6 Tips For Stress-free Cruising | Sailing Video Podcast 045

[@sailwiththegales]

Thanks for another great episode! We went through the process you described before upgrading our power last year, and it was very informative. We’re on a 39ft mono (Amel Sharki) with 800 ah Winner Titan Lead Carbon 2v x12 batteries, 650 watt solar panel and 2 x wind gennies. Our first season cruising with just 3 x 150 amp lead acid and 200 w of solar was bloody miserable, we had no idea what was drawing power on the boat and had to run the engine every day at anchor to charge the batteries. I hope any wannabe cruisers watching this episode heed your advice in this point 👍🏻

[@followtheboat]

Thanks for sharing your experience here. 🙏 We can't overemphasize the importance of power and charging on a cruising boat. Get it wrong, as you say, and it's a miserable existence. 😑💛 Liz

[@cindylowrie9008]

Thank you! Great reminders, especially the drinking. Having all your bits in good order.❤️

[@PacificSolo]

Excellent advice … I have watched two thirds of the way through and have paused while doing a chore but I wanted to be sure you leave a comment now

[@followtheboat]

That's good to hear, I hope you got to the end? Any snippets to share here? 🙂🙏 Liz

[@jeromehebert3184]

Nice points to think about

[@followtheboat]

Glad to have given you things to think about! 😁🙏 Liz

[@24hourtravellers]

So true we slowly discover the jobs and who does what. I do the electrics and Rene my husband does the engine but we assist each other during the jobs if required. Always one becomes the leader and the other a follower but never both at the same time. Cooking majority is done by Rene and me I fill in once a while. Sometimes the jobs that need doing depend on strength or size like who can't fit inside that cramped space. The beginning is always the most difficult and there were many heated arguments but coz we've been together 25 years, we resolve it fast also coz our space is so small we don't have a choice 😅

[@followtheboat]

Haha! Very good point about the space! I've been hanging upside down by my ankles trying to reach bits of the engine before now. 😁😏 Also, I'm the one who can contort myself and reach inside the fuel tank to clean it. 🤢 Liz x

[@wwlee9583]

On the electric winch subject, there's a work around by using a portable electric hand drill with a winch coupling.

[@wwlee9583]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/gGXVe5iQlr-ihpo

[@followtheboat]

Yes, we know about that, I guess it might be OK for things like hoisting someone up the mast in a marina. At sea, though? Can't imagine keeping an electric drill in the cockpit to furl and unfurl, might as well winch manually... 😁 Liz.

[@rolfsvensson5777]

Dear fellow sailors! Could you in next episode talk about the sad story from Grenada! How to protect you and your boat? It is not a pleasant thing but is there any good advice?

[@followtheboat]

Yes, appalling news. We've talked about this subject in several episodes over the years, but will add it to the list of suggestions. 🙏 Liz

[@rolfsvensson5777]

@@followtheboatThank you LIZ! Be careful out there!

[@steveward287]

Rule 1 on my boat, males must sit to use the toilet. If you make a mess you clear it up straight away.

[@followtheboat]

YES! A small rule, but important. We have the same rule when underway. 🙏👍 Liz

[@JamieFurlong]

Jamie here. I sit down irrespective of whether we are underway or not. At my age I have little 'stream control' anyway 😅

[@humanafterall2076]

There’s a KZbin channel that recently took delivery of a catamaran and it came with HMS Knobber as a dinghy. These two can’t move the thing up a beach without help and prove exactly what you’re saying about the size of the tender. In some cases small man’s syndrome puts pride before the fall. And you’re right about getting larger’d up, it’s a recipe for disaster.

[@followtheboat]

I saw a yacht called Sea Breeze in the UK with a tender named Passing Wind 😅

[@humanafterall2076]

@@followtheboat Awesome 🤣

[@Sailaboat]

The specific roles subject is more important than we originally considered. We learnt early that you can't share & discuss everything that comes up. Ultimately someone has to take charge.

[@followtheboat]

And there you have it. We've seen dreams (and relationships) come unstuck over this. Being a couple on land is very different to being one on a boat. 😶🙏 Liz

[@phyllisstratton7068]

We have been cruising for a few years, very good presentation, we discussed a lot of your points. You didn’t mention what type of dinghy you have? Always enjoy your comments, we are seniors and always looking for easier ways to do things. 👍👍

[@followtheboat]

Yes, we should have mentioned that we have a Highfield inflatable with aluminium bottom. Love it. Glas to hear we provoked some discussion. 🙏 Liz

[@mentonish]

Good management is always, keep it simple.

