Your explanation of the navigation alarm system was not only interesting, and something I was wondering about, but you explained it ever so clearly. Thanks cheers !
I watch all the Cat videos on youtube - just subscribed because you bring real personality and story into your videos. As a guy who dreams of this sort of retirement your channel is fast becoming a favorite. Even things that might seem a bit mundane to you is often fascinating to someone who has never done this. Thank you!
Will Terry Thank you for the compliment Will - what was initially a means to keep my family and friends in the loop has brought so many new friends to us too. We will continue to share what we can for as long as folks enjoy it ... Right now we are sitting of Port Moselle trying to get assistance form an electrician since one of our alternators is playing up ... so looking forward to getting down to Amedee Island which right now seems a few days away.
And I will add a third to that one, too! I am a few years out from casting off (kids in high school) and these videos are both inspirational and instructional for a life on the seas. While we will initially spend 3 - 4 month segments on our boat in the Carribean while kids in college, we'll eventually let the lines loose and follow the Impi. It'd be a treat to meet the Impi crew some day - they'd be a hoot to chillax around!
deanxxi Hi Dean - thank you very much - lol - not a sailing instructor by a long margin, but we do like to share and learn. I am pleased you enjoyed us sharing a little of the technical aspects so will see how we can incorporate some of that going forward without boring folks too much. Thanks
Sometimes 'living the dream' is more difficult than 'dreaming the dream' ... It takes a courageous heart and a determined spirit to be free ... LOVE THIS!!
Thats awesome you enjoyed it. It 'rolled off the lips' without much thought and probably describes the way it is. We encourage all folks to follow that dream and not to be disillusioned once they capture it :)
NICCAT Thank you and really pleased you enjoyed the share around the nav alarm set up. I was not sure if it was something to include in this video but a number of folks have asked me to add some technical aspects we use around sailing in our footage. So much more we could share around this but have to fit all into a 15 min slot (not sure how folks have longer shares?). Cheers
Your best video so far. You're editing skills are really honed. The music is not too loud, I love just experiencing part of the sail as a passenger with little narration and no music for a few moments, and the electronics tutorial was really interesting!
Castaway Thank you Castaway - I think some of our viewers are 'teaching me' through the various comments - I am always willing to learn and try new things - criticism has therefore been positive in the outcome ;)
Julian Summers Great Julian - I am pleased folks generally are liking this as I was requested to include some technical stuff, 'as we see it of course,' in our videos, and I wondered if that would not bore 'non sailing people' like my family members for example, but they too seem to like understanding a little of what we do to keep safe and follow the rules of 'good seamanship'. Cheers
Thanks for sharing your recommendations about the Chart-Plotter and safety at night. Much appreciated. Also love how you present your journey in a down to earth - rather a casual cruising wave, and don´t make it hyped up fuss, as we see more often these days on RUclips.
That was great , thanks so much for showing us how things work on your fantastic cat . Hoping you have smother sailing . This is the best Sailing show on RUclips , can't wait for the next one .
i love your coments ,and the jorneys of catmaran and i hope that you have a lot of jorneys to show . big sailor and good experience ,tank you for showing in you tube ,i waiting for more!
+ruiserpapinto pinto Thanks for the comment :) Hoping many more people get to sail the oceans - it teaches us to respect the sea, respect our world and respect the views of others ...
Catamaran Impi Bonjour, Oui pour l instant ils le resteront gratuit , la loi "débile" n est pas passée et heureusement. Bravo pour votre Français, j ai apprécier. bonne continuation .
Thank you so much for the video. It's great to see what a multihull is capable of. Even if force 8/9 winds the boat seemed to handle well and looked stable compared to yachts. This appeals to me greatly and my wife more so. Happy sailing.
Thanks Dan. Yes, the Lagoon 440 is a terrific catamaran for sailing around the world. What we really like about the boat is also its ability to sail close to the wind. This is mostly due to the shorter spreaders on the mast (do not interfere with the genoa as much as single longer spreaders) and the position of the cars. Cheers for now ... Brent
I love your videos guys keep them coming!. What you are experiencing now has been a life long dream of mine. Hopefully I will get there one day. Enjoy!
just_a Oldman Thank you - a good reminder to stay safe at sea - when things go wrong in these conditions I'm afraid to say it goes horribly wrong with one breakage leading to another. Always a good thing to have total 'respect for the sea' :)
I would love to see a video showing the modifications and additions that you have made to IMPI since you bought it - the ways that you have maximized it for safety, comfort, and durability.
Great video again and while impi was flying along in good stride given the conditions, it is sobering seeing the ocean flex its muscles a little. It's good you didn't have huge seas to contend with too. The alarm setup was great too, very interesting. Given that impi is obviously very well specified, it would be great to get a minute or two each video to talk about particular aspects of it. Thanks again and enjoy noumea :)
goetification Thanks for the valuable comment. Yes, must say, we really do need to maintain a healthy respect for the sea - it is a vast and mighty force that is constantly moving, chopping and changing. I remember our crossing to the Tuamotu's ... we were swept up by a massive breaking wave in the dead of night, the autopilot could not cope and kicked out as Impi spun around and descended bow first into the wave ahead. Ever since I have made sure to be more alert and aware of how quickly things can go wrong. Even when we are best equipped and with great planning, little things have made me realise one can never be fully prepared for the might of the sea. It amazes me as a result that sailors so easily feel the lack of need for safety gear and technology ... my feeling is such that we need every possible means at our disposal, even if it only offers us a 'slither of a chance' of being saved ... it could be the difference between a sailors survival or not. I'm pleased you found the alarms set up interesting. Another alarm we use is on the ST70 which we set for depth. The theory here being that as one sails from deep water into shallow water an alarm sounds. In many of these islands in the pacific it is seldom one finds a gradual slope to land ... often there are underwater cliffs so the depth alarm would go off too late here, but in many cases one can set the alarm from a depth of 100m to anywhere between, and this too could be the difference between hitting a reef or not. Cheers for now!
waterbrat531 LOL ... must say it does sometimes all feel to be a dream. It's not always an easy choice ... had a great business with good growth potential but certainly made the right choice to rather be 'free'
I agree with the comment bellow; well done - really liked the education part and explanation on the sail during and after those Force 8 winds. ****** 😊👍
Nice to hear these comments - gives me a feel for what I need to be sharing and what interests folks. Will put a bit more into sharing some of the technical aspects ... cheers
.Glad Impi and crew weathered the storm safely..Thanks for the insight on your Nav. system..Always wondered about the features....When you get to New Caledonia do me a favor look for my uncles leg he lost it there during WWII...(Kidding, they already found it, it just wasn't connected to my uncle)...LOL ...As always be safe and enjoy the the wind...
Jim Holt LOL - wow Jim ... thats quite a story. As a young boy I was scrounging around in my uncles loft on his farm and discovered a boot with the skeleton of a foot inside. That was spooky ... he had apparently had it from WWII ... my uncle did not want to comment on it so I never got the full story. Anyway, they used to tell us kids spook stories about 'sleep foot' which translated means 'drag foot' and always would tell us these stories on the farm in the Karoo where there is no electricity except candle light and we would be terrified. The story ended with why we should never scrounge in the loft because at night the cricking sounds we hear are those of the foot which comes alive and drags across the floor boards :)
Phew - nice one :) - I must say that I have so much more of the maintenance filmed but need to keep the vids short. I thought perhaps sometime to post specific videos for specific tasks that are more detailed for boat owners who are doing similar tasks. That way I also think the feedback would be nice as the comments can teach us more from a broader audience. Cheers for now
The safety zone stuff was really interesting. Also: Sometimes 'living the dream' than 'dreaming the dream' ... It takes a courageous heart and a determined spirit to be free... good words good ending.
+Mike Shea (sheadtree) - Thanks Mike - That's very true! When I told Ana I was dreaming about sailing, I never thought she would jump at the opportunity and pressurise me into following through. I have since learnt to 'put more thought into my words' :) My business was doing well but I had lost my enthusiasm and felt an incredible 'draw to the ocean'. I could have sold the business but every interested 'buyer' wanted me to stay on for 3 - 4 years under contract and although we all realise the importance of time, when it comes down to it, we really are slow at getting out of our 'comfort zones' - and that was the moment I chose to have a courageous heart, to take the leap, close the doors and set the spirit free! When I look back my only regret is that I did not do it sooner. One friend asked of me once, "Brent, if you could describe in few words, the transition from being bound to mundane everyday life into one that made you free, what would those words be?' Without thinking too much about the question these words rolled off my tongue ... 'It takes a courageous heart and a determined spirit to be free'. I realised in the moment that these words came so easily that my brain had already found the peace within and that indeed my spirit was living the life of the free ... AMAZING feeling ... feel so blessed and want this for everyone out there with a dream. Cheers for now - Brent
That sure would have been at the edge of my comfort zone. Even in this day and age one cannot blindly rely on weather forecasts and must be prepared for rough weather. It would have been much less stressful if you'd been sailing off the wind more. You must have been tempted to make landfall further north. By the way, it would be nice to see another video of the rest of your time in Vanuatu. I will be sailing there next year in a cat for a couple of weeks.
Ben Coles Hi Ben ... this is true ... we were tempted to 'open the gap' however we felt Impi was handling the conditions just fine and wanted to reach Noumea as opposed to the northern side of New Caledonia which was our 'fall back plan B', with one of the Loyalty island anchorages as 'fall back plan A'. New Caledonia is surprisingly large and reaching the North side would mean a long drop (including entrances in and out of the reef system) in order to clear in at Noumea. Fortunately we always sail 'above our route' when departing from any location where the wind is not on the aft quarter, so as it was we were able to 'fall off' to our track line during the Force 9 squalls. Are you currently in New Caledonia? Could meet up with you to discuss Vanuatu or you could email us at earthmoving@hotmail.com. Vanuatu as I said in the beginning of the video ... 'for us it's people are it's biggest asset' ... i.e. we were probably spoilt with our cruising in Fiji. The Volcano is a 'must see' ... we should have followed the advice of a good friend who sailed these waters before and stayed south. Of course preferences in regions differ from sailor to sailor and we could share our take on it by email. Thanks for the comments and hope to see you out here :)
nice video, and nice to hear there is a safety system like T.c.a.s. in aircraft ( traffic, collision, Avoidance, system) to safeguard ourselves at night.
Trevor Lees Salah Kahle Trevor - scary even for an old salty like me, but one things true of sailing ... 'in the deep yonder there is no pulling to the side of the road and resting' ... only one option and that is to keep at it and work hard at keeping the stress loads off the boat. Impi is our home on the sea - we like to look after her :)
For your next "tutorial" would you consider explaining how you capture your video. It looks like a GoPro and a selfie stick or something similar? How do you manage to rotate the camera away from you to the view you've been talking about? And what do you use for editing? You've inspired me to follow a similar approach rather than just using still photos but I'm not sure of the best equipment to use. And of course S/V Delos has convinced me I need to buy a drone as well :-). But maybe I should wait until I've purchased my catamaran!
