Typically you 'understate' your achievements, a single handed passage of 2,744 nm circumnavigating Britain it's no 'walk in the park' and the real great thing is that, thanks to your efforts to upload on RU-vid, we've (that's 10k 0f us) have all had the privilege of sharing it with you and 'Isabelle', recognising of course that 'she' too has played her part admirably well on this journey.
My friend EF, you are once again far too kind. It was a great adventure -- not without it's own special challenges --- but I learned a lot and enjoyed it greatly. It also created a long list of places I must return to one day! Thanks again for your support these last two years.
I love your videos but I especially like your commentary. Thanks. Your expert maneuvering at the dock I haven’t seen by any other cruiser and I watch over 50 boating channels. You are amazing.
I had the pleasure and privilege of flying with Patrick in the US Navy based on the USS Constellation. Pat's hair was darker then, but he expertly landed his A-7E Corsair II fighter jet aboard the aircraft carrier, day and night; good weather and bad, with the same steady hand that he maneuvers Isabelle into the dock. It's great to be able to follow his sailing adventures.
@@OK3Leadership Thanks George. Far too kind, and others should know, George is an elite among the elite: former Commanding Officer of the Blue Angels. I am proud to have had the privilege to fly as his wingman when his hair was also a bit darker.
Hi Patrick. Good on you for speaking out about all the living the dream channels. We have been following you for a long time now and like the fact that your clearly a good sailor going about having his adventures in a sensible, real world kind of way. You dont dress things up but show the experience as it really is. And thank you for taking the time to film it all its very inspirational to watch.
Thanks very much Foxwell family (whose videos I enjoy as well!). Your single-handed racing videos have inspired some interest with Isabelle. :-) Fair winds to you.
Thanks for your wonderful videos and great insights Patrick. If I may make one suggestion: when reefing, release the boom vang first and then the main sheet. If you do it the other way around. the pressure on the boom vang may be so great that it becomes difficult to release it.
You made a great job with sailing, video, ommenting and the mixture of it all. If you will make a tour to scandinavia, i will be back as one of your video followers. Have a good time and thanks for the jouney !
Dear Patrick, Thanks for your nice and enjoyable videos. I've following you since last year, and it is an inspiring source of tips and experiences about sailing. Please, let me know if you come to Gijon, or even Vivero, as I'll be in Asturias during the summer. Maybe we can have a chat and a beer during your port stops, or even sailing together, as there are several sailing activities in August in the northern part of Spain. Regards, Sabino
Many thanks Sabino. I am planning to go to Northern Spain toward the end of August --- though am not sure if it will be Gijon or Viveiro or A Coruna (or a combination of them). Thanks for the kind offer to meet. A beer would be great. Let's see what the wind decides. :-) Fair winds to you.
Great trip, great videos and great advice! Thank you so much for sharing this with us, Patrick, I enjoyed every minute of it. Can't wait to see your next adventure! A bientôt!
13 knots, thats really moving Patrick. Great vid, fun to watch and u learn alot. Btw u look nerdy as hell in that hat, but in rough weather u need one.
Those alley siphon hoses are the greatest things since sliced bread. They sell them at truck stops over hear across the pond. They come in various diameters. You really had some fun. That's the best wave smash I've seen on cruising channels.Fair winds and currents. Christian Williams is a great sailer too , and his humour buckles me over laughing.
Christian Williams' videos are among the best sailing videos I have seen on RU-vid Robert. In fact, they are so good, I put him in a class all by himself. Those flashbacks to growing up with his sailing family were very touching. Thanks for coming along with me (for well over a year now!).
Yeah, despite having done a fair amount of sailing, it can take me a full season to get a real comfortable solo relationship with a new boat of any real size (10M+). Especially if it has an unfamiliar sail plan and underwater lines (keel and all). This is particularly true for coastal sailing in and out of unfamiliar harbors and what not. If you have more than one handling them they are far easier to get along with as far as the break in period goes. Nice series though Patrick. Love the layout of your control lines.
