Preparing for ocean sailing: our new life begins | Ep97

[@davidrichardson5163]

Some years ago, I helped to deliver an ageing, unloved Oyster 47 from Antigua to Belfast. 3 days out from Antigua the "recently serviced" generator stopped working, and later on we discovered that the spare gas tank had the wrong fittings.........with no adaptors. The owner had removed all the labels from the tinned food but had marked the contents of each with felt-tip...sadly not permanent, so cold beef stew with custard was quite a novelty!

[@jimmerriman6920]

Now that's something different! Nice episode.

[@JarrodLCooperTV]

Did lower st Michael’s in the 80’s As a teenager. Amazing! Safe travels!

[@dougsrepair1060]

You guy’s source out some good fun and adventure.

[@MaShcode]

Metalheads Steve and Judy tensioning their forestays 😂

[@yvonnekneeshaw2784]

So appreciate this video…fantastic caves, new sail arrival & cardboard boats…excellent!🇨🇦❤lovely family

[@beverlyaslett7871]

What a great episode! Since I know zero about Gibraltar I found this part interesting and somewhere I’d like to visit. I was really impressed with the caves and admire the ability to go and do that part. It looked really difficult

[@braddobson2060]

Very good video lots of interesting things to sea

[@keithgabriel8455]

Steve - Judy's delight in launderttes is a recurring theme, so it really is time you found room for a washing machine on Fair Isle. Our fully plumbed in automatic washing machine (3Kg capacity) has been extensively used again this summer (while sailing 2,400 nm); it doesn't take up much space (in our Southerly 38) yet is large enough to take two single duvet covers (both longer than standard) or lots of undies, shorts, T-shirts, etc. We had to buy extra pegs to be able to hang out everything it had washed in one day! Baths: FYI Judy, Dart Marina has at least one bath in the ladies loos - our daughter-in-law and grandchildren approved!

[@svfairisle]

Yes we've actually been to Nos Marina on the Dart. & yes they did have a bath. It was in a portacabin, it was all in the process of being rebuilt and expanded. i would like to see what they's done with it. It was nice even when it was ramshackled

[@keithgabriel8455]

I had forgotten about the bath in the old facilities at Noss (which I did see when there 2 years ago). Dart Marina is on the town side of the river, immediately downstream of the Upper Ferry; their ablutions, including the bath, are in the associated hotel and are smart and spacious. They ought to be good as the rate for a visiting 11-12m yacht is £69/night and their annual berthing rate would be nearly double what we pay at Eastbourne - ouch! The new facilities at Noss on Dart are excellent; all top quality materials/fittings with a WC, wash basin and shower in every cubicle. For my money Noss' facilities are now the smartest and best laid out of all the marinas we have visited on the south coast (just beating Swanwick and Bucklers Hard), though no bath now...

[@MrBertHeylen]

Self raising flower. In every Carrefour, Lidl, Aldi or Delhaize in Belgium. And nice vlog.

[@svfairisle]

Northern Europe is fine, I bet you have bacon and butter as well!

[@MrBertHeylen]

@@svfairisle The bacon is thick sliced. Yummy. And you have Marmite !😆

[@PrecisionSailLoftVictoria]

Great video! The whole team has loved working with you both! Looking forward to see you at the Annapolis Boat Show!

[@machyrudinaceus]

You guys r such fun! Thanks for inviting us along for the ride. Glad your sails came-now u r fitted out & ready for new horizons. Will pray the Orcas along Portugal have better “fish to fry” & leave Fair Isle alone. 😊 - Dr. Mac

[@Div3r]

I have fond memories of visiting Gibraltar during my time in the military. One particular experience that stands out is when I went on a tour of Lower St. Michaels cave in 1988. The tour was led by a member of the Royal Engineers and we were required to wear hard hats. Initially, I thought it was unnecessary, but as soon as we entered the cave, I smacked my head on the roof. That's when I realised wearing a hard hat was a good idea. When we got to the lake our guide told us that the rock at the edge of the lake was called rimstone.

[@svfairisle]

Yes I hit my head too. It is called rimstone. A small ledge at this stage but it is growing!

[@reb4898]

The caves looked like a good explore, the history lesson was enlightening and the cardboard race was all around good fun for all. New sails, now that is exciting…

[@factanonverba6169]

The caves must have been fascinating. Nice to see the photo of the SAS and Col. Stirling.

[@SVImpavidus]

A great video with everything in it. Grand children, not seen ours for 2 years. Military history of Gib so much you could say or read (there are some good books). The cardboard boat race, just a few weeks before Gib Day which is absolutely the best event in the Med! Sail Safe Guys, Ant & Cid.

[@svfairisle]

Yes shame we missed Gib day. Thoroughly enjoyed being there though. Hope you guys are well.

[@donlaight5943]

Must have caught Morrisons on a good day, being able to buy all that food in one swoop. We stopped going regularly ages ago, fed up with the empty shelves. Nice to see Fair Isle at anchor in La Linea, I drove past in my bus a couple of times the week you were there. Good luck with your crossing I will be following with interest👍🏻😎

[@neilhansen7999]

Steve, Watching this video specifically around rig tuning a couple of things occurred to me. First you are trying to us a plumb bob to align the mast on centre (port or starboard). I think this is a mistake as any loading (water & fuel in tanks, gear, etc.) can cause the vessel to list one way or another. I have always measured from toe rail to top of mast on each side to ensure mast is centred. Regarding fore and aft, coming from my racing days we would use helm feel to determine if the Centre of Effort needs to shift one way or the other, we would always tune to have a little weather helm. Also you need to be careful with mast prebend as the main cut needs to take this into account. Adding Prebend will flatten the main while having it straight will make it more full. My boats would allow me to move the foot of the mast (keel stepped) to avoid the mast collar at the deck from forcing prebend if I should just want to move the head of the mast back.

