EP6. Sailing Alone. How hard is it? What do you do when things go wrong?

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Most popular comments
for EP6. Sailing Alone. How hard is it? What do you do when things go wrong?

Live comments
Comments on YouTube

Mark Ratchford - 6 years ago

what engine is in this boat ?

Mark Ratchford - 6 years ago

why do you need a bilge blower ?

Cruising Off Duty - 6 years ago

30 Hp diesel

Charles Cain - 6 years ago

Question: Rules require a throwable life saving devise...who's going to throw it??

Cruising Off Duty - 6 years ago

I do have a throwable life saving device. It just says you have to have one on the boat. It doesn't say you actually have to have someone on board to throw it. Plenty of people sail solo all the time. :-)

leon rodriguez - 6 years ago

They were sailing lasers and had a race course set up to practice, chances are they knew what they were doing and wouldn't have a problem getting out of your way

Cruising Off Duty - 6 years ago

+leon rodriguez. It’s the narrow entrance channel to the harbor. Silly spot to set up kids to race. Would you set up a bicycle rally for kids in the entrance way to a mall? No of course not. There is plenty of water off to the sides for them to race. Bad choice by the instructor who looked about 20 himself.

ecoheliguy - 6 years ago

why did you let a perfectly secured kayak take your attention away from your primary responsibilities? The kayak wasn't going anywhere.

KM MINING - 6 years ago

which is where it and the tender should have been in the first place

Cruising Off Duty - 6 years ago

If my RIB kept running it over the Kayak, which is hollow in the middle, would have filled with water and become a submarine. It needed to be dealt with. I had the motor in the lowest speed just to allow the boat on autopilot to keep steering straight. Other than students zig zagging in front of me, it seemed like a pretty safe time to get the Kayak up on deck.

Cruising Off Duty - 6 years ago

Yes we do have a spinnaker Halyard. Im sure we could lift the boat onto the deck if were really needed to. The V-hulled RIB towed very close behind our boat, tows really smoothly with little resistance and seems to work well even in big waves. The RIB weighs a lot so I think we will be sticking with towing. In the next boat (A Cat) we will obviously have dinghy Davits to keep it out of the water. We are not going to spend a lot of money upgrading this boat as it is just a stop gap boat until we get the next boat we will live on. So, without blowing money on this boat, it is pretty bare bones and not suited to full time live aboard as it stands. It makes a great floating cottage for now though.

Joseph Gatt - 6 years ago

Too much bla bla bla I'm sorry. Appreciate your effort though.

Cameron Guillemaud - 6 years ago

I enjoyed this, it make me think I'm not the only one with small mishaps that end in a great outing

foster wayne - 6 years ago

Looks to me the rudder on the kayak was the problem?

Cruising Off Duty - 6 years ago

Yes. Very likely. Just hard to fix all the issues while solo operating the boat. Sort of why I posted the video. Problems always seem to happen when you don't have a spare set of hands to fix it. :-)

Drew Tierney - 6 years ago

could you not just tie the Kayak closer to the sail boat then the Dhingy? Just curious why this was not an option for you.

Cruising Off Duty - 6 years ago

A lot of things were options. I had not had a problem in the past towing them from each corner. This day just was not my day. :-)

10. comment for EP6. Sailing Alone. How hard is it? What do you do when things go wrong?

iandi Boats - 6 years ago

I watch your videos all the time, I think I've watched this one a couple of times already. It just dawned on me you are under power and the sailing school boats are under sail power. Aren't coll regs in Canada the same as the states where boats under power have to give way to boat under Sail? Keep up the good work :-)

Darxus - 6 years ago

Actually draft limited boats do have right of way.

Glad to hear there was a nearby place you wanted them to be.

Cruising Off Duty - 6 years ago

Hey Iandi. Yes. This is an old video so many comments have happened on this subject in the past and I have explained this before, but for you, I will repeat. I knew, being under power that I had to give way to sailboats. My point was that we have a very thin marked channel to get in and out of the harbour so I can't veer very far left or right to avoid a dinghy that may have overturned without having to go outside the buoys. These little sailing school boats are usually off to the side of the channel, so they are not blocking the channel. It is just way safer that way. There are power boats that come in and out of the harbour that send off big wakes and these little dinghies with kids that barely know how to sail will often flip over. They should not be teaching how to sail on a windy day like this where I saw a few of them flip, in the middle of the marked channel. It just wasn't safe or smart by the instructor (who looked to be about 21). My comment was more about why are they learning to sail in the middle of the channel today? Usually they don't do that. If they flip and fall into the water and the kid drifts away from his overturned boat and then gets run over by a power boat who doesn't see him floating in the marked entrance to the harbour, I am thinking the question would be... Why are you teaching kids in the middle of a high traffic entrance to a harbour on a very windy day instead of the huge areas to either side of the channel where no one travels? A few people misunderstood my frustration to mean that I thought I had the right of way. Which I knew I did not have.

1armedguy - 6 years ago

I'd have thrown it on top of the dingy !!

Cruising Off Duty - 6 years ago

The Kayak is 13' long and weighs 80+ pounds. Too big and long to throw on a dingy. But thanks for the suggestion.

Bruno Fasanaro - 6 years ago

Your boat is gorgeous. Hope some day i cound have one o those =)

Bruno Fasanaro - 6 years ago

I will someday

Cruising Off Duty - 6 years ago

Thanks Bruno. Get whatever you can afford, even if it is small and get into sailing. You will love it.

Stuart Tamblyn travel vlog - 6 years ago

I had a good look at your kyak and I see the rudder is sharp to the left... make sense why it's turning left... hahahha . good luck...

In it for the long haul long haul - 7 years ago

shoot im still on top.

Mayoo N - 7 years ago

Came to your channel looking for Mavic videos and now thinking of buying a boat !!! Good Job !!!!

Cruising Off Duty - 7 years ago

Thanks Mayoo. Our sailboat purchase, just over 6 years ago, changed our life. We can't imagine not having one now. So much to do on your boat and the sailing community is such a friendly and social bunch. Never had this many friends before we had a sail boat. You should get one.

Nine Hundred Dollar Luxury Yacht - 7 years ago

The mistakes you talk about are minor. Your biggest mistake was going to the swim platform without a harness tethering you to the boat and without a life jacket. Sure, one of the sailing school kids would have rescued you but you have to be especially paranoid when sailing alone. How embarrassing would it be to watch your boat sail away without you? I did that once, and although I survived, there was a moment when I was wondering what am I supposed to do about this now? Tow your dinghy and/or kayak on a much longer line so you have a chance to grab it if you fall off the boat. Run a line down the middle of the boat and tether yourself to it when not at anchor and wear the life jacket even if it looks lame. They are not meant to be stylish.

Cruising Off Duty - 7 years ago

Thanks James. Had I known I was going to have to jump the swim platform to try and rescue my flipped Kayak I certainly would have worn a jacket/harness. But it was not expected. But I see why my boat sailing away on autopilot would have been a bad thing. Even though one of the sailing instructors could have picked me up and caught up to my barely in gear boat. But you are right. That could have made for a very embarrassing moment.

Jer in Wis - 7 years ago

Celsius to Fahrenheit conversion: Think of Celsius as a percent. Multiple that percent by 180. Add 32. Done.
Example: 31C -> 31% * 180 = 55.8 + 32 = 87.8 F
(its because 32F = 0C and 212F = 100C and the diff between 212 and 32 is 180 thus 180/100 fraction. When people use a memorized equation that's popular its just the 180/100 reduced to 9/5 but I don't like having to remember an equation..
(nice series of videos btw too!).

Cruising Off Duty - 7 years ago

Thanks

Dannyboo Torres - 7 years ago

good stuff, keep sailing my friend....soon I'll be sailing too. be safe and Buddha bless you!

