S4E4 Solo Atlantic Crossing: Sailing the Atlantic Ocean Alone in a 21ft Home Built Sailboat Pt4

[@nollaigor]

Met Alan this evening in my local pub Murphs in Monkstown, Cork. He is a great guy and it was a pleasure talking to him. He understood about 90% of what we said due to our strong Cork accents. 😂 Respect from Ireland to Alan and all his friends and family in Canada. I hugely salute Alan's bravery in making this epic voyage ❤

[@RoversAdventure]

It was a pleasure meeting you and your friends at Murphs. I had a great laugh. Fantastic.

[@rodrigosenra2693]

I imagine that lots of people, as do myself, sees themselves in the command of a sailing vessel across an ocean. I will do it one day, Im working hard for it. And these videos are so inspiring to us, to keep working hard and move towards our dreams. Thank you, my friend. You keep on going and we will do our best to catch up with you across some ocean.

[@luiswetsch]

Hi. I am Luis from Uruguay. A week ago took a fly to warwik,RI, USA and bought a Catalina 27. I am 64 and plan to go to MIAMI and then to Costa Rica and then to Panama. I had been following you before you did your first crossing. Making my own adveture as you say.

[@RoversAdventure]

Good man. Forge Your Own Adventure

[@adiltair7162]

Thanks for inspiring me i understand that when you want it just do it 👍🏻

[@RoversAdventure]

Absolutely

[@nealeburgess6756]

I am really impressed with Wave Rover. When I saw your last boat, my reaction was to think it looked spartan and not appealing. But now I have seen this boat in all it's stages of build, although it doesn't have many luxuries, I don't see it as spartan, just practical. My difference in attitude I think is probably because you have educated me to embrace simplicity, and appreciation for the essentials. The simple sail rig, the wind vane, the hand held anenometer. They all add up to a great boat that completely fills your needs. Well done. Long may you keep on forgeing!

[@RoversAdventure]

Great comment, thank you.

[@Itssmial_Ova]

I could do that all damn day, staring out at the infinite blue and listen to the waves. That must be truly wonderful.

[@EricMilewski]

yeah damn! - I'd love to at least try it some day

[@boathemian7694]

After day, after day, after…

[@boathemian7694]

You probably know Guzzwell, no? I’m from the Northwest and spent a lot of time sailing around Western Canada.

[@EricMilewski]

@@boathemian7694 John Guzzwell ? no I didn't, just looked him up on Google

[@MoneyPitBoating]

Amen!

[@AlanpittsS2b]

Your videos are neat. I just retired from the army and saved money for 17 years to get a boat and live in it. I bought an alberg 30 cause it left me with lots of money to circumnavigate and it is a neat little boat. I looked at two contessa 26 boats almost got one they seem great as well the guy teaching me has two of them and he sailed his from Seattle to Hawaii and then through Cape Horn years ago

[@sveng9933]

Alberg 30 is a nice boat for your plan.

[@marcgatto9675]

These weather forecasting services for sailors are truly remarkable.

[@RoversAdventure]

Sea Hawk is just a friend doing me a great favor

[@marcgatto9675]

@@RoversAdventure The ocean racers always have their weather guru's (or Sea Hawks in your case) looking after them. Much better than a squint at the horizon and a finger in the wind!

[@RoversAdventure]

@@marcgatto9675 so true

[@tonybarnes3858]

@@marcgatto9675 No other options? P.S. gurus plural doesn't need an apostrophe

[@marcgatto9675]

@@tonybarnes3858 ummm... really? Spare me the corrections please. It's light hearted banter and not an English essay.

[@monroe3004]

Nice video Alan, good vibs.

[@seanwilson6521]

As an avid hiker, the saying goes, "Leave only footprints, take only memories." I don't think I've seen a transit as pure as yours, bonus - no catholes ;

[@RoversAdventure]

Thank you

[@Notdave29]

lol well the catholes are just a bucket, so he is still leaving something behind. No way around that, and compared to the millions of tons of rotting dead animals in the ocean it’s probably not much of an issue either.