[@followtheboat]

Absolutely! And clarity, nice and understandable rules. 😁🙏 Liz

[@aixpert291]

Of all the channels I’ve found on KZbin, yours has the best info! Just tons of gold nuggets! Thank you! Subscribed.

[@followtheboat]

Thank you, and welcome aboard!

[@24hourtravellers]

Dinghy is a really good point together with the size of your outboard. Bigger isnt always better for both outboard and dinghy because of weight.

[@followtheboat]

Yep, just as we say in the pod. Big is brilliant, but not always practical... 👍 Liz

[@lmbfr1]

Anchor dragging and Dingy towing are the best stories

[@followtheboat]

Oh there are those a-plenty... 😆 Liz

[@phyllisstratton7068]

True enough, lots of those stories, especially “ the just going around the corner” type. It may be a nuisance to stow the dinghy but it is easier than rebuilding it! 😂

[@TheDiverJim]

You guys are my wife and I’s goal. Hoping to take our kids live aboard in 2 years. Hope we are still going strong like you 2.

[@followtheboat]

That's quite a responsibility you've given us there! Just kidding, we're humbled to know that we've been an inspiration and wish you all the success in the world. 👍🙏 Liz

[@realulli]

10:14 you didn't mention the Calder Bible.. ;-) "Boatowners Mechanical and Electrical Manual" by Nigel Calder

[@followtheboat]

I thought it while we were talking, but got side-tracked! Our copy remained on permanent standby for the first three years of cruising! Liz 😁

[@williambunting803]

Electric toilets, manual override, I agree. My boat was originally Lavac toilets which were aweful (too small, too low, not enough space for low hanging fruit). I replaced them but kept the hand pumps in the line so I can both electric flush and manual flush. The advantage of the hand pump is that it fills the outflow pipe with air so you have less risk of salt clogging of the pipes. If I have power issues I can still use the toilet with the hand pump but have to add water manually. The other thing I discovered was that by running these toilets in reverse the material becomes thoroughly “blended”, so is fully de-aerated, and sinks very quickly. To manage other sanitary material I found a UK company with a product called the Fab Little Bag. I use these to manage toilet paper which I can’t put it into the harbour so use those bags. I had them installed at the office where I work for just another few months and the girls have all said they like using them. Thumbs up. I am almost the only one here who showers and toilets aboard every day, and am very fond of my Head. I keep the otherwise Wet Head Dry with a fan heater (off the hydraulic system) in winter, and of course open in Summer does the same thing. I use the afternoon head as a drying room which works well even in the dead of winter.

[@followtheboat]

We have hot weather all year round here, so we shower on deck. Haven't used the heads shower since 2010! 😁 Liz

[@williambunting803]

Diesel engines have the least that can go wrong. As long as it has uncontaminated fuel, constant cooling, oil, and the exhaust gas can get out, they will always run. The fuel is the big one. The worst I experienced with my diesel Truck was a time when the engine became ever more difficult to start. A nearby truck operator nailed it in a few minutes, the fuel line was rubbing on the chassis and had worn through the pipe to make a hole large enough to let air into the line. I have now finally finished building and will install this week end what I am calling a diesel engine fuel processor. It’s a Twin Raycor filter with a Marco 13 lph pump, and 5 tee valves. This does everything ever needed to do with fuel including priming lines to 2 fuel sources, power assisting fuel delivery, polishing fuel, transferring fuel, feeding engine flushing chemicals, and all with the essential fuel filtering and vacuum pressure monitoring. Worst case with boat engines is when the boat is being thrown around in heavy seas, stirring up all of the tank sediments, and then the engine is needed to operate with full power.

[@followtheboat]

Yes, fuel problems are a biggy, especially here... Liz 🤦🏼

[@realulli]

3:00 I learned when getting my boating license, before any sail, before you cast off the lines or raise the anchor, you have to establish "the responsible skipper" (I learned it in German, the term here is "verantwortlicher Schiffsfuehrer"). This person bears the responsibility but also has the power to tell people what to do on the boat. (Like a captain, but in German, that's a protected word and entails *much* more - to be called a captain, you have to attend a nautical university and study for several years, then work as a ship's officer, etc...)

