Ep 27 Sailing from Shetland to Faroe Islands Solo
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 22 พ.ค. 2018
- I sail from the Shetland Islands, bound for the Faroe Islands (200 NM NW) when I lose my autopilot. What follows is without doubt my worst sailing experience, but favorable winds see me to my destination, exhausted. I explain the cause of the loss of autopilot, and show a few brief scenes of the stunning Faroe Islands.
Much respect for forging ahead under less than optimal circumstances. Learning alot from you and your comment section. Lots of knowledge being shared. You helped facilitate that Patrick...job well done sir!
Another great video, Patrick. I think I've learned more about sailing from you than from anywhere else. Unfortunately, that usually means your having a pretty bad trip, but at least we get to benefit from your experience. Thank you so much!
BayAreaBlues ii
Totally agree with you BAB! Thanks Patrick!
At a time of life when many of your fellow Americans are sitting in their living rooms watching TV, you are solo sailing the world's oceans and visiting fascinating destinations; pushing yourself to the limits of exhaustion to stay ahead of hazardous weather. As Teddy Roosevelt said (I'm paraphrasing), "Give me the strenuous life!" I venture to guess you'll outlive all those couch potatoes by several years. Thanks for another great video. Ken in St. Petersburg FL.
Thanks Ken. I a firm believer of 'getting in the ring'. :-) Thanks for watching and for the generous comment.
Chapeau bas! Patrick I’m so glad you made it to the Faroe Islands, despite the broken pilot ! Watching your arrival in Tórshavn and Vágur awoke lot of intense memories… thanks for sharing that, as well as for mentioning my video (!) and good luck for the next leg to Stornoway ! Stay safe my friend. I'm shure that one day we'll have a beer somewhere on the North Sea or North Atlantic ;-)
It wasn't my most enjoyable passage Pandorak, but once there, I did sail to 3 other places in the Faroes to capture some of the scenery that your video showed in such a spectacular manner. Despite my difficult trip, it was certainly worth the trip! Thanks for commenting --- and I'll buy that beer with great pleasure. A+
Your video really highlights just how amazing Joshua Slocum's Spray was in it ability to keep a course line. Great videos!
Yes --- it's amazing how they use to do all of this without electronic navigation, autopilots, satellite radios, etc. Makes one respect their adventures even more.
I'm amazed where you find energy to overcome your difficulties and sleep deprivation. Your get up and go just keeps going. 😂😂
Hallo sir
First of all, thank you for Your great sailing videos!
About self steering-
Here i Kerteminde, Denmark, (and properly some where else to) the local fishermen have used a primitive but safe way of self steering for the past 300 years, until the diesel engines arrived in the 1920`s. Sadly this method is nearly forgotten, but some of us wooden-ship-nerds, still use it when singlehand sailing. And, it works just fine on modern ships to!
Tie your sheet for the staysail on the bottom of your steering wheel, or on to the tiller, and then counter weight with a suitable weight or something elastic. It takes some work the first time balancing it all out, but from there its quick to install afterwards.
Trim your sails to the wanted course, and trim again so that when the foresail pulls (to) hard on the sheet, the ship turns upwind, and when it isn't pulling enough, the ship turns downwind. simple and reliable...
I have used this on a 25 foot 2-masted `smakke`=700kg, on a 30 foot gaff cutter =10 ton, on a 60 foot 2-masted brigantine =60ton, and now on my more modern boat, a 37 foot masthead sloop =8ton (a Finnrose 37)
Good weather and fair winds-
Jacob
Thanks very much for the suggestion Jacob. I realized I needed a 'feedback' loop ---- but I tried it with the mainsail boom rather than the genoa. It didn't work very well with the boom. I'll try your method when the weather gets a bit warmer! :-)
Wow! I'm "in the Faroes" before breakfast, even! You still win "the big brass ones" award for helmsmanship sans autopilot!
GoPro shots ARE magnifique !
Mèrci, mon Capitain.
Very kind of you Will. Thanks
Great job Patrick, as someone starting out I find your videos very informative.
Enjoyed another video Patrick also your vessel Isabel looks beautiful , learning a lot about the wind in docking and how to use it correctly , your explanation is easy to understand , Mucias Gracias Richard and Marry Christmas .
Hi Patrick,
Thanks for the video.Very informative as usual.Keep warm and safe passage back home.
Kind regards.
I watch every video very attentively because I see you are very mindful, staying safe. Most other boating videos I watched people are ridiculously careless.
Thank you.
Very kind of you Cris. Thanks
Cheers. Captain another fantastic video you are one of the best
Far too kind Slipstream. Many thanks.
Awesome Helly Hansen jacket, great video Patrick!
Fantastic.. Again. Really great video with a serious lesson mixed in.. Really appreciate this Patrick. Thank you!!
Many thanks P. This one wasn't much fun, but I learned a lot too.
Hi Patrick, I just wanted to say a big thank you for your interesting and educational videos. I am currently stuck at home bed bound with covid and going stir crazy. I came across your videos and have been bing watching them for the last couple of days. I have a small you tube channel about model railways but I also own a boat in Jersey in the Channel Islands and watching videos has been really uplifting. I can’t wait to get better and get out on the water. All the best Mark
Loved the “at sea” vids the best. Your video photography is always great. Thanks for taking us along.
Hello again Silky --- a loyal follower since the beginning. Thanks for coming back.
Many thanks Patrick, great video again. I like your style, great pleasure to watch your reports. Many thanks.
You've made my day Angelhard. Much appreciated.