Cruising Off Duty - 7 years ago

+Dannyboo Torres . Thanks! I have never been blessed by Buddha before. That is awesome.

JOHN PUBLIC - 7 years ago

I thought I would move over, slow down, stop the boat, take care of business, then get back to the business of sailing. However, everyone's got an opinion , , , I thank you for sharing!

Cruising Off Duty - 7 years ago

Hey John. the channel is pretty narrow so if I stop the boat in that strong side wind I would have blown out of the channel. I had the boat in the slowest speed with the autopilot on to maintain steerage on a course. Seemed the safest option at the time. I stop the boat and then I can't steer and am blown out of the channel. That seems like a bad idea.

20. comment for EP6. Sailing Alone. How hard is it? What do you do when things go wrong?

Andrew Thompson - 7 years ago

Is it possible to live off the grid with a sailboat?

Cruising Off Duty - 7 years ago

Totally. We pretty much plan to do that. You have solar and wind generator for your electric. You have a watermaker onboard to turn salt water into drinking water and you can catch fish to help you eat. But you will need to get to shore to buy veggies, other types of meat and other supplies from time to time but for the most part you can live off the grid. Depends on how off the grid you want to stay.

secondplace - 7 years ago

Looks like fun, cheers!

Cruising Off Duty - 7 years ago

It is a lot of fun. I am so glad I started sailing.

Don McNabb - 7 years ago

Couldn't you just tie the nose of the kayak to the motor mount of the dinghy? Maybe butterfly knotted to two bumpers and attached to the dinghy with a retrace figure 8 from the other end of the bumpers. That would eliminate hard contact. As a bonus you'd get wake within wake of all three vessels. Could be a fun ride back there too lol. Including the drone, how much do you think you've invested in cameras and accesseries?

Cruising Off Duty - 7 years ago

Yes, tieing the Kayak to the back of the dingy would have worked. I just didn't expect the issue because I had towed them side by side before without problem. It was the strong breeze from the side. The episode was more about how these silly things start happening when you are alone trying to steer the channel at the same time and in my case trying to also film myself, which took away my usual focus to bring up the fenders. As for the Cameras, Lenses, Drones, accessories, computer stuff, software, etc, etc ....... A LOT. Many many thousands of dollars. More than I am willing to admit to. You make almost no money on YouTube too. Its less than $3 per 1000 views. So most episodes I am making under $10. That's why most small youtube channels ask people to sponsor them on Patreon because otherwise the creators are just hemorrhaging money to keep the channel afloat. Most eventually just give up and stop making episodes when cameras start breaking and they just can't justify buying new gear. It's a very expensive hobby.

Kevin Brown - 7 years ago

You could have just had the kayak pulling closer to the boat then the dingy. So they don't bump into each other

Cruising Off Duty - 7 years ago

Yep. For sure there were other things I could have done differently but once I was under way it was all just a rush to get things squared away as I went out the channel. I had towed them side by side before with no issue. It was just the strong side wind that was messing things up. I probably will never tow it like that again.

wvcorvetteman - 7 years ago

Just out of curiosity, why did you choose a sailboat rather than a cabin cruiser power boat? In this video you said 8 knots was good for this boat. Where a cabin cruiser would run 40 MPH. $60,000 would have bought you a real nice used cabin cruiser. Love you channel! Just subscribed today.

Cruising Off Duty - 7 years ago

My boat has a 30Hp Volvo Penta Diesel. At a comfortable cruising speed (not pushing the engine) you go about 5 knots. If you push the engine it will probably go over 6 knots but you hear the engine rpms are a lot higher so you are using a lot more fuel to get that little bit of extra speed. So I always motor around 5. I have sailed at 7.5 + a few times with my boat. So you can sail faster than you can motore but then you are usually healed over which can be tiring after a while. Hard to do anything but steer and enjoy the ride. Very little cooking or other activities go on at that speed. Thats why we want a Catamaran for our next sailboat. You can go pretty fast and don't heal over.

wvcorvetteman - 7 years ago

I understand now. I love all boats so I will continue to watch. What type of diesel engine does your boat have? Will it goes faster with the sails or engine. I have a Mercury Outboard 2 stroke and spend about $40.00 per boating weekend. Mine isn't to bad but my boat is only 18 feet long.

Cruising Off Duty - 7 years ago

Hey Thanks. I don't want to spend many hundreds if not thousands of dollars on gas per season. I probably spend $100 in diesel for all last season with my sailboat and I used it a lot. Thats the main reason. Plus I have friends who have power boats and you can't hear yourself think or have a conversation when underway bombing along at 40 MPH. I love how relaxing it is when you are under sail alone. We are in no rush to get anywhere so there is no need to go 40 MPH.

DOBM - 7 years ago

Excellent!

Cruising Off Duty - 7 years ago

Thanks DOBM.

Wilfred Darr - 7 years ago

Cruising Off Duty I assume you use a clove hitch for your fenders? Once you have them adjusted for height, is there any reason you don't throw a safety/square knot on it? Literally extra 1-2 seconds and you'd never loose them? Also, tying your fenders to the life line will eventually lead to cracking of the stanchion base or the hull where the stanchion fixes: tying off to the base of the stanchion will eliminate this problem. Maybe you already know this and needed to do this for better positioning of the fender while at the dock, I didn't see, so I'm not hassling you, just something I I noticed might help you out.

Cruising Off Duty - 7 years ago

Yes, I agree. The fancy spring loaded cleat didn't stand up to the test.

Wilfred Darr - 7 years ago

Cruising Off Duty Nope I couldn't see that in this video, but I'll watch for it in the future. I'd loose the fancy gizmo personally: a clove hitch is 3 seconds to tie, infinitely and instantly adjustable, and finished with a square knot will never accidently come off. That's my preference.

Cruising Off Duty - 7 years ago

+Wilfred Darr i'm not sure if you can tell from some of the other fenders on the port side but we don't have a knot tied. We have these spring-loaded cleats that pulls the rope through and when you release the trigger it tightens down on the rope at whatever length you choose to make it at that time. That way you can raise and lower your fenders based on what type of doctor you are against. But obviously with the fender dragging in the water it pulled loose.

Michael - 7 years ago

pull the kayak just forward of the dinghy

Cruising Off Duty - 7 years ago

I tried that and but the RIB ran over the back and got caught underneath. The Kayak is 13' long so not that much room.

Jim Wilson - 7 years ago

Use your main Hayward and winch up kayak

Howard.russel Mclaren - 6 years ago

sailing alone without life vest and harness? not too bright !

Cruising Off Duty - 7 years ago

I have an in mast furling main so my Halyard is always attached at the top of the mast so not really an option. But I could have use the spinnaker halyard (although I doubt it was long enough to get way back there). I had towed the Kayak before and it had never been an issue. I just wasn't expecting the mayhem that ensued so I resorted to the quickest option which was to just manhandle it up onto the deck. Lesson learned. I wont tow it beside my dinghy again.

brett farv - 7 years ago

thanks for the vids, i plan on doing this

Cruising Off Duty - 7 years ago

Thanks Brett. Glad to hear.

30. comment for EP6. Sailing Alone. How hard is it? What do you do when things go wrong?

Matt M - 7 years ago

Very cool video!..... With all the "things going wrong", sounds like a normal day on the water. I just enjoy being out on the water fishing and fixing stupid stuff and my wife is getting good at it. I spend a lot of time in Catalina, lake mead, and mohave lake . My wife likes the water so much now she insists we have the boat at lake mead. Good luck dude!

