Many viewers have commented that my emergency VHF antenna should work on all marina frequencies, and not just Channel 16. I did my experiment with the emergency antenna again today, and THEY ARE CORRECT. The emergency antenna DOES work on all marine freqs. I can only think that when I did my original test 3 years ago, my VHF antenna ran through a partially used splitter (no AIS at the time), and that I did not connect it correctly. Sincere thanks to all those who commented to correct my error.
More please. You ace 3 areas: the sailing life alone on a boat, interesting technical briefings on various kit and always interesting introspections and observations. Thanks.
Something I can finally help with! Antennas. The straight, stick-type antenna you showed is omni-directional. It’s called 1/4 wave antenna - and is cut to suit the frequency band of intended use at 1/4 of the wavelength. VHF signals and wavelength are relatively long and are good for use in long rage applications such as aviation etc. Gain of the antenna is achieved through good design and sometimes active electronic boosters. Passive gain is better than ‘noisy’ active gain. Try and look for a dBi rating to express gain if possible when comparing products. 25w is actually quite a powerful transmitting signal, as with all signals a few golden rules should be followed for greatest success. If you can get the antenna as high as possible, and without obstruction this will be best. Top of the mast on a sailboat... The cable is the most likely place to suffer losses - especially where reception of signals is concerned. Keep the cable as short as is practical and ensure you get the highest quality and lowest loss coaxial cable for your used frequency range. Ensure all connections are properly grounded and no lose fittings. The highest sensitivity, and best quality receiver available will be best also. In WW2 the UK could listen in to radio communications in Europe and beyond because of highly sensitive receivers, rather than high powered transmitters... Consider the use of band-pass filtering to reduce ‘noise’ from unwanted frequencies. Follow the above and you should be grand! As a side note - an alternative to the 1/4 wave antenna is a design called a dipole. This is still omni-directional, but has 3dB of inherent passive gain by design. Although I’m no expert on marine antennas I would suggest to you a company that I use here in the UK to procure all my custom antennas - RW Badland. Google should help you find them and they are super-helpful and not over-priced. Hope this helps anyone and thanks for the videos!
What's this -- two episodes in a day? Don't spoil us Patrick! If it rocks and rolls - show us your "moves like Jagger", Patrick. Once this Corona ends, can we see more of château neuf du pape requests?
Mr. Laine: In my household we watch a lot of sailing vlogs. We are glad to see you back out there, and we thank you very much for yet another judiciously edited presentation of your passages. Less is more! PS: Music references were hilarious (to the older of us).
Good stuff, Patrick! Leaky boat story: a friend of mine is a delivery skipper. He picked a brand new boat up in the States and took it to the BVI's. I'm not going to say what make it was, but his report back to the factory was " The windows stopped leaking when the boat was full" ! Love it!
You have no idea how much your videos helped me. while I was in a hospital bed recovering from 3 surgeries. Today I am recovered from the most difficult time of my life. I have already bought several books on sailing and i am studying them getting ready for one day perhaps be able to buy a small sailboat to sail through the Caribbean islands. Patrick from the bottom of my heart thank you very much for your great content videos, that gave me hope, courage and strength to fight for my life. Keep sailing and making the sea happy. All the best to you!
And an Amy McDonald reference. Have you any opinion on watches? I use a Zeno. The thought popped into my head when you mentioned Zeno in the last video, not relating to watches but it just made me think.
@@adam8642 No, nothing special about watches. When I was a fighter pilot, there was all of this hype about super sophisticated models, but the truth is that most of us just wore a cheap Timex. :-)
Patrick, Always good to see you and enjoy your videos . I can always see your good habits of handling abnormals from your days of flying many years ago . Yes those lessons learned never leave you in life. Robert North Star
Thanks a lot for sharing your experience. The way you explain certain problems in an ‘keep it safe and simple’ manner, very understanding! This in combination with a nice flavor of humor, knowledge of music and history. Looking forward for your next trip. Greetings from Haarlem, the Netherlands
Hello to you my good friends. Mr Corona has dramatically altered plans for many.....including me. Hope you are able to make some progress on your adventure. Fair winds.
Patrick Laine slowly but surely... getting our sea legs back but not at the best place for it... Portuguese Atlantic coast is a swelly one 🤢🤮or maybe it is! 🤪
I’m always impressed with how you emphasize safety. In every video you post on the boat you’re always seen wearing a personal floatation vest. To anyone this seems like commonsense, but I’ve watched other utube videos of open ocean sailors not always wearing a flotation device or tied in in someway when going forward to tend the sails.
