The Shards round Cabo de Gata and find isolated anchorages at the foot of the dramatic Costa Blance mountain ranges including some where the beaches are "clothing optional". They visit ports along the way that were once important Roman mining colonies. Lat...
The Shards sail to anchorages around Isla Formentera in Spain's Balearic Island group. Paul and Sheryl join the modern "invasion" of Northerners on the beautiful beaches of the island. In a quiet cove they discover an entire village built of driftwood and ...
In this episode, Paul and Sheryl examine "how" and "why" the travelling life lures people away from a regular life ashore. They look back on the highlights of their 11 years on the high seas since they built their sailboat, visiting islands in the Bahamas ...
Wow what a boatshow!! The largest indoor boatshow in the world with lots of sailboats and tons of powerboats. Plus lots of other gear and other stuff for everyone interested in getting out on the water.
The Shards sail to Mallorca where they meet a group of teenagers who have sailed a 14-foot boat to a deserted smugglers beach and are camping there for the summer. When they ride an antique wooden train up into the Tramuntana mountains, they meet a couple ...
Paul and Sheryl sail into the historic harbour of Mahon, on the island of Menorca, said by the British Admiral Nelson to be the safest harbour in the Mediterranean. They moor at a unique floating platform called Isla Clementina anchored in the middle of th...
Keeping an eye on the weather, Paul and Sheryl navigate this treacherous channel visiting the French island of Lavezzi, site of the worst maritime disaster in the Mediterranean, and explore the idyllic La Maddelena Archipelago in Sardinia. Next they sail t...
Paul and Sheryl sail along this wild eastern coast of Sardinia beginning their voyage in the resort town of Porto Cervo, the playground of the rich. Further south they find remote bays and coves and, leaving their boat, travel inland where they meet proud ...
We sail to Portsmouth UK and check out the Selden Mast factory. They build sailboat masts, including the latest in high-tech carbon fibre.
#seldenmasts
Paul and Sheryl sail to Pantelleria, a tiny volcanic island in the Sicilian Channel close to the North African coast. They arrive in time for the annual grape harvest and learn to make wine in the traditional way, dive on a Byzantine shipwreck with a group...
Tunisia on the North African coast is renowned for its warm climate, beautiful beaches and affordable resorts, but when Paul and Sheryl sail in to the port of Monastir they discover that an exciting world lies beyond the marinas and hotels along the coast....
It's November when Paul and Sheryl sail to the Italian island of Sicily and olive season is just beginning. They are invited by a local family to join in the harvest and spend a day in the groves picking olives, then deliver them to the regional co-op wher...
Its a stormy late season sail from Sicily to the island of Malta, home of the famous Knights of St. John. The island is also renowned for its role in WWII as a military base and shipyard. The Shards investigate the rich history of Malta which has been inha...
After waiting out winter storms in Malta, the Shards prepare for a new sailing season. While Two-Step is in the boat yard, they participate in Easter celebrations, learn to cook spring vegetables Maltese style, and travel with local sailors to other island...
From Malta, the Shards sail north through the notorious Strait of Messina navigating the strong currents featured in Homer's "Odyssey" and eventually arrive at the island of Vulcano. There they swim in bubbling hot seawater from the volcano, dive on under...
Searching for Distant Shores III. I visit Poland and tour the Delphia plant. Then a testsail aboard the Delphia 46DS. It is a true pilothouse with raised saloon. So you can see out from the table, and while standing in the galley. You can also steer, seein...
Shards sail north to the twin-peaked island of Salina, famous for it's Malmsey wine. Paul rents a unique vehicle called a Magoo and as he travels the island he meets fun-loving locals and samples a lot of wine. On to Stromboli, an active volcano which for ...
We tangled our mast in their rigging. We nearly sank! We had an amazing day! Anguilla Boat Racing is VERY exciting and I was very lucky to get to be aboard one of the island sloops for the first major race of the season. The boats are packed with 21 crew, ...
Have you ever dreamed of sailing the Mediterranean? Join Paul and Sheryl Shard aboard their home-built 37 foot sailboat as they explore ports of Sicily and then sail along the coast of the boot of Italy.
