Atlantic Crossing Guide
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- Опубликовано: 1 окт 2024
- If you are thinking of crossing the Atlantic to the Caribbean in your own boat then this video is probably for you Routes, timing, equipment, departure places, Arrival. It will help you plan this ocean passage and tell you a bit of what its actually like...
There is also a book of this video at www.gentlesailing.com
My books are available to download from: www.gentlesaili...
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charming presentation and so much more enjoyable than the brash 'pretty sailing couple' channels that are more about them than sailing. Learnt loads here. thank you.
Jon hi, Really pleased you enjoyed it - thank you for watching it
Ere ere
There was a nude woman just over his left shoulder so there was at least half of a pretty sailing couple (sorry John lol)
@@davidballenger4954 That was no lady it was Salvador Dali's wife....
Video is a couple of years old so perhaps you've moved on and won't read this: but THANK YOU. An absolute pleasure to hear your broad ranging observations on making the passage. I'll be watching this a few more times so it all sinks in and I can ponder things thoroughly.
i;ve watched 1,000 cruiser/sailing videos from 100 different channels is THIS one is by far the most detailed informative video. Thank you for making this video and sharing such valuable information.
MegaMilyon hello, Some one said reconnaissance is 3/4 of the battle... I have also found it's really difficult to get detailed info about long distance sailing stuff so I am really glad you found my video and channel helpful! Michael
I second that. 👍
@@dalsie105 Darren thank you for the Thumbs up - much appreciated!
best vid i have ever seen on the subject, covered everything and no waffle.
Georgeh hello,
Really pleased you found it interesting
@@SailingGently qqa
@@SailingGently You've earned a subscriber. I daydream about taking my wife on a slow tour of the world. You've put another piece of the puzzle together for me. Blessings!
@@PatrickKQ4HBD That is so kind Patrick - I hope your dream comes true - it is a wonderful way to travel
Thank you. I will be doing the crossing this November. I am 68yrs. old and a coastal cruiser . I am a little nervous. Your calm demeanor put me at ease . Thank you .
So pleased it was helpful... Have a wonderful voyage - I'm sure you will enjoy it
What a wealth of high quality information. 👍
thank you Tom. I am so glad you find it useful
Now THIS is the sailing channel I've been looking for!!!
Once the t and a boaters wear your patience and your eyeballs thin - you know, the sunbathing, and the disasters that aren't, and the 'Big News' that isn't , and the sudden, unexplained influxes of tens of thousands of pounds (actually, usually dollars) from the ether, you start looking for something like this. I already thoroughly enjoy Barry Perrins, the old sea dog, and a few others, but I am a new sailor of 62 years ancient, and there is very little out there for us.
A very good friend of mine was sailing single handed in his mid 90.s so we all have a long way to go - voyage!
Agree all that in spades!…Sailing Gently ‘Michael’ is a breath of fresh air when it comes to you tube sailing ⛵️…a real sailor, obviously loving the life and more importantly for the is willing to share and give lots of time to put us right in the picture …he’s fab!
@@sigascosailing6787 Sigasco I am so pleased you enjoy the videos... Makes it worth the effort of making them
It takes a very clever person to put things across simply. Thank you for this!
I am so pleased you found it useful - thank you
Completely agree mate, just the channel I’ve been looking for and someone of vast experience
@@themarketapprentice Glad you are finding the channel useful Jamie - I enjoy making the videos
Really appreciated your Atlantic crossing video. You inspired me to plan a crossing. Doing my sailing licence preparation and exam in Italy now, though I'm Irish, a long story...😅 . Just found your channel and very happy to subscribe. Compliments
Great to hear Wesley - so pleased you found the video helpful and interesting. Thank you for watching
Fabulous knowledge bombs . Thankyou for sharing and in my future I will think of this wisdom you shared when hopefully I have travelled these passages . Good health and good luck .
So pleased you found the video useful and I wish you fair winds and safe landfalls
Thank you for sharing your experiences, amazing as they are, thank you
David thank you for watching - makes this video project worth while....
Excellent video. Very well done. Agree with everything, but think that if you give the Iridium GO a chance (€1000 up front, then €50/month for unlimited email + GRIBs --- and cancellable month by month), you may be willing to jettison the SSB. :-) Again, one of the best Transat videos I have seen.
That sounds affordable. Can you use an SSB in the middle of an ocean?. I thought range was limited to about 400 miles or so? Thanks.
Patrick thank you. I hope to be in the Caribbean this coming winter and intend just using my cell phone with a multi island sim and see how that goes.. I"m putting my boat on a ship from Southampton this time - I confess!
Bobbie Gee , I had a SSB ham radio for years, so I feel qualified to respond to your question..
The range of SSB SHORTWAVE radios varies - a lot!
It depends on both the frequency you select, and the time of day, and even season of the year.
