Ep 30 Sailing Solo from Scotland to France
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 13 มิ.ย. 2018
- I test a back-up system for the autopilot (with mixed results). High winds at the end of my 180 NM leg from Ireland to the UK lead to a divert of 90 NM to France rather than entering a narrow port. I demonstrate my solo technique for gybing. Several dockings filmed, including a blooper.
Patrick you truly have one of the best sailing vlogs on the internet. I, as well don't comment on all your videos
but I watch and enjoy each and everyone of them. I know the show is all about solo sailing but I can't help think
of the people that would love to spend a little time with you on the boat and learn the ropes so to speak. You have
so much knowledge and experience and would make a great teacher/instructor. As always THUMBS UP!!!!
You've made my day Darryl. Much appreciated.
I second that.
Patrick Laine I totally get the single handed sailing desire, pretty sure It’s a pilot thing. It’s a wonderful feeling of a solo mission. My personal goal as I start my sailing again. Thanks again, ciao!
Dear partrick, bonjour,
Love your tubes and there is probably no Frenchman speaking English better then you do.
I have a jeanneau 39 without bow trusting so it handles quite similar but has les margin for error without the trustor.
So here some humble tip, learned also the hard way as you , and other sailors can imagine.
I fix my rear line first and use a gaffe, pick-hook, this way I stay near mu rudder and throttle.
Once fixed , I put in slow ahead and the nose comes to the jetty by itself , most of the time.
Greets and fair winds..
I always
"It's not a particularly difficult missio... I mean passage" - nice slip, great video series - thanks for taking the time to record what you can.
Thanks Sphinx --- old habits die hard. :-) Thanks for watching.
Brilliant Patrick. Thanks for sharing. Inspired by you, I did my first solo last week for a few days. To you and all the many other solo sailors out there, you have my healthy and genuine respect.
Super Andy. Welcome to the club. In aviation, we had a tradition of cutting off the tie of the person when he/she soloed. Surely something equivalent must exist for sailing. I'll look into it. Sincere congrats.
That's an interesting one! Let's hope not a halyard. I think you just recognise those other people that solo, there is a certain way they talk or act.
I'm hopeless with crew on my boat and have to sit on my hands not to be doing all the work!
Andy B68 Agreed, Ditto
Sailors have some thing about crossing the Equator for the first time or so I have been told. I wonder if they cut something off then? 8-)
I have become a total Patrick Laine fan. I watch a lot of other sailing TH-cams and they are mostly very good to but Patrick, yours are the best. No nonsense, you explain a lot of your technique, very enjoyable. Please keep doing it.
Awesome again sailing,great job my Dear friend. Thank you for all videos,I don’t want to miss anything.
I grew up in Ireland so it was nice to see you enjoy a pint of Guinness! I thought your gybing demonstration was really useful, thanks for that tip! Cheers :D
Much appreciated David.
Loving these videos having just discovered your channel. Really interesting journeys and adventures. I'll certainly be watching more, thanks!
Once again Patrick, thank you for your wonderful videos, take care.
Hi Patrick, I am a big fan of your adventures and have been watching your trip to St. Pierre. I have been there a couple of times as there used to be a race from Halifax to St. Pierre. I am the Commodore of the Royal Nova Scotia Yacht Squadron, the oldest yacht club in the Americas. I would be delighted to welcome to our club at any time.
You are really good to watch i learn so mush thank you
Thank you Patrick for having the self-confidence to show us your "messed up" dockings. I watch your successful and unsuccessful dockings over and over again as they're the most helpful sailing videos I have found to improve my skills. When I watch the sailing school videos of perfect dockings, I don't learn much.
Thanks for the great feedback. I too get a bit frustrated when I see docking demonstrations in perfect weather conditions......and not many TH-camrs show their technique for what is for most people the most stressful aspect of sailing. I hope others will begin systematically showing their arrivals/departures.
Best Sailing Vlog out there, no nonsense straight to the point clear high quality videos without any annoying music or intros that last 2 minutes.
Many thanks Let's Talk About It. Much appreciated.
There's always a small engineer in every great Skipper! Love your makeshift autopilot!
Your videos are excellent, Patrick, they really are!
My favorite sailing channel.
Your vlogs are the most educational and useful available. Thanks Patrick.
Thanks for the encouraging feedback Mark. Very kind of you.
You are very limber and graceful as you scurry around the deck.
Love the guiness! Did several port calls over the years in UK.
Another fantastic trip. Thanks for taking the time to share. ,,,,,,,,,/),,,,,,,,fair winds my good man.
Thanks for the kind feedback Dan. Very nice of you.
Patrick I like your videos watch most of them, very inspiring. Especially like your style of docking your boat, can see you have been a pilot, you land it like an airplane! Look forward to more of your videos! Peter
Thanks for the encouraging feedback Peter. Much appreciated.
Glad the bloopers were "low impact bloopers" with just a little current activity :) - now WE could show you some bloopers haha. Love the videos as always, stay safe and keep the great vids coming....
