I plan the navigation (Course to Steer) for the 90 mile solo passage between Cherbourg France and Brighton UK. I also discuss sailing around windfarms.
THE most educational sailing videos on you tube. And professionally delivered, thanks for sharing so freely, you are a pleasure to watch and listen to. Not sure if you’ve ever mentioned your profession (I’ve seen every video of yours) but the world missed out if you weren’t a professor or educator of some kind.
Hi Patrick welcome home another enjoyable video. On the AIS front, its well worth having for a channel crossing as ships can be on you before you know it, wrt the big ships being able to filter out the smaller ones this is not the case, ships over 300gt will have to be fitted with a Class A AIS whilst most smaller craft will have Class B. The ships with Class A can filter out Class B if there is a lot of AIS targets around, this does not remove you from their screen but can remove your boats name and other info from their screen so it may be difficult for them to identify you by name, your MMSI number will still be seen by them so worth having that displayed by your VHF for if this situation arises. One thing to be wary of though is that on a Class B AIS your position is transmitted every 30 seconds but this only happens if there is a slot on the AIS system if not then it is held in a queue then so your position displayed on the ships or others will be somewhat historical. Not too dramatic for a sail boat but be way of any fast moving Class B targets. Enjoy your Fish and Chips and Chicken Tikka Masala
Great episode. Learned a lot. I don’t want view going hiking on an island with sailors. I want to learn about how their boat works, and what they are working through as sailors. Great discussion of the tides in this episode.
An excellent video on a real world course to steer. Another viewer mentioned the world missed out that you were not a professor, but doing the math you have a greater affect here: (24758 (video views) / 30 (an average student class size) = 825 / 2 (semesters per year) = 412 years of teaching! More important, no administration and you have interested students. Thank you again for making these videos.
Another great video, thanks for your time Patrick! You're making it all too easy to accumulate a wealth of sailing knowledge. You easily have the best channel for those interested in actually sailing. Now, I find nothing wrong with the nautical nomadic bohemias like Delos, which are also great fun to watch, but your videos are so much more informative and of substantial technical value. Stellar stuff....
Very kind of you Bill. I too enjoy watching some of the travel/sailing videos. RAN is a favorite of mine, as Johan is a terrific sailor. Some of the others are just bikini flash vids, and I don't enjoy them as much.
Hi Patrick, After watching all your other stuff, I have been looking forward for another voyage. Lets just say I was not disappointed. Great info and keep them coming. Thanks
Hi Patrick, welcome back to Blighty! Enjoyed this episode very much. I’ve sailed across the Channel many times, but there’s always something for me to learn. Thank you for an excellent summary of your approach to planning. Two additional points about the plan, that you’re no doubt across, but I offer here in case of interest to others. You addressed the impact of tidal streams beautifully for the predicted average SOG of 5.5. But - as you have been musing in the video and in your comments here - the SOG varies. So the plan ought to consider, respectively, what happens if you arrive early or late. Either way, it’s efficient to try to aim to arrive uptide ... so as to avoid a flog against the stream near your destination. The second point is to check the forecast wind speed and direction near your destination at about your supposed ETA and to take account of that too. Often, taking those two aspects into account, it can be the case that a strategic adjustment of the “ideal” course to steer - a deliberate bias one way or the other - can save you arriving downtide and/or downwind. After 15 or 16 hours it can be rather disappointing to face a beat with a foul tide! Been there, done that ... Anyhow, fair winds for the next leg. You’ll be passing (maybe you’ve already passed) my ‘hood ... the beautiful waters of coastal Essex. Wave! Or let me know if planning on arriving in Tollesbury. There’s hospitality here. Roy
Excellent points Roy. I'll add a third. I was VERY concerned that my changed SOG would make me arrive outside the tide window at Brighton, and that I would have to sit around somewhere for 4 hours waiting for the tide to come back in! All worked out well in the end: faster than planned SOG in some places, and slower in others. Swings and round abouts. Fair winds.
This brings back good memories to me. As a flight crew member (now retired) we often did layovers in Brighton (15-20 years ago). We were staying at the Royal Albion Hotel which had a wonderful view of the Palace Pier. I remember the neighborhood shops "The Lanes", the Fish & Chips. There was also this place called The Mongolian an "All you can eat" spot, for a reasonable price. Very nice in the summer.
I know that area very well also. I used to keep my private airplane at Shoreham, and took my young daughters to all of the cities/piers along that coast to eat greasy fish and chips! Great memories. ;-)
Just binge watched almost all the content in this channel. One of the best and most authentic sailing channels on TH-cam. The way this gentleman takes the time to explains things.... its almost as if you experience the voyage yourself. Great stuff. Subed.
Thank you for uploading your informative and interesting videos. I have only recently begun to sail keel boats on Windermere, UK and I'm currently working towards my RYA level 3, with the hope that, in time I can gain sufficient knowledge to feel confident enough to take on some of the journeys that your enjoying. Your an inspiration to me and I'm full of admiration for the way you live your days. I look forward to watching all of your videos over the course of the next few weeks as I'm sure I can learn a lot from you. Many thanks.
Super Paul. The RYA qualifications are a great way to build confidence. Ensure you insist with your instructor to practice maneuvers (at sea and in port) as if you were solo. Best wishes to you on your future 'round Britain' tour!
Very kind of you Kalmi. I don't pretend to be a professional instructor --- I just want to demonstrate (my often flawed) solo techniques that work for me. Many thanks for coming back again this season. Much appreciated.
I have thoroughly enjoyed all your videos Patrick. Thank you so much. I am just returning to cruising after a thirty year break(!) and watching your videos has not only rekindled the passion, but has helped refresh my skills/knowledge & brought memories flooding back.
So you point the boat on the calculated compass point. Maintain the boat pointing in the same direction, then the actual direction for much of the journey is way off to port, but still with no change of bearing the tides bring the boat back to more or less where you wanted to be. That is amazing. Now you have explained it I understand the principle. However, I doubt I would ever have worked that out for myself in a month of Sundays! Really great teaching Patrick. Thank you.
Ha! If you explore various forums Neale, there is still a lively debate (from a very small minority) as to whether or not this is the best way to cross reversing tides. Some people swear that crabbing in a straight line is still the best way --- even though it can be shown decisively with advanced maths that the way I did it is the 'right' way. Lots of fun! Thanks for watching.
Wow Patrick!!!Episode after episode I'm just more and more appreciative of what you are sharing here.I've long been a fan of primitive engineering and new tech. Sailing seems to be the perfect place for these to mix.Recently retired and decided to set my water spirit free.Purchased a small sailboat, just 26', and starting out in the lakes of Ohio, but before me, she had been to Erie and the Florida Keys. Hope to get her back to all those places very soon.Thanks for all your efforts in producing such thoughtful and genuine communications.Fair winds Good Sir!
Thanks for the kind feedback Jeff --- and congrats on the new boat. The size of the boat does not determine the amount of fun you have on one. !! When I finally finish my long distance passages, I'll probably down-size to something in the 26-30 foot range, and have a great time enjoying local/coastal sailing. Enjoy your retirement.
Had been looking forward to you next instalment and I was not disappointed. Another great vid. Can’t recommend this channel enough. Pure sailing pleasure 👍
Hi Patrick, I recently finished watching all your videos and very much enjoyed them. As a novice sailor, I appreciate your thorough explanations. I look forward to your next one and thanks for your generosity in sharing them.
Dear Patrick, merci mille fois for your informative videos and letting us participate in your adventures. A practical way to visualize how the speedvectors work when crossing the Channel the way you did is to imagine that the Channel would be a big conveyor belt changing direction every 6h. To simplify even further suppose the belt has a constant speed of 5kn. If the max speed of your boat is also 5kn and you use that speed to compensate the movement of the belt (to crab) , you can easily understand you're never going to cross the Channel. You'll just stay where you are making a U-turn every six hours. When you start using your 5kn boatspeed perpendicular to the direction of the belt you you will effectively be able to move to the other side. SOA (speed of advance) over the track will be constant = 5kn; your SOG (speed over ground) will be sqrt (5 squared+5 squared) = 7.07kn.(pythagoras) Hence in the case of a real crossing he variation in SOG doesn't affect the endresult as long as the SOA remains constant. The SOG is the sum of SOA and Current speed) Corrections to be made are for the timing of the direction (tidal) changes (normally you can maximally be one tide of course) and your leeway. Happy dockings,
Great with new video from you! Your information and theory about tidal sailing was really well explained and made clear to me. It makes a great sense - thank you! Looking forward to the next episode!