Julian Summers Hi Julian. I have to smile - I have nowhere near the skills of the SV Delos crew in terms of footage and camera skills ... and even less in drone skills :) I have 2 drones on board - one was replaced after developing a problem and the replacement ones engine went up in smoke ... veered toward me whilst I was standing in the dinghy and chopped a gash into my arm severing veins and so on ... also chopped my finger in several places to the bone and have now lost feeling in the finger, so I have 'parked them' for now. Of course this all happened in a remote location and getting me to hospital was a serious business but thats another story. As for photography - there is not much to what I do except hold a GoPro in my hand on a very short flex mount which they supplied with the camera (I guess about 30cm long and has a clamp on the bottom) - no selfie stick. I really just point with one hand and shoot. In fact some viewers on line started suggesting ways to improve sound for example, by placing a piece of fur over the mic to reduce wind noise, so where I am sharing what we do with radar for example, I have the camera on its own in my hand but wrapped in a sock. It really did cut out a lot of the background wind. I have a huge amount to learn about GoPro capabilities - I really just have it set where ever it is and use it that way. As for editing, I upload to the mac and use iMovie - my biggest task is to find user free music especially with most locations having slow, expensive and often intermittent internet connection. I have yet to learn how I can share videos longer than 15 mins on RUclips - this way I could maybe include more technical aspects at the end and viewers who are not interested in that aspect of our journeys could simply just hit the stop button at that point. On the other hand, it is difficult to find ample internet in most places to upload videos this size - I am not sure how other sailors are doing it - but many earn an income from their videos and I guess that allows them to buy better connectivity. So - I am fairly lucky folks don't mind the shakiness of my videos but in reality I am not monetising videos or anything like that for an income, so it is purely a means of keeping my kids, my mum and family back home involved and of course all these great folks we are meeting here (like you) who enjoy the same passion we do in sailing. We get many emails now from folks we have not met in person who write about setting up their boats and ask us to share some technical points on our videos for their benefit, so in essence I now am trying to do that by sharing these requests within the videos we make so everyone can engage. In this way I think we all get better exposure as no doubt there will be folks with even more experience who air their views in the comments, which in the end allows the folks who ask us the questions to get a broader answer with different 'takes' on the subject. I too learn in this process. Julian - I was also a photographer mostly using my Canon and writing blogs but really the Go Pro has proved to be more fun for me - it is small, easy to carry and I can dive with it - well worth getting one!
Thanks Frank - we learn from others and share with others - hopefully the knowledge shared makes for safer passages at sea for those to follow. Cheers for now - Brent and Ana
awesome mate , great video , love it , dont you have afraid of demast on such conditions? how do you evaluate if are too much pressure on mast? again awesome video mate
design of modern life Thanks - yes, one should always be afraid of dismasting in conditions like these. There are many things I observe when we are moving in these conditions that could cause unnecessary pressure on the mast and rigging. The first thing is to reef the sails according to the conditions and to make sure one does this sooner than later. The second thing I do is to make sure there is good tension on the main sheet and if dropping the mainsail completely also to make sure the topping lift is well tightened as this keeps aft tension on the mast. The third thing I do is to keep an eye on the leeward (downwind) shrouds / stays to make sure they do not 'snap' back and forth. These shrouds will slack in strong winds and the danger is that when the boat moves over a wave crest, the mast can free up for a second or two and cause a snapping tension on the leeward shroud / stay. For this reason, I use strong shock chord between the two shrouds /stays (we have 2 on each side) so the chord maintains a certain tension between them even when the mast slackens and in effect this acts like a shock absorber. Another thing we look at is vicious flapping on the leech of the sails (especially the genoa). This can send a vibration through the forestay and cause individual wires to crack or break. Certainly and ver importantly, we want to keep the boat moving freely. Any sudden stops (nose diving for example) causes excessive force on the rigging. Most of these issues are best resolved though through proper reefing of the sails for the conditions. This said though, we know of many cruisers who have been dismasted ... sometimes one can be doing everything to the book and still loose a rig, so one wants to make sure the rigging is always of a great quality and from a reliable supplier. This reduces the chances, but there is still always a chance ...
Brent Smith Lol - thats a positive negative ;) Brent, I am sure if I published more you would get bored. Wish we had more internet options - every port or island we sail to requires a new sim card and set up with different sets of rules - even here in New Caledonia it took 7 hours to upload this video. cheers for now - will try to keep the footage rolling ;)
We will be heading for Australia toward the end of the year or sooner - Terry (son) is getting married in South Africa so will fly in for that. Struggling to find a spot at Pittwater or Sydney for Impi whilst we are away but I am sure one of our Oz mates will make a plan - and then on our return will cruise around the Whitsundays before departing for Indonesia and beyond. The reason we want to do the Whitsundays is mostly because that is where we first started the idea of Impi - chartered a bare boat there and fell in love with the place and with sailing in general. Of course plans chop and change ... so we will see how it all goes ... Are you sailing?
Force 8 and looking at the jib, you seem to be sailing upwind. In the video at the first few minutes, were you just under a storm jib? How many sq feet (or meters)? How fast were you going, and to what angle of the apparent? Your video looks like the Lagoon 440 does pretty well in these conditions, but I would greatly appreciate details. Do you think a centerboard cat like the Catana would have pointed better into the apparent wind?
Hi dehdeh55 - great comment. Interesting questions and unfortunately I cannot give exact answers around this PARTICULAR event - it was some time ago but let me say the following: Yes, we were sailing close hauled around 30 - 35* app. I remember us sailing not for speed but more for comfort on the boat and rig but we were making good speeds which was necessary to 'beat a building weather system' approaching from behind. On this particular occasion, we had a choice to either wit it out for 2 weeks or to ride on the front of a building system that was predicted to dissipate. We chose to go and as you saw the system did indeed dissipate after 24 hours or so. The angles would have been a lot more comfortable as you know, had we opened the angle and placed the stern to the weather, however this would have seen us miss New Caledonia entirely instead for Australia, or it would have meant fighting our way back up toward New Caledonia again on a lull followed by a switch in weather which would have seen us yet again with head winds. So we 'bit the bullet' so to speak and held our course in seas where clearly the waves were cresting - not as easy as it looks on this video. But yes, The Lagoon 440 is exceptionally efficient in sailing close hauled - we have this comment all over the world from other yachts who sail with us. The shorter spreaders up the mast as well as the genoa tracks mean one can really pull in that genoa tight enough before the spreader tips affect the leech of the genoa. This is the secret of great upwind sailing with a catamaran. Off the wind, the Lagoon 440 is not as great as many other cats are with the standard configuration, however, we rig up a barber hauler and take a second genoa sheet through that and using the usual sheet combined with he added sheet, we can fly the genoa anywhere between. The only disadvantage with this is getting 100% the downward tension on the genoa clew. Storm sail - we do carry a full on storm sail / genoa, however we never use it! We use the furler to allow the required amount of cloth exposure to the force of the wind, so in this instance we would have had the genoa furled 3rd reef position. Our previous catamaran was a Catana 471 catamaran and to be honest, we sail as close to the wind on the lagoon 440 as we did with the Catana even though our Catana had a dagger board. I would say that a daggerboard will help catamarans that generally do not sail close to the wind mostly because they cannot bring the genoa in close enough, but then again there will be a limit to where the sail stalls. So the only thing the daggerboard helps with in the final analysis, is to stop some slippage through the water which helps to increase the apparent wind and ultimately the apparent angle accordingly ... but it has a limit of course. I do recommend sailors who write to us about buying catamarans, to look for a rig that has more than one spreader and the shorter the spreader the better for sailing close hauled. Cheers for now ... Brent
Thank you! It sounds like the LAgoon 440 is very capable and you have a tough furler to use in 40+ knots of apparent wind at a 30 - 35 deg angle to the apparent wind. Of course, I asked the wrong question about a daggerboard, as you note - It is how much lee way you make. Do you seem to make more leeway with the Lag 440 compared to the Catana 471? Also interesting radar alarm.
Hi again dehdeh55 - all good :) Yes, the furler system seems happy with these winds and we keep the main sheet tight as a kind of running backstay if I can put it that way - it keeps tension on the forestay. The issue with curlers in heavy wind conditions is not so much strong wind as opposed to power in the mainsail causing the furler to 'bend' - and when in this shape if we furl the tubes work against each other and that is not great for the system, so we make sure the mainsheet is in nice and tight and when we furl we ease the pressure to make the turns and this protects the tubes at the points where they 'attach to each other'. Comparing our 440 with he Catana we had - angles were similar and I can't vouch for leeway ... it all feels similar to us with the lagoon 440 being exceptional close hauled, but to provide you an honest answer regarding leeway - it is a difficult thing to compare without sailing alongside one. Yes - the radar alarm works well, as does X track error, depth, Ais and so on :) Cheers my friend Brent
Would deploying a drogue lessen pitching in high winds? I was thinking that one over the bowsprit would be good as long as the rope was not long enough to get caught in the props.
Castaway Hi Castaway - I have to admit that I am not a pro at deploying drogues and always only ever use it from astern. In other words we would not (unless all else fails and we are going to die) deploy a drogue to 'stop the boat' in these conditions. A fall back potion would be to head instead for the northern side of New Caledonia and put the wind more to the aft quarter and if we experienced the bows digging in would then initially drop a long line with many knots in it to slow the speed and then take it from there. Options include tying an object to the end of a rope such as a fold up bicycle for example, or to create a loop from one stern to the other if waves come from directly behind (the theory here is to release surface tension in the water causing a wave break before it reaches the boat). Our preferred option (and we have been criticised for it by other sailors sailing with us) is to keep the boat moving. I prefer to be in control of the situation as opposed to being at the mercy of the sea with a 'stalled boat'. As said though - many sailors have differing opinions and mine certainly are not necessarily correct - I think conditions,particular vessels and crew skills and of course crew stamina (ability to remain alert hr after hr) determine what the best options are ...
Thank you Robert. ‘force’ is another way they rate the strength of wind according to scale. The Beaufort scale categorizes wind speed by Beaufort or Force. The NOAA weather institution has it this way ... www.spc.noaa.gov/faq/tornado/beaufort.html I hope this helps ... some folks would refer to Force 8 winds as Beaufort 8 winds
***** Hi Alan, These instruments progress and change like laptops so there would be replacement models to these. Our chart plotter is a Raymarine E120, Radar is Raymarine RD218 (24NM), AIS is Raymarine 500 Transceiver (it transmits position and has the ability to go 'stealth' which means you can choose to show position or not). I hope this helps ... cheers
So what joe do you like the lagoon in your opinion is it a good cruiser is there a lot of maintenances to be done on it and if you had to do it again would you get again or would you get a different brand maybe a mono haul
Too wet a ride up on that flybridge (for my taste). Could you make a protective windshield or something (especially for winter sailing in higher latitudes)?
C_R_O_M__________ good day mate! Yes - the 440 has a dodger which can be pulled up complete with windshield. We are a bit crazy so we leave it folded away in warmer climates as we enjoy the elements, but yes - the dodger can easily be pulled up. The dodger lies under the blue tarp forward of the helm . Mostly one can choose when to be up there and when not to be - with autopilot it’s possible to be anywhere on the boat and the main sheet can be controlled from the fly bridge or the cockpit below :) A very valid comment ... Cheers for now Brent
Catamaran Impi thanks for your time and good day to you too! I think, between us and you, we are the crazy ones for participating in the rat race that we find ourselves daily. I am about to pull the trigger on a catamaran (probably a L440 as well, I think their prices have hit bottom, not much depreciation left for well maintained ones and they are a lot of boat) to live aboard and create an income as well during the holiday season, which, here in Greece, can be stretched to more than 7 months. I wanted to make a cost analysis on the things I’ll need to add as an Aegean-Ionian sailor with guests on board. Thanks for the clarification, between your info and that on the internet I think I now know what to expect. Next step a rental of the L440 to see how it suits my very particular physique (6’10” 280 lbs, ex-pro BBall player). P.S. on every forum I looked into, your name always comes up as the knowledgeable and good willing person that you are. Kudos to you for accomplishing part of your personal dreams while staying in balance with the rest of us nutties. Cheers!