Many thanks Spencer. All of those unfamiliar ports, pontoon arrangements, and tidal currents was indeed a big challenge. I'm delighted for having done it, but also very tired. Need to recharge the batteries with some gentle sailing in waters I am very familiar with. :-)
Love the video, Patrick, as I do the others. Couldn’t agree more about formulating a sane, phased approach to learning to sail. Not like eating an elephant, where you must make many bites quickly, and chew very fast. Slowly, measured, small steps are the way to go. As for your situation, I think you had a head start though. An aviation background (carriers I seem to remember?) where flight planning, managing ‘what ifs”, and string navigation skills are called for. You develop a wise old head that way. My situation has similarities, although my flying experience is modest but the head is definitely old. No real sailing experience btw but I did marine radio and boat licence courses just before I left Australia. Just moved aboard a Hallberg Rassy 38 at Bruinisse where I have arranged sailing tuition from the sailing school, on my own boat. Also arranged a companion to sail to Southampton or Portsmouth with for more formal training. Don’t want to sail solo much, and night time solo is pretty much out by Australian insurance limitations. Any suggestions there, Patrick?
Sounds like you have a very sound plan to get experience in a controlled manner Ian. Good for you. I really think that is the best method. You are proceeding much as I did --- take some small steps, gain some confidence, reinforce with professional tuition. Perfect. Best wishes for a great Summer of sailing.
Shock! Horror! I have watched your videos, in addition to that I have avidly read the whole of the Hornblower series (C.S.Forester), and now you tell me I can't just go out and buy a boat?.... As always, thank you for your sage advice.
I am always surprised ( my inexperience) how you keep the Bavaria so stable...i see many sail boats rocking and rolling like mad even at 5 knots. How do you keep the boat so stable? Superb advise at the end of video about just buying and going. I took many lessons in Holland but I still did not think I could make it across the ocean. You fixed your boat for single sailing so well.
Excellent final video of your journey . Thank you for sharing i really enjoyed it. By the way I've been using that transfer hose for 20 years don't forget i drive big trucks for a leaving lol.😉
Thanks again George. I used to use the 'spouts' that come with those jerrycans, but with the predictable mess. I saw this siphon device in a boating equipment magazine, and fell in love with it immediately. :-)
The real joy (for me) is that I’m learning and it NEVER feels like a lecture. Masterly presented. Míle buiochas = ‘1000 thanks’ and enjoy terra firma & the well deserved comforts of home.
That was no «lecture», only common sense. J'ai adoré ces épisodes. Vos manœuvres de port sont en soi de magnifiques tutoriels que je n'hésite pas à montrer à de jeunes marins en devenir. Merci Mister Laine!
Ce fut un réel plaisir de vous suivre. Quand je retournerai en France, j'essaierai de vous contacter. Merci pour vos vœux, car en effet cet été je naviguerai sur la magnifique Golfe du Saint-Laurent. À bientôt!
I’m just catching up on your adventures, having found your channel recently. I am learning to sail (and all that comes with it) while solo. Your videos are fantastic and are answering a lot of my obscure questions please keep sharing I’m hoping to undertake my first Bristol Channel crossing solo this week and will have you in my thoughts as I go.
Solo sailing from France to the Faroes is an impressive achievment! Around the UK mainland in 80 days :-) (Okay 77!) Well done! I'm impressed even if you seem to think people shouldn't be :-)! Thank you for bringing us along!
Patrick, I've watched hours and hours and hours of sailing videos online, but I'm so glad I found your channel. FINALLY a channel that actually talks about ****SAILING**** Thank you sir for the content. Especially the text layovers explaining things like reefing and others you've done in your other videos. I'm channeling your sea experience as I bring my 14.6 ft dinghy out in the local lakes and close offshore here in NC. You have a new fan!
Thanks for the great feedback DialedN. Dinghy sailing is great fun too. Top it up with some professional instruction though, as RU-vid will never be a substitute for that. Many thanks for watching.
