Transatlantic Return, Ep. 4: Light airs, napping while sailing
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- čas přidán 28. 08. 2024
- Light winds and calms persist for an entire week, slowing us to a crawl. I revisit the frequently asked question as to how I manage to get sleep while at sea.
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MUSIC: Tears in the Rain--Joe Satriani (performance by Kevin Boothby)
VIDEO SOUNDTRACKS: / user-177118317
CAMERAS:
Canon EOS 60D
Olympus TG-3
Go Pro Hero 7 Black
DRONE:
DJI Phantom 3 Standard
![Fixing damage from COLLISION WITH A SHIP & Other Deck Projects. [EP 139]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/NybZZF6-Gk0/mqdefault.jpg)
The picture of you steering into the infinite blue with just sail power is amazing.
4:20
Thanks again for the update. Man, really unusual to get extended calms there in December. But I guess there is a lot unusual about weather and climate these days. Hey, here is a trick for you on old cans: rinse/wipe the top of the can off. Then fill the top rim all the way up with water. When you puncture the can with the can opener, if it sucks water in, good, you are ok. You will hear a little sucking sometimes slight whistle. But if it blows out through the water, toss it! 30 yrs of living aboard and cruising, rusty cans are common place. I invented this little trick. It works!
I'm a simple man. I see another "How to Sail the Oceans" video, and I insta-click. It isn't much, but it's honest work.
No videos?
I liked the view when you put the camera underwater in front of the bow and looked back at the hull. That is an unusual perspective. Thank you.
Like you I was engineless on my 2012 trip from LA to La Paz Mexico. It was over 1,000 nautical miles in 20 foot Pacific Seacraft Flicka. The three best things I equipped her with was oversized all chain ground tackle, a composting "airhead" toilet and a big, beautiful bright yellow asymmetrical spinnaker in an ATN sock.It was a huge morale booster when after hours of bobbing and slatting a slight ripple appeared on the water and we hoisted and deployed that glorious sail. 2 knots was all it took to get us moving, well, 2 knots. With the wind abeam or forward she made her own wind - I kid you not, and we could move at 3 or 4 knots in the lightest of zephers if they blew consistently from one direction. So I highly recomend getting one. It was actually easier to manage than our hank-on headsails, because, well, no hanking and unhanking and gasketing to the rail nonsense. Just hoist, sheet, and deploy. Just don't fly it at night ;-)
I love living vicariously on your travels, it feels very real
I couldn't agree more
My sentiment also.
Me too
You are the best story teller for life on a yacht. Really admire your film making and lifestyle.
Beautiful opening footage and of course as always, great content and the highest production value from a solo sailor. Thanks for keeping it real Kevin.
Happy New Year, Tom!
@@howtosailoceans1423 and to you as well Kevin. Its been a great circumnavigation of the Atlantic for you this year...Congratulations
New here - been watching on and off all day - you pastime, work, play is awesome - Thank You!!! You don't like to fish?
Out there, on your own, sounds great to me down in covidland, Victoria, Australia, may your winds be fair, respect ,,,
The scenery at the beginning is beautiful. I could spend all day just basking in the sun. I bet after being at sea for 3 weeks with another week to go before landfall can get tiresome sometimes. I long for that experience.
"You go to sea for the pleasure of the thing, and the wind in all its moods, including, if you have no engine, the calms."
Martin O'Scannall
Liking the new music
And, a safety harness would definitely be helpful
Hi there from an armchair sailor. Love you videos.
See the damn salt on the dink! I hate it, sliding around on my feet ,wash downs with saltwater, yuk(just me). But what I'd give to be there.
Great information on sleep and solo sailing.
That was a really enlightening explanation on getting sleep at sea. Others have said they won't allow themselves any more than under an hour of sleep before they make sure to wake up and check everything. Your method makes a lot more sense. Why lose sleep over the possibility of just a slight chance of any danger when you wouldn't be able to prevent it anyway even if you were awake?
Not to mention the risks of severe sleep deprivation. Best to stay as alert as possible. To repeat though, this only applies when you are well offshore.
It was so calm in the video, I almost went to sleep myself! Your videos are the ones I enjoy watching the most, Kevin! There are many others out there I subscribe to but can skip when I don't have the time to watch them. Your videos though are absolutely essential and never skipped. Thanks for another one!
