Single-handed to the Azores & my series drogue deployment!
HTML-код
- Опубликовано: 23 сен 2020
- This is my account of my first single-handed offshore passage from the Canary Islands to the Azores.
Once lockdown had ended in July 2020 I got on the first flight to Gran Canaria to see what state the boat was in after 7 months left unattended.
A few days of prep and she was ready to sail! I set off with the intention to sail first to Madeira and rest there for a couple of days whilst some bad weather blew through, and then carry on to the Azores. However, since I couldn't quite point high enough to get to Madeira, I decided to carry on directly to the Azores.
The bad weather turned into a sustained 45kts and abnormally high breaking waves for the wind strength, caused by large swell from northern Spain and an acceleration effect from Madeira. I ripped the main sail whilst reefing and it meant I couldn't heave-to. Then a broken down engine meant I couldn't make safe progress to windward. If I ran of before the wind and waves then I'd loose a lot of ground South West into the Atlantic and with no main or engine I'd potentially not make it up to the Azores at all. I decided to use the Jordan Series Drogue.
Vessel: Seastream 43
(Falmouth built)
I've been an (Austrian) skipper since 2005 and have been watching videos on RUclips since then. I also know many sailors who tell a lot in the pub, but are in the harbor at 4 Beaufort and cannot be woken up. For me, your video is the best of a single-handed sailor I've seen since. Honest, solution-oriented and personable. Congratulations ...
Oh Yes ~ Lots of Sailors like that
What nationality skipper were you in 2004? ;-)
Agree with everyone - you've done a brilliant job single-handed with all the dramas you had. Inspirational mate, thank you.
Nice to see someone with head protection. I was only talking to my son about this subject this morning.
i was lockes down in the caribbean, st martin. i sailed direct to the azores july 2020.had perfect sailing all the way, 32 days in a 26 footer
I have to be honest. I am envious of your lovely boat. Good speed and fair winds .
Excellent video! Well done. I can't talk myself into buying the J drogue, but maybe I should give it a rethink. Shame about the torn sail. Hope it was easily repaired. (For the record, on my first solo trip to the Azores 4 years ago, I was visited by a gale as well, and lost my engine (diesel bug) and ripped the luff on my mainsail as well. :-) Many valuable lessons learned on that passage --- as I am sure you did as well.) Keep going!
Thanks Patrick. Is the issue with the JSD storage or cost? If cost then there are some kits you can make yourself that look like nice rain day projects. For storage they are rather bulky I must say. I'm fortunate to have a sail locker that I can stand up in.
Patrick Laine Patrick, I’m with you on the Jordan Series Drogue. While promoted as scientifically designed , and approved by the
US coast guard, I failed to see any real science in the design .
Not only is it expensive, its very bulky and takes up a lot of space , and it is hard to retrieve. Also I heard some of them were destroyed once deployed.
I’m going to ‘ cowboy’ it with anchor chain, buoyant fenders , 3 strand anchor rode, some buckets and a plan to deploy them. DIY. Stuff I would have on board anyway.
@@edwardfinn4141 the difference between towing warps with various things attached, particularly fenders, is the ability of the JSD to sink and then rise in a uniform way. So when a steep waves approaches you accelerate and then slow down as the drogue line rises to the surface. With a warp you could put too much stuff out and slow yourself down too much or shock load. I wouldn’t also assume that warps with all sorts attached would be easier to retrieve.
Patrick, and Chasing Contours, the fenders add flotation to the chain, as the boat speeds up and slows down the chain will straighten out then sink, thus taking up the slack in the warp, rather like a coil spring. . And then there are the cost and space issues.
Patrick
You might like to watch the most recent videos of “ Sailing Triteria” which is also linked to ‘Sailor James”
James is a heck of a guy , even though his appearance may be a bit disconcerting for old guys like us, haha.
Anyway James sailed his little Alberg 30 with a busted rudder 1100 miles to Hawaii.
He thinks the Jordan Series drogue is not appropriate for steering…
He is a very capable guy with plenty of boat building / repairing skills…
He used a small sea anchor/ drogue , and a Spinnacker pole to steer his boat that 1100 miles.
