Naviguer Autrement - the small boat revolution in France

[@ArthurPopeye]

Je suis un Français qui vit en Angleterre et comme l'approuvent mes vidéos nous devons avoir des goûts qui se rejoignent! Je pense que ce que vous faites est super pour le mouvement des dinghy cruisers. Merci!

[@RogerRoving]

A l’avenir peut-être je trouverais le courage de faire des vidéos en français !

[@jameskemp6439]

Roger your Vidioes are my way of armchair sailing until I can launch my half decker in the Spring. Thank you.

[@tubalooney]

Superbe aventure salutations de la Suisse. I’m another Brit abroad :-)

[@RiggingDoctor]

Sailboats reduced to their most elegant essentials. Loving the tanbark sails!

[@11bayrat]

Grate video. Thanks for sharing

[@islaws4589]

Wow I could have watched an hour of this at least. Totally relaxing viewing, interesting to a non sailor & gorgeous scenery!

[@tony59able]

Your dulcet tones marry perfectly with the gentle lapping of the water against your boat as you sail effortlessly around the beautiful Breton coastline. Thanks so much for sharing your experience and passion so selflessly. Cela réjouit mon coeur surtout avec un bon verre en main.

[@chriskildun8810]

Another excellent trip to France, perfect escapist viewing for a winter evening.

[@ramblerandy2397]

Couldn't put it better.

[@karls6802]

One of the most visually beautiful videos you've done. But for me, what was even better was how rich in information. You give me a real feel for the boats differing designs and how they benefited or not in a variety of sea conditions and the shear joy of just sailing and being with others doing likewise. Naming the designs and seeing them sailing or rowing in different conditions. Wonderful, more, please! With one exception, "The blue-hulled boat" it showed up many times and in differing conditions, but you never told us the boat designers' name? The blue-hull boat was often there with the Ilurs. She (blue-hull) looked like a good boat as well. My favorite poetry/commented of yours, "Boats designed for sailing that were happy in the lumpy sea being a boat, with wide capacious hulls and high topsides." Many thanks, you made my day!

[@DaveFer]

Mr. Barnes, greetings from Texas. We love your videos. We're novice sailors here. We sail in a fast dinghy (Harpoon 5.2) and my daughter and I have recently reached a milestone by sailing to a sandy island here in Lake Travis, beaching our craft and exploring. I had fun, but it was clearly a peak life experience for my daughter (age 5). Next time, we hope to camp overnight on this sandy island. This island is particularly suited, since I can easily walk to the mainland across a submerged sandbar even at night in case of some emergency (lightning strike, snake bite, severed limb). Unfortunately, we are short on intelligence about the delicate topic of ... you know ... pooping. For better or worse, Lake Travis is a drinking water reservoir (more importantly, OUR drinking water reservoir). It's both illegal and considered extraordinarily bad form to deposit human waste in this water. What to do? I can imagine some solutions, but as a noob it's hard to know which solutions are the most graceful and which solutions have hidden, tragic pitfalls. Perhaps you might address this delicate topic in a video, if you haven't already. My family and I would love if you would Google "Harpoon Dreams" and check out our videos.

[@RogerRoving]

I usually sail in the sea. In tidal waters, and simply empty my bucket offshore (not for instance in the bays we moored in). But otherwise it’s possible to go ashore and bury the waste, or find a bar toilet. It is something I should do a video on, you’re right, as the question often arises.

[@DaveFer]

@@RogerRoving Thanks so much. I _did_ see your other video where you mention this topic during a presentation at a conference. Best wishes.

[@foggypatchfarm6048]

You might consider bringing cedar shavings with the bucket, but in a separate bag. Put some in before going, then put enough to cover your mess like a cat after. The cedar shavings make it where the bucket can be used multiple times before needing to empty it. Basically, a "composting toilet".

[@foggypatchfarm6048]

There's an Austin small boat sailing group. It''s "Austin Small Craft Sail & Oar" on Facebook. I'm friends with the moderator of the group. We're going to sail in Lake Bastrop in his boat today.

[@richardjouve7612]

Beautiful adventure.

