48] Sailing Life: Island Hopping Under Spinnaker & Fixing Our Steering | Sailing Skua

In Sailing Life: Island Hopping Under Spinnaker, we look for the fault in out steering and then set off on a light wind sail under spinnaker between Majorca and Menorca.
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[@Chris-be1fo]

Love your videos. They give a realistic idea of what boat life is about. Also love the choice of music.

[@SailingKittiwake]

Thanks so much Chris! We try to keep it real 😊

[@clifficus]

Rubber elastic bands on glass jars and bottles are perfect keeping them quiet and stops breakages, 👍😃

[@billhartsfield424]

Put your bottles in socks to keep them from rattling together. Learned this from Delos crew!

[@ashthomas5257]

Just a tip Ryan, I have seen you do this before, but try to always start the engine at the lowest possible revs, even if it cranks a bit and bounces around for a few seconds before you give it some revs, it gives it time to stabilise oil pressure. Great vid, thanks guys!

[@lisar9425]

Really like how you fade the music in and out, so that we can hear the boat, the water, the wind. It makes it more immediate and intimate to hear what you’re hearing .

[@SailingKittiwake]

Thanks Lisa! Lovely of you notice :) We hope you enjoy our channel :)

[@evanofelipe]

It’s great to see you both enjoying Menorca. I know the island well and return often. No doubt you’ll discover the small inlets of Cala Macarella and Macarelletta, near Cala Galdarna. The island has so many interesting places, steeped in history to visit with hundreds of ancient Cave dwellings carved everywhere into the limestone cliffs that are clearly evident from the sea with their smoke stained roofs showing evidence of early human occupation above azure blue seas. Relax and enjoy 😊 !

[@SailingKittiwake]

Thanks a lot Evano! So many stunning anchorages in Menorca, you’re right!

[@nigelgriffiths259]

Same observation as before guys. Life jackets! Even wandering around the deck on a passage one of you could be hit on the head by the boom and hurl you in the water. Unconscious in the water is risking a quick visit to Davy Jones ‘ locker. Please think safety and have a plan in the event one of you is incapacitated. Then really enjoy your adventure. I have just crewed on a passage to Guernsey and our skipper insisted we wore life jackets all the way across. Keep the videos coming.

[@SailingKittiwake]

Hi Nigel, thanks for your concern. We’ve sailed a few thousand miles now and we’re pretty clued up on safety. We strongly prefer strong harnesses over lifejackets though, and we put them on when needed - strong weather, night watches etc but don’t think that wearing lifejackets as a matter of course adds much to safety on board.

[@kendorsey4320]

Shua is really looking like a home. I'm hoping it still feels like the correct move for the two of you. Fair winds.

[@SailingKittiwake]

Thanks so much Ken, we're definitely happy with the move :)

[@53glowe]

The editing is excellent, case in point was the sequential steps in retrieving the anchor...very well done. The production is really progressing well...congratulations. I look fwd to each new episode and that's a good sign. Chapeau⛵📹👍

[@SailingKittiwake]

Yay! Thanks Gaz 🙏😊

[@53glowe]

@@SailingKittiwake You deserve it 👍

[@BreezyRider66]

Really enjoying the Skua videos, she definitely has the look back factor. Wind is fickle that's for sure, a couple of weeks ago I went from seeing over 8 knots under genoa alone to less than a knot flat out under engine against the tide a few hours later. Ho hum...

[@SailingKittiwake]

Haha! Are you in the Med? It's renowned for fickle winds! Ee recently had 40 knots - 2 knots - 30 knots in the space of 30 minutes. We've had some great offshore sails though. That's a great surname for a sailor if it's your real name :)

[@PCStuart1]

Hi guys, I have a yacht larger than yours and maybe in the future if the hydraulic steering gets annoyingly bad you would consider a cable steering system, easy to adjust and no oil leaks. The secret is a designed balanced rudder with the correct quadrant. Autopilot straight onto the quadrant too. Take care guys.

[@SailingKittiwake]

Cheers PC, yep might be better!

[@RiggingDoctor]

So looking forward to seeing these sights in person, those islands look amazing!