Dude that was so well done! You stayed calm did what was necessary and made it all happen. Great to see the effectiveness of series drogue and recovery. Nice boat too. Enjoy your time in the Azores. :)
Thanks for video and descriptions, congratulations from a lonely sailor on Adriatic sea......
Very neat to see someone actually uses a drogue in a real situation and then show retrieving it. Great video...fair winds.
Excellent video! Thanks for sharing your experience with the drogue, relating your safety measures by trailing a fender, fixing the engine and bonus points for having a spare main!
Fantastic effort, you are an absolute breath of fresh air to watch and great quality filming work. Loved your safety sense and the fact you don’t overdramatise anything. Nice section on the drogue and a good call. This is what a sailing channel should look like, fair winds ⛵️
Thanks for the info and first class demonstration of drogue deployment and personal safety measures. Great video, well done.
Great job. Well presented and narrated with display of some good skills and creative thinking. Safe travels.
Great video, thanks for sharing your experience and knowledge, looking forward to watching more, I wish you safe travels ahead ⚓⛵
Fabulous video. Never really knew how to do this in a storm. Wow. Thank you.
What an awesome video: this has it all. Good on you, mate! Subscribed!
Lots of valuable experience packed into this video!
This is a very good informative video. Thanks for filming and sharing it man, good learning for me
Very good video and series -- thanks for sharing your passage-making.
A great video of your journey. And what fantastic shot to finish on.
Extremely informative video. Thanks!
"Why have I got a fat fender in the ly in the water with a mooring line attached to in?" 15:06. I hope I'll have the same level of sense and reasoning regarding security when I'll be doing a solo! Great job!
Haha glad you appreciated that.
robin knox-johnson used the same trick on his round the world trip last century :) ... but the neat additional trick was having the ability to clip on to the warp...just in case a nasty little gust of wind pops up out of nowhere and leaves you floating nowhere ...
Cheers and All The Best to a seasoned captain that used his sailing skills in all those conditions. Thanks for sharing the use of the Jordan Series Drogue. It was
Big value in this video, thank you.
great voyage bringing up remembrances 🙏fair winds
Great film and experience for us all
Nice video. Excellent problem solving.
Lovely video, really enjoyed it!
Congrats on a successful passage,I enjoyed the ride 👍
loved it!! super interesting, and fun way to learn and discover a lot trhough your video :-) thanks!
Excellent adventure!
Well what a great film.
Amazing video thank you for sharing
Great job i really enjoyed how much information you explained throughout the video. Alot of sailing videos show them making coffee at some point with a ton of ads then they beg at the end for us to support them . You have alot of diversity with the camera angles and a great attitude 👍👍
great video, thanks for that 👍
Great video, nice editing, fun and interesting to watch. Keep it up!
Yep. It’s been said. Great work documenting the realities of blue water cruising. I’m subscribed.
Great video, inspiring!
Awesome, you got a new subscriber. I hope to see more from your adventure soon. Well done. Cheers.
I can't understand guys going on trips like this without a pussy accompanying them. Its so nice eating it while the storm is raging outside. I sometimes take 2 with me on trips. Short or long distance. And they also do the cooking !
Well done, new Subscriber. Nice boat....good review of Jordan SD deploy and recovery.....made mine but have not used in anger yet!
Thx, Andrew
I was quite impressed by your camera man ability. You manage to choose very interesting views so it is quite enjoyable for a viewer to watch your videos. I subscribed.
Wow, that boat is awesome. It looks like it was a very high end boat originally, and still is! Engine access is great, the cockpit enclosure is great, the hull design with an almost full keel and rudder on skeg is perfect, water and fuel capacities are great, even the wheel has some thought into it. I love your boat! Great video, thank you for your hard work in creating it.
Edit: and you play guitar, definitely subscribed! I shouldn't worry about my guitar drying out on a sailboat, right:)
Great account of good seamanship in a hairy situation.
Very good men 💪
Loved this Tim! It looked like things got a bit hairy at times but congrats on first offshore single handed passage. Look forward to more videos like this. Would be great to catch up with you in the not too distant future. ATB Johnny
Are you still in London Johnno?
Sorry dude, just seen this. No moved out last year thankfully! Now in Dorset - close to Bournemouth / Christchurch do you ever get down this way on the boat?
