EP. 34 Knockdown mid Atlantic! Crossing the Atlantic Solo from East to West, Contessa 26, Pt 8

A rogue wave hits Wave Rover during the night causing flooding and damage.
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[@vaalsome]

fantastic. just keep cool control like you allways have. I love your channel and wave rover ...

[@MaShcode]

She's now a Rogue Wave Rover and lived to tell the tale. Some comfort in passing that test.

[@buckhorn868]

Like many things you make it look easy. Can’t imagine the years it takes to develop that level of skill and confidence

[@yellowstone2ndtrumpet304]

Not knowing the windspeeds yourself, sounds a bit strange to me.

[@chrisburns5691]

@@yellowstone2ndtrumpet304 might be because his tablet had gotten wet and wasn't working, and he hadn't set up his spare yet.

[@abdulkkhan5095]

A great and brave sailor- so much to learn from him. A very humble and intelligent man.

[@MrA1582000]

So sorry this happened. Your are a calm thoughtful person. Amazingly so after the knockdown. Wave a Rover is a sturdy strong boat. Best of luck in your future endeavors.

[@burtvincent1278]

Ok. I am buying a safety harness this year. A few close calls and watching this episode convinced me.

[@CheekyMonkey1776]

Good tactic, great for when you have the lonely night watch at sea. And for taking a piss overboard while on that watch.

[@flyingdutchman6984]

Buy a harness and tether that keeps you on the vessel. Too long of a tether, that allows you to fall overboard, is possibly worse than not having one at all.

[@pipoca678]

you better buy a sailing boat... not a dinghy

[@pvb9964]

@@flyingdutchman6984 Trail a grab lifeline as well

[@CheekyMonkey1776]

I still remember the debate in the scientific community over rouge waves. There were some well credentialed disbelievers, none of them sailors of course. They got put in their places when a few oil rigs got hammered by huge waves and everything was recorded on each rigs data monitors. Suddenly thousands of years of what the scientists called “sailing lore” become scientific fact pretty much overnight. All it took was the publication of one study on the oil rig data.

[@adamcue6529]

Yup. Rogue waves are not really "rogue" as if they have a mind of their own. It's a matter of harmonics and constructive and destructive interference. Physics. They really do exist.

[@reallynotyourbusiness1659]

Many years sealevel rock fisherman in Oz....rogue waves exist ...not talking about "sets", talking about "where the fxxx did that come from" as you fish yourself out of the briny. Another case crossing a certain patch of water in a 52' game boat...seas were up but 1 nearly got us...the stern was in the trough, the bow yet to break the crest by a long ways....scary. Another "were the fxxx did that come from" moment. Sailboat would have been trouble....Yep, they exist personally.

[@theowenssailingdiary5239]

Another fact is that small boats get knocked down much more easily than longer ones.

[@Sonicozz]

Wickedly tough little boats those Contessa they really can take a beating.

[@1961kickboxer]

That’s a strong boat.

[@aviewfromthewall]

I'm a new sailor trying to learn how to properly use a radio at sea. Your video had been the best demo I've found so far. Thank you!

[@RoversAdventure]

Awesome, thank you!

[@ShroomKeppie]

Visit the US Coast Guard web site. It has all of the information you're looking for, like radio etiquette, safety gear, rules of the road, (the ColRegs) and buoy markings. It's a treasure trove of marine information.

[@Sciolist]

You were remarkably cool during this episode

[@MikeBrown-dk7or]

The sea is so vast and amazing to be sailing in such a little boat. A great video. A big thank you.

[@RoversAdventure]

It really is!

[@martinleepgg]

Great recovery, you have a very stable disposition, ideal for a solo. Safe travels.

[@clayfarnet970]

Great job Captain. It’s the journey...you’ll have many wonderful stories to share. 👍👍👍

[@wesanderson7918]

Glad to see you on here telling us this story. Stay safe.

[@juanmanuelcobo5947]

What an adventure, Wave Rover! Thanks for letting us share it with you from our coach!