[@japeltoni]

Excellently organized boat and solo sailing management! Thanks & Greetings, Janne

[@RoversAdventure]

Thanks buddy

[@HP-qj4gz]

Another very enjoyable glimpse of WR2 in action and an insight into your story too, Alan! Well done.

[@lindamanderson62]

Love watching this and imagining myself out there -which will never happen as I’m a big chicken lol I did enjoy a sail with family last week though -it was great!! Glad you’re doing so well!! 🤗

[@RoversAdventure]

We have everything in PEI. No need to head off sailing.

[@aloysiusjones3985]

Nice, Brisbun. That is the real deal doing that crossing in a 21 footer. Very interesting. 🇦🇺👍🍺🍺

[@brianmurphy4404]

Great vid alan...lookin forward to in depth video of junk sail handling . Seems to be working fab

[@jaygee5693]

I like the anecdote about the Aussie "pie truck"! For other viewers, in Australia and NZ unless you specify eg, "apple" or "blueberry" etc, a "pie" is always a meat pie. It may be steak and kidney, chicken, lamb, mince (hamburger) and cheese, steak and onion, but always with meat unless otherwise specified.

[@RoversAdventure]

So true

[@ObsessiveScientist]

truly like the little story time. it gives the feeling of being in your head while watching you sailing.

[@RoversAdventure]

I'm glad you like it, I was unsure how it would go over.

[@kirbythomas5468]

When I look over the aft deck I know that you are happy not having gone with the cockpit design… All that interior storage space as well as not dealing with taking a wave over the stern and swapping the cockpit. Such a grand design Alan very well done 👍

[@RoversAdventure]

Thanks again for another great comment

[@jimagles1394]

To quote the incomparable Thomas E. Colvin: "This Supreme robber baron, vandal, thief, pirate is found aboard too often, threatening the safety of a proper seagoning vessel: the cockpit. It has no place at sea."

[@RoversAdventure]

@@jimagles1394 fantastic quote. Thanks for sharing

[@mmullaley]

Nice! What a fine vessel skippered by a fine sailor. You look to be in good shape as well! I look forward to every episode of your Adventure. Being a sailor myself I've knocked off over 1000nm so far this summer. I've often thought of an ocean crossing but also know it's not for me. A 45nm day sail is enough. Although I love it I'm bored at days end. It takes a special person to do what you do. Keep on!

[@RoversAdventure]

1000 coastal miles in a summer is no small thing.

[@mmullaley]

@@RoversAdventure can usually knock off between 1700 -2200. Lowest year in the past 25 was 748nm. Mostly day sails, such as the morning I met you leaving halifax...if the wind is brisk she'll rack up the miles and if its light it's a 3 to 4 kt day...and try to be home in the evening. Chief cook and bottle washer is home lol. Enjoy!

[@RoversAdventure]

@mmullaley sorry I didn't recognize the name Always a pleasure to hear from you begin another proper sailor. Fair winds my friend

[@robkunzig5795]

I am LOVING your stories with the ocean sailing backdrop! Nice touch Alan, thank you - I hope you have many more stories...

[@RoversAdventure]

Thanks for the encouragement, I have a few more stories I need to get out.

[@durango4624]

Great snap shot of so many work places in Australia waiting with anticipation for the pie van for smoko and lunch You portrayed it well Thanks

[@rimasmeleshyus9486]

Great sailing again, fascinating your voyage. I don't want to miss any apisode filming .I hope you are doing well .Lovely blue sky 💙 ⛵️

[@RoversAdventure]

Thanks. Great to have you onboard

[@davidrumsey3180]

I was interested in your story about getting work in a Brisbane boatyard because you had built your own boat... I had a parallel experience: in 1987 I arrived in Brisbane with my family on the 32 foot steel yacht we had built, at the end of a circuit of the South Pacific. Shortly afterwards I got a job as a marine engineer on a slipway on the Gold Coast, because I had built my own boat. And yes, a pie truck visited that slipway as well... Thanks for bringing back memories!