[@SailingKittiwake]

You’ll love the Balearics 😊 Where abouts are you two in real time?

[@RiggingDoctor]

Sailing Kittiwake Porto, Portugal. We are going back to the states to work for a month, then return in September. We will be leaving here in mid September.

[@wallyklw5]

Well, I still think you should have runaway from the boat-but now it’s beautiful, and it’s all yours! Congratulations!

[@TwoGetLost]

Awesome video guys. Love watching that it isn't just us that has problems with our boat, the realities of boat ownership! Skua is stunning, we are in love with her xxx

[@SailingKittiwake]

Haha! EVERYONE has problems, even brand new boats. And remember we spent 6 months fixing Skua up before this 😂 it never ends. She’s worth it though 😊 We loved Hot Chocolate 😊 xxx

[@yachticus]

Skua - looks great - congrats to you both on the clean up - well done. Just a thing with scraping props - if you get a bit of 10mm perspex 40 x 150 and cut a chisel point on em - or grind them - they dont damage hull of stick into the material underneath. love your work

[@svrambleon]

Hey guys, thanks for the vids. Alway enjoy watching someone else cruising in an old classic Tayana 37. We rig our anchor bridal similar to yours to keep the chain off the bobstay, but we're using an Improved Soft Shackle made of 6mm Spectra. It's about 300mm long from the tip of the eye to the base of the button knot, and just fits perfectly through a link in our 5/16" G4 chain. Much quicker to deploy and recover than a traditional metal U-shackle, and can be cut away in an emergency if you need to haul up chain in a hurry. Cheers, and keep up the good work.

[@SailingKittiwake]

Thanks so much guys, your boat is an inspiration! Great idea with the soft shackle, we'll try to get hold of some 6mm spectra.

[@curtiscampbell5431]

Add a safety line of 1" tubular nylon and a carabiner from your 5 hp outboard to your transom

[@rodhinds4592]

She looks a treat.

[@SailingKittiwake]

Thanks a lot Rod, she is!

[@almath9987]

Thanks good video, great you let us all come along on your learning lesson on the boat very honest Chanel 👍 i have tiller steering on my 80s jeanneau sunlight my brother has wheel steering on a trapper 500 always feel his cockpit is small due to the wheel. We only do coastal sailing so a bit different, but believe the majority of the time we all spend at anchor. I can left my tiller up out of the way to give lots of room, but again i have to rely on my Raymarine ST2000 for auto pilot so use a bit of battery power. You have a wind vane steering so don't have to worry about battery's. I would use the room and + tiller gives better feedback, but that is only my opinion🤔 keep up the good videos thanks

[@SailingKittiwake]

Thanks a lot, Al. It’s always great to read your lovely and thoughtful comments. We think so too. Spoiler alert: we’ve gone for it (completed the conversion last week) and LOVE the extra space! Sooo comfortable.

[@p8ulr3id]

Good work you two. I would recommend a chain hook for your snubber. Much easier to use than the shackle, faster and to disconnect too should you need a quick getaway. Just get the correct hook for your size of chain and you're sorted.

[@SailingKittiwake]

Cheers Paul, someone recommended a soft shackle which seems sensible - could be cut in an emergency what do you think?

[@p8ulr3id]

@@SailingKittiwake I don't see any advantage, I don't have any soft shackles myself but I would think they would be more fiddly and more difficult to undo. Gravity undoes the chain hook!

[@gbunton]

