One of the stupidest decisions I could’ve made as a solo sailor (Ep 6)

[@HoosierPete69.]

The camera never shows how rough the sea really is, those are pretty big waves and you're doing a great job navigating through it.

[@AmysSoloSailingAdventures]

Thank you! It was kinda cool to go through those super tall seas, because now I’m far more comfortable in seas that I used to think were bad.

[@wallacegrommet9343]

Yep, going upwind into that swell is my least favorite point of sail.

[@AmysSoloSailingAdventures]

@@wallacegrommet9343no doubt! It’s so uncomfortable!

[@kindsailing]

When we saw you were going to do that passage at night, we said out loud, "Oh no, don't do that at night!" So glad you made it through safely. One of our favorite sailing sayings (really "life" saying) is, "Well, now we know." Namaste. 🙏

[@AmysSoloSailingAdventures]

I could’ve sworn I replied last night. Sorry. Thank you so much for watching! After that passage, given no damage was done (other than the mental struggle while navigating the rocks), I totally agree with your saying. I will never knowingly put myself or my boat in a position like that again. It’s just not worth it. But, now I know.

[@sirkyoj1]

Trout is a cool guy. I’ve watched his videos since last year.

[@AmysSoloSailingAdventures]

Right on! He’s one of my best friends. So happy to be back to cruising with him!

[@mitakeet]

You might want to consider adding forward-looking sonar.

[@AmysSoloSailingAdventures]

Agreed. It’s on the list of things to add while doing a bunch of upgrades during hurricane season.

[@wallymarienau3771]

Great video Amy , very good content and as usual your direct, as it is attitude serves you well !!

[@AmysSoloSailingAdventures]

Thank you so much, Wally! I’m loving this lifestyle SOOOO much!

[@robinengland5799]

I lived on Eleuthera for 2 1/2 years in the Navy! Lived in Hatchet Bay, loved it!

[@AmysSoloSailingAdventures]

What a beautiful area! I’d totally live there!

[@lutonroy]

I've just started following. It looks like a great experience and venture 😊

[@AmysSoloSailingAdventures]

Thank you so much for watching and subscribing! It’s an unreal experience. Every day I learn something new.

[@jamescarid3448]

Boy you're just clipping along in those rough seas like an expert. Would love to know how you learnt to sail etc. Cheers.

[@AmysSoloSailingAdventures]

Oh, it took a solid few hours before I felt confident. I wish I could figure out how to get the true sea state to show on video. They were massive waves that day! I’d never been on a sailboat until the day Maritopia went in the water. I just kinda learned as I went. I had a dream, so I kind of felt it was rather simple to figure out how to make it work.

[@jamescarid3448]

That's amazing Amy. How did you get insurance, licence etc, is there like a beginners permit?@@AmysSoloSailingAdventures

[@AmysSoloSailingAdventures]

Insurance was super simple. I just called State Farm, who my car was insured through, and got it set up. Though now that I’m out of the US and in the “hurricane belt”, it’d be near impossible to have coverage. Oddly enough, there are no required licenses. There are courses (ASA101, ASA102…etc) that you can take to learn from experienced instructors. But I’ve always been the type of person that learns hands on and as I go.

[@jamescarid3448]

Thanks for the info. Cheers.@@AmysSoloSailingAdventures

[@AmysSoloSailingAdventures]

You’re very welcome.

[@HKSailing]

Hey Amy, yes we enjoy watching as much as you do making. I’m In the same boat (excuse then pun) as you. I’m learning and the one thing we have in common which I take inspiration from you is, just do it!!!! Good luck and safe sailing.

[@AmysSoloSailingAdventures]

That’s so great to hear that you’re enjoying the videos! Hahaha! That’s a fantastic pun! Yes, just do it! As cliche as it is, we only live one, and we’re too old to do things before we realize it. Good luck to you on your adventures as well!

[@johnnylightning1491]

I'll give it to Trout, he's got a really cool dink. Neat island with all of those iguanas.

[@AmysSoloSailingAdventures]

He loves it! It’s called a Fatty Knees. It totally fits his personality! Those iguanas were crazy! Wish I’d had had some grapes. No wonder they’re so massive, people feeding them every day. They’re in heaven.

[@SailinWithTrout]

Hell yeah thanks for the shout homie🤘 great to see you again!

[@AmysSoloSailingAdventures]

Great being back in the same anchorage as you!

[@chapter4travels]

I love it! We used to race crawfish as kids with Bazooka Joe bubble gum as the high-stakes prize.

[@AmysSoloSailingAdventures]

Hahahaha! That’s awesome! It was the first time I’d ever raced crabs. But it was actually kinda fun.

[@lonestaradventures8838]

Slow is smooth, smooth is fast.. take your time. Great video to show its not always easy to go where you wanna go. Trout is cool. I watched him when he stil had his old bianca. Fair winds to you

[@AmysSoloSailingAdventures]

Thank you so much for watching! While I love this lifestyle and wouldn’t change a thing, every day has its own, unique challenges. Trout regrets sooo much selling Song of Wind! I don’t think a day goes by that he doesn’t mention her.