Expertly done, Patrick! Thank you. Your past as a Navy fighter pilot really comes through in your constant methodical mental checklist and thinking through problems logically. This makes you an expert and seasoned navigator. However, what makes you a truly wonderful human being is your humility. If you ever get tired of sailing solo, let me know.
Gods tool! Sold at every swap meet 10 or 15 years ago! Hehe yes it is an amazing tool my parents bought a few of those and were also so amazed by it. 🤣 Also Patrick thank you for taking us with you on your journey! 😀👨🏽🦼 And with you showing us the pros and cons to sailing. I would totally agree with you! One I did not know everyone even the pros get sea sick something these you tubers don’t tell you, instead it’s all sunshine and cocktails!
Thanks MU. I absolutely love that siphon hose. It is almost impossible to transfer at sea otherwise on my boat. (I carry two of those siphons just for that reason.)
You've made that 2nd reef completed almost too easy. That I assume comes with a lot of experience. Well done, sir! Also watching you docking your wonderful Isabelle in your home town, I remembered that my wife and I have visited La Rochelle back in 2012 during our Grand Tour of France as our 30th wedding anniversary trip. I even have a video of that tour on my channel here - ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-hqmwPbWa8Dg.html
Wow. That was 'doing France'. Nonetheless, you did hit many of the key places in what must have been a tiring but very memorable tour. I came here 30+ years ago, and haven't gone home since. :-)
Thanks Patrick. Really enjoyed your videos. I went to the Faroes 3 years ago and went to Iceland last summer. The bit from Stornoway to Islay is my normal cruising area and my berth is 20 miles north of Tobermoray. Look forward to watching your next adventures. Can recommend N.West Iceland. Fairwinds and safe harbours Mike
Many thanks Mike. I trip to Iceland is very high on the priority list. I really enjoyed the Faroes, so might head that way again on the way to Iceland. We'll see. Very best to you.
Another excellent vlog....a bit of training, a lot of wit, fun imagery....would have liked to see Les Sables d'Olonne, however enjoyed the video without. Your comments on "buying a boat and sailing the world" were right on the money, I see it regularly on the east coast of Florida and in Houston. Lots of disposable cash, not so much common sense! Well done, looking forward to future installments! Andrew
Thanks for the videos, I found myself agreeing with you about sailing channels. We are moving our boat to La Rochelle next month, Pontoon 6, boats name Jigsaw should be there early August..
Hello Jigsaw. Pontoon 6 is for 'visitors' --- so I guess they put you there temporarily. Anyway, I'd love to you a beer when you get here. Give me a shout.
Buongiorno Patrick, I really love your videos, I always learn something from the way you sail. Fog really scares me ... However take care and Buon Vento, Elisa
Hi Patrick, finally caught up on this great voyage. I really enjoy your videos thanks for sharing your knowledge and experiences. I too completely agree with your comments on AIS we left Dartmouth last summer in bright sunshine then 10 miles out we hit a fog bank. All instruments on ears and eyes to attention but made more comfortable with AIS onboard. Looking forward to your next adventure. Fair winds David.
Thanks David. If I lived in an area that had frequent fog, I certainly know what the number one investment priority would be for my boat. :-) In fact, it is so helpful even when there is no fog, that I don't understand why anyone would not prioritise this (in transmit and receive mode). Thanks for commenting.
Monsieur Pat, your entire adventure has been riveting. I, as the others express sincere thanks for sharing! … & seems like a 0430 night port entry and approach to Les Sables d’Olonne fits right in as a gutsy move! But as we know time, tide and formation wait for no man … hey 34 ports in 77 days, just subtract 1 & those would be truly prophetic numbers ;0) … Really enjoyed the hove to illustration … is there a sea anchor or drogue rig in your future along with the wind vane auto pilot?
Ex scientia tridens my 8th wing friend. :-) No sea anchor or drogue. If I ever go into the Southern Ocean (or far north) I would get a Jordan Drogue, but that's a bit over the top for what I do now. Hope things are still easy going for you.
