SAILING TO SAFETY FROM CYCLONE MAL IN FIJI - SwT 168

[@nooneanybodyknows7912]

I like your reasoning for a diesel engine vs electric. I agree. What an amazing marina. The bathroom was first class. 🚿 Happy New Year, Thomas 2024 🎉

[@markbuskens6070]

Glad you made it Thomas 😊your content is aways so good and informative.your videos show almost everything so thanks so much 😅😅😊😊😊

[@BobSmith-zj5lt]

Merry Christmas Thomas🎄🎄🎅🎅, wishing you all the best for 2024, peace, prosperity and health💖💖

[@bucklaquey1157]

Best sailor that I have ever seen.

[@Andy-dt8jg]

Totally agree on Sail + Diesel vs 100% electric. We're a long way form that being a safe solution for blue water cruisers.

[@ProphetessMirandaGrimaldi]

La ora na Thomas💗, checking in with you and BE FREE! Sending much love and fair winds.

[@SailingwithThomas]

Thank you so much 🙏🏻 All the best! Much love from BE FREE

[@jasonmcintosh2632]

"So the marina can handle a cat 5, but the boats... maybe not..." laughter from the marina guys... LOL Perfect.

[@tomainsworth5656]

Beautiful place and so informative to hear your strategy to escape the storm

[@RNVOS]

Tomas may 2024 be full of adventures and memories to cherish!! Looking forward to adventures in 2024! ❤ from 🇨🇦

[@sammyvh11]

Great channel

[@davidyendoll5903]

Best of luck Thomas .

[@podocrypto6072]

I'm glad you ahhhhh... made it through and ahhhhh.... hope all is ahhhh ok with everything. Well ahhh, we'll continue to ahhhh... follow your journey. 😉

[@waltervanderboor]

A year ago I would have argued exactly like you pro diesel. But technical possibilities are catching up. We now see hybrid engines that offer both, and the full electric systems have a diesel in the shape of a genset which can extend the range. Time is changing, Good to see you safe in the marina. nice place!

[@darrellpugh6186]

Sail , Thomas , Sail ! Lets All watch the cyclone from a safe distance . 😎

[@Fonil70]

Så artig å se du seiler jorden rundt Thomas,

[@SailingwithThomas]

Takk for hyggelig kommentar og for at du er her. Varme hilsener fra BE FREE ⛵️

[@brownnoise357]

Running like hell for good shelter in good Bays with Shallow Draft Boats got really Drummed into me when I started Sailing Thomas and the list of good shelter spots wasn't that large that you could anchor close to Shore with a low tide depth of between 4 to 5 feet - a bit like the Bahamas and so many other places. Luckily once anchored securely, the beaches reached with the dinghy, mostly had Pubs and Cafe's a short walk away. 😅 That need to run for shelter has driven my choice of Sailboats ever since tbh. I agree 100% on Electric propulsion being a really dangerous idea on Sailboats, and having been stuck in bad Conditions with an u forecast Very strong Offshore Wind, luckily spotted by a speedboat heading in, was lucky to be given a tow to shore, so no way in hell will I ever have an electric outboard on a Dinghy. That's why for my next Tender, Im getting a Tohatsu / Mercury 6 horsepowere 4 stroke, which at wide open throttle has a range of over 10 miles on one litre of Petrol. with two 12 litre external fuel tanks, the range withnone tank is at least 120 miles, and in calm conditions at low throttle, at least double that, and the second tank is for backupand tank one is being refilled. Frankly, the Energy Density Storage in Batteries today, is nowhere near adequate for the Marine environment, and nothing Electric powered should be getting Certification approval in my honest opinion, and Nothing Suitable is even on the Horizon Yet. Too many people today seem totally incapable of doing a proper Risk assessment, and People who do know Far Better are destroying their Reputations by willingly promoting Dangerous Crap because - MONEY ! it really angers me how little respect for human Life some people clearly have. A bit of a rant Thomas, but almost allmof my Life thanks to Lifesaving qualifications (I had all of them by age 13 believe it or not ) Risk Assessment has come with them. Fair Winds and Safe Travels Thomas, and a Happy New Year. Bob in Wales. 🤔👍❤

[@kirk9671]

It is amazing that just 80 miles is enough for safety.

[@AoFroya]

Fortsatt god jul der T. Nice to see you found a first class marina to shelter in. Looks amazing. Here in Oslo we have heavy snowfall and minus 4 degrees celcius today. A little bit different live-aboard environment than yours. Diesel heater working 24/7 to keep warm. Looking forward to see the next video from you. Stay safe, fair winds and Godt Nytt År.

[@KiwiSkipper]

Agree .. Fijians are the nicest people. So super chilled out. Love to know who the owner of the marina is as it looks expensive. Another great video Thomas.. thanks so much for your efforts.

[@bullbutter9699]

Agreed I got married in Namale spent 2 weeks there. vanua levu ..... booooooooo laaaaaaaaaaaaa

[@svthorasailing4868]

Hope you had a safe and wonderful Christmas period Thomas,safe sailing.

[@SVSeaChange]

Hi Thomas, we met in Neiafu. I dodged Mal by sailing west from Fiji towards New Caledonia and then south to New Zealand. I know you are headed north so I doubt we will meet again, but it was good to visit on board Be Free.

