I had been thinking of this remedy for quite a while but thought if it would really work, it would have been commercially made long ago. Finally, I had enough hassle in rough weather and decided to do the modification.
I am working toward retiring and cruising in about two years. I have found a lot of sailing RUclips channels that are entertaining and maybe a little informative. I appreciate that your videos emphasize the sharing of your experiences and wisdom to help us learn to cruise and take care of our boat.
comments. I have so appreciated everyones support during the last few difficult years... Thanks for watching...Hope you still are... abd thanks for your comments
Just a thought from experience. If a flare does not engage as expected, be extremely cautious of how you dispose of the flare. I learned this the hard way in Vietnam fifty years ago and twice on my boat since then. We fired three dated flares just to see if we should keep the batch for secondary backup. One did not engage. The flare was set aside for later disposal...twenty minutes later it engaged and all hell broke out. My thought from experience...tie the flare off with cordage and throw it over board for later correct disposal. Great video, thanks for your contribution to the sailing community.
Thanks for your caution. In reality, when that cheap Chinese made flare did not fire, I dropped it into the ocean. As a precaution, I did not want it sitting on our boat. I could imagine something like you are saying happening. That would be a disaster. Thanks for your comment.
Like the reef hook idea! We tie the tack with a Dyneema pennant making a similar setup to your second reef. With the flare guns, sorry, flare launcher, we will test ours out when we are on the high seas and no one is around. We have thought about using the flare launcher as a deterrent of pirates on the African coasts, but have never actually tested it! We will try it out next time we are truly alone ;)
I am seeing a lot of questions pertaining to how they knew they were pirates? I'm not certain. However having, "Not Read the article!". I believe two of the presumed pirates" had patches over one eye!? Haha great story Mr Childress. Thank you for sharing it.
Thanks! Was just about to toss out all my 1997 Pains Wessex flares....keep tripping on the box! But they now have a new life! Good video, reffing information will be appropriate for many new sailors/ cruisers just stepping away from marinas or home shores. Andrew
Andrew, any time I hear there is a life raft repacking facility we will be near, I try to stop in and pick up a bag full of expired flares they are happy to get rid of.
I keep 25mm flares guns scattered in handy places around the boat and have had to use them twice. They re-think their idea when one drops on the deck. This was between Panama and Cabo San Lucas
About deck drain. You can use them to fill water in your tank. Route the drain hose as a goose neck, inn the botom of the goose neck fit a T piece with a valve to water tank. Keep this Valve shut. In heavy rain let rig, sail deck rinse the salt off, then open the Valve to fill water tank.
As a former US Coast Guard safety instructor, I always told my students to keep their old flares, unless they are sweating. In an emergency, use the older flares first, unless you are in visual range of a potential rescue.
What a great back story on how Patrick met Rebecca - spoiler - I had already read about it but it is super cool to hear it from Patrick! More great tips. Thanks! Fair Winds Brick House!
Thank you for the video. I think I will keep my old flares from now on. Need to get some of these handheld ones. All I got is the ORION gun kind. Keep them coming.
We have a friend who used his Orion to keep a S.E. Asian, harassing, boat at a distance. Eventually though, it was his long, thin, polypropylene line that wrapped the prop of the boat and stopped them dead in the water. All the while his wife was calling Mayday on the VHF but no one responded. He never explained to me why he was only firing over the boat and not trying to land the flare on its deck.
I thought that looked like a Valiant 40, beautiful boat. I like the scuppers, they seem to work very well. I seem to recall the side decks on my friend's Valiant being a little damp all the time.
Tench, thanks for the comment. I just put up a video tour of the deck and cockpit of the Valiant 40. It will be first in the list at Patrick Childress Sailing.
Very good advise. Please go to the link in the video description which will take you to the magazine article, which is on our blog site. It will describe how the situation unfolded. I allowed too much for a local fishermans custom and that gave these guys the ability to get much closer than I would have ever, otherwise, allowed.
One reason the Pirates were probably scared by you shooting flares is that they often carry lots of extra fuel to stay out further and longer. Once you demonstrated how you would defend yourself, they decided to find an easier target rather than risk getting hit by a flare and burning/exploding. A buddy of mine was in the US Navy and had some ocean pirate encounters, and he told of the absolutely horrible conditions on their vessels - some of which they destroyed.
Good point for others to note. Also, I was wearing safety glasses although that is not shown. Additionally, it would have been best to wear safety gloves.....although no flare manufacturer makes any suggestion to do so.
best sailing couple story ever! I get so tired of priviledged guys who drag women along on their adventures and never feel even slightly compelled to even pretend that she is an equal partner in all the logistics ($$$) that it takes to live like that, or has any life goals other than following him around (and maybe having babies, mostly off camera). She's a real sailor too, and it's her boat, and you're not afraid to tell us. My girlfriend and I are currently studying for our SKS licences in Germany. Hope you two are still around when we finally get our boat.
You got more chance to get assault in any big city ,then Pirates in the Ocean...95% of the time it's fishers men who approach you , to try to sell they'r fish just caught super fresh :)
You are exactly right Chris. Isn't it odd all the yahoos who see the word pirate and immediately think pulling out their own assault rifle and heavy fire to wipe out a perception. Obviously not people who know much about sailing or the cruising life. There is a link in the video description which fully explains this situation and how it was allowed to evolve into a close encounter.
On another site I just found this interesting "pirate" encounter and how they scared them off: "Came across a similar situation when I was sailing off the coast of Brazil up to the Caribbean with my son. Had to improvise as at the time the guys in question were visibly armed (AK's from what we could see) and motoring along in a skiff towards us. I took a couple of our spear guns, cut the reel line on them both and taped a marine flare to the other one. Fired at their fuel tank to try and pop it open, before popping the flare on the second spear and firing it into their boat. Created utter panic and they fucked off. Their boat didn't catch fire, but it was pretty obvious what I was attempting to do and they freaked the fuck out. My son still tells the story with relish to this day, but i still don't think he has a true idea of how screwed we would have been if they had boarded us."
Patrick, over the years, I have found that experienced RUclips producers give up on getting into lengthy arguments / discussions with commenters. Believe me, it's a waste of time. I've found your channel to be far more helpful than most. Please keep up the great work and concentrate your efforts on production rather than these endless exchanges with armchair sailors.
I would put a genuine climbing carabiner under that bolt as the hook. Spring-loaded clasp ready and waiting and you could slowly and carefully bend it back (with heating if necessary) so it's where you need it.
I have to agree with the burn out. After being a corp yacht captain and long range deliveries since the mid 70's, I tired. I ran the Eastern Pacific, n &sans 170 east.
It was once fun, getting paid to sit on an airplane and fly somewhere tropical to then sail a nice boat across an ocean. How could that get tiring? But it did. Even fun can get a little old. But it was all part of a good basis and education for doing these videos....But what is the motivation for doing these videos? None. Just for fun.
comments. I have so appreciated everyones support during the last few difficult years... Thanks for watching...Hope you still are... abd thanks for your comments
I would guess the low flare trajectory looks more like a firearm and is more intimidating, even if it falls short. A high flying flare looks like a flare and less mysterious.
You could be right. If there should be a next time, I want a better idea of the proper trajectory to use. 45 degrees is just too much and 10 degrees is too little.
A launching tube for the flare round would help. All you gotta do is land one in their boat and That would be a game changer. Always carry when on the high seas. AR15 is a great rifle to have onboard or a lever action 30-30 would shoot through their vessel.
I was able to get the admin. Rebecca, of WhereIsBrickHouse.com to rearrange things so you can view the PDF directly or enter your email address to have the PDF sent to you. I just tried copying and pasting into word and that worked but then zoomed in sufficiently to read the words. It should print out good enough in that view. Let me know if there are any complications for you.
I have seen skippers linking the reefing hooks with the spinnaker pole support on the main mast to keep The reef cringle from falling out of the hook....yours is a better idea, and more permanent.
Hi Patrick, just found your channel. Subbed, many thanks for the interesting content. Re anti-pirate measures ... everyone will have their own methods, a subject for an entire episode on its own! With an operational background in the British navy, I’ve just one cautionary message about the use of time-expired pyros ... from my professional knowledge they do become unstable over time. Instability can result in unpredictable results in use. There are documented examples of injuries resulting from misfired pyros ... hands burned, that sort of thing. For what it’s worth, whether for anti-piracy or any other purposes, I’d recommend that people avoid using time-expired pyros. Even the great quality ones made in England! Thanks for reading ... go well, sail well. Enjoy your sailing life ... Roy
Thanks for subbing Roy. That is valuable info about expired flares learned from your Navy back ground. Others will read this and be cautioned by it. I was very uncertain about the failed Huahai flare so put it deep into a bucket of water, just in case. Other anti pirate methods is a very hot topic....too hot for me.
Roy, one other poster had concerns about out of date flares. I want to post my reply to him, here, so these serious concerns get proper attention. Des, Thank you for your valuable information. I hope everyone reads your comment. I did not show it in the video but I was wearing safety glasses. I had thought about wearing safety gloves but should have. I recently checked the Pains-Wessex site and could not find any warnings about out of date flares, which I am surprised at that. In 2006, there was a terrible incident where an in date white flare backfired and caused severe injury to the person setting off the flare. Pains-Wessex recalled not only that batch of flares but all white flares of that model. I really did not trust that failed Huahai flare so dropped it into a bucket of water. Doing more research on flares, on the internet, there is a person selling out of date parachute flares to be used as toys....and over land. That is a forest fire that will happen. Being accosted by the bad guys in S.E. Asia is a definite problem and what is the deterrent one can carry on a sailboat without causing major legal problems for themselves is the conundrum we face. I have one cruising friend who waved off a menacing boat in the Melaka Straights, by firing several rounds from his Orion flare launcher. Those rounds were out of date, but such a launcher is illegal in some if not all, S.E. Asian countries so the new rounds are impossible to get. If I ever have to fire off an expired flare again, it will certainly be a newer flare and your warning is well etched in my memory, and hopefully in other cruisers who read this.
I fully agree with you....but there are complications that go along with just carrying such things on board a cruising boat. In many countries, just a simple plastic Orion flare launcher is illegal so you can imagine the headaches of having a real, worth while, rifle or pistol on board and the terrible mud pit one falls into for using it, at least in territorial waters. We have a friend who was at anchor in the Philippines with her husband. The heavily armed bad guys approached their boat in a high speed boat and were on board in a blink. Even if the cruisers had arms, it would have done them no good unless they carried them around the boat with them in a holster. They might have been able to get off a shot but then they would have been immediately shot themselves. In that part of the world, it is worth laying down a heavy wall of defense at any high speed boat approaching your cruising sailboat. It took many months but they were eventually released. It was a terrible ordeal. We know another German couple who were abducted from their boat in the Philippines. Actually, she never made it off the boat as she emerged into the cockpit with a pistol in her hand. She never got off a shot before being killed by a single bullet. He was eventually beheaded when the ransom was not paid. As it says in the article, the people we encountered did not leave shore to be pirates. These people were fishermen who saw a soft target and went in pursuit. Their minds were changed pretty quickly. There are different sorts of pirates in different parts of the world. We are not the only cruisers who have used flares to deter the bad guys. I put a link in the video description to the article. .