Thanks William. I really do need to get better at that maneuver where I have to run to midships to get a line and then throw it around a cleat. Not much margin for error there. I'm going to try one of those gaffs that I have seen people use to drop a loop over the cleat. Can't be any worse than what I am doing now. :-)
Hi Patrick, you make the best single handed sailing videos on You-tube. You explain with great detail how you carry out operations. I have gained confidence to have a go myself now and hope other sailors have enjoyed your videos as much as I have. Well done.
Thanks for the terrific feedback Sailaway -- and hoping you do get to Sailaway sometime soon. :-)
Another informative video, great stuff!
Incidentally, I’ve now adopted your bow fender technique for getting onto and from my finger berth, never fails! 😃
Great Rich. Every boat/marina will have its own personality. Glad you picked up a few ideas from these videos. Thanks for the feedback.
Hi Patrick, thanks for the great video series, I enjoyed every single one of them. I also like your personality and respect what you do and how you do it.
I will be sailing singlehanded from Canada to Europe next year and hope to see you somewhere for a beer someday. I'll be heading to Portugal first and then the Med, but I'm also attracted to northern Europe, Scotland and Norway in particular.
If for any reason you pass by La Rochelle Northern Light, I'm buying. :-) Good luck on what sounds to be a fascinating adventure.
Really enjoy your vide of your travels. Fair winds to you.
Thanks for the feedback Phil. Very kind of you.
Thank you for sharing. I like your docking skills.
Much appreciated (again) Jose.
Adjustment to gear, destination, and techniques is the hallmark of the mariner. Same throughout life. Well done!
Very kind of you (again) jj. Thanks.
Salut Patrick! Another great one! Loved your cool and calm gybing technic! Can't wait to see your solo sailing reefing technic one day ;-) Merci beaucoup! Best regards, Pitter
Very kind of you Pitter. I have actually already filmed my reefing technique, but it is so easy to do on my boat (no requirement to go to the mast), that it is actually a bit boring to watch and I didn't publish it! I'll give this some new consideration if one of the future videos is a bit short. Thanks for commenting.
Another great video. I loved the bit at the end :-) Normally when that happens to me there is a huge crowd of onlookers!
Yeah Graeme -- I'm getting pretty good at positioning the boat correctly, but still am rather amateurish with my line throwing. I'm going to try one of those poles that allow you to drop a loop over the cleat. I'm tired of being the 'entertainment' for the local yacht club. :-)
Love this. Superb
Best vlog on the internet...informative, creative.....and you handle Isabella so well that you instill confidence in me and my ability to manage my cat alone. Thanks!!
Thanks for the kind feedback Reload. Very much appreciated.
Excellent as always Patrick, darryl beattie just sums it up perfectly, great trip and definitely was the right choice to go to the Faroe islands👍👍
Thanks for the kind encouragement Phil. Much appreciated.
Carlo Patrick, this video was fantastic.... I loved so much your lesson on the technique for “solo” gybing .
You have a huge experience on sailing and I do admire you very much.
Take care and Buon vento from Italy 🇮🇹
Molte grazie Elisa. Your kind feedback is greatly appreciated. Thanks for watching.
Another excellent episode, keep them coming!
Thanks for the encouragement Frank. Much appreciated.
Love your videos, Patrick! It's really great that you show the nuts & bolts of everything (docking, etc), along with your decision-making. And keep showing the radio transmissions, too, with proper protocol. A lot of people that sail with me get nervous about using the radio. You show that it's very straight-forward. Keep 'em coming!
Interesting comment about the radio Mike. I showed the calls in quite a number of ports (to show people it really isn't that difficult), but have decided that this is getting a bit boring now, so I have started cutting back on them, and intend to drop them completely soon….. I'll give it some more thought. Thanks for the feedback.
Yes, we both have years of sailing (and Naval Officer experience) in our background, so radio Ops are sorta automatic for us. But it really makes people nervous for some reason. It's certainly your choice, of course(!), but I think the more times people see you do it, the more "routine" it will seem and the more comfortable they'll be.
All respect Patrick, great trip.
Great to hear from you -- am admiring your trip too Micha through the Faroes and now on to Iceland. Bravo. Bonne navigation.
Great video Patrick!
You are a brilliant captain ⛵️⚓️
Warren
Patrick, you inspire me!
Much appreciated Claudiney. Thanks for watching.
So enjoyable, Mr. Laine! Thanks for taking us with you. BTW, heard you almost call that passage a "mission". To this day my father calls every passage, a mission and even give us ETA on "wheels up." Safe travels!
Some habits (and vocabulary) die hard Mark. Every flight was a mission -- so it seems normal every sailing passage should be as well. :-)
You've done it again! Your in the spot I vacated in L'Aber-Wrac'h on the 11th. Now in a lovely anchorage just east of La Coruna.
I'm sure your arrival was a bit more graceful James! I saw you in Cedeira this morning. When you go direct, you go direct! Nice passage my friend. I'm off to Camaret with the morning tide tomorrow. Best regards
Thanks for another cracking film.