It was my second visit to wonderful Sao Miguel. For obvious reasons, this visit was less cheerful than in the past. I'l have to make up for that by returning again in the future.
Two great videos in one day. Thanks Patrick, a proper tonic. A perfect mix of sailing and philosophy. I hope you get your leak sorted out. I used to have one that managed to drip directly on my face in the Vee berth when it rained. I then moved to the salon and exactly the same thing happened. Neptune has a strange sense of humour.
You would have been doing scary things in Newfoundland and Greenland @#$%&*! but for Covid. A walk in the park for you :-))) I'm happily at anchor, feeling old, in a creek on the Essex coast of the UK. I'm happy to be with you in mind and spirit. Bravo Patrick. Fair winds for the next leg. Stay safe. ATB James
Awesome, double joy. According to wikipedia, marine VHF occupies mostly, a rather narrow frequency band from 156.000 to 157.425 MHz . It's unusual that an antenna has an extremely narrow band usage, although antenna may have been optimized, impedance wise for channel #16 (156.800 MHz) at the factory. You can measure with an antenna analyzer how the antenna actually works over a broader range. A figure of merit of how well the antenna is impedance matched for a certain frequency is the standing wave ratio. A VSWR value under 2 is considered suitable for most antenna applications. The antenna can be described as having a "Good Match". So when someone says that the antenna is poorly matched, very often it means that the VSWR value exceeds 2 for a frequency of interest. I would guess that your antenna will work (VSWR
The 6dB gain from a long antenna will give you a marginal signal increase, BUT there will be a severe (20dB) null away from the main radiation pattern, as stated earlier. A simple half wave voltage-fed antenna will give you a good 3-4dBi gain, which is a good compromise with a minimal null. If you need better, then look at LMR400 coax, or a masthead 100W power amp / pre-amp ham-radio stylz (not legal but very very good.) You can easily push well past earth curvature, that is a myth, ham radio people routinely work 100's of km with 25-100 watts.
Please Keep sailing and filming please. Very educational and entertaining i have watched them all, most more than once. I retire from the Military soon and wife promised we are going sailing too! See you out there I hope. We spent the last 4 1/2 years in Italy and would love to base out of Europe. Take care!
Hi Patrick again a nice adventure with lots of interesting information. Sharing your experience is really inspiring for all sailors planning passages. Whenever you need company during your passages to give you some rest during cooking, navigating, playing cards I am a candidate 😃😃😃 all the best, Jean
Thank you for the explanation Patrick. I didn't for once think you were being foolhardy, too much of an old sea dog 😀. I more or less guessed it was something to do with the sail but it did look a bit scary for an old landlubber to watch.
As a former signaller in the army and an avid sailor myself don’t over worry about the emergency antenna , it’s been cut to length for maximum performance at the channel 16 frequency, though you can use other frequencies and take small losses in range and optimum performance . Love the vids 👍🏻
Sorry Patrick , only just re read through the comments ; didn’t realise others had posted the same. Though it is worth pointing out the “slim Jim antenna” for ones grab bag/ ditch bag for the liferaft. Chances are if the unlikely event you do ditch and end up in a raft that you’d have a handheld vhf in your bag( if not get one ☝️) however at 5w you would have typically a small line of sight distance , we’ll increase your chances with a slim Jim antenna cut to channel 16 length and attached to the top of the raft whilst your snug inside the liferaft .maybe I’ll Do a video and expand the subject . Will let you know. Stay safe matey
@@itsjustplainsailing5189 Yes, I have two handheld VHFs, and two sat comm radios (IridiumGO and Garmin InReach) that will be the first thing to go into the liferaft. I had not heard of a Slim Jim. Will look into it. Thanks.
Great sail Patrick !!! My trip tp Madeira was postponed due to the COVI19. Always enjoying your comments .... fair winds back home and looking forward to see it !!! Cheers from Muros ...
Many thanks Jesus. You did well not to go to Madeira. They more or less asked me to leave. Ports are not open to visitors, and I was not welcome. (Airports are open though -- which is a bit strange.) I understand their concern about the virus, so no hard feelings.
Hi Patrick - is there a cleat near that leaky spot? Apparently they need occasional resealing with butyl on Bavarias. The other item that that we use to keep damp out of mattresses is DryMat. It is not cheap, but it does a great job of reducing or stopping the capillary action. We are looking forward to your "long way home" video 👍
@@patricklaine6958 the phrase is attributed to Jack Kennedy and was repeated in the movie White Squall ... So it has deep sailing roots, particularly for single handers...President Kennedy's day sailer " Victura" has also been restored..