The lovely thing about Patrick Laine's videos is that he offers information and a bit of teaching to sailors, unlike so many of the current 'sailing' video blogs that are little more than 'Neighbours' afloat!
Hello Patrick, loved that session. Good to see you get some nice weather for a change. I’m going out on my 39’ beneteau in a couple days and will use the course to steer as part of my planning. My very first sail a few months back was very similar to your video 12. l lost the engine in bad weather, only for me it was the primary filter. Fortunately there where 3 of us on board and we managed to change the filter and get power back and home safely. Thanks for your video’s, they are most informative and enjoyable, cheers John
I take fuel management very seriously now John. I installed a Racor filter (transparent with a water separator), I do a chemical treatment every six months, I keep the tank full, and polish the tank every season now. It may happen to me again, but at least I have taken every reasonable measure to prevent it. Changing fuel filters in the middle of a storm is an absolutely miserable experience! :-)
Hallo Patrick, Thank you for your excellent videos, which I recently discovered on youtube. With regard to crossing the Channel I like to write the following story. A couple of years ago I was standing on the bridge of a 200 meters long bulkcarrier and we were on our way to Canada. It was a beautiful Sunday afternoon and we saw several sailing yachts on their way to France. They were clearly visible with the naked eye. I decided to take a look on the radar and there was nothing to be seen! We just got a reflection on our radar when the were about 1,5 nautical miles away! The crossed our vessel in front of us and they disappeared behind the mighty bow of the ship! Now just imagine there are a lot of high waves, what does the officer of the watch probably do in such a situation? They switch on the clutter to eliminate the influence of the waves. Now most polyester yacht have a white hull and white sails and than it will be very difficult to see them in those waves. There is also an other aspect to this story. Many cargo vessels have a minimum rate of crew members and it can be very likely that the officer of the watch, after he took a look on the radar goes to the back of the bridge and write down his position on the chart And logbook, or just go simply to the toilet which is also on the bridge.
Amicales salutations, monsieur Laine. Votre approche de la navigation en ces eaux est sans aucun doute celle qu'il faut adopter. En tous les cas, c'est celle que personnellement j'adopte dans le Fleuve, le Golfe et l’Estuaire du Saint-Laurent en raison même de ses nombreux courants et de ses fortes marées. Nous n'avons pas le choix. Toujours un plaisir de vous entendre. Bon vent!
Thank you very much for bringing us along with your course planning and your thought process behind it. I find this stuff superinteresting, and even though Colin Bailey's link automates this its nice to know the mechanics behind it. Looking forward to your next leg in the journey!
Good show, old chap! I learn something new each time, and I agree that you are a terrific teacher. "Feel like Don Quixote" amid the windmills--jolly good! I can't help but admire your life in living courageously, as Salinger would say "with all your stars out." Some dream big, but stay moored to fear and custom. Some cast off in boca al lupo.
Patrick Laine Though an aetheist from 14, I would very much enjoy hearing those huge crowds singing Jerusalem. Blake and Yeats my favorites...in fact, your extraordinary life (I feel like a potted plant in comparison ) brings to mind his adage, "Man's reach should exceed his grasp, or what's a heaven for?" You have subbed in "ocean" for "heaven" in there for us...you might also "beam" in there before "reach."
Given the serious leadership problems governments on both sides of the Atlantic are experiencing, I was very tempted to quote, "O Captain! My Captain!" but some people are very sensitive about politics on TH-cam, so I resisted the temptation. :-) O Jerusalem is a great poem put to music ---- and certainly captures the romantic notion about "England's green and pleasent land". Best regards
It's just fascinating to me that one can see the world on a sail boat, I dont think there is any other way of travel that can do this besides flight which dint give one such a organic way to see the world..wish I could do this that's forsure..I enjoy your vids thank you...
Fantastic Video Patrick. Seeing someone putting Course to Steer into practice is so informative. Please keep the Videos coming if possible. Fare Winds have a great sail.
Welcome back to the British Isles - I enjoy your channel a lot - love the style and clarity of your stories. Watched Episode 12 several times! Done the Biscay bit in a blow with a crew and so your stories and techniques of serious passages solo are quite inspirational. Currently in Sicily but turning around and heading back to Blighty this season. Geoff Rogers
You sound like you've a bit of salt in your hair Geoff. Many thanks for the kind remark, and may your return to the UK be slow --- enjoy that sunshine as much as you can.
Another beautiful video that i really enjoyed. Still ice and snow here in Canada so we have to wait. Happy sails and looking forward to the next video cheers.
In aviation we have similar issues Maxboon, but often the relative speeds are so different (air mass and jet) that we just ignore them. On the other hand, being unaware of the wind in an airplane can be an unforgiving error. Thanks for commenting again.
Another great video Patrick, I really enjoy your adventures. Thank you for explaining in layman’s terms some of the more technical stuff, as a budding sailor, they really do help. Looking forward to your Shetland adventure, cheers....Si.
Hi Patrick. I was very excited to see that you have posted your latest trip and so jumped ahead to watch it before watching your other episodes from your previous trips. The Course to Steer explanation was very interesting. When we sailed from Miami to Bimini across the Gulfstream, my preparation on the internet had suggested a similar process. The advise was to go with the strong current, rather than fight it. The author suggested to track a zigzag to Bimini, so that the time within the Gulfstream had the least detriment to SOG, and therefore average SOG for the trip. With respect to the 10 knots you were pondering, I take it that you were referring to SOG. I would think that would make sense, and that if you had steered the rhumbline, your SOG would have been boat speed-current instead of boat speed+current. I guess it is similar to the fact that when calculating an Equal Time Point when flying, a headwind hurts you for longer than a tailwind helps you. It does raise another question for me to ponder. With respect to the PredictWind Offshore app which I intend to use for our Atlantic crossing in June, does the ‘Weather Routing’ and ‘Departure Planning’ components utilise this process in the Standard package? Or, do you need to pay extra for the Professional package which includes currents? Or, doesn’t it really matter because once offshore in the deep blue the currents have less effect?
Thanks much (again) Sailing Adventurous. You are right -- I was referring to 10 Kts SOG. I like your aviation analogy (headwind hurts more than a tailwind helps). Makes sense. I'm going to give this some more consideration. Re Predict Wind Offshore: I used their planning and departure module for this (English Channel) passage. I did not have the impression that it took into account the tidal current at all. It just seemed to make a recommendation based on the wind (but perhaps I am mistaken). So, I just chose a day with a fairly favorable wind, and then calculated my heading as shown in the video and held that fixed heading for 75% of the way there.
Hi Patric ; I’ve just discovered your channel and must say I’m enjoying it, especially the navigation and technical sailing content . Glad to hear you have lived and enjoyed Cardiff! It’s my home town! Looking forward to seeing your future adventures!
Great stuff again Patrick! Looks like you’ve had a comfy passage across the Channel. The course to steer method is actually what they teach you when you take the coastal navigation course. Compass Course + compass deviation -> magnetic course + variation -> true course + drift + tidal stream -> course over ground. Using vectors you can work your way back to the course to steer on your compass.
Thanks Henk. Yeah -- the reason I ignored variation is that it is only .4 degrees in the area I crossed. As for mag deviation ---- I have two mag compasses that have an 8 degree split in the readings. :-) My RayMarine plotter shows a deviation from the calibration swing, but I don't really have any confidence in it either. (I did the swing!) I just ignored it. While on a deep broad reach, I didn't add any leeway drift, but the wind backed and ended up close reached --- and for the last 25% of the trip, I added 5° for that -- but that part of the trip also had interference from the wind farm. The formulas I learned (35 years ago) for converting True to Mag and vice versa are: True Virgins Make Dull Companions at Weddings (add west); and Can Dead Men Vote Twice At Elections (add East). :-)
Love the video Patrick! I had to show Elena your little Don Quixote interlude, she loved it :) As fun as the technical challenge was working our way through the tides and currents of Western Europe, I'm quite excited to get into the Med and not worry about it!
Yep, you have to admire these English who deal with these ripping currents and often rude weather day in and day out. Enjoy your time in the Med with its 6 inches of tide. :-) You deserve a break.
Hearing you talk about school children's blazer and tie brings back memories. I spent many years at boarding school here in the US. And following the English standard, we all were dressed in coat-and-tie. Only Catholic schools here still adhere to that standard. In my view, it is beneficial to set standards early.
