Ep 138 Rigging Failure at Sea | BVIs to Sint Maarten
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- čas přidán 26. 08. 2024
- We bounce around in this episode. We find ourselves in the BVI, using some lost footage that probably should have been in the episodes before James from Zingaro came to visit. That said, on passage from Cooper Island, BVI to Dutch Sint Maarten we suffer a rigging failure that forces us to motor the rest of the way. This may not seem the biggest rig failure there could be, but make no mistake, any failure of stays or shrouds on a sailboat must be taken absolutely seriously.
Once in SXM, we get the necessary repairs done just in time for our friends Mike and Amy to arrive. With the guests on board, we tour the French side of the island, hitting Marigot Bay and Grand Case.
sailing yacht talisman, sailing, sailing youtube, boating, top sailing, oyster yachts, oyster sailboats, oyster 485, offshore, bluewater, blue water, sailing vlog, sailing vblog, sailing channels, sailing videos, cruising, monohull, BVI, BVI chartering, BEYC, Willy T, Norman Island, Cooper Island, rig fail, sailboat rigging, sxm, Sint Maarten, Saint Martin, marigot bay, fort louis, grand case
Brilllllliant sailing footage - most sailing channels don't understand that sailing is all we want to see. Thanks Wendy and Kevin for bringing the Caribbean to AZ.
Smart move to be patient going thur the bridge.
Thanks Patrick. It's tough to tell what the viewers are looking for, and the only real guide is episode views and comments like yours. We generally have more sailing footage than we can use, so I'll add more.
@@SailingTalisman your boat repairs and explanations are also very appreciated 👍
Wendy is about the best first mate a captain can have! She can do everything aboard Talisman and still look good. Kevin you need to show her more appreciation.
Indeed! And believe me, I do show her a lot of appreciation. It's a weird thing though. She hates using the camera, and when she does she waves it all over the place and the footage is usually useless. Plus, even when it's not useless, I'm not nearly as photogenic as she is. 95% of the camera work is by me, and although you'd never know it, we do about 50/50 on who steers and cranks on winches. Thanks so much for being with us!
Wow, that is some seriously gorgeous blue water ! Must look even better in person. Cheers to living the cruising lifestyle ! Peace !
Indeed. The water in the islands has spoiled us. I can't bring myself to swim in Atlantic coast water anymore. It's too cold, even in summer, plus I like being able to see the bottom.
Glad the rigging failure didn't result in any more damage! Thanks for a lovely video - lots of sailing!
No worries Tom. That was a fun one to edit. We take all this footage and never see it until we get around to putting it together.
Kevin, we have done the America's cup excursion many times. Last time we went with the owner, for our "race". It is great fun. He will fully explain that he pay about 1M per 12 meter, then needs to get it there, I think he sailed one from Australia, to the venue, then he needs to repair them. I think he sid that during cruise ship season, he gets about 7 round trips each day a ship is in, 7 trips for 3-4 boats, times 125 or so per person, best excursion ever. Being a former Laser racer, I would challenge the skipper on his match, not match tactics , or lack thereof. He finally handed over the helm, we won!
Hello Kevin and Wendy!! Greetings from Russia!!.... I constantly watch your wonderful videos - I really like everything!.... Good luck to you!!!!
Great to have you! We love it when people enjoy the episodes, and are so happy you let us know. Keep in touch.
GREAT content as always!
Thanks Dan!
Great vid guys.
I'll be in St. Martin end of November after delivering a yacht there. After that I'll be crewing on Britican for a while.
Maybe we can catch up?
Great to hear from you. We'll be launching in late October or early November in Antigua. There's a bunch of work to do on the hard there, then it's off to SXM. FKG is building us new standing rigging there and we'll probably be picking up a new dinghy too. I don't expect the rigging to take too long, but we also have to be in the BVIs no later than Christmas in order to meet up with friends there. I should get in touch with Kim and see how things are. It's been a while and I miss those guys. It would be great if we could all get together. But we'll be running later than usual I think.
14.00 - FYI - Tef Gel is NOT a lubricant. It is a corrosion inhibitor and should only be used between dissimilar metals. Not in this application which is stainless to stainless.