[@husainsn]

I owned a Contessa and sailed in Lake Champlain, N.Y. I would drive down from Montreal each weekend. I was told that one Canadian Doctor sailed her from Canada to Australia. I did not believe it. Watching you I can now believe it. BTW I was an engineer on cargo ships for many years in British, Indian and Canadian merchant marine. I am envious of you! I should have sailed away like you. Good Luck! P.S. I named the vessel with water from the country of my birth, Pakistan. It was water from the river Indus!

[@ChrisBashforth]

Great to see a single handed small boat doing great passages. Inspired. Follow your dreams.

[@briancarp9463]

Thank you. Glad your safe. Hell of a alarm clock that wave was.

[@Creek-Critter]

Good to see your okay and still smiling, things just a little wet in the cabin, your preparation saved the day, may you have far winds from now on.

[@benrandomly2016]

Glad you made it through that incident in relatively good condition. Looking forward to the next installment.

[@PacificSolo]

It's good that you didn't get injured. Too bad that you've lost one of your solar panels. Stay safe always!

[@adamcue6529]

Unfortunately he did get injured. Two cracks ribs per the newspapers. Crappy situation.

[@Roscoe.P.Coldchain]

Wow used to fit those, just shows you the power of the waves as there usually bolted on..!!

[@gaylinlack726]

Hi. I have been watching for your next video. Sorry about the damage from the knockdown but glad to see that the little Contessa held up well. Looking forward to your follow up video.

[@MoosePantz]

You're doing very well. Bless you!

[@Bikerbob59]

Awesome boat and great video. Thanks for sharing.

[@number8485]

you must be a remarkable guy! at least you have still got your specs...!Stay well and safe.

[@RoversAdventure]

Thank you my friend. Those specs are tougher than they look.

[@hughhenderson7552]

Bravo sailor. Bless you.

[@scottmcdonald3019]

Well done. Keep your spirits up and keep safe

[@donaldturner5124]

The sea is awe inspiring and sometimes fearful place at times! Very few men have the courage to sail the vast expanses single-handedly! My adventures are confined to land but still adventures nonetheless! And the best part is, I get to share them with the woman I love! Thank you for the inspiration!

[@TroyaE117]

My word, friend, that's a small ship for that distance. Bravo!

[@legend343]

I can just concur with most of the comments on here. Glad you’re ok and tough little ship you’ve got there👍⛵️ Warren s/y Legend 🇬🇧🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

[@followthewhiterabbit7504]

Glad to learn you weren't injured and the damage to Wave Rover wasn't 'voyage-ending'. Carry on!

[@sakm44]

wow! that's an event you'll never forget. glad you are ok.

[@tortugabob]

Glad to know you weren't injured. Best wishes.

[@fredbiscuit...413]

A really enjoyable and learning video thank you :)

[@Bulletguy07]

Glad you recovered from that with relatively minor damage. You're proof that it doesn't take crazy money or a huge boat to circumnavigate the globe, just skill with loads of determination and courage. Sail on safe!!

[@flyingdutchman6984]

You'd love the story about Anthony (Ant) Steward. Solo around the world on an small open deck sailboat. Look it up, it'll blow your mind. 😁

[@rhysthomas623]

Hey, the first video of yours I've seen. Subscribed. I'm only just having my first sailing lessons so appreciate how you talk through and explain your actions. Being able to listen to your radio conversation to the other boat was great for example looking forward to watching more!

[@RoversAdventure]

Welcome aboard!

[@lairdofdunstan1093]

im enjoying your videos very much , please keep them coming

[@stephengibbs5437]

THANK YOU SO MUCH for inspiring others with your knowledge - Jesus has given you a great gift to share - GB - Steve - Rivers of Life Church - Oxford UK

[@petergrundy8081]

Stay safe where all with you

[@IrregularPineapples]

Great video and shooting and voiceover and everything really.

