No Drama - Just Glorious Tradewind Sailing in the South Pacific [Ep. 151]

[@robvanderveen3578]

I love the fact that you two are always getting the max out of sweet Ruca. I mean it is a racer/cruiser and why not do that. Emphasis of your channel is sailing, which i like the most, having been crew member on Flyer during the 1981 Whitbread. What i see is professional sailing of you two, and i love it! Keep it up, fair winds and stay safe!

[@SailingSweetRuca]

That is awesome! You were one of our “influencers” then! Reading the accounts of the Whitbread in the sailing magazines is what set a spark to this adventure long ago! Thank you! BTW…Flyer won it if I recall correctly! That was “real” sailing! #respect

[@robvanderveen3578]

We sure won, finishing really heavy broaching in 25 plus winds with full spinnaker in the solent! I never forgot that.

[@darrenleask6042]

Wow great vlog

[@SailingSweetRuca]

Thank you 😊

[@daneulekowski929]

For people looking for actual sailing knowledge in their content Ruca is up near the tops for a channel on KZbin. Beautiful boat, beautiful 1st mate, and beautiful quality content. Have fun guys

[@SailingSweetRuca]

Thank you 🙏

[@Tintenfinger]

Great sailing footage, especially the drone footage towards the end with the gennaker flying. Thanks for sharing!

[@SailingSweetRuca]

Thank you too!

[@robertmassmann228]

Such a beautiful day of sailing with the stinker up and tuned. Great drone footage at the end of the video, must have been a great day to sail!

[@SailingSweetRuca]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@robertmassmann228]

@@SailingSweetRuca had to laugh at FB spelling help spinnaker became stinker

[@SailingSweetRuca]

We knew what you meant 🙂😆

[@markntexas8265]

Absolutely loved this episode

[@SailingSweetRuca]

Thanks! ❤️

[@petegraham1458]

I like watching the teamwork and you guys really are dialed in as open ocean sailing . Food is an important part of getting through a long passage and you guys do that pretty well too! Love following along on your journey, thanks for the videos and all the effort you do to make that possible.

[@SailingSweetRuca]

We are glad to have you along for the ride!

[@alberttross7348]

The closing shots from the drone are nothing short of spectacular. The videos are always entertaining. Great work!

[@SailingSweetRuca]

Hi Albert, we are glad you are enjoying. We think of you every time we see a large sea bird!

[@FernandoOliveira-oy4gy]

Y’all’s positive attitude towards the weather, the sea, the wind, any conditions is invaluable. Great team work, including Roxy’s unconditional support and love. Thanks for sharing your journey. Happy Memorial Day 🫡 in the Pacific.

[@SailingSweetRuca]

Thanks for the wonderful comment! Always important to stay positive at sea, even on the days when it is rough :-)

[@GlendaMixer-jz7vc]

As land locked patrons we enjoy your videos ESPECIALLY the sailing part.

[@SailingSweetRuca]

We are so glad we can take you out on the blue waters of the ocean with us!

[@chrischesley9257]

Well done, No Drama, Just Sailing !

[@SailingSweetRuca]

Title inspiration!

[@zeekk109]

That J boat turns back some impressive numbers and the weather is perfect. Hope you make it down west coast of Australia, Perth is where I grew up, remember we took the America’s cup away lol

[@SailingSweetRuca]

Maybe some day when we don't have a dog on board! 🤞

[@HopeOfJoe]

OMG 😱 WOW ‼️ Great episode guys ‼️ 🎉 💕 Tons of action in the cockpit and on the bow. Sweet Ruca really is a fast boat🙌🏻🙌🏻🙌🏻 But the best part is the Aaaaaaaaamazing drone footage in the sun and blue water. Just gorgeous!! See you next time. ✨ 🌊 💨 ⛵️ 🏝️ 👙 🌞 ✨

[@SailingSweetRuca]

😀😀😀😀😀😀😀😀😀😀 Thanks Joe! We are glad you enjoyed it! See you next week!!!!

[@joseerazevedo]

Sweet Ruca is beautitul sailing! Must've been a very good time! See you on the next, fair winds!

[@SailingSweetRuca]

Can't wait!

[@Mr040764]

Bonjour, Je vous est quitté quand vous étiez en escale en Patagonie. Vous voilà maintenant avec des conditions de température agréable pour la suite du voyage. Merci pour votre vidéo de la vie du bord. Je vous souhaite une belle route dans le Pacifique. 👏👏 Voilier Girighiz 5🇫🇷

[@egonkemp3512]

Liked your otro music, reminiscing of cruising the Grand Line searching for the One Piece. Thanks! Beautiful boat (true lines)

[@SailingSweetRuca]

Awesome, thank you!