400 miles sounds a reasonable limit for certain frequencies during daylight, but ranges of 3000 miles are regularly achieved at twilight hours, and at night.
From the east coast of Canada I regularly had 2 way conversations across the Atlantic to England and Europe,
And south to The southern Atlantic states in the USA. distances of 2000+ miles.
But I agree inReach and Iridium Go are great! And have a much easier learning curve.
Patrick good to know you are still around...😀
@@edwardfinn4141 I had similar experience Edward with my SSB although I never became a Ham I used to listen to those ham boat frequencies - I am off back to the Caribbean but even there in my day there were only a few frequencies like the safety and security net and David Jones doing weather - but once I started heading out towards Panama and then in the South Pacific it really came into it's own... I think it depends if you are a blue water cruiser and want to keep in touch with others or if you are just doing the Atlantic in which case probably Iridium or Inreach is the answer - but not so much fun!
I’m absolutely skint but I’m working my ass off to accomplish this and live for long periods on my boat.
It's really difficult to finance - I was lucky I was freelance so did all this when I was out of work!
Tons of good stuff.....Felt like I should have been taking notes!
Glad it was useful - Didn't mean it to sound like a lecture - sorry!
just rewind : )
An excellent tutorial on the Atlantic Crossing. Concise, well stated, and a "Fact Zone" differentiating you from all others. Well done. Good luck with your channel.
Thank you SeaDarer, I do try to make the videos based on experience and have found research for information about some things is harder than actually doing the sailing part of it||!|
Literally answered every question I had about transatlantic crossing. 😂👍 You should be a professor. I can listen to you all day. I just got into yachting during the pandemic. It's like a whole new world.
Glad it was helpful! Yes Igbo the sailing lifestyle/world is a great place to be
Ditto! totally agree, and brilliant delivery ter boot!
Absolutely fantasic video! Clear and informative and definately a wonderful reference. I have just purchased several of your books and guides for my cruising library - Many thanks! - Colin
Thank you very much Colin for watching and indeed for buying the books - I hope you find them interesting and useful - Really pleased you liked the Video
Excellent video, much appreciated, and you manage to do it without a bikini in site, which is very unusual on RUclips..
Glad you liked it Fred... The big problem is I look really silly and a bit overweight in a bikini so I avoid them...
Whew! A wealth of knowledge in less than an hour.
Rona hi, so pleased you found it useful!
Absolutely great video guide. Thank you for sharing your knowledge and personal experience. There are few video channels with this type of information.
So Pleased you found the videos informative. Thank you for watching
Exactly
Just brilliant presentation. So interesting and with such calm and assured delivery from someone who clearly knows what he is talking about. Thank you.
Glad you enjoyed it! Glad it was useful. Thank you for watching
Very well put together sir, keep it up 👍
Thank you very much. I have a new one in the works about preparing a boat for the Caribbean - will publish in a week or so.
Great info. and very well put across. I sailed from Antigua to Portsmouth in 2009 - thanks to Crewseekers - to get sea miles and experience before buying my own boat in Greece. Now, 10+ years and 3 boats later, I'm still drawn to sailing the Atlantic again. Solo next time as I want a very different challenge. I will be rowing it in 2022 as part of the TWAC race after which, and on successful purchase of a boat (currently looking for a Vancouver 27), I'll sail the Atlantic again. Fair winds to you.
Darren that is really impressive - Rowing the Atlantic is something I would love to do but probably too challenging. I wish you good fortune with that... You clearly know your boats - Vancouver 27 is a great boat... I met a single hander from north of England in a Vancouver - he sailed her across every year for a month or two in the sun then headed back.. Hope you find one that suits - Fair winds
Great video, very well presented in an easy and understandable manner but I would never put my boots in your boat.
So pleased you liked the video Roger. thank you for watching
If We Ever Meet in real life you will get a beer for me very useful information I absolutely like the way that you inform people I'm going to follow you on RUclips thank you
I am so pleased you found the Video useful - Cheers!
Yes I was absolutely impressed and especially about the usefulness about the information there are a million videos about the crossing but a lot of them are just not very informative and you put a lot of extra information in there and that's something I can really appreciate and that's the reason why I shared it on Twitter and shared it on Facebook and I shared it on LinkedIn so that more people can watch your videos
@@russianaircraft376 Thank you for sharing with all those media outlets. I am grateful and really pleased you found it interesting and useful - makes it worth the effort of creating it..
I listened to this video while driving home after sitting on sailing / cruising class at a local community college, learning never stops, thank you.
Vik hi,
Thank you for 'listening' to it. Glad it was useful
Another brilliant video. Lots of useful information. You make it sound so easy. 😉 Thanks Michael.
Thank you Robert. Glad its useful and if it were truly difficult I would not be able to do it... I am a pretty average sailor at best,
And what a life you've obviously had!! How fantastic! Thank you for sharing.