Wow!! I've only cruised the Caribbean and the east coast of the US. Had a couple sketchy boats come up on us in the middle of the night, radar sees them coming. No radio contact with approaching vessel, one open water shot has turned around a few. Great video and very informative!!!
He has been at it a long time and has some classic designs....but I do not always agree with some of the things he has done and continues to do. But that is a topic for a different post...except you can see his lack of side deck drainage on the Valiant 40.
@@RVLifeNOW Yes, I can say after meeting him he would agree he is far from perfect...HA! Just seems to do his thing the best he can, just seems to have a passion for it. I enjoyed meeting him and am looking forward to learning from him- and you! Cheers!
@@howtosailoceans1423 If I had known years ago that I would one day make videos, I would have made movies of some of the things I saw happen, and did not happen, at life raft inspections. There are very good raft inspectors and then, like in one shop in Malaysia, very bad inspectors. Then there was a raft belonging to a friend, when inflated in a shop, could not hold air for all the long lines of leaks. Next time. I don't blame you at all for not having a life raft. The first time I sailed around the world I did not have one. None of us go out there to sink. The odds are greatly in our favor, especially if one is sailing near the U.S. where a helicopter is generally near by. I have watched enough repackings of life rafts to see the price for the inspection far exceeds the value. And some of those cheaper "coastal" model rafts are nothing more than plastic toys.
Interesting, thanks for the input. I've also heard of repacking scams. I remember when my father took his Winslow liferaft in to be re-packed, the thing inflated and then practically took off like a deflating balloon --thank God we never had to use it, we would have all drowned.
I used to work in the flare factory for Pains-Wessex. The name is hyphenated so I’m not sure why you refer the the company as Pains AND Wessex! Great products... very reliable and put through some very rigorous proofing trials during production! Enjoyed the video...
Stephen, I am not sure why either. The first time I said it properly then switched to saying it improperly for the rest of the video. I did not want to go back and refilm the whole thing again. Obviously I have no on screen career past making my home videos. Thanks for pointing it out so other viewers will know the proper way of saying the name. Since you worked at PW, why do you think they assign such a short shelf life when obviously they can work properly years longer?
@@RVLifeNOW Hi Patrick. The reduced lifespan may be because a few years ago in the UK an instructor was demonstrating the use of flares and one of them effectively blew half of his stomach away. Stephen Bradley may know more about the incident, and I'm not even sure who the manufacturer was. The guy was in hospital for something like two years, and will require lifelong treatment. Since then, instructions have been to always fire the flare to one or other side of your body, out of the line of a misfire. Also, wear a heavy glove on the hand holding the flares. Any misfire, such as you had, drop the flare overboard immediately, you have effectively an armed bomb in your hand that could ignite at any time. Don't look at each end as you did, just drop it. Even where you were, you were too far away from medical help to survive if that thing had got hold of you. Many boats are carrying laser flares instead (pretty good defence you can carry with you as well). Don't come to Europe with expired flares, it's a heavy fine, even in countries where it's difficult to get flares (last I was in Portugal, you had to go to Spain to get them) and in the UK there are no disposal facilities for expired flares any more. Even an innocent test firing as you did without notifying the coastguard will get you a severe ear bending. Kudos for you for putting this on here though, many even experienced sailors have probably never seen one fired. Don't count on it as a defence around the Red Sea and East African coast. Even toting a decent gun there won't stop those pirates, and the thought of them being scared, after watching the way they'll even board a supertanker going flat out from a ski boat, is just laughable. Great vid.
Ted, In 2006, there was a terrible incident where an in date, Pains-Wessex, white flare backfired and caused severe injury to the person setting off the flare. Pains-Wessex recalled not only that batch of flares but all white flares of that model. We have friends who have been held hostage for ransom, in the Philippines by the bad guys. Two men, grabbed at the same time did not make it out alive. We also met two Germans who were released from being hostages in Somalia. Against warnings, they went on to sail north east of Borneo and were approached by Philippine bad guys. He and she, did not make it out alive. AK47 toting pirates in very fast boats are a whole different ball game from the opportunistic fishermen in S.E. Asia, or a not so fast mother ship trying to close the gap.
I am interested to know how you determined they were pirates. While cruising I have often been approached in sketchy situations. I predominantly sail solo, and having a speedboat coming along side when I am 125nm offshore is quite nerve wracking. It is almost always bored fishermen looking to trade fish for whatever I can give them. A couple cigars and a handful of hard candies is usually enough to send them on their way with a big smile.
Tattoo, that is part of the long story. We have met fishermen out in the middle of nowhere as they wanted alcohol or other things. These guys were quite different and adamant. Best to go to our blog and read the article. Search "pirates" at www.WhereIsBrickHouse.com Otherwise this would be an incredibly long reply.
@@flyingdutchman6984 One other thing about pirates. We have all heard stories about hooded men in black outfits coming up to a yacht in a speed boat and they turn out to be police or military men on patrol. Our German lady friend, and her husband were captured by Abusayef and held for ransom in the southern Philippines. Our friends boat was approached by men all wearing T-shirts with the word "Police" displayed across the front. Everything happened so fast, even if they had pistols hidden below, there was no time to do anything to protect themselves. Holding an approaching boat at a distance seems the best way to go.
@@RVLifeNOW - I have been in the southern Philippines for a long time, and most of what I could tell you should not be shared on a public forum. A little over a three years ago four people were kidnapped from our marina, and sadly two of them did not survive. Needless to say it is something I think about a lot. I am terribly sorry to hear about your friend's experience. I could have warned them about the black t-shirts with POLICE brazen across the front, but it wouldn't have made any difference. Criminals like the Abu Sayyaf group are desperate to please their masters, heavily armed, and usually high on methamphetamine. Besides having a heavily armed paramilitary person on board there are really very few real world options.
I also keep several out-dated P-W flares and rockets aboard as backup to the 40+ year old, sure fire, mil-surplus euro 26.5mm flares and smokes. AFA reef. hook..... Perhaps a fixed/toggled turning block at/near the bolt and a cleat on the boom?
The only way to stop a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun. You need a high powered semi automatic rifle for everyone on board. Not all pirates are going to be afraid of a flare man, especially when they have such a low success rate....Protect your self and your loved ones with some firepower.
There are times I would certainly agree with you....but we were off of Vietnam, these were fishermen turned pirates of opportunity when they perceived a soft target. It did not take much to change their mind when they saw a rocket coming their way...I was the one heavily armed.
@@vspinkboi Snake, there are again times I would certainly agree with you. I know fire arms well enough. I don't know what sort of sailing you have done but inside the territorial waters of many counties, you shoot someone while defending yourself, you now are the criminal for having an illegal gun and will certainly go to some rat hole prison for a very long time. There is a lot to the equation to consider. These foreign countries and the judicial system is nothing like in the U.S..
@@RVLifeNOW would you rather be in a rat hole prison, someone's slave, or dead? And USN 12 years. Not sailing but close enough. Just trying to be real my friend. Also a good reason to always video record all encounters. I trust you wouldn't ever fire upon someone unless your life or loved ones were threatened. Live long and prosper. 🖖
@@vspinkboi That is all reasonable....but the big thing for most cruisers is to not sail in known professional pirate territory, like near Somalia or now, the southern Philippines. So the "pirates" I know my cruising friends have dealt with are pirates of opportunity who are not armed with firearms. They are fishermen or small cargo boats who perceive a sailboat as a soft target. Those guys are easily burned with a flare or snared with a long thin line that wraps around their prop. This is one reason we do not operate our AIS in some areas. I don't want to advertise our presence to the bad guys but also, if I ever have to become overly aggressive with these guys, I don't want our movements tracked by satellites to show we were in the area at that time. I want no evidence, I don't care how right we are. Far too easily, in these foreign countries, justice can quickly turn against what is perceived to be a rich person living on a sailboat. One day I will do another "Pirate" video but will show the deterrents that are theoretical as well as what has worked in reality. Firearms on yachts is such a hot topic amongst liveaboard cruisers, I will stay away from that aspect. That has to be an individual decision for each boat owner. The bravado yap yap responses I see here are certainly not coming from yacht owners who carry firearms. They speak nothing about it and want no problems with any out of the way country, officials. You don't commit a crime then tell everyone about it.
About pirates there is a German guy that made a crossbow that shoot like 30 bolts in like 10seconds it's powered by a rechargable drill motor. Would that be legal on a boat
Usually crossbows are legal everywhere, but as with any weapon you may be required to give authorities a good reason why you have it. In some countries self-defense is not a valid reason to own a weapon.
I recently made a video compairing hand flares. I too noticed age does not necessarily go hand in hand with the reliability. I know what brand to support in the future too. ;-) The oldest hand flare in my video expired 25 years ago and it was by far the best performer. I don't say you need to store 25 year old flares in your boat, but I do say you might want to have some exra...
I watched your video and commented. Your test and the experiences of others show that flares do have a much longer life than the 3 year period stamped on them. Thanks for posting your helpful comment.
On the scuppers, using a router with a bearing bit to open up the area inside, then filling the void with thickened epoxy will get you much better performance out of that style of scupper. As far as pirates go, someone tries to board my boat they are going to be on the receiving end of fire arrows, a whole lotta fire arrows! Something tells me Pirates don't spend a lot of time worrying about keeping fire fighting equipment onboard.
You are right and these guys were getting very close to having their boat burned. Flares from a tube or a pistol continue to burn even under water for their full duration. On the deck of a wooden fishing boat they would have no way to put out the fire.
Think Captian Ron when Martin Short shoots the flare on deck! Many people don't know this but on navy ships they have had wayward flares burn down through several decks before being controlled and finally extinguished. If it will melt a hole in a battleship, whats it going to do to a wooden or fiberglass boat?
Patrick, rather than reef hooks have you tried a Cunningham? It’s just an S hook attached to a 4:1 tackle with a cam cleat on the bottom pulley. Easy to loop into the reef eye, doesn’t need dog bones, and you don’t have to use the halyard to tension the luff, just cleat the halyard so the reef eye is a few inches high and tension the luff with the 4:1 tackle.
Hi Paul, Yes I have tried that, with the cunningham attached to the ring at the base of the mast. In my situation, it allowed the tack of the reef to be pulled too far aft, away from the mast so something else would have to be tied around the mast to pull the tack forward again. The same problem exists with the hook on the starboard side, tied on with the green line to the gooseneck, but it is not as extreme. So I wonder if you have used a similar method with better results?
Back in the day, I did some yacht cruising in the Caribbean and heard the following story. A family was on a yacht near an uninhabited island in the Bahamas. A private motor vessel approached at a 90-degree angle. Two men were on the bow of the vessel and appeared to be prepared to board the yacht. A third man was in the wheelhouse. The teenage son quickly obtained the new, stainless steel sawed-off shotgun that they had just purchased for such an occasion. The first round got one of the two boarders. The second boarder jumped overboard and a few rounds were pumped into the area where he was last seen. The motor vessel reversed course. The family did not report the incident to the Bahamian government. Bottom line: two more bodies were added to the Caribbean. This event took place during the heavy drug importation in south Flordia and yacht piracy was a known problem.
And events like this dont tell us a thing, thry might have cold blooded murdered those people who might have just wanted to trade liquor or american $$ for fresh fish....then to not report it!!! That in itself is an act of piracy on the highj seas, you canr just start shooting at people..