This is a "classic" episode from the Distant Shore...
Arrested in Croatia!
Sailing from Italy we arrive in Croatia south of Dubrovnik and got arrested (oops). We also managed to see the area! Lovely...
All 130 half hour episodes of the Distant Shores TV show are also available on DVD and download at:
http://...
It's Independence Day (preceded by Canada Day) and we fight it out with the Yanks while sailing in Croatia. Of course we also sail the Croatian Coastline!
All 130 half hour episodes of the Distant Shores TV show are also available on DVD and download at:
...
Storm at Anchor
Exploring the Croatian islands we have a strong gale sweep down on us at anchor. Flying dinghies? Yup...
All 130 half hour episodes of the Distant Shores TV show are also available on DVD and download at:
http://www.distantshores.ca/sailin...
In deep anchorages that are either small or crowded we occasionally need to anchor with shorter scope than might be considered ideal.
Dive Deep in the British Virgins to see how what it looks like on the bottom as we test our Rocna anchor in 50 feet of wa...
Are you sailing south and wonder how to do a Bahamian Mooring? The Bahamian moor means setting two anchors off the bow. Its generally used to deal with anchorages in areas with tidal flow such as cuts in the Bahamas. This can be a little daunting for your ...
Do not try this for Hurricane Irma! Sail away from it in advance!
How to secure your boat for a tropical storm. We film the process as we anchor and tie up in a mangrove in Martinique. Then we film as the approaching storm passes right over us with winds ...
From a Tropical storm to the North Seas, we have used, and tested our two Fortress Anchors in a number of situations. The Fortress Anchor can be disassembled and makes a great backup anchor. We tested it in Holand's Waddenzee where it was so deeply buried ...
How to position your boat in an anchorage. Finding a safe place to drop the hook. Evaluate how the other boats will swing and make sure you will be safe at anchor.
All 130 half hour episodes of the Distant Shores TV show are also available on DVD and dow...
Have you ever dreamt of sailing south for the winter and away from Northern climes? We show you how to navigate the Erie Canal, dealing with locks travelling from the Great Lakes to New York City.
All 130 half hour episodes of the Distant Shores TV show a...
Explore shallow reef-strewn waters of the Bahamas. We run up on the beach in the far-out Bahamian Islands.
Travelling the Far-Out Islands of the Bahamas there are often no other boats around for days. This trip was in the late spring, and we visited isla...
Our first sail on a Catamaran. We chartered a Lagoon 380 in the British Virgin Islands from the Catamaran Company. We sail from Nanny Cay on Tortola. We see what a charter briefing is like, tour the inside of the boat, and learn to maneuver in tight quarte...
From the numerous sharks to the many dangerous reefs, there is no shortage of hazards in the Bahamas. But we wouldn't have it any other way. Come along as we explore these amazing islands, from Ragged Island and the Jumento Cays up to the Exumas and Compas...
Setting sail from the Canary Islands we sail 850 miles towards the Cabo Verde Islands. Strong winds at the start, we have a fast passage, run into problems with the genoa furling gear and even pick up a hitchhiker.
Part 1 of our recent transatlantic cross...
Sailing to the Cabo Verde Islands with Atlantic Rally for Cruisers 2015. Its just a short stop before we set off across the Atlantic but most of the boats have repairs to do. We fix our roller furling jib and check out repair to rudders, forestays and more...
Our fastest ocean crossing ever! We run downwind at nearly 200 miles per day en route from the Cabo Verde Islands to the Caribbean with the ARC+ then halfway across we have a crash jibe breaking the mainsheet and traveller blocks.
We have been at sea out of sight of land for more than a week crossing the Atlantic Ocean, and still have 800 miles to go to Saint Lucia. Stormy squalls pass by regularly bringing winds over 30 knots. We also run into huge rafts of Sargasso weed which beco...
Have you ever wanted to have a tropical island to yourself? We think the Bahamas is one of the few cruising destinations where this is possible! The Plana Cays lie 20 miles from the nearest settlement, and they are uninhabited.
One theory is that this was...
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