What Scares a Sailor | Ep. 157
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- čas přidán 28. 08. 2024
- Five miles from the entrance to Newfound Harbor and I am hit with a ferocious squall. I decide to temporarily drop anchor to ride it out, but that turns out to be a mistake and I nearly lose my ground tackle. Some days later when the winds subside I return to Key West.
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MUSIC: Tears in the Rain -- Joe Satriani (cover by Kevin Boothby).
VIDEO SOUNDTRACKS: / user-177118317
CAMERAS:
Canon EOS 60D with EF 24-105mm L IS zoom lens
Go Pro Hero 7 Black
DRONE:
DJI Phantom 3 Professional
THE BOAT: Design: Gilmer 31; LOD 31', LWL 25', Beam 9.5', Draft 4.5', Displ. 13,600lbs.
Fantastic video Kevin and dare I say poetic. The solo sailor has to navigate between chaos and safety.
Thanks Alan! Wave Rover appears to be coming along nicely. Waiting to see how you are going to negotiate the keels.
As an ex commercial fisherman I think it does you the world of good to get a bit of a scare now and then. When I was a younger man, I worked aboard a Cornish Lugger fishing the English channel and down to the Celtic sea mostly. The boat was of a traditional design, built for sail but equipped with an engine. She was nearly 100 years old if memory serves. We had a suit of sails aboard and occasionally the skipper would say lets rig up and we'd get the mainsail up, ship the bowsprit and switch off the Gardner below. Heaven.
On the topic of scares though; we were steaming the one day in a bit of a following sea and I went aft to answer a call of nature. I was standing there quite happily not holding on to anything when the lights went out. I looked up and the biggest swell I can remember seeing seemed to be peaking right over my head; about to break. I just span around; and grabbed the mizzen mast, wrapping my arms around it and holding fast; eyes closed and waiting for the water to hit; which it never did. She lifted her delicate stern like a lady and we surfed down the face of the bugger with hardly a twitch. My forebears knew what they were doing when they built these boats, but it was a reminder that you can never allow yourself to become complacent. Love the videos; all the best bud and thanks for your efforts.
I could feel the salt spray coming through. Thanks for watching, fair winds.
People be honest - this is the only sailing channel. Period. It’s how it really is. Superb dialog and excellent seamanship in every situation. Well done captain Kev.😎😎😎
You went from Sailing Channel I really like, to my Favorite Sailing Vids to now the Only Sailing Vids I tune into and watch weekly. Really wonderful stuff and true SALTY Sailing.
Thanks so much!
When are you going to write a book of your experiences, your story telling skills are excellent, great video and following seas
@@SVThailand Opinions, everyone has one Hank
I would love to add a book by Kevin to my collection. I totally agree.
Great clip as always Kevin. As I said after your Philosopher's Beach entry a few year back....Time to write my friend! You have the gift, I got a publisher..
Thanks For Keeping It Real
Thanks Tom. How was your "weather event" on Saturday? Lots of fun down here.
@@howtosailoceans1423 Kevin...again what a great post today! 19 degrees overnight with snow and ice on the docks and grass...warming to 50 today....60s by Wednesday....crazy Chesapeake Bay weather as usual for March...thinking that this unsettled weather pattern will be with us for another 3-4 weeks....
Just when you think you've done it all and seen it all, mother nature gives you a lesson in humility. Your videos are definitely the real deal, kudos...
In order: holy blasphemy and blow me down scared; bitter end of the ground tackle! But then, the philosopher! I have been waiting for a glimpse, and there he is! Spectacular! All followed by a beautiful day and some great sounds by the maker! Thank you for a great video! Sorry for all the exclamation, but it is a feeling I can’t help. Fair winds and following seas!
Thanks Charlie, fair winds to you as well.
