The Boat Sails Itself, Without Autopilot - Episode 278 - Acorn to Arabella: Journey of a Wooden Boat
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- Опубликовано: 25 июл 2024
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00:00 Intro: Welcome back aboard Arabella
00:29 Rigging project, departing Newburyport, Massachusetts
02:46 Lifting / stowing the dinghy on deck
03:51 Raising sails
07:21 Sailing while in a relationship
09:29 Sailing through the night
11:25 Lessons in Cape Porpoise, Kennebunkport, Maine
23:54 Arabella fully balanced... "Look Ma, no hands!"
27:01 Coming next week: Portland, Maine
Steve mitigates some chafing problems aloft before he, Robin, and our friend Jack head off to Portland, Maine from Newburyport, Massachusetts. Lots of firsts in this episode!
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Acorn to Arabella started as a wooden boat building project in Granby, Massachusetts. Steve began the journey as an amateur wooden boat builder crafting a 38' wooden sailboat in his backyard: designer William Atkin's Ingrid with a Stormy Petrel's gaff rig. These videos follow the journey from tree felling, to lumber milling, to lofting, to the lead keel pour and now sailing the boat-sharing details of the woodworking, carpentry, metal smithing, tool building, and tool maintenance that traditional wooden boats command. This ultimate DIY project continues beyond the boat shop, as Steve and crew travel and learn to cruise aboard the handmade wooden boat that they've built. Just kidding about all that, this channel is about a Siberian Laika named Akiva.
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Highly recommend getting a couple intro ASA certificates. While they teach basic sailing and seamanship, they also treat safety as job #1. Hopefully you've done man overboard drills. Also, the only person wearing a lifejacket is Akiva. Complacency is a habit quickly formed on the water that can easily lead to disaster later on. If a squall is coming, lifejacket first (if not already on), sails second. Jack and Steve were sorting a heavy, awkward dingy with a squall coming. It falls and they go in the water. Akiva jumps in after. What does Robin do? More importantly, HOW does Robin save their lives? What if she can't get the motor started?
Please teach safety first, how to sail second.
That's a very good point.
I also wonder about those side railings, seem very low to me from a safety point of view. I know nothing of boats.
@@scudosmyth784 It's dealer's choice, really. I would assume they're going to put lifelines up when they get more into offshore. I can't remember Arabella's length, but there are some requirements for lifelines for ISAF, if that is a factor. Not a bad idea to add them now and get used to sailing with a harness and lifelines...especially if Akiva is going offshore with them...
Thanks for replying it just looks like so easy to fall overboard. @@TheDirtCreature
Last week I raised the question about stanchions and lifelines, but it sounded as if there was no sense that they were effective. I seriously don't believe that and there are a good many people out there who have big experience of sailing who will attest that lifelines saved them from falling or rolling overboard. The boat can lurch suddenly even in a modest seaway, but when things get rough and you have to out there handing the sails, you want all the safety you can muster.@@scudosmyth784
Wooh! Ben put himself in! Good man! You deserve a tonne of credit too for editing and narrating this incredible journey in such a digestable format!!
Ben is nothing like I imagined.
I second the motion. Well done, Ben!
Yes Yes Yes!
Sipping my coffee and thinking... Y'all are making a seamless transition from building channel to sailing channel. Akiva looks to be getting his sea legs quite nicely.
Cheers!
So happy for Steve and Robin. The dream is alive and thanks for bringing us along.
In my many tears instructing new boaters, the first thing I would tell them is that you will NEVER learn to properly handle your boat without practice. You can’t just use the vessel and try to dock once or twice a weekend (often in very different conditions). You really need to take some days and just keep making landings to learn how the hull reacts to all the different forces it faces. Take the time to practice and you will feel infinitely more comfortable in the harbor. Windier days are right around the corner.
agreed. When my wife and I were new and our first boat was a 42' cutter we hired a guy who had docked everything everywhere in every condition. He took us around our marina and vicinity and showed us all the things the boat could do and we practiced under his guidance. in and out of slips, on and off face docks, u-turns in narrow fairways, back-and-fill turns, backing down, etc. Hours of fun and confidence building still paying off in our adventures.
Just like driving diggers , you can show someone and make sure their in a safe location , but only they can learn by doing
I really like that transition from the sponsor back to the video 😊
Thanks! Ben’s pretty slick. 😁
I was surprised to actually see Ben! I think he's one of the magicians behind Arabella for sure 👍
Ben’s a damn genius and a fine fellow to boot.