[@ottomondo1368]

Thanks for the sailing “sailing” video. Great fun. Nice respite. You two are great. Glowing Kate especially.

[@SailingSweetRuca]

Thanks so much!

[@brianmcafee1243]

This Midwest farmer truly appreciates the content you provide to escape for a few minutes from the grind of spring. Keep the content coming. Thx

[@SailingSweetRuca]

We appreciate your hard work keeping us fed! Farmers don’t get enough credit these days!!! Glad we could have you aboard digitally for a few moments of your day! Cheers!

[@johnmalenchek6597]

Video captures the freedom and magic of sailing. Enjoy and stay safe. Love your content

[@SailingSweetRuca]

Thank you! Will do!

[@ChileExpatFamily]

We used to find shrimp by the clicking sound they make and open the torpedo tubes and the submarine would ingest shrimp. Fresh shrimp! I remember open ocean sailing. It is astounding how there is nothing to be seen but water for as far as the eye can see. Also I remember the water was so blue that you always wondered what was below. Nice video. Good work. Happy it is going well. Jim

[@SailingSweetRuca]

OMG! That is amazing! We hear the shrimp often on quiet nights through the hull at anchor, but never thought how a submarine could use all of its acoustic tools to hunt shrimp for a crew dinner!!!! If Forest Gump would have known he would have joined the Navy!! :-)

[@koa818]

Aluminum sailing boat ⛵ nice Awesome 🌏🌎🌍 good idea

[@markroth9827]

GREAT drone shots. Thank you for sharing.

[@SailingSweetRuca]

You’re welcome! Thanks for the nice comment!

[@DD-xx8wh]

wonderful video, sails out and blue water! amazing to see you two consistently maintain such high boat speeds in any condition...must be team talent and a happy Sweet Ruca!

[@SailingSweetRuca]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@stubby2822]

Ahh Coffee with Sweet Ruca. Nothing better. Best sailing channel on KZbin hands down. Kate, you crushed it with the editing. Knucklehead Curtis is gonna have to do squid duty one day. You all sure picked a good weather window. Was "Natasha the Navigator" helping? Yall keep having fun and stay safe. Bill

[@SailingSweetRuca]

You're the best! Haha! 😂 we are surprised you remember “Natasha”!!!

[@stubby2822]

@@SailingSweetRuca Sure I remember. She was standing beside the Geico Caveman.

[@heidilevens6284]

Fantastic drone footage at the end. Brilliant shots. Scary how immense the ocean is. Kudos to you both. Happy sailing! ⛵️ 🫶🏻⛵️

[@SailingSweetRuca]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@swamprobin3291]

There it is! My mooring buoy disappeared from the bay in front of my house last winter. I expected it to wash up on my beach, but so far nothing. This explains it. I am up in Seattle, but - same ocean.

[@SailingSweetRuca]

Haha! 😂

[@99Michael]

Always a treat to see y'all smooth sailing.

[@SailingSweetRuca]

Cheers!

[@spikotto2]

Beautiful sailing, thanks! 😊

[@SailingSweetRuca]

You’re welcome!

[@paulobrehm3713]

Great video ! Thanks

[@SailingSweetRuca]

You’re welcome!

[@nealchristensen1793]

Love everything about you videos ! Thank you !

[@SailingSweetRuca]

Thank you!

[@TheSWRProject]

Cooking with Kate... Yippee.... Try adding a small square or two of good dark chocolate to your Chillie.... Yummy... :) Be Safe Both... 🙏

[@SailingSweetRuca]

Great idea!!

[@drivingmsali]

You guys are the best real sailing channel out there!

[@raylawes8938]

Have you watched sailing one life ? It's another good channel

[@captainjimolchs]

@@raylawes8938 The interesting about One Life is that they are learning as they go, getting better every day.

[@SailingSweetRuca]

Thank you!

[@shamssajib8860]

​@@raylawes8938he said "real sailing channel"

[@captainjimolchs]

The fun thing about OL is that they are learning as they go.

[@Robert-og2kr]

That's a hot little snatch block for the tweaker line on the spinnaker.

