FIRST OCEAN CROSSING: How We Prepared Our Sailboat To Sail Across An Ocean [103]

[@SailingKittiwake]

Thanks for watching! We couldn't include much more info in the video, but as usual, if you have questions, just ask down here in the comments :) Have a great day! Elena & Ryan

[@myjeepzia]

Big and brave decision with lots of information for ambitious people awesome thanks

[@senterpoint]

I liked the distance from the camera used in this video. When your head fills the screen, it's to much like a news show, which I see enough of. Glad you're safe and happy.

[@Cptnbond]

Love the big four: keep the water out of the boat, keep the rig up, keep the boat steering in the right direction and keep the crew fed and happy -- brilliant.

[@SailingKittiwake]

Thanks ever so much!

[@AfricanFlightStar]

Agreed, I also thought those Big 4 points were excellent.

[@SailingTaranto]

Rules for Life, right there :-)

[@williamlewis8741]

Ryan and Elena greetings from France. do love your videos so much. and you know why héhé. do hope you're well and happy.

[@tartansailor]

You were well prepared and I congratulate you for your successful transat. I wish you the best for the next steps.

[@Cajundaddydave]

Well done! I'd say you were better prepared than most and as a result had a smooth crossing with minimal strife. The combination of Ryan with his engineering mindset and Elena with soft skills and people skills is a good one.

[@vickipearce9332]

Do you want to reply to that Elena?Bless him. LOL

[@ericdover2077]

This video is a wonderful example for life. Research=Preparedness=React. If we are prepared then we can react to a situation and can skip the wondering and self doubt. Love following the journey!

[@SailingKittiwake]

Thanks so much, Eric!

[@Robert-cg2bj]

VERY thorough preparations from a landlubber's point of view. Thanks for giving us a glimpse of it.

[@SailingKittiwake]

Cheers Robert! Lots of planning to do :)

[@antonysmyth2464]

Very useful and interesting thanks

[@patricklaine6958]

Excellent video. You were super well-prepared......which I'm sure contributed largely to a relatively uneventful, and safe passage. Well done!

[@SailingKittiwake]

Coming from you, Patrick, it's a huge compliment! Thank you.

[@goleafsgo8496]

Even though I have no real interest in crossing an ocean still you both make it interesting, thanks for the details. Plan 3 times, sail once! Find with life getting back to a slightly more normal level here in Canada anyway, I'm down to only 3 channels that I remain subscribed to. Sailing Kittiwake is a keeper!

[@SailingKittiwake]

Wow we're honoured to make your top 3! Thanks so much, Mike!

[@debgale8696]

I feel a bit anxious sometimes at the prospect of eventually doing a long distance ocean crossing double handed, so I found this episode very reassuring in confirming how important the prep is and appreciate your down to earth delivery of the info. Nice one guys 🙌🏻⛵️

[@SailingKittiwake]

Thanks so much, Deb! Glad you enjoyed it!

[@bdphourde]

Nicely done! Thorough for most foreseeable needs! Well presented.

[@caromarco6315]

I loved hearing more about your planning!

[@AndyUK-Corrival]

Great run through guys. Hope you are keeping safe and enjoying the Caribbean. Andy UK

[@SailingKittiwake]

Thanks Andy! We're great and we hope you're doing well, too.

[@chrisbolton7123]

A very useful episode, I'm sure a lot of folk will find your belt and braces method really useful. Thanks a mill

[@sailingstardreamer]

Great video nice to see a how to video on long distance sailing. Keep up the great work looking back at your older videos you can see how much you have both grown, can’t wait for the next one

[@SailingKittiwake]

Thanks ever so much!

[@lPaulSaltzman]

Well done on your prep work, especially the first aid and the sextant. How important it is to know where your at when its an emergency. Wishing safe seas and great times. Also, the food,

[@SailingKittiwake]

Thanks ever so much, Paul!

[@AfricanFlightStar]

Great episode, very interesting & informative, with some unique insights that other cruisers haven't mentioned. You were well prepared, and we're all very glad that your emergency gear wasn't needed. I've used the GARMIN inReach in my flying jobs, loved it! Cheers! 💥👍🏼☺️

[@dwayneramirez2370]

Very informative and interesting, I love your channel for that. Hope you guys have a great stay in the Caribbean!

[@SailingKittiwake]

Thanks Dwayne! We're having a ball!

[@nealeburgess6756]

That was really interesting. Great to see how well both Skua and crew did on this adventure. I think you have an amazing boat.