I am a bit of a gypsy I confess - worked hard and played hard - thank you for looking at my video and I am glad you enjoyed it. Michael
As you say not difficult. After the middle of November sail south until the butter melts and turn West.
Your right David - hard part is getting south to the Canaries or Cape Verde and all the prep
This is great. So much better than 99% of the other so-called sailing channels.
Thank you. I am so pleased you found it interesting
Fantastic and so much useful information in clear words. You brought me closer to my own crossing - sooner than later…thank you Sir!
So pleased Johan that you found it helpful. Thank you for watching
A wealth of very useful information, tips, hacks and advice from a sailor with first-hand experience, not just theory. A valuable resource for trans-Atlantic crossings.
Roger hello,
So pleased you liked the video and found it useful. Thank you for watching
We crossed in 1978 on 45' yawl in late October early November. Gibraltar, Canaries and Antigua. I was one of 5. It was HOT!! We had to get the canvas cockpit cover up by 9:30 or 10:00 AM or you'd bake. Bring alcohol for the sweat induced skin rashes. Water ration was 1 gallonTotal per person per day, washing & food. Having done Halifax to Cork Ireland 18 months before, I much preferred the North Atlantic. Yes it was cold and rainy but the motion of the boat on beam reaches or closer to the wind was much better that the constant rolling is the trades.I lost 13 pounds on the North and 18 on the South with a food ration in excess of 3500 to 4000 calories. In July in the North there is total darkness for 4 hours. In the South 8 to 10. I've only done these two long passages and some off shore racing but I would say do not forget small stuff, the day to day stuff that if wrong can ware you down and make life miserable.
Cola hello,
Thank you for watching and for the good advice... It was a lot harder in 1978 without all the modern aides... I agee the North Atlantic is a really good experience!
Good info I think I am going to attempt this on my Hunter 340
Michelle hi, Why not? My round the world boat was only 2 ft longer - right planning and gear and off you go - I think it's the person not the boat - see you in the Caribbean.. Fair winds
Great video, simple and back to basics - love it. Thanks very much, going to visit your website for more information, cheers and happy sailing 😀👍
Glad it was helpful Rudi. Thank you for watching
This is a phenomenal resource for a young aspiring liveaboard sailor such as myself - thank you very much for gifting us with your wealth of information and wisdom!
Mike hi, messing about in boats is the best thing I have ever done and I'm pleased you found it helpful
Just started sailing and found your channel. This was a joy to watch and i'm looking forward to doing this one day. Thank you!
Glad you found it encouraging Will. Sailing is such fun.. enjoy
You are awesome! Thanks for your kindly info/skill sharing!
Douglas hi, So pleased you found it useful. Thank you for watching
Thank you so much! I am a former sailor, landlubber now, you made me dream again!
Wonderful! That makes me very happy!
Btw, I am 83, and have cycled camped over lots of Europe till suddenly I got old, creaking. And very cranky.
Goodness knows why I found this good to watched but it was/is.
Nice to listen to good sense
Trevor hi, I'm 79 and hate the aches and pains so much, but am determined to get back to the sun and sea! totally understand where you are coming from. so glad you liked the video
I wish I had a boat,that was super informative.what with the Shadenfreud from the EU, my motorhome is starting to loose its shine
@@key948 They certainly float better than Campers but do rock and roll - Sailing is a very complete hobby which like a motorhome goes with you - try a dinghy course first - the best way to learn to sail then maybe buy a boat
Southern sandstone legend Trevor Panther?
Nav lights? VHF? turn them on when you get close to land. And yes you can cook with salt water if you use a steamer. Sprouts are a must to grow if you have enough water. I have grown spinach in pots, suspended in those two ring fender holders and best of all...mushrooms, one of those kits you can buy. They fitted in the dark space below the companionway stairs. A delivery. an awful Nauticat schooner, forty four feet, brand new, everything going wrong, forty one days between the Canaries, La Palma and Freeport Bahamas! Almost ran out of food except plenty of fish!. The new boat had an early Satnav device and it would give you an accurate fix twice a day.....Luxury, 1980 I recall. I got a ride from California to Hawaii and have lived here ever since. I am far from wealthy but working class Wandsworth to Holualoa Hawaii!? Blimey and Aloha! I have enjoyed this video Thank you I will look for more. I have sailed over one hundred thousand miles across oceans and now at 72, I miss it, so spiritual, you and the moment, the next wave, holding the wheel, at the front, nothing else matters, be there. David.
Wonderful sailing life Dave. Some great advice. Thank you for sharing.
Why turn off the VHF and Nav lights when close to shore… ?
@@petesilvestri No you turn them on when close to shore...And why? because only then will there be anyone to see the lights or hear the VHF because it only has a range of thirty miles if you are very lucky
I watched a couple video advertisements for cruising sailboats and youtube suggested this video. now I guess I'm looking for a blue water boat lol. great information. subscribed.
So pleased you found the video informative and interesting. Thank you for watching
Thank you Captain for all these
informations.Very good vidéo.