C_R_O_M__________ very cool comment again ... thanks mate. The Lagoon 440 is great for taller people - we often have folks come to check out the boat so they can establish how it would be for them and we’ve had folks fly in to meet us and discuss the boat ... always a pleasure to help folks where we can as this is our second catamaran, our first was a Catana 471. The 440 as a standard out of the factory boat is under powered on the sails and I think they’ve done it for the charter business. On Impi we have seriously redesigned the sails (including the main sail and Genoa ) and added other sails too - bigger screecher, asymmetrical and spinnaker sails to get the best out of all winds and angles . We’ve done a lot of mods to the boat but we love that the 440 lends itself to this and is a great base boat from which to work for an ideal cruising platform. Our previous boat did not offer the same opportunities. It’s difficult to find really well looked after 440’s these days but they really have great space and properly powered (sails and sail area) maintain a great performance ability whilst carrying weight (home comforts). I see a lot of channels these days rating cats according to items that, guaranteed, once you own one will be way down the list of important things to have onboard. Some speak of the performance curves but whilst a light weight cat has a great performance curve out of the factory it usually falls Foul once loaded with home comforts for cruising. For cruising, the performance curve advertised is misleading and what is more important is a cats ability to maintain a decent performance curve once loaded. We must admit the owner version was a great decision. The bathrooms on the guest side are way too small but in the owners cabin large and spacious so that may be a difficult choice especially if wanting to charter the boat with paying guests where you have a charter version ie 4 bathrooms / heads as opposed to 3. Cheers for now Brent
Hi John - cheers mate - not too much damage except the first time out we tore the main sail, had to return and do the repair with needle and thread before taking off again. In New Zealand we just did some upgrades like new Yanmar sail drives - we had enough of the SD50 issues on our boat. We did a video of our work in New Zealand and also a video of our departure where we chased a strong front estimating the position where it would turn ... that was fun :)
It is so interesting to me that you go against others' advice some times for the sake of saving time and to keep going. I love your videos of larger waves and weather challenges. If it isn't too much, I have a question for you. My wife and I have been talking about possibly selling our belongings in the next five years or so and going on a 2-3 year adventure in a used cat. We have 3 little boys who are between 1 and 6. We have no sailing experience but both love the ocean. We are considering moving to Florida to be permanently close to the water, gain some experience and to see if we really want to do it down the road. Assuming we do decide to go, what advice would you give us? Lot's of people just say go now, don't wait, but I feel like we need to have a good margin of safety, knowledge and comfort to pretty much take care of a school under the sails.
Hi, Any thoughts on how a monohull would have handled those conditions? They clearly heel more and usually don't achieve catamaran speeds. I've seen demonstrations of catamaran sailing in windy conditions taking things in stride, while things looked very challenging on the monohull I assume you have had experience on monohulls? To be clear, I'm not trying to criticize monohulls, as if I ever get a boat, I'm sure it will be a monohull, given the extra expense of catamarans. Thanks for the video.
+lisarob5767 - Hi guys - I too am not one of these mono vs cat people but generally monos have a reputation for sailing closer to the wind than most cats. The Lagoon 440 sails closer to the wind than most cats we know of (and incredibly many monos we sail in the company of) and is really due to the genoa track position and the fact that the mast has two shorter spreaders verses one longer spreader. The spreaders can interfere with the leech (back) of the sail restricting the ability to bring it closer in for upwind sailing. In this video we have tight angles to the wind on account of our heading to the next destination and therefore are going 'to weather' with the waves breaking on the windward bow sector, hence the spray over the boat. Many cats would not keep this heading in these conditions and would have the waves breaking midship which would possibly result in having to turn the vessel more starboard in this scenario placing the weather more astern. This would mean a loss of heading which would mean tacking later on when the winds settle. So it can vary from cat to cat and the same can be said of monos. With heavy weather on the bow, the 'nose' wants to be 'pushed away' all the time and the result is a very heavy weather helm. Unless one has the speed there is a risk of 'stalling' which one definitely does not want in weather and sea state such as this. I hope this provides some perspective - but it really can differ from cat to cat, cat to mono, and mono to mono - speed plays a role. Sailing angles make a huge difference to how one experiences weather and conditions - in this video we are as said sailing close to the wind and had conditions worsened we certainly would have forsaken heading for safety and placed the system to our stern ...
lionel9250 Hi Lionel - thank you. Must admit there were moments I threw the camera aside :) We had the mainsail reefed 3rd reef (max) and the genoa also reefed (furled beyond 3rd) but with enough power left to keep power through wave crests. Also dumped a lot of the fresh water in the tanks as they are ahead of the mast - want to keep floatation forward. Struggled a little with the leech of our genoa (flapping motion) as the sail is stretched and we are in for a new suite of sails. Trick on the 440 is to keep the genoa cars forward (not aft as many suggest - said respectfully - it is my theory) which pulls more tension downward on the leech and tends to ease the foot. Cars moved aft do flatten the sail but I find with the sail cut the foot tensions more than the leech and causes flutter which affects performance. In effect, the shape in the sail causes the wind to 'partially stall' part way around sail curvature instead of following the curve, and in certain conditions we find this keeps Impi closer to the wind. We prefer to keep the boat moving in the water in strong winds where others prefer to drag warps and deploy para anchors ... I guess we all do what we feel is best for our particular craft. Anyway, I am certainly no 'guru' at these things - I am a simple cruiser but this is my take on it and works best for Impi. It does go to show that weather this year is unpredictable. At night though, its kinda strange to be sitting 'tethered in' when ones loved one is sleeping below - it makes me look at the surrounding white wash as Impi digs in ... and then to think Ana is 'cacooned' in this 'shell' below breaking seas ... quite a sobering thought :) Very happy to be sitting at anchor right now where all is tranquil.
Catamaran Impi Many thanks for your reply. Although it was windy, waves doesn't seems to be that big on the video. Could you let the autopilot steer the boat ?
lionel9250 - Hi Lionel - yes, autopilot was still coping well although during the night hand steered a bit. Of course one is no longer holding the camera in one hand when the waves and wind are at its worst ... still ...Video footage never quite shows wave size but waves were not as big as we had when crossing from Marquesas to Tuamotu atoll where the auto pilot refused to remain engaged. That storm was also totally unpredicted and the French meteo told us afterwards we had found ourselves in a 'squash zone'. Yeah ... would not consider this particular passage to have been unsafe or frightening ... it becomes 'uncomfortable' as one does not quite know if the conditions would become worse or better (especially if one is experiencing more than double what the grubs predicted). This is also why we maintained a respectable speed as we believed the 'trend' on the grib files would remain constant in that the conditions and wave state would become less as we proceeded south. This actually did happen although when night turned to day we had some even heavier screamers for an hour or two. thanks for the comment.
+JerryInDFW - LOL - I love your 'kissing Force 9' comment - must remember that one. To be very honest Jerry - I would be lying if I told you as I do not recall the exact speeds we were reaching there. Speed is also affected by current to a large extent. All I can tell ya, is that we were 'hauling mail' to get ahead of what was following these conditions as the weather prediction was showing an intense front a few hours behind but dropping off later - so we wanted to get well ahead of the system to where all was calming down. You will notice we achieved that the following morning albeit we were quite exhausted by then :) Thanks for the interest :)
Great video. Loved the sailing through weather. What was the boat speed at Force 8 Gail? At what point do you become concerned? Any issues with a cat vs monohull in those conditions?
Hi John - pleased you enjoyed the video !!! Many folks say they love it when we are in storms - lol - not sure we can agree. In this particular video and conditions it was not as much about fast speed as about keeping the boat controlled - too fast a speed could see us leaving wave tops which is not good for a catamaran. The trick with a multihull is to reef (reduce sail) well in advance and keep the boat moving at a speed that suits the conditions. A monohull has the ability to take a 'knock down' and come up straight again, whereas a cat could loose it's rig, and worse if it is overpowered and lifting off wave tops. This is when a cat could potentially capsize (the hull comes out of the water making it lighter to the wind) so the trick is to keep the hulls glued to the water by setting the sails accordingly - keep the boat moving swiftly, and if all this is done and the situation remains 'dangerous', to then ease the sheets and place the stern to the weather. With stern to the weather and further instability one then needs to throw out warps (we knot them) lengthened to keep the correct speed on the boat for the conditions. Warps break the surface tension of the water and reduces wave collapse on the boat causing much of the collapse on the warps. We do not subscribe to the process of sea anchors on our catamaran - we NEVER place the bows to weather on Impi which we would do on a mono - only the stern in severe conditions. You may get ten different answers from 10 different sailors, but this is how we have experienced it and how we now do it. Cheers for now and Happy New Year
@@georgeroach7499 hi George Warps are basically ‘ropes’ one throws out the back and drags behind the boat … so if you Google warps in boating it’ll come up with something like - Warp lines are long ropes that extend from the boat . In South Africa it’s a term we use a lot in a nautical environment Cheers and happy 2022
+Orry Clips Hi Orry Clips - thanks for the comment! Any boat can break in these conditions if not sailed carefully and especially if the boat has not been well maintained and looked after. Serious boating cruisers regularly maintain and replace equipment and this is key to safety at sea. Of course the set up of the boat in these conditions is also very important and one needs to 'feel the boat' - its a feeling one develops with time - 'to keep the pressure and forces down on the rig' . Many times failures come in from being over powered or having everything pulled in way too tight - we like to sail with a bit of 'slack' on the boat (i.e. not over tightened). As for the alarms - they are very reliable but one again needs to set the system up correctly and this depends on sea state and so on. Rough seas can whip up waves which are picked up by radar so one then gets false alarms - so the sensitivity needs to be set down and the inner zone limits moved further out which means more visual vigilance is required. We just posted on our FB page (cat impi) a scenario where we had to take diesel from a ship at sea after sustaining some damage - I seriously would never want to be hit by one of these - so whilst systems are aids they should not be totally relied upon. One still needs to keep an eye out for dangers and use the technology as a back up. In the case of fatigue - rest is imperative, so best then to get the rest and use the systems - fatigue is the biggest cause of loss of life at sea. Thanks for the comments and sorry for delayed replies but we have been at sea crossing to NEw Zealand from New Caledonia
Wow thanks a lot for the explanation man !!! I just took my competent crew course in the med so this tide and winds look extreme compared to where i was sailing and also because we only did about 4 hours of night and we didn't use the radar plus we didn't have one on deck lol. I learnt a lot from your comment. I did new caledonia on a cruise omg beautiful place and beautiful girls. Wish you a good journey and if you ever need incompetent crew let me know :)
TheUnmadeify Wow - I am so confused about this. Many folks are saying the best I am showing is 480p yet I am shooting at 1080p so not sure where I am going wrong here? Could it perhaps be on the upload bandwidth that RUclips cuts the quality back? Not sure how to rectify this but will try look into it. If anyone technical in this department can advise me I would seriously appreciate it! Thanks for letting me know - I lack in computer skills :)
TheUnmadeify Does this mean anything? This is how I saved the movie to my laptop and uploaded it from here. I could have saved a bigger file but I think it was in excess of 1GB
Catamaran Impi Oops - did not want to copy the snap I took of the specs - basically shows the movie saved to laptop as 798,3 MB Dimensions: 960x540 Codecs: AAC,H.264 Colour profile: SD (6-1-6) Audio channels: 2 and the file on my laptop displays as .mp4 798.3MB. I think the full size video would have been in excess of 1 GB so took it down slightly.