I just have to say a well done video , yes one that truly enjoyed watching . It was interesting to see that J drogue in action . I also have a drogue , but not that make and happy to say I have never deployed it as of yet. Sorry to see that main rip like that, I do hope it was repairable and not rotted through out the sail.
Robert
North Star
Thanks. Yeah repaired but I do worry it’s a little weak... perhaps uv damage.
Exsellent 😀
Excellent video, Tim, informative, interesting and professionally produced. Thank you for posting this.
The key take away - use the series drogue, it has no salvage value.
Thanks for the comment! Yes I was very glad I had it and took time to install it properly. I just wish I had my go-pro running when I deployed it. I remember when I took the decision to use it. Stood in the dark with waves crashing on the beam, I looked around for it for a couple of seconds and thought… safety first! Haha
I have a storm drogue . Never had to use it. But it has a thin trip line that’s attached to the narrow end of the cone which makes it easy to retrieve.
Yes that can work for a single drogue but not a series drogue. It’s been tried and causes problems when deployed and also doesn’t aid retrieval due to the length. Mine is 130 cones and perhaps 80-100m in length although I’ve never measured it.
Congrats. I hope to join the ranks one day soon.
Thanks for adding how you were able to obtain internet information. Many others who travel the seas do not include those details. How do you like the windvane ? Would you recommend it?
Funny...but while you were doing the onion thing...my lawnmower started☺
Hat off to you for wearing the helmet. sensible safety precautions
Good vid and information. I’ll have to get one of those drogues but first up is a (zylis?) manual food processor!
Yep it’s a Zylis!
Hey well done! Nice shots love your boat what is she? Reminds me a bit of my endurance 35
Great video! Love how safety conscious you are while completing tasks.. I really like your SV.. What make , model and size is it?.. I didn't see a walk thru in your videos
Hi... thanks for the comments. It’s a Seastream 43.
When I bought my boat, it broke lol, so we missed the weather window..... I wish I knew as much 3 weeks ago as I do today...😂😂😂 we hit 3 squals that were 30-40kt which cost me 3 days because I had to hide...my main kept tearing
Good idea with the fender aft - but i will quickly run pass if it blows more than 4 sec/m - use it myself when i sail singelhand and the rudder is fixed with rope (i have no automatic steering device)
Good work and nice vid. Would suggest that you have the fat fender and the long rope dragging if you decided to take a swim alone again. you will never know when suddenly the wind pics up and the boat drifts away.
Great job ! What kind of ship do you sail?
Great video, thanks for sharing, you seemed to be extremely calm and just dealt with issues when they arose. Could I ask about the electric winch handle I have never seen anything like that before and would be interested in any details you could share. Thanks !
Hi... the one I have a Winchrite which is specifically designed for the job but a better option is a a Milwaukee M18 volt or M28 volt right angle drill with a specific winch bit attached. This way it is more powerful and you can have several batteries charged and in standby. I use mine for singlehanding for various jobs that would otherwise be exhausting or difficult.
One of the best "sailing" RUclips vids I've seen in a looong time. Your explanations of methods and reasoning in the midst of a rather uncomfortable position with wind, sea state and downed engine were excellent. Don't get me wrong, I as much as any youtube viewer (I watch about 40 RUclips sailing channels) love watching happy bikini covered couples and their friends experiencing the fruits of the cruising life, but I primarily watch to learn. And, I did learn something from your efforts. What kind of drogue was it? I'm in the market for one. Funny ending with the self stated goals, I get it.
Thanks. It’s a Jordan Series Drogue by a company called Ocean Brake in the UK
I really like your video and your single-handed project, and in particular you showing the series drogue in use. Btw, was it "Little Submarine" song you are playing on the guitar? ;) Looking forward to seeing more videos from you, take care!
To me you did this the hard way.
On my drough. I have an extra rope attached to the ver end of the drough.
This pulls the very end in first. Taking out the load of each parachute.
Or alternatively you could slowly motor backwards and pull in by hand as this will also take the load out of the parachutes.
As far as having a line trailing you won't hang on for long. You really need the yacht to turn up ie stop.
Tying a trip line to a 100m series drogue doesn’t work. It’s been tried. Firstly it can tangle the drogue and parachutes and if you put a float on it then it prevents the drogue from sinking between each wave.