Thanks for the feedback Aphrodite. Much appreciated.
Another great trip Patrick.
Thanks for the kind feedback George.
Always good Patrick to change the passage plan if conditions change eh, I'm a great believer in that, thanks again for another great video
Exactly Andy. It's silly to continue into potentially dangerous situations just because that was 'Plan A'. The Harbour Master told me they had 25, gusting to 32 kts in the marina. It wasn't a difficult decision. :-)
The best sailing channel on you tube. Bravo skipper. And thanks
You are far too kind. My favorite channel is RAN. That guy really knows how to sail --- and I've never seen him even remotely excited. He just manages situations so that they don't become crises. A good model for us all.
I appreciate your airing your mishaps. True reality.
Many thanks. Yes ---- I have filmed many "opportunities for improvement". :-) Thanks for commenting.
Hi Patrick, congratulations on getting to Ireland. Would have liked to have a Guinness with you but I'm on the West coast of Canada. Slainte!
Thanks for your honest video´s, I like them a lot.
Thanks for the encouragement Steven. Much appreciated.
One other thing I would recommend based on this "blooper" of trying to dock with a current from aft is, I would bring the dead end of the midship dockline back to the cockpit ahead of time. That way, you can grab it as you are moving forward saving you a few precious seconds before your lassoing attempts. Just a thought.
Yeah, I really should have just gone past the cleat, and reversed into it under full control, and then just dropped the line over. I didn't realize the current was as strong as it was until too late. Fatigue I guess. That said, I've given up on the lassoing technique. In episode 32 and 33 I demonstrate this type of arrival with a 'Docking Stick'. I've used it on a quite a number of 'parallel' arrivals since then, and think it is great. Fair winds geerloczyek.
another excellent video,, thanks
In case you weren't aware, bungee has a poor stretch profile for self steering, surgical tubing has a much more consistent stretch profile. Bungee takes quite some force to initiate a stretch, and then it weakens the further you stretch it. Surgical tubing, on the other hand, stretches willingly with very little effort, and then gradually increases it's resistance. If you can get hold of John Letcher's book on self steering you'll find a lot of useful stuff there. I applaud you for getting your self steering working, I've yet to manage the same myself, I blame the persistent chop I find in the seas around my home port, I'm ent up relying on the tiller pilot and its constant noise, shunting the ram in and out, is very, very, *very* annoying! I must persevere with the rubber tubing!
BTW, I found surgical tubing at a dive web-site. It seems divers use it for all sorts of things.
Thanks Justin. I think it is visible on the cockpit table in one of the videos (or maybe not), but I did try surgical tubing in the autopilot test, but it was far too flexible….. (I too had read in a book that it was good for the autopilot substitute so had bought some as a precaution.) The bungee cord I used was not too bad, but it was a bit stiff. I think I used 8 mil diameter, and 6 mil would probably have been better. In any case, while my system did work in fair weather, it did not work in 2-3 meter seas. I need a better feedback mechanism --- and have been tinkering with attaching an additional line to the boom, or perhaps to the genoa clew. After wasting more time on this this Summer, I'll probably come to the conclusion that a wind vane is the only reliable substitute for an autopilot on a wheel-helmed boat. :-)
“We like it here, we like it here, da ta daa, we like it here” … Mister Laine, mega thanks for taking us on your solo maritime sagas! Likely you’re now home & your time is filled with a different Isabelle. … Enjoyed your jury rigged autopilot, but for a serious sailor like you, the betting odds are on a future mechanical wind vane. Reminds me of past more simple decisions … MGB ragtop or tonneau cover … ... As your shipmate fans, can we expect episodes in August, opportunities to keep your sea legs? All the best to you. ;0)
Definitely ragtop. :-) And, it does look like a wind vane is the best candidate for the future. I hope to cross the Bay of Biscay in August --- so we'll see what comes out of that passage. Thanks for the shout from the past Phantom.
I am just a dreamer now, but I hope one day I can solo sail as you do. I love the footage when you show solo sailing techniques! Thank you very much!
Very kind of you BMK. Much appreciated.
Like how you occasionally slip into the past with the use of 'mission' apropos 'passage'. I believe my Grandfather was from Howth Bay, many miles from where I am now in SA.
Yeah --- I guess I'll always be a pilot at heart, even when pretending to be a sailor. :-)
Thanks for explaining why you didn't go to Falmouth - exactly that thought was in my mind:-)! Much better plan to go to France if they were full too though! Really nice approach on that first docking atempt - such a shame the line wouldn't go!
I still haven't been to Falmouth! I wanted to stop there this last Summer, but wind routing took me in the other direction. I'll get there one day.
Truly amazing hope there more videos
Many thanks for the kind feedback Dennis. Fair winds to you.
Thanks for share your movies.
another great video sir
Much appreciated Jason.
Great videos Patrick. Just subscribed and looking forward to catching up to date.
Many thanks Mark.
