Join Gavin & Amanda Ayre as we sail around Australia in our Farr 7500 trailer yacht, exploring our beautiful local waterways and cruising to unusual or overlooked places.
It's reassuring to know that people still quietly follow their own path to adventurous sailing and find that special happiness afloat in cruising trailer yachts - all at very modest costs.
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Great trip thankyou for sharing!! Cool to see the staffies out sailing. We have a salty land seal in training too. Is your sunshade over the boom available to buy anywhere? Zarak Raglan, NZ
@@druckerman247 Same here in Australia. Most of our TY's were made prior to the big recession here in 1988 - the "recession we had to have" - which destroyed the industry here. But with loving owners our TY's will keep on for many years to come. We are slowly seeing a resurgence of new designs come along here, but Farr Yacht Design seems focused on larger yachts these days.
- THANK YOU for the lovely comment coolsweat 67. Do you sail in the Philippines? Would be incredible to see videos of sailing (esp trailer yachts) in the magnificent Philippines ! ! ! Cheers, Gavin & Amanda.
@@TrailerYacht . Yes mate , I'm seeking trailer sailer around 10 k mate and seen a few 26 footers 30 footers lately , plus I'm planning a trip to the Philippines around June.
@@TrailerYacht my trip turn around to Philippines would be 12 months give or take . Philippines is a beautiful place to sail with unbelievable fishing, snookling, swimming BBQ on the beach. Over 7 thousand islands to visit. MAGIC
@@Coolsweat67 - this sounds like a brilliant adventure. Are you in Australia at the moment? There are lots of very cheap & well under-valued trailer yachts (and fixed keeled yachts) around in Australia at the moment. Be careful though, most of our Australian manufacturers stopped producing boats in 1988, and so our boats are all very, very old now. Look for boats with extensive maintenance records that are backed up with RECEIPTS. Good luck and we hope to see you sailing soon. Best wishes, Gavin & Amanda.
@@Coolsweat67 - We have not visited the Philippines yet, but have heard it is a sailor's dream, a true paradise with some of the friendliest people in the world. We hope you make this dream a reality & shoot lots and lots of videos of your travels and adventures. What a brilliant thing to do. PLEASE keep us informed how it goes. Best wishes, Gavin & Amanda.
Hi Colin, Thanks for the comment. Do you mean "DeLorean", the black coloured yacht with wings & bowsprit that looks like the lovechild of an 18ft skiff and an X-wing fighter ?? That's a bleeding edge "Square-Top" mainsail - eeking the very last drop of performance from a very high-tech racing machine. You'll see these in the latest America's cup yachts in NZ right now, as well as many catamarans & high performance sports boats. They have a very rigid batten at the top of the mainsail that looks a lot like a gaff. Compare to a modern gaff rig like the Cygnet 19 from Lake Macquarie-based @Bluewater Cruising Yachts - ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-n7b0Zf8jjDo.html . Hope that helps. Cheers, Gavin
I've watched this video a few times now. Looks like a great time spent out on the water. I've raced Tasars on lake Mcquarrie back in 1991. A beautiful spot, but wow what a great place to cruise and on your Farr 7500 a great boat to. Thanks for including the launching sequence and mast raising👍. Cheers
Hi Ben, I can have a look through our archives for you. We often have other trailer yachts under sail tucked away as B-roll for other projects. Do you know Jametta's sail number? Are you based on Lake Macquarie or should we look through footage from a particular event for her? Cheers, Gavin
Thanks Gavin, 184 from memory was the number. She has a rich race history in Brisbane and huge sentimental value to me, it was sold by ex disgruntled wife and I believe went down to lake Macquarie. Cheers mate
ben campbell - I understand completely - they are a great boat. I owned a modified RL24 Mk II “Don’t Blink” (sail no 221) with a daggerboard. Bloody good boat.
Hi David, Razor clams are a very tasty native species that were always present in low numbers in Lake Macquarie - we just never saw them. The local community was shocked when their population exploded here in the early 2000's as few people knew what they were. The good news is awareness has spread, (thankfully we don't read stories of people receiving bad lacerations anymore) but few seem to know how tasty they are ! Cheers. Gavin & Amanda.
I don't like those rollers on the trailer. Seems to me that there is too much weight on such a small surface, especially if hitting a pothole in the road. I just subscribed. I love my trailer sailor, Hunter 260.
Welcome to the channel David, and thank you for subscribing - it really helps. We hope to see you publishing some videos of your beautiful Hunter 260 on your local waterways soon. The Hunter 260 is a very interesting and thoroughly modern trailer yacht. Kind regards, Gavin & Amanda.