[@SailingSweetRuca]

😀👍

[@m2pozad]

The sailing couples I remember, after about the first week, start talking about how arduous sailing 'short handed' is, by documenting the bleakness of the a.m. shifts and crying about their equipment and the sea state. But granted, you guys did encounter a perplexing buoy. lol

[@SailingSweetRuca]

Ha! We enjoy the sailing aspect. Amazing how much excitement a bouy can provide when you haven’t seen anything but blue water in weeks :-)

[@Bill-482]

Love the drone footage ❤

[@SailingSweetRuca]

Thank you!!

[@carlcantrell4781]

Hey, that squid should make good fishing bait. 🙂

[@SailingSweetRuca]

😀

[@MichaelBrown-nh3me]

Awesome video guys

[@SailingSweetRuca]

Thanks!

[@gabrielgullette6695]

Great footage at the end of the video!! Impressive

[@SailingSweetRuca]

Thank you! Cheers!

[@tiochio8476]

Nice to see how this is done! Safe Travels!

[@SailingSweetRuca]

Thanks! 👍

[@Cptstokes]

saw a bouy like that from FP to Oahu at about 10 s. White and yellow

[@SailingSweetRuca]

Hmm. We are wondering if it is lost fishing gear?

[@sailingbeyond9657]

Hi, what kind of block is it that you use on 'gennaker' and tie down to the rail ? and why ? Thanks

[@SailingSweetRuca]

Its technical term is a “Snatch Block.” We use it as a “twing line,” mostly to keep the line from chafing on the boom and stack pack offshore, but sometimes also to shape the leech or stabilize the trim on the gennaker for a tad more speed. We have two different ones that we use, one is from Nautos the other from Antal. Thanks for commenting and fair winds!

[@tahirsargin8236]

👏👏👏

[@SailingSweetRuca]

👍👍👍😀

[@Sailorette.Plans.]

New subbie 🥳 Excellent angles of Sweet Ruca ! I’m gonna need to ask you about that later ! We did not sail our gennaker at all 😆 got too scared ‘cause the sail didn’t want to come out of the sock and we didn’t want to pull too hard and force it out. 🫣 PS - the ending of you catching the drone was so cute ! 💕

[@jonunya3128]

BBQ Bacon Cheeseburgers.. damn it, now I'm hungry.. I've got left over pot roast so.. I'm good but you guys do make all the bad stuff look very good.

[@SailingSweetRuca]

Pot roast sounds yummy!!!

[@kurtc6372]

❤️

[@SailingSweetRuca]

👍

[@peterasacker5948]

Good vid....making headway to the Island...what is your daily avg mileage....

[@SailingSweetRuca]

Thanks. It varies of course 160-180 miles per day more or less.

[@SailingMayhem]

Wooow

[@michaelvanwinkle7919]

What kind of watch schedule are you using so far? How are you holding up to it with just the two of you? How is Roxy doing on this very long passage? Are you able to keep her regular with having less exercise? Give her a hug for us. Has she ever appeared to be sniffing out land smells before you spot it at the end of a long passage? Go Roxy!

[@aquasapien9275]

Would you share the name of the software you explained in the beginning of the vid? I listen to super sailors...trust your advise. Thanks for the wonderful ride in the trades. Stay safe, you have the fair winds.

[@SailingSweetRuca]

Expedition Navigation Software is what you see on screen. More here: sweetruca.com/what-is-the-best-navigation-solution-for-sailboat-cruising/

[@ba-thuku-bro]

Konnichiwa👍from JPN It would be great if the squid that washed up was fresh, as we could cook it into sashimi and salted fish.(lol)

[@SailingSweetRuca]

Konnichiwa!!! Maybe if we could catch a few more big ones they would make a tasty dish :-)

[@ba-thuku-bro]

Try some of the Japanese preserved foods! Dried overnight, pickled, you can cook it with flying fish! d=(^o^)=b

[@captainjimolchs]

Fresh or not, chop it, throw it into the chili! A refreshing change from Bologna.

[@eduardoacosta6199]

I get flying fish on deck... but how do squids get up there ! :)

[@SailingSweetRuca]

Your guess is as good as ours! They just seem to appear mysteriously in the night.

[@captainjimolchs]

Chasing flying fish?

[@WilliamAArnett]

I was just reading about the incident with SV Platino in 2016. They had a series of failures but the critical one was that their preventer line broke during an accidental jibe. The line was simply too small. The recommendations I’ve read say that the preventer should be approximately the same size as the mainsheet. Yours looks pretty small…

[@SailingSweetRuca]

Dyneema is really strong despite the small size. We would actually prefer the preventer breaks before the boom does.