Hi Patrick! Great that you finally managed to slip the lines and head out. Not too bad a round trip either, for miles on the log. Stay safe, keep having fun x
It was a great pleasure again to sail on this passage with you as a phantom shipmate. Great content as always: informative, funnny, relaxing. Thank you for sharing Patrick. Keep them coming!
Great to see you out and sailing once again. My wife and I truly enjoy what you share and one day we’ll put it into use but for now we’ll travel by motorcycle and will gain some sea time through your videos. When you do finally make it to Newfoundland there are so many bays and islands to enjoy. Be sure to take in Notre Dame Bay and the Lewisporte Marina. Safe travels.
"Every boat has a leak, somewhere". Thank you, that is actually a comforting remark for someone like me who has been fighting small leaks for many years with sometimes only temporary succes. And as a radio engineer, I can only confirm what you already found out about your spare VHF antenna. It should not have stated a single operating frequency, or at least mention that it is the center frequency for the band for which it was made.
I'm sure that I'm not the only follower of yours the likes the information you give, the way you explain any mistakes you make, it's all good knowledge but the one thing we love is your dry sense of humor. I think if you solo or even in a small crew, you have to have a sense of humor.
@@patricklaine6958 Good to hear from you, Patrick. We have been locked down in beautiful Cornwall these last few months, so just local beaches at the moment. To kill time I did a piece to camera, which you can see on the "about manonabeach" menu on the site. I enjoyed your reading list item, best wishes to your daughter with her book. I can recommend "A Gentleman in Moscow" by Amor Towles for your next long downwind run - it's a celebration of all things small and modest, plus a fine twist at the end.
Enjoyed....can see clearly that the weather was wearing you down....enjoy a good pint, a nice single malt...get some sleep, head to Peters Cafe in Horta...and build up the energy reserves for the next adventure! Thx, Andrew
Thanks Patrick for the video, my heart is contracting from the drive. The best option for quick repair and effective operation of the antenna is a vertical dipole. Such an antenna can be raised on any file as high as possible and it will work better than all the original ones. The length of the dipole 1/2 wavelength from 156 MHz is 0.96 meters. Do not worry about the frequency band and coordination, it will be acceptable for the operation of the radio. It is advisable to divert the cable perpendicularly from the dipole, at least 2 meters.
Great to see you back on the water and posting excellent videos. I’ve just come back to my home port of Plymouth after a week cruising around Cornwall solo on a similar sized boat. I’m considering going further afield and your videos are inspirational. The first overnight solo passage will be the hard one! BTW love all the philosophy.
Those first few solos are 'challenging' for sure Mike. I took a lot of little steps, often very, very early in the morning to minimise scrutiny/traffic. :-)
great job Patrick... as usual I must add. Spotted you hopping in/out of La Rochelle for a week or two.... so that’s what you were up to. I’m envious - keep up the good work s’il vouz plais 💚
Your emergency antenna will work across the marine frequencies -- it's length has been adjusted to be best on Ch. 16. I've often used my boat antenna for the 2m ham radio frequencies (which are close enough) and have had good results.
Hi Patrick, electronic engineer with PhD in satellite Comms here! Your explanation of impact of dB gain and tx range is correct. However, please note that the signal transmission technically happens across the length of the antenna so if you can imagine once your start broadcasting lots of circle shape waves are being generated vertically and and each of them travel horizontally across the line of sight. Hence, if you choose a long antenna (not just installing it high on the mast) you can increase the transmission rate (known as effective radiated power or ERP). In sensitive marine vessels always you have VHF aerial with multiple gains- that’s to exactly address the concern you have correctly identified.
Patrick welcome back. A little over 1000 miles sailed and more than half solo. I get you. When I dabble into thoughts in conversations some people would suggest that I am speaking rubbish not to say exact word, since this is a discrete channel. I am sure this happens to you too. When this happens I pulled out one of my favorite quotes "The time of human life is but a point, and the substance is a flux, and it's perceptions dull, and the composition of the body corruptible, and soul a whirl, and fortune inscrutable, and fame a senseless thing. In a word, everything which belongs to the body is a flowing stream, and what belongs the soul a dream and a vapor, and life is a warfare and a stranger's sojourn, and future fame is oblivion. What then is there which can guide a man? One thing and only one, PHYLOSOPHY", Marcus Aurelius. Thanks for all your tips and keep those philosophical comments coming.
