To be honest I was feeling the tension, prolly thanks to the slow pace and the lack of music, which kept it real. A unique and interesting video, and enjoyable to the end. Thanks so much.
Thanks Warren. The camera in the helm died otherwise you'd have seen the sweat pouring down my face. That one was tough! Got the idea to film it after we touched bottom that morning. Appreciate the note! Nick
Really nice job with the multiple camera angles, including overhead, chart and underwater. Nice editing with arrows and comments on the video. Thanks for the extraordinary effort which made us all feel like we were there with you!
Thanks for the kudos Bob. I am going to go back to the states and order more GoPros. That was pretty fun. Stressful. But fun. Only got the idea to film since we ran aground right before that! Appreciate the note. Best, Nick
That was one of best anchoring episodes I have seen as you just took the time to narrate the entire procedure and details / depths , scope etc. with the graphics. Just a really great episode to watch. Many of my fav sailing channels have done anchoring episodes but not like this detailed and such a good pace to follow you guys in the shallows with all of your commentary.
@@TheOKellys Agreed there are a number of solid sailing channels. You have created a niche in videos like this one through the channel, the "Top Secret" walk thru. Your story is like a charter guest.
Something I enjoy about this channel is I can see a phrase I don't understand mentioned, in this case "short scoped", and being naturally incessantly curious I tab over to dive down a google-fed rabbit-hole and hop back to this tab 25 minutes later, having an elementary but solid understanding of basic anchoring principles. The things you guys talk about inspire me to learn and that, I think, is one key factor to what's drawn me to your channel and this particular kind of content. In most every video I watch, you either teach me something new I didn't know (and didn't know I wanted to know), or you point me towards something new to learn myself.
that's very cool. We do the same thing. Just following that curiosity rabbit around. I think it keeps you young. Glad you enjoy the vids. Appreciate the feedback!
I really like the way you do these videos Nick. My wife and I plan on doing this in the next few years so even though we don’t expect TH-cam to teach us everything we need to know, You talk us through why you do what you do and trust me, I take notes. Keep up the great videos and commentary because we really appreciate it.
Wow, thank you so much Joshua. Funny...you know how I decided to do this one? Because we touched bottom for the first time with this boat about an hour beforehand. I thought to myself, you know, this is tricky stuff and there is a lot on the line, so I get someone out there might find it useful to come along. I learned so much by sailing with my grandpa and uncles growing up. And now this youtube thing...it's just so amazing to me. I am always learning so much from others on here. It is so cool to think that we have something to offer to the community. Appreciate your note very much. Nick
That was a lot of fun to watch from start to finish. You're camera angles, like under the water, really make it pop! I'll be a subscriber, for sure! Thanks.
Thanks! I am going buy a bunch more GoPros when we get back to civilization. It's a pain to edit, but how cool is it to have all these shots? Best, Nick
Love ALL your videos! Thanks to them, I was able to charter a Catamaran 3 weeks ago and take my wife and daughters to the BEST vacations on Earth! Exumas is a piece of Eden!!! Thanks a LOT!!!
I could feel the stress and that feeling you get in the belly, trying to be skinnier going over the shallows. Then, you have the added stress wondering if you can get back out. I love & hate that feeling. Kudos for taking chances
I watch a bunch of vloggers sailing around the world but I am always looking forward to your videos. Great job guys and thank you for sharing your journey with us. Nice to see a variety in videos as well.
Ah thanks Oliver, that's really nice of you to say, especially given the high quality videos out there today. Appreciate the feedback immensely. Best, Nick
I think I lost some serious water weight on that one! Just goes to show you the value of no planning.... Hit bottom and decided to film five minutes before warming engines! Underwater shot was oldest gopro taped to a boat hook! Lol. Thanks for the kind words Roger. Nick
Hey Nick - second the kudos on the underwater view... really adds ‘depth’ to the various perspectives (pun only partially intended 😁). I actually used a similar trick a couple of years ago when helping a guy deliver an old cat across the Gulf to Kemah TX - we had snagged a crab pot line that had apparently broken loose and was in about 1000 ft of water, and weren’t sure if it was going to foul the prop. We were doing about 5.5 kts though, so I had to jab the makeshift camera extender down into the water along side the port hull and let it swing through an arc - took me a couple of tries but eventually got a really good look at the line snagged up close to the hull... we ran that way all the way across the Gulf. Great video, love the ‘this is how we did it’ content.
Nick O'Kelly I’d brought my mask, fins and snorkel for cases like that, but we were in 5-6’ following seas and my experienced friend who’d come along for his knowledge (8 years of full-time Pacific cruising, but mid-70s with some diabetes-related health issues so not able to contribute physically) was concerned about possible injury if the boat came down on top of me... the only other able-bodied crew was the owner, as his friend got seasick less than 25 miles off Ft. Myers Beach and basically wasn’t seen again for 6 days until we were inside Galveston Bay. I didn’t think about it until later, but I had a serrated-edge Spyderco knife that I could’ve lashed to the boat pole and sawed the snag away from outside the hull shadow. Turns out it didn’t cause any problems until we were dodging ships anchored in the fairway anchorage at the entrance to the Bay, so we just motored up the bay and into the marina on the starboard engine without issue. Unfortunately for my friend Stu, that trip was when he realized that he no longer had any business doing off-shore passages...
Well that's a good reason not to go in. Your friend is smart. I once sawed through a huge kelp wrapped in the prop off Pt Conception using a dive knife hoseclampled to a boat hook. There was no chance I was going in that water while single handing... one knock to the head and that'd be it!
Thank you Dianne. I was worried people would find it boring. Wasn't boring for us! Wait till you see all the shots of this place we have coming for the next video. This is easily in our top 5 all-time anchorages.
I love the attention to detail you put in explaining your navigation and what you're looking for. That's a beautiful anchorage and the information you gave people can help them share that safely.
OMG, great vid. 4 or 5 cams. LOVE the underwater hull shots. Outstanding editing and continuity. Really Excellent narration, maps, damn bro! impressive professional level stuff. Upping the game! Be careful, yer going to make Nikki Winn's head explode!
Thanks man! Those Wynns do a fantastic job, so that's a heck of a compliment! You know how much forethought I give things like this? Almost none-mostly I am busy running the boat. But this time, we touched bottom lightly and I thought, hey, we should film this. The underwater shot was a gopro taped to a boathook which was taped to the wind generator mount. Maybe I should just keep buying gopros! Thanks for the note!
Fabulous execution of navigation and presentation. Double breasted is a stunning anchorage only for the brave. I'm sure you've discovered the name which is for 2 huge sand bars viewed from the air running parallel with each other. Big congrats for your multiple boating achievements and documenting them.
Nick, I just found your channel. Love it. Thank you. You guys do an excellent job of making me feel like I'm there with you and making me part of the experience. I understand that the video making and editing is a lot of work. I appreciate your passion to share and how well you do it.