When that chain and rode is paying out so fast its like trying to figure out where to grab a rattlesnake w/o losing a finger. Been lots f fingers lost in the process. I'll never forget ole Thel up in Skagway. He was pulling someone elses crab pots stealing crabs in the folly of his youth when he dropped a crab pot with a thumb in a tangled line and thereby had his thumb amputated. Later the owner of the pots who suspected someone was stealing his crabs actually found the culprits thumb in the tangle line when he was checking his pots. Now SKagway is not that big of town [300?] and had no hospital so it was simply a matter of finding out who recently went to the airport to be medivated as Haines was 12 miles away by air but 300 by road. Moreover the angry owner of the crabpots had the thumb on ice along with the prints for evidence of the crab thefts which he presented to the courts along with his greivance in Skagway. Turned out Thel was the ONLY person in the town missing a thumb that had recently been medivated by small aircraft to Haines. Judge ruled AGAINST a conviction siting LACK OF evidence[LOL] I suppose thinking that Thel had paid enough already by the loss of his thumb and the townspeaple [being a forgiving lot] were willing to overlook Thels transgression because of his youth being in his early 20s when this occured in about 1976.Just sayin be careful with lines paying away fast off the deck of a boat. LOL.
did the guy ever steal crabpots again?
@@danratsnapnames Nope I think ole Thel was steaking out of hunger. As time went on he found a good job.Back then Folks didn't know much about food stamps.
@@redbird6310 i suppose, lesson learned.
Cool story. Thanks for sharing that. 👍
If my favourite CZcamsr ever chooses to write a book, i'll buy it. As simple as that. Love your content and storytelling !
Thanks mate.
Wonderful video. Thanks
Looking forward to seeing you back in Deltaville soon. Fair winds
Thanks Scott, see you then.
I agree with another commenter, and encourage you to write a book of your adventures, good and bad.
Great video !!! ive long said that between skill and luck, id take luck every time
Some great reflections on the mental aspects of the challenges we face and sentenced beautifully! The sailing doesn't look half bad either - up here we're still waiting for the ice to clear :) Love watching these, the aesthetics of a gaff rig are just unbeatable and combined with the poetic narrative makes for a very serene experience.
You are so thoughtful and sharing of your experiences.
Thanks for learning us yet a nother lesson that you have mastered, perhaps not graceful but you stil have your anchor, your ship and 10 fingers accounted for. That is differently well mastered. You lost nothing and gained experience. That is technically a win! And by shering your reflections upon it you show AND build character. That makes it a win win.
Already looking forward to your next video. Thanks for shearing. Best regards from Jarle
Thanks Jarle, yes, I also have all of my fingers ... and limbs.
Great video! Second only to Philosopher’s sandbar. Terrific writing and wisdom. Even my wife likes your channel, and she hates sailing.
Gee thanks ,was looking to renew my afair with yachting and your well founded words bought back a few reality check Memoires lol never a passage of words said better .when it goes wrong it does so spectacularly ! 💅
Sad must be 2 years since Patrick Childress passed from covid .he as I said before praised your channel for Raw back to no frills sailing . well done
Beautifully written Kevin. As per usual.
There is no “if” I enjoyed this video. I always enjoy your videos. So sad I miss you down there in the Keys. I’ll have to wait for you to sail over to Sweden 👍⛵️🇬🇧🏴⚓️🇸🇪
That might happen.
Once again, I learned a valuable lesson from your video. Thanks!
Thanks for stopping by, Tim.
Thank you Kevin. Looks like good sailing.
Glad to hear my experiences aren't uncommon and by surviving them I am more of a sailor. I guess as long as I don't let the icy fingers keep me on the dock I am still a sailor. Thanks for the inspiration and the honesty.
I always keep the bitter end of my primary attached to something. On past boats I've installed a pad eye or U bolt inside the chain locker. I've only been day sailing on my current boat so I have the anchor line run from my aft lazarette around the bow cleat and back to the cockpit so I can deploy from the helm. I don't have a windlass so this set up also allows me to use my starboard jib winch to pull it up if needed.
I also have a factory fitted ubolt in the shelf that my windlass sits on in my anchor locker, I guess it will be plenty strong, but this video got me thinking if I should put some bracing underneath or something. If for some reason my anchor chain should run out uncontrollably in a situation like this the "end of the line" would put an insane amount of force on this fiberglass shelf. Looks like i have gotten yet a nother project to put on my loong list of improvements and upgrades to do after the foreseeable future has passed 🤔
@@StemtoSternSailing Dyneema is the key these days - both for the line and as a BIG snubber. You could have an overkill sized snubber permanently attached to catch the end of the chain .....
@@dancarter482 l think dynema soft shackle migt be a good choice. Thanks 👍
Best regards from Jarle
@@StemtoSternSailing Dynema for the WIN!
@@dancarter482 Dyneema for anchor rode??
As a greenhorn your insights and equilibrium are an inspiration.
Loved the poetry.
And as far as being hassled about seas, My default is my boat is unsinkable but anything not tied down will be expensive flotsam.