Hey Patrick Re your starboard hook , can't you get one made,I did 40$ ,realize stainless might be a problem in your area of the world, you can do it. Been down that way ( Kenya Tanzania ) loved it, great people. Keep up the blog's vlogs vids whatever they call em nowadays.
Thanks for motivating me. Now that we are in the big city of Dar Es Salaam, I will give it a try. As you probably know, 316 SS is pretty much nonexistent in these small countries but there is better hope for 304. We have one more week here before moving on to Zanzabar. I will let you know if the people I approach can think in mirror mode and give it the proper curl.
Ahhh, reef rigging. Glad to see I'm not the only sailor who's still searching for the perfect way to deal with that chore. When I first bought my boat it wasn't set-up to reef. AT ALL.. It's a Catalina 30 tall-rig too. It had a stretched out baggy 140% genoa as well. The tall rig option was a short lived PHRF rule dodge back in the 80s that added 20% more sail area to a boat that wasn't designed for it. So the first thing I did was to re-install the single line reefing system that the clueless previous owner had un-rigged. Whereupon I found out why he'd un-rigged it: It had a ton of friction in it, chaffed the main's luff like crazy, and actually powered UP the main because of how baggy the "reefed" sail ended up. Trying to go to weather in anything over 15 knots, even with Genoa reefed put the boat on her ear, and past 18 knots, I had to furl the main entirely and sail by the (baggy) rolled up genoa, which worked, kinda, except for the appalling amount of leeway this created. I almost ran into a moored oil tanker the first time I tried it because I misjudged my slip angle so horribly. (I tacked and avoided that hazard) So that wasn't going to work. Next, I ditched the single line system and embarked on a series of experiments with proper reefing systems - all reffing lines and halyard at the mast, winch to flatten the foot and luff etc. I don't understand why people are afraid to leave the cockpit to reef. Upwind, I tuck the first reef into the main at around 12 knots true - for comfort and composure more than anything else. That combined with head-sail reefing (I had the genoa re-cut down to a 100% working jib and had some foam sewn into the luff so It would stay nice and flat down to 80% ) will take me up to around 20 knots before I have to leave the cockpit for the last time short of anything over a full gale to tuck-in the second and very deep set of reef points I had put in a few years ago. That deep reef yields a very small, flat sail that's around 50% of it's full size, so I can roll out the head-sail again and keep driving to weather. up to about 25 knots before I have to start reefing the head-sail again. That and depowering the main and footing-off a bit should be good for going to weather in gale conditions (which I have yet to encounter in this boat) according the conservative sail area vs wind speed calculations I used to develop my sail plan. I consider being able to go to weather in 35 knots or so without any motor-sailing nonsense is the minimum requirement for a boat to be "seaworthy" (whatever that means) in my opinion. This summer I'll take her up the Channel Islands off Point Conception and see if I can break anything before heading to Mexico in the fall. It blows 35 to 40 knots every afternoon in the summer out there, so it's a great proving ground. The point is, if you're afraid to go to the mast in 20 knots of breeze, you might want to consider a different hobby. If you wait any longer than that on my boat things are going to become unmanageable, and you'll fighting a ton of weather helm and rounding up constantly. I can fully reef down in about two minutes with the same type of slab reefing you have. Lazy jacks make it easy, though I don't like the way they chaff the main. Practice makes perfect. Don't wait until things get sketchy - keep your boat balanced and on her feet and steerable with one finger as long as you can. You'll go faster, be more comfortable and safer, and your autopilot or wind vane will show it's appreciation by steering a nice steady course without any drama.... PS - one thing I tried that I liked but was never fully satisfied with was using a cunningham purchase instead of the main halyard and hook to flatten the luff of the main. It worked brilliantly in that regard. The only problem was judging where exactly to lower the halyard to in order to get a good pull angle with the reefing lines and a flat foot. I was too lazy to mark the halyard. The Cunningham also complicated the reefing process a little, with an extra line to coil. So now I just use a hook and dog-bone system like yours, and live with slightly less flat main.
William, all good points and I completely agree. Thanks for the info on the single reef line. Like you, I don't understand the hesitation to leave the cockpit and work at the mast. Maybe some of these people never climbed a tree when they were young.
@@RVLifeNOW Yea - it's perverse: If you're scared to go forward to reef, you're also probably going to wait until the boat is out of control, which is just make it that much more terrifying, dangerous and difficult to accomplish. Take in the laundry early, keep the boat on her feet and balanced, and everything has an easier time of it. It's like you said in the video - this CRUISING not RACING. Comfort is the name of the game, because comfort = endurance and that's central to safety when sailing long distances short handed - and two people = short handed sailing. ;-)
Patrick, we noticed from your latest video that the ancient flare you used from 1993(?) was made in England! It’s not just made in The US of A that is great! So give us Brits some credit too 😜
The British made, Pains-Wessex flare used in the demonstration was expired in 1996, 22 years past expiration. Orion flares are made in the U.S.A. While at a life raft repacking facility in Malaysia, the repacker was adamant about not using Chinese made flares. Two out of two of the Chinese flares I have tried, only 2 years past expiration, failed to launch. I see two warning have come up from viewers about out of date flares possibly misfiring, so that should be a serious consideration.
Patrick Childress Sailing I guess the morel of the story is quiet clear? Don’t buy the Chinese ones! Love the videos, keep it up, we’re enjoying them very much!
Had the same problem of water running down the decks and coming over the cockpit coaming into the cockpit on our Tashiba 40, very similiar to the Valiant 40 in the deck design (although the Tashiba already had several deck scuppers). If we shipped green water over the bow the cockpit could flood from all that water rushing down the deck and then dumping over the cockpit coaming when the water hit the terminus of the coaming and deck, which I'm sure happens to you too seeing your design. I solved the issue by making a wavebreaker out of teak, it was installed athwartships on the deck, about midships between the coachroof sides and the gunnels, it redirected 90% of any green water rushing down the decks overboard and could be easily removed when not needed. Only used it during passages, when it got lively offshore I simply went forward and pushed it into place via some teak sleeves I had installed. Worked quite nicely and never again took water into the cockpit.
Mike, that is a very good idea which I am going to work on for our own boat. If you don't mind, I would like to share it with the Valiant-40 owners group. We will eventually head down to the southern tip of Africa and possibly cross the Atlantic to far south S. America. Stormy weather up ahead.
@@RVLifeNOW I don't mind at all, share away. Wish I still had pictures of how I set it up but based on your grasp of the idea I think you get the gist of it. Designers have used wavebreakers for a long time on certain designs, nothing new really. The "trick" is to angle it slightly forward on the coachroof side so that its not perfectly perpendicular to the fore & aft axis of the boat. This helps direct water flow overboard rather than just hitting the board square on & sloshing over. Mine were at about a 60 degree angle. Just be sure you remember they are in place when you have to go forward on a dark stormy night, otherwise they can be a trip hazard and a faceplant onto the deck the resulting effect. Ask me how I know, lol! Good luck, hope you show the project on your channel so I can see how they turned out!
The 60 degree angle forward is a good idea. We have only destinations, not ETAs so maybe in a year we will be hauled out in S. Africa for several months. If I don't find the materials sooner, I will get to it in S. Africa. In the Indian Ocean, boat repair materials have been extremely difficult to find. Just yesterday, I removed the final of 4 fresh water copper water tubes. This one being the cold, running to the head sink. The only PEX like tubing to be found was so thick and non flexible, it was a bear of a job. The stuff is made for burying in the earth so dump trucks can run over it. Life on the other side....of the world.
@@gwwinder I wish I had a picture for you, but try to imagine two pieces of teak mounted vertically, one set on the coachroof side & one set on the gunnel side, each with a space between the two pieces equal to the width of the board you are going to use for the wavebreaker. The board simply slides down in between the two slots created by the vertically mounted teak pieces & is held in place by friction. Mine fit very tightly, I would "pound" them in with my foot & then had a couple of finger holes in the top of the board to pull/wiggle them back out. You don't want them loose or they could possibly pop or float out when a wave rushing down the deck hits them. Many other ways to secure them too, pin them, lash, etc. Since the gunnels on most boats aren't as tall as the coach sides, some people use the standing rigging hardware for the cap shroud to brace them against as well (since this is usually close to midships), or, the hardware for the aft lowers, Each boat will be a bit different of course. The point is to stop the rush of trapped water down the "ditch" created by the coachroof sides and the high gunnels with far to few scuppers (as opposed to a metal toerail or otherwise flush decked boat). If you get as tired as I did standing in knee deep water in the cockpit after waves sloshed over the cockpit coaming, you'll figure out a way! Good luck!
I would carry a few swords and challenge them to a nice, old fashioned sword fight. You know, fight to the death then you'd have one hell of a tale to tell about life on the high seas. Set up a Go-Pro and I bet your likes would be through the roof. Good luck!
Buy a foreign surplus military rifle and a few boxes of military ball ammo for it. Some can be had for less than $100. And dump it overboard along with the ammo shortly before you get to your destination. Cheap insurance! This is assuming you're going to take an Airline ride back home or you'll have to use the flares.
That would be a lot of wasted ammo! And throw a weapon overboard too before arriving at the destination? Sounds like a lot of money overboard ;) And once you sail on to the next destination, assuming you want weapons onboard for every passage and destination, where do you buy the next one. Illegal in so many countries...and time consuming to go through the legal procedure to get a new one each time. This much work to have a weapon on a sailboat and not have a problem seems like another good reason to NOT have a weapon on a sailboat to me! -Rebecca
Just out of curiosity but would a compound bow or crossbow and arrows be something that would get you tied up in customs or where ever it is that you have to register when visiting a foreign port?
Most likely..... but one would have to research the laws in each country they are visiting. It is always a problem, what to carry to defend yourself and not get into trouble when you enter a new country.
I wanted to do a video on some of those deterrents but the real cruisers out here will not do an on camera interview to describe them. There are too many different laws in different countries, no one wants to take a chance to cause a problem for themself.
You never know when they might be useful. I try to add to our collection anytime we are near a life raft repacker….but I will shy away from the Chinese made flares.
Excelente vídeo excelente idea la de drenar el agua por ahí sube más vídeos de la vida a bordo siempre me ilusiona acompañarles a través de su travesía
electricians have a lot of fun with electrical conduit and twist on wire connectors. it makes a very effective blow gun. try a 4' piece, the longer the pipe the harder the hit. it's not a weapon until you combine the two
another thing that might work is a cattle fence, it would be a bit of work to insulate but you could probably run it threw the existing life lines. you could use the solar powered type. PS I've been hit with the wire connectors and it leaves a mark all right
Ralf, we are loading up with a bunch of alarms, cameras, etc on our boat. We just received something to connect to the life lines to electrify they. A grounding rod gets dropped into the water for the ground. We are hauled out now so that pat will have to wait till we relaunch in 2 months to test out. We will need to find someone to touch the life line for us test it!
Easy to turn on and off...go to CC in your settings. Can toggle on, off, and different languages too -yes...on smaller screens it can be a real nuisance. Rebecca
On the high seas, one is dictated by the laws of the Flag State, that is the country in which the vessel is registered. Entering the territorial waters of a country, the laws of that country must be followed.
