Ep 27. Our First Coastal Cruise. Open water sailing to Maitland Bay, Australia

We sail out of Pittwater, New South Wales to travel up the coast to Maitland Bay in 2m swell. A quick lunch stop and bouncy return trip, we are rewarded with a beautiful reach down the stunning Pittwater to finish.
Music:
Andy Ellison - Tribal Champion
Reveille - Something Borrowed Something New
Rest & Settle - Home Inside
Alsever Lake - Ride the Pacific
Rest & Settle - Sundown Motel
Kurtis Parks - Thoughts Unfolding on a Guitar.

[@paulstinson3661]

Very cool!! They look like a great boat

[@DinghyCruisingKingfisher]

Yes they are amazing and very forgiving to us novice sailors.

[@LNM0000]

Boss stuff this lad ! This is exactly the stuff I'm aiming for. I used to sail in a 16' open boat,. similar to a Falmouth bass boat, 30 years ago from Helford River to Falmouth / round the Manacles to Porthallow and environs in Cornwall, UK. No comparison to this vid but 🙂. Got a boat now (same as the one I used to be on), road trailer needs fettling then onto some inland lakes to practice first.

[@DinghyCruisingKingfisher]

Sounds like you are up for some adventures! Unfortunately maintenance comes first- good luck getting your vessel in shape. Josh

[@TonyKeyes]

Good on you, Josh! So much of this business is just about getting out and giving it a go. The adventures of you, Bruce and the other Sydney raiders are a great testament to that life principle. Keep it up!

[@DinghyCruisingKingfisher]

Thanks Tony. When you look up at a 3 metre wave some doubt does creep in, but testing those boundaries is what keeps you interested I think.

[@andybullock6848]

You Sydney raiders are getting very adventurous. The drone footage gives a wonderful added perspective. Thanks.

[@DinghyCruisingKingfisher]

Thanks Andy. Was a great day for it - tested us a little.

[@paulh4691]

Great sail and video. I'm very impressed by your ability to launch the drone from a dinghy and somehow retrieve it with the sails up! I did it once with my Mavic mini 2 from my 12 foot Mallard with basically no wind and the boat just drifting on Lake Moogerah - and nearly soiled myself trying to get it back onboard before the battery ran out!

[@DinghyCruisingKingfisher]

Yes its super risky and I will only do it in calm water. Funnily the wind came up and I took off towards the yacht race, so I had to get it back before I charged in front of the fleet!😅

[@alistairmunro3011]

Looks great Josh! Well done on getting outside the heads.

[@DinghyCruisingKingfisher]

Thanks Ali. Hope we can catch up soon.

[@knucker4931]

Very nice Josh. Gently exploring your personal boundaries. Well done. Best wishes Al

[@DinghyCruisingKingfisher]

Thanks Al. Took a bit to get used to the swell - some sets were 3m! Boat did beautifully. Josh

[@stephenbrown1689]

Great footage Josh it was a fun ride out and back biggest swell I've been in on my boat. It was a great few days away with good company. Cheers Steve

[@DinghyCruisingKingfisher]

Sorry I didn’t get to catch up with you. It was a bit of a sprint in a day! Next time, Josh

[@brucedyson-smith459]

Very professional job Josh👍

[@DinghyCruisingKingfisher]

Thanks Bruce. Was a great sail, just wish I had more time to explore!

[@KevatStocko]

Lucky to have such a nice day Josh. Some fantastic sailing

[@DinghyCruisingKingfisher]

Yes, having that constant 10 knots meant I only had to worry about the swell and chop. Thanks for your comment!

[@sailingskismo]

Lovely video Josh, great perspective of the so-called 1m swells :) Thanks to your video I will be giving Navionics a try (just add it to the other 5 apps on my phone! ) - Keep on posting, it will help me get through the winter :)

[@DinghyCruisingKingfisher]

Thanks Simon (did I get your name right this time?). Yes Navionics is my only true boating app and it’s very good. I have been impressed by its inshore info as well in some of our lakes. Expensive at $35 a year but worth it.

[@SailingWithDave]

Awesome! What a sail, I just can't wait to get my boat out on the open sea, its going to be long winter!!!

[@DinghyCruisingKingfisher]

Thanks Dave. I don't envy your winters, ours are quite mild and you can sail all year. That probably didn't help your state of mind! Thanks for watching.

[@SailingWithDave]

@@DinghyCruisingKingfisher Yes, you don't get used to them. I seem to have had a dream to move to Spain for the Winter but it has never happened and probably won't!!!! I guess one benefit is that no evil creepy crawlies can live here, the humble Wasp is the worst we get!!!

[@olivei2484]

Nice sail, looked like Trim handled the waves well. What where those whit things in the water, about 8:22? Kinda looked like jelly fish, but I couldn't tell for sure. Great footage near the end of video. Very nice.

[@DinghyCruisingKingfisher]

Correct, we get ‘Jelly Blubbers’ come in swarms at certain times of the year. They make a hell of a bump on the CB and rudder!

[@olivei2484]

@@DinghyCruisingKingfisher ha ha ha. We have fresh water bryazoas. Look like brains in water.

[@CharlieBriggsUK]

@@DinghyCruisingKingfisher Wow! Enough of a bump to damage the rudder pintles, or not that bad? Guess the Jellies are too soft for that? Do they ever get stuck against the blades? Great vid BTW

[@willo6848]

What is the boat design? But of more interest is your mainsheet setup, with one "part" at the boom's end and 3:1 mid boom. I've seen more of 2:1 or 3:1 at boom's end and a single part mid-boom. For cruising years ago I changed my Wayfarer to a 4:1 mid-boom to remove all the mainsheet from getting entangled on the auxiliary motor; later realized that to get the boom in to the centerline there's too much leach tension. Racers use a rope bridle elevated enough to bring the boom's end to the centerline without the leach getting over tensioned. Does yours accomplish that pretty well? Or what were your thoughts. Was this your own design?

[@DinghyCruisingKingfisher]

Hi. The Design is John Welsford Navigator. His original rig has 3:1 on the transom and a single off the CB case as you have mentioned. I reversed it as it does the same job, only with reduced amount of line required for the same travel. This means less line at transom for tangly things.

[@corypetrie2649]

Great video,I have noticed you have two side shrouds one is stainless and the other line. Can you explain more? Thanks

[@DinghyCruisingKingfisher]

Hi Cory. Trim has steel shrouds attached to top of side decks as built by the original builder. These should be on chain plates down the side of the hull. I added the dyneema shrouds and chainplates as a bit of insurance! Thanks for your question. Josh