What a great way to learn about blue water sailing. Your knowledge and relaxed posture are to your viewers as 20k of wind on a beam reach on a sunny day are to sailing! Thank you!
Here is my 1 week old story I posted on Facebook...
My last adventure:
I got in a boat at Cherbourg, France, thinking I was to do a trip to the Azores to deliver the boat to it’s owner, with a knowledgeable skipper. Not soon enough, I found out that the “skipper” was no skipper and he knew less then I did about navigation. As a result, I had to plot the navigation myself and bring the boat to a safe port (I only have the basic marine licence). As if this wasn’t enough, the motor malfunctioned, and there was no wind for almost a whole day. As a result, a trip that should have lasted just under 2 days, end up being a 3 day trip (3 nights), and when I should been having fun. It was a stressful trip with thick fog in the English Channel (we were 1/2 a mile from a fishing trawler, I could hear its engine but I couldn’t see it). After 220 nautical miles (407km), I brought the boat to a safe mooring at Brest marina. I couldn’t have done it without the help of my brother (Tarcisio Pacheco, he has done a few ocean sailing trips, and he teaches marine navigation). I am forever thankful for his help and guidance in this small life lesson, for he was a major reason that this story has a happy ending.
Now we wait for a proper skipper so we can continue the voyage.
Next time, I am thinking of renting a satellite phone... what’s your number again brother?
My only two worries on this trip? Bring the boat to a safe port, hope that my loving wife wouldn’t be too worried/mad without communication from me... I was lucky on the first worry, not so much on the second one! Love you Sara Pax.
I have been sailing all my life but always competition and/or 48h maximum, coastal sailing!
Would you be interested by any chance, to skipper this contessa 32 back to Azores with me? ;)
Or, do you know or trust anyone that can do it?
May the gods or Darwin bless you.
Yes -- having someone with experience, competence, and the ability to provide leadership to the other less experienced crew members is essential for a long blue-water passage. You have learned that the hard way Tomas, but it sounds like you handled it very well and got safely to port. Having just finished a 2700 NM passage, I think I need a rest before volunteering for another. :-)
Thank you for your reply.
Now that I had some time to think, I am slowly realizing how much could have gone wrong on that little adventure.
I finally found a very capable skipper with 52 years of experience so, I feel confident that we shall arrive safely in Azores some time in the next two weeks.
I surely hope to see many more of your amazing videos for I always learned something new watching them.
You make it look easy when we know that so many things can go wrong.
Because of your feedback I bought the satellite phone you used in one of your videos, thank you for keeping us informed on the options that exist out there.
I wish you happy and safe sailing.
Tom
I always run my forward mooring line outside the stansions back to the cockpitthen I have my spring ready I don’t have to go charging up the boat to get the rope the bitter end is ready by my side in the cockpit as is my boat hook if I have to pick up a buoy. That was a lovely trip and your jibe technique is a handy guide in a smaller yacht it can be scary look forward to you closing the circle
Thanks Santa. I'm definitely going to try a new method over the coming months. I don't know what the final version will be, but not running to midships and trying to lasso the cleat. I'll film it for people to critique.
I was rather disappointed to learn you turned South to France as I was rather hoping to liaise with you in one of the South coast ports and welcome you to Devon. I live near Teignmouth and was preparing to drive down to meet up with you momentarily on your trek along the Western Approaches. Never mind, a great achievement and although looking at times a little tired, you've clearly enjoyed 'the journey'. We too, your 'ghost crew companions' have enjoyed your experiences and expertise, thanks to your efforts and seen Isabelle glide graciously into ports 'various' around the UK. I've been following you since you first started, having been introduced by your daughter's comment on another clod. You have indeed come a long way since since your first tentative uploads and gathered a following of 10K 'subs' on the way. Due in no small part to your rather 'understated' and relaxed style of presentation. Thanks again for sharing.
Again, thanks for the very kind encouragement EF. Much appreciated, and it sounds like you are feeling better as well. Great.
Well deserved, my recovery is steady and progressing thanks,. I'm now able to drive hence my offer to meet. I'm assuming you're safely back home and safely in tucked back in at home port by now. Well done. Cheers
That was a smooth sail. Nice jibe too.
Thanks again for the feedback Robert.
On a side note;
There’s a great Sailing Simulator for Windows laptops for $19.00 called “Sailaway” on Steam that models entire world locations with real weather, winds & sea states around the globe.
I have chart plotted your exact passage with waypoints added from France past English Channel to Ireland then onward to Iceland. Only thing that is currently missing from sim is actual boat traffic & anchoring at marinas.
It’s a great learning guide & basically gets a beginner sailing to new places on the globe until one can do it for real. Cheers!
You one day might use Sailaway Sim, setup your waypoints then any TH-cam fans of your channel can take & monitor your passage within the Simulation.
It’s like we could be on your boat along for the ride & adventures virtually! Anyone on Sailaway can freely add your passage waypoints on the map & enjoy the trip.