Hey thanks Thomas. It is amazing to me that this is even possible. I'm writing this note back to you from where we dropped the hook a few days ago. We live in amazing times... thanks for the positive feedback. Nick
Hi Nick ....Best coverage ever .....well explained and well laid out . The video coverage , going from keel to overhead shots as well as indicating obstacles... fantastic!!!!!! Just getting better and better with your videos. Love them . You should be a 100k subscribers by years end . Cheers ⛵⚓ Fairwinds from the @captains.chair
Thank you Jim. Appreciate the feedback. I am going to buy a bunch of gopros when I get back and just put more an more angles into these videos. I agree it makes the coverage more complete. Nick
Great job on the video with introduction of chart graphics, pointers, description and view of the hull. That water is amazing. Thanks for not overlaying the video with music! Keep it real!
Hi Nick, I really enjoy your videos! I'm two years and counting from transitioning to the mostly-liveaboard lifestyle and your videos are a great source of information for someone without a ton of experience and no boat yet, but a mind for learning and planning. Thank you for that. If you ever find yourself looking for topics for video content, I think it would be very interesting to learn about your camera(s)/editing setup and your solution for internet access. Maybe you've already covered that at some point - I'm still making my way through your videos. Cheers!
Thanks for the note Tony. Appreciate it. A camera gear inventory. Interesting! Going to pick up some new kit here in the next few weeks and it might be a great thing to do a video on. Thanks for the inspiration!
That was real heart-in-mouth stuff ! Those rudders look a little . . . ummm . . . _exposed_ . We're really spoilt in our little trailer yacht - bump the bottom, no problem - just pull up the swing keel & rudder and she floats in 12" of water. We're starting to wonder how much it would cost to freight our boat to the Bahamas in a shipping container. It looks like a trailer sailers' paradise - almost as good as our Australian Whitsundays & Fraser Island ! Thanks for a fantastic video, Gavin & Amanda.
Oh now that would be really cool. I do wonder if Bahamas customs would ding you for import if you did that. It's really intimidating, but you could actually Cross from Florida in just about anything if you had the right weather. Follow me here: instead of waiting for hurricane season to end, take it over and find a nice quiet spot for the boat when the winds are still mild - say in September. Then come back and cruise it when the threat of storms is gone. It could be done. Would be an amazing adventure. Draft like that could get you into some really sneaky little spots that the rest of us can't touch. Hope we see you out there!
@@TheOKellys - I wrote that post from the heart Nick. I've seen your videos, watched the Shards on Distant Shores, Sailing Nahoa and of course, Sailing la Vagabonde. The Bahamas look almost beyond description. You can keep the tiger sharks though 8-). BUT it's so very safe to comment on a TH-cam channel being run by dangerous people - the people living their dreams with their eyes wide open, making dreams into reality . . . Seriously - you are both living the life I have been steadily heading towards for the last 18 years. I bought "Live on the Margin" this morning. I am looking forwards to reading it and seeing if there is a way to help accelerate the process. I have already "Got her onboard". I also have a background in small business, and am painfully aware of just how precious my time is. We just have to figure out the way. We are on the path. Will definitely look you up when we make it to the Bahamas. Cheers, Gavin.
Excellent. That's fabulous. Pat and I wrote LOM because of getting the question all the time about how we'd done it so young. Everyone thinks it is about money. It isn't strictly about the money. It's not about the boat. Or rig. Or whatever. Our consumerist society has us programmed to think it is about having the right toy for the job. It is about the attitude and the mentality, and that's what you learn once you go do it. Because you are going to end up one day in an anchorage (and I don't mean this metaphorically or symbolically, but in REALITY) anchored next to a $80M yacht on one side and a $5000 yacht on the other. And you are going to be swimming in the same water, going to the same beach, chasing the same lobster, etc., etc. And the more you do that, the more you see that the adventure is maybe greater for the guy on the small boat, and that's what really matters. So yeh, you gotta have some dough to make the show go, but that's not what it's all about. I am really inspired to hear of anyone who is putting together a plan to do this stuff in whatever manner or fashion, because while they might think the adventure still awaits, I know that their adventure has already begun. It is a magical time. Soak it up.
@@TheOKellys Thanks for your thoughtful reply Nick. You are spot on - we are on our way - and loving it - living our dreams the best way we can right now. The Pardy's idea of go small, go simple, go NOW is beautiful. That's why we still have a trailer sailer (and a _reliable_ 4WD). We both work full time, and we sail all over our local area most weekends. Our holidays are spent on longer trips to interstate destinations that would take three weeks just to reach by sail, one way, weather permitting. We get there in two or three days - have our adventure & tow home in two or three days. We keep our boat in the carport, so it's easy to maintain & she's (hopefully) fairly safe. The Bahamas keep popping up in our TH-cam feed & it's really caught Amanda's imagination. We'll just have to find a way . . . Thanks for your wonderful videos and making the time to chat with me. Hope to share an anchorage, one day. Cheers, Gavin .
Fantastic footage guys... and y’all stayed so calm and cool through it all the way! Love the keel cam too! Okay, I need to go watch it a few more times.
That was amazing. This was better than virtual reality games. Without the music, you gave us aventure, suspense, drama. This is by far my best video. I’ll be watching this a few times, with all that info going on. Thanks for looking at unique anchorage. I would call this extreme cat...
Ah cool! Wish I had youtube when I was starting out. I learn so much myself from watching these shows. Glad we can be of any help! Thanks for the note. Nick
Thanks Peter. We hit ground for the first time (unexpectedly, just as it always happens) and I thought, hey this would be a good topic for a video! Appreciate the feedback! Nick
Hey guys. We needed to see some actual good TV. SO we went back on your older videos before we found you. Ok Shocked by how much water was under the keels. Then the play by play from the aerial footage was great. Then we saw sugar and our heart just melted a little bit. Because we have several animals that are up there in age. Anyway, one of the things Annette mentioned was, "honey do you see how calmly they speak to each other when they are in shallow water and anchor". lol I have to admit just watching that under water cam video and how close you guys were had my heart racing. Till next time guys. Fair winds. Aodhan & Annette
I think this is the second time I watched this, and had to drop a comment on the use of multiple camera angles including underwater and editing and drone support shots and graphics. You did a really excellent job of cinematography.
Nice job brother that one has been on my list for a wile we are going to have to hit that one on the way back in a few weeks now I have seen it done thanks.
This place is insane. Don't tell anyone! You can even check in over at Grand Cay. No more need to go to West End! I so wish we could just stay here. We need groceries! Lol. See ya man.
Hey Nick, the different pov's was amazing!!! So shallow in points but the 2 of you were calm and really worked well together. Really good to watch. Almost makes you want to have a depth sounder in each hull. Haha Cheers from Canada.
Your video brought back the great memories we have of that place. We anchored in the exact same spot 5 years ago. The current really rips through there...swimming off the boat at certain times was not an option. Walkers has some amazing coral heads on the ocean side. Well done!
Quite a spot, eh? We didn’t visit Walkers Cay but I believe that it is undergoing renovation/restoration. Don’t know what the season holds, but if we get back that way we are certainly going to stop again.
I've been to Grand many times in the past years. The fishing is crazy good. Muttons on the bank side....mahi, wahoo, grouper, yellow eye snapper and marlin on the ocean side. I was happy to see that Walkers finally sold and was being restored. It has been vacant since the hurricanes in 2004. Coincidentally this year we also anchored in that channel between Pipe and that complex to the south (can't remember the name of the Cay) and I also snorkeled the rocks to the east. th-cam.com/video/USJiS0HWxMQ/w-d-xo.html Mayhaps one day our paths will cross.