Yes, there is now a longer bolt and a proper reef hook on the starboard side....but the darn thing is rusting. You can see it in our latest Tips From the Pros video, "Don't Lose Your Suds". Thanks for your comment.
Hello Patrick! When I met you in Pango Pango back in 1980, we always carried a 12 gauge and 00buck. Of course we had to check it in with customs, but that was ok back then. Not sure what it would be like now. You may remember us; Rick and Linda Herzog, SV Kinohi.
Amazing how the paths of sailors cross again. Great to hear from you. I see you are in Montana. I subscribed to your channel. If you don't do the ocean then you have to have the mountains. I used to love it in Colorado before setting off on my first voyage but I think Montana would now be a better bet. A lot of people had guns on their boat back in the 1980s. It is a whole different, crowded, rule bound environment these days and guns, in my opinion, are not worth the repercussions and customs headaches. There are other alternatives, like a spear gun and bear spray. But those items can be illegal also. You guys are looking well!
@@RVLifeNOW, I figured if Robin Lee Graham could handle Montana, so could I! It's going to be nice to catch up with you through your videos. Nice to be in touch with "Juggernaut Heading West".
@@gonagain I can imagine how crowded Suwarrow atoll is these days. Now there is a care taker on Tom's Island. I met John Neal, no relation to Tom, in Tahiti back in 1980 when he was on his 27' Vega. Now he and his wife Amanda are still at it but doing ocean sailing training. It seems impossible that one day we would become the "old timers". Lots of fun though...Now Rebecca and I get to explore the east coast of Africa.
You're right, things have certainly changed. You and I actually know how to use a sextant and read the weather! But GPS, weather on demand and instant communication is sure nice. It's everything I can do to keep from getting sea fever all over again.
@@gonagain Last November, I timed our rare return to New England so I could do a Swan trip from Rhode Island to St. Maarten for Offshore Passage Opportunities. One crew brought along his plastic sextant. I could show a lot of vagaries about that sextant that is not explained in any manual. But he had to run me through a couple aspects of the sight reduction I had forgotten about in the tables. I used to reduce a sight in 12 minutes on a plain sheet of paper. So much easier now to push a couple buttons. On Brick House, we have PrediceWind which even gives mid ocean current information. From Iridium Go satellites, we can get precise weather and current updates 24 hours a day. Certainly takes the fun and anticipation out of a crossing. Cruisers now get all excited if they hit a big storm of 35 knots. It is a lot easier these days. You can fly down to Malaysia and pick up a good cruising boat cheap, cross to the Caribbean or where ever, sell it and look back on a lot of fun.
Two commenters have serious concerns about setting off out of date flares. I respect fully their thoughts. I will copy here my reply to one of the posters and hope anyone setting off a flare, for any reason, takes all precautions available: Des, Thank you for your valuable information. I hope everyone reads your comment. I did not show it in the video but I was wearing safety glasses. I had thought about wearing safety gloves but should have. I recently checked the Pains-Wessex site and could not find any warnings about out of date flares, which I am surprised at that. In 2006, there was a terrible incident where an in date white flare backfired and caused severe injury to the person setting off the flare. Pains-Wessex recalled not only that batch of flares but all white flares of that model. I really did not trust that failed Huahai flare so dropped it into a bucket of water. Doing more research on flares, on the internet, there is a person selling out of date parachute flares to be used as toys....and over land. That is a forest fire that will happen. Being accosted by the bad guys in S.E. Asia is a definite problem and what is the deterrent one can carry on a sailboat without causing major legal problems for themselves is the conundrum we face. I have one cruising friend who waved off a menacing boat in the Melaka Straights, by firing several rounds from his Orion flare launcher. Those rounds were out of date, but such a launcher is illegal in some if not all, S.E. Asian countries so the new rounds are impossible to get. If I ever have to fire off an expired flare again, it will certainly be a newer flare and your warning is well etched in my memory, and hopefully in other cruisers who read this.
Keep up the Sailing VIDEOS, I love watching people and THIER sailing VIDEOS, I love to see VIDEOS or documentaries of the oceans, sea life ETC, BUT never had the courage to get on a boat or ship or sail boat, YOU see I'm "terrified" of Water over 3 feet deep and not see through. When I was about 3 years old, I almost drowned , I was playing on the beach on the sand when a huge wave rolled me into the water, it tool my dad and an uncle abit before they were able to save me, (I remember bits and pieces, the rest was told by my mom), anyhow ever since I've been terrified of Water, ESP the ocean and other bodies of water, BUT IF I have a good life jacket on and can see land near by I CAN SOMEWHAT RELAX, (I think I believe this theory)! BUT I do love to see the brave souls that sail the oceans without fear. Thanks for your info on your videos also, maybe 1 DAY I'll become "brave" and step foot on a boat in water without fear, "YEA, RIGHT"! NEVER HAPPEN ,BUT I CAN DREAM!😉 THANX ONCE AGAIN. SMOOTH SAILING AND KEEP THE VIDEOS COMING. YOUR FAN, UTAH-USA!
I used to run day sail charter boats out of St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands. It was always fun getting some one from inland U.S., whos only knowledge of the ocean was from watching the movie Jaws, to over come their great fear and go snorkeling on the reef and feed bread to the fish. It took a lot of doing but was worth the effort when there was success. It just takes a little time and small steps and the fear can be turned into a lot of fun.
@@RVLifeNOW ,I AM FROM PUERTO RICO, RAISED IN SOUTH TEXAS, BY CORPUS CHRISTI,TEXAS AND ROCKPORT, TEXAS, I'VE LIVED BY ORLANDO, FLA., LAFAYETTE, LOUISIANA, PANAMA CITY,FLA. ,TRUST ME I LOVE THE OCEAN AND BEING ON THE BEACH , LIVING BY IT, BUT I CAN'T BE IN IT OR ON IT IF IT'S 3 FEET OR DEEPER, I MOVED TO UTAH WITH MY KIDS BACK IN 1981, BUT MY HEART BELONGS TO MY ISLAND AND THE USA SOUTHERN STATES, BUT LOVE MY ROCKIES MOUNTAINS ALSO AND FOUR SEASONS! I READ SEVERAL OF THE COMMENTS ABOUT PIRATES AND MAJOR GUNS NEEDED. AND DEFENDING YOURSELVES,ETC IS IT THAT DANGEROUS BEING ON THE SEA? ARE THERE MANY PROBLEMS OR TROUBLE WITH PIRATES AND OR THIEVES? IS IT VERY DANGEROUS?
@@RVLifeNOW , P.S. ,I'M NOT YELLING OR SHOUTING , I JUST HAVE TO USE LARGE LETTERS DUE TO PROBLEMS WITH MY EYESIGHT DUE TO THE BIG "C"! I'VE LOST VISION IN ONE EYE AND THE OTHER IS GETTING WEAKER, BUT UNDER GOING TREATMENTS ,SO I'M OPTIMISTIC!
I keep all my old flares for just such emergencies.... Good articles. Obviously some who have commented don't appreciate the ramifications of guns in foreign waters.
my comments are meant to be derogatory patrick just ideas and info to give you other possible solutions to the problem posed I still say my henry is bes he can bruise break bone orjut look good lolgood luck in all your sailing and I hope you don't need an of the ideas good sailing and fair winds
Damn, been struggling with reef hooks for 50 years and you fix it in 5 minutes, I'm on it this afternoon, thanks .
I had been thinking of this remedy for quite a while but thought if it would really work, it would have been commercially made long ago. Finally, I had enough hassle in rough weather and decided to do the modification.
@@RVLifeNOW that's why you need this old navy guy
I am working toward retiring and cruising in about two years. I have found a lot of sailing RUclips channels that are entertaining and maybe a little informative. I appreciate that your videos emphasize the sharing of your experiences and wisdom to help us learn to cruise and take care of our boat.
Thanks for watching.
You are a rare breed mi compadre! I lift a pint to you, Rebecca, your lifestyle and thank you for the videos! Safe Travels!
comments. I have so appreciated everyones support during the last few difficult years... Thanks for watching...Hope you still are... abd thanks for your comments
Cheers for you both. Your so blessed living the life you love. I wish you the best.
Es…we were blessed. I’m blessed to be carrying on
Great videos love that you explain problems and your solutions for them. Be happy, thanks for shering.
Thanks for watching!
Keep making them...like idea about reefing hook flopper .!
I never heard that before but now have a larger vocabulary. Thanks
Awesome. In glad I didn't throw my glasses away
Haha
Just a thought from experience. If a flare does not engage as expected, be extremely cautious of how you dispose of the flare. I learned this the hard way in Vietnam fifty years ago and twice on my boat since then.
We fired three dated flares just to see if we should keep the batch for secondary backup. One did not engage. The flare was set aside for later disposal...twenty minutes later it engaged and all hell broke out. My thought from experience...tie the flare off with cordage and throw it over board for later correct disposal. Great video, thanks for your contribution to the sailing community.
Thanks for your caution. In reality, when that cheap Chinese made flare did not fire, I dropped it into the ocean. As a precaution, I did not want it sitting on our boat. I could imagine something like you are saying happening. That would be a disaster. Thanks for your comment.
Great video and tremendiously informative, thank you very much!
Thanks for watching…
Nice touch Patrick canonizing a flare... Look at the succor go ...Love it.. Love it Rebecca for sure carries a flare in her handbag these days .
So glad it was enjoyable...thanks for watching!!!
Like the reef hook idea! We tie the tack with a Dyneema pennant making a similar setup to your second reef.
With the flare guns, sorry, flare launcher, we will test ours out when we are on the high seas and no one is around. We have thought about using the flare launcher as a deterrent of pirates on the African coasts, but have never actually tested it! We will try it out next time we are truly alone ;)
Bring plenty of cartridges with you. We only have a couple left and no way to get more in these foreign countries.
Enjoyed the video.
Glad to hear...thanks
I am seeing a lot of questions pertaining to how they knew they were pirates?
I'm not certain. However having, "Not Read the article!". I believe two of the
presumed pirates" had patches over one eye!? Haha great story Mr Childress.
Thank you for sharing it.
Haha...patches for sure...
Thanks! Was just about to toss out all my 1997 Pains Wessex flares....keep tripping on the box! But they now have a new life! Good video, reffing information will be appropriate for many new sailors/ cruisers just stepping away from marinas or home shores. Andrew
Andrew, any time I hear there is a life raft repacking facility we will be near, I try to stop in and pick up a bag full of expired flares they are happy to get rid of.
Thanks for your great advice, so thoroughly ingrained with and learned from years of experience, it’s a treat to hear. Liked and subbed
Ah thanks!
Love to hear you singing Rebbeca's praises. Sweet! Congrats on 1K!
Thanks, Leisa. I do have it good here.
I keep 25mm flares guns scattered in handy places around the boat and have had to use them twice. They re-think their idea when one drops on the deck. This was between Panama and Cabo San Lucas
Yep...
About deck drain. You can use them to fill water in your tank. Route the drain hose as a goose neck, inn the botom of the goose neck fit a T piece with a valve to water tank. Keep this Valve shut. In heavy rain let rig, sail deck rinse the salt off, then open the Valve to fill water tank.
Great ideas!