Thanks mate, stay warm up there in Maine.
Excellent
I cant get enough of this channel! Im shooting my youtube sailing channel in -10! Its freezing up here in Canada! Great video! kevin wish I was in warmer waters with you!
Can’t wait to make this trip. Thanks for an awesome video
Thank you Kevin.👏👍⚓️
Fantastic footage of the doldrums. Looking forward to the next video!
Always look forward to your videos.
Nice rendition of Joe!
Great stuff Captain!! Always enjoy no nonsense sailing!!💪👌
Loved the rendition of Tears in the Rain. Well done.
Great video
Good job as ever Kevin .Happy new year fom the Alps.
i love your videos.did the same crossing two years ago.loved it...
take care.
Good call on the $1.00 spaghetti sauce! Thanks for the incredible video!
Happy new year!.congrats on your crossings. AIS 1 mile is way to low, would advise 2’ minimum. Keep the videos up.
Hi Kevin. I'm glad you're home safe. Thank you so much for taking the time to make and post your videos. I've watched them all. Quite a few of your videos I've watched many times because the information is so important and you present it so well. I'm a proud owner of a How to Sail Oceans t-shirt.... Thank you very much. May I ask your thoughts on the Garmin inReach. Our sailing is the Canadian west coast..... Washington to Alaska. Cheers.
InReach is better than nothing, although I've had quite a few issues with it and Garmin customer service is practically non-existent. For another crossing I think that I would get Iridium GO which will enable you to download GRIB files, rather than merely getting a forecast for a waypoint.
Your narration, film and music are brilliant, and that soundtrack @ 4:41 is so nice. I couldn't find it in your soundcloud though. Thank you for these posts...
Thank you for posting
Amazing!
Great video again and nice sleep description... saw some mahi mahi swing around it could be a nice addition to you diet if you fish🐟🐟
beautifully filmed episode. fair winds cap-
... great vid, thanks :)
Very interesting about the belt notches :) Never thought about that with the high activity food takes a bit of a backstep
Fasting does wonders both physically & in these circumstances endurance. If only more people realised this but that's an entirely separate topic.
As much as I admire your sailing philosophy I wouldn’t give up my engine and asymmetric sail to get over those windless periods.
Life at sea is not to see how fast you can get thru a passage.
@@tomwaite4594 True but I just hate flopping around getting nowhere, drives me mad. Each to his own.⛵️😘
I enjoyed the guitar and base duo around the 5 minute zone. Thank you for another enjoyable video!
Well done!
Very good, very old fashioned boat. Qont you fish for those doradas around?
You take such beautiful photos of fish by the boat.Catch those bad boys! Dinner! Are you not a fish eater? Anyway great stuff as always. You are masters craftsman.
Seeing those mahi-mahi did make me wish I had purchased some gear in the Canaries .
I'm not sure I would be able to jump off the boat, like that, all alone, in the middle of the ocean. Tell me you had a tether of some sort. At least tell me you dropped the sails first so a sudden gust wouldn't get the boat moving.
I really enjoy these videos Kevin. Thanks for showing the sailing part of sailing, including the challenges. Would love to hear your thoughts, as an engineless voyager, on gaff top sails and light air fore sails. Would you rather handle a gaff tops'l or hank on a drifter? Would one or two light air sails reduce your passage times? Would they be worth the space they take? Those kinds of things.
I have been wondering the same thing. He has a nice gaff rigged yacht but I never see the topsail flying, or the flying jib.
I have a topsail but never fly it, too much friggin' in the riggin' as they say. A drifter/code 0 may be on the purchase list, but it's one more sail to carry.
CHEERS!
Thanks for sharing about sleep on passages, most solo sailors don't,
Skip the dive-off-the-bowsprit-while-sailing trick ;-) , swimming while becalmed, not that it matters, ok by me,
Cheers!
I always watch in amazement when I see sailors in the middle of the ocean, in flat calm seas. Seems impossible.
thumbed
David, I love your channel and admire what you do, but for longer passages you really ought to have a suit of light air sails to keep you boat moving. Even with a 3 to 5 knot wind you can pass an appreciable amount of miles under the keel, even with a heavy boat. Fair winds! I can't wait to see your landfall.