Many viewers have commented that my emergency VHF antenna should work on all marina frequencies, and not just Channel 16. I did my experiment with the emergency antenna again today, and THEY ARE CORRECT. The emergency antenna DOES work on all marine freqs. I can only think that when I did my original test 3 years ago, my VHF antenna ran through a partially used splitter (no AIS at the time), and that I did not connect it correctly. Sincere thanks to all those who commented to correct my error.
I really quite enjoy your videos and the intellectual perspective you inject during your passages. Well done.
Haha, the comfort meter! It's good to learn how you fare through different environments. Great videos as always Patrick!
I have one on my boat. It belongs to my wife.
I really can feel it when he boat hits 15° -- without even looking.
Hi. Patrick. Great to sea you back. Two in row excellent. Hope to get on the water soon. Take care.
More please. You ace 3 areas: the sailing life alone on a boat, interesting technical briefings on various kit and always interesting introspections and observations. Thanks.
Very kind feedback. Many thanks.
Something I can finally help with! Antennas.
The straight, stick-type antenna you showed is omni-directional. It’s called 1/4 wave antenna - and is cut to suit the frequency band of intended use at 1/4 of the wavelength. VHF signals and wavelength are relatively long and are good for use in long rage applications such as aviation etc. Gain of the antenna is achieved through good design and sometimes active electronic boosters. Passive gain is better than ‘noisy’ active gain. Try and look for a dBi rating to express gain if possible when comparing products.
25w is actually quite a powerful transmitting signal, as with all signals a few golden rules should be followed for greatest success.
If you can get the antenna as high as possible, and without obstruction this will be best. Top of the mast on a sailboat...
The cable is the most likely place to suffer losses - especially where reception of signals is concerned. Keep the cable as short as is practical and ensure you get the highest quality and lowest loss coaxial cable for your used frequency range.
Ensure all connections are properly grounded and no lose fittings.
The highest sensitivity, and best quality receiver available will be best also. In WW2 the UK could listen in to radio communications in Europe and beyond because of highly sensitive receivers, rather than high powered transmitters...
Consider the use of band-pass filtering to reduce ‘noise’ from unwanted frequencies.
Follow the above and you should be grand!
As a side note - an alternative to the 1/4 wave antenna is a design called a dipole. This is still omni-directional, but has 3dB of inherent passive gain by design. Although I’m no expert on marine antennas I would suggest to you a company that I use here in the UK to procure all my custom antennas - RW Badland. Google should help you find them and they are super-helpful and not over-priced.
Hope this helps anyone and thanks for the videos!
Springsteen and Amy McDonald in one trip. Nice. Love your work and glad you’re safe.
And Pink Floyd!
Dancing In The Dark is one of my favorite song of all time.
You guys weren't sleeping. Bravo!
I live vicariously through you Mr. Laine and love your videos! You do a great job! Safe passages to you on your way home. Bon voyage!
Great to hear from you Patrick. I hope that your family and you are well in this difficult time.
Thank you kindly
Excellent video and night docking, thank you for sharing your sail with us.
What's this -- two episodes in a day? Don't spoil us Patrick!
If it rocks and rolls - show us your "moves like Jagger", Patrick.
Once this Corona ends, can we see more of château neuf du pape requests?
Mr. Laine: In my household we watch a lot of sailing vlogs. We are glad to see you back out there, and we thank you very much for yet another judiciously edited presentation of your passages. Less is more!
PS: Music references were hilarious (to the older of us).
I think many of the musical references flew right past the youngsters. Great fun.
Good stuff, Patrick! Leaky boat story: a friend of mine is a delivery skipper. He picked a brand new boat up in the States and took it to the BVI's. I'm not going to say what make it was, but his report back to the factory was " The windows stopped leaking when the boat was full" ! Love it!
I reseated all my 'portlights', but do indeed have one that still leaks. Very frustrating.
2 in a row..what a bonus. Your family must be jolly proud of you and your seafaring adventures. Thank you for sharing.
They consider this their vacation from me. ;-)
You have no idea how much your videos helped me. while I was in a hospital bed recovering from 3 surgeries. Today I am recovered from the most difficult time of my life. I have already bought several books on sailing and i am studying them getting ready for one day perhaps be able to buy a small sailboat to sail through the Caribbean islands. Patrick from the bottom of my heart thank you very much for your great content videos, that gave me hope, courage and strength to fight for my life. Keep sailing and making the sea happy. All the best to you!