Great series. Best on youtube. I watched them all. I have a small sailboat myself and your filming, advice and the way you explain things are second to none. Well done keep it up.
Very kind of you Sean. Thanks for the feedback.
Another fantastic vídeo. Thanks.
Much appreciated Kleman. Cheers.
Patrick, thanks so much for another brilliant episode, glad to see you made safe harbour despite more adversity, just a solo sailors lot ! Stand fast 👍
Thanks Captain. This one was a bit more challenging than others. Fortunately, the weather was kind to me, and let me learn just 'one' lesson at a time, rather than two!
That was great. Breathtaking footage of sailing the Faroes. You gently remind people that sailing is not all carefree. You can sometimes find yourself racing the weather and dealing with equipment failure at the same time, and what looked like a relatively easy passage turns into a real test of skill and perseverance.
Perfectly stated Kevin. I even thought before leaving -- "This is going to be a great passage --- favorable winds, gentle seas, and almost no traffic. This should be great fun!" The next thing I knew......I was trying to figure out how to beat a Near Gale to port --- hand steering, frozen, and exhausted. Many, many lessons learned.
Well done. Especially appreciate it when you talk about sail trim and coping with challenges. I learned a lot from this video. Fair winds.
Well Good Ending, this episode had a Good Ending as well (thank goodness). Fortunately the weather held up reasonably well ---- and gave me enough time to sort out a Plan B without too much drama. Thanks for watching.
Great video! It looked like an exhausting trip with no autopilot! Well done on finding the balance of sails that at least let you sleep a little. Glad you beat the storm to the islands.
Cheers Sun of Man. Much appreciated.
Great single handed journey Patrick. Those Islands are amazing ! Keep on going ! We want more ! Thanks Safe sailing.
Thanks again Robert. Much appreciated.
Thank you very much for sharing your adventures Patrick! The way you shout and edit make me feel that I am part of your crew! You bring a lot of good points to think about for my own sailing (Beneteau 361). Merci beaucoup!
C'est très aimable de votre part Jeff.
Good job Patrick, very good video with many helpfull informations
Thanks for the kind remark Pawel.
Well done Patrick. Really like the way you handled the lack of autopilot by balancing your sails. You do us fellow solo sailors proud.
Too kind Greg.
Patrick - thanks for another great video. I'm learning a lot of valuable lessons, as I'm sure are others, about the sorts of decisions you need to make in the moment when things don't go quite to plan. unfortunately that means you've had a less than pleasant experience.. Thanks for the link to Pandorak; another great video..
Thanks Simon. That Pandorak video is one of the best sailing videos I have seen: original in concept; expertly choreographed; superbly filmed; who can ask for more?
Dear Patrick, I love the content of your videos. They are very instructive and also inspiring. In 2 days I almost watched all of the videos. I hope you keep making new ones. A trip to canary islands maybe? Anyway thanks a lot for the informative videos. Since you are a pilot, it would be very interesting to hear more of your thoughts about cloud formations and general meteorological events. Greets from Switzerland.
Much appreciated Can. I'm off to Iceland this Spring. I'll film if it is noteworthy. Thanks for watching.
Viewed the homework - beautiful cinematography but it is your honest first hand account of the sailing that keeps me coming back here! A couple of years of content before I catch up to your current stuff, I hope you are still sailing and still enjoying it.
Thanks Roger. I'm still at it, but the virus is making things a bit complicated...... Hopefully this will pass rapidly.
Great video, glad you got your Auto pilot fixed. Thank you for your informative videos. Fare winds sail save.
Much appreciated Sailaway. Very kind of you.
Hello Patrick. I have just recently be some a big fan of your single handed adventure sailing . Top notch! In this particular video you point out mooring next to tyres where the sea railing might get stuck underneath. Whenever I have to moor next to this type of wall or even worse next to big wooden poles under a jetty, designed for mooring big fishing ships, I put out my fenders as usual. Then I take a wooden plank and hang it off the the sea railing outside the fenders. This way my fenders keep me away from the tyres.
Thanks. Yeah, on my trip around Iceland I tried several techniques, including the fender board. The board would still hang-up on the underside of the tyres when the wind blew hard.....but the board is still better than tyres alone.
It's always a good exercise to reflect and consider what one might do differently if the situation was to recur, and inevitably you come up with something that might make your life easier as have some of the suggestions here. 20:20 hindsight. What was great from my perspective, drawing no doubt from your background was the calm analysis of the situation and definition of objective that informed action. TCUP as they say.
Another good vid!
In retrospect, I have thought of several other things I should have tried. I put it up to my fatigue (and concern abot the approaching storm) that I did not try them. They are in my playbook now, should this ever recur! Thanks for commenting Greg.
I would say you learned more about your autopilot from this experience. Sometimes the smallest thing can cause much pain. Good to hear you were able to get it repaired and back in service. Going without sleep has a way of catching up with you. I wouldn't want to be sleeping with all those rocks that close. Very pertty place to sail too. I kind of like warm better than cold. Happy sailing.
I was lucky the Raymarine agent was there -- as I had misdiagnosed the problem. I was convinced that it was GPS related. They took 2 minutes to suggest that it was the mag compass flux gate. Another lesson learned.
Absolutely the best sailing channel on YT! Very interesting and educational. Hope you are going to visit Cardiff on your way back - awesome city, I've also spent quite some time living there.
I lived for 7 years there Vitaly (in Lisvane), just before the Cardiff Bay Development project was launched. Loved it. I may stop there on the way home, but it is over 100 nm out of the way, and I have to get home to for another time constraint. We'll see.