Cruising Off Duty - 7 years ago

Hey Matt. Well you have a keeper if you wife loves being around water and on boats. I have that with Janice too but surprisingly that is rare. Just as a reflection of how male dominated this sailing life is. My viewership is 94% male. Congrats to you for getting the girl many guys would love to have. Tell me she like NFL and Nascar and you have the rarest of rare women. Even I don't have that. ha ha

Martin Wade - 7 years ago

Lets see...taking off in high winds. No PFD. You should not be towing one, let alone two dinghy's. Dude...you need a check list.

Cruising Off Duty - 7 years ago

Yep. Add on top of that I had a new camera that I was trying to use and was trying to focus on that. Too many thing going on at once caused me to forget simple things like, bring up the fenders. ha ha. Well hopefully you enjoyed watching me make silly mistakes.

Nantahayala - 7 years ago

You did great by yourself

Cruising Off Duty - 7 years ago

Good. Sailing is very peaceful especially alone. You will get a lot of sailing in if you are not worried about going out alone. :-)

Nantahayala - 7 years ago

I'm taking a sailing course in the spring at a local college. Yes, I have sailed but was not in charge but I'm unafraid to try.

Cruising Off Duty - 7 years ago

Thanks Nantahayala. I appreciate that. I did a bunch of dumb things that day but I am far from perfect and I think it was good to let people see that you can sail by yourself and even if you have thing going wrong you can just work through it. Too many boats just sit at the dock and don't get used for 90% of the summer because only one person (of the couple) is available to use it. I learned in my first year of owning by boat that I have to get over the fear of sailing and docking my boat alone or the boat will sit idle a lot. You just have to go out and sail, even if it is a bit scary at first. Once you get the hang of sailing alone the boat gets used all the time. I make sure that I get a good bang for my buck out of my yearly boat costs. :-)

Rod Hinds - 7 years ago

great vid, Dont beat yourself up so much, very minor issues, you never put yourself or any one else in danger so it was a good day sailing. If leaving the fenders down was the worst thing then your way ahead of me.

Cruising Off Duty - 7 years ago

Hey Rod, Thanks. It was funny because my original plan was just to go out sailing and make an episode on how easy it was and anyone could go out and sail alone, but one thing after another kept going wrong so it turned into a "How hard is it to sail alone when things go wrong" episode. I think part of my brain farts was that I was so focussed on having the cameras pointing in the right direction that I forgot the little things like bringing up the fenders and leaving my startk hey in the Dinghy. You are too kind, but you wont believe how many people wrote in and gave me flak for all sorts of things. I get more grief from that video than all the others combined. :-)

Star Light - 7 years ago

sounds like a cop who owns this sailboat !

Cam McNab - 7 years ago

So?

Ronald Johnson - 7 years ago

your right.

clidiere - 7 years ago

I love the accelerated dinghy ride!
I think best is to never tow anything. The forces in play can become huge when the sea rises. Especially when your boat is going down a wave while your dinghy is going up.
Before getting the kayak on board, an option would have been to have it towed in front of the dingy (on a shorter line), not by its side. Or you could also lift only its bow against the stern. This reduces the drag significantly.

Cruising Off Duty - 7 years ago

+clidiere . I agree. I would never tow my dinghy if I was on the Ocean with big waves. We were only on a river so the waves never really get that big. Moving to the Great Lakes next season. Will have to be much more careful there. For long passages where we may be sailing for days and could get caught in bad weather we will have to use the spinnaker halyard to lift the big heavy RIB onto the deck and strap it down. That is going to be a lot of work each time we want to use it though.

mike womack - 7 years ago

Nice.....Rrrrrr

Cruising Off Duty - 7 years ago

Thanks ...... Rrrrrrr? ha ha

KingKesper - 7 years ago

14:11 The laser capsized :PPPPPP

KingKesper - 7 years ago

Cruising Off Duty - 7 years ago

I could have tried that.:-)

KingKesper - 7 years ago

yeah, I love lasers, they're super cool. Do you think for your kayak, that you could have tied it to the top of your dinghy? That way you'd be towing one vehicle, and since it's flat, it wouldn't cause it to tip over?

Cruising Off Duty - 7 years ago

You notices that did you. ha ha. It was crazy windy for a laser class but I guess they want them to learn how to get them back flipped back rightside up. They move really fast, if they can keep them upright.

jb hann - 7 years ago

Couldn't he of just shortened the line of the kayak so the kayak stayed ahead of the dingy?

Kisi Lekasa - 7 years ago

Cruising Off Duty now

Cruising Off Duty - 7 years ago

I could have tried that. But the cheap foam core rope I was using came apart in the middle so I decided I couldn't trust it. So with little time to think, I just decided that pulling it up on deck was the safest option. I will never use that type of rope again, even if it was just for towing a Kayak (little rope holding strength should have been needed).

Bella Vista - 7 years ago

Great video. Nice to see sailing in different parts of the world.
Would suggest you tie a second line to your dinghy, to a different fixing point, especially when towing. This could avoid one more headache.

Cruising Off Duty - 7 years ago

Hey thanks Bella Vista. You are probably right. A second line is never a bad idea. Luckily we are on an inland lake so if we are ever sailing and look back and our dingy has gone "Rogue" on us and taken off, He can't go far and we will find him on the shore somewhere eventually. We are the only ones who has this exact one so no chance someone will pretend it is their dingy. But, if I were on the ocean I would never tow our dinghy. It will be on Davits.

J Podolski - 7 years ago

Hi there! Just want to congratulate you on the "way" you choose to have fun , particularly choosing sailing. Lovely boat too. What boat is it? Once again , ll the best and safe waters!

Cruising Off Duty - 7 years ago

Thanks. Our boat is a Beneteau Oceanis 351. Our next boat will be a catamaran. We are at the Annapolis boat show just trying to decide what boat is at the top of our list right now

Ralph der Kapitaen - 7 years ago

looks like you would be a liability to have you on the water near other people.....Luckily, nobody from the sailing school got hit by you while you were trying to figure out how to get through with all the challenges....:-)
Funny video though..thanks for posting.

Cruising Off Duty - 7 years ago

It was definitely not one of my better days. I think the wind and waves made it look like my boat was moving faster than it actually was. I was barely moving forward. Everyone saw me creeping along so there was no risk of me hitting anyone. Had anyone gotten in my way I could have stopped messing with the Kayak and turned the wheel. I was watching. :-)

Jesse - 7 years ago

That's why you shouldn't have anything hanging behind your boat!

Travel By Water - 7 years ago

Impressive speed, and against the current too!

Cruising Off Duty - 7 years ago

Yes. My boat is beamy so it is a slug in low wind but pretty fast if it's windy.

Dale Myers - 7 years ago

Critics are a dime a dozen:) your style is effective and well done. Don't let the armchair experts take too much of your attention.
Just have fun and keep up the creative work.

Cruising Off Duty - 7 years ago

Thanks Dale. I appreciate that. I get overwhelming positive comments so I am very happy, but every now and then you get someone who just puts you down. You try and ignore it and if it is too nasty I will just block them. It is sad there are people out there who do that to someone who is giving them free content. I guess every youtuber has to put up with the angry negative people. I hear from other youtubers that with time you dont let it faze you. Like I said the vast majority are very supportive and for that I am thankful. :-)

Dale Myers - 7 years ago

Enjoyed the honesty and laughs. We all have days like this:). Nice post and very nice boat. Really like that G4!
Continued success in all you do. Good work!