[@TheRectory33]

Well done and how cool you are.

[@craigchristie404]

Gosh this is really good. Thanks

[@RoversAdventure]

Glad you like it!

[@boscopit]

This man is gutsy. Great videos.

[@RoversAdventure]

Glad you like them!

[@AthelstanEngland]

A novice here just completed my VHF course a while back and was great to see a full real world conversation. Really good protocol from both sailors too as far as I can tell. Must be nice to have a chat and what great timing. Still in awe of solo crossings.... well any crossing to be honest!

[@Kitiwake]

Practice your TX and ETA.. it focuses your radio skills which are very important in the real world of navigation. There will be a time when you will have a pan pan or other such call and you will want to do it properly so that all stations will be clear and not confused.

[@AthelstanEngland]

@@Kitiwake thanks once we can get back on the water will do. Almost bought first boat before the lockdown but sort of glad I haven't yet as think it would kill me not being able to actually get to her.

[@dreadnoughtb3364]

Whoo that seemed like a long time to not get some details about the knock down. Thankfully you are safe and repaired. On to Canada now I understand. Fair winds and safe seas

[@et5222]

re-watching this episode after watching current new Wave Rover build. It's so cool to see all the the egineering going into the new boat to avoid this in the future ! Crack on, and apply lots of thickened epoxy on the spiffy new build.....

[@RoversAdventure]

Glad you are enjoing it!

[@davexjs5889]

Must be nice to hear a friendly voice after a near capsize like that?

[@Nookerdog777]

Near Capsize? That's stretching it a bit: these boats have heavy keels.

[@Nookerdog777]

@ಠ益ಠ ಠ_ಠ Lmao. The dramatic "couple sailors" with KZbin channels certainly don't help.

[@BillSikes.]

A Knockdown is not a Capsize,

[@Abc-kf4qx]

Wow! Like they say of sailing: 98% tranquility, 2% terror. Stay safe, fair winds. SV Lola

[@dundeedolphin]

Sorry to hear about your knockdown. Glad you are ok. Stay dafe.

[@bobelsey9684]

His skill and confidence are generic transferable. Tha is why he makes the videos

[@RoversAdventure]

Thank you my friend

[@jimjam8149]

You and that bloody hatch not being securely shut 😆. Glad your safe and sound tho.

[@stuartsutherland7664]

Thinking the same! I think something stronger than a bungee cord to keep that hatch closed securely is needed.

[@jonshaw4344]

@@stuartsutherland7664 and totally unlocked when he is on deck, big problem

[@ximono]

My thoughts too. I hope he has improved the hatch in the years since.

[@paul2466]

Excellent video 👍👍

[@RoversAdventure]

Thank you! Cheers!

[@hunterhicks732]

Your an amazing dude stay safe.

[@RoversAdventure]

Thank you, I will try.

[@para1324]

Glad you are ok.

[@rimasmeleshyus9486]

It's amazing unbelievable story

[@patrickwhite6792]

OMG! I'd be panackiing under such a scary situation. Your channel is doing great. Loads of views. Well deserved.

[@RoversAdventure]

Thanks Patrick

[@flyingdutchman6984]

For safety reasons it's best to stow everything properly when underway. Having a knock down is bad enough without having a sink full of dishes, or anything, flying around the cabin. Hope for the best, but prepare for the worse.

[@johnmhuberty71]

When I was in the Navy we would routinely secure all "missile hazards" prior to getting underway. Twas on our checklist. Stow or tie down everything!

[@norml.hugh-mann]

Make sure all "personal massagers" are stowed in the rack or they will roll around the bilge....unless they are the studded variety.....

[@christhomas4260]

Very brave man . That is a small boat

[@BreezyRider66]

On the plus side you now know that Wave Rover has several self-deploying trailing lines for heavy weather! Seriously, glad you're safe...

[@SVTONICBoatWives]

Your a legend keep at, love the videos;)

[@donnanhuggler8451]

Love your videos

[@RoversAdventure]

Thanks for taking the time to comment, I appreciate that.