Ahhhh. Good to know. I watched your vid. At first I couldn't figure out where you were at Pipe, but I think I figured it out. You are on the outside of that little channel where that big ketch seems to be permanently moored. We go through that little channel with the ketch to port, and make a hard turn to starboard then go around the other side of that little private island. It is one of our favorite spots in all the Exumas. Even writing about it now makes me want to go back. Like another planet. Nice boat, btw!
Right on. Appreciate the kind words. TH-cam is friggin amazing. Wish I had it back when I was bumbling through all my mistakes! But this place, Double Breasted.....wow..... like another planet.
Thanks so much for this informative and well-done video! We are days away from launching to the Abacos for the first time, and are a little apprehensive about negotiating such close waters in our full-feel boat - particularly Double Breasted. I wish someone would do this for all the tricky cuts!
Ah cool! Congrats Kendal! Looks like maybe some good weather to come across coming your way. I hear you can check in over at Grand Cay, so this might be our new go-to spot on arrival! Haven't seen any monohulls try it over here, but I think if you were confident and went really slow at high tide and slack water, you might make it in with 5-6' draft...but wouldn't be at all surprised if you hit bottom either! We are maybe gonna hang for a while, so if you make it over quick, come say hi. We often leave our AIS on.
@@TheOKellys Super, we will give you a shout if you pop up on AIS! Ours doesn't transmit, but if you see a red/white Tayana 37 with hillbilly solar panels, that will be us! Checking in at Rosie's Place seems less hassle than at West End, off the usual path.
@Kendal Strickland, hillbilly solar panels....now I am curious! Was just over there at Rosies...better not show up looking for groceries! Chill little place. Red and white Tayana, got it! Have a nice sail.
Excellent helming Nick and Megan did an awesome job keeping you in the clear. The Bahamas are stunning, can't wait till we venture there after the Med. Some pretty cool camera angles too 👌🏼
Thanks Gav! Definitely a team effort in close quarters like this. Spooky when the current grabbed us like that. Glad I didn't wait until it was in full force! Yeh make sure you have enough time in this part of the world....a few weeks would be just a teaser! Nick
Hey guys, great channel(s) and love what you're doing. We're cat cruisers also, raising our family on the water. We also read your book with Pat Schulte a few years back and enjoyed it immensely, with special emphasis on the life-philosophy part . Keep up the great work!
Hey thanks Lucius! I love your screen name, btw. Appreciate you wading through the book. We had a lot of fun putting that together. Hoping we catch up with those guys again next season. We hung out a lot last year. Megan things I need to do something Live-on-the-Margin-ish for this channel. Need some ideas...can you think of any? Appreciate the note! Nick
Like you guys, we also went to the pound and got a rescue Cat that had been in charter (2006 Lagoon 440). So we love to see practical repair, maintenance and practical seamanship content. However, we recognize we're a niche market in that regard and most sailing vlog content consumers probably want maximum tropical scenes, danger, and sex appeal. Being sailors, of course we like that too! So... fixing a broken marine head in a bikini? Seriously though, the Live On The Margin-type content presented in situ on the water would be pretty unique as sailing vlogs go and we know we would enjoy it. Your's and Pat's book landed on our desk at an opportune moment in our lives and had a role to play in our own little renaissance. We're sure there are lots of other folks out there in TH-cam land with whom it would resonate as well.
ahahahahahahaha! That's funny I am going to steal that for sure. I am not so sure the market is small! Did you see how many people watched the video I did about two months ago about converting a charterboat to a cruiser? Something like 175K views! Would be curious to hear how it is going for you guys. I say as long as you know boats and know what you are getting into.... Pat's taken the whole LOM thing and really run with it. He has a mentoring group and newsletter now. I just couldn't think of what I could do with LOM that wouldn't bore 98% of the viewers. I don't think charts and graphs and tickers would appeal to folks looking for bikinis! Lol. Is that what you were thinking though? Trading how-to's? Budgeting?
I can confidently say that I have personally laid hands on every system, nay, every nut and bolt on our cat in the past 3 years. As you know, charter companies wring out their boats and I strongly suspect that when a boat is coming out of the charter program, they scour the fleet for everything that is broken on every boat in the fleet and make sure it ends up on the boat leaving the fleet. However, we're philosophical. It's the VERY best education for the cruising lifestyle. I grew up cruising, however I now have a Phd (well, maybe a masters) in sailboat maintenance and repair. The cost of bringing a charter cat into real cruising condition: >$80,000; The value of the education: Priceless. Concerning LOM, I actually found the philosophical half of the book the most immediately useful. Covering the concept of reordering the relationship between "retirement" and work in our warped American model is invaluable. The financial independence ethos and the value acquiring and having F-you money is really powerful and sorely needed in our society and perhaps especially among the up and coming Millennials. That of course naturally leads to questions concerning how to fund this lifestyle, so yes, there is room for discussion of budgeting, frugality, DIY, and perhaps some broad-brush margin trading technical instruction. However, I don't think you have to get into the weeds on a sailing channel as to techniques of margin trading. Maybe the technical details are suitable for a stand alone channel or a focused book(s).
Interesting, interesting. That was the easier part of the book for us to write- Pat and I had just been doing it so long we were more or less just writing down our conversations at that point. Yeh, maybe another channel is the answer. What I really need on board (aside from an engineer like yourself) is a good editor to take these rants and ideas and philosophies and make them into something cohesive in video or podcast form. As you know, the boat takes a fair amount of time and energy, then there is the travel itself and having fun in there too. No complaints, but the video editing is pretty time consuming. But I do have to agree that this youngest generation coming up (millennials?) seems to have better attitudes about the role of work and career as it pertains to identity, but also a much weaker (in my limited experience) grasp of personal finance and economics...even worse than my generation...lol...sniff sniff. As far as charterboats go, I think it just depends. Some are definitely cannibalized...that is for sure. Then others are upgraded. This boat, for example, has one much newer engine. And the original SD50s have been swapped out for the much nicer/better SD60s. And it had a brand new stove. As in brand new. But then you'd find crappy wiring here and there, and there was bailing wire (literally, bailing wire) keeping one of the cones from unscrewing from the back of the propellers. Mostly....it just didn't make a lot of sense...really shoddy, half-assed cheap fixes interspersed with brand new stuff. Maybe it was the other boats in the yard that had been cannibalized. I don't know, I feel like we did ok, but we knew what we were getting into...this was not our first rodeo. I can see how someone who hadn't been on a lot of boats could get totally snookered by a Moorings operation. Anyway. Thanks for your feedback and inspiration on the LOM stuff. I mean it is ripe for the picking. If someone came along that wanted to do some heavy lifting....I'd partner again like I did with Pat.
Ha! Didn't know people did that. But it makes so much sense! I actually have a spare set on the boat. I may just have to install at next haul which is coming up soon. Thanks for the note!
@@TheOKellys If you fit the second transduce, you can also fit a "pendulum change over switch" which will automatically switch to the "lower" side when heeling to a breeze. Probably more useful in a mono hull, but the option is there. Great video.