Good morning Akiva 🐺 and Crew 😸 I was reflecting on all the years of watching Arabella being built and to then see her
sailing along peacefully is so gratifying , and the last film clip shows it all - dreams do come true !👍❤😺
( excellent work with the editing Ben - as usual 👍)
Love this video. There is great value in videos where “not much happens”. Except for the wind, and the swell, and happy people making breakfast. For those of us who miss sailing or want to sail, videos like this scratch a pretty big itch. Watching Steve and Robin up on the bow of their new boat- bliss.
Also Akiva. Bestest dog on the boat.
The joy when the sails are well balanced! You just get this feeling that everything is all right and in harmony when you achieve that :D
One thing that is really special here are those shots from Victoria. The electric outboard means you can leave all the sounds in and not have the sounds of the ocean drown under the drone of a gasoline outboard. Pure bliss
Honestly, this was the one thing that I never understood about Steve's quest to build Arabella.
I've sailed smaller boats before, so I understand why someone would want to build a sailing boat, because sailing is great fun! But Steve wanted to build a sailing boat, despite never having experienced how wonderful it could be. I knew he was going to love it, but until now he won't have experienced it.
I've not explained that very well, but I'm sure he and Robin, and Akiva, are now enjoying the best sound a boat makes, which is when you switch off the engine and you can just hear all the other noises a boat makes :)
Sailing isn’t that mysterious… Steve has spent a lot of his time outdoors, some of it on very long camp cruising expeditions in a kayak. Some of it doing trail maintenance in very remote places. That sort of thing. Imagining a small-house-sized boat that moves in the wind sounds real nice. -Anne
Great change from a building channel to a sailing channel you can see the ear to ear smile of the builder also the captain of a very fine vessel
Thanks! It's definitely a big transition for us, and one we've been looking forward to.
Greetings from sailing fans in NZ. For years now following advice from serious live aboard world cruisers, we invested in a pair of motorcycle type blue tooth boom mikes and speakers for communications at the critical times. Such as anchoring and mooring etc. From our own experience getting caught out on a lee shore in the middle of a black night in 30 plus knots of breeze, it was impossible to communicate with my wife on the helm while I was trying to lift the anchor from up front. Since then we have no stress communication with hands free to attend to what needs doing. All done in a gentle whisper. It really does show the next level of professionalism not having to shout at each other, especially when the shit hits the fan. Hand signals dont work in the dark especially when you need both hands to do what needs doing. Even safer going up the mast as well without having to shout to the helpers below. We are still married after 47 years!
If you add a raised voice (even if it is mostly so someone can hear you over distance and wind) it really does add tension. We used hand signals a lot. Thanks so much for watching! -Anne
The bobbing in the waves, the sails fully deployed, Akiva resting peacefully, and all the smiles on all the faces, you'd think people were having a great time. I know I was just watching the video. From land-locked Independence, MO., CONGRATULATIONS on experiencing your true and fair sailing ship. Accolades du Arabella!
SAILING! There is nothing like it. Wind in the sails, no luffing, water rushing along the hull, in your case, your lady and good friends. All's well and right with the world.
The butterfly has spread its Wings !!
I'm so glad they took video of Arabella underway. She's a beautiful boat. I've always liked the symmetry of "double-enders". So very graceful. Of course, the aft end coming to a point (rather than a flat end), affords little room for the engine and steering gear (hence the tiller), but the trade-off is a very stable and graceful platform for pure sailing. Arabella is a beautiful boat-- she has sweet lines and a sleek profile-- and I'm sure she's easy to sail (which is why she could sail UP-WIND without anyone manning the tiller!). Once Steve gets his "sea legs", he'll be able to sail her through most weather events with ease. She'll handle it.
Stephen's credits never fail to make me chuckle, such a little thing that really ties the video together.
😁
I am sure someone has suggested this but when you haul and redo the water line, think about scribing the new line in the hull. It will remain marked regardless of the paint condition and aid in reestablishing the boot stripe.
I watch a lot more RUclips videos than I'd admit to, and this video has one of the best sponsor segment transitions that I've seen. One of the joys of watching these videos is the excellent editing and comforting narration Ben provides.
Cheers! Yes, Ben’s a certified wizard. -Anne
In close quarters, our instructor gave me this little gem: “Slow is Pro”. This was 28,000 miles ago, and I used it today at the fuel dock and Med mooring 30minutes later with our 35,000 pound sailboat.