[@SailingKittiwake]

We lover too :)

[@thomas5495]

Thanks for all the great info,tips and tricks to be prepared for a crossing. Looks as though you all thought of everything possible, Like Ryan and you said, better to have and not need then to need and not have. Stay safe in the Caribbean peak storm season is approaching quickly. Maybe a video on how you've prepared for Hurricanes. Stay safe thinking about you guys always.

[@debbiemccrossan3809]

This is so helpful thank you both so much!

[@C_C_SEA]

✨💯✨👍 Top shelf. Comprehensive, informative, instructive and entertaining. Safe passage, journey well 🌊❤️⚓️

[@SailingKittiwake]

Yay! Thank you!

[@gustavopml]

Thanks for sharing your crossing planning guys. Have a nice week.

[@jamesconger8509]

Probably your best video to date. Thank you.

[@SailingKittiwake]

James Conger thanks a lot, James!

[@Oceans_Sail]

Great video. As you say its just a summary of the myriad of things that go into prep but I just wanted to say....great job!

[@Oceans_Sail]

PS. Well done on not relying totally on the electronics. So many people do but i am a big believer in the best electronics you can afford AND in keeping your paper charts up to date. I love the fact that I often see you guys plotting your course on paper charts even though you have a perfectly good plotter. Very wise!!

[@haighaj]

A very interesting video, good to hear about all your preparations and some really good hints and tips!

[@bobbybaldeagle702]

After this C-19 stuff is over with you kids should look into a first-aid course through the red Cross and take it... I do know some yacht clubs/marinas offer special first aid classes designed for boaters/sailors... I was 14 years old when I took my first basic first aid class. Then I took advanced courses every 3 years until I was around 35 years old. By then I was trained as a first responder/medic... I'm now 61 and I still remember everything I learned even counted deliver babies... LOL 🤣😂... It's good to see how prepared you kids are 😊❤️

[@SailingKittiwake]

Thanks Bobby!

[@grantpeachey6908]

awsome vid and very informative

[@WarriorsCats321]

You guys always manage to capture such beautiful shots of the sea. Hope I can be out there myself some day :)

[@SailingKittiwake]

Aw thank you! We hope you'll be able to get out here soon 🙂

[@TheRealSasquatch]

Might I also suggest at least a reasonable shortwave receiver, if not something like a Yaesu 857D transceiver - with a good receiver you can get weather reports and even weather faxes with the right software on a pc or phone as well as picking up broadcast stations, with a transceiver - even though you might not be licenced, in the event of an emergency can be a good way to get an emergency call out - although for decent range you will need an external antenna and ground plane. I would obviously recommend you get licenced though.

[@clifficus]

@Sasquatch, they had an Icom SSB rig in the boat when they bought it, the rear stay has insulators to use as a sloping Dipole, but it was sold for £700, as Ryan reckoned the cost of a licence which would have to be done in the UK would be a wast of time, better to have a Satellite phone.

[@fropple]

Very interesting. Very thorough research and preparations. What about electricity? Solar/batteries etc? Maybe you already covered it earlier, but would be fun to hear about your experience.

[@SailingKittiwake]

It was in this ep 🙂 kzbin.info/www/bejne/jJK1qYeOr9mLh9E It worked fine by turning the fridge and some instruments off at night (bearing in mind we had windvane steering).

[@edmundmaxfield7250]

You have done soo well with skua! (or how ever it is spelt)😁

[@SailingKittiwake]

Thanks ever so much, Edmund. Yep, that's how it's spelled 🙂

[@edmundmaxfield7250]

👍

[@pbarnes355]

Oh my gosh i love love your content x

[@SailingKittiwake]

Thanks Paula!

[@Max-gt9ld]

Very interesting. Thanks a lot.

[@SailingKittiwake]

Thanks for watching!

[@achbanilacran2061]

Sheit, mate! Basically, that boat is just a floating pantry...But still, if that were me, I would have had doubled that, 'cause I ain't never caught a fish in my life.

[@carlobottigelli8955]

What about navigation rather than electronics? Do you also record systematicly (daily?) your position on charts/log,just in case of an electric blackout/lightning..?? Or am I too old or oldminded....?? (I don't trust electronics completely....). Very interesting tutorial. Fair wind

[@SailingKittiwake]

We recorded our position on the log book and the chart once a day, as showed in the videos of the crossing 🙂

[@goutvols103]

Great informative video. I have seen on other sailing videos where the crew removed the cans’ labels because bugs lay eggs behind the labels. Have you experienced anything like that? Thanks in advance and safe travels.

[@nigelgriffiths259]

Brilliant video again. I guess if push comes to shove you could have performed an appendectomy using all your medical gear. I say this as being one of the few to have had a burst appendix and lived! So pleased for you both having thoughtfully planned and accomplished this major journey. As always, I wish you fair winds, tides and currents.