I want to learn more with you.
Thank you Farid - So pleased you found the video useful. The book which covers the Atlantic Crossing is available at www.gentlesailing.com/
What a nugget!
Absolutely fantastic information.
Glad you enjoyed it!
Great video! I am new to sailing and just got my American equivalent to day skipper/navigation certs for coastal cruising while in Greece (Poros area). Next, I will be working on the advanced coastal cruising skipper cert (all conditions) then onto doing a passage course to Bermuda (from the US). Your videos give a whole lot of context about the realities of sailing/passages. There are so many 'sources' (much of it conflicting) of info out there that it gets a little overwhelming for us newbies. Thank you for sharing wisdom from your years of experience. It's extremely helpful to those of us just starting our journeys!
So pleased you find the videos useful... sounds like your getting properly trained. Try doing a Dinghy sailing course. If you can sail a Dinghy you can sail anything and it's far harder than big boat sailing but you get to do all the helming
Great information sir. Tank you very much!
Nadern I am so pleased you found it useful
Subscribe for sure Sir. Absolutely great information and you are radiating experience!
If you manage to keep this level of quality on the information you share you will definitely grow your channel easily and rapidly. I am sure people will love to listen to you simply because of the experience you reveal. Much appreciated and many thanks! 💪
Vegard hello,
thank you for the subscription and indeed the kind words.. Whilst I cannot be out there sailing because of winter and covid making films about voyages is a real pleasure and I am delighted you found it interesting and helpful
fair winds
Michael
I think this is the fourth time I watch this video. I'm getting more and more serious taking my 31feet moody to the Caribbean. Thank u so much for taking the time to share your knowledge! It helps more people than you ever could imagine! Keep up the good work!
So pleased it is helpful - I think around 31 ft is perfect for single handing or a longer voyage with 1 or 2 crew...Hope you have a wonderful crossing
2182 is being phased out by USCG. Other frequencies should be used.
Thank you for that update. I actually think SSB is probably not the way to go anymore!
So earlier this year I finally got round to doing my Day Skipper course/exam. Watching this has shown me just how much I still need to learn. One day maybe, but a couple of years sailing up and down the Algarve first I think.
Well done Dean on your Day Skipper and the Algarve is a lovely place for learning - I got as far as Turkey before deciding for the first time to head for the Caribbean
@@SailingGently As a teenager I sailed dinghies on the Camel with my brother in the 1970s. Did day skipper with my nephew and we took out a 2 year sailshare on a Jeanneau 36i. we probably will get some experience in the med also (Greece, Croatia, maybe Turkey), but ultimately we would like to cross the Atlantic...probably a couple of years experience first, then buy our own boat for the trip :)
Sounds like 'living the dream' to me Dean... Well done - and look me up when you get to the Caribbean!
Micheal,
Thank you most kindly for sharing your experience and wisdom . I love your attitude Reguarding water and music on watch. Your information about sat phones absolutely super . I must aquire single sideband radio. Down wind for me is a symmetrical spinnaker without a pole attached to snatch blocks forward of the mast on the gunnells operating like a parachute which drags my boat by the nose . Your videos are excellent and most informative
Fair winds and safe passage.
Jonn hello,
I am so pleased you found the video interesting and useful... It sounds like you have found your own good solution to downwind sailing.
Thank you for watching my videos
Anyone can learn from videos like this, not all sailors take the same rout or stop in the same places.
One of the joys of sailing is there are so many ways of doing it and so many different experiences. We are so lucky to have such a marvellous hobby.
Very informative about so many things (gas for instance) Thankyou for making the Video .
Glad it was helpful!
So well explained, excellent thank you.
Thank you Nick. Glad it was useful
You said you didn't recommend further South than Tan Tan... Try a trip up the Gambie River in Gambia: If your boat has a draft less than 2 metres and an air-draft of less than 17 metres, it is possible to navigate some 160 miles up river. The wild life is amazing and the people friendly English speakers. Noonsite has the info. You'll love it!
thank you - really interesting - I would love to sail that area - came up the Red Sea, Djibouti, Sudan, Egypt etc... My concern south of Morocco was the people trying to relocate to Spain/Canaries from Africa - It was very much my opinion but the refugee problem is exploited by some pretty disreputable people... I got attacked and robbed by pirates in the Gulf of Aden and I have been a bit more careful ever since but I will go and have a look at what noonsite has to say - thank you
Very interesting!! -Thank you!
Thank you for watching Johan
thank you, Sir. Excellent and very informative! Much appreciated
I didn't understand the 2 jibes, though. The leeward one is fixed to the boom (also leeward). Is that one doubled? In the photos, it looked like it was windward (and hence can't be fixed to the boom).
Also, did you/will you make a similar video for crossing Pacific to the Society Islands?