Kevin
Hey Kevin going to look at a Baba 30 tomorrow. Wish you were here. Thanks for the Video. The engineless sailor. Most of my friends don't believe me. Not until I send them the link to your channel. Lol
Have fun boat shopping, Don! Baba 30 is a great boat, though she's not going to beat your O'Day to the weather mark ...
@@howtosailoceans1423 how true that statement is. The full keel will help thou. It's been repowered so that is positive. I don't mean by an oar. Lol
great stuff, bravo for breaking away and getting out there to see the world, the ocean....great videos too, very instructional..was wondering if the length of your boat has caused stability issues, knockdowns?? have not seen any reports of any problems but my understanding is that shorter boats roll over more easily. looking at boats now for myself and I am afraid to go out there on anything under 40'.. any thoughts??
The general consensus seems to be that small boats are safe. However, I would agree that they are more vulnerable to big waves in rough conditions, just based on the relative size of the boat compared to the roiling top of a breaking wave in storm conditions.
I sailed across the Atlantic just over 12 months ago & I put on weight. OK, I was aboard the Celebrity Edge for 35 days for 3 back to back cruises. No hardship at all........
LOL!
Another nice video Kevin. I really like your take on the usefulness of watches at night. It's all about one's attitude to risk. I'm with you on that, offshore the risk of a collision with another vessel that didn't have a working AIS is negligible and the chances of seeing a semi-submerged container or similar is zero - even in daylight it would be pretty difficult. Back in September, I sailed across the English Channel, across two busy shipping lanes and a large fishing fleet, in thick fog, all on the AIS without a problem. I'll admit that I only took short sleep breaks (15 mins in every hour overnight) and none at all when I was amongst the fishing boats. Of course, we are going against COLREGS but if we were strictly abiding by that set of rules we wouldn't be single-handed in the first place!
Hello did you say 🦈. Nice video thanks saludos
Hi Kevin. Who would have expected bring becalmed( for a week) mid Ocean. It did give you the opportunity to get some different video shots. Where those big fish Wahoo or Queen fish? Any chance of adding one to your protein intake? Thanks for another great video.
I was wondering if you were going to break out your sculling oar!
Hi, how come you don't fish? Btw, congrats for your awesome channel!!!
Nice travels.
Good call on the tin of spaghetti. You risk catching botulism otherwise.
... I often wonder (if you have the space and the weather is OK) why hammocks aren't used much anymore...
Nothing like the doldrums to make you question your choices in life.
Enjoyed your video. The quality was kind of spotty as far as clarity. Fantastic content.
👍!!!
One mile range on AIS? With no motor, you are brave. I was taught that a ship on the horizon only gives you about ten minutes to avoid a collision. No motor. No wind. Bad odds. Hopefully I am wrong and you or viewers will enlighten me and others on your decision. Thanks for sharing your journey at sea.
I think what Kevin was saying was that if the track of both vessels is projected to pass with 1 NM, then the alarm goes off, before the vessels are actually one mile apart. I take you point about having no engine though. One less option.
You are right 1 nm is too short. It is less than 5 minutes for a big ship averaging 12/15 knots. I would set the CPA alarm to 2 to 4 nm.
That's correct. Generally I pick up big ships 8-12nm away.
I told you before, you need a light wind sail, or your life will be on hold a lot. But waiting is fun, you can fish!
Enjoyed, thx....where to next? Andrew
Happy New Year, Andrew, still heading west ...
I'm curious now what is the largest debris you've seen floating in the ocean and what was it?
Once saw an abandoned yacht floating in the ocean, wouldn't want to hit that. Other than that, fish nets, jerry cans, lumber, etc.
@@howtosailoceans1423 Did you encounter many Portuguese man of war jellyfish with their sails up? I believe scientifically they are not actually jellyfish
I love your boat! What is it?
Gilmer (Southern Cross) 31.
would be great to see a night video, perhaps utilizing a night vision device
I think you need infrared for that.
I am surprised you don't wear a safety harnes
I’ve often wondered when your becalmed does it give you a chance to monitor the swells better? I grew up in the pacific and the locals could tell their position by current and swells. It always fascinated me how well they knew their area of the ocean.
You can see large swells in most conditions, excepting the roughest where everything is dominated by the wind driven wave train. Ancient navigators could discern presence of islands nearby typically because of a cross wave train resulting from swells wrapping around and island.