[@RoversAdventure]

Thanks for sharing

[@davidclarke2232]

Great episode Alan. Thanks for sharing.

[@stephentomlin1204]

Excellent.

[@RoversAdventure]

Made possible by the Mk3. Good to hear from you my friend

[@michaelwade3074]

G’day from Brisbane. It’s great to hear the stories from your adventurous life. I’m going to jump in my ute and go get a (meat) pie in honour of you.

[@RoversAdventure]

Lol. Let us know what kind of pie and how good it was.

[@tonybarnes3858]

Nice, thanks,l ooking forward to more.

[@davidthomson4166]

Hi Allan. Enjoying your videos here while living on my boat in Manly harbour Brisbane. Im trying to forge my own adventure. Interesting to here that you have been here. Happy sailing mate. Was it this harbour?

[@RoversAdventure]

I moored up by the Botanical gardens at first and later at Manly. Happy to hear that you are forging your own adventure.

[@et5222]

Always love to see "David Crosby" on the middle of your bulkhead..... wooden ships on the water

[@RoversAdventure]

Quite a few benefactors have dropped by to get a photo of the bulkhead and say hello

[@skyak4493]

Southern Cross is my inspiration song. BTW did you know he credited sailing for putting his life on a positive path? Little David was a trouble maker. Fortunately, somebody had the bright idea that punishment wasn’t working so maybe putting him in a small boat and letting him figure out the world punishes obstinant fools and you are the majority of your own problems.

[@jepomer]

Great narrations of your thoughts and previous experiences. Keep it up!

[@RoversAdventure]

Thanks for the comment

[@jepomer]

@@RoversAdventure - That personal narration overdub describes what you are thinking, why you solo sail oceans. Having these overdubs during the enjoyable ocean scenes adds so much more.

[@RoversAdventure]

Your feedback is very helpful. Thanks

[@redfox4098]

What a great sail into meditation....

[@nameRICHARD]

Loved hearing about ur connection with Oz...Even thou it was brisbane...(just a little bit of interstate rivalry on my part;)

[@26N80W]

At some point, you should think about replacing your compass with a bulkhead mounted version. it would make a really cool light source inside the cabin. They may even make a version that could be read from both sides which would be a bonus.

[@RoversAdventure]

I agree

[@Jason114752]

Brother, you’re crushing it! Good stuff cheers 🍻

[@eagerv]

Alan, terrific episode, pity it was all over so quick. Could not believe it was more than 12 minutes ...Best wishes, Nigel.

[@RoversAdventure]

Thanks, next one is a little longer

[@frankdillon6127]

must feel great to be sailing a boat that you totally made yourself. would assume you feel very small out there.

[@RoversAdventure]

It's all relative. WR feels like the right size to me

[@frankdillon6127]

@@RoversAdventure i meant small boat in endless water.

[@SavingMaverick55]

I liked that anecdote about you getting a job at a boatyard because you built a boat and sailed her across the ocean. Im hoping to do the same someday, after this old weeck is back in ship shape, but I fear that the crushing boot of bureaucracy may get in the way of such things these days.

[@RoversAdventure]

The sooner the better as every year it gets a little more bureaucratic

[@nasseemmuttur7546]

Nice to see Wave Rover sailing well. Maybe you should approach any big ship on your way and make use of their Internet connections to upload fresh videos.

[@daveamies5031]

G'day from Brissie (Brisbane Australia), I live less than 5 km from the marina you probably came into (Manly?) and have been subscribed to your channel since before your 650 build. Really loving this crossing, will you be heading south again "one day"? it seems Brissie has given you some happy memories, that makes me happy 👍

[@RoversAdventure]

Many, many happy memories of Brisbane.