[@WilliamAArnett]

@@SailingSweetRuca Agreed. The preventer should be the weakest link. But it needs to be strong enough to do its job. This is actually computable for a given wind speed, sail size, etc. And don’t forget that a knot in the line can reduce its strength by 50% or more (especially for Dyneema).

[@captainjimolchs]

--The Platino accident was initiated by a hydraulic steering malfunction caused by loss of fluid because of a leaky seal. It was daytime. No watches were stood. The course jumped from 120P to 90S, returning shortly to 90P. The poor preventer had no chance against a flailing 5-700 Kg roller-furling boom, which also took out the traveler car. There is no record/auto-log of disengaging the autopilot. The crew attempted to reduce swinging by lowering the topping lift into the water, but the vang prevented that. Redundant auto-pilot controls were available at the forward steering station. Attempts to lasso the boom were unproductive. People in the salon were unable to go forward because the hatch was covered by the dinghy. Eventually, the back-stay went, the mast fell, a shroud rod was cut with a battery operated grinder/saw to prevent banging against the hull, and the mast apparently left dangling by the fore-stay. --A plane was dispatched to search for the lost crew. Although exact position of the MOB was affected by confusion regarding procedure to save the exact position,. I doubt that would have changed much. --Recovered a few days later, batteries depleted, auto-pilot unpowered, steering was difficult, but manageable. A postmortem suggested the topping lift be pulled through the mast to control the boom. --Although it was determined that no inspection/equipment violations had been violated, it was recommended that those requirements be expanded and applied to clearances for all boats, racing or not, leaving New Zealand. --Twice, n the hours prior, there had two steering aberrations, but insufficient to activate alarms. --Message for Sweet Ruca: One more reason not to visit NZ. It won’t be easy to leave.

[@captainjimolchs]

PS: The preventer held fine. It ripped the eye from the pad-eye on the toe rail. My information comes from the official report.

[@WilliamAArnett]

@@captainjimolchs It's true that the first failure was the autopilot. But it's often a second failure when the s**t really hits the fan. If the preventer (incl. its attachment points) had held the crew would at least have had a chance to get everything back under control. The third problem (a design issue, not a failure) was the position of the traveler. IIRC, one of the crew was killed by being. hit by the broken traveler car. When the traveler is in the cockpit and something fails now you have a wrecking ball flying around where the crew needs to be to control the boat. Putting it up on an arch forward of the cockpit fixes that (though there may be other issues with that).

[@robertlaird6746]

What's it like traveling to different places with a pet? I've heard that many countries make it difficult for cruisers with pets. Not sure if that's true or not.

[@SailingSweetRuca]

Lots and lots of paperwork. It surely makes travel more difficult, but we wouldn’t leave Roxy behind.

[@johnclatworthy1824]

Ripping!

[@SailingSweetRuca]

A fantastic week!

[@sartorst3376]

Nice drone shots kinda like you gotta couple grand to throw over the side 😂 sorry that's what I would be thinking

[@SailingSweetRuca]

Thats pretty much all we are thinking while its in the air! 😅🤣

[@greglaing3721]

May be a bit complacent Where’s the jack lines and tethers when moving around out of the cockpit

[@SailingSweetRuca]

We will let Skip Novak take this one www.pelagic.co.uk/ywpdfs/2014_12_Skip%20col%20YW%20Dec%2014.pdf

[@greglaing3721]

Yeah I get that I’m more concerned about the people then putting themselves at risk to search for the man overboard if the crew can’t .

[@mikolajpe]

Hey guys, great positive vibe! I have two questions: how do you wash your clothes and where does your dog sh and p?

[@SailingSweetRuca]

We wash our clothes in a bucket, but never while underway yet. Also, the dog goes on deck with a special tool! ;)

[@johnlawrence7268]

Great video. I'm interested to see that you don't use wind vane steering and rely on the auto pilot. I guess you have a superior power generating system.

[@raylawes8938]

Good comment, wind vane steering would be free too

[@captainjimolchs]

Compared to refrigeration, water generation, and other creature comforts, power consumption of an autopilot is trivial. Some autopilots can be connected to Navionics and usually include a wind mode. The price of a wind vane system is mind boggling and requires customized installation that might not be readily compatible with a rear swim platform.

[@SailingSweetRuca]

I don’t know about superior, but it’s decent. We would love to add hydro generator to offset the AP draw offshore.