[@MilledSteel]

A compelling watch 👍

[@stephenburnage7687]

I have a 34 ft sailboat and I am currently the smallest and simplest cruising boat on the Sea of Cortes. Everything else around me is 40ft + and have watermakers, showers, davits etc. so I thought I was going simply. This is another whole level! Love it.

[@maxflight777]

Utterly compelling Roger . I can’t thank you enough for taking the time to film and edit this.

[@wilfredolopez9626]

Best video ever.....a big hug from a sailor of Puerto Rico. My best for this group!😊💪🍺

[@TheRemcovanreems]

My late father journalist, writer, carpenter, wine beer and liqueur maker, adventurer, etc etc had a drascombe with brown sails. ❤

[@Skaelya]

theres also the "rendez vous de l'erdre" a small journey from nord sur erdre too Nantes where a lot of old simple dinghy meet and cruise along at the rythm of jazz in a 3 days long travel. it is something really cool with a lot of beautifull boats, jazz at every stops and just the peacefullness of the quiet river.

[@RogerRoving]

Yes, I've done it. Lovely.

[@nomad_lad]

I just bought your book on Dinghy Cruising. Im very excited to find that you have a youtube channel as well. I'm hoping to get myself a Wayfarer but they seem to be non-existent here in France, looking forward to joining the community.

[@pelageos]

Amazing!!! Very interesting! Thank you!

[@daleskidmore1685]

Fell in love with Avel Dro and have just bought the plans and working out the best way of building one. It has caused me a lot of sleepless nights, but I think I have come up with a way of utilising the space I have. This vid is a real filip to my resolve.

[@sailinghiggy10]

What a gorgeous trip... maybe one day... having just bought a 1951 Fairey Swordfish dinghy after a 20 yr spell away from sailing... looking forward to similar adventures

[@ildut4921]

Merci Roger pour le partage de ces belles navigations estivales, magnifiques images comme toujours avec Toi... 👍

[@mozdickson]

loved every minute of this thanks Roger, very skillfully and lightly formed.

[@knot4man]

Thank you, Roger. You are inspiring my own building in California.

[@GavTatu]

I live in Jersey, so st malo is my nearest ferry port, hiking or biking down the rance is a firm favorite I have done many times. Fancied a kayak, but never quite managed it. Yours is a wonderful l'aventure !

[@katej3z715]

I have come to your site from the sometimes crazy world of a lge social media site, used for info. Rivers and seas bring joy back to the soul. This is a lovely sail and my first visit to Dinan! I adore Brittany. This is as relaxing to watch as you always sound. The Ilur was made for these waters (yes?) and it shows.

[@tim-youtubewatcher2726]

Splendid, really enjoyed that. Thank you Roger.

[@peterbreslin6870]

thank you for continued inspirational films, looks like a lot of fun

[@sadretroy2352]

Thank you Roger, brilliant sailing and filming.⚓️

[@OldDadProductions]

Roger I really think you should give up this architect business and become a full time dinghy cruising film maker. Beautiful scenery and film work, lovely boats everywhere, great use of charts to show us what you are doing, calm and peaceful narration with just the right amount of information - no better way to enjoy my wee glass of rum! What a scene there, I'm very jealous. The closest I see to a flotilla of dinghies here on the Gold Coast Australia, is half a dozen 13 foot tin boats with 30hp Mercs on the back all arriving back at the boat ramp at the same time and swearing and fighting over who is putting their boat on his trailer first while the others throw fish gizzards all over the beach for the Pelicans and seagulls to fight over... :-(...

[@lazier96]

Roger, so many beautiful small sailboats and must have been a wonderful adventure for you all. Thank you for sharing this with us all. Cheers!

[@RoryL83]

That was pure ASMRtistry. Thank you for sharing. ⛵

[@wdoochild]

Roger, i've often read your aventures in the chasse marée, it's very cool to see your footages... i don't have a voile-aviron but i often dream of that sort off 'tiny boat' . my first boat was a "corsaire" 5,50 long boat and i know the intense pleasure to navigate next to the rocks (i had a mouillage next Brehat during a long time...).. thank you theses footages...