Very kind of you Chris. I made the trip much quicker than he did on KTL, but geez, was the production quality and commentary on his videos ever outstanding. A real pro. I'm a big fan.
Go again! Thanks for sharing. We had our first trip on new (to us) boat. No major issues, just a small fuel leak in the diesel return hose which I will replace. Also tried out our new Garmin inReach with marine weather which works great. Btw, do you use 10,2 or 30 micron fuel filters on the primary fuel filter?
Congrats on getting your feet wet in your (new) boat Snake. It's a great feeling, despite the occasional material failure. I run a 10 micron filter in the water separator, and 2 micron on the engine mounted filter. I think that is pretty standard procedure. Best regards to you.
In fog, AIS (at 11:40) does indeed work well...when all boats are so-equipped. Radar, on the other hand, spots ALL boats, and modern radars will track movement of potential threats.
Yep, can't argue with that. As with everything on a sailboat, it's just a question of priorities --- radar or new sail; radar or wind vane; radar or new standing rigging; radar or inner forestay for a staysail...... Thanks for watching.
great as always, understated, no fanfare, no bragging. Sound advice too. Thanks for the voyage, now enjoy several weeks of french summers and long long lie-ins.
I totally agree with the comments about AIS, used mine for the first time last month crossing the channel, Dover - Calais. Look forward to your next adventure.
Great vid and great advice thanks Patrick. I'm at the stage of just bought my own boat but can't pick it up yet til covid is over. It's my second boat. Taken several years to get here. Did YM 2 years ago. Now I want to do a refresher with instructor on my own boat the start off some coastal pleasure sailing. No hurry 😊
Excellent Keith. You have followed exactly the process I recommend (and did myself!). Her's wishing you fair winds that will blow this virus away quickly.
I watch your videos over an over again since many years. There's always something new i learn. Bought a small Bavaria two weeks ago. We will follow your advice to start easy on the sailing. Reaching the azores is sheduled for 2026.
I very much enjoy all of your videos. You are always very professional and competent. Just one comment. The sound signal for a sailing vessel in restricted visibility is:-(c) A vessel not under command, a vessel restricted in her ability to manoeuvre, a vessel constrained by her draught, a sailing vessel, a vessel engaged in fishing and a vessel engaged in towing or pushing another vessel shall, instead of the signals prescribed in paragraphs (a) or (b) of this Rule, sound at intervals of not more than 2 minutes three blasts in succession, namely one prolonged followed by two short blasts. Many thanks for the excellent videos. PS 95% of sailors do not know the correct sound signal Stewart
You are absolutely right Stumpert Sailing, and I am part of the 95% who forgot the correct signal (one prolonged and two shorts). Entirely by accident I actually sounded the right signal (one prolonged). I edited it out of the final video, but in one sequence I say, "I'm getting worried about this power boat heading straight at me at 9 knots. I'm going to turn on the engine to give me extra maneuvering power just in case." Thus, my signal was right, but for the wrong reason. :-) Thanks for bringing this important correction to the attention of the viewers: one prolonged and two short while under sail. I forgot the correct signal for a sailboat.
Hi Patrick, One of your phantom shipmates here. I have watched and loved all of your videos up to this one. Thanks for the virtual trip around the UK, my home island. Great stuff. I can't wait to set off with you again.
Bonjour, great videos thanks. How do you get on with single handed insurance? With most of the UK insurers, we are limited to 18 hours sailing, followed by a minimum 6 hours moored up.
Good lecture. As a young person (well, youngish) taking sailing lessons I completely agree. I had no idea how little I knew about sailing (and I already have a pleasure craft license). It's amazing what you can learn from someone experienced. Even seemingly simple things like setting an anchor and determining scope. Having someone able to show and tell you this is well set vs this is dragging is invaluable and could save you from grounding (like some young RU-vidrs.. ). Properly trimming sails and getting optimal sail shape is something best learned from someone experienced on an actual boat. Safety and navigation is just plain necessary and having an instructor makes all the difference since you can discuss scenarios. My pleasure craft license was a simple matter of reading a book and write a test, and in hindsight I really didn't get the depth of understanding you should have to operate a boat. Now when I'm on a sailboat I tend to be quite nervous of your average joe in a runabout.