[@SailingSweetRuca]

Believe it or not they are pretty expensive, and requires major installation. It would be nice to have zero power draw for steering though!

[@SailingSweetRuca]

Well said Capt. Jim! You nailed it on pretty much all aspects. The AP power draw does start to add up when on 24/7. Starlink is the new battery hog these days!

[@MacEeden]

Thanks for the video footage and editing. We are working towards sailing off in the near future, having done so for a while when we were young. I've tried a number of editing software on my Android Samsung. Would you tell me what you use, please?

[@DDK1068]

I'm no sailor but, the ride of Sweet Ruca in rough seas is smoother than most. Is that sail management?

[@SailingSweetRuca]

Probably a combination of hull design and other factors, sail trim is surely a factor.

[@captainjimolchs]

And attitude! They've seen larger waves that weren't so salty tasting. No cause for excitement here.

[@njbaskipper]

Hello good morning.. Kate, play in the big leagues with bolognese sauce and pasta thimbles. I got hungry, I imagine Roxi's snout trying to identify the aromas. 🍲🍜🍴🍻

[@jpdj2715]

4,000 nautical mile = 7,408 kilometres or 4,603 miles. If you're averaging 8 knots then that gives 500 travel hours =~= 21 days. How are you doing relative to these numbers? I'm aware you can get a delay of a week easily on this route, if you decided to not start the engine when there's no wind .

[@SailingSweetRuca]

You are about right on the money. We average just a little less than 8 though (we could do that if we pushed a little harder, but it is cruising :-). We were 23 days at sea.

[@jpdj2715]

@@SailingSweetRuca - 23 days means that you have been extremely fortunate in having proper wind (and considering that you are extremely capable sailors).

[@JCValero-s1p]

I love your videos!!! I learn a lot from you and I like your conservative position on long sailings. I wanted to ask you a question. I have seen that you put a barber on the genaker rope to lower it and you use a pulley that opens, so it is very easy to put on and take off. I saw in 4;35 minute Please, can you tell me what brand and model it is. Thank you very much and good luck!!!.(buena proa!!!)

[@SailingSweetRuca]

We have two, one is Antal and one is Nautos. Not sure the model but you can google “snatch block” along with the manufacturers and it will lead you in the right direction.

[@JCValero-s1p]

Thank you very much for your quick response. I'm going to try it because I think it will be very useful. I wish you a great time in Polynesia.

[@Robert-og2kr]

Now that you have crossed 2+ oceans, what do you say to the traditional cruisers who say you need a heavy boat in order to have comfort at sea. I see Sweet Ruca is 24,000 lbs lightship. You say about 32,000 loaded. So, you aren't exactly light; however, for comparison a Hallberg Rassy 46 from the same era weighs in at ~36,000 lightship. Plus, you are doing 7+ knots in 10-12 knots of wind. I don't think the HR46 can do that.

[@SailingSweetRuca]

Good question! We could (and probably should) make a whole video series about the intricacies of this topic!Whatever floats your boat and makes you happy enjoy your time on the water is probably the right answer. Every boat is a compromise of something. The J/46 ticks all the right boxes for us :-)

[@Robert-og2kr]

Agreed. Kudos to anyone out there, whether on a Hans Christian, Pogo, catamaran, or home built steel hull.

[@kurtc6372]

I swear I heard Sweet Ruca farting on that last tack. 😜

[@SailingSweetRuca]

Ha! Noisy winches :-)

[@SrdjanBasaric-w2s]

Garlic always on the end,5 minutes before turn off.

[@SailingSweetRuca]

Good tip!!

[@garyclaxton5325]

Curious why no wind vane.

[@SailingSweetRuca]

A few reasons, maybe one day we will have to do a video on this, as we have been asked this often.

[@carlcantrell4781]

Tomorrow's headline: Woman eaten by squid. 🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂

[@SailingSweetRuca]

Haha!

[@sandyestabrook3898]

No Fish ?!

[@SailingSweetRuca]

Not this time, despite trying!

[@lincolnlincoln27]

you don't like squid ink pasta?... must be from flyover country! HAH!...Be safe & Smiling!

[@ACBNeiva]

Kate, no PFD when swaping preventers... Bad seamamship example.

[@SailingSweetRuca]

We wholeheartedly disagree, it is a judgement call. We encourage everyone to be safe and operate within their skill and comfort zone.

[@captainjimolchs]

@@SailingSweetRuca Great Answer.

[@JCGible]

Just love the bathing suit tempitures. 🫶