Awesome Kevin always shows the tough part of being a sailor !!!
Your intro monologue - precious! Thanks for sharing. I've been terrified many times and with experience/practice have become familiar with how it rolls out in myself, but when it recalls very early experiences (as it did you) that becomes the ultimate test to recover my wits to deal with the situation, and not be consumed by it. Kudos!
amazing stories, really helping me learn
A foot to go and Neptune smiled on you. Wow!
maybe you should secure the bitter end of your rode. i like your blog because you sail and not always repairing things. plus you have a nice interesting calassic boat. good sailing.
Some really wonderful writing in this one. You definitely have a touch of the poet. Thanks for posting!
Bonus points for the Satriani in the outro 👌
Great Sailor
Another great video, always enjoy your channel
Sounds like not all is smooth sailing. Some times ya gotta wonder what its all about "Alfie". God Bless, can't wait for your next passage.
Great video! Thank you!
Love the poem, thanks, man. Fair winds friend
This WAS a scary start to the episode!
The scary memories and the most beautiful ones are those we don't easily forget :-)
Good winds, mate!
Another enjoyable installment. You are a gifted essayist. Keep it up.
What a terrific episode!
I continue to learn from you with each and every one.
Thank you!!!
Gidday, glad you kept your cool with the anchor rode. Similar situation and I donated the pad of my thumb to the fish.
Thanks for all your experience shared.
Queensland Australia
Ouch! Hope you recovered OK.
thank you Peter valuable lessons
Glad you didn’t lose your ground tackle!
Great video, loved the sailing footage and the explanation of your thought process. Fair winds
Oh man that brought back a grim memory; the line whipping out so fast you can’t get a wrap on a cleat...but like you I somehow did it thank goodness. I’d rather thank luck than claim skill for sure!
Irish Kevins KW, nothing else needs to be said!!
We missed you by about a week. Would have been a celebrity sighting for sure. We also missed the thunderstorm so no complaints.
what a great opening monologue
The after action report usually involves a bit of philosophizing. Kevin dips a bit deeper.
You sir are a true Classic,thks
Love the shots the banter and the recordings cheers Kevin
A bit more eloquence than I would expect from a sailing blog :)
Cheers to you Capt.
Sail on.
As always, your videos are so good I hate to see that little red bar reach the end. Thank you for the top shelf content. Every one of your videos makes me a better sailor!
Always good and thank you might catch up with you off the coast of Maine. Bewell
Angus
Insightful channel and cool boat and great sailing! I keep my boat in the Coan River near the mouth of the Potomac. If you need a hand with any projects while on the hard in Deltaville in April, I would volunteer. Fair winds!
Amazing honesty, ty.
'Kevin's Sailing Scare': a fine piece of prose threaded with poetic lines. Seamus Heaney would approve.
And that final clip of the beam wind passage looked pure magic.
Seamus Heaney ... that's not a name that normally pops up in casual conversation.
Great video, battling the situation and winning.
In hind sight is seems like heaving to might of been a better choice, or even run off a little ways. All hind sight of course. Glad everything was okay. Love your videos.
Agree, I should have hove to, there was enough room to leeward, but anchoring was the call I made on the field.
@@howtosailoceans1423 We live and learn (sail and learn). Thanks for the great videos.
Really enjoyed that. Thanks 👍
Excellent video 👍
That wooden mast scares the hell out of me .
Very well said, Kevin..!! 3:20 to 5:34 ⏰
Though only able to relate it to flying, it Still IS relatable..!! 😳
Boats are similar to horses, every time you get on one, it is an "adventure"
Great episode as always Kevin. Looking forward to seeing how your haul out goes and travels North. 👍
You mentiond turmoil in Canada. Just a small blip in things by a minority. Not earth shattering, so no needo worry about visiting later in the summer. By then everything will move on to the next crises as we are seeing in Ukraine. Life will carry on and the sun will rise as expected.
Good to hear. Sounds like most or all of the lockdowns are ending now.
@@howtosailoceans1423 lockdowns ended late last spring
"Small blip by a minority"??? Hahaha!! You are the problem!!!!
What scares this sailor is sailing the roaring 40's and screaming 50's of the southern ocean, then going around Cape Horn. I have done it 4 times and I shit myself every time.