Good for you Dub. I am astonished that some of the couples you see on RU-vid just seem to have said, 'This looks fun, let's do it.' I'm far from being an expert, but I did take the trouble of taking lessons, learning the basics, and building up some level of experience before launching out. Stick with your plan. It's a great one.
I see you have thawed up :) Yes very informative, thanks for bringing us along. I am seriously considering sailing over to the UK and France to get some tidal practice. But the marina costs seems to be quite a bit. Could you give an estimate on how much marina cost came to on this trip. Thanks..
UK marinas were relatively expensive --- probably £34 per night on average for my 12 meter boat, plus several also charged for electricity (and even a shower) on top of that. In France, the average charge was probably about €30 euros. In terms of 'cold' -- yes, I did suffer a bit on the way up. I left my home in early April. If I were to do it again, I think I would wait one more month and leave at the beginning of May. Despite these minor annoyances, it was a great experience, and if you have a chance to do it, I enthusiastically encourage you to go for it. :-)
Amazing fortitude and conscientiousness you display Patrick. If you feel like doing any videos When you’re not doing long passages, i for one would highly value more of your technical experience With topics such as sale trimming, anchoring etc. I know how involved video editing can be so I appreciate you taking the time to provide this content
Hi Patrick, Thanks for sharing and always enjoy your advice and recommendations. May I suggest the following blog for you as I think you will find some similarities. ajay290.wordpress.com/ He is from Guernsey and also went to Scotland and back and is presently in the Northern Spain area. More of an enjoyable read as opposed to watching a video but he also has a military background and has a amusing way of telling his story. Cheers
Thank You Patrick. After 5 years of Catamaran ownership in Thailand, I too am now solo sailing on coastal passages. Your wisdom has given me both inspiration and confidence. Some skill is needed and common sense required but absolutely no need for all that clothing here !
Well upto now I've watched every minute of the 31 episodes you've made,. Informative, educational and a great watch too. I'm yet to deep my toe into the world of sailing, other than reading and watching videos such as yours. But I've got to say I'm looking forward to the day I'm in a position to call it a day with work and perhaps get my own boat.
Sailing is so much more interesting than flipping back and forth between Fox News and CNN to see who has the best insult of the day. ;-) I love sailing, and maintaining the boat, while at times frustrating, has been a great learning experience on electricity, diesel engines, fiber glass, etc. Fair winds to you.
It has been a fantastic trip Patrick, thank you very much for sharing it, a pleasure to watch. I hope you can sail to A Coruña later in the summer, the city of my grandparents, and I've blessed with a visit to that city. I'm gonna make a play list with the whole trip to watch it again from the beginning. Best regards, George.
Well Patrick I’ll have to side with your submission. Wonderful tool! Thank you so so much for taking us along on such a fantastic journey. I enjoyed every minute.
Hi Patrick, thank you very much for all these videos. I've been watching them already for a while without commenting so I thought I should devote some time to write a few words of gratitude. In every video I learnt at least one new trick, clarified an old doubt or got some good inspiration. Please keep recording!
Wonderful videos Pat, I watched this series of your 11 week journey over 2 days and as a non sailor I wished that I had learned to sail years ago, I live in Scotland and wish I could enjoy the coastline as you did. Now I'm looking forward to you next adventure tomorrow.
Revisiting all your uploads again in these corona times. Even better second time around, (since I followed your advice to phantom crew mates in this episode) it makes more (nautical) sense. Just waiting for more normal times to go cruising along the coast with friends !