Thanks for sharing your videos with. I thoroughly enjoy watching and learning from them. I see you sold your farm and set out to sail the oceans The first thought that came to my mind was how fortunate for you that you were able to sell the farm before the socialists embarked on their land grab. South Africa has gone the way of Zimbabwe. They were the most prosperous nations in all of Africa until the communist took over and redistributed all the wealth and the lands (Thou Shalt not steal) instituting mass chaos and mass class conflict. (and that of course is what communist do best) What we saw happening in Zimbabwe is now happening in South Africa. The South Africa president Cyril Rhamaposa has said that the ruling African National Congress must initiate a parliamentary process to enshrine in the constitution an amendment paving the way for land grab without compensation. They are changing the constitution to legalise for the seizures of the farmers lands. This is what communist do, they bring about mass chaos and class conflict. This is not just Communism or Class Warfare, this is what comes about when there is no fear of God, this is the lack of the fear of God before their eyes, when there is no reverence for God. These communists were trained in Western universities that were put in place by well meaning British and Dutch Europeans who brought their Marxist, Nietzsche and rank Humanism ideologies into the universities making sure that enough of the people that went to university were carefully indoctrinate into Marxist and Nietzsche ideologies in-order that massive social revolution would happen in South Africa the results of which will be mass starvation and untold misery. And once you conferscate peoples land there is no private property there is no production and there is no security because there are no state provided assurances that you will be able to keep the property that you have just sized from somebody else. When the fear of God no longer exists in Nations all bets are off for what will happen in terms of the level of blood shed, the level of poverty, the level of starvation, that will come to nations that have jetAll bets are off for what will happen to South Africa. Extraordinary some fifteen thousand South African farmers are considering migrating to Russia (a dictatorial country) and half a million white South Africans have already left the country over the past three decades (not to Russia)
look over at 2:27 wife there , look back over a minute later poof wife gone. a true sailor just have to get another one at next port lol. Popeye ain't got shit on him
Quadcopter Testing Great - good to get some good comments here now that I have learnt to adjust the background music :) Our speed varied hugely - we were trying to keep speed down to a level which was controllable through the peaks and troughs which was around 7-8 knots but we were rallying up to 15 knots at times which was not comfortable. The critical thing we find in weather like this is to keep the boat moving just fast enough so it maintains momentum and does not slam to an extent of 'putting on the brakes' (by digging in) so to speak as that motion seriously causes stress to the rigging (which holds up the mast). We always keep an eye on the 'leeward side' (downwind) of the stay wires (side stays that hold up the mast) and make sure they are not slackening and whipping back to tension as that motion can cause failure to the cable strands (like flexing wire to break). Not sure if you will see it in this video but it is the reason we tie the two 'stays' together with a flexible shock chord since that also acts as a 'shock absorber' and prevents a serious whipping motion. So - that is the long answer to controlling speed - we manage boat speed according to what produces the least stress on the boat in heavy conditions as opposed to just going gung-ho for speed.
+jean paul Brunet -Thanks Jean Paul - We are not saying this is rough - we are saying it is uncomfortable! Coming from South Africa where the seas are rough I can assure you we know what rough is. These seas do not look rough on the film because it is difficult always to capture rough seas on film :) We of course do not claim any fame to being at sea in rough weather as it means our weather forecast is not well prepared. Cheers
Hi Carla - I get very nervous telling anyone our auto pilot performs well - LOL - but so far it has been AMAZING! Yes indeed, the autopilot handles extreme conditions we have found but when I say extreme I mean like on breaking waves where the rudders get lifted out of the wave it has no chance, so one need to throw warps out the back to slow things and keep the rudders engaged. Many times an autopilot not coping can have to do with sailing technique - kinda like buying a car with ABS breaking and testing it full speed on a road with oil. Sorry if that is not a good analogy but technology is not fool proof and the same applies with autopilot control - one needs to work the conditions and help the autopilot to help you. We have a remote helm control I carry with me - its really amazing some of the conditions I have used it from below. Cheers
Carla lahr - No not really. I started out as a young man doing an apprenticeship for Caterpillar (Mechanical) and then studied Civil Engineering before starting out in the earthmoving and mining business. That was a hard business but we grew it to be quite successful - but - a lot of it was by 'the seat of my pants' as some folks say. The one thing that pushed my company ahead was embracing technology and understanding what it can do to improve my business. I worked hard at that to the point that my competitors called me 'star wars' - LOL
Carla lahr Thats interesting - I ran heavy equipment as a youngster out of Southern California - Escondido / Vista area :) My son Terry was born during those times hence being able to stay in the US ...
8 лет назад
I don't know squat about sailing. Somebody explain to me why it was necessary to keep sailing that fast in that kind of sea.
+Walter Strong Hi Walter - a very good question by the way! We had downloaded grib files (weather data) and the storm was intensifying from behind with 'calmer conditions ahead' - we sailed to be ahead of the 'brunt of it' and let it blow itself out. Had conditions become worse, we would have put stern to (tail to) the wind and eased off (in severe conditions trail warps) even though this would have meant loosing direction to our destination. Recently there was a sad situation with an upturned catamaran which appeared off our coast in South Africa after floating this way for a year. We were involved along with many others in a 'satellite photography style search' which was not successful. The skipper stopped the boat ahead of the storm not quite knowing what to do and so 'hove to' ahead of the storm. The conditions caught up with him and since it generated into a hurricane the boat capsized and the sailors have not been found. From his last position report and the weather tracks received, it appears that had he kept up his speed and headed more south he would have avoided it entirely. Having crossed oceans for a number of years now I am of the opinion that we do not want to 'drag our heels' when heading for our destination - we read and interpret weather reports and sea state conditions, we choose the appropriate weather window and then we 'hit it' hoping things won't change too much along the way, but checking all the time to see if it does. In this instance and especially since we were faced with an el Nino year, it was difficult to get an accurate handle on weather and once we were underway we noticed on the grib updates that a system developed unexpectedly with easing conditions ahead. For us it was a rough ride throughout the day and best part of the night but as you saw we managed to sail into calmer conditions. Had we have 'slowed the pace' we would certainly have faced heavier weather - we got a report from friends in Vanuatu that a ship reported unusually massive seas and winds behind us. There are many takes on this topic but we have found on many passages with weather approaching from astern, is that the boats that 'lag' which get into trouble.
Thanks for the tip. I had thought that a catamaran is not capable of capsizing, much less turtling. But if the foul weather does catch up with you, is heaving to the safest thing to do?
www.noonsite.com/Countries/SouthAfrica/south-africa-overturned-catamaran-discovered-1-year-after-south-a frican-yachtsmen-go-missing Wish Full - it takes a LOT to upturn a catamaran and yes, many have capsized but MOSTLY will dis-mast before capsize. The biggest threat is at speed and colliding with an object in the water, or being overpowered on the rig in heavy weather with rough seas where the hulls are lifting off waves. In rough weather one really needs to reef down according to the conditions. Being hove to on a catamaran is not something I would do in heavy weather - I always turn stern to the weather and seas and the next step is to throw out long warps, if possible from port stern to starboard stern - this creates a 'loop' behind the boat which breaks the surface tension of the ocean and causes the disturbance (breaking waves) to happen there as opposed to 'at the boat'. I am simplifying the answer somewhat - the subject can get rather technical, but on Impi we like to keep movement on the boat (not stall the boat - by sea anchor / hove to or other) and one does that by placing the weather af and controlling the speed through warps. cheers
If you cruise on a Cat, why not play on one.? Look into Expandacraft, a modular watercraft that stores in small spaces and converts into all sorts of different craft.
+David Stewart - David - nothing wrong with the 440 let me assure you. Sailed on the Antares - nice boat too. The 440 actually has a fold up dodger / Bimini which you will see folded down. One can also sail from downstairs / inside which we do nights, but we are still young enough and wild enough to enjoy being in the elements :) Of course everyone has their preference but we LOVE the bridge .... thanks for the comment
I cringe watching a cat speeding in rough seas. I was racing one, years back, and the darn starboard bow dug in a wave causing the cat to catapult sideways (my first free flying lesson, lol.) it wasn't my fault though, I was crew.
Hi David - yes - did exactly the same thing - fortunately for me it was the guy who just a few minutes before took the helm from me. Of course cruising cats sail differently though - it takes a lot to flip a cruising cat - there is an incredible amount of buoyancy in the bows and on the Lagoon that nacelle extending into the trampoline area helps a lot to float the bows ... nice comment though and very valid ... a capsize on a large cat once in ones life is enough to keep one cautious forever. Cheers mate :)
Catamaran Impi -thanks for the blog, and taking time to comment back, it must be like work again. I've got a 450 "Celsius" and a blog but just for the varied friends and hired hands to help me move it. You help me adjust my limits. Send you positive vibes. Ed
+Jay Keene - hmmm - yes, we do have one actually but I find having the dodger up restricts my vision and also I loose 'touch with the elements' which I enjoy so much. But yes, must say I have thought of a 'hard window install' without the canopy. The thing is that one can always be downstairs and inside too ...
Hi William - yeah man - sorry about the fisheye effect - it does distort everything I must say. Ana always says she looks twice as wide with that fish eye lens - but hey - I spend a lot of time putting the vids together and am not sure I would ever get them posted if I start editing to remove fish eye :) - The Go Pro is great for close shots around the boat as the wide ab=ngle does get more in, but yeah, I do know what you are saying .... cheers bud!
Hi Adi - thanks for the comment. It may seem that way, however the 440 is not over exposed to the elements. One is able to fold out the 'dodger' which offers protection from the elements however we prefer to sail the boat 'open air' - it's a personal preference. Our previous catmaran (Catana 471) did not have a bridge and it's a feature we L O V E on the 440. The bridge actually brings a calming perspective - all seems to quieten up there. Jsut this week we sailed through winds gusting over 50 knots - the area is reef infested and friends of ours on a mono actually hove to in the storm. We could spot the reefs very well up there - a very easy helm position to reef in and work with sails and one could sense the forces at play from up on the bridge, whereas down stairs the noise of the ocean slamming into the boat confuses things. In the end as with all things it comes down to personal choice. With auopilot one needs not be on the bridge at all on long passages except to alter sails. One is able to control the main sail sheet from in the patio. The bridge is a wonderful feature on the boat. Cheers my friend All the best Brent
![YoungBoy Never Broke Again - Sneaking [Official Video]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/1ILUps2zDFU/mqdefault.jpg)
Your explanation of the navigation alarm system was not only interesting, and something I was wondering about, but you explained it ever so clearly. Thanks
cheers !
I watch all the Cat videos on youtube - just subscribed because you bring real personality and story into your videos. As a guy who dreams of this sort of retirement your channel is fast becoming a favorite. Even things that might seem a bit mundane to you is often fascinating to someone who has never done this. Thank you!
Will Terry Thank you for the compliment Will - what was initially a means to keep my family and friends in the loop has brought so many new friends to us too. We will continue to share what we can for as long as folks enjoy it ... Right now we are sitting of Port Moselle trying to get assistance form an electrician since one of our alternators is playing up ... so looking forward to getting down to Amedee Island which right now seems a few days away.
And I will add a third to that one, too! I am a few years out from casting off (kids in high school) and these videos are both inspirational and instructional for a life on the seas. While we will initially spend 3 - 4 month segments on our boat in the Carribean while kids in college, we'll eventually let the lines loose and follow the Impi. It'd be a treat to meet the Impi crew some day - they'd be a hoot to chillax around!
In my humble opinion, you are an excellent catamaran sailing instructor. Thanks for sharing your videos and for the examples of how-it's-done.
deanxxi Hi Dean - thank you very much - lol - not a sailing instructor by a long margin, but we do like to share and learn. I am pleased you enjoyed us sharing a little of the technical aspects so will see how we can incorporate some of that going forward without boring folks too much. Thanks
Sometimes 'living the dream' is more difficult than 'dreaming the dream' ... It takes a courageous heart and a determined spirit to be free ...
LOVE THIS!!
Thats awesome you enjoyed it. It 'rolled off the lips' without much thought and probably describes the way it is. We encourage all folks to follow that dream and not to be disillusioned once they capture it :)
Enjoyed that one, especially your explanation of the nav alarm settings, excellent piece of kit 👍
NICCAT Thank you and really pleased you enjoyed the share around the nav alarm set up. I was not sure if it was something to include in this video but a number of folks have asked me to add some technical aspects we use around sailing in our footage. So much more we could share around this but have to fit all into a 15 min slot (not sure how folks have longer shares?). Cheers
.....true adventurer can make such great videos, feels so real. Blessings from our sofa
Your best video so far. You're editing skills are really honed. The music is not too loud, I love just experiencing part of the sail as a passenger with little narration and no music for a few moments, and the electronics tutorial was really interesting!
Castaway Thank you Castaway - I think some of our viewers are 'teaching me' through the various comments - I am always willing to learn and try new things - criticism has therefore been positive in the outcome ;)
Thanks for the great video - your best yet. Really valuable insights into life on board and how to keep safe using your instruments.