[@lonestaradventures8838]

The bianca is a good boat .bit slower but as good as the cape dory. When solo, a smaller boat is easier to manage. Will be watching you both. Fair winds

[@robertlaird6746]

Sailing Yacht Florence has a great video about using a spinnaker and they often times furl there head sail just a little bit but they are very good sailors and previous racers. They can teach you a lot about sail handling and so can Sailing Sweet Ruca. Have you seen what Sailing Uma is doing to the inside of there boat? It's a great design and is about the same size as yours. I love their new layout a lot. The leach of your head sail is luffing about 6 1/2 minutes into the video. That means that your pinching into the wind which slows you down a lot. You could purchase some tail tails or make your own by using old tapes from a tape player.

[@AmysSoloSailingAdventures]

I forgot to add in the previous comment that I do in fact have a spinnaker. I’ve flown in a couple times. The first time, I was doing something like 6kts in only 9kts of wind. That was wild! Yep, I’m familiar with Uma. Their boat is identical to Maritopia. Theirs is a 72. Maritopia is a 73. They’ve done an amazing job with Uma! Never heard of Florence, but I do watch Sweet Ruca.

[@robertlaird6746]

@@AmysSoloSailingAdventures I love Sailing Yacht Florence. They produce amazing videos and probably the best that I've seen from a sailing channel.

[@AmysSoloSailingAdventures]

@@robertlaird6746 sweet! A new channel with a solid recommendation. Thank you!

[@robertlaird6746]

@@AmysSoloSailingAdventures Yep, once I saw one of there videos, I was hooked and binged watched every video.

[@AmysSoloSailingAdventures]

@@robertlaird6746 it’s nice to hear people recommend channels. Thanks again!

[@stephenburnage7687]

I like the color of your boat. Paint or gel coat?

[@AmysSoloSailingAdventures]

Thank you! It’s Awl Grip paint.

[@stephenburnage7687]

@AmysSoloSailingAdventures You probably haven't had it on, long enough to give full feedback, but it sure looks great. When I was in the US, I could buy tinted Gel Coat (which is a two part polyester resin) which is inexpensive and lasted well but i made the mistake of using too dark a color (which absorbed too much heat for the tropics), so sanded it all down and put on a white, Sherwin Willians two part epoxy (the best solution I could find in Panama). That's doing OK, but it's too early to tell, longer term. Elsewhere, I have used the Brightside polyurethane paint. That looks great for a month or so, but it is too soft (gets easily damaged) and suffers from UV damage, such that it needs touching up several times a year, so it is both expensive and not a good solution. I have also used Sherwin Williams line of industrial (UV resistant) one part polyurethane paints, which I found both superior and less expensive than the Brightside but still require frequent touching. Now you got me wondering, maybe Awlgrip is superior to both Gel Coat and paint (although expensive and difficult to find outside the US)?

[@AmysSoloSailingAdventures]

It’s been right at 2 years since I painted the hull. The AwlGrip is still looking just as good as the day it was applied. Albeit with a few scratches The only problem I’ve found with AwlGrip is that it can’t be faired. And since I’m living on the boat throughout the refit, I can’t paint it all at once. When you paint one layer over another that you had previously done, it leaves a line that’s impossible to remove. Other than that, I love it.

[@tgcrowson]

Hey! I just found your channel. I am in awe of your bravery living aboard a sailboat. I live aboard a canal boat so I don’t have to worry about rough seas, banging my keel on rocks (my narrowboat is steel and flat bottomed) and I can moor anywhere anytime; even in the middle of cities! Not as exciting as your life. I’d be scared all the time if I were doing what you’re doing! Great vlog. I look forward to seeing the next one.

[@AmysSoloSailingAdventures]

Thank you so much for watching. I’m happy you’re enjoying the videos. It definitely takes some getting used to. And every day has its own unique challenges. But I wouldn’t trade it for anything. I’m totally envious of your shallow draft! I draw 6 ft, so I’m not able to get into many anchorages.

[@johncurry6047]

Another working video, Thanks for sharing. Another lesson learnt on your journey!😉

[@AmysSoloSailingAdventures]

Thank you so much for watching again! Every day is a lesson right now as I truly learn how to sail. It’s entirely different on the open ocean that in a bay.

[@user-retsailor]

I was watching another sailing video. They said one of the major things they learned in their first year was how actually slower they went from place to place. They said they assumed they could just sail here and sail there which, they do but, at a much slower speed than what they thought and, not necessarily in a straight line. Watch out for the coral heads ! Wow, nerves of steel ! Be safe.....

[@AmysSoloSailingAdventures]

Thank you for watching! I found myself sailing super fast between places at first. I had to slow myself down, so that I could actually enjoy the various Bahamian islands, which made the time so much more enjoyable. Those coral heads really did scared the heck out of me! I slowed down as much as I could while still maintaining control. Like I mentioned in the video, I was literally crossing my fingers that I didn’t hit one. It was such a dumb choice on my part! I no longer make plans, and I certainly don’t necessarily take the quickest route to get somewhere.