Great Alex. I hope you have the wonderful weather conditions I had. Absolutely perfect --- and, I did not have to call a single ship on the radio. I made myself as predictable as possible (as the stand-on vessel), and they adjusted course 10-15 degrees far in advance. No stress for anyone. Almost too easy. Fair winds.
Do you mean the computer running Excel to compose the current vectors is not electronic? The old fashioned way to do this is to draw the first vector (first hour of current) from your starting point, then draw the second vector from the end of the first one, and so on. The result is exactly the same, but you don't need a computer nor any computation. Using Excel, you still have to know a bit of trigonometry!
:-) Well, I don't think most people actually use the tidal angles BQ. They do like I did and just use E or W so they can just be added together to net (simple addition, nothing fancy). I know what you mean for the actual direction of the currents. When I passed my Navigation exam (many) years ago, we used the actual set and drift vectors and drew them onto our course on the chart. Thanks for commenting.
Thanks Emily. When I was a young pilot (before the age of GPS), we actually held the chart in one hand, and the stick in the other as we flew from one valley to the other looking for church steeples, bridges, dams, etc. Those were the days. Now it is just too easy to follow the magic magenta line........ but before I get nostalgic, I too primarily use the electronics now (though probably double check more than most do on paper). Best regards
OH, I always thought I was doing like everyone else! I am initially from Granville and now in Saint-Malo. Currents are not simply alternating here! By the way, I will be doing nearly the same trip in the other direction (south of North Sea to Saint-Malo) in May. I wish I where as confident as you are to do it single handed. I also wish I were able do make wonderful videos like yours (and to speak English as you do;-) Keep up the good work. I love your channel (no pun intended!)
You are exactly right about the currents along sections of the Northern Coast of France not being binary E-W BlackQuintet. In fact when I left Cherbourg, the first three hours there was 1.5 knots of current almost perpendicular (and into) the French coast. That wasn't shown very clearly on the small tidal diagrams I was looking at. I had labelled it as a current pushing me to the West in my Excel table, but reality was more complex. If you see Isabelle on your AIS during your North Sea - St Malo trip, be sure to call me up. Bonne continuation.
Hi again Patrick, just reviewing videos again as it's rainy here at Cascais so I can't work outside. Interesting how you used assumptions to "plan away" some of the complexity of this, much as I did when I last sailed from Guernsey to Gosport. The hard part for me was being sure I was clear of the Alderney Race before the tide turned and the rest was one big exercise in rationalisation. I reckoned that Ventnor, on the Isle of Wight, was close enough to being the far side of the channel and that abeam St Anne was close enough to be the near side. On that basis, the distance between them accounted for about 13 hours of tide - a complete cycle - assuming things to be pretty similar on both sides. Also my direct course was nearly perpendicular to the Channel so I didn't bother going into as much detail as you did, I just drew a line straight across and steered that heading throughout - dodging ships of course. It was interesting to see my satellite track afterwards where I was washed back and forth but ended up in the right place. Then Ventor appeared at about the right time and in the right place and I just navigated by marks and beacons into Gosport from there and largely just took tide as it came. Looking at Duncan Wells's videos, he explained something that you didn't mention - you rationalised drift as being simply being east and west, just as I did, but he also takes set into account due to two factors - that there's land nearby and the tides also bend around that land instead of being largely parallel as they are across the channel. I think he teaches things so that, where land intervenes, you break things into segments and plan for them separately. All the examples I've seen seem to be like that, where you plan hour-by-hour, deriving CTS for each of them and, in practice, you actually achieve that direct, crabbing track. Away from land - different deal entirely. I've also seen smartphone apps that do the calculations but they also seem to be aimed at coastal sailing on short legs; you type in a handful of factors and end up with a course that will, hopefully, not take you aground. All sorts of things are possible with software I suppose, but the risk of running aground of "crashing" a TSS would prevent me from using them - can't appear in court blaming someone's software for a stuff up! About the AIS aspect, because I can't get an MMSI until I get back to Australia (saga as long as "Coronaton Street" - not now), I can see the ships coming on my VHF/AIS but they can't see me. So, not wanting to engage in a series radio discussions, I simply steer clear of everybody so I don't have to worry about ships sometimes filtering me out. Advantage, too, that it also keeps my mind entertained with constant reassessment of collision risks. Only time I did actually radio for cooperation was sailing NNE just beyond Brest, when a big Biscay wave top detached and smashed in two of my port lights (poorly designed hinges no longer available). I blocked the holes and chose my course carefully to put the seas at a different quarter but that limited how I could manoeuvre - and I headed to St Peter Port instead of Plymouth to do that. That time I did radio other vessels, explaining my position and difficulty and they steered clear of me without problem.
Yeah, there are several techniques for applying the CTS technique. As a solo sailor, I don't think I'll ever adopt the 'recalculate every hour' method, but I might due the 'recalculate at mid channel' method. Another variation that I saw someone use to compensate for the fact that the current is not directly at 90° is to use an estimated coefficient. Thus, if the current is really going to be at 45° rather than 90°, instead of using (say) 3 NM/hr as the current impact that hour, they use .7*3 =~ 2 NM drift correction instead of 3. The important thing is to use a method one is comfortable with --- even crabbing all the way against the current, if that works for you. :-)
I’m clearly aware that your schedule may well have taken you further East from Brighton by now. However had I have known your projected route I would have tried to RV with you, as I live near the coast not far from Exeter and would have happily driven up coast and welcomed you to UK at Brighton. I would have been delighted to have met you and personally wish you well on your continued sailing adventures with Isabelle. No worries and extend my best wishes for your voyage up into the North Sea towards the Shetlands.
Thanks for this timely (for me) video. I'll be doing the same crossing in reverse in July, when I pick up my new boat in Ipswich and eventually make my way toward Gibraltar. Crossing the channel, dealing with hellacious tides and currents is already keeping me up at night. I'm familiar with CTS but will spend more time studying up on this technique. Thanks again sharing this important topic.
Congrats on the new boat Phillip. Sounds like you already have a full sailing season planned ahead of you. The tidal current I experienced crossing the Channel was quite strong, as it was 'Spring' tide (100+ coefficient for my French friends). Still, even with moderate tides, if you choose a 'long' Channel passage (and not just Dover Calais), it's definitely worth the time to do the set and drift (CTS) calculations. You sound like you have done all of this before --- so no big deal. Enjoy your passage to Gibraltar. Sounds great.
To the contrary, I've never done it before. All of my sailing has been in the Great Lakes (no tides) and the Texas Gulf coast (wimpy tides). The only tidal current we had to worry about was the Galveston ship channel. I just completed the theory section for my RYA ICC course, so as I said, I've studied CTS but never applied it in a practical setting.....hence the sleepless nights. Our first stop is Guernsey, which I'm told can be very tricky to navigate. For this and a host of other reasons, I'm going to have crew that has done this before., just to be on the safe side. Hate to lose my boat on the very first sail.
Thanks Phillip. I sailed around Guernsey just last week. The key is to get the tide right --- otherwise, go back home! :-) I hear you about small tidal factors in the States. They teach the equivalent of Course To Steer over there (called Set and Drift), but the absence of real currents makes it a bit academic. Some people use it for crossing the Gulf Stream -- but I haven't heard a lot of discussion about it other than that. UK and Channel Island sailors are experts at this stuff. I sailed into Ramsgate today in the fastest current I have ever seen --- fortunately I got my times right, so it was a piece of cake. Best regards for your passage
Thank you sir. I'm thinking Cherbourg is our alternate if the tide is not favorable to get in to QE II Marina, rest up and head for Guernsey when the tide is right. Your thoughts? Listen, if your travels take you anywhere near Ipswich toward the end of May, would love a chance to buy you a beer and pick your brain. We'll be at Fox's Marina until about the first of July. Cheers.
You had your answer: your speed over ground is the vectorial sum of speed on water+tide: it can be superior or inferior to your speed on water. Your calculations were correct. Nothing to add or change.
So good to see another video from you - I do hope this is the start of your passage to Norway via Scotland. It would be good to see you and any help you need with the Caledonian Canal/provisioning, just ask. [lifts for provisioning available at Wick or Inverness!]
Hello again Fiona. I am indeed Northbound. I crossed the Thames Estuary this morning. I'll be sure to shout if the Caledonian Canal comes into play. Much appreciated.