Julian Summers Great Julian - I am pleased folks generally are liking this as I was requested to include some technical stuff, 'as we see it of course,' in our videos, and I wondered if that would not bore 'non sailing people' like my family members for example, but they too seem to like understanding a little of what we do to keep safe and follow the rules of 'good seamanship'. Cheers
Thanks for sharing your recommendations about the Chart-Plotter and safety at night. Much appreciated. Also love how you present your journey in a down to earth - rather a casual cruising wave, and don´t make it hyped up fuss, as we see more often these days on RUclips.
Cheers and thanks you Gordon 🍻
That was great , thanks so much for showing us how things work on your fantastic cat . Hoping you have smother sailing . This is the best Sailing show on RUclips , can't wait for the next one .
Justin Pallett Thanks Justin - I had to crack a smile when you mentioned the word 'show' - It makes me realise we live different lives now :)
i love your coments ,and the jorneys of catmaran and i hope that you have a lot of jorneys to show . big sailor and good experience ,tank you for showing in you tube ,i waiting for more!
+ruiserpapinto pinto Thanks for the comment :) Hoping many more people get to sail the oceans - it teaches us to respect the sea, respect our world and respect the views of others ...
Bonjour or hello ,
Magnifique vidéo comme toujours, et merci de nous faire partager votre voyage .
jean louis bodin-hullin Bonjour Jean Louis. C'est bien que les Francais insistent que les mouillages restent gratuits
Catamaran Impi
Bonjour,
Oui pour l instant ils le resteront gratuit , la loi "débile" n est pas passée et heureusement.
Bravo pour votre Français, j ai apprécier.
bonne continuation .
The end was very informative. Thank you for sharing.
Thank you so much for the video. It's great to see what a multihull is capable of.
Even if force 8/9 winds the boat seemed to handle well and looked stable compared to yachts.
This appeals to me greatly and my wife more so.
Happy sailing.
Thanks Dan. Yes, the Lagoon 440 is a terrific catamaran for sailing around the world. What we really like about the boat is also its ability to sail close to the wind. This is mostly due to the shorter spreaders on the mast (do not interfere with the genoa as much as single longer spreaders) and the position of the cars. Cheers for now ... Brent
I love your videos guys keep them coming!. What you are experiencing now has been a life long dream of mine. Hopefully I will get there one day. Enjoy!
Peter Godward Thank you Peter - we hope you get there too!
Love the nav lesson. Wish more cruising video's had more of this. Thanks. Be safe.
+blugrasssful - Thanks buddy
A great share of reality weather conditions. Love your videos Stay safe!
just_a Oldman Thank you - a good reminder to stay safe at sea - when things go wrong in these conditions I'm afraid to say it goes horribly wrong with one breakage leading to another. Always a good thing to have total 'respect for the sea' :)
I would love to see a video showing the modifications and additions that you have made to IMPI since you bought it - the ways that you have maximized it for safety, comfort, and durability.
Great video again and while impi was flying along in good stride given the conditions, it is sobering seeing the ocean flex its muscles a little. It's good you didn't have huge seas to contend with too.
The alarm setup was great too, very interesting. Given that impi is obviously very well specified, it would be great to get a minute or two each video to talk about particular aspects of it.
Thanks again and enjoy noumea :)
goetification Thanks for the valuable comment. Yes, must say, we really do need to maintain a healthy respect for the sea - it is a vast and mighty force that is constantly moving, chopping and changing. I remember our crossing to the Tuamotu's ... we were swept up by a massive breaking wave in the dead of night, the autopilot could not cope and kicked out as Impi spun around and descended bow first into the wave ahead. Ever since I have made sure to be more alert and aware of how quickly things can go wrong. Even when we are best equipped and with great planning, little things have made me realise one can never be fully prepared for the might of the sea. It amazes me as a result that sailors so easily feel the lack of need for safety gear and technology ... my feeling is such that we need every possible means at our disposal, even if it only offers us a 'slither of a chance' of being saved ... it could be the difference between a sailors survival or not.
I'm pleased you found the alarms set up interesting. Another alarm we use is on the ST70 which we set for depth. The theory here being that as one sails from deep water into shallow water an alarm sounds. In many of these islands in the pacific it is seldom one finds a gradual slope to land ... often there are underwater cliffs so the depth alarm would go off too late here, but in many cases one can set the alarm from a depth of 100m to anywhere between, and this too could be the difference between hitting a reef or not. Cheers for now!
Amazing Video. thanks for all news things that I learn. A big Hug from Portugal
Yeah for me the technical stuff is great 👍love the scenery as well of course 😎
+NICCAT - thanks for the comment
THANK YOU!!!! for your videos. I truly enjoy them.. Please don't stop...:-)))
waterbrat531 - Will do our best to keep the flow going ... cheers!
P.S. In seeing your videos I realized you stole my life. So please return the boat to me and all will be forgiven....Just kidding.:-)))
waterbrat531 LOL ... must say it does sometimes all feel to be a dream. It's not always an easy choice ... had a great business with good growth potential but certainly made the right choice to rather be 'free'
I just started sailing and i didn't know this technolgy existed !!! is awesome !!!
+Orry Clips Oh happy day, right? ;-) Do you have a boat? Or how do you say?
Thanks again for all the info. You don't need to worry about a perceived lack of skills - you more than make up for it with your enthusiasm :-)
Love your video's, I think you are a great captain, love the way you teach how to handle your craft. Very smart....! TFS
Thanks PJD - we learn from others and share the knowledge on - hopefully this keeps more of us safe at sea! Cheers my friend
Can't thank you enough for the lovely video's and all you have put into them! So a big cheer's to you both my wise friends!
Thank you for sharing realistic vids👍🏻 Thumbs up from here👍🏻 Fair winds ⛵️
Very entertaining vid w/ a bit of tech....nice work!
I agree with the comment bellow; well done - really liked the education part and explanation on the sail during and after those Force 8 winds. ****** 😊👍
Nice to hear these comments - gives me a feel for what I need to be sharing and what interests folks. Will put a bit more into sharing some of the technical aspects ... cheers
.Glad Impi and crew weathered the storm safely..Thanks for the insight on your Nav. system..Always wondered about the features....When you get to New Caledonia do me a favor look for my uncles leg he lost it there during WWII...(Kidding, they already found it, it just wasn't connected to my uncle)...LOL ...As always be safe and enjoy the the wind...
Jim Holt LOL - wow Jim ... thats quite a story. As a young boy I was scrounging around in my uncles loft on his farm and discovered a boot with the skeleton of a foot inside. That was spooky ... he had apparently had it from WWII ... my uncle did not want to comment on it so I never got the full story. Anyway, they used to tell us kids spook stories about 'sleep foot' which translated means 'drag foot' and always would tell us these stories on the farm in the Karoo where there is no electricity except candle light and we would be terrified. The story ended with why we should never scrounge in the loft because at night the cricking sounds we hear are those of the foot which comes alive and drags across the floor boards :)
Wow!!! Now that's a foot loose story....
Well done. Good educational video and explanations.
Phew - nice one :) - I must say that I have so much more of the maintenance filmed but need to keep the vids short. I thought perhaps sometime to post specific videos for specific tasks that are more detailed for boat owners who are doing similar tasks. That way I also think the feedback would be nice as the comments can teach us more from a broader audience. Cheers for now
The safety zone stuff was really interesting.
Also: Sometimes 'living the dream' than 'dreaming the dream' ... It takes a courageous heart and a determined spirit to be free... good words good ending.
+Mike Shea (sheadtree) - Thanks Mike - That's very true! When I told Ana I was dreaming about sailing, I never thought she would jump at the opportunity and pressurise me into following through. I have since learnt to 'put more thought into my words' :) My business was doing well but I had lost my enthusiasm and felt an incredible 'draw to the ocean'. I could have sold the business but every interested 'buyer' wanted me to stay on for 3 - 4 years under contract and although we all realise the importance of time, when it comes down to it, we really are slow at getting out of our 'comfort zones' - and that was the moment I chose to have a courageous heart, to take the leap, close the doors and set the spirit free! When I look back my only regret is that I did not do it sooner. One friend asked of me once, "Brent, if you could describe in few words, the transition from being bound to mundane everyday life into one that made you free, what would those words be?'
Without thinking too much about the question these words rolled off my tongue ... 'It takes a courageous heart and a determined spirit to be free'. I realised in the moment that these words came so easily that my brain had already found the peace within and that indeed my spirit was living the life of the free ... AMAZING feeling ... feel so blessed and want this for everyone out there with a dream. Cheers for now - Brent
+Catamaran Impi Thanks for the backstory, it gives more food for thought.
That sure would have been at the edge of my comfort zone. Even in this day and age one cannot blindly rely on weather forecasts and must be prepared for rough weather. It would have been much less stressful if you'd been sailing off the wind more. You must have been tempted to make landfall further north.
By the way, it would be nice to see another video of the rest of your time in Vanuatu. I will be sailing there next year in a cat for a couple of weeks.
Ben Coles Hi Ben ... this is true ... we were tempted to 'open the gap' however we felt Impi was handling the conditions just fine and wanted to reach Noumea as opposed to the northern side of New Caledonia which was our 'fall back plan B', with one of the Loyalty island anchorages as 'fall back plan A'. New Caledonia is surprisingly large and reaching the North side would mean a long drop (including entrances in and out of the reef system) in order to clear in at Noumea. Fortunately we always sail 'above our route' when departing from any location where the wind is not on the aft quarter, so as it was we were able to 'fall off' to our track line during the Force 9 squalls. Are you currently in New Caledonia? Could meet up with you to discuss Vanuatu or you could email us at earthmoving@hotmail.com. Vanuatu as I said in the beginning of the video ... 'for us it's people are it's biggest asset' ... i.e. we were probably spoilt with our cruising in Fiji. The Volcano is a 'must see' ... we should have followed the advice of a good friend who sailed these waters before and stayed south. Of course preferences in regions differ from sailor to sailor and we could share our take on it by email. Thanks for the comments and hope to see you out here :)
nice video, and nice to hear there is a safety system like T.c.a.s. in aircraft ( traffic, collision, Avoidance, system) to safeguard ourselves at night.
Great Video. Very informative. Thank you.
nice video as a land lubber this looked very scary but exciting,hamba kahle
Trevor Lees Salah Kahle Trevor - scary even for an old salty like me, but one things true of sailing ... 'in the deep yonder there is no pulling to the side of the road and resting' ... only one option and that is to keep at it and work hard at keeping the stress loads off the boat. Impi is our home on the sea - we like to look after her :)
thank you for the class of radar
Always a pleasure for me Luis :)
Nice , your best so far.
+Geir Ove Bø - cool - thanks Geir Ove Bo
For your next "tutorial" would you consider explaining how you capture your video. It looks like a GoPro and a selfie stick or something similar? How do you manage to rotate the camera away from you to the view you've been talking about? And what do you use for editing?
You've inspired me to follow a similar approach rather than just using still photos but I'm not sure of the best equipment to use. And of course S/V Delos has convinced me I need to buy a drone as well :-). But maybe I should wait until I've purchased my catamaran!
Julian Summers Hi Julian. I have to smile - I have nowhere near the skills of the SV Delos crew in terms of footage and camera skills ... and even less in drone skills :) I have 2 drones on board - one was replaced after developing a problem and the replacement ones engine went up in smoke ... veered toward me whilst I was standing in the dinghy and chopped a gash into my arm severing veins and so on ... also chopped my finger in several places to the bone and have now lost feeling in the finger, so I have 'parked them' for now. Of course this all happened in a remote location and getting me to hospital was a serious business but thats another story.