Before the armchair critics jump all over this, yes, there are qualifications with wind, current, prop walk, and other intervening variables that are possible exceptions. But usually, slow is pro is the cheapest speed I have discovered.
SLOW. IS. PRO. Steve’s probably tired of me saying it whenever someone tells a sailing story, but yuuuuup! -Anne
Jack with the What About Bob shirt.... perfect outfit for sailing.
😁 and perfect for us NH folk, which Jack and I are! -Anne
It's always weird when a disembodied voice suddenly becomes the talking hed. But that transition yo. Pretty epic.!
Arabella was looking awesome. Performing amazingly.!
Ben’s a wizard!
For seven years of Fridays it was exciting and satisfying to tune in and vicariously feel like I was milling trees, researching, planning, measuring, cutting, drilling, planing, sanding and painting. How surprised I was to discover that this new chapter of Arabella's and Steve's life is every bit as exciting and satisfying. I'm happy for you finally being able to sail, tour, eat, relax and enjoy life on the water as you envisioned. It all came together for me when Robin exclaimed, "I'm driving my home!" That said it all. Congratulations. I look forward to joining you on the next chapter of your adventure!!
That’s so very kind, and I’m glad you’re on the journey with us. Glad also that you’re enjoying the sailing videos! -Anne
I had the opportunity to sail on a Chesapeake Bay Skipjack which was amazingly stable and hands free into the wind. Arabella appears to be almost as well balanced! Looks like the past 7 years are bearing sailing fruit!
Good to see Steve smiling!
Nothing more enjoyable then sailing a balanced boat!
Indeed!
Man, Steve, I got to tell you, seeing her sail her self straight line like that and from a distance, she is beautiful! Brings a tear of joy to the eye seeing her sail like that.😊
😊
Arabella is so pleasing to the eyes as she does what she was built to do. 😍
She’s looking right at home and awesome now she’s in her element. It would be great to know how close you can sail, STW, etc so we can get an idea of how she’s behaving and what her performance is.
It ain’t a racing boat, and that’s probably as close as we’ll get to a performance report. Hahah -Anne
Good to see the boat out sailing. I have a comment about the anchor snubber. A simple line with a spliced on chain hook is all you need. As with many things on boats simpler is often better. I would make the line three strand nylon since you want it to be able to stretch under load to take up shock loads. I would put anti chafing on the snubber line where it passes through chocks and also where it can rub against the bob stay. When under way you can attach the chain hook to the anchor chain and cleat it off with some tension to help secure the anchors. You also need to do something better to lash those anchors. A poorly secured anchor can jump out of the roller and even if the chain is snubbed, the anchor can then bang against the hull, which is not good.
Also, I can't remember if your tiller is made from a single piece of wood. If it is I suggest that you laminate a new one and make it a bit beefier. I say that because a laminated tiller will be stronger and the small size of the current tiller looks like a broken tiller waiting to happen in heavy weather. If you keep the current tiller, at least carry a spare.
In the last episode Steve shows how the anchor can’t jump out of the roller. Thanks for watching!
Finally! A relaxed episode. You all deserve it would be an understatement.
Another beautiful episode with Arabella under sail and a true testament to William Atkin, Steve (plus helping hands) and Doyle Sails that Arabella can motor in a straight line hands free. If I keep my hands ON my wheel in my Boston Whaler and don't watch where I am heading I am all over the place in 5 minutes. Love it that Akiva has his ID on his life jacket! Robin is quite the gourmet, that was a great meal.
Arabella and crew gettin' their sea legs now with a bit of serious windjammin'.
🙌
Dinner sounds good. I still haven't eaten lunch, so you've got me drooling.
When I discovered that I could trim for a no-weather helm, (in certain conditions), my enjoyment of sailing doubled. My double ended sloop had no AP or nav aids. So when I could plot and sail hands off, It was much more enjoyable...:)
Best shots off the series Robin and Steve sailing and laughing what the lat 7 odd years was all about..
Absolutely wonderful. You proved so many naysayers wrong. You have built a beautiful boat.
those last shots of Arabella, Robin and Steve. Man. Makes you appreciate all the work gone in this thing. Just awesome.
That first shot of Arabella was amazing. After so many years of looking at the big brown hull side. It amazing how sleek she is.