Great video again, felicitations! If you are running out of ideas, please do a short one on your fuel cell: beyond solar and wind turbines, this is the future! Cordialement, R.
Nice! Excellent explanation! I think the course too steer can be a bit difficult to grasp until you actually try it for your self but you made a really good job explaining it!
Many thanks Alain. In fact, it works (theoretically), in all circumstances when crossing a current. Example: imagine crossing a body of water for 3 hours with a constant current of 5 knots. If you just point the nose at the target (and block the heading) when you leave, you will hit the other shore 15 miles downstream. If you continually alter course to keep the nose pointed at the target, you will do a huge banana shape --- with many extra miles and much extra time to arrive at the target. If you use the method I describe (course to steer --- also called 'set and drift' in some places), it will tell you the heading you need to maintain into the current to cross with the shortest distance in the least amount of time. In practice, for short crossings, most people just point at the opposite shore aiming a bit upstream and adjusting using the eye, rather than doing the mathematical calculation. :-)
Thanks@@patricklaine6958 for the explanation. I have mostly sailed in Med so without tides and rather unpredictable currents as you go. So your experience is very valuable to those who like you aim at navigating all sorts of waters. Now I understand better the way you calculate the amount of drift and steer accordingly. Anyway congratulations for your channel and your didactic approach which I find very useful. Sailing, I find, has to be experienced first hand but frankly second hand is also great when it is through your videos. ;-)
course to steer really is as simple as you have explained. I remember doing that seeing a bouy go sideways across my bow at 6 knots off alderney. I had to trust my math!!!
I have to admit that I was wondering exactly the same thing as I watched myself heading MILES to the West, when I wanted to be going East. I forced myself to hold the fixed heading, and magically, it all worked out well at the end of the day. :-) Thanks for commenting.
Excellent. I visited Brighton Marina about this time last year. Wonderful friendly place. I was raised on doing course to steer calculations. We were given exercises to navigate to a given buoy a few miles off. - If I ever got to where I thought the buoy should be (using just compass and time) and I could actually see it with the naked eye (usually several hundred metres off), I would consider that a success. I have now become very lazy and follow waypoints - but I do plot a few vectors just to check what the water is doing.
Brighton has to be one of the poshest marinas I have visited. In the back area, people park their yachts in front of their classy apartments. Cool. After my military flying, I took up private flying, and check flight instructors used to do exactly what you describe --- turn everything off, and say, 'OK, fly me to the intersection of two roads and the railroad by just looking at the map and compass." You had to know where you were, where you wanted to go, and what the winds would do to your intended track. It was exactly the same scoring process you describe --- if you see the intersection: success; if you were in the general area --- 'well, OK'; if you are completely lost, 'Well, we'll take another look at this one next time." :-)
hi Patrick thanks for all the videos that you have do I am hoping to start sailing next may so getting all the info I can thank you so much PS learning to saile
Bravo Patrick, ce serait super d’avoir les explications en Français, not all the video, just the technical things. J’adore tes vidéos j’aimerai tellement être avec toi.
Je me suis fait gronder par des gens quand j'ai mélangé les langues dans la début de la série........ La personne qui fait ça bien c'est 'The Sailing Frenchman' qui parle en anglais, mais tout est traduit sous-titiré. Bien fait.
After tonns of crap on You Tube, we have a chance to see useful things. This one is really good one. Innitial idea is to draw a line on the map (as you said), this little plan saves hours of sailing, making it efficient and pleasurable. Could be more explainable (on the map) with arrows of current and visable for understanding for thoseones who are not that much experienced, but anyway gives the idea for further search and learning curve! Good onya Patrick, regards from Bass Strait
A bit late discovering you on TH-cam, but enjoyed what you do so much, that I am currently binge watching everthing you filmed. As for the rugby songs, there are issues with both you mentioned, and I believe that they have banned the Welsh one now! Anyway back to catching up, great sailing.
Yeow, that sounds like those calculus problems I've since forgotten how to do. You need to find the extremal of the integral of your velocity, which is the vector sum of heading/boat speed and current, integrated over time (subject to constraint of arriving at destination) This would yield overall distance traveled through water, minimizing this would minimize travel time. Probably easiest to do numerically on a computer .. thanks for stimulating my nerd brain, Good to see you underway again.
Ha! I was thinking after I wrote that--and you mentioned the course kinda looks like a sine wave--that the path function would be a Taylor series of harmonic (sines cosines) functions ... it's fun tickling a part of my brain I haven't used in a while. Anyway, enjoy Brighton, looking forward to your next series of vids.
THE most educational sailing videos on you tube. And professionally delivered, thanks for sharing so freely, you are a pleasure to watch and listen to. Not sure if you’ve ever mentioned your profession (I’ve seen every video of yours) but the world missed out if you weren’t a professor or educator of some kind.
Thanks for the kind remark Dan. Very kind of you.
@Dan Johnson - Ex fighter pilot (US Navy) was mentioned in an episode much earlier.
Very informative, as always, and in this case included a wholly useful portion on the course to steer method. Thank you.
Yes, fighter pilot was mentioned. Ive been binge watching his channel for the past 2 days. So much fun and instructional
Hi Patrick welcome home another enjoyable video. On the AIS front, its well worth having for a channel crossing as ships can be on you before you know it, wrt the big ships being able to filter out the smaller ones this is not the case, ships over 300gt will have to be fitted with a Class A AIS whilst most smaller craft will have Class B. The ships with Class A can filter out Class B if there is a lot of AIS targets around, this does not remove you from their screen but can remove your boats name and other info from their screen so it may be difficult for them to identify you by name, your MMSI number will still be seen by them so worth having that displayed by your VHF for if this situation arises.
One thing to be wary of though is that on a Class B AIS your position is transmitted every 30 seconds but this only happens if there is a slot on the AIS system if not then it is held in a queue then so your position displayed on the ships or others will be somewhat historical. Not too dramatic for a sail boat but be way of any fast moving Class B targets. Enjoy your Fish and Chips and Chicken Tikka Masala
Thanks for the great supplemental info on filtering Ian. Much appreciated. Tikka Massala tomorrow in Ramsgate. :-)
Great episode. Learned a lot. I don’t want view going hiking on an island with sailors. I want to learn about how their boat works, and what they are working through as sailors. Great discussion of the tides in this episode.
An excellent video on a real world course to steer. Another viewer mentioned the world missed out that you were not a professor, but doing the math you have a greater affect here: (24758 (video views) / 30 (an average student class size) = 825 / 2 (semesters per year) = 412 years of teaching! More important, no administration and you have interested students. Thank you again for making these videos.
Never thought of it that way Grace.... That said, I think official RYA instructors must cringe when they watch. ;-)
So glad I've come across this helping me re discovering my passion for sailing.Thank you Patrick. Getting me through the CoronaVirus Lockdown.......
You made my day Simon. Thanks.
Oh the ties and blazers and kilts... and fish & chips 😊 Enjoy the sail down memory lane!
Another great video, thanks for your time Patrick! You're making it all too easy to accumulate a wealth of sailing knowledge. You easily have the best channel for those interested in actually sailing. Now, I find nothing wrong with the nautical nomadic bohemias like Delos, which are also great fun to watch, but your videos are so much more informative and of substantial technical value. Stellar stuff....
Very kind of you Bill. I too enjoy watching some of the travel/sailing videos. RAN is a favorite of mine, as Johan is a terrific sailor. Some of the others are just bikini flash vids, and I don't enjoy them as much.
Hi Patrick, After watching all your other stuff, I have been looking forward for another voyage.
Lets just say I was not disappointed. Great info and keep them coming. Thanks
Super Darryl. Delighted you got something from this.
Hi Patrick, I really like your videos! It is a pleasure to watch them! Keep up a good work! Enjoy your sailing!
Much appreciated Szymon. Fair winds to you.