As for photography - there is not much to what I do except hold a GoPro in my hand on a very short flex mount which they supplied with the camera (I guess about 30cm long and has a clamp on the bottom) - no selfie stick. I really just point with one hand and shoot. In fact some viewers on line started suggesting ways to improve sound for example, by placing a piece of fur over the mic to reduce wind noise, so where I am sharing what we do with radar for example, I have the camera on its own in my hand but wrapped in a sock. It really did cut out a lot of the background wind. I have a huge amount to learn about GoPro capabilities - I really just have it set where ever it is and use it that way. As for editing, I upload to the mac and use iMovie - my biggest task is to find user free music especially with most locations having slow, expensive and often intermittent internet connection. I have yet to learn how I can share videos longer than 15 mins on RUclips - this way I could maybe include more technical aspects at the end and viewers who are not interested in that aspect of our journeys could simply just hit the stop button at that point. On the other hand, it is difficult to find ample internet in most places to upload videos this size - I am not sure how other sailors are doing it - but many earn an income from their videos and I guess that allows them to buy better connectivity.
So - I am fairly lucky folks don't mind the shakiness of my videos but in reality I am not monetising videos or anything like that for an income, so it is purely a means of keeping my kids, my mum and family back home involved and of course all these great folks we are meeting here (like you) who enjoy the same passion we do in sailing.
We get many emails now from folks we have not met in person who write about setting up their boats and ask us to share some technical points on our videos for their benefit, so in essence I now am trying to do that by sharing these requests within the videos we make so everyone can engage. In this way I think we all get better exposure as no doubt there will be folks with even more experience who air their views in the comments, which in the end allows the folks who ask us the questions to get a broader answer with different 'takes' on the subject. I too learn in this process. Julian - I was also a photographer mostly using my Canon and writing blogs but really the Go Pro has proved to be more fun for me - it is small, easy to carry and I can dive with it - well worth getting one!
Wow !! love explanation with the alarm
Ahhh - so pleased you enjoyed that share Bowie1972
Great video
Wish more can provide the kind of info you have provided explaining the monitor settings.... Thx!
Thanks Frank - we learn from others and share with others - hopefully the knowledge shared makes for safer passages at sea for those to follow. Cheers for now - Brent and Ana
awesome mate , great video , love it , dont you have afraid of demast on such conditions? how do you evaluate if are too much pressure on mast? again awesome video mate
design of modern life Thanks - yes, one should always be afraid of dismasting in conditions like these. There are many things I observe when we are moving in these conditions that could cause unnecessary pressure on the mast and rigging. The first thing is to reef the sails according to the conditions and to make sure one does this sooner than later. The second thing I do is to make sure there is good tension on the main sheet and if dropping the mainsail completely also to make sure the topping lift is well tightened as this keeps aft tension on the mast. The third thing I do is to keep an eye on the leeward (downwind) shrouds / stays to make sure they do not 'snap' back and forth. These shrouds will slack in strong winds and the danger is that when the boat moves over a wave crest, the mast can free up for a second or two and cause a snapping tension on the leeward shroud / stay. For this reason, I use strong shock chord between the two shrouds /stays (we have 2 on each side) so the chord maintains a certain tension between them even when the mast slackens and in effect this acts like a shock absorber. Another thing we look at is vicious flapping on the leech of the sails (especially the genoa). This can send a vibration through the forestay and cause individual wires to crack or break. Certainly and ver importantly, we want to keep the boat moving freely. Any sudden stops (nose diving for example) causes excessive force on the rigging. Most of these issues are best resolved though through proper reefing of the sails for the conditions. This said though, we know of many cruisers who have been dismasted ... sometimes one can be doing everything to the book and still loose a rig, so one wants to make sure the rigging is always of a great quality and from a reliable supplier. This reduces the chances, but there is still always a chance ...
Well done! And a good video....
Cheers Richard - much a appreciated :)
I have two major issues with your videos.
1) Videos are too short
2) Too long in between videos
Love your videos guys keep them coming...
Brent Smith Lol - thats a positive negative ;)
Brent, I am sure if I published more you would get bored.
Wish we had more internet options - every port or island we sail to requires a new sim card and set up with different sets of rules - even here in New Caledonia it took 7 hours to upload this video. cheers for now - will try to keep the footage rolling ;)
Catamaran Impi hahaha all positive and totally understand. Where are you guys off to over the next 6months ?
We will be heading for Australia toward the end of the year or sooner - Terry (son) is getting married in South Africa so will fly in for that. Struggling to find a spot at Pittwater or Sydney for Impi whilst we are away but I am sure one of our Oz mates will make a plan - and then on our return will cruise around the Whitsundays before departing for Indonesia and beyond.
The reason we want to do the Whitsundays is mostly because that is where we first started the idea of Impi - chartered a bare boat there and fell in love with the place and with sailing in general.
Of course plans chop and change ... so we will see how it all goes ...
Are you sailing?
Force 8 and looking at the jib, you seem to be sailing upwind. In the video at the first few minutes, were you just under a storm jib? How many sq feet (or meters)? How fast were you going, and to what angle of the apparent? Your video looks like the Lagoon 440 does pretty well in these conditions, but I would greatly appreciate details.
Do you think a centerboard cat like the Catana would have pointed better into the apparent wind?
Hi dehdeh55 - great comment.
Interesting questions and unfortunately I cannot give exact answers around this PARTICULAR event - it was some time ago but let me say the following:
Yes, we were sailing close hauled around 30 - 35* app.
I remember us sailing not for speed but more for comfort on the boat and rig but we were making good speeds which was necessary to 'beat a building weather system' approaching from behind. On this particular occasion, we had a choice to either wit it out for 2 weeks or to ride on the front of a building system that was predicted to dissipate. We chose to go and as you saw the system did indeed dissipate after 24 hours or so. The angles would have been a lot more comfortable as you know, had we opened the angle and placed the stern to the weather, however this would have seen us miss New Caledonia entirely instead for Australia, or it would have meant fighting our way back up toward New Caledonia again on a lull followed by a switch in weather which would have seen us yet again with head winds. So we 'bit the bullet' so to speak and held our course in seas where clearly the waves were cresting - not as easy as it looks on this video.
But yes, The Lagoon 440 is exceptionally efficient in sailing close hauled - we have this comment all over the world from other yachts who sail with us. The shorter spreaders up the mast as well as the genoa tracks mean one can really pull in that genoa tight enough before the spreader tips affect the leech of the genoa. This is the secret of great upwind sailing with a catamaran.
Off the wind, the Lagoon 440 is not as great as many other cats are with the standard configuration, however, we rig up a barber hauler and take a second genoa sheet through that and using the usual sheet combined with he added sheet, we can fly the genoa anywhere between. The only disadvantage with this is getting 100% the downward tension on the genoa clew.
Storm sail - we do carry a full on storm sail / genoa, however we never use it! We use the furler to allow the required amount of cloth exposure to the force of the wind, so in this instance we would have had the genoa furled 3rd reef position.
Our previous catamaran was a Catana 471 catamaran and to be honest, we sail as close to the wind on the lagoon 440 as we did with the Catana even though our Catana had a dagger board. I would say that a daggerboard will help catamarans that generally do not sail close to the wind mostly because they cannot bring the genoa in close enough, but then again there will be a limit to where the sail stalls. So the only thing the daggerboard helps with in the final analysis, is to stop some slippage through the water which helps to increase the apparent wind and ultimately the apparent angle accordingly ... but it has a limit of course.
I do recommend sailors who write to us about buying catamarans, to look for a rig that has more than one spreader and the shorter the spreader the better for sailing close hauled. Cheers for now ... Brent
Thank you! It sounds like the LAgoon 440 is very capable and you have a tough furler to use in 40+ knots of apparent wind at a 30 - 35 deg angle to the apparent wind.
Of course, I asked the wrong question about a daggerboard, as you note - It is how much lee way you make. Do you seem to make more leeway with the Lag 440 compared to the Catana 471?
Also interesting radar alarm.
Hi again dehdeh55 - all good :)
Yes, the furler system seems happy with these winds and we keep the main sheet tight as a kind of running backstay if I can put it that way - it keeps tension on the forestay. The issue with curlers in heavy wind conditions is not so much strong wind as opposed to power in the mainsail causing the furler to 'bend' - and when in this shape if we furl the tubes work against each other and that is not great for the system, so we make sure the mainsheet is in nice and tight and when we furl we ease the pressure to make the turns and this protects the tubes at the points where they 'attach to each other'.
Comparing our 440 with he Catana we had - angles were similar and I can't vouch for leeway ... it all feels similar to us with the lagoon 440 being exceptional close hauled, but to provide you an honest answer regarding leeway - it is a difficult thing to compare without sailing alongside one.
Yes - the radar alarm works well, as does X track error, depth, Ais and so on :)
Cheers my friend
Brent
Awesome video, Thanks!
Thank you Serganten1 - much appreciated
Would deploying a drogue lessen pitching in high winds? I was thinking that one over the bowsprit would be good as long as the rope was not long enough to get caught in the props.
Castaway Hi Castaway - I have to admit that I am not a pro at deploying drogues and always only ever use it from astern. In other words we would not (unless all else fails and we are going to die) deploy a drogue to 'stop the boat' in these conditions. A fall back potion would be to head instead for the northern side of New Caledonia and put the wind more to the aft quarter and if we experienced the bows digging in would then initially drop a long line with many knots in it to slow the speed and then take it from there. Options include tying an object to the end of a rope such as a fold up bicycle for example, or to create a loop from one stern to the other if waves come from directly behind (the theory here is to release surface tension in the water causing a wave break before it reaches the boat). Our preferred option (and we have been criticised for it by other sailors sailing with us) is to keep the boat moving. I prefer to be in control of the situation as opposed to being at the mercy of the sea with a 'stalled boat'. As said though - many sailors have differing opinions and mine certainly are not necessarily correct - I think conditions,particular vessels and crew skills and of course crew stamina (ability to remain alert hr after hr) determine what the best options are ...
Great video. Please explain what you mean by force winds?
Thank you Robert.
‘force’ is another way they rate the strength of wind according to scale.
The Beaufort scale categorizes wind speed by Beaufort or Force.
The NOAA weather institution has it this way ... www.spc.noaa.gov/faq/tornado/beaufort.html
I hope this helps ... some folks would refer to Force 8 winds as Beaufort 8 winds
Bonne route mes amis !! Vous vous souvenez quand même ? Bonne année 2020
Thanks for the intuitive video, Can you tell me what sort/model of Radar/ Chart plotter/AIS you are using? Does your AIS also transmit your position?
***** Hi Alan,
These instruments progress and change like laptops so there would be replacement models to these.
Our chart plotter is a Raymarine E120, Radar is Raymarine RD218 (24NM), AIS is Raymarine 500 Transceiver (it transmits position and has the ability to go 'stealth' which means you can choose to show position or not).
I hope this helps ... cheers
So what joe do you like the lagoon in your opinion is it a good cruiser is there a lot of maintenances to be done on it and if you had to do it again would you get again or would you get a different brand maybe a mono haul
Nice video
Too wet a ride up on that flybridge (for my taste). Could you make a protective windshield or something (especially for winter sailing in higher latitudes)?
C_R_O_M__________ good day mate!
Yes - the 440 has a dodger which can be pulled up complete with windshield.
We are a bit crazy so we leave it folded away in warmer climates as we enjoy the elements, but yes - the dodger can easily be pulled up.
The dodger lies under the blue tarp forward of the helm .
Mostly one can choose when to be up there and when not to be - with autopilot it’s possible to be anywhere on the boat and the main sheet can be controlled from the fly bridge or the cockpit below :)
A very valid comment ...
Cheers for now
Brent
Catamaran Impi thanks for your time and good day to you too!
I think, between us and you, we are the crazy ones for participating in the rat race that we find ourselves daily.
I am about to pull the trigger on a catamaran (probably a L440 as well, I think their prices have hit bottom, not much depreciation left for well maintained ones and they are a lot of boat) to live aboard and create an income as well during the holiday season, which, here in Greece, can be stretched to more than 7 months. I wanted to make a cost analysis on the things I’ll need to add as an Aegean-Ionian sailor with guests on board. Thanks for the clarification, between your info and that on the internet I think I now know what to expect. Next step a rental of the L440 to see how it suits my very particular physique (6’10” 280 lbs, ex-pro BBall player).
