Our Last Sail Of The Season In Torrential Rain and Fladen Suit

What a day. One of the worst rainy days I have experienced and we managed to fill the bucket up 3" during about 2 hours sailing down the lake today.
Not to worry, armed with my new Fladen suit we get moving and see what the day brings!
We end up motoring for a bit down to the ENchanted forest where we give the duit a little test and then the wind picks up enough for a decent beat back.
Quite sad really for this to be the last full sailing day of the season.
I'm really sorry about the sound on one of the cameras. It seemed to get water logged for some reason.
Enjoy!
00:00 A rainy start
02:30 Flotation
05:56 On our way
07:15 Raining cats and dogs!!!
08:33 Motor is in!
11:22 Arriving at the enchanted forest
16:14 Land!
18:24 Quick test of the Fladen suit
20:16 Popping to Llan Gower Bay
22:15 We're sailing!
22:42 Testing the traveller adjuster
24:17 Testing our pointing ability
26:52 Beating home
29:27 Last heave-to
31:29 Fladen suit review
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[@fibber2u]

Great video. Three points: 1) wear a cap under the hood it makes the hood fit better making it allways move with the head, eliminates the sweat patch on your bald dome and lifts the floppy peak out of the way, 2) carry a large fishing umbrella for when you are at rest in the rain on board or ashore (as an angler I love watching the rain from under one), 3) test the suit padded out with tissue paper under the shower at home (without you inside that way no sweat to consider).

[@SailingWithDave]

All great tips Fibber, many thanks for that. The cap one would be very usefull indeed.

[@user-di8if9gs9l]

A man for all seasons I see.

[@marcdaigle1163]

Great Jacket,.... Again, you are braving the heavy rain. I love kayaking, when it's pouring... Looks like a full day of fun, Dave,... Keep it comin,... 👍

[@SailingWithDave]

As long ias its warm, the rain isn't too bad. Makes for an interesting experience too.

[@anotherangleUK]

A lot of sea anglers have floatation suits for fishing off rocks during the winter. Nice and warm with the floatation if you do fall in. Good on you going out in that rain - I'd have been operating that coffee machine you have in the van 😉

[@SailingWithDave]

Yeah, I think I first found out about the suit from people fishing in Norway. Its very warm though, like too warm for sailing anywhere near to the sailing season, but it wasn't a lot of money and has many other uses for me too!!

[@HELIFAN1]

Tough guy going out for a sail in such weather 👍

[@SailingWithDave]

At least it was warm but the rain was torrential

[@fibber2u]

Oh! did you miss the bit were the ex rugby player locked himself in the camper because he was scared😜

[@SailingWithDave]

@@fibber2u Rugby players aren't hard, they're just stupid. You have to be to knock yourself about for years like that!!!

[@fibber2u]

@@SailingWithDave Well with my build they are still too hard for me (especially the female players).

[@Debpearce-edwards]

Great video as always we are looking to buy a drascombe coaster next year so loving every second of your videos…

[@SailingWithDave]

Oooh, i'd love a cabin! I think if I was buying again now, I would be going for the coaster too.

[@Jono1982]

I clicked as soon as I saw it was raining!

[@SailingWithDave]

Many thanks Jon. You must like the rain then?

[@Jono1982]

@@SailingWithDave yeah I wanna go sailing in the rain one day

[@SailingWithDave]

@@Jono1982 It was a slightky surreal experience with it raining so much today. Personally I get enough rain so would prefer it to be dry but it was nice to experience something different, esepcially as it was still quite warm.

[@robingraham6820]

On the last video, you were not sure what the orange loops on the front of your Fladen floatation suit were for. They will be for attachments for your automatic life jacket, so that you can leave the life jacket attached when you slip in and out of the suit. Most offshore jackets have them. Your Life jacket will have a couple of toggles attached that slip into the loops. Just something to make life that little bit easier. Great channel. Don’t stop for the winter, that is why you got your Fladen. Go have lots of fun and let us know about it.