Thanks Patrick. I have always admired your good seamanship coupled with good decision making. Our yacht is a feeling 486 elite with windpilot pacific vein gear. We use it for short runs to, not only to turn nav gear off and save power and usage, but just beacuse its fun to watch. Fair winds from Australia, cheers Chris :)
I just responded to others Chris that a wind vane has climbed up my priority list in a spectacular manner! Good sailing to you down under.
Another great one!, cheers.
Much appreciated John. I learned many lessons on this one. ;-)
Patrick,
As always your trip to the Faroe Islands was fantastic , showing once again the adversity and the decision to continue moving forward instead on taking the needed rest . Yes those pesky Auto Pilots always seem to be a problem and I have learned that from many youtube sailers. For that reason I have a complete spare Auto pilot , Fluxgate ,computer Brains and hydraulic pump.. I do understand and have thought of those wind vaine's but do not want to clutter of the stern on my boat it is where my swim later is... I can see from your video how beautiful the Faroe Islands are... I have only seen them from the Air many many times as I was crossing the Atlantic from my Boeing...
Fair winds to you my friend,
Robert
North Star
Thanks Robert. I assure you, the view at 9 feet is much more interesting than from FL350! :-) I am a bit embarrassed about it, but I did not even know that I had a flux gate aboard, and I completely misdiagnosed the problem. I thought it was a corrupted NMEA/GPS problem. :-( The technician quickly put me on the right track. I learned some critical new lessons in this (painful) episode, and if another solo sailor picks up a learning or two from this, terrific. Thanks for the kind remark.
Good lesson about a broken part of your autopilot. I ope you bot not only a replacement part but also a spare one. You never know when it is going to quit on you again.
I love your videos!
The rescue boat that is visible in Torshavn, straight ahead at around 9.50 minutes, was built in my small home town, Hunnebostrand, on the west coast of Sweden. Small world! :)
Our Bohus archipelago is an area you really should come and visit. I know that you seem to prefer open water sailing, but sneaking around in a sheltered and forgiving "sea of islands" with hundreds, if not thousands, of natural harbors is a true pleasure! Great seafood here as well.
They use that lifeboat regularly Ute --- I saw it go out at least 4 times (for training I hope). My original intention this year was indeed to go to Norway and Sweden (I even bought all of the coastal sailing guides) ---- but the prevailing winds dictated otherwise. Maybe next year? :-)
Nice video Patrick enjoy your rest well deserved.
:-) Can't remember being that tired. I was very relieved to have a simple docking maneuver to do on arrival George.
Great ad for wind vanes! We had one and used it all the time - ocean crossings and day trips. I think a few kilos of metal on the back there would give you fantastic security and peace of mind. Great video as always - thank you.
My daughters will never forgive me for killing the swimming platform! :-)
Brave daughters if they swim where you are now!
A journey to remember! Both the trouble and the scenery. My very limited experiences with wind vanes are that you use them as soon as you turn the motor/s off, no matter the distance. And they work excellent.
I sure wish I had installed one for this trip MiQ! I'll have to carefully consider the trade-offs of having one installed again. Thanks for watching.
Hi Partick, Full Marks for perseverance well done. I remember in one of your early videos an autopilot issue that 'fixed itself' after a full re-install... perhaps that was a sign things were on the way out but I imagine you probably consider you have had good service overall from it. The other item that seems to dog these systems is the rudder position indicator that feeds back to the main computer and if giving false readings causes similar issues. You obviously had time to think of most back-up solutions whilst hand steering for so many hours but it occurred to me that with your twin wheels two bungees crossed from 12 o'clock to 6 o'clock may have provided something of a self centering effect, always as you already said subject to gusts and sea states. Cheers Bill
I tried the bungee cord (and even surgical tubing) solution, but with no real success. I'm going to study other videos on this to see if I missed a trick. As you state, the problems I had with the autopilot on my first day of this voyage may well have been a leading indicator that this system was failing. I thought we fixed it by changing the GPS, but perhaps not....... Thanks for commenting.
Just a note that I enjoy your vids of sailing somewhere I have never been to. Too cold for me! Lynn, spoiled eastern pacific delivery skipper!
Hello Lynn. I was really cold (even though it was 7 or 8 degrees C) when I had to sit out in the wind and hand steer. I was shivering. It was terrible. Perhaps I should consider the Pacific the next time!
It is just m’y point of view, but if I had to manage alone my sail boat during few days in blue waters, I will install a hydrovane with ruder. It allows to give me a perfect wind pilot and a emergency ruder . And you can use It without electricity as well. You did a very good job Peter, nice to watch yours videos and being richest without yours experiences. Thanks Sir . Stéphane
Thanks Stéphane. I have to agree with you --- a windvane would be ideal. It's not straightforward on my boat because the stern transom is actually a swim platform that lowers. I'm sure there is a solution, but for this year, the priority was to add an inner forestay so that I will have a staysail for high winds next season. Maybe a windvane next year. :-)
Glad you got your autopilot working. Nice use of prop walk!
Thanks SBS. I was so tired then that I am not sure there was much sophistication in my approach! Best regards
You inspire, Mr. Laine!
I hope I am inspiring people to carry a lot of spares. :-) Thanks Mark.
An excellent video. I am acquiring a windvane because it is simple and reliable. I do not know if your boat has heating aboard, but in these latitudes I regard heating as another essential system. I look forward to your next video
Yes S&D, I have a Webasto heater aboard. Completely agree on the necessity of heat. That said, the Webasto uses a lot of ELECTRICAL energy that people forget about. Many thanks for commenting.
