Sail Life - Crossing the Bay Of Biscay⛵ 

You guys are having so much fun! All Mads' years of hard work is paying off!

Lovely episode. Ava is such a character...love her humorous pieces to camera 🎬🎥👍

I have been so impressed with the improved cinematic quality of your content. This channel has really grown since Mad’s first nervous video on Obelix. Great job guys.

03:05 That boat alongside you 'Peppermint' used to be owned by my father! I think the last time I saw it was 1999 or somewhere around that then, even the colour scheme is still the same. Apparently one of the previous was something to do with Trebor mints back in the day, hence the name. Small world!

nice to see ava being more ava she's a great sense of humour by the way lovely video which was quite educational

I cannot get enough sail life. This is a fantastic channel you have created and built over the years. Athena is magnificent and I thoroughly enjoy both the DIY fun and the voyages. Thank you for all the hard work.

Love the care and attention that goes into these videos. No clickbait thumbnails. No manufactured drama in the titles. Just some nice sailing. Glad you weren't attacked by orca's.

Congratulations!! After so many years of following you, you guys are now proper adventurers. Something to be so proud of 😊⛵️🕺

Sail life has finally become a sailing channel.

16:27 "Green man walking!" became something of a joke to get the group of friends I was in Spain with to stop conversing and start crossing. :)

I envy you your Biscay crossing to Gijon. When we crossed there from Falmouth, it was one tolerable day and then 3 long single-handed days of pounding while my sweet bride was horribly seasick. It was the only time in 11 years & 53 countries that she got off the boat and immediately kissed the dock.

Such a fun adventure. I love Eva gassing you up Mads, she's a diamond.

Mads & Ava: This last week's video was the best EVER!!! The way each of you were talking about what was going on during your three day voyage - especially about the "person" NOT on watch had me laughing. For those who have had to deal with watch rotations, your comments on the person "off watch" was especially hilarious. Keep up the terrific video's! Blessings,

Eva crocheting reminded me of Penny Blossums😁

Such a cool vid! Looks like your passage was a little bit smoother than ours. The moon looked so incredible too 😀

Your weather planning is like watching a Vulcan sail. Live long and prosper

I have to say I agree with you Ava , I like collared shirts with buttons and 2 pockets. Much more practical that Sloppy Tee shirts. Built in sun protection for neck, adjustable temperature control, practical storage for credit cards/cash and a pencil or pen. Besides that no need to pull thing over your head to put on. They also don’t stretch out of shape and come in a wide variety of materials from light wt UV protection, cool patterns, iron free fabrics, even silk for this special occasions. What’s not to like? Great Biscay passage by the way! Boring is just fine ! Cheers Warren

See you!❤

Just for the record. Mads does NOT freeze! He is a Viking. He might turn all blue and then die but that doesn't mean that he is freezing 🥶🥶😀

Glad you have avoided the Hungry Orcas so far!

Yey! Big crossing, incident free and not an Orca in sight - tick ✔This is what all the hard work over the past years has been all about. Thanks for sharing.

“Some say ‘encrusted’; I say ‘reinforced’” Coffee meets kitchen table! Best comment you’ve ever made :)

You are on my part of the woods! Make sure you try the local cider

That acoustic Spanish guitar near the end was excellent. Shazam and now I got it.

When Ava was waxing poetic about Mads' shirt was I the only one who immediately thought "but is he wearing decent pants?"

I'm with you on the wardrobe. I have two pair of shorts and like five t-shirts that I wear all the time...drives my wife nuts.

Awesome content. Just love Sail Life videos. Content is excellent.

Getting closer to the beautiful Caribbean! GOD bless,JC

I honestly can't wait for your Atlantic crossing!

That was the best discussion of crossing logistics looking at wave and comfort data I've seen anywhere. Kudos to you Matts! Given your attention to detail in DIY I shouldn't be surprised but thanks for your enriching content! Great video all-way around! Dean

It's so nice to watch yall actually traveling! I love it! I look forward to more tours with Ava!