As a former US Coast Guard safety instructor, I always told my students to keep their old flares, unless they are sweating. In an emergency, use the older flares first, unless you are in visual range of a potential rescue.
Excellent advice -Rebecca
What a great back story on how Patrick met Rebecca - spoiler - I had already read about it but it is super cool to hear it from Patrick! More great tips. Thanks! Fair Winds Brick House!
Yes...one of my favorite parts too! -Rebecca
Thank you for the video. I think I will keep my old flares from now on. Need to get some of these handheld ones. All I got is the ORION gun kind. Keep them coming.
We have a friend who used his Orion to keep a S.E. Asian, harassing, boat at a distance. Eventually though, it was his long, thin, polypropylene line that wrapped the prop of the boat and stopped them dead in the water. All the while his wife was calling Mayday on the VHF but no one responded. He never explained to me why he was only firing over the boat and not trying to land the flare on its deck.
What a great story at the start of the video... and what a lucky man you are. Inspirational, and gives the rest of us some hope.
This is Rebecca...I am the lucky one ;)
Thanks for sharing your journey and it's experiences. Great video! Stay safe.. -- Marsello, in Sangihe island--
Good to hear from you Marsello. I hope all is well in Indonesia!
Another great video. I always look forward to them.
Thanks, Ron.
Fantasy based pirate defending :D
Never can tell!
I thought that looked like a Valiant 40, beautiful boat. I like the scuppers, they seem to work very well. I seem to recall the side decks on my friend's Valiant being a little damp all the time.
Tench, thanks for the comment. I just put up a video tour of the deck and cockpit of the Valiant 40. It will be first in the list at Patrick Childress Sailing.
Your best defense is just to stay away from trouble areas. By all means your commen sense will keep you out of trouble. Great episode too.
Very good advise. Please go to the link in the video description which will take you to the magazine article, which is on our blog site. It will describe how the situation unfolded. I allowed too much for a local fishermans custom and that gave these guys the ability to get much closer than I would have ever, otherwise, allowed.
Thank You for your great instruction....God Bless You And be with You and Your lovely Lady!!
Thanks for watching.
Thanks for the video
Thanks
Very imformative thanks for sharing !
Thanks
Excellent flare demo Sir, much needed info!
Thanks for watching and your comment.
another great video from this guy
Thanks Roderick, for watching, and your comment! -Rebecca
One reason the Pirates were probably scared by you shooting flares is that they often carry lots of extra fuel to stay out further and longer. Once you demonstrated how you would defend yourself, they decided to find an easier target rather than risk getting hit by a flare and burning/exploding. A buddy of mine was in the US Navy and had some ocean pirate encounters, and he told of the absolutely horrible conditions on their vessels - some of which they destroyed.
Good points! -Rebecca
good job on looking into the barrel of the dud flare.
Good point for others to note. Also, I was wearing safety glasses although that is not shown. Additionally, it would have been best to wear safety gloves.....although no flare manufacturer makes any suggestion to do so.
@@RVLifeNOW I'd wear welding gloves
Will definitely be watching more, fair winds Captain
Thank you Village.....I like the name.
best sailing couple story ever! I get so tired of priviledged guys who drag women along on their adventures and never feel even slightly compelled to even pretend that she is an equal partner in all the logistics ($$$) that it takes to live like that, or has any life goals other than following him around (and maybe having babies, mostly off camera). She's a real sailor too, and it's her boat, and you're not afraid to tell us.
My girlfriend and I are currently studying for our SKS licences in Germany. Hope you two are still around when we finally get our boat.
Thank you for your nice comment. We have no plans to stop sailing any time soon, so keep at it and there is a good chance our paths will cross!
You got more chance to get assault in any big city ,then Pirates in the Ocean...95% of the time it's fishers men who approach you , to try to sell they'r fish just caught super fresh :)
You are exactly right Chris. Isn't it odd all the yahoos who see the word pirate and immediately think pulling out their own assault rifle and heavy fire to wipe out a perception. Obviously not people who know much about sailing or the cruising life. There is a link in the video description which fully explains this situation and how it was allowed to evolve into a close encounter.
@@RVLifeNOW My little 380 works well
On another site I just found this interesting "pirate" encounter and how they scared them off: "Came across a similar situation when I was sailing off the coast of Brazil up to the Caribbean with my son. Had to improvise as at the time the guys in question were visibly armed (AK's from what we could see) and motoring along in a skiff towards us. I took a couple of our spear guns, cut the reel line on them both and taped a marine flare to the other one. Fired at their fuel tank to try and pop it open, before popping the flare on the second spear and firing it into their boat. Created utter panic and they fucked off. Their boat didn't catch fire, but it was pretty obvious what I was attempting to do and they freaked the fuck out. My son still tells the story with relish to this day, but i still don't think he has a true idea of how screwed we would have been if they had boarded us."
Patrick, over the years, I have found that experienced RUclips producers give up on getting into lengthy arguments / discussions with commenters. Believe me, it's a waste of time. I've found your channel to be far more helpful than most. Please keep up the great work and concentrate your efforts on production rather than these endless exchanges with armchair sailors.
Thanks Mark, I see you are right.
I agree with Mark, Patrick. You have a knack for giving no nonsense opinions about what works for you. I'm learning a lot. Thanks.
@@chriskilmer6670 Thanks for the positive comment!
Patrick Childress Sailing brilliant! But how close was the ship with the pirate ship to shoot the spear gun?
Glock model 20 and a Hi Point 10 mm carbine. Pyrat repellant
I can hide my 380 better,
Don’t know
Greetings from Rhode Island......enjoy your sailing! DD
Thanks Dennis. We do miss Aquidneck Island and the whole area in the summer months. But Africa has been an acceptable alternative for the past year.
Enjoyed the video, keeping making them as long as you can.
Thanks, John.
I would put a genuine climbing carabiner under that bolt as the hook. Spring-loaded clasp ready and waiting and you could slowly and carefully bend it back (with heating if necessary) so it's where you need it.
Good ideas
I have to agree with the burn out. After being a corp yacht captain and long range deliveries since the mid 70's, I tired. I ran the Eastern Pacific, n &sans 170 east.
It was once fun, getting paid to sit on an airplane and fly somewhere tropical to then sail a nice boat across an ocean. How could that get tiring? But it did. Even fun can get a little old. But it was all part of a good basis and education for doing these videos....But what is the motivation for doing these videos? None. Just for fun.
Thanks and well done!
comments. I have so appreciated everyones support during the last few difficult years... Thanks for watching...Hope you still are... abd thanks for your comments
I would guess the low flare trajectory looks more like a firearm and is more intimidating, even if it falls short. A high flying flare looks like a flare and less mysterious.
You could be right. If there should be a next time, I want a better idea of the proper trajectory to use. 45 degrees is just too much and 10 degrees is too little.
Very informative video
Thanks so much!
Cheers from Cartagena
One of my favorite places! Thanks for watching!
A launching tube for the flare round would help. All you gotta do is land one in their boat and That would be a game changer. Always carry when on the high seas. AR15 is a great rifle to have onboard or a lever action 30-30 would shoot through their vessel.
How about a 45-70 and you can say you have it for throwing lines! 45-70 will put a hole below the water line!
It would definutely be a game changer ;)
Great video question regarding your provisioning list is it on your old web site or new one thanks Rob
I was able to get the admin. Rebecca, of WhereIsBrickHouse.com to rearrange things so you can view the PDF directly or enter your email address to have the PDF sent to you. I just tried copying and pasting into word and that worked but then zoomed in sufficiently to read the words. It should print out good enough in that view. Let me know if there are any complications for you.
Cartagena is one of my favorite places amazing people...!
Thanks for watching and commenting and subscribing!
Great info
Thanks for watching!!!
I have My reefhooks welded on the side of the main attachment and dogbones to connect when reefing workes great
Good ideas!
I have seen skippers linking the reefing hooks with the spinnaker pole support on the main mast to keep The reef cringle from falling out of the hook....yours is a better idea, and more permanent.
Thanks for watching!
Thanks for sharing!
You are welcome.
Hi Patrick, just found your channel. Subbed, many thanks for the interesting content. Re anti-pirate measures ... everyone will have their own methods, a subject for an entire episode on its own! With an operational background in the British navy, I’ve just one cautionary message about the use of time-expired pyros ... from my professional knowledge they do become unstable over time. Instability can result in unpredictable results in use. There are documented examples of injuries resulting from misfired pyros ... hands burned, that sort of thing. For what it’s worth, whether for anti-piracy or any other purposes, I’d recommend that people avoid using time-expired pyros. Even the great quality ones made in England! Thanks for reading ... go well, sail well. Enjoy your sailing life ... Roy
Thanks for subbing Roy. That is valuable info about expired flares learned from your Navy back ground. Others will read this and be cautioned by it. I was very uncertain about the failed Huahai flare so put it deep into a bucket of water, just in case. Other anti pirate methods is a very hot topic....too hot for me.
Roy, one other poster had concerns about out of date flares. I want to post my reply to him, here, so these serious concerns get proper attention. Des, Thank you for your valuable information. I hope everyone reads your comment. I did not show it in the video but I was wearing safety glasses. I had thought about wearing safety gloves but should have. I recently checked the Pains-Wessex site and could not find any warnings about out of date flares, which I am surprised at that. In 2006, there was a terrible incident where an in date white flare backfired and caused severe injury to the person setting off the flare. Pains-Wessex recalled not only that batch of flares but all white flares of that model. I really did not trust that failed Huahai flare so dropped it into a bucket of water. Doing more research on flares, on the internet, there is a person selling out of date parachute flares to be used as toys....and over land. That is a forest fire that will happen. Being accosted by the bad guys in S.E. Asia is a definite problem and what is the deterrent one can carry on a sailboat without causing major legal problems for themselves is the conundrum we face. I have one cruising friend who waved off a menacing boat in the Melaka Straights, by firing several rounds from his Orion flare launcher. Those rounds were out of date, but such a launcher is illegal in some if not all, S.E. Asian countries so the new rounds are impossible to get. If I ever have to fire off an expired flare again, it will certainly be a newer flare and your warning is well etched in my memory, and hopefully in other cruisers who read this.
A couple of 100yd capable guns on board is a great safety net.
I fully agree with you....but there are complications that go along with just carrying such things on board a cruising boat. In many countries, just a simple plastic Orion flare launcher is illegal so you can imagine the headaches of having a real, worth while, rifle or pistol on board and the terrible mud pit one falls into for using it, at least in territorial waters. We have a friend who was at anchor in the Philippines with her husband. The heavily armed bad guys approached their boat in a high speed boat and were on board in a blink. Even if the cruisers had arms, it would have done them no good unless they carried them around the boat with them in a holster. They might have been able to get off a shot but then they would have been immediately shot themselves. In that part of the world, it is worth laying down a heavy wall of defense at any high speed boat approaching your cruising sailboat. It took many months but they were eventually released. It was a terrible ordeal. We know another German couple who were abducted from their boat in the Philippines. Actually, she never made it off the boat as she emerged into the cockpit with a pistol in her hand. She never got off a shot before being killed by a single bullet. He was eventually beheaded when the ransom was not paid. As it says in the article, the people we encountered did not leave shore to be pirates. These people were fishermen who saw a soft target and went in pursuit. Their minds were changed pretty quickly. There are different sorts of pirates in different parts of the world. We are not the only cruisers who have used flares to deter the bad guys. I put a link in the video description to the article. .