Hi Patrick, welcome back to Blighty! Enjoyed this episode very much. I’ve sailed across the Channel many times, but there’s always something for me to learn. Thank you for an excellent summary of your approach to planning. Two additional points about the plan, that you’re no doubt across, but I offer here in case of interest to others. You addressed the impact of tidal streams beautifully for the predicted average SOG of 5.5. But - as you have been musing in the video and in your comments here - the SOG varies. So the plan ought to consider, respectively, what happens if you arrive early or late. Either way, it’s efficient to try to aim to arrive uptide ... so as to avoid a flog against the stream near your destination. The second point is to check the forecast wind speed and direction near your destination at about your supposed ETA and to take account of that too. Often, taking those two aspects into account, it can be the case that a strategic adjustment of the “ideal” course to steer - a deliberate bias one way or the other - can save you arriving downtide and/or downwind. After 15 or 16 hours it can be rather disappointing to face a beat with a foul tide! Been there, done that ... Anyhow, fair winds for the next leg. You’ll be passing (maybe you’ve already passed) my ‘hood ... the beautiful waters of coastal Essex. Wave! Or let me know if planning on arriving in Tollesbury. There’s hospitality here. Roy
Excellent points Roy. I'll add a third. I was VERY concerned that my changed SOG would make me arrive outside the tide window at Brighton, and that I would have to sit around somewhere for 4 hours waiting for the tide to come back in! All worked out well in the end: faster than planned SOG in some places, and slower in others. Swings and round abouts. Fair winds.
I seen your session on polishing the tank very informative, I didn’t know people did that, thanks once again
It's a real pleasure to watch your videos. Thank you, again.
Many thanks Valentin.
Thank you for that marvellous information.
This brings back good memories to me. As a flight crew member (now retired) we often did layovers in Brighton (15-20 years ago). We were staying at the Royal Albion Hotel which had a wonderful view of the Palace Pier. I remember the neighborhood shops "The Lanes", the Fish & Chips. There was also this place called The Mongolian an "All you can eat" spot, for a reasonable price. Very nice in the summer.
I know that area very well also. I used to keep my private airplane at Shoreham, and took my young daughters to all of the cities/piers along that coast to eat greasy fish and chips! Great memories. ;-)
Just binge watched almost all the content in this channel. One of the best and most authentic sailing channels on TH-cam. The way this gentleman takes the time to explains things.... its almost as if you experience the voyage yourself. Great stuff. Subed.
Thanks for the kind feedback Hamid. Much appreciated.
Yay you’re back on the water! Thanks for the video and course to steer info. Looking forward to each one.
Hello to you as well Silky. Thanks for coming back this season.
Thank you for uploading your informative and interesting videos. I have only recently begun to sail keel boats on Windermere, UK and I'm currently working towards my RYA level 3, with the hope that, in time I can gain sufficient knowledge to feel confident enough to take on some of the journeys that your enjoying. Your an inspiration to me and I'm full of admiration for the way you live your days. I look forward to watching all of your videos over the course of the next few weeks as I'm sure I can learn a lot from you. Many thanks.
Super Paul. The RYA qualifications are a great way to build confidence. Ensure you insist with your instructor to practice maneuvers (at sea and in port) as if you were solo. Best wishes to you on your future 'round Britain' tour!
Thank you, sir, for these very informative adventures. Most enjoyable!
Thanks for the kind feedback Jonathan. Much appreciated.
Hi Patrick, one more grate enjoyable video. Watched all videos. Please continue with the teaching , I lean a lot!!!
Very kind of you Kalmi. I don't pretend to be a professional instructor --- I just want to demonstrate (my often flawed) solo techniques that work for me. Many thanks for coming back again this season. Much appreciated.
The course to steer seems more intuitive to me now. Your explanation was trim enough to resonate. Thanks:)
I have thoroughly enjoyed all your videos Patrick. Thank you so much.
I am just returning to cruising after a thirty year break(!) and watching your videos has not only rekindled the passion, but has helped refresh my skills/knowledge & brought memories flooding back.
I did the same thing John. A 30+ year break, and then took it up again. Great fun. Thanks for watching.
So you point the boat on the calculated compass point. Maintain the boat pointing in the same direction, then the actual direction for much of the journey is way off to port, but still with no change of bearing the tides bring the boat back to more or less where you wanted to be. That is amazing. Now you have explained it I understand the principle. However, I doubt I would ever have worked that out for myself in a month of Sundays! Really great teaching Patrick. Thank you.
Ha! If you explore various forums Neale, there is still a lively debate (from a very small minority) as to whether or not this is the best way to cross reversing tides. Some people swear that crabbing in a straight line is still the best way --- even though it can be shown decisively with advanced maths that the way I did it is the 'right' way. Lots of fun! Thanks for watching.
Thanksso much for taking the trouble to do this. Very helpful!
Wow Patrick!!!Episode after episode I'm just more and more appreciative of what you are sharing here.I've long been a fan of primitive engineering and new tech. Sailing seems to be the perfect place for these to mix.Recently retired and decided to set my water spirit free.Purchased a small sailboat, just 26', and starting out in the lakes of Ohio, but before me, she had been to Erie and the Florida Keys. Hope to get her back to all those places very soon.Thanks for all your efforts in producing such thoughtful and genuine communications.Fair winds Good Sir!
Thanks for the kind feedback Jeff --- and congrats on the new boat. The size of the boat does not determine the amount of fun you have on one. !! When I finally finish my long distance passages, I'll probably down-size to something in the 26-30 foot range, and have a great time enjoying local/coastal sailing. Enjoy your retirement.
Had been looking forward to you next instalment and I was not disappointed. Another great vid. Can’t recommend this channel enough. Pure sailing pleasure 👍
Very kind of you onemanandhisboat. Sounds like we share a common passion.
Excellent job sailing and explaining, sir!
You were very diplomatic Patrick when describing the diversities of Brighton.
That was great Patrick, a very interesting installment of your adventure! Thanks for that.
Hi Patrick, I recently finished watching all your videos and very much enjoyed them. As a novice sailor, I appreciate your thorough explanations. I look forward to your next one and thanks for your generosity in sharing them.
You made my day Tim. Much appreciated.
Thank you for your wonderful videos. Fair winds and calm seas.
Thanks again for watching and commenting Phillip.
Another very informative and entertaining video. Looking forward to seeing more. Thanks
Thanks for the feedback Sun of Man. Fair winds to you.
Dear Patrick, merci mille fois for your informative videos and letting us participate in your adventures.
A practical way to visualize how the speedvectors work when crossing the Channel the way you did is to imagine that the Channel would be a big conveyor belt changing direction every 6h. To simplify even further suppose the belt has a constant speed of 5kn. If the max speed of your boat is also 5kn and you use that speed to compensate the movement of the belt (to crab) , you can easily understand you're never going to cross the Channel. You'll just stay where you are making a U-turn every six hours. When you start using your 5kn boatspeed perpendicular to the direction of the belt you you will effectively be able to move to the other side.
SOA (speed of advance) over the track will be constant = 5kn; your SOG (speed over ground) will be sqrt (5 squared+5 squared) = 7.07kn.(pythagoras)
Hence in the case of a real crossing he variation in SOG doesn't affect the endresult as long as the SOA remains constant. The SOG is the sum of SOA and Current speed)
Corrections to be made are for the timing of the direction (tidal) changes (normally you can maximally be one tide of course) and your leeway.
Happy dockings,
Yep -- completely agree with all you said there, and eventually figured that out myself. :-)
Great with new video from you! Your information and theory about tidal sailing was really well explained and made clear to me. It makes a great sense - thank you! Looking forward to the next episode!
Much appreciated Kenneth. Thanks
The lovely thing about Patrick Laine's videos is that he offers information and a bit of teaching to sailors, unlike so many of the current 'sailing' video blogs that are little more than 'Neighbours' afloat!
Much appreciated Pete. Thanks for the kind feedback.
These are great vids Patrick
Thanks for the kind feedback Steve.
Hello Patrick, loved that session. Good to see you get some nice weather for a change. I’m going out on my 39’ beneteau in a couple days and will use the course to steer as part of my planning. My very first sail a few months back was very similar to your video 12. l lost the engine in bad weather, only for me it was the primary filter. Fortunately there where 3 of us on board and we managed to change the filter and get power back and home safely. Thanks for your video’s, they are most informative and enjoyable, cheers John
I take fuel management very seriously now John. I installed a Racor filter (transparent with a water separator), I do a chemical treatment every six months, I keep the tank full, and polish the tank every season now. It may happen to me again, but at least I have taken every reasonable measure to prevent it. Changing fuel filters in the middle of a storm is an absolutely miserable experience! :-)
Hallo Patrick, Thank you for your excellent videos, which I recently discovered on youtube. With regard to crossing the Channel I like to write the following story. A couple of years ago I was standing on the bridge of a 200 meters long bulkcarrier and we were on our way to Canada. It was a beautiful Sunday afternoon and we saw several sailing yachts on their way to France. They were clearly visible with the naked eye. I decided to take a look on the radar and there was nothing to be seen! We just got a reflection on our radar when the were about 1,5 nautical miles away! The crossed our vessel in front of us and they disappeared behind the mighty bow of the ship!