[@followtheboat]

It's so important to do that. 👍 I agree that the word "captain" is often given or claimed top often! Liz 👍

[@millzee60]

Knowledge may be power but is ignorance bliss? And then there is the notion that the less you know the better you sleep. The engine is a case in point. I used to fill up with diesel and change the oil and filters every season. Now I fret over dirt or water contaminated fuel, to use or not to use biocide, what micron RACOR filter to use, do I use only OEM filters or after market, what brand of oil to use, what type of oil to use, should I stick with the original mineral oil or go for a modern synthetic oil. Is barnacle buster safe to use for flushing the raw water side of the heat exchanger. Do I change the heat exchanger O rings every couple of years or leave them alone if they are not leaking? The list is endless and on the internet there are a dozen different opinions on everything. Time for a beer ...

[@followtheboat]

Funny you should say that, we often look back at how ignorant we were in the early days. We took all kinds of risks without knowing it! I'm pretty comfortable now we have a little more knowledge! 🤓Liz

[@gregor393]

The crew management on my boat was drawn from Monty Python - "We're an anarcho-syndicalist commune!"

[@followtheboat]

As long as you're all happy with it, why not? 😆👍 Liz

[@christiepooh]

We moved our anchor yesterday after the anchorage cleared out some. We only had to move 50', maybe. We backed over the watermaker filters that were dangling in the water for cleaning. Piranha chewed one up!

[@followtheboat]

Doh! Easy mistake to make. 😑🙏 Liz

[@Andre-yu3qs]

Keep the old rule: KISS never fails! And that goes for everything in life. Thanks for sharing.

[@followtheboat]

It certainly does! 😁🙏 Liz

[@paulwyand6204]

I went to the Bahamas on a friend's boat, his dingy was a Walker Bay, and for 3 American sized adults, it was awful! Several times, we thought we would get swamped, and we turned around when going to the best snorkeling spot. I always liked the idea of a portabote, as it is so stowage. It seems people swear by them, but crusers never seem to keep them very long. So it seems a hard and expensive dingy is best.

[@followtheboat]

Love Walker Bays! But maybe not as a cruising sailboat tender? The Portabote was brilliant, but no good in waves (it's a wet ride). We love our Highfield with aluminium bottom, but if stowage and weight were not a problem, we'd possibly go for a tinny... Liz 🙏

[@nautichunt84]

If it's Gunna go wrong it's Gunna go wrong out there....😂 Great to see that backdrop again, the split screen just wasn't the same

[@followtheboat]

Yes, it goes wrong a lot! But knowing how to put it right is crucial! 😁 Liz

[@nautichunt84]

@@followtheboat captain Ron lol

[@danielwardin3609]

Sicker than the proverbial dog but your talk lifted my spirits considerably. Thank you. If i recall correctly, it's not so much the anchor but the total weight of the chain fed out that does the real work, no? Good seeing you both -- my Sunday is off to a good start. (Haven't had to correct one auto-correct or, as i call it, auto-miscorrect. 😊) Best regards.

[@followtheboat]

Oh no, so sorry to read that you're sick, but happy to know that we cheered you up a little. 💛 There are lots of rules for anchoring, but technique is king. The combined weight of anchor and chain is a fraction of the weight of the boat, so if you don't do it proper, you'll drag! ⚓💛🙏 Liz

[@danielwardin3609]

@@followtheboat You are the best tonic (even without the gin)!

[@JamieFurlong]

Anchor design has a lot to do with it. CQRs were called 'ploughs' because that's exactly what you did when you set them, and even when under load. A modern roll-bar anchor with its sharp nose will dig in a lot more quickly and hold better, hence the need for a snubber.

[@trevhedges]

Thanks guys.. 😊

[@followtheboat]

You're welcome! Liz 🙏

[@trevhedges]

@@followtheboat the originals and still the best! 🌺

[@followtheboat]

We're still plodding along, just ploughing our own furrow! 😁 Liz

[@nooneanybodyknows7912]

Super Bowl Sunday 🏈

[@followtheboat]

Enjoy! Maybe drop us a comment later. 👍 Liz

[@nooneanybodyknows7912]

​@followtheboat The Democratic process is paramount for a civil existence.💙 Enough can't be said about anchoring. Two YT channels have lost their boats this month. One on a Mooring buoy ended up on the rocks, and another went to sea without its captain, who btw was onshore dining and drinking. His dinghy was also flooded by rising tides. I enjoyed this podcast. You hit the nails square on their head. Thanks for sharing your experience. Footnote: Three sailboats featured on YT, two on Sailing Parlay lost their masts on their Pacific crossing, and Sailing Aquarius was dismasted on their Atlantic crossing. I would love to hear your input on dismasting, how to prevent, what to do in the event you are dismasted, etc...If you think that would interest others. 🤔