[@romantiachristiana5147]

I seem to have missed this video. I didn't yet have "Novalis" at the time. She does well in the kind of seas you show. I have been out on the Baie de Quiberon twice this year (2024) and many times on the Rance and out through the Saint-Malo lock. I have many places to explore that I have neglected until now. Thank you for the ideas.

[@mikesarno7973]

Your adventures inspire and give me hope. Thank you.

[@chriscaarnold]

Fantastic! Very interesting selection of boats. Thank you for making another great video.

[@chrisdutoit7948]

BRILLIANT. What a wonderful experience.

[@marcelooscarreinoso923]

Hi, i built a boat just a bit les than 11 feet, she has got an internal engine with shaft and propeller, now intending to do the mast and sail, looking to make something similar to the boat with own design, having the boom like the windsurf tables. Actually this was made as a dinghy of an eleven meters boat I made, a Caroff design. I found very interesting in small boat sailing, but it un quite important to have a coast that enable you to make shorts distance tríps, ten miles or so

[@darrenjackson2281]

Roger I miss your videos, I love simple.. your boat is amazing

[@sebitaingalls]

I'm watching a lot of your videos in my personal lockdown in Catalonia, enjoying them a lot, hoping to go out soon and sail our little old creaky Mirror. Thank you for all the videos, so fun, wise and conforting....

[@mschmidt62]

So good to see you, Roger! I remember you from the old Yahoo openboat listserve, from way back in the aughts. I always had much respect for your opinions. Increasing responsibilities of age have taken me away from sailing, but I intend to get back to it. So good to SEE you for a change.

[@sheffieldlane5769]

Roger, you're one of those rare channels that often receives view counts higher than the number of subscribers, which I think says a lot about your efforts.

[@RogerRoving]

... or reflects the deplorable infrequency of my videos!

[@benalla39]

@@RogerRoving Or perhaps it means people who like your videos aren't the kind who tend to subscribe to things

[@dragonfly8080808]

Great episode, really enjoyed watching. The Way fairer was the boat I learned to sail on, great multipurpose vessel. Thanks for sharing.

[@yachty1949]

How delightful fun and friendship in a modest craft, I am envious.

[@steveschwartz6138]

Fantastic adventure and beautiful boats.

[@BigFiveJack]

Such wonderful experiences that you share with these videos! Bravo to you! BRAVO!!!

[@JoeMurphyLondon]

What a lovely video - bravo Mr President

[@margueritepraz5616]

Another soothing and enjoyable video! In a similar vein, the association "la semaine du petit cabotage" organises 1-week cruises (not challenges!) during the summer period for small cruising sailboats. The participants get to go places they would not try alone, with an accompanying dinghy, and a knowledgeable person. We met them last summer in Perros-Guirec and they were having a great time!

[@neild735]

Thank you, a very enjoyable excursion

[@markevans506]

Looks like a blast. I’m jealous.👍🏻

[@MyVielfrass]

As I hear Roger Barnes talking it makes me remember Leonard Cohen - Suzanne (Live At The Isle of Wight 1970). Sometimes Barnes is poetry.

[@haroldellis9721]

Absolutely beautiful in every way.

[@davidleeson8088]

Very enjoyable Roger.

[@sjmarinelli]

Very much enjoyed the video. Seemingly the time just flew by and the end was upon me.

[@felixcat9318]