Cruising Off Duty - 7 years ago

Thanks Dale. I appreciate you taking the time to give me a positive comment. Especially on that video. I've never received more flak for any video like I did for that one. Seems like a lot of people think they are perfect sailors and never make a mistake, and love to criticize. Lets throw a camera on their boat and see if it is true. :-)

Pieter van der Leer - 7 years ago

We have a cute 25 footer, https://www.facebook.com/SailDrifter25/, and it will take me for a ride if I fly her solo. It doesn't have an auto pilot yet and I have to organize everything so I can sit, trim and sheets organized, tiller in hand, to enjoy a good sail, just to find out that I forgot the fenders. Sometimes I think we need a "before and after take-off checklist" when we go solo.
Much appreciated honesty in this mini documentary. Give us more! :)

Cruising Off Duty - 7 years ago

You know Pieter, I was just thinking that. I need to make a checklist for those days when the something goes wrong to take you out of routine. The checklist could get you back on track.

499PUCK - 7 years ago

Celsius to Fahrenheit : c times 2 plus 32 . So the temp is 31c times 2 = 64, now add 32 = 96

Cruising Off Duty - 7 years ago

Yes I have heard that explanation for the conversion too. But on the fly I just can't recall it. Everyone but the US uses Celsius for temperature so its not like you need to covert it on a daily basis. Most people speak metric. ;-)

499PUCK - 7 years ago

My algebra teacher said it wasn't exact but close enough.

Cruising Off Duty - 7 years ago

Excellent. I knew it was hot. I probably could have guessed mid 90s. Hard to do math on the fly while talking to a camera.

Paul Ryan - 7 years ago

We've all done all of this, or close to it. Well done for publishing it. Love your work!

Cruising Off Duty - 7 years ago

Thanks for taking the time to give me this positive feedback. Yep we all make mistakes. That day was just a bunch all in a row. Not my usual day sailing.

SavvySalt - 7 years ago

In hindsight, do you think that either lengthening or shortening the kayak's tow line would have kept it from flipping over? At least for a while until you had space to deal with it permanently?

Cruising Off Duty - 7 years ago

Yes. You just have to hope it doesn't drift into a place that you can't go with your sailboat to chase it down.

SavvySalt - 7 years ago

I see. My experience is the opposite, we use polypro line for the painter and when the dinghy inverted the line ripped the D-rings right out of the dinghy. That was an entertaining MOB drill :)

Cruising Off Duty - 7 years ago

Maybe had I tied it right close to the back of the boat it would have had less space to veer left. Unfortunately I already had the Dinghy tied to the low hook in the middle of the boat and the kayak was tied to the back rail on the side of the boat (which is high off the water). Then once the kayak flipped over it pulled so hard on the crappy floating painter (made of foam) that it broke in several spots and all that was holding the kayak was the outer sheath of the rope. At that point I had no confidence in that rope to hold the kayak so I had to give up and pull it up onto the boat. Had I known how cheap that rope was I never would have tried to tow the kayak in the first place. Learning lesson. :-)

50. comment for EP6. Sailing Alone. How hard is it? What do you do when things go wrong?

Burt Yankiver S/V Perseverance - 7 years ago

Just found your Vlog, impressive camera and editing and sailing. It takes a confident person to show the mistakes as well. Impressive. I will continue to follow. Fair winds and following seas ...

Cruising Off Duty - 7 years ago

Thanks Burt. I have received some flak from some viewers criticizing me for making some of those mistakes saying that I come off as a Tool but I think I had too many things going on (New Camera, High winds, Kayak flipping) that I just had some brain farts while sailing that day. Im glad some people have commented that it is good to see other people make mistakes. We all do from time to time. Things will go wrong while sailing alone and you just have to do the best to work through it. :-)

richard taylor - 7 years ago

I'm sure others have said this, but why no life jacket or safety line ? or was that the whole point ?

Cruising Off Duty - 7 years ago

Yep. Check the comments below. I have covered that topic a number of times. :-)

Jason Ellis - 7 years ago

Great video! What are you using for your graphics overlays if I may ask?

Cruising Off Duty - 7 years ago

Thanks Jason. I edit with Final Cut Pro. I use an add on program within that program called mCallouts to point out special things of interest.

Bradshaw TX - 7 years ago

Enjoyed the video, thanks.

Cruising Off Duty - 7 years ago

Thanks Bradshaw. Im glad you liked it. Hopefully you keep watching.

Ronald Johnson - 7 years ago

Sailing single handed is great I tried to get out every night after work for a couple for hours it was wind down from day of work, we would have single handed races an all sail changes were done by hand. no auto polite. either. As for the kid in the sailing class you are under power they do have the right away if they weren't doing it right the teachers would of horn them out. Slow down an watch out around small boats you will still get where you are going. S/V Pan

Wilfred Darr - 7 years ago

Ronald Johnson "whatever" is one word; bye is spelled with an e.

Ronald Johnson - 7 years ago

what ever. good by.

Wilfred Darr - 7 years ago

Ronald Johnson Sorry but COLREGS don't have an "Appendix C: Vessels categorized by size as cataloged in the Book of Ronald Johnson". In your book or not, he was constrained to the channel by his draft. The school boats were not and therefore, had a collision taken place, the school boat would have been at fault. COLREGS state: "The stand-on vessel SHALL MAINTAIN her COURSE AND SPEED, but she MAY take action to avoid collision if it becomes clear that the give-way vessel is NOT TAKING APPROPRIATE ACTION... These options for the stand-on vessel do not relieve the give-way vessel of her OBLIGATIONS UNDER THE RULES". He exercised his OPTION to avoid the collision and a collision was averted, not because he was required to, but because he chose to. Rather courteous of him I'd say.

In regards to him stopping, if you had the experience you claim, you would know that a stopped vessel losses steerage, and this is in fact in violation of the COLREGS which state: "Every vessel shall at all times proceed at a SAFE speed...[taking] into account the maneuvrability of the vessel with special reference to...turning ability in the prevailing conditions;...the state of wind, sea and current, and the proximity of navigational hazards;" and he did specifically say in the video that he had reduced speed to the minimum necessary to maintain steerage due to the wind.

You continue to ignore rules, common sense, or stated facts to make him "in the wrong". I'm done wasting my time with you as you obviously don't take correction.

Ronald Johnson - 7 years ago

he is not a large vessel in my book all he had to do was slow down pull in the kiack put it on deck . wouldhave been easy. neutral would have been nice too.

Wilfred Darr - 7 years ago

Ronald Johnson You were wrong and now defend yourself by saying you don't really care about the regs? Fine. But now your lecture on courtesy is more than a little hollow when defending a sailing school giving a class in the channel while a vessel is obviously trying to get by in the channel. Where's the courtesy in that?

Ronald Johnson - 7 years ago

Mr. Darr I really do not care about he is not in my book a larger vessels he has plenty of capability to avoid other vessels should not be using auto polite in channel anyways he also has sail up an motor running an could have consideration for the kids. I have sailed from 10ft to an 80ft. allway had consideration, an if going in out of tight channel was at wheel till we hit open water. You are right about part B but he is a larger vessel in my book.

Wilfred Darr - 7 years ago

Ronald Johnson Incorrect. COLREGS Part B, section I, 9: Small vessels or sailing vessels must not impede (larger) vessels which can navigate only within a narrow channel. Before correcting someone, please review your material first.

Cruising Off Duty - 7 years ago

Every night after work. Now that is commitment ! Nice !

Bradley Vaughn - 7 years ago

Awesome video. .I definitely don't want my kids learning sailing from that instructor .teaching them right in the middle of the channel how safe is that..don't worry about the Sanders everyone makes mistakes..

Cruising Off Duty - 7 years ago

Thanks Bradley. I appreciate the positive comment.

Bob Lee - 7 years ago

Sweet, You guys are making us believers in sailing. Keep going with the episodes, however short. Your a natural at narrating....... As you continued through the channel, we were held in suspense as to what was going on at the bow with the other young salts of the sea ;))

Cruising Off Duty - 7 years ago

Thanks Robert. Im glad you are liking them. I plan to keep going.