Now just imagine there are a lot of high waves, what does the officer of the watch probably do in such a situation? They switch on the clutter to eliminate the influence of the waves. Now most polyester yacht have a white hull and white sails and than it will be very difficult to see them in those waves.
There is also an other aspect to this story. Many cargo vessels have a minimum rate of crew members and it can be very likely that the officer of the watch, after he took a look on the radar goes to the back of the bridge and write down his position on the chart And logbook, or just go simply to the toilet which is also on the bridge.
Great insider info Jan. Many thanks.
Amicales salutations, monsieur Laine. Votre approche de la navigation en ces eaux est sans aucun doute celle qu'il faut adopter. En tous les cas, c'est celle que personnellement j'adopte dans le Fleuve, le Golfe et l’Estuaire du Saint-Laurent en raison même de ses nombreux courants et de ses fortes marées. Nous n'avons pas le choix. Toujours un plaisir de vous entendre. Bon vent!
Je vous en remercie Jean. C'est très aimable de votre part.
Thank you very much for bringing us along with your course planning and your thought process behind it. I find this stuff superinteresting, and even though Colin Bailey's link automates this its nice to know the mechanics behind it. Looking forward to your next leg in the journey!
Many thanks Stian. I had no idea that program that Colin suggested existed. Takes all the fun out of it. (I'm getting it tomorrow. :-)
Good show, old chap! I learn something new each time, and I agree that you are a terrific teacher. "Feel like Don Quixote" amid the windmills--jolly good!
I can't help but admire your life in living courageously, as Salinger would say "with all your stars out." Some dream big, but stay moored to fear and custom. Some cast off in boca al lupo.
Oh, but who can resist a visit to "England's green and pleasant land"? Thanks for the kind remark Will.
Patrick Laine
Though an aetheist from 14, I would very much enjoy hearing those huge crowds singing Jerusalem. Blake and Yeats my favorites...in fact, your extraordinary life (I feel like a potted plant in comparison ) brings to mind his adage,
"Man's reach should exceed his grasp, or what's a heaven for?"
You have subbed in "ocean" for "heaven" in there for us...you might also "beam" in there before "reach."
Given the serious leadership problems governments on both sides of the Atlantic are experiencing, I was very tempted to quote, "O Captain! My Captain!" but some people are very sensitive about politics on TH-cam, so I resisted the temptation. :-) O Jerusalem is a great poem put to music ---- and certainly captures the romantic notion about "England's green and pleasent land". Best regards
Brilliant! Thank you Sir!
This will be saved for future reference.
Excellent information again Patrick, thx very much and keep them coming👍👍
Thanks Phil. It's nice to know some people are getting something from this.
Very informative Patrick, thank you
Many thanks Cajone
Hi Patrick,greetings, good to see and hear from you.Very informative video.Thanks.
Much appreciated Louis. Welcome back.
I dont even have a boat. But I enjoyed this video very much. God bless you sir , and happy sailing !
You've made my day Sammy. Many thanks.
It's just fascinating to me that one can see the world on a sail boat, I dont think there is any other way of travel that can do this besides flight which dint give one such a organic way to see the world..wish I could do this that's forsure..I enjoy your vids thank you...
Fantastic Video Patrick. Seeing someone putting Course to Steer into practice is so informative. Please keep the Videos coming if possible. Fare Winds have a great sail.
Many thanks Sailaway. Much appreciated.
That's a very clever way to do it, very interesting.
Hi Patrick, Thanks for the vídeo, I was missing them. Now, I look forward to the next.
Much appreciated Kleman.
Another great video, Patrick. Thank you! You explained course to steer well enough for even me to understand! :-)
Welcome back BayAreaBlues. Thanks for watching.
Good to see the start of your 2018 journey, looking forward to following you again this year.
Good explanation of how tides affect you progress. It looks like you had an uneventful passage. Happy sailing.
Yes -- crossing the Channel can be quite 'interesting' at times, but I had an almost boring passage (and that is great in my book). :-)
Welcome back to the British Isles - I enjoy your channel a lot - love the style and clarity of your stories. Watched Episode 12 several times! Done the Biscay bit in a blow with a crew and so your stories and techniques of serious passages solo are quite inspirational. Currently in Sicily but turning around and heading back to Blighty this season. Geoff Rogers
You sound like you've a bit of salt in your hair Geoff. Many thanks for the kind remark, and may your return to the UK be slow --- enjoy that sunshine as much as you can.
Nice to see you on the water again. Looking forward to updates from your trip further north. Fair winds!
Many thanks Sjur.
Another beautiful video that i really enjoyed. Still ice and snow here in Canada so we have to wait. Happy sails and looking forward to the next video cheers.
Many thanks George. Most of my friends say I should be heading South, not North....... Here's wishing you a big thaw soon.
Thanks, great lesson!
Hello Patrick, welcome back.
I completely understand the sailing through water mass.
thanks for the great explanation.
Greetings from Holland,, Kitty.
In aviation we have similar issues Maxboon, but often the relative speeds are so different (air mass and jet) that we just ignore them. On the other hand, being unaware of the wind in an airplane can be an unforgiving error. Thanks for commenting again.
Many many thanks for the course to steer explanation - I will likely be doing a similar passage in the summer.
Great Rich. A practical example always adds some context to the classroom exercise. Good luck on your passage.
Another great video Patrick, I really enjoy your adventures. Thank you for explaining in layman’s terms some of the more technical stuff, as a budding sailor, they really do help. Looking forward to your Shetland adventure, cheers....Si.
Very kind of you Simon. Thanks for watching.
Hi Patrick. I was very excited to see that you have posted your latest trip and so jumped ahead to watch it before watching your other episodes from your previous trips. The Course to Steer explanation was very interesting. When we sailed from Miami to Bimini across the Gulfstream, my preparation on the internet had suggested a similar process. The advise was to go with the strong current, rather than fight it. The author suggested to track a zigzag to Bimini, so that the time within the Gulfstream had the least detriment to SOG, and therefore average SOG for the trip.
With respect to the 10 knots you were pondering, I take it that you were referring to SOG. I would think that would make sense, and that if you had steered the rhumbline, your SOG would have been boat speed-current instead of boat speed+current. I guess it is similar to the fact that when calculating an Equal Time Point when flying, a headwind hurts you for longer than a tailwind helps you. It does raise another question for me to ponder. With respect to the PredictWind Offshore app which I intend to use for our Atlantic crossing in June, does the ‘Weather Routing’ and ‘Departure Planning’ components utilise this process in the Standard package? Or, do you need to pay extra for the Professional package which includes currents? Or, doesn’t it really matter because once offshore in the deep blue the currents have less effect?
Thanks much (again) Sailing Adventurous. You are right -- I was referring to 10 Kts SOG. I like your aviation analogy (headwind hurts more than a tailwind helps). Makes sense. I'm going to give this some more consideration. Re Predict Wind Offshore: I used their planning and departure module for this (English Channel) passage. I did not have the impression that it took into account the tidal current at all. It just seemed to make a recommendation based on the wind (but perhaps I am mistaken). So, I just chose a day with a fairly favorable wind, and then calculated my heading as shown in the video and held that fixed heading for 75% of the way there.
Hi Patric ;
I’ve just discovered your channel and must say I’m enjoying it, especially the navigation and technical sailing content .
Glad to hear you have lived and enjoyed Cardiff! It’s my home town!
Looking forward to seeing your future adventures!
Lisvane Cardiff 1991 to about 1998. Great memories. Thanks for watching NICCAT.
Great stuff again Patrick! Looks like you’ve had a comfy passage across the Channel. The course to steer method is actually what they teach you when you take the coastal navigation course. Compass Course + compass deviation -> magnetic course + variation -> true course + drift + tidal stream -> course over ground. Using vectors you can work your way back to the course to steer on your compass.
