5 REASONS TO GO SOLO SAILING Q&A 15
Sailing 6 years ago 11,365 views
Do you dream about sailing around the world? This is the all about how to solo sailing. Does the idea of sailing solo fill you with fear? Or is it something you embrace? Do you want a life challenge? Going sailing solo is full of challenges but it's full of rewards too. Here Jamie gives 5 reasons to sail solo, and some solo sailing tips to help you slip the lines instead of getting comfortable in the marina bar. Subscribe to our mailing list. Scroll to the bottom of this page: http://www.followtheboat.com/contact -------------------------- If you like our videos then please do consider becoming a supporter, it really helps us. Just go to http://www.followtheboat.com/thanks for all the details. Peace and fair winds! Liz, Jamie and Millie-the-cat *************************************** If you enjoy or have even learned something from our videos, please SUBSCRIBE to our channel, and if you really like our work maybe throw us a bone... SUBSCRIBE TO US ON YOUTUBE! (IT'S FREE!!) Click the red SUBSCRIBE button...and don't forget to HIT THE BELL so you get notified each time we upload a new video http://bit.ly/SUBSCRIBE_FTB SUPPORT US ON PATREON! https://www.patreon.com/followtheboat OR SAY THANKS THROUGH THE RUM FUND! http://followtheboat.com/THANKS/ *************************************** π³οΈ MMSI/AIS Follow us on http://www.marinetraffic.com using our MMSI number: 235026188 *************************************** GEAR USED IN OUR EPISODES π· NEW CAMERA (Ep 68 onwards) Panasonic GH5 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7RdIZyP7OEE π· OLD VIDEO CAMERA (Ep 1 - 67) Olympus OMD EM-5 Mk2 http://amzn.to/2s6TA5F πΈ MAIN VIDEO CAMERA LENS Olympus Zuiko 12mm prime http://amzn.to/2s6w0WF π 4K DRONE DJi Mavic http://amzn.to/2rfI0qN π₯ LIZ'S 4K CAMCORDER Sony AX53 http://amzn.to/2s6EQn3 π€ MAIN EXTERNAL CAMERA MIC Rode VideoMic Pro http://amzn.to/2s6qeUL π€ LIZ'S CAMERA EXTERNAL COMPACT MIC Rode Video Micro Compact http://amzn.to/2rfpsXC ποΈ MAIN EXTERNAL FIELD MIC Roland R-05 http://amzn.to/2rfpdMk ποΈ SECONDARY EXTERNAL FIELD MIC Zoom H1 http://amzn.to/2qs6yNR π WATERPROOF CAMERA Olympus Tough TG5 http://amzn.to/2quDykH π MAIN 4K SPORTS CAMERA GoPro Hero 4 Black http://amzn.to/2quLF0F π SECONDARY 4K SPORTS CAMERA SJCAM 5000X http://amzn.to/2rfnVki π©βπ» EDITING SOFTWARE Adobe Premiere Pro CC http://amzn.to/2rfrkQ8 *************************************** LET'S CONNECT! π FTB WEBSITE http://www.followtheboat.com π§ RECEIVE FTB EMAILS: http://bit.ly/GET_EMAILS π· INSTAGRAM http://www.instagram.com/followtheboat π― FACEBOOK https://www.facebook.com/followtheboat π± TWITTER https://twitter.com/followtheboat ***************************************
My electronic aids are GPS, Depth sounder and a VHF Radio.
When I sailed the Atlantic all were turned off because my alternator was not making electricity. VHF only works line if sight, in 2 miles of water a depth sounder is not needed. I did however turn on the GPS every 24hrs to mark my position on the chart.
My course was a great circle route from Sal to St Lucia, so the GPS course maybe only changed 1 or 2 degrees.
My only mistake was taking a hitchhiker with no experience, so now I had the responsibility for another life, this I found to be stressful.
I won't make that same mistake twice.
My wife of 40+ years was not so enthusiastic. I think she said something like, "ARE YOU CRAZY? I think you need to talk to a psychiatrist." Which led me to believe that she was not entirely FOR the idea. In the time that has passed from then until now I've made little progress in persuading her to even try it as a vacation charter.
I'm not prepared to give up on the idea, yet. However, age is becoming a factor. I'm now 62. I understand that there are sailors sailing who are older, but what do think about one just starting your adventure at my age? And, by the way, I probably AM a little crazy.