[@petertaylor8922]

When sailing if your destination is directly up wind....YOU do the work of tacking upwind. Or you choose another destination or another time.

[@AmysSoloSailingAdventures]

The seas that day were the roughest I’d ever been in. No way was I tacking in that, as the size of the seas were why I was going directly upwind to begin with. I didn’t want those seas directly on my beam. I agree with another destination or time. Like I mentioned in the video, I learned that day how true it is to not make plans with other people when on a sailboat. I’ve not done it since that day.

[@two-sense]

If you have no engine. Or if you're a 'purist' sitting on you couch.

[@petertaylor8922]

As a Keel boat sailing instructor for over 14 years & have been sailing for over 60+ years....as in life one makes choices & either learns from them or does not achieve ones objective....that is if one has self knowledge. @@two-sense

[@two-sense]

@@petertaylor8922She achieved her objective just fine, even without your sage advice. She doesn't need to justify her actions to you.

[@maddyholloway6453]

I knew that mug would come in handy:)

[@AmysSoloSailingAdventures]

I used it almost daily. It was a perfect gift! ❤️

[@iainnicholson4399]

Beautiful boat. Great job

[@AmysSoloSailingAdventures]

Thank you very much! Still have quite a bit of work to do to her, but I wanted to enjoying life for a while.

[@two-sense]

Long time cruiser here. Seems like you are taking all the right steps. Do it at your own pace. Don't listen to the armchair sailors. Hope those sharp corners on the solar panels don't make a dent in something (you). Happy sailing!

[@AmysSoloSailingAdventures]

Thank you so much for watching! I sincerely hope that one day I’m able to say that I’m a long time cruiser. The solar panels themselves have rounded plastic corner caps. I did however slice the top of my head open twice on the brackets that hold the panels on. I now have padding over all of them. Not sure why I didn’t learn the first time it happened. 😜

[@two-sense]

@@AmysSoloSailingAdventures We never stop learning. That's one of the best parts. Enjoy!

[@captainmadj2149]

Good going!!

[@AmysSoloSailingAdventures]

Thank you for watching! I was legitimately freaked out when going through that area.

[@roncanizares9966]

Are you using Explorer Charts? If not, do what you can to get them, as for the Bahamas they are the only reliable charts.

[@AmysSoloSailingAdventures]

Yeah, I use both Navionics and Explorer charts. For this particular area, Explorer charts were even worse, as they showed WAY fewer coral heads. It was just a super dumb idea for me to go through that patch alone.

[@roncanizares9966]

I have always treated a bunch of coral heads on an Explorer chart as essentially a "no go" area rather than an indication of how many coral heads were there. As you point out, sometimes the longest and slowest route is the best and, in fact, easiest as one's anxiety level is much lower.

[@AmysSoloSailingAdventures]

I couldn’t agree more, and that’s exactly how I look at them after that day. It was purely my naivety that led me through there. Never again! Not worth ruining my adventures to get somewhere quicker.

[@misterrick9734]

Found your channel thanks to Trout

[@AmysSoloSailingAdventures]

Trout is such a cool dude! So happy to have met him, and to be buddy boating with him.

[@njbaskipper]

Hello Mss Skipper Amy, first of all my greetings. NO, it was not a mistake, but a mistake, you can navigate through that area but with waypoint planning en route and with high tide. You didn't do it wrong, on the contrary, if you took an unnecessary risk, you should rely more on the planning of each passage, with the Windy and Ventusky applications they are excellent. In the Bahamas they are not the shallows and their heads of stone and coral, they are the shifting sand banks. successes.. 💡🌒🌓🌔🌕🌖🌗🌘 App High Tide

[@AmysSoloSailingAdventures]

I’ve never heard of Ventusky; I’ll have to look it up. Thank you! Never hurts to have another tool in the arsenal. I currently use Windy, Predict Wind and Windfinder. For those rocks and coral heads, it scares the heck out of me! But, live and learn. And learn I did.

[@Captkris24]

What size is Tom's Island Packet? I have a 320

[@AmysSoloSailingAdventures]

IPs are such nice boats! Tom’s is a 380.

[@Captkris24]

@@AmysSoloSailingAdventures Thanks I love mine!!

[@AmysSoloSailingAdventures]

Fair winds! Enjoy your awesome boat! 🤘

[@curtisvillamizar6751]

When it comes to coral and sand bars and spits the charts are never accurate. Sand moves and the charts don't get updated. The charts aren't all that accurate to start with and definitely don't include every rock and coral head. You made a bad routing decision by going through there at night but you made it and know not to do that again so you learned something. You did fine in rough seas. Try to keep the sails balanced and the autopilot will have less work to do and that will help even when you get the autopilot replacement.

[@AmysSoloSailingAdventures]

Definitely a horrible decision on my part. Given no damage was done, though, I absolutely learned from that experience. I’m still learning how to properly balance the sails. Weirdly, using the autopilot to judge an exact sail balance is something I’ve started doing while learning.