People have also tried reversing and ended up with it in their prop. When singlehanded that would be difficult.
@@ChasingContours Hello
The retrieval line I use is a float line. As the parachutes and weights are well below.
This float line also tells me where my drough is.
Single handing does make it a little bit more complicated.
But as I said slowly reversing.
On my boat the throttle is very close from where I stand to retrieve.
Good man. Fantastic . All these " I live on a boat videos " that are actually a load of shit! You are the real deal, please keep up the good work my friend 👍🏴☠️
Haha thanks for the straight up comment! We’ve actually just had a baby so boat is ashore now for a short while. Now living in a camper van for a year and then back to the boat :)
I see Patrick was watching this as well - I am doing research so thanks very much - a really good video and very interesting. Lovely boat, nice set up as well - is that a hydrovane? I’ve got one on my Christmas list (e.g. I’ve saved for several years to afford one :)). Cheers.
Yeah Hydrovane :)
I was split between a windpilot and hydrovane but in the end being able to mount it off centre won me over
What's the size of the cutter?..43 ft . The name?.shadow fax..how did you acquire it? From where are you sailing? Brave move to come out of the storm. Good inspiration for when I'm gonna do my solo
Excellent video! Would you mind describing how you deployed the drogue? Did you gradually let it go out in a controlled manner, if so how? Thanks a lot.
It was in a large dry bag. Once i threw the weight on the end overboard I just let it go. It unravelled from the bag smoothly. I didn’t want to be anywhere near it once it started to go. Imagine if you caught something in it!!!
Great stuff! Where do you carry your tender?
It’s folded and stowed in a locker for long passages.
Great video - thanks for sharing. I often wondered whether using the engine in slow reverse would help the retrieval process (obviously you'd have to be careful not to foul the prop)? Fair winds ~~~~_/) ~~~~
What boat is that? Looks spacious inside.
Found out off your website. SeaStream 43 MKIII Cutter.
Great maniobras! Could you please tell me wich Boat you have?
Seastream 43, built in Falmouth, UK
Great video 👍🏻
Nice sailboat ⛵️, what is the size and brand?
Take care 🇨🇦 🇧🇷
Seastream 43. 1996. Approx displacement 17t
@@ChasingContours thanks for replying. I wish you the best winds.
how did u get the wind forecast computer app output? did you manage to get some internet connection?
Satellite connection via an Iridium Go using the software Predict Wind Offshore.
Me 100 miles in "Turning back, I forgot my sunglasses!"
A question if you don't mind about your drogue design. Isn't there supposed to be a dedicated retrieval line which runs from the end of the series back to the boat? It is designed to collapse the cones effectively when it is time to haul in. Help make retrieval less strenuous. Isn't there one?
No because the end has a 15 kg weight which makes it sink. A retrieval line would mess up the function of the drogue. It would work on a normal drogue. People have tried with the JSD and it just fails
Great video.
What is your boat type and size?
Seastream 43
What type of camera and try pod do you use that moves with the motion? Fantastic watching you use the drogue.
It’s just a little travel tripod which either my phone or gopro can attach to. A gorilla pod if I recall. It doesn’t have a gimbal to counter the motion.
@@ChasingContours Thanks for the answers. I love your vids as it is just pure sailing. I also love watching an airies in action. When ever we were sailing it was not just a way to steer the boat but a comfort to a tired crew.
@@dulls8475 thanks. We don’t have an Aeries. Ours is a Hydrovane.
@@ChasingContours Sorry I had been watching a few yacht blogs that night so must have got confused.
Which boat is this?
Seastream 43. Falmouth built.
How did you build up to doing this passage? A whole series of short coastal passages? Years of previous experience. I just got my RYA Day Skipper qualification and looking to buy a Beneteau First 285 but afraid it's too lightweight? Enjoying the video as it had everything in it, except that whale !
Hi George. My first boat was a First 26. I remember I was daunted owning it but soon I became confident in it after sailing 2 years along the coast. I then got this 43ft boat and again I was nervous as it was so huge and heavy. Then it became part of me in the sense I knew exactly how it handled and that it felt like my right hand.