Sailing JAEKA - 7 years ago

I am sure it is not easy to go sailing along! First the navigation itself plus repairing part make the entire process not so smooth. We are two on a boat and know well how such things work!

Cruising Off Duty - 7 years ago

Hey Jaeka. I hope you dont think I was saying sailing alone is easy. It is not. Especially on an open ocean passage. I don't know how those solo around the world racers do it. Living on little to no sleep and having to fix things while sailing. I just sail short distances on the River, so I dont have to worry about sleep or major breakdowns far from home. When we live on a boat on an ocean, I will not ever be alone. :-)

Sean McSweeney - 7 years ago

Can you arrange for someone to post the footage if you ever fall overboard? Would be educational to many :) I jest - Do like you sharing your trip, but no harness or vest? Thanks

Cruising Off Duty - 7 years ago

I get that comment all of the time from ocean going people. I think I have answered this like 5 times. No one around here on a river straps into a harness with jacklines. We dont get the big waves to knock you out of your cockpit. Some people who are not strong swimmers will wear a life jackets but at this time of the year the water is very warm and the shore is not that far. I was a competitive swimmer and a lifeguard in my youth so I know how to swim. A life jacket would just get in my way and slow me down to shore. At the beginning of the season when the water is cold, I wear an inflatable life jacket because I know the cold would effect my ability to swim. I hope this is the last time I need to explain this. :-)

Dede Xyz - 7 years ago

You struggle w/ a puny 80#? WTF? I'm 60.....and I can do that EASILY!!

Cruising Off Duty - 7 years ago

Glad to hear it. It was more awkward getting it to fit through the small opening.

Kelkschiz - 7 years ago

Very nice learning from someone else's mistakes for a change. Thanks for showing.

Cruising Off Duty - 7 years ago

Ha ha. When I was planning and filming the episode it was originally meant to just show how you can sail solo if you have a day off and no one else around, but it turned into a day of mistakes. Glad you enjoyed it.

Randy King - 7 years ago

I don't usually comment on other's skippering because who among of us is perfect, but how can you climb down onto your swim platform and man handle that kayak into the boat with your boat in gear and on autopilot, and you with no safety tether. If you had slipped or fallen in or the kayak had pulled you in, your boat would have continued on without you and maybe injured or killed somebody.

Cruising Off Duty - 7 years ago

I agree Randy. That would be the prudent thing to do. I do have a harness and jacklines in case I ever take this boat to the Great Lakes where the waves are much bigger and the shore may be out of sight. I guess around here (at least in August when the water is warm). You almost never see anyone using a harness. Some do wear life jackets though but I think that is usually reserved for dinghy racers (who may flip) and for people who really can't swim to shore (which isn't far). Thanks for taking the time to watch and comment.

Randy King - 7 years ago

Just mentioning it in the context of the title "Sailing Alone: What could go wrong." When I am the only one up top (or the only one on board that knows how to sail) I usually wear my harness and, at least try to, always clip into a safety line before I leave the cockpit to do anything.

Cruising Off Duty - 7 years ago

I see your point. Keep in mind that the boat was barely in gear. Probaby travelling at under 2 knots. There were a ton of sailing school intructors in Zodiacs bombing around. Had I fallen in, I would have waved down one and had them zip me back to my boat. It wasn't racing across the river out of control. It was moving far slower than the dinghies in the sailing school were traveling. If you watch the video you see the one dinghy race up from behind me and pass me. Perhaps when I sped up the video it gave you the perspective that the boat was going much faster than it was.

Plebasaurus Rekt - 7 years ago

i know that most people might not care about speed so much, but a study i read not too long ago said that having the dinghy in the water behind the boat can slow the boat down by about 2 knots, and thats alot if you ask me... so if you can you should have it on deck.

Cruising Off Duty - 7 years ago

It does slow you down. I don't think mine slows me down that much. I have a V-hull Rib so it planes on the water so it is not as much of a drag as a flat bottomed inflatable. One day when I am sailing on an ocean, with much bigger waves than the Ottawa River, I will invest in Dinghy Davits and get my dinghy out of the water. :-)

Just about sailing - 7 years ago

Yep, done several of those - and a few more. I'm glad it's not just me. Thanks for sharing.

Cruising Off Duty - 7 years ago

Thanks J.A.S. . I'm glad to be of service. :-)

Wave Dancer - 7 years ago

Sailing solo and NO lifewest, no saeftyline to hook on? You are quite a chaos-sailor!

Wilfred Darr - 7 years ago

Cruising Off Duty I'd remind you that the boom is called that for a reason... My mother made me wear a horse shoe life jacket until I was 14, so considering how obtrusive that thing was, with a modern inflatable you have really no excuse not to.

Cruising Off Duty - 7 years ago

The waves on the Ottawa river don't get that big to throw me overboard. The water this time of year is also 80 degrees so there is no chance of dying of hypothermia and you can see shore on both sides. I was a lifeguard and know how to swim at a leisurely pace to shore. So Im good. But thanks for the concern. None of the Cruising sailboats of my size clip in to lifelines to go sailing. It is just not that rough to warrant it. Now if I couldn't swim (and some people can't) then I would wear a lifejacket all of the time. :-)

Norman Smith - 7 years ago

I watch so many boasters with boats thinking they are the bees knees but your a real sailor telling it as it is.

Cruising Off Duty - 7 years ago

Thanks Norman. I appreciate that.

Kent Fletcher - 7 years ago

Hi Craig, nice work on the video, first one of yours I've watched. I had to smile when you pointed out the fenders, last summer, on a sail to Santa Cruz Island, I went forward to drop anchor only to find all my fenders were still down - 20+ nm from the marina!
Did you check your knotmeter speed against a GPS? From the look of the water, I'm wondering is some of the indicated speed on your tridata was from current?

Cruising Off Duty - 7 years ago

Hi Kent. Glad you liked it. Hopefully you will watch the rest and keep watching. I have forgotten my fenders before for a short distance but this is the first time I have forgotten them long enough that it ended up getting ripped off my my boat. I have checked my speed against my GPS speed on my Navionics app (on my iphone) and it is pretty accurate. But you are right. I was going up river against a 1/2 knot current (aprox) so the SOG was probably a bit less but the boat was still travelling through the water at that speed which is pretty good. I'm not sure what my theoretical max hull speed is based on my 35' length and 12' beam but I bet I was pretty close to it. When I go up river I lose a bit of SOG but going down river, to return home, I get of a speed boost in the SOG over what my Tridata says.

Colin may - 7 years ago

its a laser race team not a sailing school

Cruising Off Duty - 7 years ago

And the guys in the zodiacs caught at the end of my video are sailing school employees. This was not a race or the race committee boat with the guns to start and stop the race would have been out there. It was instruction (Im guessing on how to sail lasers in high winds) ha ha.

Cruising Off Duty - 7 years ago

There were flipping over those boats, left and right (not much of that made the video as the camera was facing my face) so it seemed like they were pretty new at sailing and everyone in the boats looked pretty young. Perhaps they were teaching them how to race lasers? Anyway, Still doesn't change my thought that you shouldn't set up race boys on either side of a channel entrance to a harbour ..... forcing the obviously new "racers" to go back and forth in front of boats trying to enter and exit the harbour. There are football fields of space on either side of the channel for that purpose.

ysesq - 7 years ago

checklists. just dont forget them at home.

Steve Cook - 7 years ago

From a land locked Albertan who has to drive an hour to get to a brown shallow lake you have no idea how lucky you are! Love the video's.