Thanks for this great video! You’ve done a nice job with it. So sorry to hear about Red Dog! It’s so terribly hard to say farewell to our furbabies! I’m in Washington State, moves from the sailing haven of Puget Sound, our to remote and sunny “Farr” NE corner, and looking again for a trailer-sailer. Are these boats Ausie only?? Never heard of them, but I’m going to have a look. It looks quite nice, and you make some good speed with her. My waters will now be landlocked Lake Roosevelt, a great freshwater playground only fifty miles south of home, with seasonal slips available. You’re making my sailing itch need a good scratch!! Cheers from the US... Bill G
Hi Daniel, Thanks for asking - we were in two minds about whether to include her in the video because of this. Our wonderful Red dog passed away shortly after this video was made. That horrible, puffy lump is a mast cell tumour. It was tiny when we first noticed it - literally the size of half a grain of rice. The vet said she'd leave us within three months - with 90% probability. Unbelievable something so tiny was that deadly. TWO YEARS later, it had finally reached that size, and we wouldn't let her suffer. She was incredibly brave and valiant right to her very last day - too much life to be lived and fun to be had with her humans. We had lost our 16 year old stafford, Walter, only a few months prior, and it was utterly heart breaking. Enough time has passed now, we can talk about it without tears. They both lived every second to the fullest. Cheers, Gavin.
Thanks so much for the quick great advice. Not knowing anyone who sails to advise makes for a lot of trial and error but achievement when you figure it out! Yes we did replace a couple of the shrouds that were shedding some strands. The keel lifting wire and shackles? has always mystified me. Where and how do you check it? Any ideas would be appreciated. We too where planning to explore new horizons in Moreton Bay before the lockdown. One of my dreams is to take my wife and the boat down to the Macquarie Lakes, it seems like a nice peaceful benign stretch of water. Thanks again for the advice and happy sailing to you both. Peter and Patrice
Really enjoyed your video. Don’t know how I have missed it as I have watch all the others. Love your artistic editing. We have a Farr 7500 as well, bought about the same time as this video in 2018. We have been teaching our selves to sail as we had no experience with sailing, always had motor boats but had a yearned to sail. Have had some great weekends sailing Hervey Bay and beaching her on Fraser Island over night. I might add also had a few harrowing times with very breezy conditions feeling a little out of our depth! Still trying to get my head around the techniques of sailing and understanding our little boat. There is not a lot of info on the Farr 7500. Do have a bilge pump in your boat? I want to install one for safety but can’t work out the best place to install one. Any ideas? We look forward to seeing more video from you both. Cheers from Queensland
Hi Patrice, Thanks for the lovely comments, and congrats on picking up a Farr 7500 - we are slightly biased >GRIN< but reckon they are the best all-round compromise in a cruising trailer yacht ever built. If it's really getting windy, (and navigation allows), don't be afraid to just sail under working jib alone, or to sail under reefed main alone. If you're thinking about reefing the main, go straight to the 2nd reef, and use your traveller for the mainsheet. Two quick points - how old is your standing rigging and how old is the keel lifting wire? If you're out in strong weather, the last thing you need is for either to give trouble. We were planning on a trip to Fraser Island this year but the "current situation" has postponed it to winter 2021. Cheers, Gavin & Amanda,
Also, there should be some trailer yacht clubs around Morton Bay that would be only too happy to have you join them. Cruising in company is FANTASTIC, especially when you're kicking off. It's extremely reassuring to have more experienced trailer yachties with you when it gets tough - and you'll find the company makes it that much more enjoyable. Bilge Pumps - we have a manual one operable from the helm that picks up under the cockpit (behind the steps). Nice to have but can't beat a frightened man with a bucket !
Trailer Yacht is right. Experiment with jib only or double reef main only when the wind gets up. Small 12v bilge pumps can be installed in the bilge. The water can only enter in certain areas. Know them and where to look if you do get a leak. Great boats.
Getting into sailing myself, thinking of buying a TS due to their benefits. Intention is to sail with the wife and son, but also solo. Your comment 'heaven on earth', whilst its beautiful there you should pay Tasmania a visit ;)
@@TrailerYacht Thanks for the reply. The TS type boat will be our first, to give sailing a go here. There are so many sheltered bays and hiding spots, I was told you could spend years just roaming these spots even without venturing out to coastal waters. But the idea for us is to buy a larger blue water boat (got a thing for Van De Stadt 34) and then venture out, up to north Queesnsland and NZ too. Again, only after 'treading water'. I am also going to book in to do a Day Skipper course and eventually the Ocean course. I'll be posting up vids of whatever boat we get anyway. Keep up the vids, refreshing to see Australian vids.