@@howtosailoceans1423 thanks. Where I grew up the locals actually had “sea maps” made with wood sticks and shells to indicate currents and swells. But being in the middle of the of the pacific (the Tarawa in the Kiribati) there was not much in the way of obstructions so I guess the sea conditions were pretty constant and measurable. Many thanks for your podcasts, they stir up some fond memories.
Hi Kevin. Just a quick question. Your timber/ rope boarding ladder. How do you get the timber to sink so you can climb up and down?
There's a strip of lead bolted to the bottom step.
@@howtosailoceans1423 👍
Another wonderful video. Question about food running low. Do you fish at all, I've not noticed you doing that?
I don't have any fishing gear anymore. Yes fresh fish is wonderful, but fishing is a real pain off of a sailboat.
Sometimes it must be frustrating not to have an engine to move you at least a few miles.
Aye m8, a little confused … you don’t do any fishing at all? though you obviously are in a good area for getting some nice chunks of fresh food? 🎣 Anyways I like your music and curiosity have me to ask if you recorded that tune during the passage or after?
I gave up on fishing years ago, there's pros and cons to that for sure. I recorded the Satriani tune here in the VI's, that one was tough on my fingers ...
Single handers should NEVER go over the side or part themselves from their boat unless in emergencies. Its not just the nobby clarks to be aware of but any mistake that could prevent you from climbing back on board or the nightmare scenario of watching your craft sailing happily away leaving you floundering in mid ocean.
Your definitely right. But the way I look at it. Kevin lives his life on the edge. Any man that has been sailing solo for 20 years without an engine, full time, is bat crazy.
Yes, indeed, it's a risk, but not too much in flat calm. Recall Robin Knox-Johnston used to dive off the bowsprit while Suhali was sailing, windvane engaged, and catch a line he trailed astern ...
@@maritimetees2315 He must have some sense of self preservation with the AIS installed. Sailing without a motor is heroic but one only has to see the record of lost sailing ships of old who couldn't claw their way off a lee shore and ended up littering the sea bed.
@@howtosailoceans1423 He also mentions frequently checking the level of the whiskey bottle down below.....
It's not hard to just harness up, attach a line and even if the boat tries getting away you just haul yourself back using the line.
What kind of internet connection you use?
Maybe Starlink?
Great videos!!!
Back then I had an InReach, now I have Iridium GO. Neither will give you internet offshore, only weather files and texts.
Thanks for another great episode. Wondering about the 1 mile alarm, what time/distance warning will you get with that set up. Would it depend on the direction the other vessel was approaching from? 👍
SV Lamancha it’s determined by the CPA of the two vessels (closest point of approach)
💪💤👀💤👍
Are you reefing at night or does the weather forecast from predict wind give you confidence to sail according to the predictions? Do you use a hard anti foul or ablative? Which works best for cruising?
In the really light stuff I keep set as much sail as possible, though I occasionally have to scramble out of my bunk to deal with a rain squall. Global weather models do not pick up squalls.
@@howtosailoceans1423 Thanks very much for your reply.
I need a diet plan! The other day I stepped on my scale it screamed in pain, and it told me "one at a time please!"
Check out Dr Eric Berg or Mindy Pelz
It would do me a world of good to lose some weight (actually a LOT of weight) so maybe I need to get a boat and head on out. The big problem with that is that I would probably need to be out there for three years to get down to where I need to be.
another good Sailing Video! Just a question if I may on your food supply, You dont seem to fish. Any reason? Thanks
Iirc he addressed this in another video by saying he's just never had any luck at it. 🤷♂️ But yeah I'd have a line out all day trying to catch those dolphins we saw swimming in this video. Yum!
Being a pessimist I wonder how long a container ship takes to cover 1nm (how many minutes do you have when the alarm goes off)
I think the alarm sounds if the course WILL approach to within 1nm, and that can be calculated as soon as the AIS learns what the other vessel’s course is, which will be at the range of the AIS signal. At least, that’s how I understood what he said.
I have tremendous respect for Kevin. True yachtsman in every sense of the word. Tons of experience. I am surprised by his choice for a 1 mile range on the AIS alarm setting.