Wow!! I've only cruised the Caribbean and the east coast of the US. Had a couple sketchy boats come up on us in the middle of the night, radar sees them coming. No radio contact with approaching vessel, one open water shot has turned around a few. Great video and very informative!!!
Armed pirates are not going to care about a flair.
as long as you can point it it would scare me if it landed in my boat.
Or their life
Valiant 40- I met Robert Perry a few weeks ago, he came to speak at Skagit Community College Marine Maintenance program. What a talent!
He has been at it a long time and has some classic designs....but I do not always agree with some of the things he has done and continues to do. But that is a topic for a different post...except you can see his lack of side deck drainage on the Valiant 40.
@@RVLifeNOW Yes, I can say after meeting him he would agree he is far from perfect...HA! Just seems to do his thing the best he can, just seems to have a passion for it. I enjoyed meeting him and am looking forward to learning from him- and you! Cheers!
@@davidrix1370 I get on the Face Book, Bob Perry Fan Club site and chat about his designs. I learn a lot from that site.
I still have my old Orion flare kit buried up forward, trying to figure out how to dispose of it... maybe I will hang on to it!
The odds of needing it, like the life raft, are remote, but you never know.
@@RVLifeNOW Have you done a vid on liferafts? I've stopped carrying one (heavy, bulky, expensive to maintain ...).
@@howtosailoceans1423 If I had known years ago that I would one day make videos, I would have made movies of some of the things I saw happen, and did not happen, at life raft inspections. There are very good raft inspectors and then, like in one shop in Malaysia, very bad inspectors. Then there was a raft belonging to a friend, when inflated in a shop, could not hold air for all the long lines of leaks. Next time. I don't blame you at all for not having a life raft. The first time I sailed around the world I did not have one. None of us go out there to sink. The odds are greatly in our favor, especially if one is sailing near the U.S. where a helicopter is generally near by. I have watched enough repackings of life rafts to see the price for the inspection far exceeds the value. And some of those cheaper "coastal" model rafts are nothing more than plastic toys.
Interesting, thanks for the input. I've also heard of repacking scams. I remember when my father took his Winslow liferaft in to be re-packed, the thing inflated and then practically took off like a deflating balloon --thank God we never had to use it, we would have all drowned.
How to Sail Oceans and Patrick Childress...Thats it you two...Now I want two rafts to increase the odds of one of them working! Love, your wife
I used to work in the flare factory for Pains-Wessex. The name is hyphenated so I’m not sure why you refer the the company as Pains AND Wessex! Great products... very reliable and put through some very rigorous proofing trials during production! Enjoyed the video...
Stephen, I am not sure why either. The first time I said it properly then switched to saying it improperly for the rest of the video. I did not want to go back and refilm the whole thing again. Obviously I have no on screen career past making my home videos. Thanks for pointing it out so other viewers will know the proper way of saying the name. Since you worked at PW, why do you think they assign such a short shelf life when obviously they can work properly years longer?
@@RVLifeNOW Hi Patrick. The reduced lifespan may be because a few years ago in the UK an instructor was demonstrating the use of flares and one of them effectively blew half of his stomach away. Stephen Bradley may know more about the incident, and I'm not even sure who the manufacturer was. The guy was in hospital for something like two years, and will require lifelong treatment. Since then, instructions have been to always fire the flare to one or other side of your body, out of the line of a misfire. Also, wear a heavy glove on the hand holding the flares. Any misfire, such as you had, drop the flare overboard immediately, you have effectively an armed bomb in your hand that could ignite at any time. Don't look at each end as you did, just drop it. Even where you were, you were too far away from medical help to survive if that thing had got hold of you. Many boats are carrying laser flares instead (pretty good defence you can carry with you as well). Don't come to Europe with expired flares, it's a heavy fine, even in countries where it's difficult to get flares (last I was in Portugal, you had to go to Spain to get them) and in the UK there are no disposal facilities for expired flares any more. Even an innocent test firing as you did without notifying the coastguard will get you a severe ear bending. Kudos for you for putting this on here though, many even experienced sailors have probably never seen one fired. Don't count on it as a defence around the Red Sea and East African coast. Even toting a decent gun there won't stop those pirates, and the thought of them being scared, after watching the way they'll even board a supertanker going flat out from a ski boat, is just laughable. Great vid.
Ted, In 2006, there was a terrible incident where an in date, Pains-Wessex, white flare backfired and caused severe injury to the person setting off the flare. Pains-Wessex recalled not only that batch of flares but all white flares of that model. We have friends who have been held hostage for ransom, in the Philippines by the bad guys. Two men, grabbed at the same time did not make it out alive. We also met two Germans who were released from being hostages in Somalia. Against warnings, they went on to sail north east of Borneo and were approached by Philippine bad guys. He and she, did not make it out alive. AK47 toting pirates in very fast boats are a whole different ball game from the opportunistic fishermen in S.E. Asia, or a not so fast mother ship trying to close the gap.
I am interested to know how you determined they were pirates. While cruising I have often been approached in sketchy situations. I predominantly sail solo, and having a speedboat coming along side when I am 125nm offshore is quite nerve wracking. It is almost always bored fishermen looking to trade fish for whatever I can give them. A couple cigars and a handful of hard candies is usually enough to send them on their way with a big smile.
Tattoo, that is part of the long story. We have met fishermen out in the middle of nowhere as they wanted alcohol or other things. These guys were quite different and adamant. Best to go to our blog and read the article. Search "pirates" at www.WhereIsBrickHouse.com Otherwise this would be an incredibly long reply.
@@RVLifeNOW - Thanks. The blog post definitely fills the blanks.
@@flyingdutchman6984 One other thing about pirates. We have all heard stories about hooded men in black outfits coming up to a yacht in a speed boat and they turn out to be police or military men on patrol. Our German lady friend, and her husband were captured by Abusayef and held for ransom in the southern Philippines. Our friends boat was approached by men all wearing T-shirts with the word "Police" displayed across the front. Everything happened so fast, even if they had pistols hidden below, there was no time to do anything to protect themselves. Holding an approaching boat at a distance seems the best way to go.
@@RVLifeNOW - I have been in the southern Philippines for a long time, and most of what I could tell you should not be shared on a public forum. A little over a three years ago four people were kidnapped from our marina, and sadly two of them did not survive. Needless to say it is something I think about a lot.
I am terribly sorry to hear about your friend's experience. I could have warned them about the black t-shirts with POLICE brazen across the front, but it wouldn't have made any difference. Criminals like the Abu Sayyaf group are desperate to please their masters, heavily armed, and usually high on methamphetamine. Besides having a heavily armed paramilitary person on board there are really very few real world options.
I also keep several out-dated P-W flares and rockets aboard as backup to the 40+ year old, sure fire, mil-surplus euro 26.5mm flares and smokes. AFA reef. hook..... Perhaps a fixed/toggled turning block at/near the bolt and a cleat on the boom?
Thanks for watching…
Great work, great content! Ty!
Thank you, Russell.
@@RVLifeNOW Yw, ty. Good on you guys.
Another important video.
Jonathan, thanks again for watching, and your comment.
The only way to stop a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun. You need a high powered semi automatic rifle for everyone on board. Not all pirates are going to be afraid of a flare man, especially when they have such a low success rate....Protect your self and your loved ones with some firepower.
There are times I would certainly agree with you....but we were off of Vietnam, these were fishermen turned pirates of opportunity when they perceived a soft target. It did not take much to change their mind when they saw a rocket coming their way...I was the one heavily armed.
@@RVLifeNOW i hate to say it partner but better to be safe than sorry. Better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it.
@@vspinkboi Snake, there are again times I would certainly agree with you. I know fire arms well enough. I don't know what sort of sailing you have done but inside the territorial waters of many counties, you shoot someone while defending yourself, you now are the criminal for having an illegal gun and will certainly go to some rat hole prison for a very long time. There is a lot to the equation to consider. These foreign countries and the judicial system is nothing like in the U.S..
@@RVLifeNOW would you rather be in a rat hole prison, someone's slave, or dead? And USN 12 years. Not sailing but close enough. Just trying to be real my friend. Also a good reason to always video record all encounters. I trust you wouldn't ever fire upon someone unless your life or loved ones were threatened. Live long and prosper. 🖖
@@vspinkboi That is all reasonable....but the big thing for most cruisers is to not sail in known professional pirate territory, like near Somalia or now, the southern Philippines. So the "pirates" I know my cruising friends have dealt with are pirates of opportunity who are not armed with firearms. They are fishermen or small cargo boats who perceive a sailboat as a soft target. Those guys are easily burned with a flare or snared with a long thin line that wraps around their prop. This is one reason we do not operate our AIS in some areas. I don't want to advertise our presence to the bad guys but also, if I ever have to become overly aggressive with these guys, I don't want our movements tracked by satellites to show we were in the area at that time. I want no evidence, I don't care how right we are. Far too easily, in these foreign countries, justice can quickly turn against what is perceived to be a rich person living on a sailboat. One day I will do another "Pirate" video but will show the deterrents that are theoretical as well as what has worked in reality. Firearms on yachts is such a hot topic amongst liveaboard cruisers, I will stay away from that aspect. That has to be an individual decision for each boat owner. The bravado yap yap responses I see here are certainly not coming from yacht owners who carry firearms. They speak nothing about it and want no problems with any out of the way country, officials. You don't commit a crime then tell everyone about it.
He will do a great job!!!! Great job of making ur boat leak by the sound of it 😂
Thanks for watching…
I have mounteed Dyneema rings on each reef: seems working fine
Good idea...thanks
About pirates there is a German guy that made a crossbow that shoot like 30 bolts in like 10seconds it's powered by a rechargable drill motor.
Would that be legal on a boat
Usually crossbows are legal everywhere, but as with any weapon you may be required to give authorities a good reason why you have it. In some countries self-defense is not a valid reason to own a weapon.
crossbows are illegal in developed and civilized countries
Jörg Sprave - the slingshot channel
@@riskinhos believe it or not guns are banned in the UK but crossbows are legal lol
@@uptowndisco2 that's why I said developed and civilized countries. UK clearly is not one of them
I recently made a video compairing hand flares. I too noticed age does not necessarily go hand in hand with the reliability. I know what brand to support in the future too. ;-)
The oldest hand flare in my video expired 25 years ago and it was by far the best performer.
I don't say you need to store 25 year old flares in your boat, but I do say you might want to have some exra...
I watched your video and commented. Your test and the experiences of others show that flares do have a much longer life than the 3 year period stamped on them. Thanks for posting your helpful comment.
On the scuppers, using a router with a bearing bit to open up the area inside, then filling the void with thickened epoxy will get you much better performance out of that style of scupper.
As far as pirates go, someone tries to board my boat they are going to be on the receiving end of fire arrows, a whole lotta fire arrows!
Something tells me Pirates don't spend a lot of time worrying about keeping fire fighting equipment onboard.
You are right and these guys were getting very close to having their boat burned. Flares from a tube or a pistol continue to burn even under water for their full duration. On the deck of a wooden fishing boat they would have no way to put out the fire.
