I applaud you for posting this video, it is the sort of video that a lot of people need to see. You just don’t get many people willing to own up to their own mistakes. My hats off to you.
"It takes brutal honesty and self-deprecation to step forward with a story like this. I hope it serves as a lesson to the headstrong and overconfident."
It definitely has been a lesson for us, Monica and I are back to near shore and coastal cruising in our trawler. Our ocean days are over, we won’t sail out there again. Thanks for your kind words and for contributing.
Totally agree. Thank you for sharing this story. Many people during Covid took to the sea without a full appreciation of the complexity, planning and danger. I hope people will understand that taking to the ocean is serious business and can be miserable at times. It’s not all beautiful sunrise and sunsets. Thank you!
@@yard2yachtsuch a shame. Sailing off shore at night is an amazing experience when done right. With all due respect, I think your experience would have been much better if you had an actual Sailor aboard. Much of your rocking would have been prevented if you sailed rather than motored. 2. With a roller reefing main you need to know what you are doing. 3. Track cleaning and lube is necessary before setting out. I could go on and on, but the main thing is to make sure the boat and crew is ready for the passage. This video is the main reason why I always recommend crewing a delivery before getting into fixing up an old boat for cruising. Many find it’s not for them. The others learn super important skills and knowledge to be successful. It’s a thousand “little things” that don’t seem to be important that actually are. Just like how important good boots and socks are ultra important to a hiker, but not a park stroller, mall walker.
We took off from California in 2003 for the "big cruise" with a well-prepared boat and years of coastal experience, and I am a meteorologist. Five days in and several days away from help, we were in life-threatening conditions and had mechanical and sail handling problems. Of course this was before social media, but nonetheless it was personally humiliating. More importantly, it was truly humbling. Goes without saying that we should have been more diligent in every way, but we didn't know what we didn't know. And we still don't, but at least we know that much! Every experience we have had since...our own mistakes and the mistakes of others have been lessons. All of these little details, from spare fuses to chafe points to understanding weather forecast limitations and a thousand others...they all matter. The learning really never ends. Bravo to you for sharing your story so that we can all learn to be safer out there. Safe travels!
Thanks for sharing your experience with us. We have never felt humiliated, but humbled… yes. As Monica said in the video, we went on courage alone, not on skill or knowledge. And we still don’t know half of what we should’ve before we started but we have learned some valuable lessons. Thanks again for your kind words, for watching and for commenting.
@@yard2yacht I have to say it again, you have shared with others cirtical experience and real life perspective. To explain why this is so important: I bought my first "big" sailboat last year. It is two states away on the Pacific coast. The only way to get it home is for me to sail it out on to the Pacific and thru the Strait of Juan De Fuca. While I know the basics of sailing and I am a licensed Mech Eng, my offshore sailing experience is none. I have been preparing the boat for a year and half; but in doing so I had unknowingly fell into the "I need to be able to rely on the engine" mentality more than I should. As a mech engineer it is instinct to want to be able to rely on that engine. Now more than ever, I know I need to develop and be able to rely on our sailing skills as a first priority.
Thank you for saying that. We learned so many lessons of what not to do during this journey and it’s an embarrassing story but also educational to those thinking along the same lines as we did prior to leaving. We sincerely hope our video serves as a warning of what can happen if you’re not prepared 🙏 We appreciate your comment and support ❤️
"The Captain threw his hands in the air and said I give up" LOL Sorry I know its not funny but this is the best sailing /cruising video narrative ever; your honesty is applauded. This should be watched by everyone buying a yacht and played at every sea training school. The fact that none appeared to even know how to sail and relied on the engine to cross the Atlantic speaks volumes.
I totally understand where you’re coming from and this is exactly why we decided to share this event. There is so much to be discussed and so many lessons learned. So yes, let’s hope somebody will find it educational enough to learn from it and not do what we did. Thanks for commenting, we appreciate your support ❤️
Holy hell of all nightmarish failures, incompetence, inexperience, and downright recklessness on behalf of that captain. Thank you for sharing and glad you guys made it out safe!
Thank you for sharing such an honest and candid view of your Atlantic crossing. It's refreshing to see the real challenges and emotions that come with such an adventure. Your perseverance and openness are truly inspiring. This video is a valuable resource for anyone considering a similar journey.
Thank you for your very kind and thoughtful words. This journey was far tougher than we thought it would be and we know now that none of us should have been out there. Thanks for watching and contributing.
You took giant steps towards being good sailors. It looks like almost every lesson that the ocean could teach you were crammed into that 34 days. Your attitude and composure through the ordeal are commendable. I'm glad you made it safely. And many thanks for sharing your story.
There are old sailors and there are bold sailors, but there are no old bold sailors! Thank you so much for sharing your story. It is a very important piece of advice!!
Thanks, it serves as a much needed reminder that the unforgiving ocean requires preparedness and excellent general knowledge and knowhow. May your future sailing be successful.
Agreed, all those that sail whether inland or sea should watch your valuable lessons. I have been sailing for 50 years and your story has made me rethink my planning and preventive maintenance program. Good on you for your courage for having presented your story.
Thank you for saying that. It is our hope that others will learn a thing or two by watching this video 🙏 We are not proud of it but if someone can be spared a little misery from watching then something good has come out of it. We appreciate you taking time to comment and for your kind words ❤️
So grateful that your guardian angels were with you for this trip! Thanks for taking us on all of your journeys with you and being so honest and transparent! We love you guys!
Thanks Paula. We appreciate your kind words. We think about you both often and hope you’re doing well. Thanks for following along and for commenting ❤️
Yeah, in hindsight it was a very poor decision. No training, no sea trials, no MOB drills. The boat, the captain, and the crew: none were ready for a trip of that magnitude. Thanks for watching and contributing.
Ship that is not seaworthy, owners that do not have experience owning and operating the boat (if i understand this is your boat), lack of planning, lack of understanding of navigation and basic sailing principles,...it just tops the list. Poor captain is just icing on the cake. Thank you for posting. This is, if anything, a good reminder of what people should focus on and grow their experience in sailing. You tube videos on this subject can be grossly oversimplified and misleading how easy it is to sail and cross oceans.
Thank You so... so much, for getting the courage to share your experience with all of us. This is a true testimony of the reality one faces, when getting into a situation without the proper skills, as you mentioned. Hoping for the best is, unfortunately, not enough... this is definitely a good eye opener for all of us!
We appreciate the kind words, ❤️ thank you! We definitely learned from this experience and if others also get something out of it then all the better. Thanks for watching and commenting🙏
It takes courage to post something like this. I do applaud you for doing it. Too much of youtube is censored to create videos of perfect sailing adventures including people who just buy a boat no experience and sail around the world. The ocean is an unforgiving place. Glad you emerged without serious injury and with a more critical eye for future trips. Shakedown cruises are a good thing before any major trip. I did one before a 3 day move of my new boat. It helps to find issues in the boat (any boat).
Thank you for saying that! We feel we can be of help to others that might consider doing something similar so publishing a video that shows the real deal serves a purpose. We are embarrassed for not doing more due diligence beforehand instead of putting blind trust in the captain. This journey absolutely could have been fatal so we count our blessings for making it through the end and that we live to tell the tale 🙏 Your comment means a lot. Thank you ❤️
You are the exact reason why we decided to share our harrowing experience crossing the Atlantic. Please know that a crossing can be amazing but only if you are with people that really know what they’re doing or if you yourself have the adequate experience. It makes us happy to know that we might have put the brakes on for people like ourselves that have more courage than skill. Good luck with your future sails. We really hope you will be able to fulfill all your sailing dreams ❤️ Thanks for commenting 😊
Thank you. We really appreciate your support 😊 All lessons were learned the hard way and we hope this video will keep others from making the same mistake 🙏
i am preparing to sail around the world for 4 years.. i have been reading and watching everything i can on sailing for the past 12 years... and i consider my self 100% inexperience when many around me tells me i have more experience that i believe i just need to go and apply it. pkanning to get my sailing classe done soon... and yeah i'll sailling right away after class... and everything i seen in this video could have been learned before even setting foot on a sailboat... the best video are the one showing mistake that lead to catastrophy and damage and what could or should have been done week before setting sail. this is a great video... on thong i have learned is... if you set sail, set it to not tely on a mayday. be prepared or don't go... and don't forget the freaking spare...
First, good luck with your journey. It sounds like you’re doing it right. We were not nearly as prepared as you will be. We trusted the captain and his boat, but in hindsight, that was a poor decision. Thank you for watching our video and for commenting.
You made it despite all the challenges, that says a lot about the seaworthiness of your boat’s design. All the issues you face are very common, just not all on the same voyage.
Having been rescued recently myself, I can relate! It shakes the confidence while simultaneously building resilience! Thanks for sharing and happy to see it ended well 👌
It’s good to hear that you also survived 🙏 It’s a traumatic experience and we learned many lessons along the way. We hope others will learn from our mistakes by watching the video as it basically highlights what not to do 🫣 Thank you for contributing. We appreciate your support ❤️
Thank you for sharing your experience, it gives a good insight of how things can go from bad to worse and the importance of good preperations and skills that are required to take off on a voyage like this. But experiences make people stronger and better prepared next time. I wish you well and hope you will continue sailing the world.
Thank you so much for your kind words 🙏 Experience matters more than ever when you embark on an ocean crossing. The lack of it and the consequences set the stage for a difficult journey. We’re glad you enjoyed the video and appreciate you taking time to comment ❤️
Without a doubt we were lucky, we know that now. We (the captain and crew) were so unprepared for any true catastrophe. No MOB drills or even a discussion about how we would retrieve someone from the water. We know now that the three of us had no business in that ocean.
its a stark reminder and when i see people full of enthusiasm but empty on experience it makes me shudder, I at least had my day skipper before embarking on such journeys and i also have my mechanical and electrical background to fall back on. I have also had my fare share of unprepared boats and skippers where without my experience , would of been beyond real danger..
We talked recently about if we would want to do the crossing again with a different boat, but came to the conclusion that it would take years to prepare correctly for such an endeavor. We’ve decided against it. Thank you for watching our video and for commenting.
@@yard2yacht You could go on a leg of the viyages conducted by real pros such as Pangea Expeditions boat Dragon. I hope this didnt extinguish your joy of sailing forever. There are a lot of poser “Captains” out there who exploit the good nature and naivete of new enthusiasts.