Hello Ryan, I'm a huge fan of tiller steering I'm going to try and attach a pdf on one of the foremost authorities on self-steering systems and his solutions are quite effective. I crossed the Atlantic with no wind vane or autopilot traveled 800nm and never touched the helm. do a search it's downloadable Self-Steering for Sailing Craft by John S Letcher jr "One of perhaps 20 books published in the last 35 years that is considered a true modern classic for any sailing enthusiast. It is truly a book that should be in any comprehensive personal (or organizational) reference library. This extensive book features over 250 pages of detailed (yet practical) text, illustrations, photos, and diagrams" "This is easily THE BEST boat engineering book I've ever read. John Letcher applies his considerable engineering knowledge and practical experience to the problem of boat self-steering. He uses a systems approach to breakdown all the discrete elements that comprise an effective self-steering system. He suggests a methodology of testing to develop each element in a prototype steering system before investing in more permanent materials. The reason for this is the variability in relative steering damping in each boat's design that every self-steering system has to be adapted to, which also helps explain why many commercial wind vane steering solutions with their "one size fits all" approach tend to work well only to windward in strong winds. He also gives several "cookbook" solutions that provide an effective design guide book, while pointing out the limitations of this approach. This book has a reputation as being the best book on sheet to tiller steering systems ever written and it deserves praise for this, but it is also the best book written for anyone that wants to design a self-steering system for their boat or troubleshoot the flaws and improve the effectiveness of an existing wind vane system"John Letcher has been very generous and allowed his book to be available for download. This is on the understanding that it is for personal use only All downloads copyright © John S Letcher Jr. Many thanks to Len Hiley for converting John Letcher's book to pdf files and obtaining permission from John Letcher.

[@MrSmithToday]

I was going to say air in the system but you beet me to it.

[@scottmackintosh194]

Port de pollenca has to be my favourite place in mallorca. Happy sailing

[@SailingKittiwake]

Thanks Scott! It’s a nice spot.

[@mowhoknow5098]

The clouds looked like a silver lining to the backdrop of your beautiful boat, really looking forward to the new season! Thx for the videos, god bless stay safe and keep loving

[@SailingKittiwake]

Thanks so much! And thanks for watching :)

[@swatson209]

An easy cheap anti slip for dishes and glasses is a bead of silicone caulking around the bottom of the dishes.

[@SailingKittiwake]

Nice. How do you make it stick?

[@swatson209]

It just sticks you need silicone that will work with ceramic or glass. Watch: gone with the waynns "simple tricks to make any dishes rv safe."

[@paulb5907]

Great video as usual , thinking about your hydraulics , draw the whole system out on a large piece of,paper using the correct symbols for all the components and you'll be able to see the path of the fluid really easily , the problem component will then hopefully become apparent , the cylinde removing the rudder is going to be fine as is the steering pump , it'll be a valve separating the auto pilot front the wheel , draw it out and have a look at it again also remember to draw the pipe work in connecting the components as well exactly as it is on your boat ok take it easy good luck

[@SailingKittiwake]

Thanks a lot for the advice Paul! We're still thinking of a tiller as we like the feedback it gives and the space in the cockpit.

[@nigellucas560]

When your using the snuffer, try and pull-up from a deck block rather than pulling down. YM did a safety notice after a kite reopened sending the snuffed choke upwards and the foredeck crew with it. The recommendation was to pull up from a block and not use your weight to pull down.

[@SailingKittiwake]

Nice tip! A snap block with a snap shackle would be best and leave it on the snuffer line? I'll look up the article.

[@bevantweedie5129]

Suggest next time you antifoul the boat ,paint the prop with a product called prop speed.It is expensive but worth the cost.

[@SailingKittiwake]

The PO had put some antifouling spray on the prop, but the marina where we were was especially bad for metal fouling - it was near a river delta. We'll definitely antifoul it again once we have the funds to haul out :)

[@danieloliver20]

I'm glad you tracked down your steering problem. I'm looking forward to seeing you try out your boat in new conditions, have fun you two!

[@SailingKittiwake]

Cheers Daniel! 😊 You’ll see her in all sorts of weather in the next few episodes 😊👍

[@ianrix4442]

Another nice video

[@SailingKittiwake]

Cheers Ian!

[@jamescarid3448]

Great vid. I don't think the desert plate (7.00) was evenly divided! Cheers.

[@SailingKittiwake]

It was divided based on our heights and calorie requirements ;-)

[@randys1889]

Lovely video!

[@SailingKittiwake]

Cheers Randy :)

[@philipfreeman72]

Some use a surplus parachute high up to get more stable wind .

[@larslange5482]

Be a good idea to cut down the bolts that are sticking out the side on the port side near the port holes.