Hi Simba. So in answering this rather important comment, I'll start by saying that hundreds of viewers might see this, so it's addressed to a larger audience than just ourselves. I'll start by saying that you are correct that TefGel is not the best product for lubricating turnbuckles. But I'll also add that some products like the "turnbuckle lubricant" sold by West Marine and others are little better. The small bottles I bought many years ago turned out to be nothing more than simple oil, and washed off almost immediately. Turnbuckles are a special animal in my opinion. And the biggest risk in not keeping them properly lubed is through "galling", or the tendency for stainless steel threads to break off and ball up inside the threaded area. I should note too that larger turnbuckles like our Sta Loc 5/8" and 3/4" versions are a mix of materials, with forged bronze (heavy chrome plated) bodies and 316 stainless studs/swage tubes. As for the observed characteristics of TefGel, I'll say that it is tenacious first and foremost. Once applied it is near impossible to remove, and this is probably why it does so well in separating dissimilar metals. I use spray brake cleaner, but this can be dangerous around certain paints and coatings. Test first. As for the lubricating qualities of TefGel, I would say that in my 6 year experiment with TefGel and 243 Blue Loctite (for stainless steel fasteners) I have found that despite its thick and heavy feel out of the syringe, TefGel will not hold fasteners in place. In fact, just the opposite is true. Under load the Teflon compounds will become slippery enough to allow fasteners to release and back out. The M10 screws that secure the end fittings to our boom are an example. These need constant re-tightening, and overtightening fasteners secured in aluminum runs the risk of stripping the threads. Were I to do it again, I'd opt for the Loctite. And if you're looking to separate dissimilar metals in the fight against galvanic corrosion, you'll need to apply a liberal amount of Blue 243, more than normal. Plus, give it 30 seconds in the air before installing. As for the Lewmar winch grease the riggers at FKG recommended, this is a calcium based grease that is the only substitute recommended by PYI (makers of MaxProp feathering props) for their 130-AA product that functions 100% underwater. I imagine the qualities of this grease speak for themselves. Truly waterproof, helping to fight salt buildup in the threads, plus superior lubrication under loads. Thanks so much for bringing this up. It's an area that is complex and necessary for boat owners to understand.
Wendy said : Pretending you like me !!! That was a little harsh !! I have been following your channel(subscribed) for a couple of years and it struck me that it is not the first time Wendy has been complaining about Kevins attention. Kevin maybe you need to pay a little bit more attention to your lady !!. Apart from this comment i love watching and learning from your very high level of knowledge about everything sailing.
Oh, believe me she gets plenty of attention. It's just one of those ways married couples poke each other. And thanks so much for the kind words.
Hi Kevin, another great video. I was interested in the "jaw" failure. Do you think there was a fatigue failure there? In other words, where it failed could you see whether the crack was all new, or was some of it corroded? I have the same rig and the dyform compressed cable is great but I am not sure whether our baby stay is the same. I will check next time we get back to Sweden. These stays are as tight as hell on Singapore Sling.
For the record we installed a lovely Anderson 32 electric winch by the companion way. (Just watching Wendy powering away at your outhaul winch). The winch protrudes a little into the cabin but is a joy to have and saves on cranking the sail in and out (I know you are lucky to have the Hood electric in mast furler). We are now packed up for the Baltic season (it is very short) but it is very refreshing to see such delightful Caribbean sailing. All the best, Dick.
Great to hear from you Dick! This was indeed a crystalline failure of the metal, so yes, metal fatigue. And Lee at FKG told me when I showed him that this was almost always the failure point, rarely the cable or turnbuckle itself. We had it on our list to replace the standing rigging this season anyway, but this event lit a fire under us. FKG already has our rigging plan and portions of the new rig are already fabricated. I will question this in the upcoming months when we get the new cabling, but Lee seemed to indicate that the new style jaws are either thicker and stronger, or fabricated in a better way. I'll try to drill down on that. As a rule, insurance likes to see standing rigging replaced every ten years. But of course, use and abuse plays into things as well.
@@SailingTalisman That's really interesting, and I think I will do some die penetrant tests on ours when I go out there next. Our rigging is just over ten years but very lightly used. I reckon to squeeze a little more life out of it yet. I always check the swage ends tp see if there are any cracked cable cores. So far so good. Like I said, a great video and very interesting on the tech stuff. All the best, Dick (& Jane)...
Thanks for all the wonderful and fascinating hours of boat enjoyment, guys. What Bluetooth intercom system do you recommend please?
Hi Marc. We do it "old school" with hand signals. That way there are no technical issues with batteries or water intrusion. So therefore, we're the wrong people to ask about it. I'd say the majority (like 90% or more) of full time cruisers use hand signals. We use standard crane hand signals, plus fingers for how many meters of chain are out. Thanks for being with us.
@@SailingTalisman many thanks for that. But we are getting ready for a switch over to the Dark Side, and won't always have visibility of one another when docking or manoeuvering. Continued happy cruising, folks!
@@ultraslowhand Just search online for "marine headset" or some such. I'm sure products will pop up. Waterproofing (more accurately water resistance) will be rated on the IP scale. So IP43 is splashproof, splash-resistant. IP86 is a much higher standard, but likely still short of fully waterproof. Water and electronics are notoriously difficult bedmates, so expect and practice on a backup plan for failure.
@@SailingTalisman already done! The Eartec Ultralite looks good. Cheers!
Wendy is looking elegant these days. What is the water depth in this area?
Wendy is looking back and forth, pointing to herself and saying "me?" "Elegant?" You made her day, seriously. As for water depths, it really depends. Around Antigua and St Marten it's about 10-20 meters, pretty much out for at least a mile. Then it falls off to like 200m, and even 2000m. You can use Navionics free chart viewer on the web to see the exact depths.
