Preparing for our Atlantic crossing and sailing to Africa with the dolphins | Ep106

There was a lot of prep to do on the boat to get ready for our 10 day trip down to Africa from the Canary Islands and then our Atlantic crossing to the Caribbean.
We were promised trade wind sailing for this trip but as always there are many challenges along the way. We had to avoid the threat of piracy off the coast of Mauritania, navigate the complete madness of the fishing boats at night around Dakar and keep on top of all the boat issues that always come up.
But we were rewarded with an epic sail and the most amazing spectacle we've seen so for from our boat. And we have landed in a very special place to sail to. Senegal is spectacular!
If you want to look out John's book on single handed sailing search for 'Old Man Sailing' on Amazon or other platforms. It's available as an ebook or audio, or even one on paper!
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PATREON:
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/ sailingfairisle
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[@billygrahamyachtsinc753]

Steve & Judy, I cannot figure out why you folks don't have many more subscribers. You are one of very few cruising couples who are down to earth, calm, easy to listen to, common sense and non click baiting. And, one of the best qualities you have is a VOCABULARY. It is so tiring to listen to people who's every 2nd word is "like" I did this or "like" I did that, and "like" as one of them SCREAMS, " like it was so amazing".

[@judyaslett6209]

Thank you that’s very kind

[@davidhunter7460]

And true...@@judyaslett6209

[@sailingsomeday5975]

Darn dolphins- they mess with the watch schedule -as soon as you see them everyone is up! 🤣

[@rrichardson53]

Enjoyed watching very much!

[@JoeB1207]

If anyone is criticizing your sailing it is on them. Cheers

[@jonunya3128]

even sitting watching the dolphins seem magical. can't imagine what that was like when you were there/then

[@emilgiese]

Dolphins just bring a joy to sailing! An escort for sure 🐬

[@christ8173]

Greetings from freezing Eastbourne. Excellent video as always. Do you ever worry about a dolphin getting hooked on your lure?

[@svfairisle]

I’ve never heard of it happening, I think they’re far to clever for that

[@davidnichols147]

Fabulous, as a retired US Merchant Marine officer, these small fishing boats you experienced were prevalent on the coast of India and throughout the Malacca Straits, nets seemed to stretch miles on end with dim lights associated, which were not visible until one was close. Enjoy the National Park, it'll be amazing I'm sure. Thanks!

[@DanielTiffany-o8i]

Just started and I did enjoy it👍

[@richardgiles2484]

What an amazing lifestyle 👏 I love your videos and very jealous 😢

[@ruukee]

Way to go! What a fun video that one was! Thank you.

[@SailingSunday]

Great video guys, I love how real you guys are because we have all the same kind of issues even the split pins and rings. I’ve had this same conversation with Brittni about the difference and how the pins are better but they get caught on stuff and wish we had more heavy duty rings etc etc etc lol… 😂

[@svfairisle]

Ha! I only ever bore the audience with conversations about split pins, if I tried to have that conversation with Judy I would just get ‘the look!’

[@maiaontour9070]

Great footage. Gambia, Lamin Lodge, can't wait to see how it looks today. We have been there 12 years ago. And went up the river until it wasn't possible to go further due to a deep hanging cable. Anchoring in the creeks, beeing surrounded by monkeys, birds, alligators an even hipos. You ca hear them in the night. And we only met friendly people. Thanks for taking us back in our memories!

[@svfairisle]

We will be equally interested in hearing what you think of the place after seeing what we film. Lets hope it's still a good place to be, we had much information about the place

[@we-can-do]

Must say, your channel is one of the best in every department from the technical aspects of sailing through to the operational and aesthetic rewards to be encountered en route.

[@julioerodriguez6097]

I saw you had a bottle of Spanish Tempranillo wine Campo Viejo in the galley. A great one. Cheers!

[@petersabli2144]

You are really lucky person. And it’s a great thing from nature that the Delfins were on your side on the hallway.