This is a great video as it illustrates a very common general problem in society these days concerning many people who greatly overestimate their abilities in many endeavors...
@@yard2yacht I glad that you all made it out. Sailing is one of those endeavors that really takes a lifetime to pursue to Mastery. And only those who really understand the environment and how to apply the sails in proper configuration to this ever changing environment belong on long sea passages on sailboats. Of course this may vary depending on the competency of crew as well as their ability to teach others effectively the proper ways.
Absolutely agree! So many things could have gone wrong in addition to what did go wrong. We are lucky that we made out alive 🙏 Thank you for watching the video and for commenting ❤️
Love your vid. Love the honesty and commentary. Now you know that preparations are crucial and nothing should be left as wishful thinking or that somehow its gonna be better... Ocean does not forgive
So true! We were naive to believe anything else. We have received many comments from people that appreciate us being brutally honest and sharing our mishap. And for what it’s worth, it makes us feel good. We could have so easily just left all of it untold but that wouldn’t have been the right thing to do. Thank you for your kind words ❤️ We appreciate your support 🙏
Thank you for your humility in posting and commenting on your video. You will never know for sure how many lives this may have saved. Reminds me of when I was on a boat in Florida and the idea was to go to the Bahamas. On the second day of coastal sailing, (prior to the planned sail eastward), the main sheet blocks separated from the boom and it quickly swung outboard to leeward. The other crew were first timers on a cruising vessel. The elderly Captain/owner told them to grab the boom to prevent it from swinging out. They obediently did so and were getting swept overboard on the nice sunny, calm day with the beach no more than a half mile off to port. I was very lucky in that I was able to grab the wheel and turn to starboard into the wind which brought the boom to midship. The guys had not been tossed overboard. Captain yelled obscenities at me and I yelled right back at him. I told the other crew that they should abandon the journey. Somebody did a good jury rig on the sheet blocks and we convinced the Captain to return northward for the long coastal day sail home, a reasonably safe outcome, especially as the disheveled Captain mostly sat in the cockpit and pouted all the way back. Im so glad you are ok. If you ever felt like a do-over, I brt yiu could go on a very well planned leg of a voyage such as Pangea Expeditions and you would have fun, meet people, learn a bunch, and be safely surrounded by real professionals. Again, thank u for posting!,,
We really appreciate your kind words and for taking the time to share your story with us 🙏 An under qualified captain/boat owner is a recipe for disaster. When you add crew with no experience and a boat that is not prepared sufficiently then you end up with, well… it’s all covered in the video. We do hope as you said that others will get some wisdom out of watching and decide to do more research than we did before attempting a similar journey. Thanks again, we appreciate your support ❤️
A good reminder of the importance of preparation, experience, skill and being very careful about what boat and captain you crew on. Glad you all made it safely across. I hope you continue to gain solid sailing skills, because the experience didn't have to be like that.
Preparation, experience and skill, the three things the captain and crew were missing 😟 We learned some important lessons on this journey and we know we were fortunate not to suffer any serious harm. Thanks for watching and commenting.
Glad that you shared it, I do have one comment, you might not want to hear - those are not miserable sea / wind / wave conditions. I would call that normal to mildly uncomfortable. Yes would have been better with pressure on the sails, but in general those conditions appear to be very very benign. If folks aren't comfortable with that level of movement they will continue to be challenged offshore passagemaking even without all of the boat and skipper issues
Also 34 days from Florida to straight of gib. Or south Portugal is not a long time on a monohull. Seems more like people here could not stand the boat movements.
Agree with that. The issue was that we never sailed correctly. We kept beating into the wind and waves. The crossing could have been enjoyable but instead it was miserable 🫣 Thank you for commenting 🙏
I have to agree. Those conditions are pretty good what we have seen, certainly for the waters off Tasmania and in the Southern Ocean. But for beginners with nothing to compare it would be miserable I guess. I praise this couple for posting this disaster and highlighting their own innocent ignorance. They will help others by posting this, for sure. They are good people - look how they are responding to all the crap being thrown at them. lol Regards, Alistair
It shows that having the money to own a big boat and all the gadgets that goes with it, is not just enough to what it takes to cross an ocean. People with much smaller boats and limited gadgets make such passages every day. Carriage without experience cannot be enough either. Good you made it safe! Thanks for sharing your story.
Yes, it takes courage to publish something like this. Sailing on the high seas requires a minimum of skills and preparation. Otherwise, it is very dangerous. Despite all the technical problems and lack of skills, you returned safely! You were lucky with the good weather... The ocean does not often forgive mistakes. You have learned a lesson and it is important for the future. Well done and fair winds to you! 👍⛵
My wife and me made this trip trip from the bermudas to the azores and later to european mainland too, on our 30 ft sailboat. We had no chartplotter only two handheld GPS, but we had a windvane that steared the boat without consuming electricity. We faced also high winds on the nose and waves more than 4m high but we adapted to this conditions changing courses till we had better conditions to aim to the azores again. I would never give up twenty miles of the coast on a swimming boat.
Sounds like you were sailing. We on the other hand had the engine running the whole time and had to stay on what we referred to as the “magic line” a straight line from point A to Point B. It was the Captain’s call to ask for help as nobody knew how to sail into the marina after the engine stopped for the last time. I wish we could’ve sailed and experienced the crossing the way it should be done. Thank’s for commenting. We appreciate your support ❤️
@@argentosebastian We had an Austrian Boat Sunbeam 30 from 1982, we made an atlantic circle 2009/2010. th-cam.com/video/KJyOErVRfcE/w-d-xo.html A friend of use made an atlantic circle on a Tradewind 25
I've seen a lot of wild things, but an ocean crossing to get your feet wet is on another level. Perfect example of what not to do. Great post! Hope the 99% couch sailors watch it. Lives will be saved!
Yes, we had no business trying to cross the Atlantic Ocean. We are very fortunate because it could have been much more tragic. Thank you for watching our video and for commenting.
Thank you for the kind words and sentiment. The emotions were in the basement one moment and through the roof the next. For several weeks after Monica couldn’t talk about the journey without staring to cry. It was a horrible experience. Thanks for watching our video and for commenting.
Very well narrated video and recount of the journey- I’m very glad to have found this as I’m sick of all the TH-cam channels that start with “we bought a boat with no experience and follow our journey as we sail the world… all copy LaVagabode … I seem to be uncontrollably heading towards sailing myself after flying for the last 15 years … I am doing training as I am gutless and don’t take unnecessary risks… this video reinforces why… thanks for sharing and hope you were able to enjoy sailing (in the future) after that ordeal. In construction industry we say “piss poor performance is because of failure in prior proper planning” and generally true for any endeavour
Good for you to not take unnecessary risks. Training and experience is the key prior to doing anything, especially when you want to cross an ocean. I’m glad you found our video educational on what not to do as that what the reason for putting it all out there for the world to see. We are not proud of what we did, but hope our experience will help others make informed decisions when it comes to sailing. Thank you so much for commenting. We appreciate you and your support 🙏
Looking back, so are we! We put our blinders on in all the excitement knowing we were going to cross the Atlantic. We put our faith in the Captain and the boat because not knowing anything about sailing there was so much we didn’t know. We learned a lot during this trip and hope our viewers won’t judge us too harshly 🫣
@@yard2yacht HaHa - all I would add, looking at the "Captain" is a defibrillator ! But. At the end of the day, you both survived, and you DID cross the Atlantic. Well done for that. What a baptism though. Ignorance, as they say, is bliss. Come to Tasmania and get on a few boats there - friendly folk and you will love it. Your winter = Tassie summer
We are happy to share our mistakes knowing that others can learn from them. This journey was very difficult and the sad part is that it didn’t have to be that way. Thank you for your support ❤️
The only thing that surprises me here is that your video is the first one I've seen on youtube of this experience. So many people are now buying a cheap monohull and taking off on stupidly wild ocean journeys with next to zero experience and total reliance on electronic equipment. You're damn lucky you didn't have any seriously challenging weather, it could or more than likely would have been fatal. I'm very glad you had the courage to video your experience and post it on TH-cam, hopefully people take notice and take this as seriously as is needed.
Thank you for your honest reply. We are not proud of what we did and we learned from our mistakes. It was foolish to embark on this journey without first doing our own research and asking the captain some hard questions. We sincerely hope that others take note of how challenging it is to cross an ocean and that they won’t just rely on courage like we did. Looking back we now know how lucky we were and we’re convinced we must have had a few guardian angels looking over us 🙏❤️
@@yard2yacht It's great that only Ego's were slightly dinted and no one was seriously hurt. I'm sure you'll never forget this experience and that in itself is a good thing. Never be scared to ask the hard questions or to walk away when something doesn't feel right, you only have one life and you're it's best guardian. Good luck for the future and thank you for posting this, I have no doubt by posting this you will save the lives of many who initially thought they were invisible.
For many there is a self censoring aspect. Those that fail at it completely just never post about it. Those that have mixed outcomes tend to promote heavily the good ones (bikinis and palm trees). It is rare for people to openly post video that says "we messed up, we know we messed up, and here is what went wrong".
Based on the amount of fuel on board, I think that captain never had the intention of sailing this boat to its destination. Thanks for sharing this experience.
Yes, the amount of fuel was a red flag that we missed. We basically motored in a straight line, A to B the entire trip. Thanks for watching and contributing 👍
@@yard2yacht It's a strange story with a lot of open questions. Who was this captain? Was it his boat? (the boat looks state-of-the-art). Did he had a sailing background? Was he just too lazy to sail? Did you guys agreed to take some responsibility to sail the boat? Same for the responsibility for navigation and weather prediction. How did you become part of this voyage?
@@johanwithag2432 We totally understand that there are a lot of questions. 34 days in a 19 mintute video can only cover so much. We met the captain on his boat in the Bahamas. The sailboat belongs to the captain who sailed in the Spanish Navy for two years some fifty years ago. He has also sailed the boat to the Bahamas a few times. The sailboat was not ready to cross the Atlantic and neither was the captain. We honestly don't know how well he can sail as we mostly motorsailed during the crossing which explains all the fuel. As far as the navigation goes he admitted before we left that he had no experience with electronic navigation and therefore relied on us to teach him how to use the chart plotter. The problem was that he refused to tack so we stayed on what we referred to as "the magic line" a straight line from point A to Point B . The captian didn't trust us to sail the boat because he was worried about the condition of the sails and there was never any discussion of divding duties other than watches. Unfortunately the weather was a sore subject. The captian showed little concern for the weather and never one time adjusted the course of the boat accordingly. Darin and I had multiple services to cross reference (ie Chris Parker, Predict Wind, Windy etc.) but the captain wasn't interested in hearing the information.