Hang in there CJ. Always darkest before the dawn. Fair winds and a speedy recovery.
So glad to see you back, Patrick. Love your adventures!
Every video of yours is a true jewel. Thank you very much.
Very kind feedback Michael. Thanks.
Always enjoyable and informative great video sir cheers.
Patrick great to be back aboard as a "phantom shipmate" Ive missed your videos.
Welcome back to Stuart.
Awesome. Two videos in the same 24 hrs. Great stuff.
And an Amy McDonald reference. Have you any opinion on watches? I use a Zeno. The thought popped into my head when you mentioned Zeno in the last video, not relating to watches but it just made me think.
Much appreciated.
@@adam8642 No, nothing special about watches. When I was a fighter pilot, there was all of this hype about super sophisticated models, but the truth is that most of us just wore a cheap Timex. :-)
Another great video Patrick. Enjoy the long way home. Fair winds etc
Thanks, will do! Arrived home yesterday.
Really enjoying your trips Patrick! Thank you! Keep sailing!
Very kind of you. Thanks for watching.
Another great video, I like the idea of a comfort meter. Thank you for taking us on your adventures
That is a highly technical piece of equipment. I think some governments consider it highly classified. ;-)
Patrick,
Always good to see you and enjoy your videos . I can always see your good habits of handling abnormals from your days of flying many years ago . Yes those lessons learned never leave you in life.
Robert
North Star
That's probably true Robert. Learning how to fly seriously probably does change how you act/react to many situations in life. No regrets.
Patrick, it is great to see more of your videos. Glad you are safe. Keep them coming!
Wonderful stuff Skipper Patrick, thanks for taking us along.
Thanks for watching SB.
Thanks a lot for sharing your experience. The way you explain certain problems in an ‘keep it safe and simple’ manner, very understanding! This in combination with a nice flavor of humor, knowledge of music and history. Looking forward for your next trip. Greetings from Haarlem, the Netherlands
So nice of you. Thanks Robbert.
Impressive choice of menu for a rough sea... you are such an inspiration in so many ways 😊
Hello to you my good friends. Mr Corona has dramatically altered plans for many.....including me. Hope you are able to make some progress on your adventure. Fair winds.
Patrick Laine slowly but surely... getting our sea legs back but not at the best place for it... Portuguese Atlantic coast is a swelly one 🤢🤮or maybe it is! 🤪
Chapeau Patrick. Two videos in one day. You are spoiling us! Have a good stopover in The Azores. And rest up.
Many thanks Peter.
Chicken schnitzel on a healing boat !! That's very brave Patrick!!!! .Thanks for sharing !!!. Cheers.
Great fun as always Jorge. :-)
Well done, the spirit we all need: If you cannot do as planned, then plan again.
Great to see you back in the saddle Patrick, looks a bit rocky but you're going like a rocket!
Thanks so much for sharing. Praise be indeed!
Thank you Patrick. What a pleasure to follow your adventures
Good clear information, thank you Patrick, safe passages ,cheers 👍
Glad you enjoyed it
Another great insight of a single handed sailor 👍
Love your 70's musicl references.
I’m always impressed with how you emphasize safety. In every video you post on the boat you’re always seen wearing a personal floatation vest. To anyone this seems like commonsense, but I’ve watched other utube videos of open ocean sailors not always wearing a flotation device or tied in in someway when going forward to tend the sails.
If you do not clip on wearing a life vest merely serves to prolong the agony
@@chrisswallow3734 But provides some closure for the family......
Wow amazing you are a courageous man amazing welcome to Sao Miguel beautiful island 😃
It was my second visit to wonderful Sao Miguel. For obvious reasons, this visit was less cheerful than in the past. I'l have to make up for that by returning again in the future.
Hi Patrick, brilliant video! Thank you for sharing your great adventure
Thanks for another inspiring video.
You are so welcome SS!
Hi Patrick.
Great to see you sailing again. Enjoy your movies.
Hi from Denmark.
Excellent videos and really glad you are back. Your content and delivery style make the channel so interesting. Keep up the great work. Thanks.
Thank you You are easy to listen to. Happy sails.
Two great videos in one day. Thanks Patrick, a proper tonic. A perfect mix of sailing and philosophy.
I hope you get your leak sorted out. I used to have one that managed to drip directly on my face in the Vee berth when it rained. I then moved to the salon and exactly the same thing happened. Neptune has a strange sense of humour.