Lightning scares me most out there, thick fog near a shipping channel is a kind of terror in your mind as you picture a ship running you down at any moment. Hurricane winds in a confused sea is right up there but its a awe inspiring type of fear as you marvel at the waves forming into steep mountains smashing into each other
And yes, being blown onto rocks on shore after you almost just lost your anchor and losing it all...the boat, your life.
Sailing 99 percent boredom, 1 percent sheer terror.
That was a great shot of the schooner America 2.0. They will sail that boat if there is any wind at all.
Yes indeed, they sail her well.
You are lucky you didn't lose gear or fingers. Weather is king.
Nice. Thanks. I like your music and or when appropriate lack of it. Also like that you give dates. This really helps. Many of these sailing vlogs don’t. I can be a bit confusing without this info.
Taylors Travel just posted a video of her on Delos going to the Bahamas. If you look at Delos Instagram, they have no been in the Bahamas in almost a year...
Will ferrel on a boat!!!!😀😀😀😀
It took decades of boating for me before I had to cut an anchor free that had become fouled on the bottom and could not be raised. My situation was not as in extremis as yours, however it does cause the mind to review the circumstances that led to that situation. Pilots have the adage, “Any landing you walk away from is a good one.” I’m not aware of a similar yarn that would apply to sailing. Perhaps, “Any safe harbor reached is a fair end to the day.” Be safe and fair winds to you.
"Any landing you walk away from is a good one" ... ha! Love the graveyard humor.
When Hurricane Irma passed through it cleared out most all the boats on both sides of Fleming Key. They were washed out to sea, sunk or beached. I counted 5 boats that were still on the Garrison mooring field . All the rest were parallel park on the islands or washed out into the Gulf of Mexico .The day after Hurricane Irma, Dale,Aby and myself, tried to make it out to the west side of Fleming,, we only made it to the Fleming bridge. We had to turn back. It was like a washing machine out there. We did make it out the next day with a 3 inch pump, the water in my boat Angel was over my knees. Got Angel pumped and went over to help a friend Mark pump his boat. Mark was anchored at the other end of Fleming,along with Dave and Tina, they made it also. The whole area was empty of boats. All but a few were gone. I was anchored beside Fleming, west side. across from the coast guard station . There were only 3 boats in our area. Captain Michael, some other boat and Angel. Neighbor Markus got washed over to Christmas Tree island, which became his home for the next few months. Abys boat wrecked on the Island across from Christmas tree island and Dale lost a good number of boats. Those boats to many were their homes. I felt guilty for being so lucky. I was back living on my boat on the 4th or 5th day . I had everything tied down good. All my tools , clothing and bedding put into heavy duty construction bags, twisted and taped, I slept on a dry bed. My mooring setup was like a spider web. All anchors leading up to a 4 foot diameter, 1 inch road, attached to a swivel, then on up to my mooring ball. The depth of the water was about 22 feet. I probably had 5 to 6 anchors, all going good distances in different directions,, she held. The place was empty of boats and the lights of Key West were out for about a couple of weeks. It was strange. But key West bounced back. Everyone was doing something to help out. Key West is a cool town
Did not know that! So it appears Mother Nature issued the eviction notices around Key West, not the cops. Indeed I could see a lot of wrecked boats way out on the flats.
@@howtosailoceans1423 the last storm that broke boats loose was hurricane Ian. This time I was on the east side of Fleming, on the mooring field. That was quite a ride,surreal,. The wind,waves and spray were all racing sideways. Every now and then, I would look out my hatch to see in a distance the spot lights of others who decided to ride it out. On the next morning, looking over the scenery, I noticed my friend and neighbor Mark was gone. Dale and Aby picked me up in their Proliner and the adventure began, we headed out to the Gulf of Mexico. It’s pretty much shallow until you hit the Gulf ( there are channels though) . You could see a lot of boats that broke free or dragged. The chatter on the radio or Facebook was of a small house boat wondering through the mooring field during the early part of the storm. On our way out that next morning, we came up to that house boat. It was 4 miles out ( talk about lonesome) . The waves were half way up the Windows and as we got closer, you could see an older gentleman looking out, holding a coffee cup, crazy, well we did our job to help him out and get him to a coastguard boat, then preceded out towards the Gulf of Mexico. The waves leading in from the Gulf were 6 to 7 feet,,,at times, we were surfing. Our phones are set up with that app for location finder. And Mark was on one of those outer barrier islands, that’s about 11 miles out. Mark was lucky, Texas would have been his next destination. We had to motor out and along the Gulf until we spotted the island and Marks boat, then turned and surfed in. Mark was fine, the boat was perched up in the mangroves, the mangroves were all draped in seaweed, it was something to see. We got the boat out about 2 weeks later.. we come close to losing our boat coming back because of the surfs. Everything turned out fine.
modern day slocum. thanks again for your efforts. i look forward to every video.