Jeff hi,
It is more or less directly down wind in the trades out of the Canaries or Cape Verdes so it's a matter of keeping both jibs boomed out but with the ability to reef one easily on the jib furler if the wind blows up.
I have not made a guide to crossing the Pacific as such but there is a pilot book of mine about it at www.gentlesailing.com/ and a video at ruclips.net/video/48xnkwfyzSQ/видео.html
An absolutely brilliant video. I look forward to more!
Many thanks Christopher - I have quite a large back catalogue at ruclips.net/channel/UCCHwNBRMwKc-aYYdKzYON4Q
@@SailingGently I’ve already started into it!
Thanks for sharing your wisdom and experience. Not everyone would do that. Your vid is a gem. Bravo and thanks!
So pleased you found it useful Dave. Thank you for watching
Outstanding, informative presentation.
Glad you liked it Brian & Candy - hope it helps a bit with your prep or decision
Hurry up and write the book, I want one. Great video, very informative. Thank you Captain.👍
Just published Mike - it's at www.gentlesailing.com/
Dangerous twaddle as regards weather routing, DO NOT PLAN ON SPECIFIC DATES FOR THE START OF HURRICANES, as they are often wrong, as are recommended routes or comments about how long a passage will take. Always start a passage when the long range forecast, (Sea water temps, NOAH hurricane risk forecasts, jet stream tracks etc). More rubbish about collisions risks, as very few merchant vessels on a trade wind route will have their radar on. If you sail shorthanded, FIT A RADAR, and make sure it is on when no one is on watch, I've done one full singlehanded circumnavigation including beating to windward from St Helena to Gran Canaria in March, (Don't even think about it, as it's a tough passage), in a steel Van Der Stadt 34. The comments about how you sail downwind are dubious, as it depends on the type of yacht and sail plan. Think about fitting a BOOM BRAKE, or experiment with heavy bungee cords for a preventer, that way you will avoid snapping the boom if you get unlucky with a freak wave or taken by surprise by a gust front. Wind generators don't work well sailing downwind. As a Ham radio operator the comments about nets were daft, buy a copy of the RSGB Foundation book and read it several times. As regards navigation, lightning strikes et al. Make sure you carry a good HF SSB receiver and make a simple HF twig antenna. I use beach casting, (Longer is better), fishing rod blanks, then look in Google for how you wind some cheap twin flex around the glass blank, (I make all of my antennas). Make sure you have a good RF earth, like a steel of alloy hull. My first singlehanded circumnavigation convinced me that the Hydrovane was indeed the best of the wind vanes, so I'm looking for a used Hydrovane with canoe stern fittings and remote cable for a 31ft homebuilt alloy lifeboat, (3 watertight compartments, 6 bilges pumps, 3 high water alarms, 2 main fuel tanks, probably unsinkable if the 2 side lockers above the fuel tanks are stuffed with 5 min pasta or noodles), Hinged A frame rig with loose footed square sail when required, twin fore and aft composite stays, around 1500 nm range under power, and I always set sail with 6 months of tinned and dried food and 4 months water, (I will have 2 rain water catchers fitted by the end of the test program in the Portland race), lots spares and all my tools. A GOOD PASSAGE IS WHEN NONE OF YOU SUFFERED ANY INCIDENTS THAT COULD HAVE RESULTED IN A MOB RISK, INJURY, or damage to the boat. I also try to arrive fully serviced, including the diesel, (42hp Mercedes Marine). GAS AND PETROL ARE BOTH BAD NEWS in safety terms. I use alcohol, paraffin and a microwave. (Alcohol offshore Paraffin in port), 450W solar and will fit 2 baby wind gens. Shaft regen drive planned using spare starter motor, around 2.5 kts if sun overhead and flat calm. Regards designer/build team director and skipper of TNLB ELSIE MAY, might be bound for Tonga late in year, via Gran Cannery, Magellans, straight/channel. PS: Anyone got cruising guide to Chile please PM.
Thank you for all the trouble you have taken to post your experience of long distance sailing requirements. We all have slightly different experiences when we circumnavigate due to boat size, crew size and conditions experienced and I am grateful to you for relating yours...
Please explain your logic regarding merchant vessels not using radar? Would you not expect them to be monitoring radar along with utilising every other available means of lookout to maintain a safe navigational watch? Maybe you should take a version of MSN 1781 or a dummies version for yourself to read during your next crossing. P.S they will all be using radar….
Thank you for contributing. I would suggest you make your own videos if you would like to be most helpful. Also, it helps to politely disagree rather than castigate if one has not made the effort oneself to produce a helpful guide other than dashing off a comment. That being said, I’m personally a sucker for a curmudgeonly sailor. 🤷🏻♀️
Geat info thanks, I noted that when discussing nav you did not mention that maybe learning how to use the sextant for a noon fix as a backup.