@@yard2yachthe can't sail at all. None of sails are trimmed properly in any shot. While this is an art you can spend a lifetime on, any sailor could teach you how to do better in an hour. You spend 34 days at sea, which is more than many sailors spend in a few years. If he had anything to teach, you'd be pretty competent sailors yourself now. Glad you got out of that alive. Please, go to any marina with some beer and ask around for some opportunities to learn, before attempting anything like this again.
I was shocked by the idea of "sailing" from inside a totally enclosed cockpit, having to ask those on deck via intercom which way the wind was blowing. 😮
We have learned so much since our return. The closed cockpit pit is one of many lessons. We didn’t have a wind instrument either 🫣 Thanks for taking time to comment. We appreciate your support 🙏
Kudos for posting this. What a nightmare. Wondering whether people get an unrealistic idea about sailing from watching certain sailing TH-cam videos? Crossing an ocean should be the culmination of several years of theoretical and hands on experience.
Absolutely. Experience, sea worthy boat, and competent sailors are all key to a successful crossing. We hope the video adds value to the sailing community 🙏 Thank you for watching and for commenting ❤️
It was memorable for the misery. We are fortunate because it could have been so much worse. Clearly, the captain, the boat, and the crew were woefully under prepared. Thank you for watching our video and for commenting.
@@yard2yacht I plan to buy a small boat next year and learn as I go too. I used to get seasick on an aircraft carrier and the dark sea at night scares me.
I really appreciate your honesty and openness...having looked at a few of your videos I'm thinking you're going to have to face facts that sailing is not for you. There's so much here beyond just the obvious problems. It's a lot. You're probably very good at many many things, but sailing is not for you. Like....I can't dance, no matter how many lessons I take....
😂 Agreed. We’re currently back on our trawler where we feel very much at home. I guess it goes without saying that we didn’t enjoy the crossing very much 🙃 Thanks for watching and for commenting.
Thank you for saying that ❤️ We have been making videos for two years now and are used to always filming our adventures. However, the worst part was the third leg and we pretty much gave up on filming at that time because of exhaustion. We picked up the camera again when we were rescued as we felt a rush of adrenaline and joy. We appreciate you taking time to comment 🙏
This is a good instructional video, and it could provide a useful tool for the TH-cam community. Your screwups on video can prevent other screwups in the future. I'm glad Neptune took mercy and wish you future safe journeys.
That’s why we published it. It was a humbling experience and we know we were fortunate to get through it without serious injuries or worse. Thanks for watching and commenting.
If that’s not a lesson for us all on what not to do I don’t know what is. I actually learned a few things. Thank you for sharing, I can’t believe it was an easy thing to do.
It is not easy to share your mistakes so thank you for understanding and for your kind words 🙏 There are many important lessons in this story that others can learn from so we feel we have a moral obligation to share our experiences. I’m glad you learned from watching it. Thank you so much for commenting ❤️
The captain brought a paper chart but he never looked at it. And the chart plotter didn’t have the necessary chip to make it work properly. To the captain’s defense, he didn’t know it needed a chip 🤷♀️ Once he understood the problem he was able to buy a chip in the Azores so the last leg of the trip gave us correct map information.
@@LewisTheFly888 , no, my iPad. I don't know how I haven't lost it or broken it yet. It's got a lot of sea miles on it! (Gone to the Exumas twice with it). I have a Bad Elf GPS for it. (It's predecessor did break, but not on the boat, in a car crash). The sad part about that was losing my Garmin Blue Charts Mobile program. Garmin won't let me download it again, even though it's still there on my purchases when I sign in to the Garmin website. I use Aqua Maps now.
Hi Monica, Rode from Sjøhagen here 😊 This was really scary to wach. Didn’t the boat have a safety boat onboard, only a dingi? Very sad this was your first experience with sailing, because it’s very fun. Normally people preparing both the boat and crew several years before they try to cross the Atlantic Ocean. Before going on a trip on this caliber it’s smart to learn sailing on several courses or from a captain for some time first, and the captain should be experienced, so this was scary. I’m happy you’re alive after this and hope you will try sailing again, but maybe in the Oslofjord next time - calmer there 😊
Hi Rode. Good to hear from you 😊 The sailboat did have a life raft but we didn’t want to lose the dinghy. We definitely don’t have a good sailing experience as this has been our only sailing experience. We do have friends with sailboats and understand that what we did is not the proper way to sail. Many boats cross the Atlantic without any issues. However, we didn’t know what we were getting ourselves into and the captain nor the boat was ready for such an adventure. I’m sure it’s beautiful sailing in the Oslo fjord and who knows, maybe one day 😉
WOW I hope you have bonded with your boat . Any lesser of a vessel you all could be done,she saved your lives . Fix her up treat her gently LEARN TO SAIL better and you will enjoy your passages Glad your all safe 🙏
We’ve thought the same thing. Although she leaked terribly, the port holes and hatches held. As hard as her bow was slamming down beating into the waves most of the trip they could easily have given way. Thank you for watching and for the kind words.
The captain called it “the magic line”. Straight from point A to point B regardless of the wind and waves. It takes a lot of diesel 😉. I don’t recommend it. Thanks for watching and commenting.
The plan .. hope for the best 🙈 The reality of sailing on the seas. Non stop maintenance and challenges, and when the weather hits. I can’t imagine the anxiety
The captain had owned this boat for three years. There were many examples of what you’re talking about. He thought the generator, which showed over 2400 hours on the odometer, was brand new because that’s what he was told when he bought the boat. Thank you for watching our video and for commenting.
We mentioned that to the captain prior to leaving. But, it was his boat and his decision to leave it there 🫣 Thank you for watching the video and for taking time to comment ❤️
I followed this journey since you left and was skeptical. Glad your safe, and Capt Kiya is too. I will say this, Darin was calm , cool, and collected, Nice job! Where is that boat Capt, now?
Thank you for following along. We appreciate you 🙏 Many lessons were learned (beyond sailing) and we hope our video will be of help to those that might find themselves in a similar situation. 😊 We believe the Captain took the boat to Spain after some repairs in Portugal.
Q. Why did you embark on an ocean crossing if you don’t like waves, boat noises, you get seasick? What did you expect? Didn’t you do some shakedown/training sailing?
We don’t mind waves and we have some experience from living on our own trawler traveling full time. We expected to learn how to sail during the crossing but since the captain (boat owner) didn’t know how to sail we never learned. There was supposed to be a sea trial which never happened nor did we have any MOB drills. This trip could have had a tragic ending. Sadly the boat wasn’t ready and we didn’t do enough research to understand what all this meant. We should’ve never left Florida 🫣 Thank you for commenting and for watching the video 🙏
@@yard2yacht Without experience NO boat is ready in anything more than 20kts of wind where you need good boat handling, I’ve seen macho charterers happily slam the hull going straight at small 1.5-2 m but steep waves, I could hear the rig shaking … I had also had guys willing to learn, who could pump steer on larger waves on the quarter (a very difficult course) at the end of a week. Learning to sail is not so difficult, sail a bit with experienced sailors, preferably racing sailors.
I cannot believe the caption did not turn back the boat when you all discovered the main sale was damaged. Looks like he was more concerned about getting paid than your safety.
“Captain” is really a misnomer. He was really just the owner of the boat, not a certified or experienced skipper. None of us had the knowledge or experience to make informed decisions. We really had no business out in that ocean. Thanks for watching and commenting.
@@yard2yacht Ah, so he's the "captain" by virtue of being the _owner._ Somehow I got the impression that you three were friends, and he took on the role of skipper by virtue of him being the older male aboard.
Hi glad you made it through. A good tip for the dinghy stow on board, aft if possible. Also get rid of all the superflous gear on deck including can is cockpit covers. STOW away heavy items including fuel as low as possible below decks 😊
Good points! The sailboat belongs to the captain (who is really just a boat owner) so it was his call to hang the dinghy from davits. The entire journey was full of mistakes and bad decisions. Basically we learned what not to do crossing an ocean and we hope the video serves as a warning to others. Thanks for watching the video and for taking time to comment ❤️
It’s not our boat. We only crewed on it helping the captain fulfill his dream of crossing the Atlantic. Our understanding is that repairs are made and that the boat is currently in Spain. Thank you for watching and for contributing to this chat ❤️
Thanks for the kind words, we appreciate the sentiment. Rosa Del Mar is a beautiful boat but she was in no way ready for an ocean. Not her fault though. Thanks for watching and for commenting 😀
It was for us. But with a boat that was ready and an experienced captain and crew we suspect it could have been wonderful. Thank you for watching our video and for commenting.
Thank you for sharing an honest story. Having sailed a round trip from Holland to Canaries to Azores and back, I can relate to your experience. What I do not quite understand is how you decided to sail onwards from Horta, it seems without doing anything to the boat... Or did I miss this in the video? Cheers, Ron
Monica and I did get tickets in Horta to fly home. We canceled them after a couple days because we did not want to leave the captain stranded. In hindsight, that was a poor decision. In Horta, the transmission was replaced, the main sail was addressed, and the bilge pumps were repaired. We didn’t realize until we were underway that none of these items was repaired appropriately, and none functioned properly. Thank you for watching our video and for commenting.
Darren and Monica so glad you both are ok Kris just shared this with me guess we should have asked more questions when we heard your plan to sail across in this boat, hugs John
Good to hear from you! There were a few people who gently tried to convince us not to go but we had blinders on. We only focused on the information that we wanted to hear. We got lucky and we’re safe now. Lesson learned.
I think there was some indication even in Florida that there was an issue, even then it didn’t go up or down smoothly. After that it went to a sail shop in Bermuda for repairs and was addressed again by a contractor on the boat in the Azores. Just like the transmission, it was addressed at every stop but never actually repaired.
I pressed the LIKE button although I don't like the situation. However I appreciate your honesty and your courage to admit and to tell us the story. I still dream to sail one day.