[@SailingKittiwake]

Cheers Lars, we haven't caught our ankles on them recently but they were only needed to cover the oven exhaust in the Marina so can get rid of them for sure

[@larslange5482]

@@SailingKittiwake That good to hear, hate to see your leg get ripped open in rough weather.

[@mudabudda]

Air in the system probably the cause as you know air is compressable fluid isn't. Good luck

[@charleskroeger5735]

Vapour lock Ryan

[@stevelawrie9115]

lol, quick, get some of that ice cream before he eats the bloody lot. :)

[@SailingKittiwake]

Haha I think Elena cut it down the middle to make sure she got some :)

[@MitchellEdwards222]

LOL

[@davidjessee7701]

The boat looks beautiful.. I know you totaly redone the deck but why is it still gray looking? Did you teak oil the boards after?

[@SailingKittiwake]

Hi David, we just let the boards go silvery grey over time, teak won't stay that lovely honey colour unless you treat it and we don't want to. The light silvery colour is lighter so gets less hot, and most importantly needs little maintenance :)

[@chriswills9530]

It DOES sound like a valve that's not closing, intermittently, doesn't it? Useful to know that the pilot works and so at least you can narrow down the area wherein the problem lies. The air bubbles at the end of the pump out also suggests to me that air is being sucked in from somewhere, which is obvs would be a seal. Have you noticed it happens on a particular tack? Good luck; sounds like a head-scratcher and irritant.

[@ppm6296]

Did Ryan cut his finger while cleaning the prop? I saw him scraping the prop without gloves on, and I thought to myself "He's going to pay for that!" ;-)

[@SailingKittiwake]

Haha yep on a sharp barnacle! Should know better, but on our old boat the engine and prop popped up into the cockpit for cleaning!

[@paulwyand6204]

Robert Perry would likely say go tiller, he loves a tiller.

[@SailingKittiwake]

Yes, apparently the original design of the Tayana featured a tiller.

[@paulwyand6204]

@@SailingKittiwake in all seriousness I would consider it as long as you could maintain the below deck autopilot. That is a system worth maintaining! Way better than a wheel pilot or a a tiller pilot.

[@CalciteSerendipity]

Have you considered adding an anchor swivel? I am going to replace mine with a Mantus S2 since it is designed to take side loads which you will get when anchoring where the current reverses direction (or if there is a major change in wind direction). Also, did you consider using a chain hook - wrenching that shackle on and off seems like a lot of work especially if you need your anchor up in a hurry.

[@SailingKittiwake]

Good questions. We've never used an anchor swivel, just one or two shackles. The swivels always seemed like an unnecessary weak point, never as strong as the rest of the system. We didn't have one for the two seasons we were on Kittiwake and never felt the need for one. I think a chain hook would probably be better. The security of our chain shackle thing is nice but I think the weight of the chain would keep a hook on the chain anyway so we might switch to a hook at some point, there are some interesting designs around.

[@ajax1137]

Oh Ryan...did you cut your thumb while scraping the prop? What's with that huge bandage? That cruising chute must be fairly new, because it was LOUD! LOL! ;)

[@SailingKittiwake]

Yep, same as Kittiwake - the PO had used it once in both cases I think! Yep on the prop, the bandage was partly for the cut and partly to make me feel better :) to be fair it left a fairly nasty barnacle shaped scar!

[@ajax1137]

@@SailingKittiwake a scar is a tattoo with a better story.

[@bryonensminger7462]

No air in the line is a bad thing it's gotta be a pin hole some where it's no defrent then breaks little bit if air can ruin your day

[@R.E.HILL_]

So definitely not a scuba diver extraordinar... eh? 😊 That's a very good looking sailboat... hope you get the steering 100 percent sorted...

[@SailingKittiwake]

Thanks a lot R! I actually love scuba diving, but take a while to get comfortable underwater.

[@R.E.HILL_]

@@SailingKittiwake my mistake, I meant to write freediver... I'm also rubbish at that... To found of breathing, I guess... 😁

[@Hardtimes57]

Enjoyed the video. Need to remove the label from the anchor. Wouldn't want it to end up in the water. Enough trash there already.

[@SailingKittiwake]

Too true! We removed it when it started flapping, don't worry it went in the bin!