I used to navigate with.my sextant but now it's on a shelf at home. I have so.many GPS sources on board I cannot see any reason to carry it on the boat... however i keep a proper paper log book and not my lat long every 4 hours when on passage
I can't believe I watched this whole video and even took out a pen and paper to take notes....this was loaded with great information
I am so glad its useful - I enjoyed making the video but people liking it is massive - so rewarding - thank you
Im about to do my first atlantic crossing with a crew of four. This was a great find. Im getting very excited
Well done.. the hardest part is all the prep. Have an enjoyable passage.
Fair winds
Michael
Sir this was AMAZING... You mentally travel us through the Atlantic. 53 minutes of pure gold here.
Thank you so much - I am so pleased it helps the dream
Hugely informative, considered and engaging. Thank you for taking time to share your knowledge.
Phil I am so pleased you found it useful - thank you for watching
This gentleman has put almost all the main answers to whoever has desired to take that challenge of Sailing, i mean taking serious sailing, because some are on the salt water with a sail and lots of other dangerous practices from alcohol and drugs, to ignoring weather!
I comment because i enjoy nature, and this world has been amazing at every mile or kilometer, but i m sounding the alarm on so many sailors who are showing those abuses, and i hope someone ca take my input, first of all like airplanes, mandatory transponder, that automatically will inform the big ships your position, size of the vessel, and direction course, besides will inform the coastguard whos the owner! I know you are answerig many questions, but i m sure there are two that nobody has asked, how do you manage human waste, or septic waste?, second is how to minimize trash from like carton, plastic, or food leftovers, and i know food is biodegradable, and i seen videos were people digs a hole in deserted island to put biodegradable food waste, but the crossing takes 25 days and with at least two other crew persons will add waste! Thank you for letting us learn more of the tricks, insights, technical parts of navigating, discipline, even radio communication, so escential, besides the cell phone we are used to with gps, lol. Have a safe sailing !
Hello Juan Carlos - of course you are correct to some extent sailing does have an impact to the environment with antifouling and waste as you point out. Not sure what the answer is except the sign I saw on a desert island in the south pacific - Take but nothing - leave but footprints -
I have been out on the Solent with my good friend a very experienced sailor in his 30ft boat and it has been really really rough and he has crossed the Atlantic 2 times and told me it was rougher out in the Solent than he encountered in the Atlantic.
I think a lot of it is the size of the boat you encounter weather in. A force 6 in the Solent for an Enterprise or a 22 ft boat is challenging and there is a nasty chop. Out in the Atlantic or offshore in the Med in my 43 ft Westerly a F8 was not a problem... The English channel and the Solent both have a nasty small chop - the Atlantic you look astern and there is a 20ft wave coming up behind which eventually just passes under the boat - So I think it depends on boat size and circumstances... But I try to avoid bad weather!
It was the most instructive atlantic crossing video I've ever watched, thanks for sharing your experiences.
Glad you found it useful Ahmet
Thank you so much for this. It’s the exact type of presentation I was hoping for on this topic. I could compliment all day but clear, concise, and accessible without limiting the context. Thank you for hitting that mark.
Chas I am so pleased you found it interesting. Thank you for watching
Absolutely great, you managed to lecture in less than an hour what took me 2 years of evening reading 😊
Jan hi, so pleased you found it useful...The comms section needs updating with Starlink perhaps
@@SailingGently not sure if this is already a viable option. Currently looking into iridium phone.
@@janrupus9585 Yes for xing.but here in the caribbean I have a 25 euro a month contract with Digicel who cover virtually all the Islands and have it in a T-Plink 4G mobile WiFi (router) so in the boat it supplies phone, laptop, etc and enough data to watch movies
Simply Brilliant! So happy to have found your channel!
So pleased you found it useful
Not trying to be mean...but you would make a fortune in the horror genre of Hollywood by just renting your likeness...and if you could act. Money in the bank. . Use what the world has given you...thanks
Super informative and prepares sailors for the voyage of a lifetime, I’m leaving now! Thank you.
Glad it was helpful! Sorry I missed responding but I think I was away sailing... Hope you enjoy your voyage..
Thankyou for the wonderful stories. My wife, Irene, and I sailed the Maine Coast for many years. It is lovely, if you get the chance, There are hundreds of islands and quiet coves.
David I am so pleased you like the videos - It was my intention to visit Maine - even had a pilot book as it looks just lovely - but I ran out of 'visa' time and had to head south again.. You are lucky to have such a superb cruising ground...
In 1984 i sailed down the Maine coast with 2 retired female....best sail i ever had...so far
@@rkstreeter Sounds perfect Robert! Lovely
Terrific video, thank you, I'm inspired. I have liked and subscribed.
And thank you for subscribing - it makes a big difference and I am grateful
Very well done Sir. Thank You. Every one of your vids so far is a prefect balance of point and detail.
David I am so pleased you like the videos... Sorry for delay in responding but have been sailing from Antigua to Martinique
I enjoyed your video
I must say that for your older viewers you reminded me off Jack Hargreaves in out of town he had that soft approach that would keep you mesmerised.