[@brianfields4479]

Thanks for sharing, brian in nz.

[@jasonmcintosh2632]

Great story about getting a job in Brisbane. Life is good. . I built my own 18' fishing boat I spent many nights on along the Florida Gulf of Mexico in Florida bay. It was awesome to do that in a boat I built. I can only imagine how it must make you feel to travel the world in a boat your built yourself. . I'm very interested in knowing more about how you feel about your Contessa Wave Rover I and your smaller Wave Rover II. If I had the choice between the two boats for such a journey, I would take the heavier full keel Contessa...

[@RoversAdventure]

I will do a thoughtful review of the boats after this passage

[@jasonmcintosh2632]

@@jase____ 90% of the time you want a light roomy boat. It's for that other 10% of the time in heavy seas that you want the full keel and tight living space... its because of those times that your wife will be inclined to just fly to the next marina and let you sail it alone... I bought a 44' full keel motor-sailer so my wife will stay with me the whole trip. It's a theory that hasn't been tested though. But there's tradeoffs with all boats. I'm thrilled to see Allen in his boat. I like what Sven Yrvind says about small boats: small boats, small forces. But no matter how you slice it, it's a small place to live in. He doesn't even have a cockpit... But, again, there's aways tradeoffs. Allen's pocket cruiser seems extremely well designed and constructed for his purposes. My only issue with it is there's no hatch close to the base of the mast so you could have access to it from "inside" the cabin. I know that the junk rig is supposed to be "full proof" and won't require ever going up on deck, but if I remember right, he's already had go to up on deck once to clear a line that got fouled... Well, that's my two cents.

[@jasonmcintosh2632]

@@jase____ Normally you optimize your sails for performance pointing into the wind. I don't think you can do better than a sloop rig for that. Any sail can sail down wind... I have no experience with Junk sails, but Allen seemed to choose it to optimize ease of handling. I would say that he went up on his Contessa's deck and worked around his hard dinghy too many times and he decided he'd do whatever he had to do to not have to do that anymore. Apparently he doesn't have a drifter, but his boat is so light he doesn't much need for one??? Yes his boat looks very clean. Give it 10 years... : ) There's no reason that boat can't last 50+ years if it has someone to care for it. He also got rid of his cockpit to increase internal storage space. Apparently he just didn't find himself using it in his Contessa to justify putting one in this boat. I can't say I understand that. I spend most of my time in the cockpit just to enjoy the ride... I would have wanted big windows in the cabin if I was going to be spending almost all of my time there, but they would have been expensive and a source of failure... everything's a compromise. But of course the best part of what Allen's doing is that he's sharing this ride with us.

[@RoversAdventure]

@jasonmcintosh2632 great comment and I will try to address some of your issues in this series

[@-freespirit-3314]

Hey Rover, tell me about those keel modifications - what’s are the results - or have I missed something. Keep going 👍🏻

[@RoversAdventure]

The boat is stiffer. I gave a review of them when sailing the Chesapeake

[@thomcollins3322]

Don’t let Ernesto catch you. I’ll b praying for ya

[@RoversAdventure]

Thank you. I'm clear of its range

[@keithtownsend3050]

I miss the Maple Leaf on the self steering paddle

[@RoversAdventure]

If I had a bit more time I would have painted it and put the maple leaf on

[@curtiscagle6261]

I will trade places with you.Looks relaxing.

[@oh-brothers]

How does the new boat compare to the Contessa? ....Speed, comfort, and fatigue levels on crossings ?

[@RoversAdventure]

Very favorable so far. A complete review will follow

[@redwood1957]

Alot of fun to watch and dream. Are you concerned about your out board being out? One more ? If i may. If needed could you sheet to tiller? Thank you very much

[@RoversAdventure]

I crossed the Pacific with sheet to tiller. I haven't tried it on WR2

[@claverton]

Those seats at the stern look the ticket. Interesting that you worked in a boatyard in Brisbane for a couple of months. I bet you got to know some real characters there!

