Shallow draft boats open up so many possibilities and, shortcuts! Take a look at the passage in this video, west out of the Jumentos direct to Havana. The alternatives are hundreds of miles longer. Who thinks shallow draft boats are the way to go?
@@alapikomamalolonui6424 'enough' is as shallow as you can get in my view... for a 40' monohull centreboarder that might mean 4', for a 50' Cat with fixed keels that might mean 4' too but with centreboards that could be 3' and so on. We draw 3'2" and found it sufficiently shallow to get away with some great short cuts in the exumas. Everyone told us our boat was designed for places like the Exumas and they were right. So, yes, if you can achieve 2.5 feet, great! Cheers
@@SailingLuckyfish First, Ahoy!, new to your channel, will look around, you seem like fun :) RE: Shallow draft. Yes, I completely agree. Years ago, I used to sail an Essex 26' ketch (!) said to be the world's smallest true "center-cockpit & wheel" ketch at the time. It only drew 60cm but had room to sleep & feed 6, and at least 2 of the things had circumnavigated, one by a family of just 2 parents & a couple kids, so it was seaworthy. We used it on the Great Lakes of North America, which are littered with hazards. When running with groups, we consistently got to take all the shortcuts, got into sheltered coves they couldn't, saw pretty stuff up close, or could just beach it a bit in soft sand if the water wasn't too rough. At times we'd be only a few arms lengths from upthrusts or coastal cliffs, and just slide on by while other had to sail miles around. Just as important was the peace of mind. We'd look over a chart, ask "Where is it under a meter?" and just not worry about it after that, while everyone else was following channel markers and sweating about shoals. We could also pick our way through shallows or shifting bottoms with a lookout, because you could directly see where it got thin enough for us to care about. Someone drawing 2 meters literally can't see a clear path with their own eyes. [The trick on that boat was an almost flat bottom profile with a long, very shallow, weighted keel. It wasn't quick, but it would (in theory) pick itself back up from a flat-over, like the old Weeble toys. With 2 shorter sails and a jib, you could get into any wind & wave combo, and you could rig a combo for it. The center of thrust was closer down to deck level, too, so it took quite a blast to heel it more than a few degrees. That combo of short stocky draft, lower thrust profile, and long keel let the thing go almost anywhere without drifting sideways too badly. On a long tack you'd have to compensate a few degrees (3-7°), in predictable measure to conditions. Not bad for 8 meters long & only 60cm deep. As for translating that to a modern shoal-draft catamaran or tri-hull... I have a couple ideas on the hydrodynamics I'll be working towards with my next boat (gonna build).] After the stability & flexibility of the multi-sail, I have always thought modern boats put too much stock in 1 super-tall mast, when they would behave better and with lower stresses to spread it around more. Your catamarans would probably player nicer as shorter yawl rigs, no? That also means you could run shallower without torquing the whole thing over on its side or having half the sail power just fighting the rig into the deck, or driving the prow into the surf, a scant breath from cartwheeling. Also, I think people get into too much draft because they are greedy. They want to stack too much crap on a footprint, then they have to over-rig and over-sail it to get it going anywhere, which adds even more weight and draft. I've seen 45 foot catamarans that are functionally 3 decks high, loaded with tons of heavy furniture and motor-operated everything, then they wonder why they need 2 meters to clear bottom. They might as well just check into a resort town. Personally, I wouldn't put a 2nd level on anything under 15 meters long. If you've got head clearance on the boom while lounging & piloting, what else do you really need? Are we sailing, or are we just hanging around the pool in some landlubber hotel? So I'll take a longer waterline & keel, with a lower density of stuff, and a shallower draft with hulls that track better as a result. Boats weren't meant to be square, for goodness sake, and they really shouldn't be taller than they are long. People get cheap with the one thing that makes a boat a boat, and it costs them in every other way. Oops, sorry, I guess that topic is a sore spot for me, and it's one I'm working prospective designs for right now. I should get back to that instead of typing your eyes out :)