[@Jono1982]

@@SailingWithDave i'd also like to experience sailing during winter time

[@robingraham6820]

Hi Dave, Thanks for showing us into your lazerette. Someone has fitted a bulkhead in mine which comes just in front of the rudder box. It is absolutely rotten so has to go. But I see yours is open right to the stern, with a few floaty things. Do you know how much floatation is needed in there to stop the boat actually sinking? I am guessing that there is floatation in the compartment between the lazerette and the side locker. I guess the more floatation the better. I have asked online if a Lugger can actually sink and no one will actually answer the question. Pretty important if you find the conditions deteriorate badly while outside swimming distance from shore😮

[@SailingWithDave]

Hi RObin Well, I can tell you for sure because at the beginning of Season 3 Lulu sinks on her mooring!! Fully flooded she floats, which is a good job really as the water is 35M deep in Bala!! She also supported 2 guys trying to get her free to tow back to the jetty. I have the MK2 Lugger and its pretty std spec. The lazarette has some polystyrene right at the back, theres some under the seats, you can get to it from the side lockers, its just held up with string. And the bow compartment usually has polystyrene in it. The newer MK3 Luggers had the CE rating fixes. This saw the centreboard box made higher than the scuppers, the centreboard itself was redesigned with a bend in the arm so it doesn't have the front slit in the box, and they put compartments in the rear of the lazarette for more buoyancy. Yours may have had the upgrade that Honor marine do? Now The side lockers at the rear of the cockpit that I put in also have loose polystyrene in there, however it was so poor in mine that I pit in more than I took out for the lockers so thats hsould be OK!!! My lockers are also watertight spec. So there is great debate over the Lugger and buoyancy. The issue the Lugger has is if capsized, she sits low in the water, so when righted, she scoops up a load of water that effectively swamps the boat. She floats but the gunnels are barely 2-4" above the water, which in weather where you capsized will negate any bailing you do as waves come over the sides. The solutiuon to that would be to put more buoyancy in the sides but that would see her much more receptive to turtling and she would be much happier upside if turned too. You can put more in the bow and afty, but its not so effective and its only in the aft where they added it anyway. I've been on a MK3 and the stowage is much less than on mine. To be honest with you , at 285KG + kit, if the Lugger capsizes, you aren;t bringing her back. If the Lugger does do that then it really is a call to the RNLI, but she will float for you while you wait!!! There have been ony a few instances of maritime incedents in Luggers. they are well advertised because the boat is supposed to be so seaworthy. However in all those incedents the crew were at great fault. You can read the reports online. The swamping thing does worry me, but I have also been out in some big waves and not a drop has come over the bow. She very seaworthy and you'd have to do something silly to capsize due to wind. If the waves got too big for her then you'd need steep 6 footers to swamp her. COnditions I would not be in to start with, although many sail them in F5/6 without thinking.

[@robingraham6820]

Thanks Dave, for a very full answer. I live in Orkney, which is not without its challenging weather conditions, so I need to be sure of what could happen in a knockdown. Being swamped is pretty scary if then bailing is no good, so maximum floatation for me. Perhaps I will get some dinghy style buoyancy bags and put them anywhere I can persuade them to stay. The boat I really wanted to build has a cuddy and a self draining cockpit, but no chance of building that for a year or two, so the Lugger it is, warts and all.

[@SailingWithDave]

@@robingraham6820 Yes I agree, the swamping thing does sit in the back of my mind at times, but I have to say the boat is still very seaworthy. I think if you're capsizing in the Lugger then the weather conditions would need to be quite bad. There are other choices. The Wayfarer for example, but that boat's almost as big and would also be difficult to right solo with cruising kit onboard. The only options for a next boat for me would be more modern designs which have self draining cockpits, and are self righting etc. HOwever these come with a price tag of course. I would like a cabin though. Camping onboard the Lugger has been a bit uncomfortable for me. People of a certain age do need a few comforts in life and I htink for me sailing it's a cabin or cuddy of some nature!!

[@robingraham6820]

@@SailingWithDave the boat I want to build is the Welsford Longsteps. It is designed for a single person to self right, but like the Lugger is very stable. It has the cuddy and a self draining cockpit and has an off centre centreboard that allows a very generous sleeping space. Also has “2 tonnes” of built in buoyancy, 140kg of water ballast, it ain’t gonna sink. It has similar dimensions to the Lugger. Problem is, I don’t have a suitable shed to build it. I have the plans,but no idea when I will be able to build it, so for the time being I have settled on the Lugger. Watch out for John Welsford doing his circumnavigation of Newzealand next “down under” summer. That is exactly what he designed it for.

[@SailingWithDave]

@@robingraham6820 I don't have anywhere undercover either. I would love some workshop space but whenever I look, its either way too expensive or just doesn't exist. I jeed to move house and get a farm so I can build my own!!! Not sure if I have the patience to build a boat though. I certainly don't have th time at the moment, although I would love to have a go. I watch Sven Y I like that boat. It seems very well designed for the dinghy cruiser. Can you sleep in the cuddy though?

[@mutley192]

so its not a dry suit

[@SailingWithDave]

No not a dry suit. Its blumming warm but not so breathable. Need to be in very cold condityions I htink for this to be right.