Peter, are you as blown away by modern technology as I am? Opposite ends of the earth, sharing a place and time. Amazing. Safe travels to you as well. Nick
Hey thanks. I'm one lucky guy! Places like these are why I keep buying boats and doing this craziness. Sugar has been loving it in here. Can't even swim over to shore without her barkin to come along. I love to see it! Thanks for the note.
Nick and Megan, thanks for such a great overview of this special place. I visited Double Breasted 9 years ago with friends on their 48-foot ketch (27 tons, 6-foot draft and 15-foot beam). The combination of your video and narration of the approach was incredible, and helped me fill in some of the gaps in my memory of the real challenges we faced to get into that anchorage. When we passed through the cut, the incoming tide sent us hard to port and we ran aground for just a second before thrusting off the sand shoal (bow thruster and motor). We dropped the hook in deeper water (18-20 ft) before you made the turn down into the channel where you anchored. I plan to bookmark this video and use it in the next few years when my wife and I take our sloop down to the Bahamas, where I've told her that the first place we will go visit will be Double Breasted. One question: were you able to re-provision on Grand Cay? If yes, I could see us spending a fair amount of time there. Thanks, Tom.
Hey there Tom, No, we haven't been over to Grand yet. They have got to have some groceries as it looks like a nice sized little hamlet with some speedy boats coming and going. But the real game changer is going to be Walker Cay, just next door. Google it. I guess a wealthy businessman and philanthropist bought it and they are brining it back to life. So there are workers there and soon a staff, so I would imagine supplies are going to be more readily available. I know you can check in at Grand, so as far as I am concerned, as long as weather permits, this will be our first stop next year if we come back down to the Bahamas. Yes, that cut is very tight. I was maybe a little over-eager to get in. I should have waited for true slack water. Would have given me a little more breathing room. As it was, it worked out. But I do NOT like the feeling of going aground, even if in soft sand. Something very unnatural about it. Thanks for the note, and I hope we see you out here soon. Nick
@@TheOKellys Nice...when we were there Walker's was all but abandoned. It was only staffed by Bahamian Customs, and we sailed by the West End and checked in there. Enjoy your time there, and thanks again for sharing!
Awesome video Nick! just love the camera in the water for the delicate maneuvering required and on the mast. Keep up the great videos guys and keeping it real. We will be taking our RYA Day Skipper practicals in the next few weeks in Greece. The plan being to get out there in the next couple of years.
Yeh us too! Sweating bullets, as they say. It is absolutely doable with up to 6 ft draft, but you gotta do it at slack high tide and you have to go sooooo slow. So that means settled weather because you'd never escape without high water. Thanks for the note Tori!
To be honest I was feeling the tension, prolly thanks to the slow pace and the lack of music, which kept it real. A unique and interesting video, and enjoyable to the end. Thanks so much.
Thanks Warren. The camera in the helm died otherwise you'd have seen the sweat pouring down my face. That one was tough! Got the idea to film it after we touched bottom that morning. Appreciate the note! Nick
Agreed. Real time is good and lack of music even better. Great video.Love the underwater camera. Could it be linked to a display next to the wheel?
wouldnt that be cool. I would love to have someting like that. Will check into it back in states
This was tense, well done! Great teamwork.
Really nice job with the multiple camera angles, including overhead, chart and underwater. Nice editing with arrows and comments on the video. Thanks for the extraordinary effort which made us all feel like we were there with you!
Thanks for the kudos Bob. I am going to go back to the states and order more GoPros. That was pretty fun. Stressful. But fun. Only got the idea to film since we ran aground right before that! Appreciate the note. Best, Nick
That was one of best anchoring episodes I have seen as you just took the time to narrate the entire procedure and details / depths , scope etc. with the graphics. Just a really great episode to watch. Many of my fav sailing channels have done anchoring episodes but not like this detailed and such a good pace to follow you guys in the shallows with all of your commentary.
Very informative and entertaining. No music needed....just the sweet sounds of boat. Thank you!
Great walk thru and detail. One of the best sailing VLOGs on TH-cam.
Wow, thank you so much for that. I am in good company. There are a lot of great channels out there now.!
@@TheOKellys Agreed there are a number of solid sailing channels. You have created a niche in videos like this one through the channel, the "Top Secret" walk thru. Your story is like a charter guest.
Something I enjoy about this channel is I can see a phrase I don't understand mentioned, in this case "short scoped", and being naturally incessantly curious I tab over to dive down a google-fed rabbit-hole and hop back to this tab 25 minutes later, having an elementary but solid understanding of basic anchoring principles. The things you guys talk about inspire me to learn and that, I think, is one key factor to what's drawn me to your channel and this particular kind of content. In most every video I watch, you either teach me something new I didn't know (and didn't know I wanted to know), or you point me towards something new to learn myself.
that's very cool. We do the same thing. Just following that curiosity rabbit around. I think it keeps you young. Glad you enjoy the vids. Appreciate the feedback!
I really like the way you do these videos Nick. My wife and I plan on doing this in the next few years so even though we don’t expect TH-cam to teach us everything we need to know, You talk us through why you do what you do and trust me, I take notes. Keep up the great videos and commentary because we really appreciate it.
Wow, thank you so much Joshua. Funny...you know how I decided to do this one? Because we touched bottom for the first time with this boat about an hour beforehand. I thought to myself, you know, this is tricky stuff and there is a lot on the line, so I get someone out there might find it useful to come along. I learned so much by sailing with my grandpa and uncles growing up. And now this youtube thing...it's just so amazing to me. I am always learning so much from others on here. It is so cool to think that we have something to offer to the community. Appreciate your note very much. Nick
Man that was awesome!!! I felt like I was riding Shotgun......
That's awesome. Glad you could come along. I think maybe we should do more of these, eh? Appreciate the note! Nick
Wow. Skinny water indeed. Loved the underboat footage. Gorgeous spot. Well worth the sweat.
I would have to agree with you. Pretty awesome here. Thanks for the note Matt. Nick
Always great when the eyes on the bow are looking at the wildlife instead of the rocks ;-)
That was a lot of fun to watch from start to finish. You're camera angles, like under the water, really make it pop! I'll be a subscriber, for sure! Thanks.
Thank you Eldon. Glad to have you along for the ride! Best, Nick
This was the most intuitive and detailed channel nav I've seen. The camera under the boat really gives the viewer a great perspective. Excellent job.
Thanks! I am going buy a bunch more GoPros when we get back to civilization. It's a pain to edit, but how cool is it to have all these shots? Best, Nick
Love ALL your videos! Thanks to them, I was able to charter a Catamaran 3 weeks ago and take my wife and daughters to the BEST vacations on Earth! Exumas is a piece of Eden!!! Thanks a LOT!!!
That's awesome. The Bahamas DELIVER!
@@TheOKellys 💯 Absolutely!!!!
WOW Nick & Megan you had me on the edge of my seat! Beautiful setting for R&R.
We were on the edges of our seats as well! At least I was! Major payoff at the end of that one! We may never leave! Thanks for the note Robert!