Well wish you all the best with your book
Tony you and I must be similar ages to remember Jack Hargreaves! So glad you enjoyed it - the book is selling better than I expected - I thought Atlantic sailing was a very very niche market but apparently not.. Thank you for posting
Very informative! Thanks!
So pleased you found it useful
Brilliant explanation. I love it. I am planning to have boat of contest 60 footer. lets see
That sounds like a wonderful plan Khandakar - big boat 60ft - if it's your first then maybe a bit smaller so you don't rely on having crew all the time?
I was always discouraged from putting up a second headsail (with no main) as the mast or shrouds was never designed for such stresses. I try to use my rig (especially an older rig) within the parameters intended by the original designer as a rig failure at sea.
Well it's a thought Stephen but I suspect a big spinnaker generates more power than a couple of head sails... Most modern masts and standing rigging are designed with spinnaker use as a possibility... or even a likelihood.
@SailingGently You make a good point, but I assume the key difference is that spinnakers are intended for light air sailing. Twin headsails might have close to a comparable sail area but operating in (typical trade wind) wind speeds of 15 to 25 kts, with greater forces on the rig. Of course, it is very hard to know exactly what the original designers allowed for, and it depends very much on the individual boat - those with a racing pedigree tend to be lighter and therefore more vulnerable to failure - similarly, those built to a budget tend to be lighter - whereas there are some well known cruising boat designs that were comprehensively overbuilt. Either way, I have always operated on the principle that it is better to arrive a few days later than risk a rig failure.
Tips like this based on experience are always helpful, thanks.
Berend Jan hello, So pleased you found it useful - it was a pleasure making it and it has motivated me to go back to the Caribbean next winter! Thank you for the message
Brilliant and informative as ever Michael thank you for your relaxed clever delivery
thank you Shane... my ill spent youth at drama school and treading the boards probably helps! Glad you find it interesting and for the feedback.
Michael, the more I watch of your videos the more certain I become that they should be compulsory viewing for any sailor, particularly transatlantic voyagers. I like virtually any sailing video, but none match yours for sheer bulk of useful and/or vital information. To acquire the information you offer free of charge would take a great deal of experience and time. Thank you so much for all the effort you put into creating them.
By the way, I have been considering the Caribbean for retirement cruising for a long while, but what puts me off is a very stark message that you gave out on a Caribbean video you made: there is almost NO history and culture there, so assuming it will be like the Med but with warmer winters is very wrong. I may like the idea of deserted Caribbean beaches but are they enough to hold a person's interest? As a Brit my obsession when abroad tends to be Roman era history, and there isn't much of that in the Caribbean! About the nearest decent history not a world away from the Caribbean is Jamestown in Maryland, where English people first colonised America. That's a fair old trip north though!
Fabulous, I just went to your website and found a couple of books I would like to buy. Thank you again Michael!
The sailing conditions and temperatures are pretty idyllic all year round Dave and the lifestyle is pretty laid back but I'm not sure you would want to be there 365 after a couple of years.... I agree it does not have history or the varied culture of the Mediterranean but to keep your boat there and sail for 6 or 7 months of the year is probably OK.. Flying in and out is fairly cheap and and for the most part the cost of living is very low...
In terms of history St Augustine in Florida is pretty impressive.. The Spanish used it as the jumping off point for their galleons and various UK pirates attacked it and briefly occupied it.. Pretty historical town with good anchorage near the bridge.
Has anyone ever put up a yard with a square sail for these downwind crossings?
Well it certainly worked for Chris Colom! If the boat is rigged for one then I think it would be very useful
I'll probably never do it , but I'm glad I watched your video, concise overview with all the major do's snd don'ts .
Then again I might actually give it a go .....
Give it a go Elizabeth! Its not an outward bound course and an ocean crossing is a good experience!
I work offshore and have done the crossing by ship not sail. But really good passing on your knowledge its awesome vid. Thanks
Thank you Shaun. So pleased you found it useful
I enjoyed the video. Great information.
Glad you enjoyed it Eric
Thanks for this... Did anyone ever tell you that you look like Peter Ustinov? That's a compliment...
Thank you for the compliment - I think! Glad you liked the video
Thank you sir for the knowledge!
I am preparing for a Atlantic single-hand NY-Azores-Caribbean-NY circuit fall 2024 in a 22’ er.
