Hi Ollie.The long awaited Part 2 which was definitely worth the wait - so much so I've watched it a few times as I'm currently beach-bound until I undertake a rather crucial repair on my Beneteau First lifting keel. So thanks for the vicarious adventure!! I think after the way Elise shouldered those North Sea waves on the way to Oostende it would be of great benefit to fit a sprayhood - you really were fully exposed to some harsh weather & sea conditions. As said before, I am really taken with the Harrier - so much so that I've broken one of my golden rules, signed up & joined the Harrier owners Facebook site in the hope of getting an early drop on any Harriers that come on the market I expect your season is coming to an end but if you feel the urge to film any necessary maintenance needed to Elise I, for one, would be very interested in the contents. I could watch other people working for hours!!!??? Chin-chin Rej
Hey Rej, thanks for your kind comments as always. I’m yet to sail a first although I have a trip potentially lined up in a few weeks. Really keen to see how they handle in comparison. Yes a spray hood is probably essential. Although might not be able to get a proper one due to the boom being so low. But some thing to protect the hatch and provide a little coverage would still be great. As for maintenance, I’ve got a fair bit to do over the winter. Possibly will pack up early and make a start on removing the keel. Redesign the winch post etc. new rigging. I don’t dare do another big trip until these are sorted. Kind of got a bit freaked out continuously questioning if my keel and rigging is ok. I did many other trips this year in really strong wind upwind in steep waves. Like 35mile beats. Slamming and bouncing around. I’ve just registered for Belgium again as was such a good trip. Hopefully will get some more adventures to new places too. I’ll keep an eye out for a harrier. There is a terrier for sale in Scotland (harriers big sister) absolute bargain. £1000 with a trailer. Defo worth a look. I’ll see if I can find a link.
@@boatedout Thanks Ollie but I will stick out for a Harrier - I'm in no hurry. You & Elise are one hellava team. Both of you seem to absorb some rough conditions during the season & as such I suppose it is essential to keep on top of maintenance especially with kids onboard. As for the sprayhood - 1 crazy suggestion - do Mothercare make/sell pramhoods (for twin strollers) that could be adapted !!!???? Just a thought. Best of luck with the maintenance. Chin-chin Rej
@@chrisdavison836 ah hey Chris, how’s it going? Thanks for the comment. Elise is going strong. Gotta change the rigging and drop the keel out this winter. Great boat😁⛵️
Great video. Well sailed. Genuine question: is it normal practice to call shipping on the VHF to aid collision avoidance? My reason for asking is because I thought the advice was not to call, just follow COLREGs and make your manoeuvres early and clearly enough for the other vessle to easily see what you are doing. Again, I'm not trying to be smart. My intuition would have been to call and confirm too, if I hadn't heard advice to the contrary. What do you think?
I tried to add a link to a report "Dangers in the use of VHF for the purpose of Collision Avoidance at sea" (July 2020) but comments with links seem to fail to post.
Hi, thanks for bringing this up. You’ve raised a really good point. From the way I understand it, VHF is strongly discouraged for the purpose of collision avoidance. VHF and AIS shouldn’t be relied upon singularly for collision avoidance. I understand that misinterpretation, confusion, and misunderstandings are risks, especially with language barriers. I’ve done some research and read reports suggesting that up to 60% of collisions occur when vessels don’t see each other until it’s too late, even in fine weather. I haven’t seen the specific report you mentioned, but many reports I’ve come across involve multiple vessels. Two vessels might use VHF to coordinate and avoid a collision, but a third vessel entering the situation can create real chaos and confusion. Some identified dangers in the use of VHF leading to close-quarter situations or collisions are: 1. Distraction: Over-reliance on VHF for extended periods can be distracting and result in losing valuable time that should be used for timely and appropriate action. 2. Language Barriers: Misunderstandings can arise when English isn’t the first language, increasing the risk of collision due to incorrect interpretation or delays. 3. Regulatory Compliance: The risk of collision is further amplified if actions agreed upon via VHF contravene COLREGs or local regulations, creating a false sense of security. 4. Bridge Team Management: Over-reliance on VHF can lead to breakdowns in effective bridge team management, as the crew might assume that VHF communication alone will handle the situation. 5. AIS Limitations: AIS signals can sometimes jump between vessels, especially in busy shipping lanes. This can lead to decisions based on incomplete or incorrect information, particularly in the dark. I often receive calls from other ships asking about my intentions, sometimes mistaking me for a small fishing vessel. My intentions are always geared towards minimizing risk, using all available means. I don’t request course changes, but if channel 16 and the ship-to-ship channels are quiet, I might make a quick courtesy call to say, “Hi, I’m here, and I’m steering well clear. I’m not asking for anything; I’m just being cautious!” I’ve spent many hours waiting to cross shipping lanes, turning back, abandoning, or weaving around to avoid collisions. I even crossed two years ago without AIS. My calls are intended to improve and support situational awareness while adhering to COLREGs and maintaining a constant, vigilant watch. These calls are always well-received, and sometimes they lead to small course adjustments by larger vessels, though I don’t rely on this. I’ve always got a solid backup plan and have identified which vessels I’m passing in front of or behind from as far as 15 miles away. Hope this clarifies my view. Different people have different opinions, and that’s fine. Based on collision reports, COLREGs, general advice, and real-time experience, I’ve found that a courtesy call can be low-risk and often helpful. Especially when sailing in a small boat weaving about.
Hey, good question, I’m running an 80w solar panel with a really good 115ah Exide battery. The outboard also puts out a decent amount. I’ve got 2 tiller pilots, a really old navico (stand alone) which uses hardly any power. And a really hungry ray-marine one (connected to plotter). So depending on sunshine, motor use, sea state, trip duration: will determine which tiller pilot, if any at all. In fact when using the motor it over charges the battery at times so I actually need to turn the cool box on to load things up a bit. Lots of room for improvement but seems to work well. Seems I can do 20 hours ok. ⛵️