If a container ship comes right at you, an alarm setting of 1 mile will indeed leave virtually no time to do anything. Ships run easily 20 knots (often more) = 20 miles in 60 minutes. So 1 mile is covered in 3 minutes. Between the moment you hear the alarm go off, realize it is the AIS alarm, the time to get on deck, assess the situation, ... the ship is right on your tails, if not worse. Moreover without an engine, your options are even more limited.
I'd like to learn his rationale for this choice.
@@philsandele
I think you misunderstood him.
As the poster above says,the alarm will sound if the AIS detects a ship that is on a course that WILL put them within a mile of each other. So it could well sound the alarm while the other vessel is 10 miles away.
@@andyknowles772 OK, that would make sense. Didn't understand it that way indeed. That is an interesting feature, if you can set it up this way.
That's correct, if the tracks are projected to come within 1 nm the alarm with sound. I usually pick ships up 8-12nm out.
Hi. Enjoyed the video. One question... Do you not use a modern light weight drifter type sail because you like to preserve the authentic character of your boat?
Or are you just content to accept the slow sailing when it happens?
I've thought of a drifter, but it's one more sail to carry. Plus the boat sails well in light winds with just working canvas.
@@howtosailoceans1423 Fair enough.
Personally, I used an unpoled dinghy spinnaker (from eBay) as a drifter and it gave me 3-5 knots of speed when I would otherwise have been moving at 1-2 knots. That extra speed also made the motion just that little bit better.
Being an ultra lightweight sail, it didn't take up much room. In fact, the sail and sheets all fitted in an Ikea bag which also served as a launching turtle!
Where you really afraid of splashing too much and attracting sharks when you were scraping the barnicles? Are sharks really an issue?
I don't have any estimates on shark populations, only know that splashing sounds attract them.
While fear of sharks is generally unfounded , there are reasons to be cautious. Attitudes have changed in living memory and a real danger is that images of “friendly” sharks and divers hand feeding large Tiger Sharks etc have perversely led to them being perceived as no threat. Oceanic Whitetipped sharks will “ latch on “ to a lone slow moving yacht in an essentially desert expanse . They are opportunist feeders and are thought to be responsible for more fatalities than other species , most notably during shipwreck and abandonment scenarios . They will follow a boat or even drifting flotsam for many days .
personal suggestion - when sharing good info please point camera at boat/sea/sky... anything ELSE
Ahoy! Aren’t you scared to go for a swim in the middle of the ocean while underway? Or did you have line attached to you?
It's a little spooky, but I wasn't too worried about the boat sailing away in a flat calm and no sign of wind anywhere.
@@howtosailoceans1423 I lost a friend many years ago who went for a swim off his small motor boat in Lake Ontario. I don’t know and will never know how the boat got away from him but the thought has always worried me when I see you guys swimming in the middle of the ocean. Stay safe my friend!
Kevin "Happy new year brother". At minute 14 of this video you got got me confused. You are heading west and you are on a port tack. I think you are on a reach. Is your wind from the SE?. I always thought due to the wind patterns you will be almost the entire trip on a starboard tack.
The overall course is is W by S. The trade winds generally oscillate between NE and SE, more NE in the winter months, more SE (and lighter) in the summer.
I hate that AIS alarm. Got the same. I prefer 4 mile range though, 1 mile is a bit too close for me.
Yes the alarm does tend to curdle the blood ...
I thought "Don't you want to check the battery levels for the auto pilot, the engine temp, and oil pressure? How is the water ingress of the stern gland?", but then I realized you don't have any of them :-) There is a lot to be said for simplicity! You obviously sleep better :-)
Awesome 😍💋 💝💖♥️❤️
Hello 👋 question. HOW THE WIND ENERGY IS TRANSFERRED TO THE MAST AND LINES, LIKE IN PERCENTAGE. THANKS IN ADVANCE SALUDOS
Do not know how to calculate that.
hi Pavelavietor, You need to search out a copy of "Aero-Hydrodynamics of Sailing", By C A Marchaj. It is the definitive work on the subject, But a total geek out.
@@henrycrawford8903 hello thanks I am looking for a copy. Saludos
👍👍👍🇹🇷🇺🇸🧿
700 m. an in the doldrums, it’s time to brake out the guitar and slide through some blues.
We?
Can see you have lost weight :-)
What do you do for sunscreen?
Oh I just have a big bottle of SPF 30.