After that it’s just the confidence to sail alone which can easily be practiced along the coast on day sails. But remember that sailing along the coast is much more difficult than offshore. Only offshore it’s more physiologically different. At least off shore you can sleep!
@@ChasingContours So is First 285 unable to get round the world and do adventurous things?
@@georgecumming760 I would certainly not go offshore on a First 285. Definitely not around the world. I’m sure it would be possible and you might be ok but such a small light boat would not be fun in force 7+ conditions and you can guarantee at some point. You’ll see force 9 if you sail around the world.
To be totally honest with you I wouldn’t do any adventurous sailing in a Beneteau even if it were 40ft. They’re built to a cost, very light and not build for heavy weather.
To cross the Atlantic from East to West sure it’s no problem but I would not want to do the North Atlantic, Pacific & Indian Ocean in a small Beneteau.
BTW plexiglass window covers on?
10mm Polycarbonate yep :)
I would not swim alone in that water. We always had a shark watch when swiming in deep open water.
really important technical question...name and make of the onion chopping thingy??
Yeah super important one that! Zyliss Easy Pull :)
@@ChasingContours ps whole video was x-rated, x for excellent...thanks!
@@stephanczapiewski3078 Thanks :)
The bridle setup for chafe looked really good. Your comments about the behavior of the SD and seeing the bridle going slack in the video might indicate too little weight connected to the drogue. How much weight did you add?
And dead wind afterwards? Yuck!
Hi. I had the recommended weight for that size of drogue which was around 15kg. I’ve heard that the bridle can go clack between waves and in some case over shoot the stern slightly. I was a little concern about this which is why you can see a short lanyard hanging off my davits. I hoped it would stop the bridle from going under the rudder for my Hydrovane.
@@ChasingContours Self-steering rudders and pendulums can be damaged by drogues. There's a video here on RUclips of a chap launching one in the Southern Ocean only to have it damage his pendulum, forcing him to hand steer for days afterwards. That was during launch, though.
How long did it take your cockpit to drain after being swamped?
Umm maybe around 2 minutes. That’s a totally guess to be honest but I’ve got two quite large drainage pipes leading through to the transom.
@@ChasingContours A rough guess is fine! I'm just working on upgrading my drains to reduce it from about 40 minutes to 4 minutes, but I've also been wondering about adding scuppers to my coamings to reduce it further. It was interesting to hear about a swamping with the drogue in place - something I've thought about but not heard of until you mentioned it.
@@TammyNorie yeah being “pooped” is a common thing under a JSD. As important is the strength of your companionway. I’ve got strong washboards so it’s not an issue.
@@ChasingContours A very good point and another thing on my list. My (original) washboards are only held out by a channel of hardwood, so I have a plan for something more oceanworthy braced against the fibreglass. Many thanks for the useful video!
What is the boat, size etc.
Seastream 43. 17 tonnes.
Good idea to have a helmet aboard for precarious situations. Banging the head hard is probably the worst scenario after falling overboard, especially if sailing singlehanded, which I often do.
Gorgeous boat! What make and model is it?
Seastream 43
@@ChasingContours Did you do her up yourself? She looks in incredible nick
@@db2003 I've tried to keep on top of things over the last 5 or so years but I think I'm loosing! I think a more major refit will be required at some point perhaps.
@@ChasingContours well just an awesome video. It's your life, but if we can all persuade you on some more videos like this, ie: longer, would be much appreciated mate. Thanks from locked down Sussex
@@db2003 Oh gosh I'd love to but its just time I suppose. On my site you may notice a page called Chasing Change.
www.chasing-contours.com/chasing-change/
There is a video there I did in India and I have some others to edit for some charities / good causes I'm working with.
I was considering starting a kind of episode thing like the other big channels do but I'm just not sure I have the time to keep it going on a weekly basis.
The next one I plan to film is the project of preparing the boat for Svarlbard but most of that will be fitting out stuff and not actually sailing.
I should really try and do a film from Norway in 2017. I'm actually do a talk on that with the OCC on February 18th. I think anyone can register for it. It'll be on Zoom and around 2 hours live with Q&A. Will cover sailing, skiing, climbing and some other adventurous stuff :)
Interesting times on the sea 😉 what boat are u sailing, oyster?