Many thanks Paul. I'm still sleeping wet. It's now officially a part of my 'wake-up and check things' tactic. ;-)
Enjoyed your recent uploads. Thanks for making them. My passage from Wales to Spain last June was inspired by you. Keep safe.
Chapeau Patrick. It is not an easy circuit. Very well done indeed. Stay safe ... James
Passages inspired by the guy who did it first (and best). ;-)
You would have been doing scary things in Newfoundland and Greenland @#$%&*! but for Covid. A walk in the park for you :-))) I'm happily at anchor, feeling old, in a creek on the Essex coast of the UK. I'm happy to be with you in mind and spirit. Bravo Patrick. Fair winds for the next leg. Stay safe. ATB James
Awesome, double joy. According to wikipedia, marine VHF occupies mostly, a rather narrow frequency band from 156.000 to 157.425 MHz . It's unusual that an antenna has an extremely narrow band usage, although antenna may have been optimized, impedance wise for channel #16 (156.800 MHz) at the factory. You can measure with an antenna analyzer how the antenna actually works over a broader range. A figure of merit of how well the antenna is impedance matched for a certain frequency is the standing wave ratio. A VSWR value under 2 is considered suitable for most antenna applications. The antenna can be described as having a "Good Match". So when someone says that the antenna is poorly matched, very often it means that the VSWR value exceeds 2 for a frequency of interest. I would guess that your antenna will work (VSWR
The 6dB gain from a long antenna will give you a marginal signal increase, BUT there will be a severe (20dB) null away from the main radiation pattern, as stated earlier. A simple half wave voltage-fed antenna will give you a good 3-4dBi gain, which is a good compromise with a minimal null. If you need better, then look at LMR400 coax, or a masthead 100W power amp / pre-amp ham-radio stylz (not legal but very very good.) You can easily push well past earth curvature, that is a myth, ham radio people routinely work 100's of km with 25-100 watts.
@@SteveWrightNZ Yes. See my pinned comment above. :-)
Great background info. Yes. See my pinned comment above. :-)
Cheers Patrick, as inspirational, informative and entertaining as ever! Two in a row was a real treat. Many thanks, I needed that.
Welcome back. Hope the virus allows you to get feet wet at some time this Summer. Cheers.
Love all the song lyrics! Thanks for sneaking those in there. (The Springsteen was a surprise.)
Please Keep sailing and filming please. Very educational and entertaining i have watched them all, most more than once. I retire from the Military soon and wife promised we are going sailing too! See you out there I hope. We spent the last 4 1/2 years in Italy and would love to base out of Europe. Take care!
Good for you. Be sure to take some lessons together!
So nice to see you back here Patrick. Thx.
Nice to have u back in these daring times👍👍Fair winds and following seas!
Well done that man. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for watching!
I so live your videis, thank you so much
Thanks for the nice feedback DUT. Much appreciated.
Thank you for taking us along on this voyage Patrick.
Two videos in one morning....praise be!
Glad you picked that up. ;-)
One of the best videos I've seen in a while. Thank you. Enjoy!
Hi Patrick again a nice adventure with lots of interesting information. Sharing your experience is really inspiring for all sailors planning passages. Whenever you need company during your passages to give you some rest during cooking, navigating, playing cards I am a candidate 😃😃😃 all the best, Jean
Amazing, great to watch, all the best...
Thank you for the explanation Patrick. I didn't for once think you were being foolhardy, too much of an old sea dog 😀. I more or less guessed it was something to do with the sail but it did look a bit scary for an old landlubber to watch.
It is good to hear, 1. Someone other than me has an occasional drip. 2. Over 15 degrees is the magic point to start reducing sail.
I love all the song referencing! Great info on the antennas. Thanks again!
It's great fun doing as well.
As a former signaller in the army and an avid sailor myself don’t over worry about the emergency antenna , it’s been cut to length for maximum performance at the channel 16 frequency, though you can use other frequencies and take small losses in range and optimum performance .
Love the vids 👍🏻
Exactly Dave. Yes. See my pinned comment above. :-)
Sorry Patrick , only just re read through the comments ; didn’t realise others had posted the same. Though it is worth pointing out the “slim Jim antenna” for ones grab bag/ ditch bag for the liferaft. Chances are if the unlikely event you do ditch and end up in a raft that you’d have a handheld vhf in your bag( if not get one ☝️) however at 5w you would have typically a small line of sight distance , we’ll increase your chances with a slim Jim antenna cut to channel 16 length and attached to the top of the raft whilst your snug inside the liferaft .maybe I’ll
Do a video and expand the subject . Will let you know. Stay safe matey
@@itsjustplainsailing5189 Yes, I have two handheld VHFs, and two sat comm radios (IridiumGO and Garmin InReach) that will be the first thing to go into the liferaft. I had not heard of a Slim Jim. Will look into it. Thanks.