Cruising Off Duty - 7 years ago

Hey Steve. Glad you are enjoying the videos. Thanks for reminding me how luck I am. It is a super area to sail and only being a 10 min drive to the boat is also awesome. We all find something that could be better, like the water could be more clear so we could scuba or snorkel ( in our case the Ottawa river has so many rotting logs from the logging days on the bottom that the water looks like steeped tea) but overall it is pretty scenery with lots to look at. Im sorry you are so far from your boat an for a muddy lake at that. Hmmmm sounds like you need to take up our plan of selling everything and moving to to warm crystal clear waters when you retire too. :-)

Wayne Federico - 7 years ago

Love the graphics on the water Great signature ~~

Cruising Off Duty - 7 years ago

It does showcase my logo in a nice "nautical" way, doesn't it ? I'm very happy with how it turned out.

KC1HOX Glenn - 7 years ago

what is pokeman? is that a little kid cartoon?

Cruising Off Duty - 7 years ago

I totally agree. I am shocked that there are people under sun tents camped out there even in bad weather. They look like Zombies

KC1HOX Glenn - 7 years ago

+Cruising Off Duty Sounds it. I dont partake of cell phone games I find boats a better hobby to waste my time and money on. More fun than standing around 100 other people not talking and staring at a cell phone at something that doesnt exist. Seems psychotic to me

Cruising Off Duty - 7 years ago

Pokémon is a game everyone seems to be playing on their cell phones. It is augmented reality. They see these creatures they have to capture. I guess our park is a pokemon stop so the people just sit there day and night. It is crazy packed on the weekend and weekdays after work. 300+ people just sitting there under awnings just playing for hours and hours in any weather. So strange.

Bob Sheppard - 7 years ago

First time watching your vids. Great start. Just remember that the sailing school boats have the right of way. You are under power, they are under sail. After a number of close calls with those that don't know the right of way rules, I know approach every situation thinking the other boat doesn't have a clue. It' saved both of us heartache a number of times

Cruising Off Duty - 7 years ago

Thanks Bob. Glad you like them. Yep, I knew they had right of way that was why I was trying to avoid them. My point was more why would they put their marks for the school to race around on opposite sides of the known channel forcing the kids to criss cross back in forth of boats trying to get in and out of the harbour. Just seemed like a bad choice. So many better spots for them to place those racing marks. If you notice in the background the kids were flopping those dinghies over all of the time in the high wind of that day. So they end up upside down in the middle of the channel people are trying to use. Silly course placement in my eyes especially when there was massive amounts of space on either side of the channel to use.

mike travis - 7 years ago

Hi, just picked up your channel today and am watching back to back. Really great to see the reality of boat ownership, and I love your vids. Having just started my own boat ownership journey ( 17ft Hurley Silhouette), I can totally appreciate everything you are sharing. Always lots to learn and the most important thing is you are doing it, not dreaming of doing it....All the very best and keep posting.

Cruising Off Duty - 7 years ago

Thanks Mike. The last 6 years have been a journey. From never owning a sailboat to getting almost the biggest one my club will allow was a big leap. But, it was the best decision I've ever made. I spend so much of my free time on my boat or at the club. Not every decision works out so well. Many years ago I had thought about buying a 29 C&C (even put an offer on one). I had the money saved for the boat but a bunch of my friends talked me into getting a Harley Davidson. I blew way way too much money on that Bike and so I had no money to buy a boat until many years later and now that MC sits in my Garage barely being used. To be fun, an MC needs to have other people to ride with. I moved cities and the friends I had to ride with then are no longer around. That is not the case with the sailboat. I can go alone to the boat (to go do some odd jobs) and there are other people at the club to socialize with. When I go out sailing alone it is active and even alone, sitting at an anchorage sipping a drink and listening to the birds as the sun goes down, is enjoyable and melts away any stress that life has put on your shoulders. My MC has never given me that relaxed feeling. Also, there is much less chance of me dying sailing my boat then driving my MC. You just can't control what other drivers around you do.

about chris - 7 years ago

Nothing beats having your boat close at hand. My boat is 30ft. from my back door in a slip in Newport Beach. Best thing I have ever done in my life,worth every penny when my Mother-in-law comes to visit.I always find something to fix on it when she visits.

about chris - 7 years ago

I pay a service to clean My hull weekly yet to stay away from the house at that time I might clean my hull every day..

Cruising Off Duty - 7 years ago

Ha ! Got to love those reasons to escape the house. Having your boat in your own backyard. Now that is sweet !! You are a lucky man. I feel happy to just be a 10 minute drive from mine.

james bond - 7 years ago

What is the shade of Janice's toe nail color? And her hair color as well.

Cruising Off Duty - 7 years ago

No idea and she has natural brown hair but does add a plum die to it from time to time. You checking out my wife's feet ? Ha ha.

bubba - 7 years ago

put the kayak on the other side of dinghy

Connie Fontenot - 7 years ago

Sailing seems to be to stressful for u. Have a drink and relax !

brucetheviking - 7 years ago

best to haul dinghy and canoe onboard in a blow like that.

Cruising Off Duty - 7 years ago

Not sure what you are asking?

joe z - 7 years ago

+Cruising Off Duty Why does it have to fit inside COD?

Cruising Off Duty - 7 years ago

Ah, I see what you are saying. Unfortunately the Kayak is 13' long. It is huge. It wont fit inside my dinghy. It would hang way off the back and I already have an electric motor mounted to the back transom of the dinghy so I don't want the Kayak to bounce up and down on that either. So that is not really an option. But thanks for the thought.

joe z - 7 years ago

No. Put in onto the dinghy. Why drag both?

Cruising Off Duty - 7 years ago

You know I thought of that. I don't think I was clear enough in the video. The foam filled floaty rope I had on the front of my Kayak came apart under the strain of being towed upside down. So the rope was very thin in spot where there was no more foam. So I didn't trust the rope after that. I gave up on the towing idea once I saw the condition of the cheap rope.

Joseph Meece - 7 years ago

You wanting to purchase a Cat. Be careful of the new sailing laws that is being put out by President Obama and the United Nations. They say power boaters have to pay taxes on their fuel so sailboaters don't have to pay these taxes. So UN Agenda H2O aka UN Agenda 96 is going to be put in effect Jan 1, 2017. What this is that sailers will have to pay the USA and also the World Bank taxes on the amount of air that they get over their sails. Once you have the square footage your GPS tracks how far you travel and how fast you travel. SO they use a math equation to figure out the amount of air you use that day and each day you're on the water and at the end of the month you pay your tax to the World Bank and also an additional wind tax to the United States. Most sailors are saying if you travel around 200-300 miles a week you wind tax for the month will be around $175 a month. Since Cats have a larger sail plan multi hull boats will have to pay more taxes.
Now since you and others have fallen from your chart table and some may have even thrown their Mac Book Pro across the cabin and into the bulkhead I have to tell you something. When I was in the US Navy we would play pranks on all the new people. Pranks and sending new seamen to get us some relative bearing grease. We have sent them for all kinds of stuff. I have had some boating monthly newspapers print what I told you and always said, "Pay attention, because their is no UN Agenda H20 or Agenda 96 or flopped over 69. So I'm sorry but your just been pranked. I have even gotten tourist at our SW Florida home to go watch Submarine Races from differed Ft Myers Docks. I told them to take pictures and when they down load them onto their computer they will be able to see the submarines under the water. Oh yeah, where this was taking place in an area of 8-12 feet deep water.