[@RoversAdventure]

Ended up working in 2 boatyards and learned a ton

[@pwkulp]

Really enjoying this adventure. Do you fish while you're out there?

[@RoversAdventure]

No, but I should

[@PetesCreativeRecycling]

Looks like perfect to me.

[@trippontwowheels]

Woo hooo!!

[@frankdillon6127]

wish the videos were a little longer, I enjoy a lot.

[@RoversAdventure]

Thanks for the feedback.

[@VIJAYzk]

that lightning made mw wonder do you have a lighting conductor inside your mast? and is it really necessary for a wodden mast?

[@RoversAdventure]

I don't have any conductor. It seems there are different ideas as to if one is necessary at all.

[@DrSurf-fx4gf]

OMG! That's all I can say.

[@philipchandler330]

Interesting sail configuration reminds me of Far East Chinese or Japan.

[@RoversAdventure]

It's a Chinese Junk Rig

[@ScotChef]

ahoy! ✊🏻🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

[@seanpadraig1266]

I pray that you are able to get out of the way of Hurricane Ernesto

[@RoversAdventure]

Thank you, I'm out of it's range now

[@MoneyPitBoating]

What is the white board on the starboard side railing, near the back seat? A motor mount?

[@RoversAdventure]

Engine mount for the Outboard motor

[@TheBeaker59]

"always blow on the pie" If you know, you know.

[@RoversAdventure]

Lol

[@1dannn]

Do you fish for food, sometimes?

[@RoversAdventure]

I don't but I should

[@ImnotChuck.]

In a new-to-you sailboat, do you automatically know the source of all the creaking and bumping sounds or does each one need to be tracked down and checked out?

[@RoversAdventure]

I track them down

[@peterjones-b5b]

Thats a small boat you have there ... and a very large ocean its upon ! ... you have my respect and best wishes on your odyssey

[@stevehartley8162]

I’m from and still live in Brisbane Australia. Which shipyard did you work in?

[@RoversAdventure]

Can't remember the name. Left side of river heading upstream

[@SootHead]

I have noted you have to tug pretty hard to raise sail. Wonder why no winch. You are hale and haearty enough to do that, of course, but 'what if' you were ill or injured, could you still do it. I'd suggest that as a safety item, a winch might be in order, perhaps.

[@RoversAdventure]

I couldn't get a winch company to sponsor me.

[@FrancisHPeters]

@@RoversAdventure Great answer!

[@Paco-p6e]

What make of hand held wind gauge is that?

[@RoversAdventure]

Windy

[@Andrey-z9m]

👍👍👍💪

[@26N80W]

Your math is off a little on your apparent wind calculation. When running your subtract boat speed from true wind. 9 - 5 = 4 knots apparent in this case.

[@ray8328]

When wind is measured from the boat, it’s apparent wind. As the boat is on a run, true wind is App wind + boat speed. 9 + 5 = 14kts

[@26N80W]

@@ray8328 Thanks for the correction. You are right.

[@njbaskipper]

Listen to me Mr. Mullholand, a ceviche of yellowfin tuna in convoy with two large potatoes boiled with olive oil and garlic and a cold beer as a culmination absorbs you from searching for routine and the apparent horizon. Am I right or am I not right? P.S. A Maji Maji filetón with Mackenzie fries and mayonnaise What do you think, we have to eat my dear master carpenter and navigator. ⛵⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

[@RoversAdventure]

Lol...now I'm feeling really hungry

[@njbaskipper]

​@@RoversAdventureElementary Watson, your imagination will take you everywhere. 🇨🇦🎀🇨🇺

[@maeilive]

I like when people get skinny But when people get shinny without a reason i get worr. I hope its because your cooking 😢

[@RoversAdventure]

It's all good. I'm feeling mentally and physically better than I have in decades.

[@tonykazz2779]

You look thin

[@RoversAdventure]

I feel great but I do discuss weight loss later