[@svfairisle]

Hi Neil, Yes don't worry all hopefully will become clear when I put out the full tech video which is with the Patrons at the moment. I talk about how the boat sits in that. I regularly sight the boat on still mornings in anchorages for how she's siting in the water. I actually got rid of 50 metres of anchor chain last year when the lead acid batteries came out of the aft cabin to be replaced with LFP in the center because she was a little bow down. It created a bit of hobby horsing too. Not much affect Fair Isle but that did. I know have 100m of chain on the Ultra and 50m chain + 50m rode on the Bugle. You just need to know your boat. Measuring from the rail is a big mistake on a hand built boat like Fair Isle, There's not much chance of the bulwarks being the same height from the water line it's just not something that matters in the boat build. Your right with the feel for weather helm, i talk about that in the tech video. I could feel the center of effort was too far forward but didn't know if it was my defective mainsail causing it. Doing the tune I could see it was also due the the mast position. Re. the mast bend, I have had the main cut to the mast bend the Jade recommended I keep, so I just line up to that. I will actually have a little more mast bend now we are heading out and will be trade wind sailing and hopefully not beating so much.

[@billygrahamyachtsinc753]

Steve, when I crewed bulk freighters back in the 1960's, the chief engineer told me a boat is "a bomb that is trying to sink it self". For most cruising vessels, that means petrol, propane, intake an discharge fittings below the waterline. Your rigging tensioning reminded me that the shrouds are trying to push the mast thru the bottom, while simultaneously trying to rip the chain plates out of the topsides. Sorry Judy, didn't mean to scare you. Travel safely.

[@Thealder07]

I remember when I was in the TH back in the 90's a guy went for walk in those tunnels and only this year, I think his body was just found we used to walk through them as a short cut from the old rock hard to the beach the other side. Oh how the rock has changed. I also remember every ship visited there we used to run up the rock for fun... I wouldn't do it for fun now

[@stephensparkes7260]

Nice x

[@avidviewer1]

That was fun! Thanks!

[@joestevens3348]

Thank you for a most entertaining video. Thoroughly enjoyed it. Looking forward to seeing the new sails flying.

[@gbr562]

I'd like to have a chat with your rigger and argue the toss about your rig tension. I've been rigging for far too long now and unless something has changed or you're rrunning with undersized wire, (which I can't believe) with a paralel spreader rig the caps, inters and lowers should be set at 10%. 15% is the base for swept back spreaders and fractional rigs. Also prebend is usually dictated by the sailmaker and I was wondering what, if any, they specified at spreader height. Cheers

[@svfairisle]

I don’t think anyone knows the best tension for these sorts of boats better than Jade. He rigs the GGR boats which all have this sort of rig. Yes we gave the mast bend dimensions to Precision Sails when we ordered the mainsail.

[@PaulBKal]

I’ve not previously noticed the big spool of anchor rode on the foredeck at 9:44. How much is on in it and what is the spool device?

[@svfairisle]

There's 75m of rode. It's actually not for anchoring, i have 100m chain and 50mchain /50m Rode on the two bow anchors in the split locker. The reel on deck was really because the original owner did a lot of sailing in the Norwegen fjiords and often tied in fore and aft.

[@alanduncan4691]

Your presentation is so polished, a product of your professional backgrounds of course but very impressive. Judy there's what looks like a bit of sun related damage high on your right cheek just under the leg of your glasses. I'm sure you're on it, certainly worth getting an informed opinion and keeping an eye on. Take care both.

[@judyaslett6209]

Thanks for spotting that. I will get it looked at.

[@bjornlindahl4571]

Would you really have entered that cave had it not been for the filming??? 😜

[@mtrezaie]

Glad to see Orcas didn't cause any problem for you.

[@svfairisle]

Not yet

[@mtrezaie]

@@svfairisle Oh, I think I misunderstood, and next week you will show us your passage video. I apologize and wish you a safe and fun sail.

[@SailingAmetz]

Esa manera de comer solo la consienten los abuelos jjjjjjjj

[@svfairisle]

Eso es muy cierto, ¡no tenemos que limpiar!

[@DominicLaValla-bv2si]

I would be most appreciative if you could tell me the make and size of your inflatable tender. I am considering mating an Spirit 1.0 plus to a 10 foot tender.

[@judyaslett6209]

True kit 2 m. Totally love it they do different sizes

[@svfairisle]

*It's actually 2.5m

[@paulkopp3634]

Are you doing an update on the your lithium bank Or have I missed anything ?

[@svfairisle]

Yes we did an update in Ep81 a year after fitting them. We do talk about power in various other episodes too. I'm about to do a whole thing on power using solar generators as put together a bit of an audit on how much solar you need to run a boat so we'll talk about the house bank a bit more there, but there's not much to say about the actual batteries, they just work!

[@paulkopp3634]

@@svfairisle Thanks that’s what I like to hear . They just work haha

[@svfairisle]

Yes, sadly a rare thing with boats!

[@smulismuli7976]

Why are the sailing channels cutting the "family life or time" in 1 mins, when it actually makes who you really are...weird af

[@svfairisle]

Can't speak for the others but for us it's because we tend to concentrate on being with the family not on filming when they're here.