It is really good see you again sailing. Me, desperate, 8 months far from my boat....
Yes, difficult times for all.........
Impeccable images. Keep up the good work.
Great having you on the water again Patrick. Stay safe and enjoy!
Great sail Patrick !!! My trip tp Madeira was postponed due to the COVI19. Always enjoying your comments .... fair winds back home and looking forward to see it !!! Cheers from Muros ...
Many thanks Jesus. You did well not to go to Madeira. They more or less asked me to leave. Ports are not open to visitors, and I was not welcome. (Airports are open though -- which is a bit strange.) I understand their concern about the virus, so no hard feelings.
As always, great video, thanks for sharing your adventures with us 👍⛵️⚓️
Warren s/y Legend
Great to follow your meanderings. Isabelle is doing well apart from that leak. Looking forward to the next vid.
Yeah -- every boat owner will tell you of a leak. Irritating, but not a big deal.
Hi Patrick - is there a cleat near that leaky spot? Apparently they need occasional resealing with butyl on Bavarias. The other item that that we use to keep damp out of mattresses is DryMat. It is not cheap, but it does a great job of reducing or stopping the capillary action.
We are looking forward to your "long way home" video 👍
A pleasure , where we go one we go all. Thanks for being the one!
I'm going to use that some day......
@@patricklaine6958 the phrase is attributed to Jack Kennedy and was repeated in the movie White Squall ...
So it has deep sailing roots, particularly for single handers...President Kennedy's day sailer " Victura" has also been restored..
Hi Patrick! Great that you finally managed to slip the lines and head out. Not too bad a round trip either, for miles on the log. Stay safe, keep having fun x
Great fun indeed, even if not my Plan A. Thanks for watching.
Hi Patrick...thanks for taking me sailing with you :) It was a nice ride ;) -Rebecca
Very kind of you Rebecca. I pay a modest homage to you and Patrick in the first minute of my Episode 48. Thinking of you at this difficult time.
Outstanding. You keep my solo sailing dreams afloat.
1:07 "Everyone knows Bavarias can't beat to windward" says Patrick, doing 8 knots in rough seas at 60 degrees into the wind ! :-P
Except 60 degrees is hardly beating in my book.
eramba I was going to say, maybe a Bavaria with a Solent rig can
Bavarias can beat to windward, their owners/skippers just prefer not too!
It was a great pleasure again to sail on this passage with you as a phantom shipmate. Great content as always: informative, funnny, relaxing. Thank you for sharing Patrick. Keep them coming!
Very kind of you Robin. Thanks.
Great video Patrick nice to see you back on route again
Very Nice Video
Great to see you out and sailing once again. My wife and I truly enjoy what you share and one day we’ll put it into use but for now we’ll travel by motorcycle and will gain some sea time through your videos. When you do finally make it to Newfoundland there are so many bays and islands to enjoy. Be sure to take in Notre Dame Bay and the Lewisporte Marina. Safe travels.
Yeah, big disappointment to have to cancel this year. :-(
"Every boat has a leak, somewhere". Thank you, that is actually a comforting remark for someone like me who has been fighting small leaks for many years with sometimes only temporary succes. And as a radio engineer, I can only confirm what you already found out about your spare VHF antenna. It should not have stated a single operating frequency, or at least mention that it is the center frequency for the band for which it was made.
Yeah --- and every time I fix a leak, a new one pops up in the next major sortie. :-)
I'm new to your channel. Thank you for doing these amazing videos and taking us all on your voyages... marvelous stuff.
Thanks for the kind feedback Michael.
Glad to see you staying safe and healthy and back in the saddle, so to speak.
7 people here have no balls and no soul. Thank you Patrick 🤗 Fantastic video as always.
Excellent, loved both videos.
Great to see you back out on another adventure Patrick.
Many thanks John. Very kind.
I'm sure that I'm not the only follower of yours the likes the information you give, the way you explain any mistakes you make, it's all good knowledge but the one thing we love is your dry sense of humor. I think if you solo or even in a small crew, you have to have a sense of humor.
Thanks for the kind feedback Steve.
Great to enjoy you back in action, Patrick, really enjoying your videos. Keep safe and best wishes from the beaches of the UK, bonne chance, mon ami.