[@Pink_flowers1111]

Could you please post your recipe for your Lemon Drizzle Cake? Also, what it is like to cook on a boat versus a home kitchen. Thanks so much! Safe travels!

[@maritimetees2315]

Wonderful video. Production is really good.❤

[@carltontweedle5724]

Everytime you see those magnificent Dolphins it always cheers you up, puts a smile on your face. Then the next watch is easy.

[@lausagne4764]

Nice video as always. So if you don't know already, if you put banana near apples, they go from green to yellow to rotten faster. It is the ethylen in the apple that has this effect. Its good if your banana is green and you want to eat them, just put it aside an apple over night. but for an ocean crossing, this is not recommended:)

[@DennisMacdonald-r7d]

Cheers from Squamish BC subscribed tyvm, beautiful boat n excellent video

[@svfairisle]

Thanks for the sub!

[@DeanColegate]

Hi Steve & Judy, My wife and I are SO pleased you've included this part of Africa. We're planning our own circumnavigation and this area is on our list but there are almost no other sailing channels venturing that way. Very cool!

[@judyaslett6209]

It is a great place to bring your boat. Enjoy

[@Marcel-J]

Great film, I love your channel. You can keep Bananas longer fresh if you cover or wrap the part that connects to the tree with some plastic foil.

[@G.J..Journeys]

Great footage of the dolphins. Enjoying your vlogs. Thank you 👍

[@GenevieveWaller-pk3xg]

The dolphines are protecting you from predators. You should see old years night in Trinidad, every house on the island explode fireworks. Just watching those waves ,my stomach churns!

[@jkjobies]

Fab video! Can’t wait to see your next one!

[@michaelwake5600]

Great Video, love the Dolphins 🐬 x

[@calxtra5361]

I loved the beautiful flying dolphins so happy! ... i want to go sailing again its been decades since i was on a yacht and now i cant even walk properly

[@svfairisle]

Find a local sailing club there are many boat now that are adapted to take people with disabilities out, they would be sympathetic if you couldn’t jump on & off the boat, they have things nicely set up.

[@TheNewmans_Adventures]

We are really enjoying following you guys...can't wait until we set off in April ⛵️ 🌞

[@PilgrimVibert]

Great episode. I experienced dolphins in bioluminescence when crossing Biscay in '22. Not only were they lit up but so were the shoals of fish they were chasing! - Truly magical.

[@avidviewer1]

Lovely episode. Really enjoyed it. Thanks!

[@PaulBKal]

Lovely video. I’ll be very interested in the next one in Africa! Also interested in your watch patterns. When we crossed the Great Australian Bight (with 2 of us taking 4 days 7 hours) a few months back we went 4 hours on 4 off 0600-1800 and 3 on 3 off overnight, which we’d never heard anyone else using but thought might help to get a couple of good sleeps during daylight hours at least every second day. It also rotates the watches so you’re not doing the same time slots every day. We really liked it and will use it again. What I particularly liked, as the skipper/navigator, was that I was well rested when I needed my wits about me for the approach to land and then through the 30-odd miles of hazards and constant course changes coming into port. It seems obvious to me that there is nothing more dangerous on a boat than an exhausted skipper because they make really bad decisions, especially nearing journey’s end, which is where you’re sailing toward all the hazards.

[@RenegadeADV]

For dealing with issues like with the chaffing there, rather than taking the sail down underway, I would just lash it back together with some 550 cord, great for making temporary repairs.

[@svfairisle]

The clew is too high on our Yankee to do anything without lowering the sail, you just can’t reach it rolled in or our, same height

[@1962gms]

What a lovely journey. So rare to see anyone visit Africa and it looks lovely. As for Dolphins/Porpoises, we had 7 join us in Carmarthen Bay last September which was magnificent enough! Enjoy and thank you for sharing :)

[@davescott1491]

Absolutely amazing indeed. Thank you!

[@svfairisle]

Thank you too!

[@athosbulgari6571]

Congrats.......its so dangerous........good lucky......good winds

[@michaelwake5600]

Cooking the food, lasagna! Did you have a pan of water in the bottom of your oven?