:) Another wonderful journey - thank you for taking us along on your "miss..." passage ;) :)
Very happy for you that you got the bungee/wheel to work somewhat - noticed that you don't have a traveler independent of your mainsheet? Might make it a bit tougher in heavier air to get that backup to work.
You have hit on an important point SB. I too wonder if wheel-helmed boats might have too much stiffness in the rudder to work with a 'movement-response' bungy system. There isn't enough movement (maybe). There is a traveler for the boom (forward of the sprayhood), and that is one of the mechanisms that I will be experimenting with to see if I can't create a 'feedback loop' for the bungy cords. As you noted, my system worked fine in relatively light air and seas, but I lost control fairly quickly (a few minutes) in heavier conditions. More experimenting required in materials and method. :-)
Excellent!!!
Thanks for the kind encourage ment Charles. Much appreciated.
Yes, last time I went to Belfast they were constructing the new pier, it was unlit, we were sailing down the wrong side on to the KFC illuminated sign!
It was a dark and very wet night with a few hail stones,
The Coastguard sent out a LandRover and a man with a torch :) No problem.
I remember going into La Coruna Spain at 0200 once, and the green light I was aiming at for miles turned out to be a pharmacy with a lit green cross above the door. A bit embarrassed, but damage only to pride. :-)
Thanks for the video Patrick. You passed by Malahide, my home port, on your way to Howth. Hope you enjoyed your pint
I did indeed Tomas. And had a great time in Howth -- and was warmly greeted by John, another TH-cam viewer. Cool.
Really enjoyed your circumnavigation videos, Patrick. As you rightly note, the kind of voyage you’ve done is a tantalising sampler of delightful places to be visited properly on another occasion. I’m tending to dwell longer in places just for that reason. As a friend put it: “seeing more of less”. Not sure which year this trip of yours was filmed, but apart from Cornwall and the odd fog patch you were blessed with sunshine most of the way. I’d love to know how you arranged that.
I was extremely lucky with the sunny weather Roy! (These were just filmed over these last 9 weeks.) I only had two gales (one of which occurred while I was in port). If anything, there was a patch of about 12-15 days in Scotland where I really needed more wind, but didn't dare say that too loudly for fear the wind gods would spite me! As far as favorite spots --- definitely the Hebrides. Just fabulous -- and well worth an extended visit.
Excellent video again Patrick, I’m so pleased you missed the bollard on your last dock, was beginning to think this guy never gets it wrong ( only joking 😀😀). Well do mate 👍
Thanks Jason. Every time I start to feel a bit cocky on my boat, I'm quickly reminded of my limitations. :-)
Nice! I just sailed through the North Channel, from Jura Sound on the way to Cork area of Ireland. The conditions were very interesting.
I hope you had a little more wind than I did Travis…… Thanks for watching.
Patrick Laine Indeed, we did. It never got below F4, and was mostly in the range of F5-7. The problem we had was that it refused to clock away from about 250º, which meant that we had a slog going down the Sound of Jura and then beating SW to Crosshaven.
At the beginning of April this year, we arrived into Penzance in 40knt winds having sailed 130nm from Watchet in the Bristol Channel, in my 28ft sloop. We rafted up and a week later, when I had more time off, there wasn't enough wind to sail to Falmouth!
Isn't that the way sailing always works Stig? :-) I couldn't go to Penzance due to draft, but maybe I should have given more consideration to Falmouth. Anyway, all worked out well with an uneventful crossing of the Channel. Thanks for watching.
merci beaucoup patrick
Would absolutely love to sail and learn with this guy legend
Very kind of you Steve. Your learning curve will be much shorter (and less painful) if you go out with a pro rather than someone like me!
Thanks Patrick great vids
I have been binge watching all of these. I love the mix of sailing common sense and philosophy and wisdom and I live in Brighton but am from N. Ireland so it is nice seeing places I know from a sailing perspective. I have never sailed but will take some lessons. I suspect you have a fan club. Interested to know more about why you as a person and how you got into this and how long you have made France your home.
Thanks again DD. My primary passion was aviation --- until cancer caused me to lose all of my tickets. I decided to take up sailing at 60 (having learned the elementary basics as a teenager). I took some some group lessons with a pro sailing up and down the French coast. I decided I liked it (was not too old), so bought a boat. Again, lessons with a pro with me doing everything solo to build confidence. The rest is on video. :-) I grew up in the States, but have lived in Europe (UK and France) almost 40 years now......
@@patricklaine6958 that’s very reassuring as I am in my fifties. So not too late to learn. Love the videos and the adventures. Thank you
Done with episode 30, only 12 more left, I will soon have a post Patrick depression.....;-)
i know what you mean i have a handful to go.
Patrick have you had any thoughts on your next adventure?
Watching all episodes again now because there is no new content and i need my dose of Lt. Laine again.
I am so adicted. Cant wait for him to get his new boat ready.
Oh, wow, Arklow!