10. comment for 5 REASONS TO GO SOLO SAILING Q&A 15
I just answered this same question from a lovely lady on our Patreon page who is about to start life aboard her boat and become a solo sailor...
The lack of sleep for long distances is definitely a thing. Most people stay in the cockpit and set a timer to wake them every 15 minutes so they can check the horizon for obstacles, then fall back to sleep. If the wind changes your boat will tell you by the sound it makes, and that will automatically wake you up once you've got to know it.
One overnighter is not so bad, you can pretty much run on adrenaline to keep you awake all night.
For long passages we tend to find it takes about three days before the lack of sleep ceases to be a thing. You get used to snatching it when you can, and after that it becomes much easier. The key is to keep busy. I find if I read I nod off very quickly, so I move about quite a bit when the sleep demon attacks and that soon wakes me up. Doing exercises helps!
Coastal sailing overnight is much more treacherous, and we tend not to sleep much. Especially in this part of the world where there are fleets of fishing boats doing all sorts of crazy things and none of them has ever heard of the colregs...
Peace and fair winds!
My kid asked me the other day "Why do you like sailing?", I did not give the best answer, though I doubt he had the patience to hear it but said: "because it's difficult and challenging, and overcoming those challenges feels good".
My family and I were out on the Swedish west coast for a few days, sleeping over in natural harbors and a marina or 2. On the 3rd night, we ran into trouble with an anchor drag, fouled prop and blown motor, we were towed into a marina.
My family continued on with their trip on the bus and I resorted to dealing with the boat.
After arranging a towing in the middle of Swedish summer, I felt I needed a reward just for that. I had never dismantled an engine before, but there it was on the cabin floor in big cast iron pieces exposing the blown head gasket. Conveniently, we were only 100km from home so I could bus back, get the car get the parts home, clean them up, order new parts and gaskets and get back up there. I finished putting it all back together and to my surprise, it didn't start. Loosening the valve cover bolts for some reason did the trick and it started.
A quick drive home and another bus ride up the next day before a 50-mile solo sail back to my slip. It's an old boat, a small boat but a good boat, however no autohelm of any kind meant a constant hand on the tiller for 12hrs, I hove to for a few minutes but other than that it was nonstop.
It was difficult at times as ventured out into open water a couple times before seeking shelter from the archipelago. It was very educational and I gained much experience and understanding. All in all, I was faced with a task and challenge both new and difficult of which I overcame and today, a day after returning feel pretty good about - even though it was somewhat of a sailing disaster that got me in trouble in the first place.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lunar_distance_(navigation)
Two points against solo sailing: It get's quite lonely at times (like right now on the baltic where everybody around could either be my parents or my children. And you have to do all the chores yourself. Speaking of which, gotta fill up tanks, ...
Warren
s/y Legend
20. comment for 5 REASONS TO GO SOLO SAILING Q&A 15
I've been a full-time liveaboard and mostly solo (except for my crew cat Mr. Stubb) sailor of the Salish Sea and Puget Sound for 5 years and absolutely love it.
It's nice to have company onboard once in a while because I love to share this beautiful life we live, sometimes I get a flood of gratitude for having such freedoms and experiences I have enjoyed on a daily. Hopefully this winter I'll get video editing down and start sharing content.
Thanks for all your videos and safe travels my friends.
listening to you I am going to have ago before the end of the session. Β you have just inspired me to have ago.
Keep up the good work, I like your format.
I enjoy your channel because you are more mature than the normal ones like la Vaga et al. With them especially there seems to be a very ageist narrative. We are still in the saving money stage to pull the hook up and turn right at the marina entrance. And not come back. Have you found that people have been friendly or is there a them and us between say under 40's and over , or big boats not talking to little boats, or racers not talking to cruisers? Where we are in Abu Dhabi, we don't find it, but we have noticed it a bit in other places?
30. comment for 5 REASONS TO GO SOLO SAILING Q&A 15
Thanks for the thought of solo sailing, that's what I'm looking at now. You made it seem more doable.
Is that "solo sailing"? Not in terms of "being alone", but it is in terms of operating the boat.
..my vlog should be quite interesting, when it gets started (yikes!). :) (Not started yet, obviously [11aug2017].)
Aloha and mahalo to ya Jaime, Liz and the wee kitt' Millie. Keep servin' up the great info and entertainment to us til we get out on ke Kai Loa! (the big salt water) See 'ya in the Pacific, at some point.