Hello my friend! Are you still getting sunburns while roaming beaches?
@@patricklaine6958 Good to hear from you, Patrick. We have been locked down in beautiful Cornwall these last few months, so just local beaches at the moment. To kill time I did a piece to camera, which you can see on the "about manonabeach" menu on the site. I enjoyed your reading list item, best wishes to your daughter with her book. I can recommend "A Gentleman in Moscow" by Amor Towles for your next long downwind run - it's a celebration of all things small and modest, plus a fine twist at the end.
Enjoyed....can see clearly that the weather was wearing you down....enjoy a good pint, a nice single malt...get some sleep, head to Peters Cafe in Horta...and build up the energy reserves for the next adventure! Thx, Andrew
Very good advice Andrew. Thanks.
Thanks Patrick for the video, my heart is contracting from the drive.
The best option for quick repair and effective operation of the antenna is a vertical dipole.
Such an antenna can be raised on any file as high as possible and it will work better than all the original ones.
The length of the dipole 1/2 wavelength from 156 MHz is 0.96 meters.
Do not worry about the frequency band and coordination, it will be acceptable for the operation of the radio.
It is advisable to divert the cable perpendicularly from the dipole, at least 2 meters.
Got it FS. Yes. See my pinned comment above. :-)
Great to see you back on the water and posting excellent videos. I’ve just come back to my home port of Plymouth after a week cruising around Cornwall solo on a similar sized boat. I’m considering going further afield and your videos are inspirational. The first overnight solo passage will be the hard one! BTW love all the philosophy.
Those first few solos are 'challenging' for sure Mike. I took a lot of little steps, often very, very early in the morning to minimise scrutiny/traffic. :-)
great job Patrick... as usual I must add. Spotted you hopping in/out of La Rochelle for a week or two.... so that’s what you were up to. I’m envious - keep up the good work s’il vouz plais 💚
Je vous remercie!
Coffee dessert, yes you know it's good news....2 videos in one day! Superb, as usual...
Thanks for the kind feedback.
As a boating chef, I love the dredging comment 😂 Awesome channel you show what others don’t while doing it, BZ.
I wondered how many would know what dredging is. :-) Thanks.
Another great video Patrick. Looking forward to see what you consider “the long way home”.
Hello my friend. Unfortunately, Corona is limiting options of countries I can stop at........ Am still thinking this through.
@@patricklaine6958 Yes, Corona does interfere in so many ways. What ever you decide, fair winds and safe arrival.
I always enjoy your passages. That was a long rock and roll. Boat seems
to handle it well
A great passage for me, though the destinations were a bit disappointing due to the virus. I'll have to return some day.
Your emergency antenna will work across the marine frequencies -- it's length has been adjusted to be best on Ch. 16.
I've often used my boat antenna for the 2m ham radio frequencies (which are close enough) and have had good results.
Yes. See my pinned comment above. :-)
Hi Patrick, electronic engineer with PhD in satellite Comms here! Your explanation of impact of dB gain and tx range is correct. However, please note that the signal transmission technically happens across the length of the antenna so if you can imagine once your start broadcasting lots of circle shape waves are being generated vertically and and each of them travel horizontally across the line of sight. Hence, if you choose a long antenna (not just installing it high on the mast) you can increase the transmission rate (known as effective radiated power or ERP).
In sensitive marine vessels always you have VHF aerial with multiple gains- that’s to exactly address the concern you have correctly identified.
Excellent comment. Much appreciated. (The new antenna works fine!)
Just found your channel, very informative. Thank you.
Thanks for watching!
Patrick welcome back. A little over 1000 miles sailed and more than half solo. I get you. When I dabble into thoughts in conversations some people would suggest that I am speaking rubbish not to say exact word, since this is a discrete channel. I am sure this happens to you too. When this happens I pulled out one of my favorite quotes "The time of human life is but a point, and the substance is a flux, and it's perceptions dull, and the composition of the body corruptible, and soul a whirl, and fortune inscrutable, and fame a senseless thing. In a word, everything which belongs to the body is a flowing stream, and what belongs the soul a dream and a vapor, and life is a warfare and a stranger's sojourn, and future fame is oblivion. What then is there which can guide a man? One thing and only one, PHYLOSOPHY", Marcus Aurelius. Thanks for all your tips and keep those philosophical comments coming.
And good luck to you to Juan as you build experience single-handing. Bravo!
Great to see you back on the water Patrick!