[@sonnylange3051]

What a big bandage on that thumb! So are you both liking the mono hull?

[@SailingKittiwake]

It was mostly to make me feel better :) yep loving it!

[@bhaverly]

air in hydraulics can cause issue your having.

[@SuperDiagnostic]

No dolphins yet this season... Arrgh... just realised its a July vlog.. I'm all a binjin!

[@SailingKittiwake]

Yay! 😊 Hope you enjoy 😉

[@iainlyall6475]

what's that black ball that you had hanging from the bow stay for? you also took it down when you raised the anchor.

[@SailingKittiwake]

:o you mean you don't use an anchor ball? Haha no one does except us it seems! It's to signify that your boat is at anchor during the day, the equivalent of an all round white light at night.

[@iainlyall6475]

@@SailingKittiwake oh. yes you are the only sailors i'm aware of that use it. hope the weather is nice for you :-)

[@lnewbyliveca]

For cleaning the prop get a stiff wire brush.......faster and less finicky to use.

[@SailingKittiwake]

Thanks for the tip, will it get tube worm shells off? They were plastered all over it.

[@lnewbyliveca]

Yes it removes everything, get a bronze one, you can hold on with one hand and scrub away

[@GI-AUS]

Nice dinghy! Looks like it could use some more pressure, I am guessing 4 bar / 60 PSI should do it.

[@SailingKittiwake]

Maybe, we're a it cautious as the heat in the Med makes it super rock hard in the middle of the day but a bit floppy in the morning - we'd rather that than popping the compartment separators!

[@geraldtonjjeeper]

On your boat, you do not have a HAWSE pipe! You have a FAIRLEAD!

[@SailingKittiwake]

That's incorrect.

[@geraldtonjjeeper]

@@SailingKittiwake www.dictionary.com/browse/hawsepipe , www.wartsila.com/encyclopedia/term/hawsepipe-spurling-pipe en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hawsehole

[@SailingKittiwake]

"This bulwark is pierced by hawsepipes and several large scuppers at deck level." from the Tayana 37 review on Practical Sailor as it came out, readable in full here: tognews.com/ftp/Publications/Reviews/Practical_Sailor/PracticalSailor_Tayana37_Review.pdf Or just google "Tayana 37 hawse pipes" and you'll get plenty of results.

[@zerofox7347]

Just wondering would it be possible to breath through a length of hose pipe while scraping the prop? Maybe not the hull as it would be to long and get filled with carbon dioxide!

[@SailingKittiwake]

Possibly, it's mostly reachable from just out of snorkel range so a longer tube might work well :)

[@philup4947]

Did Hattie Jacques put the bandage on ooh matron :)

[@stevenpaul9259]

They're far too young to get that reference lol

[@philup4947]

@@stevenpaul9259 Just showing my age I guess ;)

[@Sandra-from-midagedtravellers]

What time of the year was that?

[@SailingKittiwake]

April 😊

[@Sandra-from-midagedtravellers]

@@SailingKittiwake ah ok then it makes sense why it is so cold 😆 was just wondering

[@user-he4ue6is7k]

Did you eat ice cream with a fork and knife?

[@SailingKittiwake]

Haha there was a crepe in there too!

[@dmain6735]

Primo

[@howardbodiford7130]

Sounds like air in the system, maybe just bleed it .

[@Aqu181]

🍨😋🤣

[@SailingKittiwake]

It’s all gone 😁

[@Aqu181]

@@SailingKittiwake i love the stuff also can you sub to my channel as well you do not have to just saying im in new Zealand

[@svflyer-fromzerotonineknot3125]

In the first 60 seconds of you video you dive down a rabbit hole of an issue with the wheel. I changed channels.....

[@SailingKittiwake]

Sorry David, we like to keep things real. Our last video ended with a steering failure and the reality was we had to fix it before we went anywhere.

[@svflyer-fromzerotonineknot3125]

Thanks for your quick response and I wish you all the best. I suppose it was the fact that I was a first time viewer... i’ll give you guys another watch definitely!

[@SailingKittiwake]

Thank you! 😊🙏