Thanks Henk. Yeah -- the reason I ignored variation is that it is only .4 degrees in the area I crossed. As for mag deviation ---- I have two mag compasses that have an 8 degree split in the readings. :-) My RayMarine plotter shows a deviation from the calibration swing, but I don't really have any confidence in it either. (I did the swing!) I just ignored it. While on a deep broad reach, I didn't add any leeway drift, but the wind backed and ended up close reached --- and for the last 25% of the trip, I added 5° for that -- but that part of the trip also had interference from the wind farm. The formulas I learned (35 years ago) for converting True to Mag and vice versa are: True Virgins Make Dull Companions at Weddings (add west); and Can Dead Men Vote Twice At Elections (add East). :-)
Brilliant Patrick! ;-)
Hi Patrick
Glad to see you posting videos again
Much appreciated Victor.
Congratulations on another successful solo adventure. Best regards
It was great fun, on a perfect day. Thanks for watching Schpankme.
Love the video Patrick! I had to show Elena your little Don Quixote interlude, she loved it :) As fun as the technical challenge was working our way through the tides and currents of Western Europe, I'm quite excited to get into the Med and not worry about it!
Yep, you have to admire these English who deal with these ripping currents and often rude weather day in and day out. Enjoy your time in the Med with its 6 inches of tide. :-) You deserve a break.
A pleasure watching your videos. I hope one day I will get me a sailboat to learn and explore.
Best wishes to you Mick.
Hearing you talk about school children's blazer and tie brings back memories. I spent many years at boarding school here in the US. And following the English standard, we all were dressed in coat-and-tie. Only Catholic schools here still adhere to that standard. In my view, it is beneficial to set standards early.
I really like this system for the younger kids --- total equality among peers. I think my kinds really liked it as well. ;-)
Thankyou Patrick. navigating the channel as crew for the 1st time next week. Good food for thought.
Great Alex. I hope you have the wonderful weather conditions I had. Absolutely perfect --- and, I did not have to call a single ship on the radio. I made myself as predictable as possible (as the stand-on vessel), and they adjusted course 10-15 degrees far in advance. No stress for anyone. Almost too easy. Fair winds.
Was a very informative video as always Patrick
Much appreciated David. This multi-tidal, reversing current experience was a first for me. If I have to do it again, I'll use the same process.
Great info. I love seeing course charting done the old fashioned way - without electronics.
Do you mean the computer running Excel to compose the current vectors is not electronic?
The old fashioned way to do this is to draw the first vector (first hour of current) from your starting point, then draw the second vector from the end of the first one, and so on. The result is exactly the same, but you don't need a computer nor any computation. Using Excel, you still have to know a bit of trigonometry!
:-) Well, I don't think most people actually use the tidal angles BQ. They do like I did and just use E or W so they can just be added together to net (simple addition, nothing fancy). I know what you mean for the actual direction of the currents. When I passed my Navigation exam (many) years ago, we used the actual set and drift vectors and drew them onto our course on the chart. Thanks for commenting.
Thanks Emily. When I was a young pilot (before the age of GPS), we actually held the chart in one hand, and the stick in the other as we flew from one valley to the other looking for church steeples, bridges, dams, etc. Those were the days. Now it is just too easy to follow the magic magenta line........ but before I get nostalgic, I too primarily use the electronics now (though probably double check more than most do on paper). Best regards
OH, I always thought I was doing like everyone else! I am initially from Granville and now in Saint-Malo. Currents are not simply alternating here!
By the way, I will be doing nearly the same trip in the other direction (south of North Sea to Saint-Malo) in May. I wish I where as confident as you are to do it single handed. I also wish I were able do make wonderful videos like yours (and to speak English as you do;-) Keep up the good work. I love your channel (no pun intended!)
You are exactly right about the currents along sections of the Northern Coast of France not being binary E-W BlackQuintet. In fact when I left Cherbourg, the first three hours there was 1.5 knots of current almost perpendicular (and into) the French coast. That wasn't shown very clearly on the small tidal diagrams I was looking at. I had labelled it as a current pushing me to the West in my Excel table, but reality was more complex. If you see Isabelle on your AIS during your North Sea - St Malo trip, be sure to call me up. Bonne continuation.
Hi, Hans from Holland here: Thanks for your informative video!
Much appreciated Hans.
My family is related to Davy Gam Llewelyn, gotta love the Welshman who saved King Henry the V..another fine video ..
Well bore da to you j.j. Thanks for watching.
Thank you for sharing and i´m waiting for the next.
Much appreciated Jose.
thanks for the video. planning my first crossing from southampton this year it will come in handy
Glad you enjoyed the practical example TheAdam. Thanks for taking the time to comment.
Hi again Patrick, just reviewing videos again as it's rainy here at Cascais so I can't work outside. Interesting how you used assumptions to "plan away" some of the complexity of this, much as I did when I last sailed from Guernsey to Gosport.
The hard part for me was being sure I was clear of the Alderney Race before the tide turned and the rest was one big exercise in rationalisation. I reckoned that Ventnor, on the Isle of Wight, was close enough to being the far side of the channel and that abeam St Anne was close enough to be the near side. On that basis, the distance between them accounted for about 13 hours of tide - a complete cycle - assuming things to be pretty similar on both sides. Also my direct course was nearly perpendicular to the Channel so I didn't bother going into as much detail as you did, I just drew a line straight across and steered that heading throughout - dodging ships of course. It was interesting to see my satellite track afterwards where I was washed back and forth but ended up in the right place. Then Ventor appeared at about the right time and in the right place and I just navigated by marks and beacons into Gosport from there and largely just took tide as it came.
Looking at Duncan Wells's videos, he explained something that you didn't mention - you rationalised drift as being simply being east and west, just as I did, but he also takes set into account due to two factors - that there's land nearby and the tides also bend around that land instead of being largely parallel as they are across the channel. I think he teaches things so that, where land intervenes, you break things into segments and plan for them separately. All the examples I've seen seem to be like that, where you plan hour-by-hour, deriving CTS for each of them and, in practice, you actually achieve that direct, crabbing track. Away from land - different deal entirely.
I've also seen smartphone apps that do the calculations but they also seem to be aimed at coastal sailing on short legs; you type in a handful of factors and end up with a course that will, hopefully, not take you aground. All sorts of things are possible with software I suppose, but the risk of running aground of "crashing" a TSS would prevent me from using them - can't appear in court blaming someone's software for a stuff up!
About the AIS aspect, because I can't get an MMSI until I get back to Australia (saga as long as "Coronaton Street" - not now), I can see the ships coming on my VHF/AIS but they can't see me. So, not wanting to engage in a series radio discussions, I simply steer clear of everybody so I don't have to worry about ships sometimes filtering me out. Advantage, too, that it also keeps my mind entertained with constant reassessment of collision risks. Only time I did actually radio for cooperation was sailing NNE just beyond Brest, when a big Biscay wave top detached and smashed in two of my port lights (poorly designed hinges no longer available). I blocked the holes and chose my course carefully to put the seas at a different quarter but that limited how I could manoeuvre - and I headed to St Peter Port instead of Plymouth to do that. That time I did radio other vessels, explaining my position and difficulty and they steered clear of me without problem.
Yeah, there are several techniques for applying the CTS technique. As a solo sailor, I don't think I'll ever adopt the 'recalculate every hour' method, but I might due the 'recalculate at mid channel' method. Another variation that I saw someone use to compensate for the fact that the current is not directly at 90° is to use an estimated coefficient. Thus, if the current is really going to be at 45° rather than 90°, instead of using (say) 3 NM/hr as the current impact that hour, they use .7*3 =~ 2 NM drift correction instead of 3. The important thing is to use a method one is comfortable with --- even crabbing all the way against the current, if that works for you. :-)
Thanks once more for a great video.
Many thanks Rick. It was a great learning experience for me too.
I’m clearly aware that your schedule may well have taken you further East from Brighton by now. However had I have known your projected route I would have tried to RV with you, as I live near the coast not far from Exeter and would have happily driven up coast and welcomed you to UK at Brighton. I would have been delighted to have met you and personally wish you well on your continued sailing adventures with Isabelle. No worries and extend my best wishes for your voyage up into the North Sea towards the Shetlands.
Very kind of you EF. Yes, I have already moved on. Ramsgate tomorrow, and then points North. Very best to you.
A rare treat, thank you.
Very kind Colin. Thanks
Thanks for this timely (for me) video. I'll be doing the same crossing in reverse in July, when I pick up my new boat in Ipswich and eventually make my way toward Gibraltar. Crossing the channel, dealing with hellacious tides and currents is already keeping me up at night. I'm familiar with CTS but will spend more time studying up on this technique. Thanks again sharing this important topic.