I could feel the stress and that feeling you get in the belly, trying to be skinnier going over the shallows. Then, you have the added stress wondering if you can get back out. I love & hate that feeling. Kudos for taking chances
I watch a bunch of vloggers sailing around the world but I am always looking forward to your videos. Great job guys and thank you for sharing your journey with us. Nice to see a variety in videos as well.
Ah thanks Oliver, that's really nice of you to say, especially given the high quality videos out there today. Appreciate the feedback immensely. Best, Nick
Hey nick and Megan.what a fabulous couple,just can,t get enough of your videos.exellent camera and audio
Thanks Tony! Goes to show you what zero planning can do for video production! Appreciate the kind words! Nick
Fantastic video - the underwater shots were a genius idea, really gave a feel of how you were working the boat. I was sweating along with you Nick!
I think I lost some serious water weight on that one!
Just goes to show you the value of no planning.... Hit bottom and decided to film five minutes before warming engines! Underwater shot was oldest gopro taped to a boat hook! Lol. Thanks for the kind words Roger. Nick
Hey Nick - second the kudos on the underwater view... really adds ‘depth’ to the various perspectives (pun only partially intended 😁). I actually used a similar trick a couple of years ago when helping a guy deliver an old cat across the Gulf to Kemah TX - we had snagged a crab pot line that had apparently broken loose and was in about 1000 ft of water, and weren’t sure if it was going to foul the prop. We were doing about 5.5 kts though, so I had to jab the makeshift camera extender down into the water along side the port hull and let it swing through an arc - took me a couple of tries but eventually got a really good look at the line snagged up close to the hull... we ran that way all the way across the Gulf.
Great video, love the ‘this is how we did it’ content.
Ha! Sounds like that crab pot made some miles! Out of curiosity, why didn't you cut it free? Thanks for the kudos on the video! Appreciate it!
Nick O'Kelly I’d brought my mask, fins and snorkel for cases like that, but we were in 5-6’ following seas and my experienced friend who’d come along for his knowledge (8 years of full-time Pacific cruising, but mid-70s with some diabetes-related health issues so not able to contribute physically) was concerned about possible injury if the boat came down on top of me... the only other able-bodied crew was the owner, as his friend got seasick less than 25 miles off Ft. Myers Beach and basically wasn’t seen again for 6 days until we were inside Galveston Bay.
I didn’t think about it until later, but I had a serrated-edge Spyderco knife that I could’ve lashed to the boat pole and sawed the snag away from outside the hull shadow. Turns out it didn’t cause any problems until we were dodging ships anchored in the fairway anchorage at the entrance to the Bay, so we just motored up the bay and into the marina on the starboard engine without issue. Unfortunately for my friend Stu, that trip was when he realized that he no longer had any business doing off-shore passages...
Well that's a good reason not to go in. Your friend is smart. I once sawed through a huge kelp wrapped in the prop off Pt Conception using a dive knife hoseclampled to a boat hook. There was no chance I was going in that water while single handing... one knock to the head and that'd be it!
Great shots! Thanks for an exciting video where we felt like we were there.
Thank you Dianne. I was worried people would find it boring. Wasn't boring for us! Wait till you see all the shots of this place we have coming for the next video. This is easily in our top 5 all-time anchorages.
I love the attention to detail you put in explaining your navigation and what you're looking for. That's a beautiful anchorage and the information you gave people can help them share that safely.
Thanks Jarod. We hope other people can get in there and experience it.
Some of the sights in the Bahamas are simply other worldly - absolutely breathtaking! Thank-you for sharing your beautiful adventures!
It is simply unimaginable beauty. Almost like you want to rub your eyes. We love it there.
OMG, great vid. 4 or 5 cams. LOVE the underwater hull shots. Outstanding editing and continuity. Really Excellent narration, maps, damn bro! impressive professional level stuff. Upping the game! Be careful, yer going to make Nikki Winn's head explode!
Thanks man! Those Wynns do a fantastic job, so that's a heck of a compliment! You know how much forethought I give things like this? Almost none-mostly I am busy running the boat. But this time, we touched bottom lightly and I thought, hey, we should film this. The underwater shot was a gopro taped to a boathook which was taped to the wind generator mount. Maybe I should just keep buying gopros! Thanks for the note!
As one sailor to another god job and your Nautical skills and terminology is spot on good on you
Thanks Richard. I grew up among some fantastic (and accomplished) sailors. Also, I don't video all my flubs! Lol. Appreciate the note. Nick
Fabulous execution of navigation and presentation. Double breasted is a stunning anchorage only for the brave. I'm sure you've discovered the name which is for 2 huge sand bars viewed from the air running parallel with each other.
Big congrats for your multiple boating achievements and documenting them.
Interesting. I had forgotten to research it. That makes sense though. Those long cays are pretty unique. Haven’t seen anything like them elsewhere.
Definitely my favorite sailing channel. Really interesting. Love the underwater shots.
Wow, seriously Joel? Thanks! That's a tremendous compliment. I really appreciate that.
Fantastic video! Thanks for sharing.
Nick, I just found your channel. Love it. Thank you. You guys do an excellent job of making me feel like I'm there with you and making me part of the experience. I understand that the video making and editing is a lot of work. I appreciate your passion to share and how well you do it.
Hey thanks Thomas. It is amazing to me that this is even possible. I'm writing this note back to you from where we dropped the hook a few days ago. We live in amazing times... thanks for the positive feedback. Nick
Hi Nick ....Best coverage ever
.....well explained and well laid out . The video coverage , going from keel to overhead shots as well as indicating obstacles... fantastic!!!!!!
Just getting better and better with your videos. Love them .
You should be a 100k subscribers by years end .
Cheers ⛵⚓
Fairwinds from the @captains.chair
Thank you Jim. Appreciate the feedback. I am going to buy a bunch of gopros when I get back and just put more an more angles into these videos. I agree it makes the coverage more complete. Nick
Great team work. No hysterics. Great editing. Enjoyed the dialogue boxes. Thanks
Thanks Scott. We try to be cool. Appreciate the positive feedback! Nick
Great job on the video with introduction of chart graphics, pointers, description and view of the hull. That water is amazing. Thanks for not overlaying the video with music! Keep it real!
Thanks again...What a beautiful anchorage...
Seriously. Top five all time. Megan says #1
Hi Nick, I really enjoy your videos! I'm two years and counting from transitioning to the mostly-liveaboard lifestyle and your videos are a great source of information for someone without a ton of experience and no boat yet, but a mind for learning and planning. Thank you for that. If you ever find yourself looking for topics for video content, I think it would be very interesting to learn about your camera(s)/editing setup and your solution for internet access. Maybe you've already covered that at some point - I'm still making my way through your videos. Cheers!
Thanks for the note Tony. Appreciate it. A camera gear inventory. Interesting! Going to pick up some new kit here in the next few weeks and it might be a great thing to do a video on. Thanks for the inspiration!
That was real heart-in-mouth stuff ! Those rudders look a little . . . ummm . . . _exposed_ . We're really spoilt in our little trailer yacht - bump the bottom, no problem - just pull up the swing keel & rudder and she floats in 12" of water. We're starting to wonder how much it would cost to freight our boat to the Bahamas in a shipping container. It looks like a trailer sailers' paradise - almost as good as our Australian Whitsundays & Fraser Island ! Thanks for a fantastic video, Gavin & Amanda.