Like the videos. I have always wondered if you could rig "sheet-to-wheel steering"? Similar to "sheet to tiller steering", but you would have a couple of wraps of the line around a disc on the wheel: one end of the line through a block to the boom, the other end to a bungee. As the boat heads into the wind, the boom would pull the line, turning the wheel, as it moved out of the wind, the bungee would pull it back on course. . .
Another viewer has suggested the same thing Chris --- and I'm struggling to find an effective feedback mechanism for high seas/winds. Just fixing the wheel to steer a course is not enough (as you rightly point out). It needs a mechanism to correct when its stability is disturbed. I'm still brainstorming a couple of possible solutions. :-)
Hi Patrick! Your videos are great and inspiring! I enjoy watching your sailing solo manoeuvres and technique. It is something I want to learn myself at some point. Just one question, would it be possible for you to show full docking manoeuvres in your next videos? I find it interesting to see what happens after you do the cut :) Fair winds and following seas! :)
Thanks Szymon. I think you would be disappointed by videos of my line handling Szymon. You see, I do that in two distinct efforts. The first is just my arrival ---- and the objective is GET A MIDSHIP LINE AROUND A CLEAT. I don't care if the bow or the stern swings out or in a bit (though spectators are quick to yell, 'Your stern is moving out.') :-) The boat is going nowhere once the midship line is secure. I then am comfortable enough to leave the boat, and then begin an iteration of getting some spring lines attached, adjusting the boat aft a bit so the anchor does not hang over the pontoon, etc. It takes about 10 minutes. So, nothing really clever or worth filming.
Thank you for the reply Patrick. Looking forward to the next video!
See what you mean about the Auto pilot in our comments on your previous vlog. Does the job alright, albeit in favourable conditions. Good job !. Shame to have missed you on your transit through these waters. This brought back some nostalgia Patrick !. My Grandparents lived in Howth. Have many fond memories from walks around the harbour as a kid. It was basically just the outer wall with trawlers tied up to the dock, a few boats on bouys in the harbour and the lifeboat station back in those days. Looked like a mighty pint of Guinness... Hoping it wasn't a solo one had.
I had a very nice time in Howth --- which was spontaneously recommended by quite a number of sailors as soon as I said I was going to Dublin. Nice marina, nice yacht club, and lovely town with good restaurants. And the Guinness was good too!
Good to read you enjoyed your time there Patrick - well fed and well "watered". The view from the top of Howth head is stunning. One memory came back, on stay overs at the grandparents the weather would some times mean the Bailey lighthouse be brought to life. At first it was hard to sleep at night with the sound of the horn, but the sound actually became almost comforting in a strange way. The family donates to the RNLI, who have a station in Howth, as they do sterling work. Back in the day, family friends were volunteers on the lifeboat. Heros.
Hi Patrick.
You are the one that sparked my interest in sailing. Especially the solo aspect of it. I find your videos the most educational, which I do appreciate very much.
I do however have a question regarding your accent, or moreso, lack of what I perceive to be a Parisian french accent. I'm Canadian and your accent along with perfect English, is reminiscent of our ex Prime Minister and father of our current one, Pierre Trudeau. I know you served in the French Air Force, so I'm wondering on your background and how you attained your more North American english speaking accent. My apologies if you've already addressed this before and please do direct me to that explanation.
I have dual nationality Hawkeye. I grew up in America, but have lived in France for 30+ years. My English accent is as American as it can be, but my French friends are astonished that someone who speaks French so well, can have such a terrible French accent. I reply, "It adds charm to my personality." :-)
Ha! Missed you in Dublin. I watch your blog so I was hoping you would call in Poolbeg marina so I can see you live
Everyone told me, 'Go to Howth Patrick.' (It wasn't bad advice by the way.) The next time through, I'll try one of the Dublin-proper marinas. Thanks for watching Adam.
Patrick it's a pleasure to watch your video and read all the comments of your fans! So thanks again for taking the time and effort.
I do have a couple comments.
How is it that you find marinas with what appears to be no traffic? Is it because you pick the week day to arrive?
Second I noticed when approaching a dock or slip you stay at the helm until the boat has stopped forward momentum. Then rush amidships to drop a line on.
When I approach and as soon as in astern I leave the helm drop my lines then go back to the helm and ether shift to neutral or ahead if need. If I missed the cleat then I am in better control to maneuver for a second approach. Now of course you need to time the seconds once shifted into astern propulsion for your vessel to stop and pick up astern movement. Just my 2cents. Did you happen to find Biobor for your diesel tank? Take care,
Thanks Tom. I was astonished by the empty marinas on my 'away' part of the trip. I can assure you that the return was not the same……. I had to moor 'illegally' last night in one marina because the inn was filled. The Harbor Master gently criticised me this morning. The April departure is very early in the season, but marinas have been very busy the last couple of weeks. I never did find any Biobor, but did use the recommended Volvo Penta mixture, and had no problems on this 2700 NM trip (which ended today). Thanks for watching again.
Looks like it was a northerly approaching Newlyn. Although pretty sheltered to that direction of wind, Newlyn is really a fishing port rather than marina and facilities were pretty shabby when I was there in March. A good decision to divert.