SeaStream 43
question - do you think recover of serial drogue would be any easier is you had a line attached to the far-end and wrenched that into the boat to take load of the whole 'system' ?
You mean on the actual end? It’s not really possible as you’d have to retrieve it and to do that it would have to float which would prevent the end from sinking which is required for it to work correctly.
There's too much danger of the retrieval line getting tangled/snarled around the SD during deployment or use. It's a constant problem with parachute drogues that have them fitted, so that many sailors prefer not to use a retrieval line, even though it can make them as hard to retrieve as a SD.
Heaving to should have been the preferred option. Exposing your cockpit to seas is the fastest way to destabilize or to sink a boat.
Heavin to is less strenuous option.
Not so easy heaving to without a main. Additionally the JSD is seen by many now as the most stable storm tactic. Heaving to is ok to a point but not in dangerous breaking seas. One wave can knock you off your 45 degree heading and then a following breaking wave can knock you down before you’re boat recovers.
what is the boat?
SeaStream 43
I wonder how often someone falls off on a solo sail... That's my only fear about sailing, other than having to do all the maintenance on the boat lol
so, going solo, any doubt on the weather, wear a harness, clip on to either a ring by the hatch before going into the cockpit or jackline if leaving the cockpit...and have a line dangling over each side to allow you to pull down some rope steps on either side...
really enjoyed you video and you must be on to great things to have comment from the legendary Patrick Laine
I just noticed you haven't uploaded any videos in a while. Hopefully everything is okay!
Our daughter came along! We might be going back into the boat in Spring. Won’t be until she’s around 4 until we go long distance again I imagine though.
Smart dude. If I could donate a scone... I would.
Congrats on a good passage. That is a lot of boat for single handed sailing. I'm not a fan of drogues. Putting a drogue over the stern is asking for trouble. Effectively you are making the boat go astern relative to the seas. Yachts are so totally not hydrodynamically designed to go astern. In worse conditions than you were facing I have used heavily reefed main and jib, or storm sails on a close reach. If the seas are exceptional then just enough sail to keep her moving forwards with enough power not to get knocked beam on. Drogues kill the boats ability to respond. And, they are better with trip lines. Hey, but thanks for sharing this great video.
If I had a main I’d have kept sailing or heave to. If I’d had another helmsman I could have run before the wind and waves but not alone for 30 hours. A JSD doesn’t make you go astern it just slows you down and prevents uncontrollable surfing.
Disagree, over the stern the wave pushes you forward, over the bow pushes you astern and potentially damage your rudder
What kind of boat-type is the boat?
Seastream 43, built in Falmouth, UK
@@ChasingContours Very fine ship; Whats the name of the boatyard;? The boat-type seems rather seldom?!?
Best regards;
@@hansguenter6263 the Yard was Seastreams own. But the owner didn’t know a helicopter accident in 2003 and then the designer died in 2012 so no no more are built.
@@ChasingContours Oh what a pitty;! Such a wonderful boat;! Thanks for infos;!
Puts the small boat sailors ( 5 to 7 metres) like Rodger Taylor, jake Kavanar into perspective who have done all this and much more without all the electronics , internet and electric winches!
Sure. I mean you go with the tools you’ve got and this is my home. I had a smaller 26ft before and in some ways the simplicity made things much more straightforward particularly in heavy wind. But equally the big boat gives confidence... sometimes too much, hence leaving it too late to reduce sail, resulting in it ripping.
I do believe a small but strong boat can be equally safe in heavy weather when equipped with good equipment and experience to us it and make sound judgements. It’s also easier to increase the relative strength of a rig, chainplates and sails on a small boat.
@@ChasingContours hope you have more interesting cruising
@@Cyrusmagi we’ve just had a child so it’s going to be less interesting for a couple of years and then we’ll crack on to Senegal. Then we need to decide if we’ll go to the Pacific via Patagonia or Panama. The latter has the advantage of going north to Alaska but Patagonia obviously has its own attractions. Might depend on which we feel is best for our daughter 🧐
@@ChasingContours i dont suppose its all plain sailing! Good times and some stressful. But your fulfilling a different way for a while. It beats the humdrum way of life of many but perhaps not for ever.
think of the drouge as a reverse sail