[@svfairisle]

Yes, we treat the Force 10 stove the same as we used to treat our Aga. If something is in there for a long time it tends to burn the bottom, so half way through we put a tray with a bit of water in it on the bottom plate in the oven to reduce the radiant heat from underneath, it works well.

[@ooweesaler]

Scary stuff those fishing boats and shallows. Well done and great film work. Very impressive.

[@carolinemcdougall8708]

I have also seen the dolphins at night with the bioluminnescent trails.. One of the most magical hour's of my life; alone on night watch. Wonderful. Also loving that some of the chanels are beginning to wander off the milk runs, and literally into unchartered ( well not so well chartered) waters. Faiir winds Fair Isle

[@Willy007Duke]

Beautiful scenes, well done editing. Kudos travelling through the ink black nights! I would be terrified😮

[@dougmarder]

This deserves better than 1080p. :( Was this a limitation of internet access in Senegal?

[@xavierglansbeek2876]

Exquisite video-footage ! Looking forward, with great interest, to your next outstanding vlog. Best wishes and regards from The Gambia.

[@judyaslett6209]

Thanks Xavier. We will be with you very soon. Do keep in touch

[@svfairisle]

Are you there now|? we're sailing down tomorrow

[@xavierglansbeek2876]

Yes indeed, Gambia is my residence for 17 years.

[@xavierglansbeek2876]

Did you also look into Makasutu ? Might be interesting too.

[@svfairisle]

Thanks for the recommendation. We have contacts in the Gambia who can help with hiring a car so we will put it on our list of places to see. We've travelled to The Gambia many times before but it's always been for work so we don't really know the best places to go

[@nickwilkinson2501]

Superb once again, I'm in awe of you. Happy New Year to you both. Video footage was excellent. Judy is lovely too xx

[@gordonramsey8339]

Bananas should be kept well away from the other fruit - otherwise they will cause them to ripen quickly and then rot (because bananas release ethylene).

[@huwowen7917]

Great news good luck to you all , love what your videos and the story . Will be following you on your travels . Hope your preparations all go to plan 😊

[@TravelonlineWalk]

Top

[@guillaumequintin9520]

Hi, nice to watch your videos! Hey, just one tip: Don't store bananas and apples together. Apples produce a gas that makes the bananas maturing quicker... ;-) Fair tides and good winds!!

[@svfairisle]

Thanks we’ll isolate the bananas!

[@guillaumequintin9520]

@@svfairisle Or the apples... Choose ! ;-)

[@daviddecker1994]

Nice to see you in port at Rolnautic buying parts. You were busy and we were too shy to say hello .....Sorry. Hope you stay was pleasant and really interested to watch the next Africa anchorage's and how to nav to and from without good charts.

[@svfairisle]

Say hello David, we don’t bite!

[@elPaletti]

This has nothing to do with sailing ... but I like the way You Panned the Audio of Your voices Left & Right at the Intro and conclusion 😀😀😀😀

[@SailingEagleWings]

nice trip, thanks for sharing to film those dolphins at night, couldn't you use your phone with night vision?

[@svfairisle]

The infra red function on the phone we showed is great for some things but sadly it doesn't pick up luminescence, I did try!

[@TheBoatWorkshop]

Hi Steve and Judy! love watching your episodes, very profeshnal. I have a question for you. im making an anchor set up for my own boat and want to have it underhung, much like yours. would you happen to know any details about the bow roller you use? looks really good. or is it custom? thanks

[@svfairisle]

We had them made in Turkey, we showed them being made in an episode, Ep65 I think, may have been later. Couldn’t find one to buy anywhere which was just as well because I’m sure they would’ve cost a fortune, these cos about 30 Euros! They turn two ridges in the to fit the chain so it sits square and won’t twist coming onto the gypsy

[@ElsaPlanBe]

Great video again! By the way, speaking of wiring diagrams, do you know whether HCs had one on delivery. I couldn’t find one for our HC 41 and am going through the process of creating one on my own. Thks Michael

[@svfairisle]

We have a quite comprehensive wiring diagram, several in fact for different systems. From what I hear the quality of the wiring is very dependent on the year. There was an American guy doing the wiring late 90's to ours in 2000 who was very good, ours is very nicely laid out and labeled with codes that are shown on the wiring diagrams.