It’s nice to have this mostly brown channel finally be mostly blue. 😁 -Anne
Bail "Victoria" with a square plastic milk bottle that the end has been cut off.
Glad you're pinning shackes, do all of them.
From last week:
Tie the rope bumper on "Victoria" in place with heavy waxed line, bury/hide this line between the strands.
At 26:00 ... what a beautiful little ship you have, people! Superb.
I love the sound of the windlass cranking in the anchor. good classic human-powered technology.
It's a reassuring click, for sure!
Not gonna lie. That last scene... I got emotional!
Steve and Robin, you are an amazing couple! Through 7 years of planning and construction, you have stayed strong, focused and committed to the journey and each other. Life is a journey not a destination, thank you for sharing it with us all. I'm here with my morning coffee and a dawning realization - if I ever go to sea, it will be on a motor yacht not a sailboat. A big motor yacht as I get terribly seasick on small boats... God speed, fair winds and following seas.
All your hard work has set you up for a nice peaceful life, looking at Arabella go with her sails up is a beautiful sight
A plaisant vidéo thank you.
For docking, go very slowly, ONLY one Voice on bord, you will realise it nicely.
Anyway the good process for sailing is practice, practice, and after that practice again .
And for safety of your foot shoes at any time on the deck.
A good principe for any one on Bord, one hand for the boat and one hand for you.
Bon courage and stay safe .
It’s nice to see her underway full sail. Good going guys! Thanks Jack 🤙
🙌
I am so happy that you found Robin.
They’re a pretty great pair. ❤
The episode where the pleasant over voice we are all so familiar with gets a face, thank you sir and keep up the good work. 👍
Sailing through the night is a big accomplishment! Congratulations! Much easier than when I had my first night watch, involved the Hudson River, a lost anchor, faulty navigation lights and the game of following blinking navigation bouys.
She looks great under way with sails full of wind
Clearly Steve just wanted a hobby with more ropes than climbing.
Not sure sailing beats climbing for that! Hahah
It certainly gives him the opportunity to be a "knottier" boy!!
Hey guys and girl, you need some halyard winches on each mast. Fair weather and following seas
The old work boat designs were as such, so a small crew could leave the tiller and tend to the fishing or the trimming. Congratulations that’s got to be the best feeling, welcome to Maine!
Awesome to See Arabella under sail!! she is a beautiful boat!!. I am no master mariner, but have a fair bit of open ocean and coastal stuff under my belt. I LOVE the windless, the ONLY fault i see is that it's slow and a bit finicky. i have been in blows with large tall ships, as well as smaller sailboats, and if there is ever a blow, and you start to drag... you need a sturdy, quick and single handed anchor system. if there is only 2 of you on the boat, you need some on at the helm, and someone dealing with the anchor, to gain control of a drag and get you under power and off the hook quick.
i miss being at sea, so living vicariously through you!! love the content!!
Glad you’re enjoying these sailing videos!
I haven’t been in Cape Porpoise in years. Swore it off because the channel was made almost impassable with lobster pots. As we were leaving in the morning, a Coast Guard buoy tender came through and cut a lot of the warps with the line cutters on their propellers. When the locals got on the VHF to protest, the bridge officer came back with a wise-ass comment to the effect of “Yeah, we counted every one .” Seeing the video, it looks like it may be an option next time we go down east.
BTW, Steve, not to add yet another item to your punch list or mar Victoria, but a little automatic bilge pump with a small battery is a really nice thing to have on a tender.
I don’t like the idea of the coast guard being completely nonchalant about destroying the private property of working people, and that individual doesn’t represent the attitude of the coast guard at large. Yes, there were a lot of pots, I’ve anchored in there at the height of fishing season. Lobsters are moving northeast for colder water as the gulf of Maine warms at an alarming rate. When you see the pots going away, that’s a lot of the reason. -Anne
Also, I am aware and concerned that the Maine lobster fishery is collapsing because of ocean warming. Although a passable channel is good news, the cause of it is not.
She's beautiful! And so is Arabella.
I was taught on old school sail boats and taught that an OXO hitch on a a halliard cleat rather than a conventional cleat hitch. The idea being if you need to a drop a sail in a hurry there is nothing to jamb.
The smiles are getting bigger.😃
Predicted upgrades for Arabella for 2024 after watching Steve heave lines and levers: Some sort of anchor winch (or power assist to the windlass), winches for sail raising and control, and before all of that -- lifelines.