Congrats on the new boat Phillip. Sounds like you already have a full sailing season planned ahead of you. The tidal current I experienced crossing the Channel was quite strong, as it was 'Spring' tide (100+ coefficient for my French friends). Still, even with moderate tides, if you choose a 'long' Channel passage (and not just Dover Calais), it's definitely worth the time to do the set and drift (CTS) calculations. You sound like you have done all of this before --- so no big deal. Enjoy your passage to Gibraltar. Sounds great.
To the contrary, I've never done it before. All of my sailing has been in the Great Lakes (no tides) and the Texas Gulf coast (wimpy tides). The only tidal current we had to worry about was the Galveston ship channel. I just completed the theory section for my RYA ICC course, so as I said, I've studied CTS but never applied it in a practical setting.....hence the sleepless nights. Our first stop is Guernsey, which I'm told can be very tricky to navigate. For this and a host of other reasons, I'm going to have crew that has done this before., just to be on the safe side. Hate to lose my boat on the very first sail.
Thanks Phillip. I sailed around Guernsey just last week. The key is to get the tide right --- otherwise, go back home! :-) I hear you about small tidal factors in the States. They teach the equivalent of Course To Steer over there (called Set and Drift), but the absence of real currents makes it a bit academic. Some people use it for crossing the Gulf Stream -- but I haven't heard a lot of discussion about it other than that. UK and Channel Island sailors are experts at this stuff. I sailed into Ramsgate today in the fastest current I have ever seen --- fortunately I got my times right, so it was a piece of cake. Best regards for your passage
Thank you sir. I'm thinking Cherbourg is our alternate if the tide is not favorable to get in to QE II Marina, rest up and head for Guernsey when the tide is right. Your thoughts? Listen, if your travels take you anywhere near Ipswich toward the end of May, would love a chance to buy you a beer and pick your brain. We'll be at Fox's Marina until about the first of July. Cheers.
Fascinating explanation. Thanks!
Much appreciated Benjamin. :-)
Very nice explanation of the course to steer :)
Thanks for the kind thoughts Arthur.
You had your answer: your speed over ground is the vectorial sum of speed on water+tide: it can be superior or inferior to your speed on water. Your calculations were correct. Nothing to add or change.
I slowly came to that realisation Dominique. All worked out in the end (suprisingly!).
So good to see another video from you - I do hope this is the start of your passage to Norway via Scotland. It would be good to see you and any help you need with the Caledonian Canal/provisioning, just ask. [lifts for provisioning available at Wick or Inverness!]
Hello again Fiona. I am indeed Northbound. I crossed the Thames Estuary this morning. I'll be sure to shout if the Caledonian Canal comes into play. Much appreciated.
Thnx for this very informative video of planning! 🗺️
Great video again, felicitations! If you are running out of ideas, please do a short one on your fuel cell: beyond solar and wind turbines, this is the future! Cordialement, R.
Great suggestion Rémy. Thanks for watching.
Nice! Excellent explanation! I think the course too steer can be a bit difficult to grasp until you actually try it for your self but you made a really good job explaining it!
Hey, my favorite viking sailing family. Many thanks for the kind remark. I'm making my way up toward your home!
That's great! hope you enjoy it! the season is short but sweet ;)
Extremely interesting! How to use the tide rather than fight it! Only works when the passage lasts more than 6 hours
Many thanks Alain. In fact, it works (theoretically), in all circumstances when crossing a current. Example: imagine crossing a body of water for 3 hours with a constant current of 5 knots. If you just point the nose at the target (and block the heading) when you leave, you will hit the other shore 15 miles downstream. If you continually alter course to keep the nose pointed at the target, you will do a huge banana shape --- with many extra miles and much extra time to arrive at the target. If you use the method I describe (course to steer --- also called 'set and drift' in some places), it will tell you the heading you need to maintain into the current to cross with the shortest distance in the least amount of time. In practice, for short crossings, most people just point at the opposite shore aiming a bit upstream and adjusting using the eye, rather than doing the mathematical calculation. :-)
Thanks@@patricklaine6958 for the explanation. I have mostly sailed in Med so without tides and rather unpredictable currents as you go. So your experience is very valuable to those who like you aim at navigating all sorts of waters. Now I understand better the way you calculate the amount of drift and steer accordingly. Anyway congratulations for your channel and your didactic approach which I find very useful. Sailing, I find, has to be experienced first hand but frankly second hand is also great when it is through your videos. ;-)
course to steer really is as simple as you have explained. I remember doing that seeing a bouy go sideways across my bow at 6 knots off alderney. I had to trust my math!!!
I have to admit that I was wondering exactly the same thing as I watched myself heading MILES to the West, when I wanted to be going East. I forced myself to hold the fixed heading, and magically, it all worked out well at the end of the day. :-) Thanks for commenting.
Excellent. I visited Brighton Marina about this time last year. Wonderful friendly place. I was raised on doing course to steer calculations. We were given exercises to navigate to a given buoy a few miles off. - If I ever got to where I thought the buoy should be (using just compass and time) and I could actually see it with the naked eye (usually several hundred metres off), I would consider that a success. I have now become very lazy and follow waypoints - but I do plot a few vectors just to check what the water is doing.
Brighton has to be one of the poshest marinas I have visited. In the back area, people park their yachts in front of their classy apartments. Cool. After my military flying, I took up private flying, and check flight instructors used to do exactly what you describe --- turn everything off, and say, 'OK, fly me to the intersection of two roads and the railroad by just looking at the map and compass." You had to know where you were, where you wanted to go, and what the winds would do to your intended track. It was exactly the same scoring process you describe --- if you see the intersection: success; if you were in the general area --- 'well, OK'; if you are completely lost, 'Well, we'll take another look at this one next time." :-)
hi Patrick thanks for all the videos that you have do I am hoping to start sailing next may so getting all the info I can thank you so much PS learning to saile
Thanks Sean. Best wishes as you start on this great adventure that is sailing.
Excellent. Looking forward to your trip to Shetland.
impressive navigation, well done!
Thanks Preferred User. Much appreciated.
Bravo Patrick, ce serait super d’avoir les explications en Français, not all the video, just the technical things. J’adore tes vidéos j’aimerai tellement être avec toi.
Je me suis fait gronder par des gens quand j'ai mélangé les langues dans la début de la série........ La personne qui fait ça bien c'est 'The Sailing Frenchman' qui parle en anglais, mais tout est traduit sous-titiré. Bien fait.
Je ne sais pas comment il fait pour avoir la traduction.......
Patrick Laine don’t worry I manage to get it with google
TY for sharing your skills
Great video. Thanks for posting. You sound like you have had an interesting life. I think you should be the Dos Equis guy.
Now that is a life style to admire.... :-)
After tonns of crap on You Tube, we have a chance to see useful things. This one is really good one. Innitial idea is to draw a line on the map (as you said), this little plan saves hours of sailing, making it efficient and pleasurable. Could be more explainable (on the map) with arrows of current and visable for understanding for thoseones who are not that much experienced, but anyway gives the idea for further search and learning curve! Good onya Patrick, regards from Bass Strait
Well hello (way, way) down under. Thanks for the kind feedback. Much appreciated.
Seems like a nice explanation of the gravitational field on space time. :)
The lack of dilithium crystals will do that every time.
A bit late discovering you on TH-cam, but enjoyed what you do so much, that I am currently binge watching everthing you filmed. As for the rugby songs, there are issues with both you mentioned, and I believe that they have banned the Welsh one now! Anyway back to catching up, great sailing.
I didn't know that.....anyway, it was great fun while I was there.
Yeow, that sounds like those calculus problems I've since forgotten how to do. You need to find the extremal of the integral of your velocity, which is the vector sum of heading/boat speed and current, integrated over time (subject to constraint of arriving at destination) This would yield overall distance traveled through water, minimizing this would minimize travel time. Probably easiest to do numerically on a computer
.. thanks for stimulating my nerd brain, Good to see you underway again.
Thanks Kevin, I got lost after the second derivative of the Fournier transfer. At the end of the day, just pointing the boat works too. :-)
Ha! I was thinking after I wrote that--and you mentioned the course kinda looks like a sine wave--that the path function would be a Taylor series of harmonic (sines cosines) functions ... it's fun tickling a part of my brain I haven't used in a while. Anyway, enjoy Brighton, looking forward to your next series of vids.
Excellent navigation tip.
Thanks for the nice comment SV IOREK.