Makani Κ»oluΚ»olu, a me Κ»au i ke kai loa maikaΚ»i Δ«a Κ»oukou!
..oh, the pressure! <chortle, chortle, gasp, heh he he...)
Great idea, though. I think that I'll record "the good bits" (and the "stupid yet entertaining bits") of the design process, and then the scale model making part and model testing trials, and hold those vids in reserve until I can get to a more regular schedule of posting them. Then when the actual build commences I can preface the build vids with the preliminaries and flow into the more real-time build vids, and carry on with that on a regular posting schedule into launch/tests/shake-downs and into "makin' for the deep water".
..and then get the obligatory drone-cam. <hee hee...>
I don't want to start presenting content until I can sorta-kinda guarantee SOME measure of regularity, as people would get bored with nothing happening for large chunks of time (as it's uncertain what my production routine is going to be at the moment).
But,.. I shall do it! ..as your encouragement is quite... "encouraging"! :)
..and I also am motivated by not wanting to get bored,.. or rather, not wanting to miss something interesting, and as a "kid sailor" from the age of 10 who has been on the hard for FREAKIN' FOREVER, it seems, I'm INTERESTED in living between places as an "old guy". Rather not miss that, as time is runnin' faster and faster, and is one of those things that DOES come to an end.
Aloha a me mahalo nui Δ«a Κ»oe, hoaloha! Makani Κ»oluΚ»olu!
( ..leaving aside for the moment where one sails in Denver..? <chuckle!> )
I have this CRAZY idea for a ludicrously inexpensive build to satisfy some simple but VERY UGLY (to anyone but me) "interior" space and length/performance requirements. I will most likely be skirting a bit too close to the safety margins, but weΚ»ll be testing itΚ»s capabilities very thoroughly before flying our fish out onto the big salty.
IΚ»m willing to gamble the dollars that the design may not work, in which case the fallback is to buy something cheap and minimally fit it up to make it to the tropics to live "the caravan life" in an ocean bucket. :) Money is FAR far from super abundant, but weΚ»re not actually suicidal in specΚ»ing the boat for safety.
Thanks for na pΕmaikaΚ»i! (..the good wishes, blessings) <shaka!>
I agree. :) It's not sailing solo, as the "mental/emotional game" isn't isolation oriented. My wife will be involved in all decisions, following the "happy wife happy life" rule, as is necessary, of course.
I have a funny feeling that she will be MUCH more involved in "handling things" than might seem to be the case for someone with limitations. The design of the boat should, hopefully, make handling MANY of the control lines and/or levers something she would be just as good at as anyone.
I'm also not a very large person, rather hobbit-like actually, so by designing things such that I can handle them, which I have to do, of course, I'm making it easier for both of us. :)
..should be an interesting adventure, from building to staying awake for fear of cargo ships! Yeehaw! Auwe no, manaΚ»o au! <chuckle!>
Can I ask why you would build a boat rather than refit/moody an existing one? Time and cost seem to prefer benefiting from someone else's upgrades no?
In any case, rooting for you both!
That's good motivation. I've hit a few challenges (not roadblocks) while trying to solo; getting on and off the dock in strong winds taught me I need to improve my dockline setup. (I need a midship cleat). Reefing the main is an easy double-handed job but realllly hard solo due to my clutches... again, difficult only in strong winds (when you need to reef). Finally, with the cooking and chores... more crew means fewer turns washing up. :-)
Great video Jamie!
When I buy my boat I plan to have it set up so it's almost idiot proof for those kinds of issues. I've sailed on quite a few small yachts where it was just two people and it was fairly easy except the lack of sleep that can happen if there is an injury. My most enjoyable sailing was just myself and the dolphins in Cardigan Bay at night (the owner was zonked out on painkillers due to a little accident). I just wish the damn autohelm had been working, I'd have taken some videos of it. Sailing, beautiful clear sky, full moon, loads of dolphins... What is not to love about that?
Picking up a mooring buoy? Lassoo it and deal with the complications later?
A common question is: will you go with someone. My answer is: I'd love to go with other(s) but I'll set it up to not have to depend on anyone.
50. comment for 5 REASONS TO GO SOLO SAILING Q&A 15
Thanks for your great channel!
All the best!
Mats
Which means you'll set the boat to point the right way and depending on traffic flip on proximity warning devices and catch some z's with a timer.
Many miles from shore and shipping lanes you may not see another boat for days, even weeks but napping close to shore or in shipping lanes put you and others in grave danger.