First video I can remember where you were in a bit of trouble and letting the curse words fly.
Finally, caught up with your episodes. A great one as always.
And... I wonder why it's called bitter end... it's about the feeling you get when it flies by you if you forget to tie it down?
The bits are big cleats forward, typically the end of the rode would be tied around them--the bitter end.
Bravo!
This is just a thought and I don’t know if you would’ve been able to do this or not but when you had nearly 1 foot of road left to play out you might have been able to use another line and tie a friction not as far forward on your anchor Road as you could reach then take it aft to secure it to a winch and crank and crank until you bring the friction not back to the winch resecure your road line on a cleat. I mean cleat it shorter and repeat the process. I’m using talk to text so it doesn’t spell R.O.D. E correctly
I'm surprised you didn't reflect on things you could have done better, such as heaving-to instead of anchoring, and having the bitter end of anchor line somewhere *before* dropping the anchor. And having a Handy-Billy on board which you could have attached to the anchor line with a rolling hitch, and brought enough anchor line back on the boat to get the line around the windlass gypsy. If things got really desperate (which you were lucky they didn't) you could have attached a fender or something to the anchor line and just let it go, coming back to retrieve it once the wind died down. Scares make the best teachers!
Hey I am No. 1! Love your videos! Can't wait to live a similar life!
I like to tie a big stopper knot close to the bitter end, from inside the chain locker, then it can't slip out through the hawser hole in the heat of battle.
That's the simplest solution, I like it.
Your comment regarding what sailors fear most , LUCK, is so true , my boat is sorted, I've done all I can , I have lots of sea miles and I back myself, but my boat is no match for a tree or a shipping container. Control what you can the rest is down to luck, that's what scares yachties.
Agree. We comfort ourselves thinking that skill and a good boat means we are virtually invulnerable, but every now and then get reminded that that is not the case.
I'm not sure that there are any political turmoils that would prevent your coming to Canada.
Great videos b.t.w.
No turmoil other than North Korean lockdowns still going on.
👍👍👍
Geez tough time
Geez the feeling of seeing your anchor line whizzing by and knowing your staring at the end of that rope.....You gave me some good ideas from your experience.....glad it turned out ok. That cleat took some hell of a strain......John
Hanging on 'til the bitter end. After that is Davy Jones.
Yes, allegedly that's the origin of the expression, as often the end of the anchor rode would be tied around the bits to prevent loss--so in conditions such as these you may be fighting it to the "bitter end".
Yes, it's bar tight in such situations--could barely bend it let alone get a loop around anything.
No engine? You have a lot more patience than I .... Happy for you, I would be freaking out with all the waiting for wind. I grew up on big pine key, still enjoy the keys every couple years.
Very impressed by your poetry. More of your thoughts please.
That power made me feel fright.
Tony in Venice Fl
Generally better to be at sea with room to leeward if it is blowing. If you cannot recover the anchor then buoy it and go back later to recover it when the weather moderates.
Beautifully written and poignant segment about your anchor scare.
Note to self: keep rode bitter end attached to vessel at all times
Intro was really good ... just can't wait for your book to come out mate...'How to Sail Oceans'.. with pictures? Great videos, keep'em coming... ;-)
all I can say is well said
Hi Capt... I enjoy your videos. Just a curiosity/question about when you said you almost lost your anchor rode; down to the last foot... Do you not have the 'bitter-end' secured in the rode-locker? If there is not an attachment point there, use a large block of wood with a hole drilled in the middle; insert the bitter end through the hole and tie a figure-eight knot in the end. With this, there is no possibility of losing your ground tackle and anchor-rode. When at the 'end-of-the-line', the block of wood cannot go/fit through the hawser.
There's arguments for not securing the bitter end, but in my case there's no convenient attachment point inside the chain locker. Perhaps a big stopper knot would work though. It's on my project list now.
Hindsight being 20/20 vision - and all that; I say ALWAYS hove-to even with crew but definitely short handed/solo.
Park up and get the kettle on!