P.S. on every forum I looked into, your name always comes up as the knowledgeable and good willing person that you are. Kudos to you for accomplishing part of your personal dreams while staying in balance with the rest of us nutties. Cheers!
C_R_O_M__________ very cool comment again ... thanks mate.
The Lagoon 440 is great for taller people - we often have folks come to check out the boat so they can establish how it would be for them and we’ve had folks fly in to meet us and discuss the boat ... always a pleasure to help folks where we can as this is our second catamaran, our first was a Catana 471.
The 440 as a standard out of the factory boat is under powered on the sails and I think they’ve done it for the charter business.
On Impi we have seriously redesigned the sails (including the main sail and Genoa ) and added other sails too - bigger screecher, asymmetrical and spinnaker sails to get the best out of all winds and angles .
We’ve done a lot of mods to the boat but we love that the 440 lends itself to this and is a great base boat from which to work for an ideal cruising platform. Our previous boat did not offer the same opportunities.
It’s difficult to find really well looked after 440’s these days but they really have great space and properly powered (sails and sail area) maintain a great performance ability whilst carrying weight (home comforts).
I see a lot of channels these days rating cats according to items that, guaranteed, once you own one will be way down the list of important things to have onboard. Some speak of the performance curves but whilst a light weight cat has a great performance curve out of the factory it usually falls
Foul once loaded with home comforts for cruising. For cruising, the performance curve advertised is misleading and what is more important is a cats ability to maintain a decent performance curve once loaded.
We must admit the owner version was a great decision. The bathrooms on the guest side are way too small but in the owners cabin large and spacious so that may be a difficult choice especially if wanting to charter the boat with paying guests where you have a charter version ie 4 bathrooms / heads as opposed to 3.
Cheers for now
Brent
Brent, thank you again for your very useful points and your time. I’ll keep them in mind.
What an awesome story to share, thank you. What kind of damage did your cat sustain? What did you have to do before leaving New Zealand?
Hi John - cheers mate - not too much damage except the first time out we tore the main sail, had to return and do the repair with needle and thread before taking off again. In New Zealand we just did some upgrades like new Yanmar sail drives - we had enough of the SD50 issues on our boat. We did a video of our work in New Zealand and also a video of our departure where we chased a strong front estimating the position where it would turn ... that was fun :)
It is so interesting to me that you go against others' advice some times for the sake of saving time and to keep going. I love your videos of larger waves and weather challenges. If it isn't too much, I have a question for you. My wife and I have been talking about possibly selling our belongings in the next five years or so and going on a 2-3 year adventure in a used cat. We have 3 little boys who are between 1 and 6. We have no sailing experience but both love the ocean. We are considering moving to Florida to be permanently close to the water, gain some experience and to see if we really want to do it down the road. Assuming we do decide to go, what advice would you give us? Lot's of people just say go now, don't wait, but I feel like we need to have a good margin of safety, knowledge and comfort to pretty much take care of a school under the sails.
what kind of speed were you going under that strong wind?
Hi, Any thoughts on how a monohull would have handled those conditions? They clearly heel more and usually don't achieve catamaran speeds. I've seen demonstrations of catamaran sailing in windy conditions taking things in stride, while things looked very challenging on the monohull I assume you have had experience on monohulls? To be clear, I'm not trying to criticize monohulls, as if I ever get a boat, I'm sure it will be a monohull, given the extra expense of catamarans. Thanks for the video.
+lisarob5767 - Hi guys - I too am not one of these mono vs cat people but generally monos have a reputation for sailing closer to the wind than most cats. The Lagoon 440 sails closer to the wind than most cats we know of (and incredibly many monos we sail in the company of) and is really due to the genoa track position and the fact that the mast has two shorter spreaders verses one longer spreader. The spreaders can interfere with the leech (back) of the sail restricting the ability to bring it closer in for upwind sailing. In this video we have tight angles to the wind on account of our heading to the next destination and therefore are going 'to weather' with the waves breaking on the windward bow sector, hence the spray over the boat. Many cats would not keep this heading in these conditions and would have the waves breaking midship which would possibly result in having to turn the vessel more starboard in this scenario placing the weather more astern. This would mean a loss of heading which would mean tacking later on when the winds settle. So it can vary from cat to cat and the same can be said of monos. With heavy weather on the bow, the 'nose' wants to be 'pushed away' all the time and the result is a very heavy weather helm. Unless one has the speed there is a risk of 'stalling' which one definitely does not want in weather and sea state such as this. I hope this provides some perspective - but it really can differ from cat to cat, cat to mono, and mono to mono - speed plays a role. Sailing angles make a huge difference to how one experiences weather and conditions - in this video we are as said sailing close to the wind and had conditions worsened we certainly would have forsaken heading for safety and placed the system to our stern ...
Great shoot !!
Your cat seems to be pretty stable during those rought conditions
how did you set the sail for force 8 ?
lionel9250 Hi Lionel - thank you. Must admit there were moments I threw the camera aside :)
We had the mainsail reefed 3rd reef (max) and the genoa also reefed (furled beyond 3rd) but with enough power left to keep power through wave crests. Also dumped a lot of the fresh water in the tanks as they are ahead of the mast - want to keep floatation forward.
Struggled a little with the leech of our genoa (flapping motion) as the sail is stretched and we are in for a new suite of sails. Trick on the 440 is to keep the genoa cars forward (not aft as many suggest - said respectfully - it is my theory) which pulls more tension downward on the leech and tends to ease the foot. Cars moved aft do flatten the sail but I find with the sail cut the foot tensions more than the leech and causes flutter which affects performance. In effect, the shape in the sail causes the wind to 'partially stall' part way around sail curvature instead of following the curve, and in certain conditions we find this keeps Impi closer to the wind.
We prefer to keep the boat moving in the water in strong winds where others prefer to drag warps and deploy para anchors ... I guess we all do what we feel is best for our particular craft.
Anyway, I am certainly no 'guru' at these things - I am a simple cruiser but this is my take on it and works best for Impi.
It does go to show that weather this year is unpredictable.
At night though, its kinda strange to be sitting 'tethered in' when ones loved one is sleeping below - it makes me look at the surrounding white wash as Impi digs in ... and then to think Ana is 'cacooned' in this 'shell' below breaking seas ... quite a sobering thought :) Very happy to be sitting at anchor right now where all is tranquil.
Catamaran Impi
Many thanks for your reply.
Although it was windy, waves doesn't seems to be that big on the video. Could you let the autopilot steer the boat ?
lionel9250 - Hi Lionel - yes, autopilot was still coping well although during the night hand steered a bit. Of course one is no longer holding the camera in one hand when the waves and wind are at its worst ... still ...Video footage never quite shows wave size but waves were not as big as we had when crossing from Marquesas to Tuamotu atoll where the auto pilot refused to remain engaged. That storm was also totally unpredicted and the French meteo told us afterwards we had found ourselves in a 'squash zone'. Yeah ... would not consider this particular passage to have been unsafe or frightening ... it becomes 'uncomfortable' as one does not quite know if the conditions would become worse or better (especially if one is experiencing more than double what the grubs predicted). This is also why we maintained a respectable speed as we believed the 'trend' on the grib files would remain constant in that the conditions and wave state would become less as we proceeded south. This actually did happen although when night turned to day we had some even heavier screamers for an hour or two. thanks for the comment.
I like very nice video
+jeff Zana - cheers Jeff
Wow! Kissing Force 9! What kind of speed were y'all getting in that? Looked fast even on the video!
+JerryInDFW - LOL - I love your 'kissing Force 9' comment - must remember that one. To be very honest Jerry - I would be lying if I told you as I do not recall the exact speeds we were reaching there. Speed is also affected by current to a large extent. All I can tell ya, is that we were 'hauling mail' to get ahead of what was following these conditions as the weather prediction was showing an intense front a few hours behind but dropping off later - so we wanted to get well ahead of the system to where all was calming down. You will notice we achieved that the following morning albeit we were quite exhausted by then :) Thanks for the interest :)
Thanks for the reply!
Great video. Loved the sailing through weather. What was the boat speed at Force 8 Gail? At what point do you become concerned? Any issues with a cat vs monohull in those conditions?
Hi John - pleased you enjoyed the video !!! Many folks say they love it when we are in storms - lol - not sure we can agree.
In this particular video and conditions it was not as much about fast speed as about keeping the boat controlled - too fast a speed could see us leaving wave tops which is not good for a catamaran. The trick with a multihull is to reef (reduce sail) well in advance and keep the boat moving at a speed that suits the conditions. A monohull has the ability to take a 'knock down' and come up straight again, whereas a cat could loose it's rig, and worse if it is overpowered and lifting off wave tops. This is when a cat could potentially capsize (the hull comes out of the water making it lighter to the wind) so the trick is to keep the hulls glued to the water by setting the sails accordingly - keep the boat moving swiftly, and if all this is done and the situation remains 'dangerous', to then ease the sheets and place the stern to the weather. With stern to the weather and further instability one then needs to throw out warps (we knot them) lengthened to keep the correct speed on the boat for the conditions. Warps break the surface tension of the water and reduces wave collapse on the boat causing much of the collapse on the warps.
We do not subscribe to the process of sea anchors on our catamaran - we NEVER place the bows to weather on Impi which we would do on a mono - only the stern in severe conditions. You may get ten different answers from 10 different sailors, but this is how we have experienced it and how we now do it.
Cheers for now and Happy New Year
@@CatamaranImpi What are warps that you speak about. ,,,I am not a sailor, but want to learn.
@@georgeroach7499 hi George
Warps are basically ‘ropes’ one throws out the back and drags behind the boat … so if you Google warps in boating it’ll come up with something like - Warp lines are long ropes that extend from the boat .
In South Africa it’s a term we use a lot in a nautical environment
Cheers and happy 2022
Awesome video man !!! Can the boat actually break under those conditions??? also How reliable is that alarm??? :) Happy Sailing
+Orry Clips Hi Orry Clips - thanks for the comment! Any boat can break in these conditions if not sailed carefully and especially if the boat has not been well maintained and looked after. Serious boating cruisers regularly maintain and replace equipment and this is key to safety at sea. Of course the set up of the boat in these conditions is also very important and one needs to 'feel the boat' - its a feeling one develops with time - 'to keep the pressure and forces down on the rig' . Many times failures come in from being over powered or having everything pulled in way too tight - we like to sail with a bit of 'slack' on the boat (i.e. not over tightened). As for the alarms - they are very reliable but one again needs to set the system up correctly and this depends on sea state and so on. Rough seas can whip up waves which are picked up by radar so one then gets false alarms - so the sensitivity needs to be set down and the inner zone limits moved further out which means more visual vigilance is required. We just posted on our FB page (cat impi) a scenario where we had to take diesel from a ship at sea after sustaining some damage - I seriously would never want to be hit by one of these - so whilst systems are aids they should not be totally relied upon. One still needs to keep an eye out for dangers and use the technology as a back up. In the case of fatigue - rest is imperative, so best then to get the rest and use the systems - fatigue is the biggest cause of loss of life at sea. Thanks for the comments and sorry for delayed replies but we have been at sea crossing to NEw Zealand from New Caledonia
Wow thanks a lot for the explanation man !!! I just took my competent crew course in the med so this tide and winds look extreme compared to where i was sailing and also because we only did about 4 hours of night and we didn't use the radar plus we didn't have one on deck lol. I learnt a lot from your comment. I did new caledonia on a cruise omg beautiful place and beautiful girls. Wish you a good journey and if you ever need incompetent crew let me know :)
+Orry Clips incompetent ? are you being funny?