Thank you. We sincerely hope we have not discouraged anyone from sailing 🙏 Our aim is to share how our excitement quickly turned into a negative experience. This is a classic example of over promised and under delivered. The captain (really no more than a boat owner) assured us how easy it is to sail and that he was going to teach us along the way, which didn’t happen. There was no sea trial or even MOB drills. We are kicking ourselves for being so gullible. We should have asked some hard questions, asked for references, made sure the boat was properly prepared for an ocean crossing. Basically, I hope you have picked up some lessons of what no to do before you start sailing. I’m sure it’s magical if you know what you’re doing ⛵️ Thank you for watching and for taking time to comment ❤️
Thank you for replying. I am from Romania and Indon’tvthink I will ever sail but I would like to. I learn silently. I watch everything to know more and I am very enthusiastic but I have no support from family… I dream though :)
Thanks for the kind words! The boat is a 1977 61’ Irwin ketch. It belongs to the captain. Monica and I are back in Florida on our trawler 🙂. We think our sailing days are done. Thanks for watching and commenting.
This kind of sailing is not for you, you dont have the skills or the judgment for it, you are so lucky you did not die. Take some auxiliary coastguard classes, learn basic seamanship and how to plot a course on a chart to start with.@yard2yacht
Did you have in mast furling? Is that why your main sail didn’t work? If you did, what do you think of in mast furling? So many boats have it -wondering your opinion. ❤
In boom furling and we did not like it. The boom angle has to be just right or the sail won’t stow correctly. We’re still not sure what the problem was with the sail, it was fixed multiple times but kept failing as soon as we tried to use it. Maybe a sea trial would have been helpful but the captain was too impatient and stubborn for that. Thank you for watching our video and for commenting.
I had a similar case where the two crew were absolute beginners (lying about their experience) and the boat was untested, didn’t even go out for a day (owner found all sorts of reasons not to). Although it was to be a 2000 nm Med to Belgium coastal passage I withdrew after listing the problems.
Good for you 👍🏼 The captain (boat owner) knew that we didn’t have any sailing experience. However, we were led to believe that the captain did (he did not know how to sail). Very sad experience which we hope others will learn from. Thanks for commenting 🙏
Glad you made to shore and are doing well. From the video is sounds like you made it to the Azores. I have to ask, with the state of the boat, the captain, and the journey overall, why did you continue after making landfall in Horta? I would have gotten on a plane told the captain 'thanks, but no thanks'.
We did stop in the Azores and we had tickets to fly back home. But after a couple weeks on land we felt better and also felt like we had an obligation to finish the journey (big mistake). We were told that the easiest part was leg three. Turned out not to be true. The worst part was the last leg which is why there isn’t much filming. We appreciate your question and thanks for watching the video ❤️
No arrow and no monitor and the captain didn’t seem to concerned. He didn’t need it: just follow the straight line on the chart plotter to the destination he said. Thanks for watching our video and for commenting.
What upsets me the most is, when you go out unprepared and unqualified for the job at hand, you endanger your lives and the rescuers too. The captain is at most fault here. He is responsible for the vessel and passengers. There are no excuses for the captain. He took out an unprepared dangerous boat and unqualified sailors. Criminal behavior IMO.
Absolutely agree with everything you say!! We should not have gone in the first place. We learned so many hard lessons and can only hope that the video will be of some value to others where they will think twice before putting themselves in a similar situation. Had we known then what we know today we wouldn’t have gone. Thank you for commenting and for watching the video ❤️
Good lesson on the dangers of setting off on an old tired boat combined with little exprerience and being physically unfit. If you are thinking of a cruising adventure join a sailing club, do some day races, mix with some sailors and ask lots of questions. TH-cam is not quite enough.
We never tacked, not even one time. The captain wanted to stay on a straight line because he said anything else would take too much time. The engines quit because the fuel got water in it. And the boat leaked just about everywhere, the bilge pumps could keep up with it as long as they were turned on manually every 30 minutes. We realize now that the boat, the captain, and crew were in no way prepared to cross an ocean. We were fortunate to make it to the other side. Thank you for watching our video and for commenting.
@yard2yacht kewl... water in the fuel is not fun to deal with. I hate that yall had to jettison the dinghy. I had extra sails for my boat, but it was a plain ol hank on sails.... easy to change. Lol. Glad yall made it. Hopefully next time it will be more fun then adventure.
Motor sailing with the jibs isn’t as good as having the main up, since the main will knock the motion down better. They didn’t get into what was wrong but it looked like some kind of furling problem. I wonder how much shakedown cruisinging they did?
The main got stuck every time we tried to put it up, including in Florida before we got underway. There was no sea trial, the captain was impatient to set sail 🤷 Thanks for watching and commenting.
Had the captain ever taken that boat on a multi-day sail prior to this transatlantic journey? It seems that many of the equipment issues would be worked out with basic usage.
I don’t think so. I know he had sailed from Cape Canaveral to Grand Bahama at least twice, but I don’t know of any longer voyages. Thank you for watching our video and for commenting.
No sea trial, no training, no MOB drills, not even a discussion about how to retrieve someone from the water if they fell in. Thank you for watching and for commenting.
Parece que no puede ser. En mi país, sin una titulación que es muy dura de conseguir, no tienes ninguna posibilidad de algo similar. De qué pais era ese "capitán"?
Every boat owner in America calls themself a captain. You only need a license here if you’re commercially employed, basically transporting paying passengers or cargo. This “captain”, like most sailing across the ocean, had no Coast Guard certification.
Great video. Can you help with something that has been bugging my husband. We watched your dingy video as well hoping it would help clarify. Why at the 14 minute mark is there a dingy secured on the deck? Did you guys have a spare?
Good point. As you know this video only covers the water portion of the journey. While we were in the Azores the captain bought a new and smaller dinghy that fit onto the bow of the boat. th-cam.com/video/4PV2iv_FGbw/w-d-xo.htmlsi=2sCVfQvRKtmZ0Lq6 Thank you for watching the video. We appreciate your support and comment ❤️
Sailing on a assumption is not the best preparation. Your vlog is a well president lesson. Thanks for sharing. With respect and 🙏 thanks 😊 next time sail at the wind to move. Tips : Don’t try to sail into the wind or sharp to it but accept the detour to sail smoothly less rocking. Get rid of the tent side walls during sail. It’s not safe at all and do not work for the boat steering characteristics.
Your comments make sense now that we look back. We didn’t know anything about sailing before we left and we thought we would learn from the captain but we found out the hard way that he didn’t know much about sailing either. We wish we would’ve had the opportunity to sail and work with the elements instead of fighting it the entire way. The tent also took so much away from the enjoyment although it kept us dry. Anyway, thank you for taking time to comment. We appreciate your support 🙏
I applaud you for posting this video, it is the sort of video that a lot of people need to see. You just don’t get many people willing to own up to their own mistakes. My hats off to you.
Thank you very much, we appreciate your kind words. And thanks for watching!
"It takes brutal honesty and self-deprecation to step forward with a story like this. I hope it serves as a lesson to the headstrong and overconfident."
It definitely has been a lesson for us, Monica and I are back to near shore and coastal cruising in our trawler. Our ocean days are over, we won’t sail out there again. Thanks for your kind words and for contributing.
Totally agree. Thank you for sharing this story. Many people during Covid took to the sea without a full appreciation of the complexity, planning and danger. I hope people will understand that taking to the ocean is serious business and can be miserable at times. It’s not all beautiful sunrise and sunsets. Thank you!
Thank you for contributing 😊
@@yard2yachtsuch a shame. Sailing off shore at night is an amazing experience when done right.
With all due respect, I think your experience would have been much better if you had an actual Sailor aboard. Much of your rocking would have been prevented if you sailed rather than motored.
2. With a roller reefing main you need to know what you are doing. 3. Track cleaning and lube is necessary before setting out.
I could go on and on, but the main thing is to make sure the boat and crew is ready for the passage.
This video is the main reason why I always recommend crewing a delivery before getting into fixing up an old boat for cruising. Many find it’s not for them. The others learn super important skills and knowledge to be successful. It’s a thousand “little things” that don’t seem to be important that actually are. Just like how important good boots and socks are ultra important to a hiker, but not a park stroller, mall walker.
@@yard2yachtI hope your will to go beyond the horizon comes back.
We took off from California in 2003 for the "big cruise" with a well-prepared boat and years of coastal experience, and I am a meteorologist. Five days in and several days away from help, we were in life-threatening conditions and had mechanical and sail handling problems. Of course this was before social media, but nonetheless it was personally humiliating. More importantly, it was truly humbling.
Goes without saying that we should have been more diligent in every way, but we didn't know what we didn't know. And we still don't, but at least we know that much!
Every experience we have had since...our own mistakes and the mistakes of others have been lessons. All of these little details, from spare fuses to chafe points to understanding weather forecast limitations and a thousand others...they all matter. The learning really never ends.
Bravo to you for sharing your story so that we can all learn to be safer out there.
Safe travels!
Thanks for sharing your experience with us. We have never felt humiliated, but humbled… yes. As Monica said in the video, we went on courage alone, not on skill or knowledge. And we still don’t know half of what we should’ve before we started but we have learned some valuable lessons. Thanks again for your kind words, for watching and for commenting.
@@yard2yacht I have to say it again, you have shared with others cirtical experience and real life perspective. To explain why this is so important: I bought my first "big" sailboat last year. It is two states away on the Pacific coast. The only way to get it home is for me to sail it out on to the Pacific and thru the Strait of Juan De Fuca. While I know the basics of sailing and I am a licensed Mech Eng, my offshore sailing experience is none. I have been preparing the boat for a year and half; but in doing so I had unknowingly fell into the "I need to be able to rely on the engine" mentality more than I should. As a mech engineer it is instinct to want to be able to rely on that engine. Now more than ever, I know I need to develop and be able to rely on our sailing skills as a first priority.
You've done the sailing community, especially those who aspire to sail and watch TH-cam videos, a huge service in posting this video.
Thank you for saying that. We learned so many lessons of what not to do during this journey and it’s an embarrassing story but also educational to those thinking along the same lines as we did prior to leaving. We sincerely hope our video serves as a warning of what can happen if you’re not prepared 🙏 We appreciate your comment and support ❤️
amen
"The Captain threw his hands in the air and said I give up" LOL Sorry I know its not funny but this is the best sailing /cruising video narrative ever; your honesty is applauded. This should be watched by everyone buying a yacht and played at every sea training school.
The fact that none appeared to even know how to sail and relied on the engine to cross the Atlantic speaks volumes.