Others have commented that too Greg. Yes the wind was quite 'fresh' as they said on the radio, nd from the North. I asked the HM (who was very nice to me by the way) and he said 25 gusting to 32. An unfamiliar marina, with not much water, rafting solo to a fishing boat, in high winds. It wasn't a difficult decision. (Tom Cunliffe recommends Newlyn in the Shell Pilot.)
Thanks for the Video Patrick - always good to watch your endeavours - liked the back-up autopilot
I recently purchased a 'TillerClutch X' for my boat - will allow me to tack, lock the tiller in place and free up both hands to be able to attend to jib-sheets etc.
Can also use it as a 'cheap' auto pilot to hold the boat on a fixed heading - in some ways a similar approach to your system
Maybe time for you to consider a mammoth trek from France, down across the Atlantic, across the Pacific to Australia/New Zealand?
A colleague of mine has recently completed this voyage in his Hanse 400 - took months but an epic trip and I guess is a testament to just how good production boats can be
My own plans are to purchase something like a Bavaria 32 (much like Tino G's boat - have been enjoying his channel also) - that would be perfect for me here in Sydney and would be great to do a Trans-Tasman run across to Auckland or even Wellington (my home city)
Yeah -- I think I would quickly purchase a tiller clutch if I didn't have the wheel steering RG. You really need to have 'hands free' often if you are a solo sailor. As for the trip to down under, I like your attitude: "Go Big or Don't Go." :-) Fair winds to you.
sorry - one last question: I was wondering if you had any ambitions to purchase another boat
i.e. is Isabelle the perfect yacht, or do you have plans to evolve into an even bigger boat in the future?
Isabelles 40ft looks fantastic to me - looks to be a very well screwed together and spacious yacht
Patrick i really appreciate your videos. I rewatch them multiple times and always learn something new. I would be very interested to learn more about your sheet wheel self steering rig. And why you go bow into a slip versus backing in. I go bow in on my 27 foot boat. I figure easier to backout into bigger water than it is to back in to small slip. But just bought 35' boat and am interested in your thoughts. Thanks for sharing your wonderful videos.
I do back in from time to time, and have filmed a few Chuck (see episode 32 for example). My boat reverses beautifully --- so that is not the problem. When visiting unknown ports, I don't know what the cleat layout on the pontoon will be. If I back in, and can not easily get a line around the cleat, the bow may fall off onto the other boat in the slip. If I drive in forward, I can just pin the boat to the pontoon and the finger no matter what the cleat layout is. The other reason I don't back in (at my home port) is because my pontoon is on a public passage, so I want to maintain some privacy. Thanks for watching.
Hi Patrick, Thanks a lot for another great vídeo. You are getting near home, isn't? I hope that you plan quickly another travel. We will miss your videos.
As I write this Kleman, I still have about 300 NM to go to get home, but it is over ground you have already seen (though I will try to visit some ports new to me and you). I plan another trip to Spain towards the end of the Summer (after a bit of rest!). Thanks for watching and the kind words of encouragement.
Great great video thank you . Cheers to the Guinness.
Patrick... Its been said before, your channel is excellent..
You should of come to St. Mawes, across from Falmouth, you would of eat and drank free !!
I've received several angry, private emails because I did not come to Falmouth. I'll have to give it another shot --- and will take you up on the free drink in St Mawes! Thanks for watching Trevessa.
Thank you Patrick once again. Learning so much. Trying to get the courage to solo my 27 foot O'Day. I think a few more videos and I'll be there. Kory LeBlanc (a Frenchman in Connecticut).
Allez les Blues pour La Coupe du Monde! I'm not sure that more videos will get you across the line Kory. Yes, they help, but only as a complement to lessons with a pro. I started with group lessons in the local area. Then I did a couple of week long 'coastal' runs as a member of a crew with a pro coach. Then I hired the pro to come on my boat, but only as an observer/coach. I did half a dozen outings like that before I finally had the confidence to go out on my own. Then step by step to more complex passages. Videos help, yes, but there is a limit to what they bring. Hope you get out there alone soon. It's great fun, and once you do it a couple of times, your confidence will grow steadily. Thanks for watching.
Patrick you are unbelievable. I don't know how you respond to so many people. Thank you for taking the time. I think I will look into hiring a pro. That sounds like the best idea. I took lessons on Narragansett Bay and been sailing for 15 years but always had a first mate. It's not the sailing that worries me. It's really just coming back into the marina in windy conditions that worries me. I have a mooring and when I put the boat away for the winter I have to bring it into a slip. Your videos are helping me out a lot really and there just fun to watch. Hopefully will be "voler en solo" soon. Thanks again.
yroklj - I began sailing on Narragansett Bay in the 1960s! What a great place it is to learn to sail as a little kid with so many clubs with sailing programs. It didn't hurt to have the America's Cup Races based there out of Newport, RI for so many years either.