Mike Shea a matter of perspective i think
Have you thought of getting a 1080p camera? i love your videos but 480p dosent show the beautiful scenery at its max
TheUnmadeify Wow - I am so confused about this. Many folks are saying the best I am showing is 480p yet I am shooting at 1080p so not sure where I am going wrong here? Could it perhaps be on the upload bandwidth that RUclips cuts the quality back? Not sure how to rectify this but will try look into it. If anyone technical in this department can advise me I would seriously appreciate it! Thanks for letting me know - I lack in computer skills :)
TheUnmadeify Does this mean anything? This is how I saved the movie to my laptop and uploaded it from here. I could have saved a bigger file but I think it was in excess of 1GB
Catamaran Impi Oops - did not want to copy the snap I took of the specs - basically shows the movie saved to laptop as 798,3 MB Dimensions: 960x540 Codecs: AAC,H.264 Colour profile: SD (6-1-6) Audio channels: 2 and the file on my laptop displays as .mp4 798.3MB. I think the full size video would have been in excess of 1 GB so took it down slightly.
Thanks for sharing your videos with. I thoroughly enjoy watching and learning from them. I see you sold your farm and set out to sail the oceans The first thought that came to my mind was how fortunate for you that you were able to sell the farm before the socialists embarked on their land grab. South Africa has gone the way of Zimbabwe. They were the most prosperous nations in all of Africa until the communist took over and redistributed all the wealth and the lands (Thou Shalt not steal) instituting mass chaos and mass class conflict. (and that of course is what communist do best) What we saw happening in Zimbabwe is now happening in South Africa. The South Africa president Cyril Rhamaposa has said that the ruling African National Congress must initiate a parliamentary process to enshrine in the constitution an amendment paving the way for land grab without compensation. They are changing the constitution to legalise for the seizures of the farmers lands. This is what communist do, they bring about mass chaos and class conflict. This is not just Communism or Class Warfare, this is what comes about when there is no fear of God, this is the lack of the fear of God before their eyes, when there is no reverence for God. These communists were trained in Western universities that were put in place by well meaning British and Dutch Europeans who brought their Marxist, Nietzsche and rank Humanism ideologies into the universities making sure that enough of the people that went to university were carefully indoctrinate into Marxist and Nietzsche ideologies in-order that massive social revolution would happen in South Africa the results of which will be mass starvation and untold misery. And once you conferscate peoples land there is no private property there is no production and there is no security because there are no state provided assurances that you will be able to keep the property that you have just sized from somebody else. When the fear of God no longer exists in Nations all bets are off for what will happen in terms of the level of blood shed, the level of poverty, the level of starvation, that will come to nations that have jetAll bets are off for what will happen to South Africa. Extraordinary some fifteen thousand South African farmers are considering migrating to Russia (a dictatorial country) and half a million white South Africans have already left the country over the past three decades (not to Russia)
Safe journeys ;)
👍
look over at 2:27 wife there , look back over a minute later poof wife gone. a true sailor just have to get another one at next port lol. Popeye ain't got shit on him
LOL - I could never drop her overboard - my senior navigator, friend and partner in crime :)
What month of the year have you been there?
Hi Alberts - thought we had replied but seems it did not go through - Ana reminds me it was somewhere around end JULY last year
Nice to see another update, good vlog again!
Nice radar/gps tutorial also.
What was your speed?
Keep sailing.
Quadcopter Testing Great - good to get some good comments here now that I have learnt to adjust the background music :) Our speed varied hugely - we were trying to keep speed down to a level which was controllable through the peaks and troughs which was around 7-8 knots but we were rallying up to 15 knots at times which was not comfortable. The critical thing we find in weather like this is to keep the boat moving just fast enough so it maintains momentum and does not slam to an extent of 'putting on the brakes' (by digging in) so to speak as that motion seriously causes stress to the rigging (which holds up the mast). We always keep an eye on the 'leeward side' (downwind) of the stay wires (side stays that hold up the mast) and make sure they are not slackening and whipping back to tension as that motion can cause failure to the cable strands (like flexing wire to break). Not sure if you will see it in this video but it is the reason we tie the two 'stays' together with a flexible shock chord since that also acts as a 'shock absorber' and prevents a serious whipping motion. So - that is the long answer to controlling speed - we manage boat speed according to what produces the least stress on the boat in heavy conditions as opposed to just going gung-ho for speed.
8 apparent !!! mais, grand habitué que je suis, peux affirmer qu'il a eu une mer de 6 maxi et encore ?? Il n'a jamais eu de gros temps celui là !
+jean paul Brunet -Thanks Jean Paul - We are not saying this is rough - we are saying it is uncomfortable! Coming from South Africa where the seas are rough I can assure you we know what rough is. These seas do not look rough on the film because it is difficult always to capture rough seas on film :) We of course do not claim any fame to being at sea in rough weather as it means our weather forecast is not well prepared. Cheers
Does your auto pilot perform ok in those conditions?
Hi Carla - I get very nervous telling anyone our auto pilot performs well - LOL - but so far it has been AMAZING!
Yes indeed, the autopilot handles extreme conditions we have found but when I say extreme I mean like on breaking waves where the rudders get lifted out of the wave it has no chance, so one need to throw warps out the back to slow things and keep the rudders engaged. Many times an autopilot not coping can have to do with sailing technique - kinda like buying a car with ABS breaking and testing it full speed on a road with oil. Sorry if that is not a good analogy but technology is not fool proof and the same applies with autopilot control - one needs to work the conditions and help the autopilot to help you.
We have a remote helm control I carry with me - its really amazing some of the conditions I have used it from below. Cheers
Your videos are so informative, I especially enjoyed your info on your chart plotter. May I ask what your back ground is, are you an engineer?
Carla lahr - No not really. I started out as a young man doing an apprenticeship for Caterpillar (Mechanical) and then studied Civil Engineering before starting out in the earthmoving and mining business. That was a hard business but we grew it to be quite successful - but - a lot of it was by 'the seat of my pants' as some folks say. The one thing that pushed my company ahead was embracing technology and understanding what it can do to improve my business. I worked hard at that to the point that my competitors called me 'star wars' - LOL
I can appreciate that, I run heavy equipment in California.
Carla lahr Thats interesting - I ran heavy equipment as a youngster out of Southern California - Escondido / Vista area :) My son Terry was born during those times hence being able to stay in the US ...
I don't know squat about sailing. Somebody explain to me why it was necessary to keep sailing that fast in that kind of sea.
+Walter Strong Hi Walter - a very good question by the way!
We had downloaded grib files (weather data) and the storm was intensifying from behind with 'calmer conditions ahead' - we sailed to be ahead of the 'brunt of it' and let it blow itself out. Had conditions become worse, we would have put stern to (tail to) the wind and eased off (in severe conditions trail warps) even though this would have meant loosing direction to our destination.
Recently there was a sad situation with an upturned catamaran which appeared off our coast in South Africa after floating this way for a year. We were involved along with many others in a 'satellite photography style search' which was not successful. The skipper stopped the boat ahead of the storm not quite knowing what to do and so 'hove to' ahead of the storm. The conditions caught up with him and since it generated into a hurricane the boat capsized and the sailors have not been found. From his last position report and the weather tracks received, it appears that had he kept up his speed and headed more south he would have avoided it entirely. Having crossed oceans for a number of years now I am of the opinion that we do not want to 'drag our heels' when heading for our destination - we read and interpret weather reports and sea state conditions, we choose the appropriate weather window and then we 'hit it' hoping things won't change too much along the way, but checking all the time to see if it does.
In this instance and especially since we were faced with an el Nino year, it was difficult to get an accurate handle on weather and once we were underway we noticed on the grib updates that a system developed unexpectedly with easing conditions ahead. For us it was a rough ride throughout the day and best part of the night but as you saw we managed to sail into calmer conditions. Had we have 'slowed the pace' we would certainly have faced heavier weather - we got a report from friends in Vanuatu that a ship reported unusually massive seas and winds behind us. There are many takes on this topic but we have found on many passages with weather approaching from astern, is that the boats that 'lag' which get into trouble.
Thanks for the tip. I had thought that a catamaran is not capable of capsizing, much less turtling. But if the foul weather does catch up with you, is heaving to the safest thing to do?
www.noonsite.com/Countries/SouthAfrica/south-africa-overturned-catamaran-discovered-1-year-after-south-a
frican-yachtsmen-go-missing
Wish Full - it takes a LOT to upturn a catamaran and yes, many have capsized but MOSTLY will dis-mast before capsize. The biggest threat is at speed and colliding with an object in the water, or being overpowered on the rig in heavy weather with rough seas where the hulls are lifting off waves. In rough weather one really needs to reef down according to the conditions.
Being hove to on a catamaran is not something I would do in heavy weather - I always turn stern to the weather and seas and the next step is to throw out long warps, if possible from port stern to starboard stern - this creates a 'loop' behind the boat which breaks the surface tension of the ocean and causes the disturbance (breaking waves) to happen there as opposed to 'at the boat'.
I am simplifying the answer somewhat - the subject can get rather technical, but on Impi we like to keep movement on the boat (not stall the boat - by sea anchor / hove to or other) and one does that by placing the weather af and controlling the speed through warps. cheers
If you cruise on a Cat, why not play on one.? Look into Expandacraft, a modular watercraft that stores in small spaces and converts into all sorts of different craft.
Wrong boat. Need one with a protected cockpit (Eg: Antares 44i
+David Stewart - David - nothing wrong with the 440 let me assure you. Sailed on the Antares - nice boat too. The 440 actually has a fold up dodger / Bimini which you will see folded down. One can also sail from downstairs / inside which we do nights, but we are still young enough and wild enough to enjoy being in the elements :) Of course everyone has their preference but we LOVE the bridge .... thanks for the comment
I cringe watching a cat speeding in rough seas. I was racing one, years back, and the darn starboard bow dug in a wave causing the cat to catapult sideways (my first free flying lesson, lol.) it wasn't my fault though, I was crew.
Hi David - yes - did exactly the same thing - fortunately for me it was the guy who just a few minutes before took the helm from me. Of course cruising cats sail differently though - it takes a lot to flip a cruising cat - there is an incredible amount of buoyancy in the bows and on the Lagoon that nacelle extending into the trampoline area helps a lot to float the bows ... nice comment though and very valid ... a capsize on a large cat once in ones life is enough to keep one cautious forever. Cheers mate :)
Catamaran Impi -thanks for the blog, and taking time to comment back, it must be like work again. I've got a 450 "Celsius" and a blog but just for the varied friends and hired hands to help me move it. You help me adjust my limits. Send you positive vibes. Ed
I'd need a windshield in front of me...
+Jay Keene - hmmm - yes, we do have one actually but I find having the dodger up restricts my vision and also I loose 'touch with the elements' which I enjoy so much. But yes, must say I have thought of a 'hard window install' without the canopy. The thing is that one can always be downstairs and inside too ...
Great video. All you needed to do was to throw away that stupid wide angle/fish-eye lens and it would have been perfect.
Hi William - yeah man - sorry about the fisheye effect - it does distort everything I must say. Ana always says she looks twice as wide with that fish eye lens - but hey - I spend a lot of time putting the vids together and am not sure I would ever get them posted if I start editing to remove fish eye :) - The Go Pro is great for close shots around the boat as the wide ab=ngle does get more in, but yeah, I do know what you are saying .... cheers bud!
Too much exposure to the elements there up on top! Much better protection offer the 420, 421, 400 or 380 modes,I should say!
Hi Adi - thanks for the comment. It may seem that way, however the 440 is not over exposed to the elements.
One is able to fold out the 'dodger' which offers protection from the elements however we prefer to sail the boat 'open air' - it's a personal preference.
Our previous catmaran (Catana 471) did not have a bridge and it's a feature we L O V E on the 440.
The bridge actually brings a calming perspective - all seems to quieten up there. Jsut this week we sailed through winds gusting over 50 knots - the area is reef infested and friends of ours on a mono actually hove to in the storm. We could spot the reefs very well up there - a very easy helm position to reef in and work with sails and one could sense the forces at play from up on the bridge, whereas down stairs the noise of the ocean slamming into the boat confuses things.
In the end as with all things it comes down to personal choice. With auopilot one needs not be on the bridge at all on long passages except to alter sails. One is able to control the main sail sheet from in the patio.
The bridge is a wonderful feature on the boat.
Cheers my friend
All the best
Brent