[@jimsaranna9011]

Hi good to see how cool you keep things, I would like to say one thing I like all the modification you have done but I think you need to have a stronger locking on your hatch as you must remember that isn't the first time that it has come open, I'm not criticising your work I think it's well done just want you to stay safe and love the vlogs so stay safe and happy days

[@keithnelson1123]

I’m glad your ok

[@OHFORPEATSAKES]

Great how you kept your cool. I've noticed your lifelines and some rust stains. Recently I checked mine (they looked the same as yours) and underneath the vinyl the stainless steel wire was completely corroded! Many strands in many places just broken in two. I recommend you replace them. Stay safe.

[@ximono]

Dyneema is an expensive but good alternative that I'm considering.

[@johanventer5730]

You are brave

[@blessed885]

Wave Rover is now Wave Roll over 🌊⛵ that lil bad boi popped back up like a pitbull !!!! Tablet,shrouds,solar panels ,soaked tighty whities YOUR ALIVE do to you know and have fitted Wave 👏 another story for the books be blessed 🌬️💨⛵🤙🏼 Your not far from Puget sound you have options in a pinch 👌🏻

[@psystealth]

belay those sheets sailor !!

[@markleyg]

I realize this is not real time but the cabin top solar with the broken stern rail one would be a good idea. No shadows.

[@mohamedelaminedjerdane3987]

So this is the scary experience you went through... But with your Canadian phlegm you make it look as nothing 💪, glad to know it's part of the past now...good luck with you voyage back home!

[@Grounded4]

love the flexibility of the lashings on the >Mark 3 - proven to be far superior to a solid mounting.

[@RoversAdventure]

Lashings, very versatile due to their strength and flexibility, are a very old nautical tradition that is sometimes forgotten in our modern high tech sailing world

[@markleyg]

Must of been a heck of a wave. Why one should strap in even in the cockpit.

[@johnlawrence7268]

I have watched all your vlogs and really enjoyed them. I was knocked down, with mast head under water, in a Contessa 32'. It does make a bit of a mess down below. I agree with "hooking on" with a harness when necessary but you have a long tether and the jack stay is on the deck. If you go overboard what is your plan to get back on board? Also, you will know about the Corona virus but will Panama permit entry? The canal is/was closed and friends are stuck there at the moment. Best of luckband stay safe.

[@johan8724]

If u have a strong small watertight hull and likely can take the mast down before heavy weather you can just roll and wait it out i think, bigger boats might break and sink and loosing there masts.

[@twisterwiper]

Rogue waves are my biggest fear. Well, that and loss of keel. Pretty much everything else you can prepare for or work around. But a rogue wave can sink a ship or incapacitate you in seconds with no warning.

[@RoversAdventure]

Very true. 2 broken ribs.

[@garrycane1170]

Sir you are ‘Super cool’ one calm dude.

[@RoversAdventure]

Thanks, I appreciate that!

[@greggron]

The ‘stern pulpit’ is called the pushpit

[@spikeafrican8797]

Very gald you are safe... no doubt due to the well thought out and simple systems you've implemented. Anything you'd change now after that experience?

[@timsmith6700]

All grace that the damage was not even more severe. Mast stays held. Impressive. maybe thoughtfully over engineered? Stay well on your journey. Fair winds.

[@dannyvaughn366]

I'm sure you were a little rattled after something like that. Glad you made it.

[@RoversAdventure]

The reinforced trades stayed on for a while and Everytime I heard a breaking wave approaching I found myself tensing up. It was quite an ordeal.

[@craigwin3685]

Hence a sextant. Good adventure.

[@RoversAdventure]

I do indeed carry a sextant and what's more know how to use it thank to my old school training from my time in the Canadian Navy. Good comment.