[@paulpaul9914]

A new species of flying dolphin 0:01 15:08

[@paulincumbria]

Lovely, lovely filming and beautiful editing - you make it look so easy! I'd be interested to know how you register your presence in a new country - hours of sitting in sweaty offices, or a click or two online? I can imagine it being a bureaucratic nightmare!

[@judyaslett6209]

mostly a nightmare…

[@svfairisle]

We will let you know how it goes in The Gambia, there's an anchorage off Banjul and you need to find several offices, we have the number of an agent who can help, but English is one of the national languages so we will probably just ask. We weren't planning on stopping in Senegal so we didn't check in at Dakar, it would have been stupid to try with the fishermen at night, anchoring for a couple of nights in the delta as we are at the moment isn't a problem.

[@paulincumbria]

@@svfairisle Good luck with that - turns out that even paradise has sandflies!

[@tonyhalsall3170]

Did you anchor off Pasito Blanco around 8th (ish) of January? I was in Melonaras for a month mid December onwards and I saw a shiny green sailboat at anchor that lead gone the day after.

[@svfairisle]

No we weren’t quite that far around, we were at Arinaga

[@stephenchapman8344]

👍

[@bernhardriering10]

Take the bananas seperat from the other food, fair winds

[@svfairisle]

Apparently we should have the separate and upside down, we will try it

[@mountainwest3444]

Great Video as always. And ohhhh... I wanted to see you serve the Vegetable Lasagna -- it looked sooo good !

[@svfairisle]

It was really nice, I think mainly because we could get mature cheddar cheese in Las Palmas ( you don’t really find cheddar in the Med) … oh and also because of Judys great cooking of course!

[@wayneedwards4445]

Hi Steve Can you tell me who you used for your insurance for the Atlantic crossing ? We are 62ft with 5 crew and getting some insane quotes Would appreciate your advice Wayne

[@svfairisle]

We are only insured 3rd party+ personal medical for the crossing (with Pantaenius) Sadly the quotes were all ridiculous, massively expensive and insisting on 4 people aboard so we didn't bother. We will sort out insurance when we get to the Caribbean

[@FrankE.Cromer]

Hello ! Surprised you didn’t put any chafe prevention on the yank / poled sheet?

[@svfairisle]

It shouldn't need it, haven't had any problem before. The issue was I couldn't find the soft shackle I normally use so I used a different one that didn't fit well and the pole was turned slightly on its axis with the way the guys were holding it. Had no problems on the last two days when we used it with the pole repositioned. It is a different ball game when you're trade wind sailing on the same setup for days on end though, so don't worry I do have some chafe prevention sleeves ready just in case!

[@FrankE.Cromer]

I used a short length of plastic hose when doing the crossing. I did warn you about the night problems along the Senegalese coast.lol. More sandbanks in The Gambia have fun . Enjoy! Very envious 🤢

[@karlmabe1649]

Predict wind was correct. I'd miitake those fishermen for pirates

[@larswetterstrom7209]

Yes I was thinking pirates too.

[@MaShcode]

Chafe is onomatopoeic. One chafes on hearing it. 😖

[@karlmabe1649]

Is it ok to leave your fishing line in when dolphins around boat

[@svfairisle]

Yes they are far to clever to have any problem with fishing lines.

[@tarpanc34]

@@svfairisle well that explains why nobody hardly ever catches one on hook n line.. with out snagging one..

[@rantmaker6427]

Hi why the name fairisle can you tell me was that the Original name brilliant vid

[@svfairisle]

The boat has always been named Fair Isle, the original owner before us was German, but his favorite place to sail was Fair Isle & it was the maiden voyage.