Hello Mr Patrick, thank for your dedication, and how in the easy way show the reality of the sailing. Have had a Columbia 10 mtrs, for 8 years, saling in Venezuelan coast and some islands around, however following your videos I realized still I need for learn for take a long passage crossing more sea, but th only ay i step by step is the best option to do this. About solo sailing you bring me the option into my hands, maybe we can meet in la Rochelle, where is a boat waiting for me now, to begeening, on a while have a good rest, fair winds and good sea for this summer time. Once again thanks a lot for your dadication and advices really apreciated your effort for share the delight experiences specially the Faroes is a dream place to go, only the Northsea is one freind to know better before be there.
Patrick - Is this your boat or some sort of a bare-boat lease? I got the impression at one point, you were delivering it to a new owner. Anyway, all the videos and your progress were great fun to watch. Thanks a bunch - really!
You have a good memory Emily. In one of the episodes (EP 21 from memory), I was invited by a professional delivery skipper to assist in transporting a boat from Portugal to France. That is what you are remembering. The boat in all of the other episodes in my own Bavaria 40 Cruiser (2008). Thanks for watching.
Patrick- What a great trip. I learned something from each of the videos, sometimes two or three things. I am going to miss watching these until your next vogage but will console myself with doing do-overs again and again. Have a good summer and start planning the next one. I love your comments on heaving to. The literature always has narratives of how it will always work and allow hours of rest when things get bad. My experience is that with modern underbodies it rarely does when you really need it and even then creates problems of chafe, stress and rigging difficulites.
Thanks for the feedback Martin. Yeah -- heaving to on Isabelle has always been a frustration for me. She behaves great in modest seas and 15 knots of wind (as in the video). However, I have never succeeded in achieving an acceptable hove to position in 25+ knots with 3 meter seas. I have tried all of the techniques in the textbooks, and sheeted-in, and sheeted out, and played with the helm, etc. I think my fin keel just makes a textbook heave to impossible in heavy seas. I always end up just abandoning the effort (after taking a few waves over the stern) and resort to fore-reaching (which is fine, but you do remain exposed to high seas, and keep moving forward at 2.5-3 knots). Probably pilot error. :-)
I've just sat through all of the videos you've posted. They are by far the best i've seen in a long while. The advice on buying a boat after having some tuition is key. I'm really looking forward to following your travels in the future. All the best.
Thanks for the kind feedback Stephen. I'm astonished by the RU-vid couples who skip, or go very light, on the 'training' part first. That's the 'hard way' to do it. Fair winds to you my friend.
Once again I really enjoyed watching your latest adventure. Indeed, I was rather sad knowing this was the final leg. Thanks again for making these. Educational and entertaining.
lol this looks like amazing fun but i swim every other day (when the world not ridden with plague) so there is no way i would ever do this personally. I know that moment when you're done swimming all to well. I also don't think i could really afford to do this.. I think i'd buy a pool
The beautiful thing about sailing is that there is a boat for absolutely price level --- from beginner day-sailors, to intermediate racers, to old-inexpensive cruisers, to expensive high performance boats. Worth looking into if you live near any water.
Great series of episodes. Watched every one. Learned some tips and tricks, and got some good inspiration for later trips. Thank you, keep up the good work!
Your lecturing was right on target. Too many people are unprepared and get into dangerous situations. As with all of your videos they were bothe educational and informative. Well done keep it up.
Another great how to and how not vid. Not to many YTube watchers realize how hard that voyage was. Thank you for the lessons. And for gods sake get that new " windvane " ! And make a vid of the process. I for one, of tens of thousands, would love to see it.
I did find this voyage much more challenging/difficult, but also rewarding, than my blue water trip to the Azores last year Brien. Tides, currents, marinas, hazards, traffic, fog, shifting winds…… I had my hands full. I think the 'wind vane' has sold itself to me now --- or certainly before my next major passage. :-)
Thanks Patrick I don't have a yacht at the moment but have thoroughly enjoyed sailing with you on your adventure and cant wait to sign on for your next one Cheers from Downunder
Sorry to see you back at your home port. It means it's unlikely that you'll be posting any more great vids in the near future. Thanks for this series, they were great and I hope the next adventure is not too far away.