Glad you enjoyed our Northern Coast! I live in Santander and was surprised to see it here. If you're still sailing westward from Gijon you could enter the Santander Bay and enjoy the landscapes, it's a very popular sailing spot.

Nice use of the "roving fender" by Ava when casting off from France. Those big ball fenders work pretty well for that.

Love your new country ritual. That bus looked really nice. I don't know if Ava ever rode a Greyhound or Trailways bus in the US but they would be considered derelicts in comparison to those in Spain. You two definitely need to get some sun now that you are further south. Thank you for sharing this adventure. P.S.-Mads, it is inappropriate to only have a few T-shirts and only one shirt with a collar. To be appropriate you need at least seven T-shirts so you can change each day. That way you can wear the same shirt on the same day every week and not have to do laundry more than once a month. A shirt with collar is then acceptable.

I think an autobalancing satellite mount (double axle, weight below to balance similarly to your stove) could be your next fun project to build :)

It’s going to be so fun looking back on these videos after you have had a few Atlantic or pacific crossing in your belts! The pre trip jitters are always there but as your experience continues it’s always fun to look back and see what would make you uncomfortable in the beginning you wouldn’t even bat an eye at in a couple of years. Love seeing the hard work payoff and seeing you all enjoying the fruits of labor ❤

So dang happy for y’all!

11:58, somebody took acting lessons sometime during her life. You got me!

I own no less than 100 T-Shirts. I rotate them, so during the summer each may only see 1 or 2 wears. I have two sets of shirts..."Nice" and "work". Nice are the daily drivers, whereas the "work" are for doing stuff in the shop, the garden, etc. Sometimes you go through 2 or 3 shirts in a day when it's 38C out, and you hate anything above around 18C. LOL... For the winter I have about 10 hoodies. :)

I don't think you could have hoped for an easier Biscay crossing!! nice

Now you need a Sail Life polo or fishing shirt!

Great stuff and after 5+ years of watching you my friend, I will say it again, Ava content is much appreciated. Cheers

Athena is currently getting pretty close to Portugal (on the tracker, near Palmeira, Spain). Hope the coastal cruising is helping you both at getting a good feel for all operations onboard. Sea Yoo!

Yet another fun packed adventure. Can’t wait for Sundays. Thank you

congrats on the passage and avoiding the rudder nibbling killers. careful ava european food is so good

I love the technical of these videos Mads is a genius, Ava can you do a section on what you cook and eat that would be good, and i think the boat is really cool

I agree Mads no-one needs more than three t-shirts and they don't need to be different colours, all black is fine. Same with shorts three pair and two longs all navy denim work pants, wardrobe done

Music choices were excellent!. Fun trip, and no seasickness. Notch that leg off your list, crossing the Bay of Biscay no storms, or whale attacks. Well done.

You had a lucky passage across there guys. I too lucked out on my crossing from Plymouth Gijon (that's pronounced heehon by the way). You'll love the trip along to A Coruna, it's an awesome coastline. I stopped at Cudillero (which has a slightly terrifying entrance, the loudest seagulls in the entire universe plus a somewhat quirky mooring system), Ribadeo and Viveiro. All really nice places...

well done on finishing the boat! I haven't seen your channel in years and it just appeared on my RU-vid again.

Always spiffy Sunday viewing thanks! You were so so lucky that the bay of Biscay was kind. We had a hideous crossing on a cruise ship once!

Look at the confidence you both sown at 4 minutes in, lovely to see you take those first nervous steps to now your first crossing. Thank you for taking us along. Wishing you nice winds, blue sky days and calm seas.

Love seeing yall actually out on passage. I'd love to hear you geek out on how she sails sometime.

Ava ,you are pretty funny and you're starting to take over Sail Life from Mads, I mean I guess you don't need him much more, just to fix stuff and add more gadgets. Keep it up.

Jamon on crusty bread...

New country ritual...sweet!

Starlink is a game changer!

You sure refitted Athena into a beautiful boat! Love the attention to detail in your finishes.

This video was nicely done. Dare I say, quite spiffy!

That looked like a nice calm journey. Safe sailing, as they say living the dream.