I totally understand where you’re coming from and this is exactly why we decided to share this event. There is so much to be discussed and so many lessons learned. So yes, let’s hope somebody will find it educational enough to learn from it and not do what we did.
Thanks for commenting, we appreciate your support ❤️
Holy hell of all nightmarish failures, incompetence, inexperience, and downright recklessness on behalf of that captain. Thank you for sharing and glad you guys made it out safe!
Thank you, we feel fortunate to come away from that crossing without serious injury or worse. We appreciate you watching and commenting 👍
Thank you for sharing such an honest and candid view of your Atlantic crossing. It's refreshing to see the real challenges and emotions that come with such an adventure. Your perseverance and openness are truly inspiring. This video is a valuable resource for anyone considering a similar journey.
Thank you for your very kind and thoughtful words. This journey was far tougher than we thought it would be and we know now that none of us should have been out there. Thanks for watching and contributing.
You took giant steps towards being good sailors. It looks like almost every lesson that the ocean could teach you were crammed into that 34 days. Your attitude and composure through the ordeal are commendable. I'm glad you made it safely. And many thanks for sharing your story.
Thank you for the kind words and sentiment, we appreciate that very much.
And thank you for watching our video and for commenting.
Lessons sometimes are learned in the most brutal ways. Thanks for sharing your story
We learned some tough lessons for sure. And maybe deserved what we got. Thanks for watching and contributing.
There are old sailors and there are bold sailors, but there are no old bold sailors! Thank you so much for sharing your story. It is a very important piece of advice!!
🤣🤣 true! Thank you for watching our video and for commenting.
Thanks, it serves as a much needed reminder that the unforgiving ocean requires preparedness and excellent general knowledge and knowhow.
May your future sailing be successful.
Agreed. Thanks for watching, for your input and kind words.
Agreed, all those that sail whether inland or sea should watch your valuable lessons. I have been sailing for 50 years and your story has made me rethink my planning and preventive maintenance program. Good on you for your courage for having presented your story.
Thank you for saying that. It is our hope that others will learn a thing or two by watching this video 🙏 We are not proud of it but if someone can be spared a little misery from watching then something good has come out of it. We appreciate you taking time to comment and for your kind words ❤️
So grateful that your guardian angels were with you for this trip! Thanks for taking us on all of your journeys with you and being so honest and transparent! We love you guys!
Thanks Paula. We appreciate your kind words. We think about you both often and hope you’re doing well. Thanks for following along and for commenting ❤️
Who in their right mind would get on a boat with that captain.
Yeah, in hindsight it was a very poor decision. No training, no sea trials, no MOB drills. The boat, the captain, and the crew: none were ready for a trip of that magnitude. Thanks for watching and contributing.
Many does
Ship that is not seaworthy, owners that do not have experience owning and operating the boat (if i understand this is your boat), lack of planning, lack of understanding of navigation and basic sailing principles,...it just tops the list. Poor captain is just icing on the cake. Thank you for posting. This is, if anything, a good reminder of what people should focus on and grow their experience in sailing. You tube videos on this subject can be grossly oversimplified and misleading how easy it is to sail and cross oceans.
The captain owns the boat. All other points are spot on! Thanks for commenting 🙏
Thank You so... so much, for getting the courage to share your experience with all of us. This is a true testimony of the reality one faces, when getting into a situation without the proper skills, as you mentioned. Hoping for the best is, unfortunately, not enough... this is definitely a good eye opener for all of us!
We appreciate the kind words, ❤️ thank you! We definitely learned from this experience and if others also get something out of it then all the better. Thanks for watching and commenting🙏
It takes courage to post something like this. I do applaud you for doing it. Too much of youtube is censored to create videos of perfect sailing adventures including people who just buy a boat no experience and sail around the world. The ocean is an unforgiving place. Glad you emerged without serious injury and with a more critical eye for future trips. Shakedown cruises are a good thing before any major trip. I did one before a 3 day move of my new boat. It helps to find issues in the boat (any boat).
Thank you for saying that! We feel we can be of help to others that might consider doing something similar so publishing a video that shows the real deal serves a purpose. We are embarrassed for not doing more due diligence beforehand instead of putting blind trust in the captain. This journey absolutely could have been fatal so we count our blessings for making it through the end and that we live to tell the tale 🙏 Your comment means a lot. Thank you ❤️
Thank you so much for this. As a new sailboat owner with offshore ambitions, I needed this.
You are the exact reason why we decided to share our harrowing experience crossing the Atlantic. Please know that a crossing can be amazing but only if you are with people that really know what they’re doing or if you yourself have the adequate experience. It makes us happy to know that we might have put the brakes on for people like ourselves that have more courage than skill.
Good luck with your future sails. We really hope you will be able to fulfill all your sailing dreams ❤️ Thanks for commenting 😊
I followed this journey from the start and had grave concerns for you. So glad you both are safe. Lessons learned to never be repeated.
Thank you. We really appreciate your support 😊 All lessons were learned the hard way and we hope this video will keep others from making the same mistake 🙏
i am preparing to sail around the world for 4 years.. i have been reading and watching everything i can on sailing for the past 12 years... and i consider my self 100% inexperience when many around me tells me i have more experience that i believe i just need to go and apply it. pkanning to get my sailing classe done soon... and yeah i'll sailling right away after class... and everything i seen in this video could have been learned before even setting foot on a sailboat... the best video are the one showing mistake that lead to catastrophy and damage and what could or should have been done week before setting sail. this is a great video... on thong i have learned is... if you set sail, set it to not tely on a mayday. be prepared or don't go... and don't forget the freaking spare...
First, good luck with your journey. It sounds like you’re doing it right. We were not nearly as prepared as you will be. We trusted the captain and his boat, but in hindsight, that was a poor decision.
Thank you for watching our video and for commenting.
This trip was a people problem .not equipment.
You made it despite all the challenges, that says a lot about the seaworthiness of your boat’s design. All the issues you face are very common, just not all on the same voyage.
We are so thankful that the boat held up. She went through a lot of abuse but kept us afloat 🙏 Thank you for commenting. We appreciate your support 😊
Having been rescued recently myself, I can relate! It shakes the confidence while simultaneously building resilience! Thanks for sharing and happy to see it ended well 👌
It’s good to hear that you also survived 🙏 It’s a traumatic experience and we learned many lessons along the way.
We hope others will learn from our mistakes by watching the video as it basically highlights what not to do 🫣
Thank you for contributing. We appreciate your support ❤️
@@yard2yacht Thank you , and your'e welcome🙏🏻😊 I'm sure many will benefit from watching your video👌
Thanks a lot for posting it. Preparation of the crew and the boat is key.
Agreed! Thank you for watching our video and for commenting.
Thank you for sharing your experience, it gives a good insight of how things can go from bad to worse and the importance of good preperations and skills that are required to take off on a voyage like this.
But experiences make people stronger and better prepared next time.
I wish you well and hope you will continue sailing the world.
Thank you so much for your kind words 🙏 Experience matters more than ever when you embark on an ocean crossing. The lack of it and the consequences set the stage for a difficult journey. We’re glad you enjoyed the video and appreciate you taking time to comment ❤️
Glad you lived to tell the story. That trip could have end so differently. The sea is unforgiving even when prepared, you all got very lucky.
Without a doubt we were lucky, we know that now. We (the captain and crew) were so unprepared for any true catastrophe. No MOB drills or even a discussion about how we would retrieve someone from the water. We know now that the three of us had no business in that ocean.
its a stark reminder and when i see people full of enthusiasm but empty on experience it makes me shudder, I at least had my day skipper before embarking on such journeys and i also have my mechanical and electrical background to fall back on. I have also had my fare share of unprepared boats and skippers where without my experience , would of been beyond real danger..
We talked recently about if we would want to do the crossing again with a different boat, but came to the conclusion that it would take years to prepare correctly for such an endeavor. We’ve decided against it.
Thank you for watching our video and for commenting.
@@yard2yacht You could go on a leg of the viyages conducted by real pros such as Pangea Expeditions boat Dragon. I hope this didnt extinguish your joy of sailing forever. There are a lot of poser “Captains” out there who exploit the good nature and naivete of new enthusiasts.
No doubt about it. If we were to sail again it will be with a capable captain and we will ourselves practice and learn prior to any big voyage 😊
This is a great video as it illustrates a very common general problem in society these days concerning many people who greatly overestimate their abilities in many endeavors...
Sadly, I think you’re right. We had no business in that ocean.
Thank you for watching and for commenting.
@@yard2yacht I glad that you all made it out. Sailing is one of those endeavors that really takes a lifetime to pursue to Mastery. And only those who really understand the environment and how to apply the sails in proper configuration to this ever changing environment belong on long sea passages on sailboats. Of course this may vary depending on the competency of crew as well as their ability to teach others effectively the proper ways.
The fact you made it to 20 miles offshore of Portugal is a miracle.
Absolutely agree! So many things could have gone wrong in addition to what did go wrong. We are lucky that we made out alive 🙏
Thank you for watching the video and for commenting ❤️
Love your vid. Love the honesty and commentary. Now you know that preparations are crucial and nothing should be left as wishful thinking or that somehow its gonna be better... Ocean does not forgive
So true! We were naive to believe anything else. We have received many comments from people that appreciate us being brutally honest and sharing our mishap. And for what it’s worth, it makes us feel good. We could have so easily just left all of it untold but that wouldn’t have been the right thing to do.
Thank you for your kind words ❤️ We appreciate your support 🙏
Thank you for your humility in posting and commenting on your video. You will never know for sure how many lives this may have saved. Reminds me of when I was on a boat in Florida and the idea was to go to the Bahamas. On the second day of coastal sailing, (prior to the planned sail eastward), the main sheet blocks separated from the boom and it quickly swung outboard to leeward. The other crew were first timers on a cruising vessel. The elderly Captain/owner told them to grab the boom to prevent it from swinging out. They obediently did so and were getting swept overboard on the nice sunny, calm day with the beach no more than a half mile off to port. I was very lucky in that I was able to grab the wheel and turn to starboard into the wind which brought the boom to midship. The guys had not been tossed overboard. Captain yelled obscenities at me and I yelled right back at him. I told the other crew that they should abandon the journey. Somebody did a good jury rig on the sheet blocks and we convinced the Captain to return northward for the long coastal day sail home, a reasonably safe outcome, especially as the disheveled Captain mostly sat in the cockpit and pouted all the way back. Im so glad you are ok. If you ever felt like a do-over, I brt yiu could go on a very well planned leg of a voyage such as Pangea Expeditions and you would have fun, meet people, learn a bunch, and be safely surrounded by real professionals. Again, thank u for posting!,,
We really appreciate your kind words and for taking the time to share your story with us 🙏 An under qualified captain/boat owner is a recipe for disaster. When you add crew with no experience and a boat that is not prepared sufficiently then you end up with, well… it’s all covered in the video. We do hope as you said that others will get some wisdom out of watching and decide to do more research than we did before attempting a similar journey. Thanks again, we appreciate your support ❤️
A good reminder of the importance of preparation, experience, skill and being very careful about what boat and captain you crew on. Glad you all made it safely across. I hope you continue to gain solid sailing skills, because the experience didn't have to be like that.