@@rovertasmania7033 - Great to meet another Aussie trailer yacht lover. It's one of those romantic notions, running away to sea. We won't be for a while, but maybe one day. Van de Stadt's are great ! We sold one of the two Aussie made 710 trailer yachts many years ago, and she was definitely in her forte in a blow. Best of luck with your search and hope to cross tracks in Tassie.
@@TrailerYacht For sure, when you venture down let me know, ill have a some type of boat and perhaps we can do a day trip if you have time ;) You can contact me on my channel email. Cheers, Carlos
Lived on the Lake for 20 years and never been out sailing on the lake might have to get my self a trailer sailor after watching this ..thanks for sharing
Thanks for commenting Liam - helps us out a lot. There has never been a better time to buy a trailer yacht & get out there ! See you on the water. Cheers, Gavin & Amanda
Trailer Yacht I have looked at them. I like them because they are beam at the stern an more stable at anchor than others. I am going to investigate further. Cheers Kym
Welcome to the Channel @Noel Sharpe - ru-vid.com/show-UCmTHIdbmuBPbHEURJXZhwmQ - a Belmont South lad now living in Norway. Very glad to have made you just a little homesick ! ! !
well set up RL the autopilot and anchor winch are the two best additions to a trailer sailer you can get especially for single handed sailing. I have a magnum 28 that I have set up the same and owned for 21 years and can't bring myself to part with it.
EDIT - Warning to Noelex 30 & Binks 30 owners (and other maxi-TY's with inboard diesels or saildrive legs - ie some RL28's, South Coast 25's and Aloora 23s) - the Paley crescent ramp in Belmont South will be perfect to launch your maxi-trailer yachts. HOWEVER in September 2019 the channel leading into the lake is badly overdue for dredging. Your saildrive leg will probably hit the gravel bar at the start of the caravan park channel. Trailer yachts with outboards will have no problems. Visiting sailors using this ramp should know the channel hugs the shoreline about 10 metres out. Go 15 metres out & you'll promptly run aground ! The channel varies between 0.80 m - 1.2 m deep depending on barometric pressure, westerly winds and to a very minor extent the tides. We have no trouble here with our Farr 7500. Contact me via email if you want a current update on Lake Macquarie ramps. Cheers, Gavin.
Great video mate. Looks like s great time out. I’ve never been out on Lake MAC before. I’m from down south & also make a few boating vids. Would you be keen to sub each other and help build our channels? Keep the flowing and best of luck.😃🐟🐟🐟👍
Thanks for commenting - your channel makes me nostalgic. I used to live on the South Coast, and it's one of my favourite parts of the world. Always happy to help 8-) Keep creating great content & people will come - and - hopefully _KEEP_ coming back. That's the key. Cheers, Gavin
Hi Andrew glad you liked it and THANK YOU for commenting - it really helps us. We often overnight at lovely "Sandy Beach Reserve" just south of Frying Pan Point. We keep our eyes peeled to the weather and have a pretty reliable forecast freely available via the Australian Bureau of Meteorology (www.bom.gov.au/nsw/forecasts/hunter.shtml) plus we monitor our VHF on channel 16 for securite bulletins from Marine Rescue Lake Macquarie ( marinerescuelakemacquarie.com.au ) - which is our volunteer coastguard. It's always a judgement call & the main risk is a screaming westerly or southerly. Neither have much fetch at this spot, but they can get _INTENSE_ on the Lake. If we were surprised, we have the shelter of Frying Pan Bay or Sugar Bay within a nautical mile and would be out of harms way in 30 mins or so. Cheers, Gavin
Really Good vid ,Had to laugh as I went straight onto that sand bar myself under full sail trying to take a short cut to the sand island.As I said on Felipes RL video mines moored at Gwandalan and as you say its beautiful down that end of lake, no traffic !! Ill keep a eye out for you
The Sand Island is a really popular spot for trailer yachties and rightly so. The ocean is just around the corner and its so clean with great swimming & fishing too. Because it's so sandy & friendly, I think everyone runs aground there sooner or later. We'll keep an eye out for you - we're often at Sandy beach for the night.
Wonderful video you are so fortunate to be near the lake You probably had better weather than we did in the beginning of August, your Winter, than we did here in the UK our Mid Summer!! Keep the videos coming Where do you launch on the Lake Colin
Nice Vid we also own a RL28 moored in Lake Macquarie out on trailer at the moment for antifoul ,Its a great place to sail and explore I spend nearly every weekend out there and the RL is a great boat to be on ,Easy to sail and plenty of room See you out there perhaps