A roller furler staysail Oh perfect , Its a must & if a sore but is all that was the outcome of a Biscay crossing - Great , Your all looking healthy happy & more relaxed - ENJOY .

Great video all round. Glad you had a smooth crossing. Next anxiety - orcas😳👍⛵️

Un bocadilo de jamon! Well done!

So nice to see this beautiful time on sea after all the years of hard DIY fun! Keep up with this perfect combination of sailing, culture and crafting 👍😊

Great to see Ava…

loving the reinforced T shirts!!

Mads, I must insist that you keep making your dreams come true. We are counting on it. I've been watching you from the actual start, really great to see you cruising and happy with your partner

Thanks for the video. Fun to watch from cold rainy Sydney

Gijon a is nice place. Beautiful old town. Good food everywhere!

So neat! Thanks for sharing your life with me / us. Sending out good vibes from Wisconsin USA

Do you do man-over-board drills? Would Ava know what to do?

Awesome stuff. Liked the music on this one, very atmospheric

Envy. Pure, unadulterated envy!

What a lovely trip! (Only one whale, yay!) Spain looks amazing. Serrano ham? 💕💕💕😎

Those nerdy seasickness graphs had me chuckling to be honest. While going without any serious wind is quite an insurance to keep it sickness free, it's not even motorsailing, let alone sailing, is it? Deepwatersailing outside of the continental step went very smooth though I reckon. You will grow Your sea legs eventually and overcome the seasickness to change from motoring or motorsailing towards sailing. Thanks for sharing!

15:15 Mads looked so proud!

Reminds me of that "German coast guard / what are you sinking about?" video.........................

Sail Life is so excellent. Great to know that Starlink works across the Bay of Biscay. Was the fishing guy perhaps inviting you aboard to 'shoot the breeze' with a mojito?

Love El guitarrista...nice touch.

Yeah, that was a good one. The Biscay Devil was in a good mood!

I agree so few pixels yet a great depiction of a human walking. Stay safe guys another great sailing videos. 👍

Ava is a funny girl. Love her humour. Have to agree with Mads. A few teeshirts, and your sorted. Safe travels guys

Yum, smoked ham on fresh french bread, I'll have what she's having.

The first time I saw those crosswalk lights in Mexico I stopped and starred in amazement. The ones here have the green men start to run when it is about to turn amber. I love these videos because we retrofit our boat three years ago and left Canada. COVID delayed us a bit here and there but we are still exploring and learning along the way. It is fantastic.

That Spanish music is going to sound better in the south hahaha By the way, don't miss the restaurant "Tierras Gallegas" in "El Molinón" Stadium if you like seafood, good prices and quality. Love your channel, regards from Madrid!

Welcome to my adopted home country!!

A Coruna is a great place, enjoy when you get there.

Well done and very enjoyable. From Devon in the UK

Thinking of getting a T shirt made up with your logo but reading 'Sail Life Spiffy'...

Great Video! Full screen definition nice and clear. Your camera equipment must be top quality. Thank you.

Brittany to Asturias then on the Galicia. Doing the Celtic tour. Missing bagpipe music.

5 minutes of exploring Spain and I actually feel that I been there. You’re great at pulling the details out of your adventures.

Your sailing videos are equally as good as your diy videos. You're doing a great job. Thank you! :)

Good Video editing. Thanks, We enjoyed you adventure!

For as hard as you worked on that boat, the boats name should be called, “ Encrusted” Thanks for the great video! The boat is looks impeccable. ⛵️⚓️🍻

Boat looks lovely

Nice to see you on the Ocean. Good video.

I, too, have reinforced tee shirts... and one reinforced hoodie that I am currently wearing. Oh, and two similar pairs of DIY around the house shorts. My collared shirts have not seen the light of day for many moons! Entertaining episode, indeed! :¬) Webhead USA

As you head south make sure to stop in Oporto and sample the Warres - deliberate pun 😃. Eva would definitely enjoy a visit to Lello bookshop in Rua das Carmelita.

Listen to Eva. Wear the shirt. Perfect!