Oh now that would be really cool. I do wonder if Bahamas customs would ding you for import if you did that. It's really intimidating, but you could actually Cross from Florida in just about anything if you had the right weather. Follow me here: instead of waiting for hurricane season to end, take it over and find a nice quiet spot for the boat when the winds are still mild - say in September. Then come back and cruise it when the threat of storms is gone. It could be done. Would be an amazing adventure. Draft like that could get you into some really sneaky little spots that the rest of us can't touch. Hope we see you out there!
@@TheOKellys - I wrote that post from the heart Nick. I've seen your videos, watched the Shards on Distant Shores, Sailing Nahoa and of course, Sailing la Vagabonde. The Bahamas look almost beyond description. You can keep the tiger sharks though 8-). BUT it's so very safe to comment on a TH-cam channel being run by dangerous people - the people living their dreams with their eyes wide open, making dreams into reality . . . Seriously - you are both living the life I have been steadily heading towards for the last 18 years. I bought "Live on the Margin" this morning. I am looking forwards to reading it and seeing if there is a way to help accelerate the process. I have already "Got her onboard". I also have a background in small business, and am painfully aware of just how precious my time is. We just have to figure out the way. We are on the path. Will definitely look you up when we make it to the Bahamas. Cheers, Gavin.
Excellent. That's fabulous. Pat and I wrote LOM because of getting the question all the time about how we'd done it so young. Everyone thinks it is about money. It isn't strictly about the money. It's not about the boat. Or rig. Or whatever. Our consumerist society has us programmed to think it is about having the right toy for the job. It is about the attitude and the mentality, and that's what you learn once you go do it. Because you are going to end up one day in an anchorage (and I don't mean this metaphorically or symbolically, but in REALITY) anchored next to a $80M yacht on one side and a $5000 yacht on the other. And you are going to be swimming in the same water, going to the same beach, chasing the same lobster, etc., etc. And the more you do that, the more you see that the adventure is maybe greater for the guy on the small boat, and that's what really matters. So yeh, you gotta have some dough to make the show go, but that's not what it's all about. I am really inspired to hear of anyone who is putting together a plan to do this stuff in whatever manner or fashion, because while they might think the adventure still awaits, I know that their adventure has already begun. It is a magical time. Soak it up.
@@TheOKellys Thanks for your thoughtful reply Nick. You are spot on - we are on our way - and loving it - living our dreams the best way we can right now. The Pardy's idea of go small, go simple, go NOW is beautiful. That's why we still have a trailer sailer (and a _reliable_ 4WD). We both work full time, and we sail all over our local area most weekends. Our holidays are spent on longer trips to interstate destinations that would take three weeks just to reach by sail, one way, weather permitting. We get there in two or three days - have our adventure & tow home in two or three days. We keep our boat in the carport, so it's easy to maintain & she's (hopefully) fairly safe. The Bahamas keep popping up in our TH-cam feed & it's really caught Amanda's imagination. We'll just have to find a way . . . Thanks for your wonderful videos and making the time to chat with me. Hope to share an anchorage, one day. Cheers, Gavin .
Fantastic footage guys... and y’all stayed so calm and cool through it all the way! Love the keel cam too! Okay, I need to go watch it a few more times.
"Keel cam." I like that. I was sweatin, that is for sure! Thanks for the note. Nick
so cool seeing the boat beneath the water! job well done! i may look into the audio books!
Paradise. Great job
Hey Clarity crew, Nick and Megan. DITTO, Roger Elliott !! What a fab place to spend a few days !! Hope to see you both on the water. !! 🤩💗🌞⛵
Hope so too! Get on out here. Water is perfect!
Nice technical boat handling and a great audio and visual description that brought it all together.. Good job.
Ok .. you have done it .... I am INSPIRED... and soon on wy way there. Thanks so much for a very interesting and authentic video. Well done !!!
Thanks for sharing. That is truly a beautiful place.
My pleasure Thomas. Really. :) It is spectacular. Thanks for the note!
Absolutely spectacular. Very interesting.
That was amazing. This was better than virtual reality games. Without the music, you gave us aventure, suspense, drama. This is by far my best video. I’ll be watching this a few times, with all that info going on. Thanks for looking at unique anchorage. I would call this extreme cat...
Appreciate that Michel!
Cool video Nick . Specially the underwater shots .
Didn't know i could hold my breath THAT long! ;-)
Nice job.
Lol. Thanks. Earned this spot, that's for sure. And now it's so nice we are having a hard time leaving! Appreciate the note Rusty.
Hehheeheh so true, no music needed, just the heart beat was enough in this tight run! Nice vids!! :D
Right on. Thanks Peter. Still sweatin!
Hey, Impressive boat work & really cool underwater shots. I loved being able to hear you workin the boat, throttle and stuff.!!
Thanks! It was fun to film.
awesome... thnks for the video. love watching and learning.
Ah cool! Wish I had youtube when I was starting out. I learn so much myself from watching these shows. Glad we can be of any help! Thanks for the note. Nick
Coming into this spot soon, your video was MUCH APPRECIATED. Thank you Nick, Megan and Sugar! Keep it coming.
Thanks Michelle! We will try!
Woo hoo can't wait to see you three!
Another excellent video, loved the underwater camera shots
Thanks Stuart. Just working on the next one. Still anchored in that same spot. Get ready for some serious eye-candy. This place is amazing!
Nail-biter! Thanks guys - really love the insight on real-world sailing. Beautiful spot - enjoy!
Hey thanks Phil. Feeling really lucky to be able to share it with you. Technology!!!!! Wow. Best, Nick
Wow, really incredible ! Good job !
Nice one. Really enjoy the presentation style. Thankyou
Thanks Peter. We hit ground for the first time (unexpectedly, just as it always happens) and I thought, hey this would be a good topic for a video! Appreciate the feedback! Nick
Hey guys. We needed to see some actual good TV. SO we went back on your older videos before we found you. Ok Shocked by how much water was under the keels. Then the play by play from the aerial footage was great. Then we saw sugar and our heart just melted a little bit. Because we have several animals that are up there in age. Anyway, one of the things Annette mentioned was, "honey do you see how calmly they speak to each other when they are in shallow water and anchor". lol I have to admit just watching that under water cam video and how close you guys were had my heart racing. Till next time guys. Fair winds. Aodhan & Annette
great video. You guys rapidly pushed into my top 10. Thanks
Aww thanks! That's saying a lot. There are so many great sailing channels out there these days. So that's a big compliment. Appreciate it. Nick
Thank you so much for sharing!
It's a privilege. Happy to do it!
absolutely clenching my teeth when the current caught you off the first set of rocks. great vid y'all
I know, me too. Notice my long winded chatter stopped there for a bit... lol. Tough one!
Wow! That was fascinating and your video production of it was amazing!
Thanks Andrew!
Very, very cool video. Informative. And loved the underwater footage
I think this is the second time I watched this, and had to drop a comment on the use of multiple camera angles including underwater and editing and drone support shots and graphics. You did a really excellent job of cinematography.
Wow...those shots of the water! I am now going to set this as my next goal in life. Going to learn how to do this stuff.