[@pipoca678]

Congratulations you have a dinghy

[@RoaldKoger]

I must say you suffered remarkably little damage from a 90 degree knockdown. The solar mount probably was a bit too strong, causing the damage on the pulpit. The panel got smashed anyway, so I could imagine that you make a less sturdy panel mount once you are ashore again. Fair winds and stay safe!

[@efe6646]

I am sending my greetings !

[@mrmrlee]

The more I read/watch about bluewater passages, the more it seems full-keeled boats suffer knockdowns to a higher degree than fin keeled boats. Seems the shallower draft coupled with the ballast being closer to the centerline of the boat (less self righting than a fin) and the huge underwater surface area seems to be caught by undercurrents and spins the boat over.

[@Grounded4]

"Stern pulpit" as you call it is in Scotland described as a "push pit".

[@robertyboberty7495]

Considering the boat and all the equipment has been sold did he realise the enormity of how it could’ve turned out, out there in the ocean.

[@chrischris8550]

Must have been scary. Sail on.

[@carlosseuc5044]

Great

[@normanboyes4983]

Wow! Sorry to learn of the knock down. I figure the big wave was the force and the solar panel applied it very evenly to the rails and thus the result. Had you been using the tablet continuously 24/7 - hence it being in that stowage overnight? I would have thought with the ritzy VHF you would have just logged your position every 12 hours and transfer to paper chart, with the tablet just being used for verification and close to shore navigation. Glad the damage was not mission critical and importantly that you are OK.😀👍⛵️

[@RoversAdventure]

I actually do both. I record a noon fix every day but I generally use the tablet as it is so handy. I did carry an older version with basic charts and loaded before departing the Canaries. It was doubled bagged and in a padded space. I was never really worried about the nav side of things as I had a fair bit of back up including my old sextant and the ability to a Mer pass and sun run sun.

[@brantleychuck]

Must have been shocking to lay over , lots of lessons for you in that event

[@robertyboberty7495]

What righted the vessel was it ballast weight of the hull plus stored water and provisions etc , the wind or just luck. Forgive me I don’t sail but I was really fancying it up until this video.

[@RoversAdventure]

Wave Rover is self righting due to the weight in the keel. She righted herself in under a minute

[@DowneastThunderCreations]

That would be enough for me to pee my pants and get some religion - all at the same time! (I was knocked down off of Cape Cod back in the 1980's - an experience I don't wish to repeat). Taking a dose of seawater in the cabin sucks, but at least your hull and rig remained intact. Happy you're safe, Alan!

[@viktorjarinov8854]

Very educational. Thank you. When you say "hatch was not secure", that's means that wasn't property locked or simply opened?

[@grahamm2015]

Stay safe. A knock down is never a fun experience have experienced one stood in the cockpit, this is a good reason to stay below deck unless it is necessary to go on deck. You have the boat well setup for such an event, I am sure you will learn lessons from this. I assume the push pit damage is the result of the surface area of the solar panel and the wave. This is not a criticism more a question or observation. Solar energy is good you have a finite budget and you need to put panels were you can. This is more a comment for all of us to consider when placing panels.

[@goteborg0916]

So very sorry to see all your damage. How did your batteries do under the floor board. How are your ribs. Hope you feel better already

[@patrickw8302]

You survived...

[@moon8canoe]

I've enjoyed and learned so much through your adventure. Did you do anything to exercise as you went? Or is the work physical enough that it doesn't matter?

[@superformOG]

good vid, as they say a fair sea doth make a sailor not. Looks like i need to add a spare tablet and stronger attachment to my inventory, i already have a sextant in case of a full electrical failure. Also is there a reason you have your solar panels so far inboard and would it have helped if you could have stowed them in an upright position at night? ie if you had them further outboard the pivot point would allow you to have them angle inboard in a stowed position.

[@laurenceholden]

Please make a better latch for your main hatch! I realize you’re working with what you’ve got aboard, but do consider an overbuilt latch when you’re in port next, along with a back up device.

[@johnmhuberty71]

Glassing in a couple of dogs would be a good idea methinks.