Had an issue with a fluxgate as well, compass going haywire, ended up being a crew member relocating some pots and pans, over the cabinet the fluxgate was in..Fair Winds!!
When I finally did find the flux gate (that I did not know was aboard) Chris, I removed every bit of metal from that compartment to see if there was any difference. Unfortunately, the piece had failed and needed replacement. Thanks for commenting.
Patrick,
Thank you so much for your footage on the Faroe Islands... they look stunning and I can not even imagine how stunning they would be to see in person . I am so very sorry for your mishap with your Auto pilot , Yes that is every sailers Nightmare and even more of a Nightmare when dealing with such a malfunction sailing solo. Sense I too sail most of the time solo, and live in fear of that very same predicament , I cary a spare flux gate and a complete computer brain.. yes expensive but it does give me peace of mind... because I know that it is the week point in the system... Ok , Ok, yes it is that Airline Pilot mentality in me.. always have a backup to the backup.. lol Oh yes I may be headed your way next summer when I come out of the Caribbean and headed to the Med for the summer. Fair Winds and Safe Sea's .
Robert
North Star
I too now have a very extensive (and very expensive) set of spares Robert. I'm not sure they would have helped me in this instance, as I mis-diagnosed the problem. I was convinced it was a compatibility problem with a new GPS I had installed very recently, and I thought it had caused a NMEA 0183 vs 2000 bug. I did not think it was the fluxgate (and to be honest --- did not know where the fluxgate was on my boat). The Raymarine agent there immediately suspected that was the problem -- and he was right. Fair winds to you on your passage to the Med.
@@patricklaine6958
Thanks for the reply Patrick. And yes sometimes we perceive what the problem is and get a little tunnel vision . Auto Pilot malfunctions as a solo sailor about as bad as is gets and is a serious problem to deal with.
Robert
North Star
Well done Patrick very informative video and best wishes for the return journey.
Thanks Michael. I completed the first 230 NM leg today to Stornoway in Scotland. It was a boring, uneventful passage. Wonderful!
Yes, sometimes boring is just whats needed !!. Thanks for the PANDORAC recommendations and his photography is excellent. There is also a Danish guy who has done a photography series on the Faroes taking each island individually. He is called Mads Peter Inverson and may be worth checking out.
Thanks Michael. I haven't heard about Mads (this one, anyway). I'll check it out.
Great stuff
I guess you just proved self steering windvanes are more useful than just an ocean crossing. I personally have it on my list of "must haves" if and when I finally start my solo sailing adventures. Fair winds safe travels always look forward to your updates.
But then I can't lower the swimming platform Boom! :-)
I went sailing thanks to you last weekend ⛵⛵⛵⛵😀 I have use of a Southerly 28 so I took her out for a full days sail, glorius day too, it was after watching about 6 of your videos the night before, I thought stuff this I'm not cutting the grass I'm getting the last opportunity for the season for a sail before winter haul out next week. So thanks Patrick. Re: the Raymarine autopilot heading issues, We had a similar issue last year, a new autopilot & everytime you engaged it the boat would enter autopilot mode then swing 180 degress the opposite way!!! So I spoke to Raymarine technical department & believe it or not they couldn't resolve it, their advice was to go through a reset and recalibration mode, which is tedious when you've done a dockside calibration & a sea trial going around in circles twice already.
So I explained I had done all that so their final answer was the whole system would need sending in for repair under warranty. Well that was no good as it would have meant no autopilot for awhile, so I set about going through everything. What I had noticed was that in one of the menus there was an option to set different autopilot patterns, (for fishing boats probably) the patterns were spiral, grid, tacking etc. But no matter which one was chosen it would throw us into the reciprocal of any chosen start heading. So I suspected the fluxgate compass, but having taken it apart could see no reason why it would do an absolutely 180 degree opposite to what we input?
So more tracing the fault. In the end the fault was in the autopilot box of tricks that you connect the fluxgate too, the gps, control head etc. One of the green multiconnector plugs wasn't quite straight & so everytime we engaged the autopilot it would make this false input 180 degrees from what we wanted, it was defaulting to the opposite each time, the actual autopilot pattern was faultless, just the wrong way, 🤣 so I knew the fluxgate was ok, the problem was an easy fix, just thought I'd share that with you 😁
Thanks Ray. You made my day. Good for you. Sounds like you understand the frustrations of a non-functioning autopilot perfectly. To tell you the truth, I was convinced my problem had something to do with mixing NMEA standards/components. It was the local Raymarine agent in the Faroe Islands who correctly identified it as a compass flux-gate problem. I didn't know there was a compass fluxgate aboard, and it took me a couple of hours to find it (screwed into the upper back corner of a hanging closet). Glad your problem was resolved.
Some stunning scenery Patrick. Hope you were well rested after you made Harbour.
Many thanks David. Thanks for the kind remark.
Thank you for sharing.
Much appreciated Jose.
Great exciting passage!
Not my most enjoyable though Staffan. (That's ironic, because I remember thinking before leaving that "This is going to be a great passage. Favorable winds, kind seas, and hardly any traffic.") ;-)
Hi Patrick, Another fine video that fires my enthousiasm. Thank you! One advice: you really should consider a windvane! I bought a secondhand Aries and find myself using it all the time, even on short stretches. It’s magnificent, strong, (ugly) and trustworthy. Since mounting it on the stern I nearly stopped using the autopilot. The only use left for that piece of machinery is when motoring, in which case the Aries doesn’t work at all. Keep the video’s coming!!!
Yeah --- I have definitely decided to give a wind vane some very serious consideration. That was an experience I don't really want to relive. Thanks for commenting Alex.