Right on! Hope we see you out there soon!
Awesome video! I was nervous watching you guys move along those sand banks
Me too! Thanks Ekau
Great remote Bahamas and team piloting through ..great video guys , I enjoy so much this stuff you would believe!..saludos , bests
Very nicely done yet again Nick!👌
Your voice is so good for educational stuff. The camera angles along with your narration was really good, thank you.
Thanks. Maybe that is my next career!
A really cool video; I love the underwater shots. The location is amazing. Well narrated and well done.
Thank you very much!
The camera angles were amazing! Great video
Thank you! Gopro taped to a boat hook!
Great video - very helpful tips!
Thanks Silas. I learn something new every day myself. Fortunate to be able to share the experience.
I was on the edge of my seat !!!!!
Me too. Literally. Lol. Thanks Wayne!
THAT ... was amazing!
Thank you!
Nice job brother that one has been on my list for a wile we are going to have to hit that one on the way back in a few weeks now I have seen it done thanks.
This place is insane. Don't tell anyone! You can even check in over at Grand Cay. No more need to go to West End! I so wish we could just stay here. We need groceries! Lol. See ya man.
Hey Nick, the different pov's was amazing!!!
So shallow in points but the 2 of you were calm and really worked well together. Really good to watch.
Almost makes you want to have a depth sounder in each hull. Haha
Cheers from Canada.
Yeh no kidding, especially after I saw the gopro footage off the port side of the boat! Thanks for the supportive words. Appreciate that. Best, Nick
Your video brought back the great memories we have of that place. We anchored in the exact same spot 5 years ago. The current really rips through there...swimming off the boat at certain times was not an option. Walkers has some amazing coral heads on the ocean side. Well done!
Quite a spot, eh? We didn’t visit Walkers Cay but I believe that it is undergoing renovation/restoration. Don’t know what the season holds, but if we get back that way we are certainly going to stop again.
I've been to Grand many times in the past years. The fishing is crazy good. Muttons on the bank side....mahi, wahoo, grouper, yellow eye snapper and marlin on the ocean side. I was happy to see that Walkers finally sold and was being restored. It has been vacant since the hurricanes in 2004. Coincidentally this year we also anchored in that channel between Pipe and that complex to the south (can't remember the name of the Cay) and I also snorkeled the rocks to the east. th-cam.com/video/USJiS0HWxMQ/w-d-xo.html Mayhaps one day our paths will cross.
Ahhhh. Good to know. I watched your vid. At first I couldn't figure out where you were at Pipe, but I think I figured it out. You are on the outside of that little channel where that big ketch seems to be permanently moored. We go through that little channel with the ketch to port, and make a hard turn to starboard then go around the other side of that little private island. It is one of our favorite spots in all the Exumas. Even writing about it now makes me want to go back. Like another planet. Nice boat, btw!
Very cool.
LOVE IT! more like this PLEASE!!!
You got it Jamie. Stay tuned!
That was cool :) Thanks for sharing
Thanks man!
Another great video. Loved the anchoring. Very nice.
Thank you Joey!!
Amazing video! I love this type of content. Learning how to sail one detail at a time! So beautiful.
Right on. Appreciate the kind words. TH-cam is friggin amazing. Wish I had it back when I was bumbling through all my mistakes! But this place, Double Breasted.....wow..... like another planet.
A truly do enjoy your catalase thank you once again
Love your videos! Really well done. I liked the sound, it made it very real.
Thanks Kirk. Ironic that I like to make music as a hobby yet barely ever use any music in the videos, lol. Appreciate the note. Nick
Great place, great job!!
I was clenching my teeth until you anchored! Worth the risk it looks like!
Thanks so much for this informative and well-done video! We are days away from launching to the Abacos for the first time, and are a little apprehensive about negotiating such close waters in our full-feel boat - particularly Double Breasted. I wish someone would do this for all the tricky cuts!
Ah cool! Congrats Kendal! Looks like maybe some good weather to come across coming your way. I hear you can check in over at Grand Cay, so this might be our new go-to spot on arrival! Haven't seen any monohulls try it over here, but I think if you were confident and went really slow at high tide and slack water, you might make it in with 5-6' draft...but wouldn't be at all surprised if you hit bottom either! We are maybe gonna hang for a while, so if you make it over quick, come say hi. We often leave our AIS on.
Thanks Kendal and best of luck, I'm excited for you!!
@@TheOKellys Super, we will give you a shout if you pop up on AIS! Ours doesn't transmit, but if you see a red/white Tayana 37 with hillbilly solar panels, that will be us! Checking in at Rosie's Place seems less hassle than at West End, off the usual path.
@@meganokelly Thanks Megan!
@Kendal Strickland, hillbilly solar panels....now I am curious! Was just over there at Rosies...better not show up looking for groceries! Chill little place. Red and white Tayana, got it! Have a nice sail.
Excellent helming Nick and Megan did an awesome job keeping you in the clear.
The Bahamas are stunning, can't wait till we venture there after the Med.
Some pretty cool camera angles too 👌🏼
Thanks Gav! Definitely a team effort in close quarters like this. Spooky when the current grabbed us like that. Glad I didn't wait until it was in full force! Yeh make sure you have enough time in this part of the world....a few weeks would be just a teaser! Nick
@@TheOKellys It certainly does look magical.
Great info on the VPR! Good stuff.
Thanks Chris. No choice out here sometimes! I think the storms push the sand around quite a bit. Best, Nick
Bravo! As always great video!
Appreciate that. Glad you enjoyed!
That was amazing 👏
Highly educational thank you.
You guys are great !
Fabulous place... i'm dreaming about going there!! thankyou for filming this :)
Oh, the vicarious life for me! The difference between the BVI and the Bahamas ... I need to go to the Bahamas!
True that!
Hey guys, great channel(s) and love what you're doing. We're cat cruisers also, raising our family on the water. We also read your book with Pat Schulte a few years back and enjoyed it immensely, with special emphasis on the life-philosophy part . Keep up the great work!
Hey thanks Lucius! I love your screen name, btw. Appreciate you wading through the book. We had a lot of fun putting that together. Hoping we catch up with those guys again next season. We hung out a lot last year. Megan things I need to do something Live-on-the-Margin-ish for this channel. Need some ideas...can you think of any? Appreciate the note! Nick
Like you guys, we also went to the pound and got a rescue Cat that had been in charter (2006 Lagoon 440). So we love to see practical repair, maintenance and practical seamanship content. However, we recognize we're a niche market in that regard and most sailing vlog content consumers probably want maximum tropical scenes, danger, and sex appeal. Being sailors, of course we like that too! So... fixing a broken marine head in a bikini? Seriously though, the Live On The Margin-type content presented in situ on the water would be pretty unique as sailing vlogs go and we know we would enjoy it. Your's and Pat's book landed on our desk at an opportune moment in our lives and had a role to play in our own little renaissance. We're sure there are lots of other folks out there in TH-cam land with whom it would resonate as well.
ahahahahahahaha! That's funny I am going to steal that for sure. I am not so sure the market is small! Did you see how many people watched the video I did about two months ago about converting a charterboat to a cruiser? Something like 175K views! Would be curious to hear how it is going for you guys. I say as long as you know boats and know what you are getting into.... Pat's taken the whole LOM thing and really run with it. He has a mentoring group and newsletter now. I just couldn't think of what I could do with LOM that wouldn't bore 98% of the viewers. I don't think charts and graphs and tickers would appeal to folks looking for bikinis! Lol. Is that what you were thinking though? Trading how-to's? Budgeting?