Cruising Off Duty - 7 years ago

Ha. Air tax. Well the US taxes people for a lot of screwy things so .... anything is possible. Good luck getting a Canadian to pay a tax to the US though. Unless we are living or moored there. Then I guess they got me. :-(

Joseph Meece - 7 years ago

I just saw your videos for the first time. VERY GOOD so now I'm subscribed. Don't worry about all your mistakes because I have made quite a few and notice others who have. I live near Raystown Lake in Central Pennsylvania. I used to be a boat salesman and I thought I would share this story with you. A customer got hurt at his job and got a nice settlement. He bought a Dodge Dakota pickup and a 20 ft Crownline, bowrider. He launches his first boat for the first time. He backs in and the boat doesn't come off the trailer. He unhooks the boat and it still won't float off. SO he stands OUTSIDE of his pickup with the driver's side door open. He reaches in and knocks the truck from park to reverse. The boat floats off but the pick up goes backwards and sinks!!! Divers were called in to retrieve the pickup. He calls our dealership and asks if we can pick up his boat. The next time he took the boat out he took on WATER!!! He forgot to put his plug in. So NO WAY are you this dumb.

Cruising Off Duty - 7 years ago

Ha ! Funny story. Yes, I'd have to say my screw ups are quite small in comparison.

OHFORPEATSAKES - 7 years ago

The sailing dinghies did have the right of way... (so do rowboats, canoes, etc over power-driven boats) 11:32

Cruising Off Duty - 7 years ago

Oh, I realize the right of way rules but this is a thin marked channel meant for boats to enter and exit the Harbor. There is plenty of space on either side of the channel for dinghies to practice sailing. In this case the school had set out markers for the students to navigate around that crisscrossed the marked channel forcing them to go back and forth in front of boats using the Channel. That seems unnecessary and a bit dangerous. There are powerboats that rip in and out of that harbor and leave huge wakes which could tip a small dinghy. Why would you set up kids on small easily tipable dinghies to learn to sail right in the channel knowing that there is going to be boats (some fast moving) going through the channel. Not smart. I understand if I am in the middle of the lake I have to yield to small dinghies under sail but in that case I have plenty of room to go around them. No sooner would a dinghy cross over the channel out of my path, but it would flip about and go back the other way back into my path. Having the right of way doesn't mean be reckless about it. Especially with kids that probably don't have great sailing skills yet. I hope you get my point.

Cruising Off Duty - 7 years ago

Thanks Tamouree. I appreciate that. That day was a particularly bad day. I can usually go out and back without any screw ups. ha ha. When I do screw up I figured I'd show it because it shows how sailing alone can be a bit more stressful when things don't go well. I will try hard not to F up in any way that gets me, the boat or anyone else hurt. Fair winds to you as well.

Cruising Off Duty - 7 years ago

Yes... while talking on the fly I often stumble on portholes, portlights, Hatches etc and so the word window just came to mind quickly. Too many years living on land I guess. :-)

Paw Larsen - 7 years ago

Just found this channel.. Subscribed right away. Bought my first sailboat last year. So i find this very informative, hands on, and different than the other sailing channels. Cheers! ( in red beer)

Cruising Off Duty - 7 years ago

Thanks Paw. The Cheers with red beer, cracked me up. I think that needs to be my signature drink. :-) This was our first boat and we have had it for 6 years and I still love it. Can't wait to live on a boat. You always worry that you will buy something big (like a boat) and get bored with it soon after and hardly every use it But, that is not the case with our Sailboat. Hope you have many years of enjoyment with your new boat too.

Clinton Williamson - 7 years ago

really enjoying your channel, hope you plan to do more vids, and thanks for your service to your community through your day job.

Cruising Off Duty - 7 years ago

Thanks Mutton. I am planning to keep doing video into the indefinite future. It should get really interesting when we retire, buy a Catamaran and cruise around the world.

Alain Pascal Routhier - 7 years ago

Hello, great video. I love when sailors show their mistakes and have an opportunity to learn from them for the whole community. it is also great to hear you had a great time. In a kayak your weight is the ballast, without you the boat is unstable, like a cork, throw a few weight in the aft storage compartment to stabilize the kayak and it should not capsize. I would not use my laptop but..
Just a thought.

Cruising Off Duty - 7 years ago

Thanks Alain for the info. Ive towed my Kayak's before and I've never had an issue but I think the strong cross wind caused it to want to turn into the path of the RIB. Once the RIB rolled overtop, it must have flipped the kayak. I think in the future I will just put the Kayak up on deck, just to be safe.

P. McGovern - 7 years ago

Cool video! Glad you had a good sail 7.4; 7.5 knots nice!

Cruising Off Duty - 7 years ago

Thanks. It was fun. Once I finally got the kayak up on deck.

Moe Jaime - 7 years ago

Yup you need a davit if you are going single handed sailing !

Cruising Off Duty - 7 years ago

I rarely bring both my Dinghy and my Kayak at the same time. My Dinghy is a deep V-hull Rib so it planes really nice behind my boat so it has never been a problem towing it. Davits are just more money than I can afford right now especially when the Dinghy is not a problem to tow. But..... When I get my next boat (Cat) I will definitely have a davits because I would never trust pulling a Rib in the huge waves that the Ocean can have. The Ottawa River can have heavy wind but the waves never get that big. :-)

Moe Jaime - 7 years ago

hey cant you use a hallard line to pull up boat ? or a line connected to a winch maybe ? although 80 pounds is not that heavy maybe you can get a davit for the back of your boat ?

Cruising Off Duty - 7 years ago

Thanks Moe. You can't wait ? Think about how I feel! ha ha. I have to live through 6 months of winter to enjoy my boat. Plus I have to listen to Janice tell me almost daily how much she hates the winter. That is a loooooong 6 months. :-)

Moe Jaime - 7 years ago

+Cruising Off Duty
I am happy that you know your safety and cant wait until you leave the river and sail down in the islands fair winds and full sails !

Cruising Off Duty - 7 years ago

Since we are on a river the waves don't get a chance to get very large. Everyone around here tows their dinghy. Mine being a V-hull Rib is so heavy it would not flip from wind and with the V-hull, it tows without much resistance. It is safe here but I wouldn't do this if I was on the Ocean with big waves. I agree that would be a bad idea. :-)

Moe Jaime - 7 years ago

one example is pulling you tender that is a no no when alone specially in bad weather I have never single handed but i know some things lead to bigger issues if you don't anticipate safety issues when alone

Moe Jaime - 7 years ago

+Cruising Off Duty
seems you need to single hand more so you can get these bugs figured out even your wife too since its important in case of emergencies

Cruising Off Duty - 7 years ago

Hey Moe, Yes, had I had time to plan it I could have used a halyard to lift it onto the deck. Being stuck in the thin channel where boats come and go to the harbour made me feel under the gun to get it on the boat as quickly as possible. So I went with the brute force method. Ha ha.

Mark H - 7 years ago

Great and very real. love it>

Cruising Off Duty - 7 years ago

Thanks Mark. Glad you liked it.

Brendan McDowell - 7 years ago

Great videos, Craig! As a member of NSC who hasn't yet sailed my Catalina 22 past Aylmer Island, it's awesome to see what life is like "up the river" and "above the boats". I'm also dreaming of having a bigger boat with a wheel, inboard engine, autopilot and furling sails. Nice to see I'm not the only one who forgets to pull up the fenders sometimes. Seeing all the days of work before launching is a little daunting. But the peaceful times at anchor look like the effort might be worth it. Thanks for all the effort you put into creating these videos!...

Cruising Off Duty - 7 years ago

Hey Brendan. Fellow NSC member ? Well come over and say hi. I will take you on a tour or even take you out for a afternoon sail. Now, maybe you don't want that? It may make you want a bigger boat now. ha ha. As for not going past Aylmer Island ..... I have heard there is a remarkably high number of members who never leave Lac Deschenes in front of the club. So you are not alone. I am planning to do a series of episodes where I say the pros and cons of the various anchorages up river with accompanying Drone footage to see it from the air. You can then see what you have been missing up river. Hopefully you will see how great Pinheads and Constance Bay is and you will venture out further. Even if just for a one night stay. Thanks for the Complement.