Preparation, experience and skill, the three things the captain and crew were missing 😟 We learned some important lessons on this journey and we know we were fortunate not to suffer any serious harm.
Thanks for watching and commenting.
Glad that you shared it, I do have one comment, you might not want to hear - those are not miserable sea / wind / wave conditions. I would call that normal to mildly uncomfortable. Yes would have been better with pressure on the sails, but in general those conditions appear to be very very benign. If folks aren't comfortable with that level of movement they will continue to be challenged offshore passagemaking even without all of the boat and skipper issues
Also 34 days from Florida to straight of gib. Or south Portugal is not a long time on a monohull. Seems more like people here could not stand the boat movements.
Agree with that. The issue was that we never sailed correctly. We kept beating into the wind and waves. The crossing could have been enjoyable but instead it was miserable 🫣 Thank you for commenting 🙏
Thanks for watching the video and for the taking time to comment ❤️
I have to agree. Those conditions are pretty good what we have seen, certainly for the waters off Tasmania and in the Southern Ocean. But for beginners with nothing to compare it would be miserable I guess. I praise this couple for posting this disaster and highlighting their own innocent ignorance. They will help others by posting this, for sure. They are good people - look how they are responding to all the crap being thrown at them. lol Regards, Alistair
Thank you. It is a bit embarrassing but import to tell the truth 🙏
Unreal you started this crossing. So happy you survived. 😮
Thank you 🙏
Thanks so much for posting! Great learning video.
Thanks for watching and for commenting! There were many lessons learned for us, and hopefully others may get something out of it.
Your logo says SEEKING ADVENTURE you certainly did that on that trip. Surviving has given you the opportunity for great stories most never experience.
That’s definitely looking at the bright side 😎 We do feel fortunate that nobody was seriously injured or worse. Thanks for the kind words🙏
It shows that having the money to own a big boat and all the gadgets that goes with it, is not just enough to what it takes to cross an ocean. People with much smaller boats and limited gadgets make such passages every day. Carriage without experience cannot be enough either. Good you made it safe! Thanks for sharing your story.
We agree with everything you said ✔️ It was a humbling experience.
Thanks for watching our video and for commenting.
You need the right gadgets.fex battery nav lights. .....
@@espenbjerke1905 those are usual gadgets that every boat has.
most entertaining vid i've seen on sailing in long time, i hope this exp dnt turn u off sailing ever again
Thank you so much for the kind words, we appreciate the sentiment.
Thanks for watching our video and for commenting.
Yes, it takes courage to publish something like this. Sailing on the high seas requires a minimum of skills and preparation. Otherwise, it is very dangerous. Despite all the technical problems and lack of skills, you returned safely! You were lucky with the good weather... The ocean does not often forgive mistakes. You have learned a lesson and it is important for the future. Well done and fair winds to you! 👍⛵
Agree completely, we were lucky. Thanks for the kind words and for watching and commenting 😀
Yes, thanks for sharing valuable hard lessons learned
Thank you for watching ❤️
My wife and me made this trip trip from the bermudas to the azores and later to european mainland too, on our 30 ft sailboat. We had no chartplotter only two handheld GPS, but we had a windvane that steared the boat without consuming electricity. We faced also high winds on the nose and waves more than 4m high but we adapted to this conditions changing courses till we had better conditions to aim to the azores again. I would never give up twenty miles of the coast on a swimming boat.
Sounds like you were sailing. We on the other hand had the engine running the whole time and had to stay on what we referred to as the “magic line” a straight line from point A to Point B. It was the Captain’s call to ask for help as nobody knew how to sail into the marina after the engine stopped for the last time. I wish we could’ve sailed and experienced the crossing the way it should be done. Thank’s for commenting. We appreciate your support ❤️
@sailingsquid what boat and year did you have? Is a 30 good enough? Tx
@@argentosebastian We had an Austrian Boat Sunbeam 30 from 1982, we made an atlantic circle 2009/2010.
th-cam.com/video/KJyOErVRfcE/w-d-xo.html
A friend of use made an atlantic circle on a Tradewind 25
It is a 1977 Irwin ketch 61-foot.
I've seen a lot of wild things, but an ocean crossing to get your feet wet is on another level. Perfect example of what not to do. Great post! Hope the 99% couch sailors watch it. Lives will be saved!
Yes, we had no business trying to cross the Atlantic Ocean. We are very fortunate because it could have been much more tragic.
Thank you for watching our video and for commenting.
That last “We’re going to land. We’re going to land. Yes”. Could see your desperation. Glad you’re safe.
Thank you for the kind words and sentiment. The emotions were in the basement one moment and through the roof the next. For several weeks after Monica couldn’t talk about the journey without staring to cry. It was a horrible experience.
Thanks for watching our video and for commenting.
Very well narrated video and recount of the journey- I’m very glad to have found this as I’m sick of all the TH-cam channels that start with “we bought a boat with no experience and follow our journey as we sail the world… all copy LaVagabode … I seem to be uncontrollably heading towards sailing myself after flying for the last 15 years … I am doing training as I am gutless and don’t take unnecessary risks… this video reinforces why… thanks for sharing and hope you were able to enjoy sailing (in the future) after that ordeal.
In construction industry we say “piss poor performance is because of failure in prior proper planning” and generally true for any endeavour
Good for you to not take unnecessary risks. Training and experience is the key prior to doing anything, especially when you want to cross an ocean.
I’m glad you found our video educational on what not to do as that what the reason for putting it all out there for the world to see. We are not proud of what we did, but hope our experience will help others make informed decisions when it comes to sailing.
Thank you so much for commenting. We appreciate you and your support 🙏
Kind of surprised that you guys agreed to go on this crossing.
Looking back, so are we! We put our blinders on in all the excitement knowing we were going to cross the Atlantic. We put our faith in the Captain and the boat because not knowing anything about sailing there was so much we didn’t know. We learned a lot during this trip and hope our viewers won’t judge us too harshly 🫣
Is it your sailboat?@@yard2yacht
@@Mme.Swisstella No it is not our sailboat.
@@yard2yachtyeah but one look at that captain and my spider senses about being safe with instantly go off. Glad y’all made it
@@yard2yacht HaHa - all I would add, looking at the "Captain" is a defibrillator ! But. At the end of the day, you both survived, and you DID cross the Atlantic. Well done for that. What a baptism though. Ignorance, as they say, is bliss. Come to Tasmania and get on a few boats there - friendly folk and you will love it. Your winter = Tassie summer
thanks for sharing. Very important video. Reality is hard sometimes. YT videos not always show it. Happy you got safely to shore.
We are happy to share our mistakes knowing that others can learn from them. This journey was very difficult and the sad part is that it didn’t have to be that way.
Thank you for your support ❤️
The only thing that surprises me here is that your video is the first one I've seen on youtube of this experience.
So many people are now buying a cheap monohull and taking off on stupidly wild ocean journeys with next to zero experience and total reliance on electronic equipment.
You're damn lucky you didn't have any seriously challenging weather, it could or more than likely would have been fatal.
I'm very glad you had the courage to video your experience and post it on TH-cam, hopefully people take notice and take this as seriously as is needed.
Thank you for your honest reply. We are not proud of what we did and we learned from our mistakes. It was foolish to embark on this journey without first doing our own research and asking the captain some hard questions. We sincerely hope that others take note of how challenging it is to cross an ocean and that they won’t just rely on courage like we did. Looking back we now know how lucky we were and we’re convinced we must have had a few guardian angels looking over us 🙏❤️
@@yard2yacht It's great that only Ego's were slightly dinted and no one was seriously hurt.
I'm sure you'll never forget this experience and that in itself is a good thing.
Never be scared to ask the hard questions or to walk away when something doesn't feel right, you only have one life and you're it's best guardian.
Good luck for the future and thank you for posting this, I have no doubt by posting this you will save the lives of many who initially thought they were invisible.
For many there is a self censoring aspect. Those that fail at it completely just never post about it. Those that have mixed outcomes tend to promote heavily the good ones (bikinis and palm trees). It is rare for people to openly post video that says "we messed up, we know we messed up, and here is what went wrong".
This looked like an expensive boat. Cheap has no basis in a boat being able to make an ocean trip
Based on the amount of fuel on board, I think that captain never had the intention of sailing this boat to its destination. Thanks for sharing this experience.
Yes, the amount of fuel was a red flag that we missed. We basically motored in a straight line, A to B the entire trip. Thanks for watching and contributing 👍
@@yard2yacht It's a strange story with a lot of open questions. Who was this captain? Was it his boat? (the boat looks state-of-the-art). Did he had a sailing background? Was he just too lazy to sail? Did you guys agreed to take some responsibility to sail the boat? Same for the responsibility for navigation and weather prediction. How did you become part of this voyage?
@@johanwithag2432 We totally understand that there are a lot of questions. 34 days in a 19 mintute video can only cover so much. We met the captain on his boat in the Bahamas. The sailboat belongs to the captain who sailed in the Spanish Navy for two years some fifty years ago. He has also sailed the boat to the Bahamas a few times. The sailboat was not ready to cross the Atlantic and neither was the captain. We honestly don't know how well he can sail as we mostly motorsailed during the crossing which explains all the fuel. As far as the navigation goes he admitted before we left that he had no experience with electronic navigation and therefore relied on us to teach him how to use the chart plotter. The problem was that he refused to tack so we stayed on what we referred to as "the magic line" a straight line from point A to Point B . The captian didn't trust us to sail the boat because he was worried about the condition of the sails and there was never any discussion of divding duties other than watches. Unfortunately the weather was a sore subject. The captian showed little concern for the weather and never one time adjusted the course of the boat accordingly. Darin and I had multiple services to cross reference (ie Chris Parker, Predict Wind, Windy etc.) but the captain wasn't interested in hearing the information.