I can confidently say that I have personally laid hands on every system, nay, every nut and bolt on our cat in the past 3 years. As you know, charter companies wring out their boats and I strongly suspect that when a boat is coming out of the charter program, they scour the fleet for everything that is broken on every boat in the fleet and make sure it ends up on the boat leaving the fleet. However, we're philosophical. It's the VERY best education for the cruising lifestyle. I grew up cruising, however I now have a Phd (well, maybe a masters) in sailboat maintenance and repair. The cost of bringing a charter cat into real cruising condition: >$80,000; The value of the education: Priceless. Concerning LOM, I actually found the philosophical half of the book the most immediately useful. Covering the concept of reordering the relationship between "retirement" and work in our warped American model is invaluable. The financial independence ethos and the value acquiring and having F-you money is really powerful and sorely needed in our society and perhaps especially among the up and coming Millennials. That of course naturally leads to questions concerning how to fund this lifestyle, so yes, there is room for discussion of budgeting, frugality, DIY, and perhaps some broad-brush margin trading technical instruction. However, I don't think you have to get into the weeds on a sailing channel as to techniques of margin trading. Maybe the technical details are suitable for a stand alone channel or a focused book(s).
Interesting, interesting. That was the easier part of the book for us to write- Pat and I had just been doing it so long we were more or less just writing down our conversations at that point. Yeh, maybe another channel is the answer. What I really need on board (aside from an engineer like yourself) is a good editor to take these rants and ideas and philosophies and make them into something cohesive in video or podcast form. As you know, the boat takes a fair amount of time and energy, then there is the travel itself and having fun in there too. No complaints, but the video editing is pretty time consuming. But I do have to agree that this youngest generation coming up (millennials?) seems to have better attitudes about the role of work and career as it pertains to identity, but also a much weaker (in my limited experience) grasp of personal finance and economics...even worse than my generation...lol...sniff sniff. As far as charterboats go, I think it just depends. Some are definitely cannibalized...that is for sure. Then others are upgraded. This boat, for example, has one much newer engine. And the original SD50s have been swapped out for the much nicer/better SD60s. And it had a brand new stove. As in brand new. But then you'd find crappy wiring here and there, and there was bailing wire (literally, bailing wire) keeping one of the cones from unscrewing from the back of the propellers. Mostly....it just didn't make a lot of sense...really shoddy, half-assed cheap fixes interspersed with brand new stuff. Maybe it was the other boats in the yard that had been cannibalized. I don't know, I feel like we did ok, but we knew what we were getting into...this was not our first rodeo. I can see how someone who hadn't been on a lot of boats could get totally snookered by a Moorings operation. Anyway. Thanks for your feedback and inspiration on the LOM stuff. I mean it is ripe for the picking. If someone came along that wanted to do some heavy lifting....I'd partner again like I did with Pat.
We have a second transducer in our port hull. It adds a tremendous level of confidence knowing water depth under each keel! Great Vid!
Ha! Didn't know people did that. But it makes so much sense! I actually have a spare set on the boat. I may just have to install at next haul which is coming up soon. Thanks for the note!
@@TheOKellys If you fit the second transduce, you can also fit a "pendulum change over switch" which will automatically switch to the "lower" side when heeling to a breeze. Probably more useful in a mono hull, but the option is there. Great video.
Interesting....though we don't heel that much. Appreciate the kudos Roger!
Great video guys. I'm catching up on your video and podcast while sitting anchor watch off Magnetic Island, north Queensland, Australia. Safe travels.
Peter, are you as blown away by modern technology as I am? Opposite ends of the earth, sharing a place and time. Amazing. Safe travels to you as well. Nick
nicely done, love the underwater view. I really want to know how to live this life style
Just got to put one foot in front of the other. Really no other way. If I can be of any help, just ask.
@@TheOKellys thanks mate
Nick, gotta complement you, sir. You're rocking the sun's out, gun's out mantra!
I could also tell that Miss Sugar had all the confidence in her her Daddy getting to the anchorage.
Hey thanks. I'm one lucky guy! Places like these are why I keep buying boats and doing this craziness. Sugar has been loving it in here. Can't even swim over to shore without her barkin to come along. I love to see it! Thanks for the note.
Great video, amazing location and exemplary video editing with details above and underwater :)
Thanks, I appreciate that!
Nick and Megan, thanks for such a great overview of this special place. I visited Double Breasted 9 years ago with friends on their 48-foot ketch (27 tons, 6-foot draft and 15-foot beam). The combination of your video and narration of the approach was incredible, and helped me fill in some of the gaps in my memory of the real challenges we faced to get into that anchorage. When we passed through the cut, the incoming tide sent us hard to port and we ran aground for just a second before thrusting off the sand shoal (bow thruster and motor). We dropped the hook in deeper water (18-20 ft) before you made the turn down into the channel where you anchored. I plan to bookmark this video and use it in the next few years when my wife and I take our sloop down to the Bahamas, where I've told her that the first place we will go visit will be Double Breasted.
One question: were you able to re-provision on Grand Cay? If yes, I could see us spending a fair amount of time there.
Thanks,
Tom.
Hey there Tom, No, we haven't been over to Grand yet. They have got to have some groceries as it looks like a nice sized little hamlet with some speedy boats coming and going. But the real game changer is going to be Walker Cay, just next door. Google it. I guess a wealthy businessman and philanthropist bought it and they are brining it back to life. So there are workers there and soon a staff, so I would imagine supplies are going to be more readily available. I know you can check in at Grand, so as far as I am concerned, as long as weather permits, this will be our first stop next year if we come back down to the Bahamas. Yes, that cut is very tight. I was maybe a little over-eager to get in. I should have waited for true slack water. Would have given me a little more breathing room. As it was, it worked out. But I do NOT like the feeling of going aground, even if in soft sand. Something very unnatural about it. Thanks for the note, and I hope we see you out here soon. Nick
@@TheOKellys Nice...when we were there Walker's was all but abandoned. It was only staffed by Bahamian Customs, and we sailed by the West End and checked in there. Enjoy your time there, and thanks again for sharing!
Great camera locations, especially under the hull.
GoPro taped to a boat hook. Lol. Thanks Scott!
Awesome video Nick! just love the camera in the water for the delicate maneuvering required and on the mast. Keep up the great videos guys and keeping it real. We will be taking our RYA Day Skipper practicals in the next few weeks in Greece. The plan being to get out there in the next couple of years.
Awesome! Hope we see you out there!
I was on pins and needles the whole way in.... What a spot, thanks for sharing... We might have to visit that one on the dingy :)
Yeh us too! Sweating bullets, as they say. It is absolutely doable with up to 6 ft draft, but you gotta do it at slack high tide and you have to go sooooo slow. So that means settled weather because you'd never escape without high water. Thanks for the note Tori!