Dick Dixon - 7 years ago

My wife is a homebody with a bad back so while she spends time with our grandchild and my wife's mother, I'm sailing alone. I've been doing this for many years and must say having peace and quiet is a plus. My sailing buddies and I take two ten day trips each year, cruising eastward along the Mississippi, Alabama, and northwest Florida coastline. Rarely do I have passengers so my Beneteau 42s7 is roomy. I've dealt with some miserable weather and rough seas but it's all worth it. I'm enjoying your videos so thank you.

Cruising Off Duty - 7 years ago

Hey Dick. I socialize a lot at anchorages and my wife is often on my boat when we both have days off together ,but I agree with you, that there is a lot of pleasure in just having the whole boat to yourself. As I am writing this I am at an anchorage alone and it was a beautiful day. I do enjoy this alone time when I get it too.

Formosa41 - 7 years ago

I have often been asked, "Can you sail your boat by yourself?" I alway tell them, "as long as everything goes right." I really enjoy single handing, but when things go wrong, you wish you had the help.

Cruising Off Duty - 7 years ago

Hey Formosa. I totally agree. I sail solo a lot since I spend every day on my boat when the weather is nice and Im not working. My days off are often on a weekday when most normal people are at work. I enjoy the quiet and alone time of solo sailing but when things go bad you really really wish you had someone to help. I got stuck in a storm once and my line going to my front fuller broke and I couldn't get my genoa down furled in. It was scary in 35-40 knot winds. I had to put on the auto pilot and slowly make my way to the forestay and hand roll in the furler. That was a scary day. Luckily the waves on the river do not get super huge. I'd hate to have that happen in the ocean with huge waves too.

Slow Boat Sailing - 7 years ago

Yeah, towing a kayak is a bad idea. :)

Cruising Off Duty - 7 years ago

Yep. Lesson learned. I have done it before and I know plenty of other sailors who tow their Kayaks regularly but obviously not beside a big V-hulled Dinghy.

Chris Ofsthun - 7 years ago

You make some great videos, very instructional. I haven't been sailing long, mostly working on my boat more than I get to sail it. Something I thought about while you were pulling the kayak up onto the boat, why didn't you just tie off the kayak on a shorter rope so the dingy would be behind it in more of a tandem style temporarily till you could get out of the channel?

Mark Ratchford - 6 years ago

is this the only rope you had on board ?

Cruising Off Duty - 7 years ago

Hey Chris. Thanks for the compliment. As for towing the Kayak. I did mention in the video that the red "floaty" rope I had been tying the Kayak was crap and I didn't trust it. I guess when the Kayak flipped over it was under such strain that the foam core of that cheap rope broke in spots and that caused the rope to have thin spots where the only thing keeping the rope from breaking was the ouster sleve of the rope. It just didn't seem like a good idea to keep trying to tow the Kayak and I would have been worried about it for the whole trip. I thought pulling it up through the back of the rope was the smarter plan but .... Man, was that thing tough to get on with the limited space and its weight. Thanks for asking though, in case I wasn't clear to others when I said the rope was crap quality, that meant I didn't trust it anymore. :-)

Cruising Off Duty - 7 years ago

Thanks Peter. I agree. Too many sailing videos already cover the Crystal Blue waters and have tons of babes in string bikinis to draw people in. Most of us don't have the ability to sail in places like that since we have jobs to go to. Most of us sail on Lakes and Rivers. The Ottawa River has beautiful lush forests and and hills to look at but the water is like sailing in a water that resembles Steeped Tea. They say it is from all of the rotting logs on the bottom from the logging days. Anyway, it is what it is. I am a big proponent of you sail on whatever water is near where you live. The fun in cruising is the meeting other people at anchorages and having a good time. Going on 2 week passages to far flung places will happen when I retire. :-) Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment !

Steve Weeks - 7 years ago

hey what a ride most have to go to amusement park...7.6Kns with jib only wow on a rivergreat video

S/V Red Skies - 6 years ago

And being picky, you left your lifeline gate down, At least the port one.

Cruising Off Duty - 7 years ago

Thanks Steve. It was a fun ride. Other than leaving my engine keys in the dinghy I was towing, Towing my Kayak upside down and forgetting to bring up my fenders and having one ripped off from the waves .... It was a perfect sail. :-)

ASS GOD - 7 years ago

You are living the life! Great video.

Cruising Off Duty - 7 years ago

Ha Ha. Im not judging. Just didn't feel right calling you by your first name. :-)

ASS GOD - 7 years ago

Im just a dude obsessed with the female booty.

Cruising Off Duty - 7 years ago

Thanks so much, ummmm ..... "person who will remain nameless". LOL

Lagaronne59 - 7 years ago

I continue to love your videos. They are so informative and fun. Well done. I look forward to the next episode.

Cruising Off Duty - 7 years ago

Thanks so much Stanislas !

P Cos - 7 years ago

Fantastic channel. Really learning here
with your "bare all" approach. Thank you!

Cruising Off Duty - 7 years ago

Thanks P Cos. I'm glad to help. It is kind of fun to screw up and know that at least someone else can learn from my mistakes. A funny (Read Dumb) thing happened when I got to the Baskin's Beach party the day after this episodes ends. I was walking around filming the party with my fancy camera with the "dead cat" shotgun Mic and didn't notice that the batteries in the Mic died and all of my footage looks great but has no audio. I guess my next episode will be a lot of music and voice over. ha ha. So I keep learning from my mistakes.

Capt Chef Mark SV Alcina - 7 years ago

Hi Guys, nice sail at 7.4knt and he move times you go on your yacht the better you become.

Capt Chef Mark SV Alcina - 7 years ago

oh i was off by ONLY by .2 I could not remember what you said but know it was around there LOL.
I have been sailing for over 30 years and it`s not until you become master that you see what going wrong but you do not make the mistake again and if you do call it judgement error.
And what I have found out is when you know every thing about your yacht that good , then you can set back and fill good..... well until you have new crew and you think then you can let then do all the work , well then the work starts as you know have to show then what to do and it starts all over again.
Have fun my friend.

Cruising Off Duty - 7 years ago

Thanks Mark. We got to 7.6 and that matched the highest speed I've seen previously. But that day I had both sails up. I wasn't in a rush since Janice wasn't going to be there till 5:30 so I only had the Genoa up but still flew along.

100. comment for EP6. Sailing Alone. How hard is it? What do you do when things go wrong?

JLSOhio51 - 7 years ago

Love the video. COMPLAIN - COMPLAIN - COMPLAIN!!! Then the lovely wife shows up - ALL SMILES! Now there's a man with his priorities straight. Well done!

Cruising Off Duty - 7 years ago

Thanks JLS. Well when the lovely wife arrives then I have have her company to brighten my day. Plus, "Happy Wife is a Happy Life !", so I have to make sure she is enjoying coming to the boat. She had a stressful week so once she arrives she was ready to go into "mellow out with a beverage" mode. The boat and the cruising lifestyle is an awesome stress reliever. :-)

Alex Drenth - 7 years ago

Good vid man

Cruising Off Duty - 7 years ago

+PandaSpe thanks so much. It's nice to hear.

Alex Drenth - 7 years ago

yeah love your videos you deserve more subs

Cruising Off Duty - 7 years ago

Hey Panda. That was one fast comment ! You must have been one of the first to watch it since I just uploaded it. Thanks so much for the positive comment.

About EP6. Sailing Alone. How hard is it? What do you do when things go wrong?

The "EP6. Sailing Alone. How hard is it? What do you do when things go wrong?" video is part of the Sealing, tipps, boating category, which contains similar videos like this one.