Think Captian Ron when Martin Short shoots the flare on deck!
Many people don't know this but on navy ships they have had wayward flares burn down through several decks before being controlled and finally extinguished.
If it will melt a hole in a battleship, whats it going to do to a wooden or fiberglass boat?
Laurence would like a scrabble game! :)
Haha… there you are again Mark!
Merica! 9:43 i watched just for the missile launch. Sounded like freedom....
Haha,..glad you enjoyed this one!
Patrick, rather than reef hooks have you tried a Cunningham?
It’s just an S hook attached to a 4:1 tackle with a cam cleat on the bottom pulley.
Easy to loop into the reef eye, doesn’t need dog bones, and you don’t have to use the halyard to tension the luff, just cleat the halyard so the reef eye is a few inches high and tension the luff with the 4:1 tackle.
Hi Paul, Yes I have tried that, with the cunningham attached to the ring at the base of the mast. In my situation, it allowed the tack of the reef to be pulled too far aft, away from the mast so something else would have to be tied around the mast to pull the tack forward again. The same problem exists with the hook on the starboard side, tied on with the green line to the gooseneck, but it is not as extreme. So I wonder if you have used a similar method with better results?
Back in the day, I did some yacht cruising in the Caribbean and heard the following story. A family was on a yacht near an uninhabited island in the Bahamas. A private motor vessel approached at a 90-degree angle. Two men were on the bow of the vessel and appeared to be prepared to board the yacht. A third man was in the wheelhouse. The teenage son quickly obtained the new, stainless steel sawed-off shotgun that they had just purchased for such an occasion. The first round got one of the two boarders. The second boarder jumped overboard and a few rounds were pumped into the area where he was last seen. The motor vessel reversed course. The family did not report the incident to the Bahamian government. Bottom line: two more bodies were added to the Caribbean. This event took place during the heavy drug importation in south Flordia and yacht piracy was a known problem.
And events like this dont tell us a thing, thry might have cold blooded murdered those people who might have just wanted to trade liquor or american $$ for fresh fish....then to not report it!!! That in itself is an act of piracy on the highj seas, you canr just start shooting at people..
Thanks for watching!!!
Hey Patrick Re your starboard hook , can't you get one made,I did 40$ ,realize stainless might be a problem in your area of the world, you can do it. Been down that way ( Kenya Tanzania ) loved it, great people. Keep up the blog's vlogs vids whatever they call em nowadays.
Thanks for motivating me. Now that we are in the big city of Dar Es Salaam, I will give it a try. As you probably know, 316 SS is pretty much nonexistent in these small countries but there is better hope for 304. We have one more week here before moving on to Zanzabar. I will let you know if the people I approach can think in mirror mode and give it the proper curl.
Ahhh, reef rigging. Glad to see I'm not the only sailor who's still searching for the perfect way to deal with that chore. When I first bought my boat it wasn't set-up to reef. AT ALL.. It's a Catalina 30 tall-rig too. It had a stretched out baggy 140% genoa as well. The tall rig option was a short lived PHRF rule dodge back in the 80s that added 20% more sail area to a boat that wasn't designed for it.
So the first thing I did was to re-install the single line reefing system that the clueless previous owner had un-rigged. Whereupon I found out why he'd un-rigged it: It had a ton of friction in it, chaffed the main's luff like crazy, and actually powered UP the main because of how baggy the "reefed" sail ended up. Trying to go to weather in anything over 15 knots, even with Genoa reefed put the boat on her ear, and past 18 knots, I had to furl the main entirely and sail by the (baggy) rolled up genoa, which worked, kinda, except for the appalling amount of leeway this created. I almost ran into a moored oil tanker the first time I tried it because I misjudged my slip angle so horribly. (I tacked and avoided that hazard)
So that wasn't going to work. Next, I ditched the single line system and embarked on a series of experiments with proper reefing systems - all reffing lines and halyard at the mast, winch to flatten the foot and luff etc. I don't understand why people are afraid to leave the cockpit to reef. Upwind, I tuck the first reef into the main at around 12 knots true - for comfort and composure more than anything else. That combined with head-sail reefing (I had the genoa re-cut down to a 100% working jib and had some foam sewn into the luff so It would stay nice and flat down to 80% ) will take me up to around 20 knots before I have to leave the cockpit for the last time short of anything over a full gale to tuck-in the second and very deep set of reef points I had put in a few years ago. That deep reef yields a very small, flat sail that's around 50% of it's full size, so I can roll out the head-sail again and keep driving to weather. up to about 25 knots before I have to start reefing the head-sail again. That and depowering the main and footing-off a bit should be good for going to weather in gale conditions (which I have yet to encounter in this boat) according the conservative sail area vs wind speed calculations I used to develop my sail plan.
I consider being able to go to weather in 35 knots or so without any motor-sailing nonsense is the minimum requirement for a boat to be "seaworthy" (whatever that means) in my opinion. This summer I'll take her up the Channel Islands off Point Conception and see if I can break anything before heading to Mexico in the fall. It blows 35 to 40 knots every afternoon in the summer out there, so it's a great proving ground.
The point is, if you're afraid to go to the mast in 20 knots of breeze, you might want to consider a different hobby. If you wait any longer than that on my boat things are going to become unmanageable, and you'll fighting a ton of weather helm and rounding up constantly. I can fully reef down in about two minutes with the same type of slab reefing you have. Lazy jacks make it easy, though I don't like the way they chaff the main. Practice makes perfect. Don't wait until things get sketchy - keep your boat balanced and on her feet and steerable with one finger as long as you can. You'll go faster, be more comfortable and safer, and your autopilot or wind vane will show it's appreciation by steering a nice steady course without any drama....
PS - one thing I tried that I liked but was never fully satisfied with was using a cunningham purchase instead of the main halyard and hook to flatten the luff of the main. It worked brilliantly in that regard. The only problem was judging where exactly to lower the halyard to in order to get a good pull angle with the reefing lines and a flat foot. I was too lazy to mark the halyard. The Cunningham also complicated the reefing process a little, with an extra line to coil. So now I just use a hook and dog-bone system like yours, and live with slightly less flat main.
William, all good points and I completely agree. Thanks for the info on the single reef line. Like you, I don't understand the hesitation to leave the cockpit and work at the mast. Maybe some of these people never climbed a tree when they were young.
@@RVLifeNOW Yea - it's perverse: If you're scared to go forward to reef, you're also probably going to wait until the boat is out of control, which is just make it that much more terrifying, dangerous and difficult to accomplish. Take in the laundry early, keep the boat on her feet and balanced, and everything has an easier time of it. It's like you said in the video - this CRUISING not RACING. Comfort is the name of the game, because comfort = endurance and that's central to safety when sailing long distances short handed - and two people = short handed sailing. ;-)
Pains Wessex...Salisbury quality. Of course they work ...Wiltshire built
After this experiment and test shots by others, I can see no reason to try to save money and buy anything but Pains Wessex.
Patrick, we noticed from your latest video that the ancient flare you used from 1993(?) was made in England! It’s not just made in The US of A that is great! So give us Brits some credit too 😜
The British made, Pains-Wessex flare used in the demonstration was expired in 1996, 22 years past expiration. Orion flares are made in the U.S.A. While at a life raft repacking facility in Malaysia, the repacker was adamant about not using Chinese made flares. Two out of two of the Chinese flares I have tried, only 2 years past expiration, failed to launch. I see two warning have come up from viewers about out of date flares possibly misfiring, so that should be a serious consideration.
Patrick Childress Sailing I guess the morel of the story is quiet clear? Don’t buy the Chinese ones!
Love the videos, keep it up, we’re enjoying them very much!
Had the same problem of water running down the decks and coming over the cockpit coaming into the cockpit on our Tashiba 40, very similiar to the Valiant 40 in the deck design (although the Tashiba already had several deck scuppers). If we shipped green water over the bow the cockpit could flood from all that water rushing down the deck and then dumping over the cockpit coaming when the water hit the terminus of the coaming and deck, which I'm sure happens to you too seeing your design. I solved the issue by making a wavebreaker out of teak, it was installed athwartships on the deck, about midships between the coachroof sides and the gunnels, it redirected 90% of any green water rushing down the decks overboard and could be easily removed when not needed. Only used it during passages, when it got lively offshore I simply went forward and pushed it into place via some teak sleeves I had installed. Worked quite nicely and never again took water into the cockpit.
Mike, that is a very good idea which I am going to work on for our own boat. If you don't mind, I would like to share it with the Valiant-40 owners group. We will eventually head down to the southern tip of Africa and possibly cross the Atlantic to far south S. America. Stormy weather up ahead.
@@RVLifeNOW I don't mind at all, share away. Wish I still had pictures of how I set it up but based on your grasp of the idea I think you get the gist of it. Designers have used wavebreakers for a long time on certain designs, nothing new really. The "trick" is to angle it slightly forward on the coachroof side so that its not perfectly perpendicular to the fore & aft axis of the boat. This helps direct water flow overboard rather than just hitting the board square on & sloshing over. Mine were at about a 60 degree angle. Just be sure you remember they are in place when you have to go forward on a dark stormy night, otherwise they can be a trip hazard and a faceplant onto the deck the resulting effect. Ask me how I know, lol! Good luck, hope you show the project on your channel so I can see how they turned out!
The 60 degree angle forward is a good idea. We have only destinations, not ETAs so maybe in a year we will be hauled out in S. Africa for several months. If I don't find the materials sooner, I will get to it in S. Africa. In the Indian Ocean, boat repair materials have been extremely difficult to find. Just yesterday, I removed the final of 4 fresh water copper water tubes. This one being the cold, running to the head sink. The only PEX like tubing to be found was so thick and non flexible, it was a bear of a job. The stuff is made for burying in the earth so dump trucks can run over it. Life on the other side....of the world.
Mike and Patrick, that sounds like a good idea. I am not understanding how they are set up to be detachable.
@@gwwinder I wish I had a picture for you, but try to imagine two pieces of teak mounted vertically, one set on the coachroof side & one set on the gunnel side, each with a space between the two pieces equal to the width of the board you are going to use for the wavebreaker. The board simply slides down in between the two slots created by the vertically mounted teak pieces & is held in place by friction. Mine fit very tightly, I would "pound" them in with my foot & then had a couple of finger holes in the top of the board to pull/wiggle them back out. You don't want them loose or they could possibly pop or float out when a wave rushing down the deck hits them. Many other ways to secure them too, pin them, lash, etc. Since the gunnels on most boats aren't as tall as the coach sides, some people use the standing rigging hardware for the cap shroud to brace them against as well (since this is usually close to midships), or, the hardware for the aft lowers, Each boat will be a bit different of course. The point is to stop the rush of trapped water down the "ditch" created by the coachroof sides and the high gunnels with far to few scuppers (as opposed to a metal toerail or otherwise flush decked boat). If you get as tired as I did standing in knee deep water in the cockpit after waves sloshed over the cockpit coaming, you'll figure out a way! Good luck!
I would carry a few swords and challenge them to a nice, old fashioned sword fight. You know, fight to the death then you'd have one hell of a tale to tell about life on the high seas. Set up a Go-Pro and I bet your likes would be through the roof. Good luck!