What an enchanting, delightful video and with such beautiful narration! Since I first saw your video, The Homely Dinghy, and read your book, The Dinghy Cruising Companion, I have wanted to take up dinghy sailing and camping. I then saw the You Tube video by Igor Stropnik, 9 days in a sailing dinghy- Sailing Croatia Adventure. This video introduced me to his little yellow dinghy (the image of the dinghy got my immediate full attention when the video first appeared in my listing!). Thankfully, I was able to learn the name of his dinghy by reading the Comments section, it was the Portland Pudgy! After some considerable time familiarising myself with this very interesting little dinghy, I found that it was specifically designed to be a yacht tender and lifeboat and that it sailed, rowed and motored really well and that it's owners absolutely loved them! I came to appreciate the design and the very positive sailing and rowing reviews and owners reports, especially those of the full time cruisers, added to this was the fact that I thought it was gorgeous and perfect for my solo use and that it is able to travel on a roof rack between home and the water! Manoeuvrability out of the water is important as I don't want to tow a trailer nor have to manhandle a large and heavy boat. I like small vehicles, especially boats, (I have two Alpacka Raft Packrafts, my Denali Llama model being bright yellow like the Portland Pudgy!) and felt that I could happily camp aboard the 'Pudgy even in winter and that as a novice solo sailor it would be perfect for me. The prospect of sailing in such beautiful areas is really very appealing, especially being able to camp aboard along the route. Thank you for being so inspirational, if I hadn't seen your videos and read your book I would never have become so enthusiastic about sailing and camping aboard a small dinghy, nor would I have known how popular this activity is! I'm currently still saving for my Portland Pudgy, fittings and sail kit as it is more expensive to buy in the UK than I'd thought and I don't want to incur debt to own it.

[@stonetoolcompany3649]

Your videos are always a joy

[@msf60khz]

Some decent seamanship going on there, Roger. Especially picking up that mooring, and Mary's sculling.

[@tripslaughter5101]

A very nice sailing journey. Great sculling by Mary to to end the video.

[@bendeveson5313]

Nice film Roger, looks Like a lot of fun!

[@79337933]

most inspiring, greetings from Greece

[@DrTheRich]

If you ever come sailing in the Netherlands, I'd love to join. My boat is not as old, only 50 years, and it's more of a competition boat, but I made it look a bit more historically inspired.

[@WavingNotDrowning]

You need to take this offline. I’m spending too much of my life watching it again and again.

[@svventure844]

Made my Sunday. Merci

[@RogerRoving]

I have just edited the subtitles on this video. I hope this is helpful to people viewing it for whom English is not their first language. You can turn the captions on and off in "Settings". They do distract from the pictures, if you do not need them. This is an experiment, and I will be interested in your comments.

[@benalla39]

I don't need them in English, but I greatly appreciate them in other languages and it's refreshing to see you have actually edited them so they make sense on first reading.

[@leechamberlain1273]

Great video Roger, been a while , love your videos. cheers

[@eleveneleven572]

Fascinating. I've considered a dingy in preference to a boat and since i now live in Morbihan, Brittany, this looks very attractive 😁

[@dopefiendlarz133]

Hi Roger. I love your channel and am enjoying the videos. I built a little sailing boat from an aluminum 12 ft row boat when I was 16. That was log ago and I’ve had numerous other hobbies (obsessions) since then. I’m getting to an age that I should abandon some of my current hobbies like backpacking, bad knees and aviation,diminishing vision. I think this kind of sailing might be my next hobby. I live in America and while we have plenty off fresh water in The form of rivers and lakes I am in the middle of the continent so quite far from the sea. The great lakes are a days drive of 6 to 8 hours and are as big as many seas. I am also a life long fishing enthusiast and I am quite curious if you ever fish from these boats. I do quite a lot of flyfishing in the cold rivers for trout and we are blessed with numerous public access. I have always wanted to fly fish in Scotland The birth place of fly fishing. Keep making more videos and I will keep watching. Thank you

[@johnranyak1374]

Like the videos. I'm very new to sailing and i enjoy your content. Wish there was a small dinghy association here in the US.

[@giveitaswingoutdoorswithsm2901]

Thanks for that👍 what an adventure!

[@clionspaw5711]

Beautiful shooting!

[@Crispkingguy]

Bravo!

[@rossbarnett3759]

Brilliant really enjoy all your hard work over here in NZ... keep it up your brilliant

[@gregoryfletcher6198]

Love to watch your adventures. I see you even made it to my neck of the woods NZ in one of your vids. I spend alot of time each summer sailing and camping in the abel tasman area , boat of choice lloyd 6.9 trailer sailer.

[@lungarotta]

Excellent video, intriguing story. Welldone.