Patrick, let us know your choices and what you pick. Really good video of the real world of single handing superbly.
Well done, Patrick! As I understand, that particular sail has never been “a piece of cake”..
I’ve been wanting to do it myself, but I only have one autopilot!
Greetings from Denmark :)
Hello Gunnar. It was supposed to be a very easy passage with a gentle breeze and kind seas! My take-away is to never take being at sea for granted! Best regards to you.
Great video Patrick.. On my recent single handed trip madeira to azores my windpilot was not working well. After sailing for 10 mins she would round up and sails would flap.. very tiring.. I was lucky because I had just repaired my electric/hydraulic autopilot so I changed over and got some rest. Resting is very important, after resting I found out what the problem was, and managed to repair it. The string from the drum on the wheel was caught between the 2 halves of the drum and they would not tighten up properly, so it slipped on the wheel..
FYI, it is worth carrying a spare feedback potentiometer as well as fluxgate. EBAY is good for these parts, If the pot fails then the rudder usually is driven hard over, and the display shows that rudder is not moving.
Thanks for the tip on the Pot Garry. I'll see about getting one. And, thanks also for the point on the 'reliability' of wind vanes. Many people seem to forget that they too are notorious for slipped lines, broken brackets, or sheared retaining bolts…… :-) Life at sea is a harsh environment for any piece of equipment.
Wow. That's rough!
Great video Patrick
Thanks Tomas. It's two weeks later, and I have just about recovered from my fatigue! :-)
Hi Patrick
Really feel for you when fatigue cuts in I don't know how you managed to stay awake. Not sure I could. Hats off to you.
Mike
I was very, very fortunate that the weather was kind and winds from astern. I would have had no other choice but to heave to Mike, as I was REALLY exhausted. Lots of lessons learned on this one for sure.
Hi Patrick. Thank you for the movie. Great to see the Faroes.
Sorry to see the problems you had - maybe the jinx hit you because of the discussion of long watches following your channel crossing.....
Great advice on diagnosing the issue. I have the same system and wonder if it would worth carrying a spare - did the Raymarine guys recognise this as a common failure?
I was following you on Marine Traffic so saw you depart Torshavn a number of times. Sea trials?
Fair winds for the rest of the journey.
Russ
Yes -- the various departures were for testing and recalibrating the system. (You have to drive around in circles for the compass calculator to determine the deviation.) I wanted to test it several times to ensure we did not have a 'false' cure to the problem. The Raymarine guys did not say if it was a 'common' problem, but when I said that the symptom was the varying standby heading, they said, 'This is where we start to look.'
Thx. for sharing.
Losing the autopilot - ouch! Seems you were channeling Sir Francis Chichester though, and worked through it. In 1967-68, Gypsy Moth IV’s vane self-steering went berko (good Aussie term) in the Southern Ocean and he found, by accident, that Gypsy Moth would settle down to a steady course with the sails ABACK so he set them that way on purpose when he needed to sleep. I filed that one away in my memory in case II ever went sailing - which I am about to do. Point is there are things to try to get by if technology lets you down, just as you did. Well done Patrick.
You must’ve been channeling George Lucas, too, because I recall that the Millenium Falcon had trouble when her “Fluxgate Capaciter” went u/s in one episode of Star Wars.
I didn't try backing them Ian, but why not. Another idea to try if this ever happens again! Thanks for the comment.
Another magnificent video, thanks Patrick. I think as backup you should really have another crew member, I put my hand up! :)
There is no doubt that a second crew aboard would change everything Matt. I was exhausted, cold and not thinking well. I was lucky the weather was good. There is safety in numbers!
Patrick, Having known the Fluxgate was the problem, there are two tricks you could have used to get your Autopilot keeping the course for you: 1- Use the Wind Vane mode, The pilot will steer by keeping the same apparent wind angle with your boat. 2- Use the Track Mode should your GPS be connected to the pilot. You set a waypoint on the GPS and the pilot stays on the track until you reach that same waypoint. keep that in mind for next time. Merci pour ce beau video, Richard
I tried the windvane mode Richard (pushing standby and auto at the same time). No joy. It had no affect on course-keeping. Apparently, the mag heading feeds into that as well. I did NOT try the Track Mode to see if the GPS would over-ride the mag input. That sounds like a really good idea. I think I was just too tired to think of it. Will give it a try if this ever happens again. Thanks for the great comment.
Patrick, If the pilot fails to engage in the Wind vane mode, it is probably because it is not receiving the Wind vane data. Make sure the Seatalk bus from the ST-60 instrument is connected to the pilot. I have used this mode to cross the Atlantic on my boat and it worked fine until the wind direction changed for more than 20 degrees which gives you an alarm. Using the Track mode on the pilot is also very useful in a narrow channel. Good luck, à la prochaine, Richard
I am certain Richard that it was receiving wind information ---- the readout on the ST60 even told me what it was going to maintain. However, after 15 seconds --- it would veer off course, the same as in the 'auto' mode when it failed. Somehow or other, the mag heading information must help stabilize the 'wind vane' mode as well. I'll experiment with this tomorrow during my next passage and let you know.
Ouch. That was no piece of cake Patrick.
If it doesn't kill ya, it makes ya stronger. :-)
In college did survival hiking in the cascades and unlike the poor devil eaten by a mountain lion in north bend WA, I gun up... 10 mm Glock along with bear spray..
They don’t work in Mexican waters.lol
Heave to baby. Your honesty and humility makes you a first. Class mariner, thank you!