Patrick I have binged watched your Vlogs this weekend, keep up the great work I think there fantastic, It maybe interesting to rig a camera from upon high so we can see all the boat as you come in, my interest is how you tie up alone as a beginner, you dont really see what you do with the engine. dont know if thats possible, but really interesting.
Many thanks for the great feedback Dave. I'm afraid I am at the limit of what I can do alone filming on the boat. To get more sophisticated would require a couple of extra cameras, and someone with terrific editing skills. Sounds like there is a TH-cam specialty window opening for you though. Go for it!
I am very much a beginner but I might give it a shot in the next months ;-)
Great video again - thanks for doing it
we sailed from Troon to Kinsale last year and called into Bangor, Howth and Arklow on the way to Kinsale
and have sailed in Scottish Islands and Hebrides
I can recommend the south and south west coast of Ireland
Norway is also good - but of course much further for you than me (being based in the UK!)
I am sure you have mentioned this before, but I wondered which app you are using for your chart plotter
I will enjoy watching the rest of your videos
Thanks Nicholas. I had a great time going through the Hebrides and then jumping down the East coast of Ireland. My only disappointment was that I had very little wind for my week through the Hebrides. Iceland is receiving serious consideration for my next major passage, so I may get a chance to see the South and West coasts of Ireland. We'll see….. I have a Ray Marine plotter, but to be honest, I only turn it on as a back-up when in dangerous navigational waters. My main source of nav information is my iPad loaded with Navionics charts. They are relatively inexpensive, and quite accurate for the areas of Europe/North Atlantic where I sail. Many thanks for watching.
Love the bungee cord system. I will try it on a CAT next time i'm out.
Thanks for watching Ian. Just to be clear, it worked well when there were small seas. When I tried it in 2-3 meter seas, it would not hold the heading. What was missing was a 'feedback loop'. In other words, when the boat is disturbed from its present course, something needs to send a signal to make a correction (not just hold the controls fixed). I have been experimenting with an additional line from the boom to the helm, and next week will try an additional line from the clew of the genoa to the helm. I'll probably eventually come to the conclusion that I should just buy a wind vane. In the meantime, all of this experimenting has shown me that I can handle a loss of autopilot without having to declare an emergency --- even if not very efficient. :-)
Wow, you are having good weather there!! Better than in Mallorca these days!!
Yes --- to be honest, I've only had one gale all Summer, so have been very fortunate. I think that I did have a VERY exceptional passage through Scotland though. I'm not complaining! BTW, I know many people consider the Med a big lake. I know differently. I spent years flying off carriers there, and I know very well how Madame Med can lose her temper very rapidly, much to the regret of all those who took her for granted. ;-)
Hi Patrick , if your ever in the Falmouth area & need a berth , get hold of me, my boat is at Pascos boat yard st just in roseland, I can help sort one out ! Have a beer & chat boat 👍 another great episode 👌
All noted Jim. Thanks for the kind invitation.
Thank you Patrick for also showing us when docking etc. not always goes as planned 🙏
As usual I am learning a lot from your videos. 2 questions, when marina says on vhf, Isabelle go to pontoon E og finger 45 something, are you sitting with a detailed map of marina know where to sail to before entering the marina?
Other question is about the tides. What planning tools do you use where you in the evening can see next day presents 5 tides, find currents for all and then plan to beat the 3?
Maybe topics to show in more detail in upcoming episodes ☺️🙏
Welcome home to France 🇫🇷
Kind regards, Peter
Thanks Peter. You can buy 'pilot guides' which often show a map of the marinas you plan to visit (as well as other relevant info for sailors visiting an area). However, many don't have that detailed map --- so it's not failsafe. In that case, you just enter and it's usually easy to find the row ('E' in your example). There is a big letter on pylons at the head of each row. It's much more difficult to see the much smaller berth number that is usually on the end of each finger. However if you see two of them, you can count them down…..
Tidal charts are present in guide books like the 'Reeds' from the UK, or the 'Bloc Marine' in France. There are charts that show the direction of tidal flows for an area for each hour of the tide, and also listings of the times of high and low tide for each port. There are also smart phone apps that show times of tides in ports. I use 'marée.info' in France, and another one for the UK (whose name escapes me, but equally valuable). Great tools to have.
Hi Patrick, watching your inspiring videos again. Still could not get my own solo travesy, but still planning, watching and reading (and dreaming!). Have you read Singlehanded Sailing of Andrew Evans? He provides some possibilities for back up autopilots, all of the for tillers, but I guess they can be adjusted to your rudder wheel system. For the case you have not read it, it is in the internet. Congrats for your new journey, and hope soon I make my time to start following your steps!
Many thanks Pablo. I have a library of sailing books at home -- with a particular focus on solo sailors, so I have probably read it. I'll check when I get home. Thanks for commenting.
.......& no Jameson Whiskey??????......I guess u just gotta come back again 😉. (Superb vlogs 'oh captain my captain')
I'll drink to that! Thnks Neil.
At last you achieved A1,,,,top of your class.
Love the Navy shirt.
Class of '76. Thanks for watching Ken. :-)