[@luisfelipecabana1743]

Great adventure mate! Inspired by the ilurs, all the way from landlocked Alberta. will be visiting family near Brighton in December holidays though, will be looking out for your boat out in the far!

[@Radnally]

Excellent production. Thsnk you

[@OldJong]

I visited Dinan once! A beautiful place!

[@douganniewall3429]

Thank you. This is so cool! Great video and narration.

[@kentblairl]

Nice video Roger.

[@maramé.r]

Wonderful stuff

[@lesteranddonna]

Wonderfull ! This is what sailing is all about

[@ikkeennietjij]

Beautiful little boats!!!

[@MrJaree]

Excellent video

[@isoftalico]

Great video , thanks !

[@MrPhilEU]

Wonderful I hope to join you one of these days

[@impalaood]

Fantastic film.... inspirational

[@shempdoll]

When I was a kid in the 70s and 80s small sailboats we’re popular in the States mainly due to the oil crisis. I worked the Annapolis boat show for several seasons when I was in college (architecture). The boats kept getting bigger. The manufacturers chased the most profitable buyers. For the last decade those buyers have been aging and are not able to sail. The market has moved to power boats, helped by cheap fuel. I wish there was a movement here like dinghy cruising that would help spur small boat sailing for the next generation. Gunkholing in the Chesapeake is easy and cheap thanks to craigslist nearly free boats. Why aren’t more people doing it?

[@sailingspark9748]

There is a small movement, but you need to search it out. Come down to St. Micheals the first weekend in October for the Mid-Atlantic Small Craft Festival. It's a delightful and non-pretentious get together for lovers of small boats. I will be there with my GP14

[@RogerRoving]

Mike Stumpfoll Here too that is the prevailing trend. Boats grow ever larger. We are in revolution against that.

[@sailingspark9748]

i own a "big boat" too. a Sea Sprite 23 that is actually older than my series 1 gp14. I use it for going out into the ocean or taking non-sailing friends out. As i keep her close to where i work, she also functions as a cheap place to crash for the night. I have more fun with my GP though, she is my "go to" boat for a relaxing sail

[@TrailerYacht]

What a magnificent challenge. We greatly enjoy your splendid videos, and the narration takes the adventure to the next level. Thank you Roger for the inspiration. Kind regards, Gavin & Amanda

[@carlosonliones202]

excellent!

[@dale3858]

Awesome video!

[@dirtywetdogboatsandsailing6805]

Nice one Roger.

[@roydesignedthat]

Beautiful! Thanks!

[@naosoudessemundo5322]

Belíssima paisagens! Muita saúde ( aqui Brasil🇧🇷

[@onanysundrymule3144]

Hello Roger, lovely sailing video. I have asked this before on a previous video; could you please do a video on how you unship your boat from the trailer on the grass at home for its winter lay up, and the subsequent re-shipping on to the trailer for the new season. Kind regards.

[@russellsmith8609]

What a great time Roger. I was surprised to see that on a midsummer day everyone was wearing coats and jackets. It is taunting to see what a great time you are having and not pursue acquiring a cruising dinghy myself. Congratulations on a successful sailing challenge, it is not winning, it is finishing that makes the day.

[@fabmanly1070]

Great stuff

[@nickjoel5288]

Thanks Roger, very inspiring. I’m just building an Ebihen 18, also designed by Francois Vivier. Would love to join you and sail in these waters one day.

[@jimhennessy2928]

Magnificent Roger an inspiration as always, a two cup of tea classic. Such great comraderie and fine French cuisine to finish the trip. Just wondering what kind of distances you cover each day?

[@bosse641]

Lovely

[@pikethree]

So enjoyable and makes me want to join you folks too. Can anybody advise me if it's a fantastic idea or not, to find a gaff rig and just use the tabernacle my International 18 has? I am really not a fan of capsizing anymore in Scottish waters like I was at 18 in South African waters. Finding crew is also no good, but I want to use this 18 I bought in a mad moment. She's beamy, built in boyancy, perfect for camping, has been antifouled, even came with a anchor! And even though she's got a reefing main I'm told she's a 3 man boat, but I want to sail solo. So I guess no Bermudan rig. Please help if you can.