SV Venceremos
:-) If I had had a few more hours between me and a storm, you can bet I would have hove to. I was completely exhausted! Thanks for coming back jj.
I don't even have a boat (yet, hopefully!), but from what I read/saw/heard windvane is better than autopilot. If autopilot breaks it's a nightmare. All sailors with windvanes I've seen love them. They are very reliable and easy to repair, besides they don't need energy. Windvane will definitely be my choice when I buy a boat
Yes, that's right Alexey. There are two other concerns that limit the practicality of wind vanes: 1) many modern boats now have a swim platform on the stern that folds down. This greatly complicates the installation of a windvane; and 2) the open transom, flat hull boats are designed for surfing very fast on passing waves. The apparent wind can change very dramatically while surfing. Wind vanes use apparent wind to steer the boat, so are not practical on wide, flat hulled boats....... Other than those considerations, you are absolutely right.
Well done man!
Hello to the Brazilian contingent! Have you been tempted to sell the HR and get back out to a North Sea rig? Feeling homesick? :-) Best regards to both of you.
Patrick Laine back to the Rigs?? Not in the plan for the near future... but as they say, never spit on the plate you used to eat on... for now I like seeing them from a distance in the North Sea. Man, you should get an Instagram going... much easier to chat through there! Take it easy man... we're still in Lerwick waiting for the Low pressure!
V V Well done for all the improvising. Much to discuss in a debrief! Let me know when you safely arrive Stornaway. Fair winds stay safe. James
A book full of lessons learned on this one James. I was very lucky the weather was so favorable. Oof. I guess I need a wind vane (or a much more clever way to attach bungee cords to a wheel helm). You can bet that first beer tasted very good (after 15 hours of sleep). :-)
Nearly ready to leave! A few more days. Joshua Slocum sailed a very long way with the helm lashed. Although I'm pretty confident of improvising and getting 'Talisker 1' sailing with the helm lashed (and I do practice) I did go a stage further when deciding on self steering. The arm on the old Autohelm 6000 is identical to the new, all singing and dancing, Linear drive unit. I replaced the 'working very well' Autohelm 6000 with the latest version BUT leaving all the old set up for the 6000 in place just in case! I would just have to (easier said than done, because of where I have to get to with my elderly frame) unplug and then remove the arm and replace with the old one, plug it in, flick a switch to transfer to the old system and fire up the old control head. It won't steer the boat nearly as well but ... I have a spare. My money no object choice would be the current electronic system and spare that I have with a Windpilot as well .. for off shore. Again Patrick! Congrats on your brilliant voyage all the way to Faroe from the west coast of France! You must be well south by now! Stay safe. ATB James
Hello my good friend James. I arrived in Stornoway a few hours ago after a COMPLETELY uneventful 230 NM passage. Yeah! I had several new ideas about better ways to hook up some surgical tubing I have to the wheel helm (the same concept as the Jester guys with their tillers), but it was just too rough/wet/cold (seas at 90 degree angle) to try to hook anything up this time. (I had practiced a bungee cord jury rig in my home port, but with 10 knots of wind and flat seas in my protected bay. Not very realistic. Lesson learned.) I'll test these new ideas in an upcoming passage. I would like to have the redundancy you have, but I don't think that is in the cards. I am going to give serious consideration to a windvane, but my daughters will never forgive me for condemning the swimming platform! :-) Have a safe journey James. I'll follow you on Marine Traffic. Best regards
i had a long keel marieholm and i have now a bavaria ... both can keep course once you balance (as you said) but as soon as you have gusts or medium sized waves (say around deck) it just goes of course within minutes on any course ... on steady winds and calm seas is a lot better on both boats on any angle .... that is why windvanes exists for many many years even with those so called "long keel balanced boats".
Great stuff!!
You,d be glad you missed Norway. We,v had horrible weather with temperature exceeding 30 C
:-) I was actually shivering often in the Faroes. I went a month too early I think.
Well done Patrick on getting to the Faroes coolheadedly without autopilot. Some great pointers on sail plan to help in that situation. I must admit I always feel a little vulnerable relying on electric autopilots especially if your single handed.
I did think it could have been the flux gate playing up and was wondering at first if you we in an area with a magnetic anomaly but as revealed it was the fluxgate. One thought I had was that some autopilots can steer a course relative to the wind i.e. keeps the wind at the same angle, and was wondering if it still steered by compass to maintain the heading relative to the wind or if it used the anemometer to control the heading.
Obviously a wind vane would be handy but as you say very big investment and fitting, that said I was talking to a chap yesterday who was about to launch his boat a Nicholson 32 and he has just finished making a wind vane from a kit which he said was not too difficult to build and can be fitted to wheel steering and cost £500ish he is yet to test it and likes the fact you can just take off and stow it when not needed. Its called a Hebridean Wind Vane and lots of info on them on the web and youTube saw this one wrt wheel steering.
th-cam.com/video/d2fjzbkh0dU/w-d-xo.html
Enjoyed the video keep up the good work.
Thanks Ian. I tried the mode of steering by relative wind angle. It would engage, but had the same problem as the normal mode. Apparently, the mag heading feeds into that somehow as well. I'll be looking into how others 1) attach bungee cords to a wheel helm -- it worked poorly on my boat, and 2) wind vanes -- messy, but probably worth a second look.
I guess you would have tried using the wind instrument. Im not sure what emergency tiller Bavaria have but wonder if it easier to attach something to that (even a tiller pilot :) ). I have seen some yachties rig the jib sheets to a tiller for a jury rig system. As a side note I find the brake on my wheel can slip when weight applied and have an eyebolt on the deck directly below the wheel which I uses to lash the wheel in position.