@@yard2yachthe can't sail at all. None of sails are trimmed properly in any shot. While this is an art you can spend a lifetime on, any sailor could teach you how to do better in an hour.
You spend 34 days at sea, which is more than many sailors spend in a few years.
If he had anything to teach, you'd be pretty competent sailors yourself now.
Glad you got out of that alive. Please, go to any marina with some beer and ask around for some opportunities to learn, before attempting anything like this again.
@@Benjamin-xv9le Great advice. Beer always works too.
Way to slay calm and even smiling through all of that!! 👏👏👏
Thanks for the kind words. We appreciate the sentiment.
And thank you for watching our video and commenting😀
I was shocked by the idea of "sailing" from inside a totally enclosed cockpit, having to ask those on deck via intercom which way the wind was blowing. 😮
We have learned so much since our return. The closed cockpit pit is one of many lessons. We didn’t have a wind instrument either 🫣
Thanks for taking time to comment. We appreciate your support 🙏
Kudos for posting this. What a nightmare. Wondering whether people get an unrealistic idea about sailing from watching certain sailing TH-cam videos? Crossing an ocean should be the culmination of several years of theoretical and hands on experience.
Absolutely. Experience, sea worthy boat, and competent sailors are all key to a successful crossing. We hope the video adds value to the sailing community 🙏
Thank you for watching and for commenting ❤️
Bad preparation will always provide a very memorable adventure.
It was memorable for the misery. We are fortunate because it could have been so much worse. Clearly, the captain, the boat, and the crew were woefully under prepared.
Thank you for watching our video and for commenting.
@@yard2yacht I plan to buy a small boat next year and learn as I go too. I used to get seasick on an aircraft carrier and the dark sea at night scares me.
Wish you best of luck 😊
I really appreciate your honesty and openness...having looked at a few of your videos I'm thinking you're going to have to face facts that sailing is not for you. There's so much here beyond just the obvious problems. It's a lot. You're probably very good at many many things, but sailing is not for you. Like....I can't dance, no matter how many lessons I take....
😂 Agreed. We’re currently back on our trawler where we feel very much at home. I guess it goes without saying that we didn’t enjoy the crossing very much 🙃
Thanks for watching and for commenting.
I give you huge credit to continuing filming and documenting your experience. I would have given up filming.
Thank you for saying that ❤️ We have been making videos for two years now and are used to always filming our adventures. However, the worst part was the third leg and we pretty much gave up on filming at that time because of exhaustion. We picked up the camera again when we were rescued as we felt a rush of adrenaline and joy.
We appreciate you taking time to comment 🙏
This is a good instructional video, and it could provide a useful tool for the TH-cam community. Your screwups on video can prevent other screwups in the future. I'm glad Neptune took mercy and wish you future safe journeys.
That’s why we published it. It was a humbling experience and we know we were fortunate to get through it without serious injuries or worse.
Thanks for watching and commenting.
The captain should be thankful that despite your inexperience, you as crew did your best to save the situation.
Thank you. We appreciate your support 🙏 Your comment means a lot ❤️
If that’s not a lesson for us all on what not to do I don’t know what is. I actually learned a few things. Thank you for sharing, I can’t believe it was an easy thing to do.
It is not easy to share your mistakes so thank you for understanding and for your kind words 🙏 There are many important lessons in this story that others can learn from so we feel we have a moral obligation to share our experiences. I’m glad you learned from watching it. Thank you so much for commenting ❤️
I don’t even go for day sails on other people’s boat without bringing my own handheld navigation device.
That’s smart. We were clearly not prepared.
That would be your phone I'm guessing! 😁
The captain brought a paper chart but he never looked at it. And the chart plotter didn’t have the necessary chip to make it work properly. To the captain’s defense, he didn’t know it needed a chip 🤷♀️ Once he understood the problem he was able to buy a chip in the Azores so the last leg of the trip gave us correct map information.
@@LewisTheFly888 , no, my iPad. I don't know how I haven't lost it or broken it yet. It's got a lot of sea miles on it! (Gone to the Exumas twice with it). I have a Bad Elf GPS for it. (It's predecessor did break, but not on the boat, in a car crash). The sad part about that was losing my Garmin Blue Charts Mobile program. Garmin won't let me download it again, even though it's still there on my purchases when I sign in to the Garmin website. I use Aqua Maps now.
Hi Monica, Rode from Sjøhagen here 😊 This was really scary to wach. Didn’t the boat have a safety boat onboard, only a dingi? Very sad this was your first experience with sailing, because it’s very fun. Normally people preparing both the boat and crew several years before they try to cross the Atlantic Ocean. Before going on a trip on this caliber it’s smart to learn sailing on several courses or from a captain for some time first, and the captain should be experienced, so this was scary. I’m happy you’re alive after this and hope you will try sailing again, but maybe in the Oslofjord next time - calmer there 😊
Hi Rode. Good to hear from you 😊 The sailboat did have a life raft but we didn’t want to lose the dinghy. We definitely don’t have a good sailing experience as this has been our only sailing experience. We do have friends with sailboats and understand that what we did is not the proper way to sail. Many boats cross the Atlantic without any issues. However, we didn’t know what we were getting ourselves into and the captain nor the boat was ready for such an adventure. I’m sure it’s beautiful sailing in the Oslo fjord and who knows, maybe one day 😉
Thanks for sharing what a ride 😮
Thank you for watching and for commenting.
WOW
I hope you have bonded with your boat .
Any lesser of a vessel you all could be done,she saved your lives .
Fix her up treat her gently LEARN TO SAIL better and you will enjoy your passages
Glad your all safe 🙏
We’ve thought the same thing. Although she leaked terribly, the port holes and hatches held. As hard as her bow was slamming down beating into the waves most of the trip they could easily have given way.
Thank you for watching and for the kind words.
How do you sail in a straight line all of the time?
The captain called it “the magic line”. Straight from point A to point B regardless of the wind and waves. It takes a lot of diesel 😉. I don’t recommend it. Thanks for watching and commenting.
This was my question. Seems like even inexperienced sailors would understand that’s not how it’s done.
The plan .. hope for the best 🙈 The reality of sailing on the seas. Non stop maintenance and challenges, and when the weather hits. I can’t imagine the anxiety
Yes, none of us had any business out in that ocean.
Thank you for watching our video and for commenting .
as a delivery skipper it reminded me of most new owners saying the boat is ready to go any where The previous owner said so LOL
The captain had owned this boat for three years. There were many examples of what you’re talking about. He thought the generator, which showed over 2400 hours on the odometer, was brand new because that’s what he was told when he bought the boat.
Thank you for watching our video and for commenting.
the hard way, thanks for sharing
Thanks for watching!
Woow,... Im glad you are all safe after so much unsafe, lack of seamanship, bad "captain"
Thank you, we feel very fortunate to have completed the journey with no serious injuries or worse. Thanks for watching and commenting 🙏
Lots of things can be said, but seeing that dingy hanging for an Atlantic crossing hits hard on me.
We mentioned that to the captain prior to leaving. But, it was his boat and his decision to leave it there 🫣
Thank you for watching the video and for taking time to comment ❤️
I followed this journey since you left and was skeptical. Glad your safe, and Capt Kiya is too. I will say this, Darin was calm , cool, and collected, Nice job! Where is that boat Capt, now?
Thank you for following along. We appreciate you 🙏 Many lessons were learned (beyond sailing) and we hope our video will be of help to those that might find themselves in a similar situation. 😊 We believe the Captain took the boat to Spain after some repairs in Portugal.
Q. Why did you embark on an ocean crossing if you don’t like waves, boat noises, you get seasick? What did you expect? Didn’t you do some shakedown/training sailing?
We don’t mind waves and we have some experience from living on our own trawler traveling full time.
We expected to learn how to sail during the crossing but since the captain (boat owner) didn’t know how to sail we never learned. There was supposed to be a sea trial which never happened nor did we have any MOB drills. This trip could have had a tragic ending. Sadly the boat wasn’t ready and we didn’t do enough research to understand what all this meant.
We should’ve never left Florida 🫣 Thank you for commenting and for watching the video 🙏
@@yard2yacht Without experience NO boat is ready in anything more than 20kts of wind where you need good boat handling, I’ve seen macho charterers happily slam the hull going straight at small 1.5-2 m but steep waves, I could hear the rig shaking …
I had also had guys willing to learn, who could pump steer on larger waves on the quarter (a very difficult course) at the end of a week. Learning to sail is not so difficult, sail a bit with experienced sailors, preferably racing sailors.
Great advice. Thank you ❤️
This was revealing. Lessons to be learnt (for me)
Thanks for watching. We’re thrilled that you got something out of it. It was a lesson for us for sure.
I cannot believe the caption did not turn back the boat when you all discovered the main sale was damaged. Looks like he was more concerned about getting paid than your safety.
“Captain” is really a misnomer. He was really just the owner of the boat, not a certified or experienced skipper. None of us had the knowledge or experience to make informed decisions. We really had no business out in that ocean.
Thanks for watching and commenting.
@@yard2yacht Ah, so he's the "captain" by virtue of being the _owner._ Somehow I got the impression that you three were friends, and he took on the role of skipper by virtue of him being the older male aboard.
@@yard2yacht You are honest to a "T". Hard lesson, dangerous lesson, but you both survived. Well done on that.
We happened to meet him in Bahamas and he was looking for crew to fulfill his dream of crossing the Atlantic on his sailboat.
Hi glad you made it through. A good tip for the dinghy stow on board, aft if possible. Also get rid of all the superflous gear on deck including can is cockpit covers. STOW away heavy items including fuel as low as possible below decks 😊
Good points! The sailboat belongs to the captain (who is really just a boat owner) so it was his call to hang the dinghy from davits. The entire journey was full of mistakes and bad decisions. Basically we learned what not to do crossing an ocean and we hope the video serves as a warning to others.
Thanks for watching the video and for taking time to comment ❤️
thank goodness, all are well
can you please make another video on the fixes and corrections you have in mind, so that the voyage can continue?
It’s not our boat. We only crewed on it helping the captain fulfill his dream of crossing the Atlantic. Our understanding is that repairs are made and that the boat is currently in Spain.
