). Good voyage!

Dear Melissa, Andy, Oliver and Captain Jack, After weeks of hard work and the final installations being installed, Ocean Melody is finally ready to leave the harbor after a thorough check. Willeke and I now know from other social media that this vlog was from some time ago, so we are not going to repeat ourselves to wish you a safe journey. The only thing we are curious about is how the canopy above the previously open cockpit can be closed, We did love to see in this vlog how Jack was taking care of Oliver. Both are wonderful boys. We look forward to your next vlog and send you love from The Netherlands

Just wow, nice end with Jack and the baby sitting happily in the bow :-) To see you go after al the hard work fills my eyes with tears :-) God speed as you English say I believe..

Your AIS has NMEA 0183 and 2000 inputs and outputs. It's GPS output can be connected to the old Chartplotter and it can also be connected to the new Axiom as well so can link the two and all the other instruments. If you have the WiFi version then you can connect the tablet to it and link the tablets/phones to the NMEA network as well. Or if it doesn't have WiFi you can add one when you are able to. I have a similar setup on my boat along with a Seatalk NG to Seatalk 1 converter for my old ST5000+ autopilot.

bon voyage!

Bon Voyage Chums !!!

what happened to your Gig with old mates?

Cutting it fine there Andy. Magnificent job by the way. Covered all the bases, as usual. ps. No wife just now, maybe I should have had a spare. pps. One never knows if there's any spare kids out there though, wink wink, say no more. Boom Boom. And it's goodnight from me, and ....

👍👍👍👍👍👍

as a paramedic in another life talk about what you would suggest for someone heading out to sea, ie bag & mask, gargle airways, epipen, meds etc.... also have you the correct fire extinguishers?

You've missing the battens in the mizzen, Andy?

I would get a stainless steel guard made to fit to the bow even while you were testing the anchor the sharp end was hitting the fibre glass, won’t be long before you have chunks of gel coat coming out.

Fair wind and good luck

Can't believe you're almost almost there! 🎉

Very cool.. an action packed episode.. your wiring impressed the crap outta me, (it was something that particularly concerned me) Liked that “ tablet” review.. seems Apple should lift their game.. knowing real sailors who have had IPADs doing accidentally updates with poor to no internet making them useless as a primary NAV aid.. (check the settings on that one guy’s, turn off auto updates) Looking great 👍

Off with yiz,,,away to the waters and the wild

I’m sure you’ve considered it with your paramedic background - portable defibrillator?

Hi Andy, all the best for your little trip. Oh and a "steering wheel" on a boat/ship is a "helm" though I know you know but does the casual viewer know? LOL Have a good day sale 🙂

Magic does happen safe travels

Our hopes and very best wishes are with you all. If only we could give you, rather than just wish you, all the good luck you so deserve, we would do so. Go for it and live your best lives.

Great effort - now go and enjoy the sailing! Interested to hear your thoughts on lifejackets - as you say, we all have our views that we have come to over time or through reading and training. You made a brief throw away comment about the kids not having a choice. I always wonder what message it send to kids when a skipper insists children wear lifejackets at all times, but aduts don't have to...? Does it make wearing lifejackets seem like a chore or punishment, or single them out from the rest of the crew? Lifejackets are there in case you end up in the oggin. If the one of the kids goes over the side, there is a very good chance you will get them back very swiftly. If one of you rwo go over the side, even in benign conditions, will the remaining adult be able to get back to you in similarly short order while ensuring the safety of 2 young children? If I found myself in the water in that situation, I'd want a lifejacket on...

I think you need a better way to secure that anchor. As it is the tip is going to be hitting the bow when you go over waves and if you bury the bow in a wave it may jump off the roller and start doing all sorts of damage. Ours is held firmly in place by two drop pins through brackets.

36:34 Knives. A good idea picked on the excellent @AlluringArctic channel: Some Mora knives attached with ducktape in different parts of the ship , in the cockpit, at midship, et the bow near the windlass, etc... Quick and easy access. 36:40 The tender, with an outboard: Don't forget a set of pins for the propeller (going with it in shallow waters, nets, ropes, debris near the shore= many occasions to break this security pin) General security equipment: a bold cutter pliers (to quickly cut a stay, a chain, etc...)

Congratulations 🥂 great video and lovely to see you getting all prepared looking forward to the sail away video next week 😊

🎉🎉🎉 So happy for you!! Yay! The start of an amazing adventure as a family... your two babies look soooo darn cute! 🎉🎉🎉