The emergency tiller on the Bavaria is very, very stiff, and requires a massive amount of force/effort to move it. It really is 'for emergencies' and I can't imagine hooking up any kind of autopilot rigging to it. I think there are other alternatives which merit consideration prior to the emergency tiller Ian (at least on my boat). hanks for commenting.
Patrick -Loosing an autopilot is a pain - we lost ours crossing the Mozambique Channel on our way from Madagascar to Durban - not enough wind to sail huge swell and storm on the way - we did not fit a tiller pilot on the hydrovane - handsteering is not fun..
We had fluxgates on planes I was flying - but they had backup gates so no worry - just snag the plane and mechanics would do the rest. On sailboats always carry a spare.....
Nice place the Faroes in shine or storm...
To be honest Jan, I didn't even know I had a fluxgate aboard. It took me an hour of taking off panels and following wires to find it! I thought the problem was an NMEA/GPS corruption problem. You can bet I will be carrying a spare in the future!
Those shots of the Faeroe Islands, makes one think of mythical novels...
It really is a magic place Paul -- right out of a movie set, but for real this time!
No auto pilot ! Hard. I understand why you took some rest on the Faroe. Hope you feel better.
Dur dur! One of my toughest sailing passages ever. Thank goodness the weather was relatively kind to me. Ooof! I don't want to relive that experience. Am experimenting with various autopilot substitutes. Will film one that works (if I succeed).
Captain Laine, it is always a pleasure to watch your handing of Isabelle. As for the lesson of this passage, have you chosen to add a self-steering wind vane as a backup to your digital autopilot?
It's on my Christmas list for Santa, David. (But sometimes she edits the list……) ;-) Thanks for watching.
Tough cookie :) well done!
Thanks KD. It was a quite difficult passage, that ironically, I'm now glad happened. I always wondered what I would do in those circumstances. I now know that by playing with various sail configurations, I can always keep going more or less in the general direction desired. Good to know. A confidence builder.
Patrick, great video. Appreciate the real life tutorials on sailing. A side question... I noticed you had an attachment to your PFD. What type of safety gear do you carry with your PFD? Again, thanks for sharing your experiences.
It is a personal locator beacon Troy. If I activate it, it sends an alarm via satellites. In reality, I think (seriously) that it will assist in recovering the body (for the family), much more than it serves any safety at sea purpose. Survival time in the Atlantic where I sail will be counted in a few dozen minutes, not time enough for anyone to react. Thanks for watching.
redundancy parts! If you haven´t checked out "no bullshit just sailing" Erik the Norwegian has at least 3 different auto steering systems for his solo sails. Excellent video and well done, thanks for posting.
he has a windvane he never uses ...
Time for the hydro vane? Excellent video ...good adjustments in an ugly situation.
I'm seriously considering it J.J. I don't want to relive that experience.
There is usually a way to rig a sheet to tiller self steering rig even with a wheel - just connect it to your emergency tiller - Web Chiles has written on how to do that effectively. Great video again enjoy the adventure home.
I tried Captin7Seas using bungee cord and surgical tubing (which I had heard works better than bungee), but just could not make it hold a course. I'll study others' videos to see how they made this work with a wheel helm. Thanks for commenting.
I have a wheel also on a Hunter 410 and have not tried it with my emergency tiller steering hub and extension, but what I read from Web is the boat has to be well balanced first, the main prevented and not too close to the wind so that it can range with the rolling of the waves, otherwise the boat might heave too before flopping back. I plan to try it when I don't need it in rough Wx- before I need it in rough Wx!
Hi Patrick. Great video again. I have a Windpilot mounted and use it all the time. And must say that on the next ship again a windvane will be mounted, but this time an Aries. I have met the owner of both brands but the Aries is more solid build
Wind vanes are getting a second look from me Patrick! :-) Thanks for watching.
Patrick Laine some free reading stuff www.windpilot.com/n/wind/en/serv/down
interesting and enjoyable video but all you high tech sailors have it so easy all the time with your auto pilots and plotters, and radar alarms.
I my self sail a kingfisher 20, handheld gps use occasional.
assisted steering is a pulley block, sheet and bicycle/ sports tubing, sheet to helm. I sail all of Scotland Orkney and Shetland. hope to get to the Faroes soon.
and like you arrive pretty tired.
Good luck on your trip to the Faroes. They are wonderful. For a long distance blue water trip like that, it might be worth investing in an autopilot for your tiller. They are relatively inexpensive, and might buy you a couple of extra hours of sleep per day. :-) Thanks for commenting.
@@patricklaine6958 Hi Patrick thanks for the suggestion but i dont think there so realible. i have a junk rig kingfisher too and intend to fix a windvane type device to the rudder.
Trouble with auto pilots and singlehanded sailing is if you fall overboard you' have no chance.
You also become too reliant on them. I grew up sailing tiller steering for long periods and in lumpy seas i prefer the helm to been inside where i am likely to start feeling sea sick.
Dont like spray hoods and dodgers either.
However i have a full face motor cycle helmet on board particularly for strong down wind sailing protects your head in inadvertent gybe. also snug from the elements too.
Enjoyed your videos.
With sails /Genoa you can use elastic in the ruder. The elastic compensate the wind and sea conditions
I tried that Joaquim. I know it works well with a tiller helm, but I could not make the bungee/surgical tubing work well on my wheel helm. I would always be 90 degree out within 10 minutes of attaching. I'll study how others have done this with a wheel helm.
Patrick, great videos, thank you. Is it not possible to let de autopilot steer on the wind vane?