FWLIW: I am NOT a sailor - aviation is _my thing._ That said, when I was growing up in Florida, I occasionally saw a news reports on television, or read them in newspapers, about boats that sank. And being a little kid, I just thought, _"why don't they just make boats out of stuff that doesn't sink?"._ Being just a WEE BIT OLDER now 😊, I understand that is NOT usually practicable. But after years of reading about multihulls, both in print and online, I realize they DO fit my description of _"boats made out of stuff that doesn't sink"._ So even if awash or capsized, they stay afloat. I have been fascinated with multihulks ever since...👍👍 Some years ago, I spoke to a multihuller tied up in the local harbor {Elizabeth City, NC}. I cannot now even remember if it was a man or a woman I spoke to, but this person said something to the effect of: _"On the alphabetical list of things that you_ don't _need on a sailboat, under 'L', what comes after 'Lawn Mower'? Lead."_ {As in what some [all?] monohulls have in their keels.} It does not float, so why carry it? BTW #1: One multihuller I spoke to - MIGHT have been the one I mentioned above - refered to monohulls as *_"Leaners"._* I *LIKE* that name! BTW #2: {I remembered this as I was finishing this post.} I use to be an aircrewman in the US Coast Guard. I was stationed at Air Station Miami from 1988 to 1995, working on and flying on the HU-25 Falcons. On one flight near Cuba, _we_ came across a trimaran that appeared to be *awash,* but was still upright. Either the trimaran, or some of the sails, were _PURPLE_ - THAT detail sticks out in my mind. There was NOBODY aboard. The boat was right on the edge of Cuba's territorial waters AND drifting FURTHER INTO THEM, so we departed scene. AFAIK, I never heard anything more about it.
The sushi the dumplings everything looks so wonderful and you sitting down inside the hull with the water slapping against it the sound of that reminds me of all my boats and makes me wish I was on the sea again
Just a shout out... we love the channel we are currently redoing our dream boat, although most look at it like it's a nightmere... lol, my husband has been living aboard and traveling for 20 years, me 6 of them with him. We found our boat on the coast on Mississippi, 43 ft horstman trimaran..... which now has new decks, a wheel house and is almost ready to paint. We find your approach to sailing one of the most realistic..showing how you can love the life without the bells and whistles.. can't wait to meet you and Zaya on the water, happy sailing
Hi - great to hear. Our mate Chris we met in Florida has a Horstman called Tao - he and it are in one of our videos from our time there. The refit must be bitter sweet Im sure.. but oh so worth it in the end! Good luck guys and we will keep an eye out for you, Cheers Stew and Zaya
Slow downloads during a major squall is understandable, but what about accessing the gps position during a storm?..do you lose or maintain a connection?
No, not that we have ever noticed. GPS signals are not affected by weather - unless very thick fog or clouds and even then you wouldnt notice the interruption to the signal apparently. I had to google that ... Great question! Cheers
In our home everything comes to a standstill when you post a video. Shopping gets cancelled, chores are put off, TV gets hooked up the the laptop - its like movie night!
I'm looking forward to your Cuba adventures. As a citizen of the most freedom-loving country the world has ever know, my government does not allow me to travel there. So much for liberty! ;-)
My friend bought a program that was able to get my data back from sim cards that was corrupted. Years ago asked about it again and he does not remember buying it years ago.
He has his own little video coming in a couple of weeks... meantime he made a facebook post here bit.ly/2YhiWQX thanks for asking, Stew, Zaya and wee Leo
Still makes me sick that you lost all your video data. Lesson 1. Don’t sell your explorer charts, everyone comes back to the Bahamas eventually. Lesson 2. Microsoft changed the world but Mac’s don’t crash. Lesson 3 Zaya is handy as heck aboard a boat. She’s going to be SuperMommy. Keep the videos coming. 👍👍
These were Navionics charts we were chasing. They dont have a direct online store (amazingly !) but outsource sales to GoFree which, amazingly, was offline for one or two years! We normally buy the chart card from a retailer but in this situation we had to find a download store. Incredibly, that is really hard to find... they only sell to certain countries, accept certain payment options and so on. Lesson learned. We were lucky. Thanks for the comment
I would hate to see the death toll if the GPS system died. All the old navigation skills are lost. Now we know why Zaya got pregnant with her fishing in the nude like that. Just joking, I hope the little guy and mother are still doing well. Wishing your little family well.
So how did you like being in a communist country ? There it is against the law for the Cuban people to leave ! Why did you stop there for so long ? Do you like communism ?
