Despite a moderate forecast we end up in gale conditions. The winds gradually ease over the next few days ahead of an approaching cold front, which is likely to cross just as we enter the Providence Channel through the Bahamas. Some navigational diligenc...
Part one of a winter passage from Culebra (Puerto Rico) to Miami. We start off with beautiful sailing weather, but the winds continue to build each day. I offer my opinions on preparing and eating meals during rough conditions.
Music--Tropical Chillin...
In this video I share what I have learned about powering a boat with solar panels. I talk about solar panels, batteries, dealing with cloudy weather, and possible back-up solutions for solar.
The Trade Winds finally show up, but are short lived. I blow out my medium air yankee trying to drive the boat faster, trying to reach our destination before the winds veer southeasterly and die away ...
Music:
06:18--La Di Da Land--Kevin Boothby
We finish up our talk on the theory behind celestial navigation, then get into computing a running sun fix using the Celesticomp pocket computer. As a conclusion I offer my opinions on celestial navigation in a GPS world. Feel free to comment back with y...
Intended as a brief tutorial on celestial navigation which quickly grew into a two-part series--such is the complexity of the subject. In this vid I talk about sextants, how they work, and get into shooting the sun. Then I talk about the basic mathematic...
The cold front passes over us on Sunday night, November 19, but then stalls just south of us and lifts back as a warm front. This results in three more days of near gale conditions. My main bilge pump fails forcing me to bail with a smaller pump and a bu...
We finally weigh anchor and put to sea! Two days later we have crossed the Gulf Stream. During a calm spell I talk about reefing headsails. While most of you probably opt for a roller furling genoa, many still use a hank-on staysail for heavy weather. ...
Finding a weather window for a direct passage to the Caribbean from the US East Coast is often tricky, and avoiding bad weather is not always possible for a boat that does less than 150 miles per day, but we will do our best. I also talk about my oil navi...
A vlog entry on sailing south down the Chesapeake Bay; installing a cheap (and easy) chart plotter; negotiating another narrow harbor entrance under sail, and moving the boat into the travel lift slip with sail and oar.
What do you do when you are miles from home and help and need to climb the mast on your boat? And what if you are alone? In this vid I show you two methods I have used for climbing the mast alone.
The situation: moderate southerly winds are forecast the following day, perfect for sailing northwest up to Baltimore. Trouble is, where I am anchored means having to tack out of a narrow channel--perhaps too narrow. So I sail out in the morning with a l...
In this video I talk about what I refer to as your second anchor, which should be an anchor you can easily run out in a dinghy. This anchor is particularly important to the engineless cruising sailor. I also demonstrate how to prepare the rode so that it...
Part one in a series of videos for the purists out there, or those simply looking to go ocean cruising on the cheap. For those who choose to have inboard power, which is most of you, I hope these vids will inspire you to hone your sailing skills to the po...
In this video we cross the Gulf Stream after a night of impressive thunderstorms, and then we are in green water as we approach the mouth of the Chesapeake. We arrive in Hampton, Virginia, just before midnight on June 17, having done the 1,300 mile passag...
In Part Four I talk about: the Gulf Stream, crossing it and the potential hazards it poses to small craft; how I manage my sleep as a solo-sailor; getting into some some squally weather.
In Part Three I talk about: changing sail combinations for light conditions; passage psychology, how to deal with the sometimes difficult and frightening challenges that can arise at sea.
In Part One I discuss: passage planning/how to read GRIB files; putting to sea; a hiccup in the form of a squall; sailing at night.
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