How wonderful, after all your work, to experience Arabella sailing in the balanced way that you hoped she would! Well done. Fair winds, calm seas and happy sailing to you!
Cheers!
The shots of Arabella under sail at the end are great !!! Thanks.
Glad to see it all coming together for you guys.
absolutely beautiful shots at the end.
It's awesome to see the 3 of you sailing cheers from Canada 🇨🇦
That salt water really does a number on that brass. Great to see Arabella on the open sea.
Thanks for the vicarious trip for us land lock wagers.
Can’t express how good it feels to an armchair sailor like myself to see Arabella sailing after so much effort by Steve and company. Having viewed the videos twice I think of all the work done to create each finished piece that made the complete boat possible. My only sadness is that Alix, so much a part of the project at the beginning, seems to be gone. But off to the future and good luck and Godspeed to Arabella, Steve, Robin and crew!
Alix was at the launch with his young family, he has by no means disappeared, He just isn't on your screen.
Well said!
Seeing Arabella under sail gives me goosebumps too, Robin! Great video.
They managed all the high stress situations in building the boat. So everything after is smooth sailing. I was worried what would happen to me Fridays when the boat was finished and put in the water. But it looks like things are going nicely.
Here we are! Thanks for being on the journey with us!
And finally, Ben gets some screen time!!
As a woodworker and craftsman, I was always questioning whether I would continue to watch the channel after launch and without a doubt at the last three episodes have intrigued me so much about the intricacies of sailing in all that it takes and what's left to make whole on the boat. Love the challenge, love the channel, looking forward to the next episodes! Cheers!!
Hooray! That’s great to hear, thanks for sharing.
Love a well balanced boat!
Such a pleasure to watch. Continue enjoying this very special time in your lives.
Enjoy the journey of learning when sailing boats. Great video.
Thanks for sharing the technical sailing terms - nice education while we are on this journey, together!
Wow, was that ever relaxing. Thank you. Enjoy your vacation for the month!
The boat balance says it all
I learnt this today too... Port tack gives way to starboard tack. I guess that is correct.
Isle of Wight, Solent, Southampton Water, Hamble. UK
Those last shots with her under sail are amazing. She looks incredible under sail!
Thanks!
That sequence at dawn was just beautiful.
I have wathched from day 1 . so good to see you finally sailing . every day will be a life long learning adventure . have fun and stay safe . fair winds and following seas skipper
Dear Steve and all others who worked on the realization of Arabella,
Willeke and I love to see how gently and obviously stable Arabella is sailing only by her sails. It must be very relaxing to feel like power of the wind on board with only the sound of the wind and the lapping waves against Arabella's hull. We’re in the meantime 100% sure that I used the correct friendship’s invitation because on her page she wrote at June 23rd: “Four years. Goodness. And a haul and a launch and a haul in between. More soon.”
Apparently Anne won’t accept me as a friend. Anyways WIlleke and I look forward to your next vlog and send you love from the Netherlands
Oh Dick! I thought I messaged you last week! Would love to be Facebook friends, I don’t see your request there. I hope you have the right Anne! Happy Friday and sending ❤️ from Maine! -Anne
Wonderful balanced rig.
Reaping the rewards of so much amazing work. Keep on sailing!
great to see the boat sailing in its full glory
Love to see these sailing stories Steve & crew. This is what it was all for, what the years of creativity were in aid of.
So happy to watch you learning to sail. I’m eager to see the jib set!
So glad to see you getting into the true cruising world. ❤
I hope doggy didn't take long to get it's sea legs and not getting sea sickness. I know its an all knew experience and hope doggy it adjusting well! Love you guys!
He’s really taken to it right away. Loves to be with Steve 24/7!
Glad to see the smiles and relaxed crew! Aqua-therapy changes your life!
Congratulations, Steve! New sailors on their beautiful new boat- so nice to see one man's dream come true!
Loved the entire build series and you sure made 1 heck of a beautiful boat. Mya she be a great home and may the wind always be at your back
Look at you two (three) sailing!
Way to go!
Your boat is sailing nicely . Good sail balancing.
What a great video! Great sailing Arabella! Ben we appreciate ALL that you do, Thanks All!
It's nice to see you sorting your way through the little details that might lead to complications whenever you're out on the water.
Love seeing the enjoyment starting to really show
It's so good to see you start to relax into your new life. Can see the stress of launch ebbing away.