Hi Kevin ! These stamped sheet parts are prone to breaking over time. They are cheap, and perhaps it is best to replace them from time to time.
Hi Emilio. Along those lines, Talisman will be getting a full standing rig replacement this November. If one of those failed, I can't trust the rest. They're made by Stay Lok, but still. 10 years is the recommended service limit. We'll be sure to do an episode when it happens.
the volvo cant the keel to reduce depth as they would ground in simpson bay if keel straight. both water ballast and anting keel
Good to know. We generally anchor straight across from the marina most of them park at, and it shoals up to 2 meters right in front of us (we draw 2.4m). Most of Simpson Bay is pretty shallow, with deeper areas scarce.
I’ve noticed that Talisman has been in Antigua for quite some time. Since you usually sail back to Annapolis for the Summer I’m hoping you both are okay?
Hi Allan. No, we hauled in Antigua this time. So no huge passages up to the Chesapeake. It's tough going both directions, and we didn't see the need. Especially with so much local work going on for us on the island. Thanks so much for thinking of us.
@@SailingTalisman - Thank you for letting me know you are both safe and okay! Enjoy your Summer!
I just watched a review of the new Oyster 495 and I have mixed feelings. Everything is becoming so high tech it might be difficult to fix something yourself at sea and the engine is now a new 110 hp Yanmar hp with sail drive. I must admit the interior looks very comfortable and stunning. Too bad they never show the guts of the boat underneath the floor boards. 😁
@@allanmoore7790 The last review we did was of Oyster 575 Spirit in Annapolis, so no 495 from us. But that said, the Oysters have always been complex boats. They were early adopters of the concept of making the boat a home with every amenity, while still being stout offshore workhorses. So what you see now is a quite refined design when it comes to delivering all those systems. The 495 would probably be a cruising couple boat, but the majority of their boats, being larger, will have pro crew to handle the details under the cabin sole. I always am amazed as to how many owners of larger boats (not just Oyster) have zero clue about how anything aboard the boat actually works. They take it as a point of pride to have others know those things. Completely the opposite of us.
@@SailingTalisman - The new Oyster 495 was listed for about $1.25 million euros. You’re right, if you can afford this boat you don’t worry about fixing things because you just buy a new boat after three years.
@@allanmoore7790 I suppose, and we do see that happen. But I'm telling you now (and you know this) that when you're offshore and really far from support, everybody on board should know what's going on and be ready to jump to it if something goes wrong. When we're in Antigua, especially when we're at the Cat Club in Falmouth, we tend to hang out with the pro crews rather than the owners. So many owners of 60-70' boats can be jackasses. A lot are cool, but there are some real pieces of work out there.
Were you using your backstays? They seemed to be parked next to the mast (!?)
Hi Martin. We have a removable inner forestay that terminates at the second spreaders. The running backstays are designed to oppose this stay when you're running a staysail (cutter), which we were not at the time. The staysail halyard (from the first spreaders on the mast) that I used to brace the mast was probably doing all the work that was needed, but I put up the runners mostly because I was a bit freaked and didn't want to see any mast pumping. But in reality, the mast rarely gets the runners unless we have the inner forestay being used. Any time you have a cutter rig, tacking becomes a huge pain as you have to furl the genoa about halfway before the tack or it will drag the whole thing across the cabling of the stay. Thanks for a great question/comment.
How old were you two when you quit your jobs and went full time sailing?
Hi Robert. We retired in 2016, so we were both about 54? But we planned for the sailing life for about 15 years, doing annual bareboat charters with progressively larger boats, while refitting, sailing, and racing our Catalina C-22 day-sailor. And we'd both been sailors since early adulthood. Wendy taught sailing while in high school in CT.
@@SailingTalisman I grew up sailing in a junior sailing program at a yacht club. It was a blast and I did really well at it because my heart was into it. Now I'm longing for that lifestyle again but on a lightweight performance cursing catamaran and want to sail around the world. I'm not sure if I'll ever go back to land life again.
@@robertlaird6746 Great Robert. It's a blast if you can make it happen. We love the life.
@@SailingTalisman Do you see yourself ever going back to land life ever again and what do other cruisers say about this subject?
@@robertlaird6746 Yes, which is why we continue to keep our home in Colorado. This is a life that you eventually become too old for, although we're still a decade or so away as long as we can stay healthy and avoid doing anything too stupid (a big question). But the life keeps you fit and strong if you don't start too late. This was one reason why we started when we did. Several friends, including Wendy's boss/mentor, died unexpectedly and early. In fact, the second owner of Talisman (we're number 4) bought the boat and promptly had a massive heart attack. His widow sold the boat to owner number 3 whose wife immediately asked for a divorce. Nobody knows what the future will hold or when their number will be up, and you have to pick a tipping point where you've put the work in and saved your cash, and watch for that moment when you know it's time to live instead of planning to live. Because you can plan all the way to the end if you're not careful.