Thank you for watching and for contributing to this chat ❤️
Congrats on the video, it takes courage to post this. And you could see at the start of the video that the sailing boat was falling apart
Thanks for the kind words, we appreciate the sentiment. Rosa Del Mar is a beautiful boat but she was in no way ready for an ocean. Not her fault though.
Thanks for watching and for commenting 😀
Sailing seems like never ending source of problems and constant stress
It was for us. But with a boat that was ready and an experienced captain and crew we suspect it could have been wonderful.
Thank you for watching our video and for commenting.
When i get tired and sick of watching sailing, i hit the back button...
Haha 🤣 us too. Thanks for watching 🙏
Thank you for sharing an honest story. Having sailed a round trip from Holland to Canaries to Azores and back, I can relate to your experience.
What I do not quite understand is how you decided to sail onwards from Horta, it seems without doing anything to the boat... Or did I miss this in the video? Cheers, Ron
Monica and I did get tickets in Horta to fly home. We canceled them after a couple days because we did not want to leave the captain stranded. In hindsight, that was a poor decision.
In Horta, the transmission was replaced, the main sail was addressed, and the bilge pumps were repaired. We didn’t realize until we were underway that none of these items was repaired appropriately, and none functioned properly.
Thank you for watching our video and for commenting.
Darren and Monica so glad you both are ok Kris just shared this with me guess we should have asked more questions when we heard your plan to sail across in this boat, hugs John
Good to hear from you! There were a few people who gently tried to convince us not to go but we had blinders on. We only focused on the information that we wanted to hear. We got lucky and we’re safe now. Lesson learned.
When did you learn that the mainsail needed repairs? You should have NEVER left the next port without fixing it.
I think there was some indication even in Florida that there was an issue, even then it didn’t go up or down smoothly. After that it went to a sail shop in Bermuda for repairs and was addressed again by a contractor on the boat in the Azores. Just like the transmission, it was addressed at every stop but never actually repaired.
Thanks for sharing this American sailing story!
Thank you for watching 🙏
Nice captain he is resposible for everyting
We feel foolish for not doing more research ahead of time but agree with your statement 🙏
I pressed the LIKE button although I don't like the situation. However I appreciate your honesty and your courage to admit and to tell us the story. I still dream to sail one day.
Thank you. We sincerely hope we have not discouraged anyone from sailing 🙏 Our aim is to share how our excitement quickly turned into a negative experience. This is a classic example of over promised and under delivered. The captain (really no more than a boat owner) assured us how easy it is to sail and that he was going to teach us along the way, which didn’t happen. There was no sea trial or even MOB drills. We are kicking ourselves for being so gullible. We should have asked some hard questions, asked for references, made sure the boat was properly prepared for an ocean crossing.
Basically, I hope you have picked up some lessons of what no to do before you start sailing. I’m sure it’s magical if you know what you’re doing ⛵️
Thank you for watching and for taking time to comment ❤️
Thank you for replying. I am from Romania and Indon’tvthink I will ever sail but I would like to. I learn silently. I watch everything to know more and I am very enthusiastic but I have no support from family… I dream though :)
Believe in your dream and it will happen ❤️🙏
EPIC ! I'm glad it was not Tragic.....What kind of sailboat was this? Hopefully you two are still sailing. Thanks for sharing
Thanks for the kind words! The boat is a 1977 61’ Irwin ketch. It belongs to the captain. Monica and I are back in Florida on our trawler 🙂. We think our sailing days are done. Thanks for watching and commenting.
This kind of sailing is not for you, you dont have the skills or the judgment for it, you are so lucky you did not die. Take some auxiliary coastguard classes, learn basic seamanship and how to plot a course on a chart to start with.@yard2yacht
Did you have in mast furling? Is that why your main sail didn’t work? If you did, what do you think of in mast furling? So many boats have it -wondering your opinion. ❤
In boom furling and we did not like it. The boom angle has to be just right or the sail won’t stow correctly. We’re still not sure what the problem was with the sail, it was fixed multiple times but kept failing as soon as we tried to use it. Maybe a sea trial would have been helpful but the captain was too impatient and stubborn for that.
Thank you for watching our video and for commenting.
I had a similar case where the two crew were absolute beginners (lying about their experience) and the boat was untested, didn’t even go out for a day (owner found all sorts of reasons not to). Although it was to be a 2000 nm Med to Belgium coastal passage I withdrew after listing the problems.
Good for you 👍🏼 The captain (boat owner) knew that we didn’t have any sailing experience. However, we were led to believe that the captain did (he did not know how to sail). Very sad experience which we hope others will learn from.
Thanks for commenting 🙏
There are two kind of sailors those that admit their not ready and those that lie about being ready.
🤣🤣 Thank you for watching our video and for commenting!
Glad you made to shore and are doing well. From the video is sounds like you made it to the Azores. I have to ask, with the state of the boat, the captain, and the journey overall, why did you continue after making landfall in Horta? I would have gotten on a plane told the captain 'thanks, but no thanks'.
We did stop in the Azores and we had tickets to fly back home. But after a couple weeks on land we felt better and also felt like we had an obligation to finish the journey (big mistake). We were told that the easiest part was leg three. Turned out not to be true. The worst part was the last leg which is why there isn’t much filming.
We appreciate your question and thanks for watching the video ❤️
How can you not have a wind indicator? It's that little arrow thingy up in the mast, you got to have it I'm sure
No arrow and no monitor and the captain didn’t seem to concerned. He didn’t need it: just follow the straight line on the chart plotter to the destination he said.
Thanks for watching our video and for commenting.
well done great video keep on sailing
Thank you for the encouragement❤️ Really appreciate your support 🙏
What upsets me the most is, when you go out unprepared and unqualified for the job at hand, you endanger your lives and the rescuers too. The captain is at most fault here. He is responsible for the vessel and passengers. There are no excuses for the captain. He took out an unprepared dangerous boat and unqualified sailors. Criminal behavior IMO.
Absolutely agree with everything you say!! We should not have gone in the first place. We learned so many hard lessons and can only hope that the video will be of some value to others where they will think twice before putting themselves in a similar situation. Had we known then what we know today we wouldn’t have gone.
Thank you for commenting and for watching the video ❤️
Tougher lesson to learn 🎉
Many lessons learned for us and hopefully a few for the captain.
Thanks for watching and commenting!
Looks like big seas and a fun ride.
Big seas, yes, a fun ride, no😉 Thanks for watching and commenting.
Good lesson on the dangers of setting off on an old tired boat combined with little exprerience and being physically unfit. If you are thinking of a cruising adventure join a sailing club, do some day races, mix with some sailors and ask lots of questions. TH-cam is not quite enough.
Agreed 👍 All very good suggestions. Thanks for watching and for commenting.
boat looks good. a bit too many unnecesarry gadgets this here is a 3 people problem
Just wondering, why did yall not tack? What was the reason the engine quit? Where was the leak?
We never tacked, not even one time. The captain wanted to stay on a straight line because he said anything else would take too much time. The engines quit because the fuel got water in it. And the boat leaked just about everywhere, the bilge pumps could keep up with it as long as they were turned on manually every 30 minutes. We realize now that the boat, the captain, and crew were in no way prepared to cross an ocean. We were fortunate to make it to the other side.
Thank you for watching our video and for commenting.
@yard2yacht kewl... water in the fuel is not fun to deal with. I hate that yall had to jettison the dinghy.
I had extra sails for my boat, but it was a plain ol hank on sails.... easy to change. Lol. Glad yall made it. Hopefully next time it will be more fun then adventure.
Appreciate the encouragement 🙏
Motor sailing with the jibs isn’t as good as having the main up, since the main will knock the motion down better. They didn’t get into what was wrong but it looked like some kind of furling problem. I wonder how much shakedown cruisinging they did?
The main got stuck every time we tried to put it up, including in Florida before we got underway. There was no sea trial, the captain was impatient to set sail 🤷
Thanks for watching and commenting.
Had the captain ever taken that boat on a multi-day sail prior to this transatlantic journey? It seems that many of the equipment issues would be worked out with basic usage.
I don’t think so. I know he had sailed from Cape Canaveral to Grand Bahama at least twice, but I don’t know of any longer voyages.
Thank you for watching our video and for commenting.
You should put an anchor on the front of a car, drive inland until someone asks, what is that damn thing, and stay there
We are giving that some consideration😂
Thank you for watching our video and for commenting.
Am I correct in assuming that you started of on a crossing without sea trials for the boat and crew??????
No sea trial, no training, no MOB drills, not even a discussion about how to retrieve someone from the water if they fell in.
Thank you for watching and for commenting.
Parece que no puede ser. En mi país, sin una titulación que es muy dura de conseguir, no tienes ninguna posibilidad de algo similar. De qué pais era ese "capitán"?
Every boat owner in America calls themself a captain. You only need a license here if you’re commercially employed, basically transporting paying passengers or cargo. This “captain”, like most sailing across the ocean, had no Coast Guard certification.
The captain is from Spain 🇪🇸
@@yard2yacht no creo que sea capitán entonces.
Great video. Can you help with something that has been bugging my husband. We watched your dingy video as well hoping it would help clarify. Why at the 14 minute mark is there a dingy secured on the deck? Did you guys have a spare?
Good point. As you know this video only covers the water portion of the journey.
While we were in the Azores the captain bought a new and smaller dinghy that fit onto the bow of the boat.
th-cam.com/video/4PV2iv_FGbw/w-d-xo.htmlsi=2sCVfQvRKtmZ0Lq6
Thank you for watching the video. We appreciate your support and comment ❤️
Sailing on a assumption is not the best preparation.
Your vlog is a well president lesson. Thanks for sharing. With respect and 🙏 thanks 😊 next time sail at the wind to move.
Tips : Don’t try to sail into the wind or sharp to it but accept the detour to sail smoothly less rocking.
Get rid of the tent side walls during sail. It’s not safe at all and do not work for the boat steering characteristics.
Your comments make sense now that we look back. We didn’t know anything about sailing before we left and we thought we would learn from the captain but we found out the hard way that he didn’t know much about sailing either.
We wish we would’ve had the opportunity to sail and work with the elements instead of fighting it the entire way. The tent also took so much away from the enjoyment although it kept us dry.
Anyway, thank you for taking time to comment. We appreciate your support 🙏
I like the cockpit cushions - Sunbrella Milano Cobalt...
Thanks 🙏