General Mayhem gg
Wow…
Buy a foreign surplus military rifle and a few boxes of military ball ammo for it. Some can be had for less than $100. And dump it overboard along with the ammo shortly before you get to your destination. Cheap insurance! This is assuming you're going to take an Airline ride back home or you'll have to use the flares.
That would be a lot of wasted ammo! And throw a weapon overboard too before arriving at the destination? Sounds like a lot of money overboard ;) And once you sail on to the next destination, assuming you want weapons onboard for every passage and destination, where do you buy the next one. Illegal in so many countries...and time consuming to go through the legal procedure to get a new one each time. This much work to have a weapon on a sailboat and not have a problem seems like another good reason to NOT have a weapon on a sailboat to me! -Rebecca
Just out of curiosity but would a compound bow or crossbow and arrows be something that would get you tied up in customs or where ever it is that you have to register when visiting a foreign port?
Most likely..... but one would have to research the laws in each country they are visiting. It is always a problem, what to carry to defend yourself and not get into trouble when you enter a new country.
Newer crossbows are like rifles, just have a good hidden arsenal for unAmerican ports
Crossbows are illegal in Australia
@@ronnysterling7694 Customs & immigration officials are not stupid. Are you really willing to risk living under the jail in a 3rd world country?
Pirate defence..... the good old Molotov cocktail. Land one of those and their intentions will change.
I wanted to do a video on some of those deterrents but the real cruisers out here will not do an on camera interview to describe them. There are too many different laws in different countries, no one wants to take a chance to cause a problem for themself.
One more suggestion; if you were to drill a series of holes in the bottom of the boat all the water will just drain right out.
Yeah something like that
I keep a big box of these too.
You never know when they might be useful. I try to add to our collection anytime we are near a life raft repacker….but I will shy away from the Chinese made flares.
Excelente vídeo excelente idea la de drenar el agua por ahí sube más vídeos de la vida a bordo siempre me ilusiona acompañarles a través de su travesía
Muchas gracias.
electricians have a lot of fun with electrical conduit and twist on wire connectors. it makes a very effective blow gun. try a 4' piece, the longer the pipe the harder the hit. it's not a weapon until you combine the two
I will give that a try. Thanks.
another thing that might work is a cattle fence, it would be a bit of work to insulate but you could probably run it threw the existing life lines. you could use the solar powered type. PS I've been hit with the wire connectors and it leaves a mark all right
Ralf, we are loading up with a bunch of alarms, cameras, etc on our boat. We just received something to connect to the life lines to electrify they. A grounding rod gets dropped into the water for the ground. We are hauled out now so that pat will have to wait till we relaunch in 2 months to test out. We will need to find someone to touch the life line for us test it!
good luck, I know better than to pee on the fence. ;)
Informative video
Closed captioning blocks view
Easy to turn on and off...go to CC in your settings. Can toggle on, off, and different languages too -yes...on smaller screens it can be a real nuisance. Rebecca
you do know you have the option to turn off the captions?
Is it illegal to carry guns aboard ship ?
On the high seas, one is dictated by the laws of the Flag State, that is the country in which the vessel is registered. Entering the territorial waters of a country, the laws of that country must be followed.
great video! Subscribed!
Thanks, Andie. Good to have you onboard.
How about a longer Bolt? For the first Reef hook That way you could Mount one on either side.
Yes, there is now a longer bolt and a proper reef hook on the starboard side....but the darn thing is rusting. You can see it in our latest Tips From the Pros video, "Don't Lose Your Suds". Thanks for your comment.
Hello Patrick! When I met you in Pango Pango back in 1980, we always carried a 12 gauge and 00buck. Of course we had to check it in with customs, but that was ok back then. Not sure what it would be like now. You may remember us; Rick and Linda Herzog, SV Kinohi.
Amazing how the paths of sailors cross again. Great to hear from you. I see you are in Montana. I subscribed to your channel. If you don't do the ocean then you have to have the mountains. I used to love it in Colorado before setting off on my first voyage but I think Montana would now be a better bet. A lot of people had guns on their boat back in the 1980s. It is a whole different, crowded, rule bound environment these days and guns, in my opinion, are not worth the repercussions and customs headaches. There are other alternatives, like a spear gun and bear spray. But those items can be illegal also. You guys are looking well!
@@RVLifeNOW, I figured if Robin Lee Graham could handle Montana, so could I! It's going to be nice to catch up with you through your videos. Nice to be in touch with "Juggernaut Heading West".
@@gonagain I can imagine how crowded Suwarrow atoll is these days. Now there is a care taker on Tom's Island. I met John Neal, no relation to Tom, in Tahiti back in 1980 when he was on his 27' Vega. Now he and his wife Amanda are still at it but doing ocean sailing training. It seems impossible that one day we would become the "old timers". Lots of fun though...Now Rebecca and I get to explore the east coast of Africa.
You're right, things have certainly changed. You and I actually know how to use a sextant and read the weather! But GPS, weather on demand and instant communication is sure nice. It's everything I can do to keep from getting sea fever all over again.
@@gonagain Last November, I timed our rare return to New England so I could do a Swan trip from Rhode Island to St. Maarten for Offshore Passage Opportunities. One crew brought along his plastic sextant. I could show a lot of vagaries about that sextant that is not explained in any manual. But he had to run me through a couple aspects of the sight reduction I had forgotten about in the tables. I used to reduce a sight in 12 minutes on a plain sheet of paper. So much easier now to push a couple buttons. On Brick House, we have PrediceWind which even gives mid ocean current information. From Iridium Go satellites, we can get precise weather and current updates 24 hours a day. Certainly takes the fun and anticipation out of a crossing. Cruisers now get all excited if they hit a big storm of 35 knots. It is a lot easier these days. You can fly down to Malaysia and pick up a good cruising boat cheap, cross to the Caribbean or where ever, sell it and look back on a lot of fun.
Two commenters have serious concerns about setting off out of date flares. I respect fully their thoughts. I will copy here my reply to one of the posters and hope anyone setting off a flare, for any reason, takes all precautions available: Des, Thank you for your valuable information. I hope everyone reads your comment. I did not show it in the video but I was wearing safety glasses. I had thought about wearing safety gloves but should have. I recently checked the Pains-Wessex site and could not find any warnings about out of date flares, which I am surprised at that. In 2006, there was a terrible incident where an in date white flare backfired and caused severe injury to the person setting off the flare. Pains-Wessex recalled not only that batch of flares but all white flares of that model. I really did not trust that failed Huahai flare so dropped it into a bucket of water. Doing more research on flares, on the internet, there is a person selling out of date parachute flares to be used as toys....and over land. That is a forest fire that will happen. Being accosted by the bad guys in S.E. Asia is a definite problem and what is the deterrent one can carry on a sailboat without causing major legal problems for themselves is the conundrum we face. I have one cruising friend who waved off a menacing boat in the Melaka Straights, by firing several rounds from his Orion flare launcher. Those rounds were out of date, but such a launcher is illegal in some if not all, S.E. Asian countries so the new rounds are impossible to get. If I ever have to fire off an expired flare again, it will certainly be a newer flare and your warning is well etched in my memory, and hopefully in other cruisers who read this.
Patrick Childress Sailing Molotov cocktail? Old cheap glass bottle, fuel, and lit wick. For when they’re close
if your using a flare vrs pirates your already dead ....get a gun
or rpg 7
Yep..gotta use your judgement…
Keep up the Sailing VIDEOS, I love watching people and THIER sailing VIDEOS, I love to see VIDEOS or documentaries of the oceans, sea life ETC, BUT never had the courage to get on a boat or ship or sail boat, YOU see I'm "terrified" of Water over 3 feet deep and not see through.
When I was about 3 years old, I almost drowned , I was playing on the beach on the sand when a huge wave rolled me into the water, it tool my dad and an uncle abit before they were able to save me, (I remember bits and pieces, the rest was told by my mom), anyhow ever since I've been terrified of Water, ESP the ocean and other bodies of water, BUT IF I have a good life jacket on and can see land near by I CAN SOMEWHAT RELAX, (I think I believe this theory)! BUT I do love to see the brave souls that sail the oceans without fear.
Thanks for your info on your videos also, maybe 1 DAY I'll become "brave" and step foot on a boat in water without fear, "YEA, RIGHT"! NEVER HAPPEN ,BUT I CAN DREAM!😉
THANX ONCE AGAIN.
SMOOTH SAILING AND KEEP THE VIDEOS COMING.
YOUR FAN, UTAH-USA!
I used to run day sail charter boats out of St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands. It was always fun getting some one from inland U.S., whos only knowledge of the ocean was from watching the movie Jaws, to over come their great fear and go snorkeling on the reef and feed bread to the fish. It took a lot of doing but was worth the effort when there was success. It just takes a little time and small steps and the fear can be turned into a lot of fun.
@@RVLifeNOW ,I AM FROM PUERTO RICO, RAISED IN SOUTH TEXAS, BY CORPUS CHRISTI,TEXAS AND ROCKPORT, TEXAS, I'VE LIVED BY ORLANDO, FLA., LAFAYETTE, LOUISIANA, PANAMA CITY,FLA. ,TRUST ME I LOVE THE OCEAN AND BEING ON THE BEACH , LIVING BY IT, BUT I CAN'T BE IN IT OR ON IT IF IT'S 3 FEET OR DEEPER, I MOVED TO UTAH WITH MY KIDS BACK IN 1981, BUT MY HEART BELONGS TO MY ISLAND AND THE USA SOUTHERN STATES, BUT LOVE MY ROCKIES MOUNTAINS ALSO AND FOUR SEASONS!
I READ SEVERAL OF THE COMMENTS ABOUT PIRATES AND MAJOR GUNS NEEDED. AND DEFENDING YOURSELVES,ETC IS IT THAT DANGEROUS BEING ON THE SEA?
ARE THERE MANY PROBLEMS OR TROUBLE WITH PIRATES AND OR THIEVES?
IS IT VERY DANGEROUS?
@@RVLifeNOW , P.S. ,I'M NOT YELLING OR SHOUTING , I JUST HAVE TO USE LARGE LETTERS DUE TO PROBLEMS WITH MY EYESIGHT DUE TO THE BIG "C"! I'VE LOST VISION IN ONE EYE AND THE OTHER IS GETTING WEAKER, BUT UNDER GOING TREATMENTS ,SO I'M OPTIMISTIC!
@@pebo5371 I hope the C means cataracts. If so, cataract surgery will give you clear vision in a couple of hours. It is an amazing miracle procedure.
@@RVLifeNOW ,
CANCER, NOT CATARACTS.
I keep all my old flares for just such emergencies.... Good articles. Obviously some who have commented don't appreciate the ramifications of guns in foreign waters.
Exactly right!
The background looks like Dar-es-Salaam. You must have been there when I was there at the beginning of December.
Good eye. We are now in Tanga.....but on safari in Sarengetti.
@@RVLifeNOW are you coming to Kilifi? We must have just missed you in both Dar and Tanga
I keep a bang stick and a .223 on board. Not robbing me of my life savings (the boat)
Exactly.
Agreed
my comments are meant to be derogatory patrick just ideas and info to give you other possible solutions to the problem posed I still say my henry is bes he can bruise break bone orjut look good lolgood luck in all your sailing and I hope you don't need an of the ideas good sailing and fair winds
Thanks, Simon.