Patrick- Great to see you en route again. Did you use your little Garmin device to track the weather? Was that how you were able to be aware of the coming gale? Many more good miles to you.
Yes Martin. I knew the gale -- technically a 'Near Gale' was coming from the wx report before I left port, but I followed its progress on the Garmin InReach. (I show how I do that in the episode where I arrive in the Shetland Islands.) Thanks for commenting.
Yep, every solo sailor's nightmare as you say. I have had my tiller pilot break on much shorter trips and that was bad enough. But I do now have a self steering windvane and I love it - even for short trips. Looks like you managed to catch the weather window perfectly.
Just about sailing when do we get the episode when you fit the windvane? That’s what I call excitement!
What? You mean you missed that one. November 2016 - or are you pulling my leg?
Just about sailing I cannot believe I missed it, but what a treat, I can watch it now!
Just about sailing everyone should watch your lundy experience
Many thanks JAS. I said it to someone else, but a wind vane has just climbed my priority list in a spectacular manner! I couldn't make the bungee cords work on the helm wheel the way they work nicely on a tiller. I'm sure someone has cracked that nut though, so I'll do more research. I was very lucky the weather was relatively kind to me.
Another great video about sailing solo to Fair island is from Enk Aanderaa. A true Norseman!
Yes Robert, I am a big fan of Erik's North Sea videos. A true Viking.
Yeah awesome Patrick, well done that man. The Faroes looked just grand. I once had one of those fluxgate compasses give out too in my own little tiller pilot (a Simrad TP10 that came with the yacht) but sadly it wasn't practical to replace just the compass, was better value to get a whole new tiller pilot, you did well. Did you ever consider dragging something as a drogue type steering device? Though perhaps speed, rightly so, was preferred. Cheers for sharing as always :-)
Great idea ST --- trying to drag something behind the boat. I was so tired, that idea did not occur to me. Hmmm. Good food for thought. (As you say, I was very concerned about slowing down too much, as a storm was due to arrive later.) I'm going to study other videos to see how people make the bungee cord thing work on a wheel helm --- but I think the ultimate solution will be a purchase a wind vane. Best regards to you.
Indeed, the windvanes are getting very simple and reliable devices, shame the price is still so high, they make my eyes water. I've been working on a solution for Taranto, rebuilding an old one, its coming together nicely, but its just getting it connected to the back of the boat, the last hurdle. Soon, soon. Meanwhile the dragging something behind idea was courtesy of Capt. Fatty Goodlander ( www.amazon.com/Storm-Proofing-your-Boat-Gear-ebook/dp/B01G9Y2O2M ) Storm Proofing. His creative anchoring book I also found interesting reading. He's got some great ideas on good seamanship. Cheers
Another great and informative episode, didn't look much fun having to hand steer most of the way, Solo sailing doesn't appeal to me, at least the auto pilot was an easy fix, cheers👍👍
It's not for everyone Phil. I keep testing myself -- and one day I'll say --- enough of this and invite a young 20 something girl aboard as a first mate. :-)
LMFAO ! Now yer talking ! Just make sure her name isn't " MURPHY "
Oh vey - way to manage the situation!
With your wheel helm - are you able to tie a long bungee to the port and starboard aft cleats?
I tried the bungee cord solution Shiny, but with very marginal results. It would only hold the boat on course ten minutes or less. I'm going to study how others do this to see if there is a better way to do it. Thanks for watching.
Congratulations on the passage and the beautiful shots of the Faroes. With all honour to you for accomplishing the trip, may I just air one thought? The reliance on electronics seems to me to be excessive. Two reasons; it's only in recent times that such devices were available, but as we know the world was navigated centuries before without any such; second, employing these devices probably means less attention being paid to acquiring basic seamanship and navigation skills.
My only qualification for saying this is a single Scotland to the Baltic trip in a 1960's Lysander with no electronics and barely any lighting. Foolhardy? blame my son, I was the passenger, but at least it meant two available to steer, so some snatched sleep possible.
You know Robert, when I was a pilot, we said the same thing about the new generation of aviators --- too dependent on electronics, and not skilled enough at the basics of flying the aircraft. The problem with that is that these boats built in the last two decades or so have electronics so ingrained in their DNA, that it is very difficult to go back to 'the old way' (just as there is no turning back for aircraft either). I'm afraid the best tactic is just to adapt to these new generation boats, (and never forget that in the good old days, there was quite a body count that people have forgotten about). Great comment.
Hello Patrick, I was new to your channel when I posted the comment above; now I have watched more of your production and enjoyed the quality instruction. It turns out that you and I have at least one common point; I did some professional flying and before that occasional moments of rather hairy basic panel, uncertain of position, in cloud, stuff.
But truth to be told, I'm a Jack-of-all-trades - someone has to be - at different times mechanic / electrician / cook / photographer / seminar presenter, all in a professional capacity. There's more which I only admit to after a glass or two of the good stuff. Why am I telling you this? I loved the trip my son and I made in his ancient, small and rather decrepit Lysander and would like to do more / longer / tougher. On the strength of the survived first adventure a friend engaged me to help ferry another small yacht from the UK south coast to Scheveningen, NL.
Finally to the point: I have seen one commenter's offer to be your on-board assistant, I expect you have had others. But not to be discouraged by that, please add me to the list.
PS: As per Griff Rhys Jones' sailing companion Bob, I have one outstanding quality - I'm always available.
Those 2 Ribs you berthed next to are wicked...
Yeah -- they take people out and run around at very, very high speed. They all come back soaked. :-)