Sounds great George... Wonderful project.. I wish you fair winds and safe landfalls
Thanks for a very informative video. Well done. Just thought that I would mention that my wife and I cruised many years with just the two of us. Our method of watch standing ( and yes, we kept watch 24-7 ) was to not have a formal system. We had no formal watch in the day and at night, being a natural night person I would stay on watch for typically 6 hrs so would wake my wife around 0200- 0400. Then she would watch for about the same amount of time. During the day one or the other might nap here and there. This worked well for long periods taking advantage of our natural biorhythms. Standard watch keeping does not do this. During the late night watch I would usually read and sometimes cat nap with a timer set to 15 minuets. For a good horizon sweep and look at the radar. But tried to minimize this. We carried 220 gallons of water and 270 of fuel on our 46 ft ketch so didn’t have to mess to much with Jerry jugs. A real down fall of many supposedly dedicated “cruising” boats is lack of good tankage. And yes, they were broken up into several tanks. Again thanks for the great info. Most of our cruising was in the Caribbean and the Pacific. So very informative.
Fred you were clearly properly set up for Blue Water Cruising - and it is a lovely way to see the world... Interesting your wife preferred 02.00 to 04.00. Louise was the same she often went on till 06.00 which suited me fine - I wonder if it's in the female DNA? I was much like you. Loved the description of your fresh water tanks - so clever - I had two separate ones that came with the boat but I never thought of installing a third... Really good idea - Thank you for sharing Fred - they were wonderful days and we on the trades wind routes were so luck to have the opportunity
Thank you, best overview I’ve seen.
Glad it was helpful Richard - I hoped it would be a useful sort of checklist
Inspiring video- many thanks for sharing! Some day I'll cross the pond but for now I'll be practicing off the New Jersey shore.
Hello Capt. Mike, I never made it to New Jersey but got the pilot book .. looks like a lovely cruising ground - Coming across to our side is harder but doable and I am sure you will love it over here - the Med is almost, almost as nice as the Caribbean..
Tons of useful information presented in a most charming way. Thanks for this great video. Fair winds, captain sir!
Thank you kindly Bobby... So pleased you enjoy the channel
Thank you for this lovely presentation, yes subscribed.
Thank you for watching and for subscribing... really helps
Ahh...!!! Great info AND no music!!!!!!
If you don’t mind, what size boat did you do your crossing with? Thanks.
Hello Mike, I had a Angus Primrose Moody 36 which I then went on round the world in - perfect boat size - I could have 3 crew on board easily or single hand easily - my last boat was a Westerly 43 and was lovely but far to big to single hand parking - my present boat is a Beneteau 323 and I am really enjoying her
thank you for your time and experience, travel restrictions permitting we will be making the crossing in 2022.
Listening to you is a weight off my mind. The only issue i see us having is cooking gas once we arrive. Our gas locker is designed for campinggaz and i cant see a non destructive method to make anything larger fit.
I was assuming we was going to jump from cape verde but now perhaps canarias.
Stuwy hi,
You will find in the Islands that most have a gas filling plant and you can take any bottle there and get it filled - just the pain of transport with no car! Also all the French islands - Martinique, Guadeloupe, St Martin & St Barts will all have camping gas... or did last time I was there.
When I got to the USA I solved the problem by keeping a bottle on deck in the back of the cockpit area - with a dodgy conversion joining it by a long flexible tube to the cockpit gas locker - fairly safe as gas leaks - if any - would go overboard.
Yes I think the Canaries are a pretty good option - Have a wonderful crossing - good experience!
I’m thinking of the same with my boat. From the Canaries.
@@hellkell8693 If your heading down there towards winter and there are gales then Madeira is a good alternative
@@SailingGently the boat currently is In Honfluer FR. The current plan is to take it to the Canaries in August then crossing in December or January. I’ll be purchasing your books shortly. Thank you for sharing your wisdom.
I watch a lot of sea voyagers but I don’t know why I happened on this vlog.
Wow so interesting and no video bait which really gets me a tad uptight. Even the logs on my high list don’t give, so very gently such an good log on line.
Many thanks!
Trevor I am so pleased you did find this and enjoyed it. Thank you for posting.
Michael
Great inspirational video full of tips and soaked of practical aspects based on personal experience. Question if I may, any recommendation regarding the route for the Atlantic crossing from Gibraltar to Canada and/or North America i.e. NYC, NC? Thanks and looking forward to hearing from you but mainly to watch your videos
Luigi hi,
Glad you liked the video - heading for North America - Canada from Gib is much harder work!
Timing is very different - I would leave Gibraltar in March/April and head out to the Azores. Stop there and and watch the weather then head for Rhodes Island - Maine... or even into Canada... Going to be a lot of sailing to windward I suspect, but doable..
If it were too much on the nose then you either loop further north or head a bit south for Bermuda, stop there, then ride then cross the gulf stream heading for Maine or Canada...
That's a quick off the top of my head routing!
Half way through this new find (sailing gently)…I’m an absolute novice with a strong desire to sail and intent on finding my first boat, having watched 100’s of you tuber sailing vids I can honestly say your teachings are amazing, captivating and extremely knowledgable…a real sailing raconteur! Looking forward to all your other offerings. Many thanks and all the best Simon (Yorkshire)
Simon I am so pleased you are finding the videos interesting and useful - Thank you