[@SailingKittiwake]

Thanks ever so much, Nigel! Thankfully no surgery was needed 😁

[@azoresmarine]

Obrigado

[@MikeLPenny]

Great video as always Skua crew👍🏻 🙂!! Odd questions I know but - do you feel different now that you have crossed an ocean? Has it given you more confidence in your abilities as sailors or have you grown more cautious as a result? I've always wondered if doing something like that changes one's outlook significantly as you are totally at the mercy of wind and water once so far from land, does dealing with that reality change a person? As always FW&FS👍🏻👍🏻⛵️

[@SailingKittiwake]

To be completely honest, no. We didn't encounter anything we haven't encountered before on the Atlantic and it never felt like we were doing anything exceptional. It was... kind of boring after day 15. The only thing that amazed us is how incredible the human body is: it can function fairly well with sleep deprivation, even though you feel absolutely terrible. We had an amazing moment when we arrived and noticed how different the place was from Europe and felt a little pride thinking we got there all by ourselves, but other than that, we're back to our totally normal selves, no big revelations or changes.

[@MikeLPenny]

@@SailingKittiwake Thank you for entertaining my curiosity with such a lovely reply! Waiting eagerly for the next instalment of your adventures.🙂🏝

[@Sonicozz]

So how do you calculate how many vomit bags you need?

[@SailingKittiwake]

What bags? You have a designated bucket each :D

[@mariofretz]

you use a bucket and then feed the fish, you landlubber. :-)

[@peterward8349]

Hey girt if you can get your old man to smile twice in an episode I will think of sponsoring

[@AXISMEDIATV]

would love to hear more about your reefing system set up- My Tayana has 2 winches set up on the boom - looks like yours are rigged to go back to the cockpit?-SV SKYBIRD

[@SailingKittiwake]

Yes, reef 1 and 2 go back to the cockpit. The new system is showed at the beginning of this video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/pKCod4OJdtiqm6s

[@AXISMEDIATV]

@@SailingKittiwake AWESOME. Skybird is still factory set up but really like the layout of Skua..fairwinds you two!

[@MurphysLemonadeStand]

great video. Though I am not sure where you guys are doing real time updates, in terms of the storms that just left your area and has hit and still coming our way here in the gulf. I guess we havent seen anything from you IG. Unless its turning into Facebook and not time lining everyone you follow. Anyway. Hope all is well.

[@SailingKittiwake]

Both IG and FB are in real time 🙂

[@timcorso6337]

What? ..the first aid kit comes with an eye pad? Hopefully it was an eye pad pro!

[@Pete-qo7bv]

Have you still got your cruising chute? If so did you use it?

[@SailingKittiwake]

Yes, we still have it and no, we didn't use it. The wind was too variable and rarely under 15kn apparent (but if you cross in November/beginning of December you may need it a lot). We haven't used it in the Caribbean at all. Luckily it was a freebie - it was already on board when we got the boat.

[@cenktunc9312]

👍👍👍👍

[@markosborne4067]

Hi I work for the NHS and was wondering what injectable medications you guys took along with you on the crossing?? What items did your mums nurse friend Barabara get you?

[@SailingKittiwake]

Injectable antivomit mainly. This was in Italy, so nothing to to with the NHS...

[@markosborne4067]

@@SailingKittiwake ahh I see. I was wondering as injectables in the UK are hospital use only.

[@RohanTheBT]

Safety? Lifelines, life jackets etc. Perhaps a short follow up?

[@SailingKittiwake]

Too controversial. LOL. As you can see in the videos of the crossing, we opted for harnesses. It's our personal choice based on our own research and logic, but we understand many disagree.

[@RohanTheBT]

Sailing Kittiwake harnesses a good choice as hopefully you will stay attached to the boat. I was thinking of which life raft and epirb

[@SailingKittiwake]

We have an old expired life raft on board (can't afford to update it) that still works, and we had the dinghy inflated, too. In most emergencies, it's best to stay on the boat (unless there's a fire, or the boat is actually, definitely sinking). We're not fans of life rafts - they are too delicate. Epirb: Accusat, was already on board, never used it. We relied on the InReach SOS button, too.

[@icelandviking1961]

Sailing Kittiwake what does it cost to get recertification on a life raft?

[@SailingKittiwake]

@@icelandviking1961 £800+ as it's over 6yo. On its own it may not seem a huge amount, but we had just done all that work in the yard, so we had spent thousands on materials and the yard stay.

[@JonMadsen70]

:)