[@SailingwithThomas]

Happy to know you made it safe! Always appreciated when sailors stop by to say hi to a fellow sailor. It’s definitely challenging time to sail the South Pacific this time of year and especially going towards Asia. Thank you so much for watching and for stopping by. All the best ⛵️

[@californiakayaker]

Wow, I'm just shocked that the place isn't crowded with beautiful ladies. I guess getting the word out takes time. Such a beautiful place !

[@jonbeargenx]

I kinda have this video in 3D right now. Storm with gust up into 40 meters per second at Karmøy right now. Couldn't sleep as my house is shaking and all the trash bins are rolling around outside so I thought I would chill with some relaxing KZbin... 😂 Glad you made it Thomas! Stay safe!

[@kristerisaksson8217]

Önskar dig Gott Nytt År och fortsatt härlig segling!

[@Chris_Barnetti_sailing]

Still the best sailor ;) and sailing channel !

[@SailingwithThomas]

Thank you so much for your kind words 🙏🏻 All the best

[@JC-21470]

Great video Thomas - as a;always keeping it real!

[@brucebates1302]

What a beautiful location. That looks like the Ritz Carlton of marinas. Enjoy your visit and best wishes for a safe and healthy New Year full of great adventures and great people. 🍻

[@Andre-yu3qs]

Fantastic, thanks for sharing! I wish you continued excellent Christmas celebrations.

[@brownnoise357]

PS. The speed with which UV can wreck Sailcloth Lazy Jacks and Stack Packs is worrying, which has convered me to in Mast Furling Main Sail for protection, along with Furling Headsails with protective UV strips, and UV protection covers for the inflatable tenders. These covers can be very expensive to have them Custom Made, but Seago do them for a pretty reasonable price for their range of inflatables which should fit others in the same sizes. Best Wishes. Bob. 👍

[@michaelupton9009]

It will be next year before I see you again!! Happy New Year too, be safe.

[@andersnilsson6625]

Glad everything went well, both for you and the boat. But also for us who follow you, otherwise we might not have gotten more episodes! 😱 What does your insurance say about cyclones and storms?

[@StemtoSternSailing]

Fortsatt god jul til deg Thomas og et riktig godt nytt år. Mvh Jarle

[@hedleyjackson5131]

Looks a great marina fair winds

[@akLeanne]

100% agree with you about going fully electric. Everyone and everything needs a backup. It's better to be safe than sorry. It's better to have and not need it,then need it and wishing you had it.

[@dutchglobetrotter4513]

Cheers 🍻

[@garyvanzyl7498]

Merry Xmas Thomas🎄🍷🍾🎶🥁🎸🙏 You are an amazing sailor 💪 Love your channel 👏 🍷🍾🎶🥁🎸🤗💖😎

[@steinjohansen3142]

Happy new year Thomas!

[@MiQBohlin]

Gott nyttigt år! ✨

[@SailingwithThomas]

Sent scar men takk det samme ⛵️

[@marcgatto9675]

Yes, 'Be Free' is a BIG boat. You would never know it just from video. Hats off to you for handling all her 55' ...solo. Have a Happy and Lucky 2024!

[@geezenslaw]

Yes, a very Foofie marina... I would change marinas but the Pacific is just too big... and BTW: I'm on an all elecric sloop...!

[@SailingwithThomas]

Thank you so much for watching. The Pacific is enormous and full of challenges. In retro perspective I’m not so sure if it’s worth it. I think electric is exciting and the dreams of having free energy is fascinating. However my honest opinion is that’s not a good idea for long distance sailing, and especially not in the South Pacific. I’m working on a video to share more details around this topic. Not because I have anything against evolution or technology. I’m actually quite interested and nothing would be better for my wallet if electric could be working. But unfortunately the reality is a bit away from todays solutions. Especially in the South Pacific. Why and how is something I’m going to share soon. All the best ⛵️

[@gogo-uf8ow]

nice marina

[@martinc6987]

water colour is amazing.Thanks for your comments and sharing. Glad you are safe. I like to listen to your knowledge and experience.Just something you might work on: I understand you are tired sometimes,but please try to reduce the Uhs,it really disrupts the flow of what you want to tell us and doesnt help you to find the right words either ; ) even linguistics say its better to pause and say nothing at all. God bless you,and a blessed new year !

[@SailingwithThomas]

Thank you so much 🙏🏻 I will try to improve. Thank you for still being here and being patient. All the best

[@martinc6987]

@@SailingwithThomas I learn to say things nicely ,can be challenging not knowing how you will react. Safe Journey always

[@christophrenner7941]

You have by far the best content in aspects of sailing. And I've seen a lot of sailing channels since Corona. To see Romanza in the neighbourhood has put a smile on my face. It's my favourite kind of boat, but having seen most of your videos, I would have some suggestions for improvements. It's just pure fun to follow your journey. Happy New Year :)

[@dagmariusrundfloen6579]

Great video! Happy New Year!

[@Andy_Cobb]

Happy Holidays Thomas! Thanks for sharing your awesome adventures!!!🌴🍍

[@robertharris7027]

Wow, try to find a bathroom like that in the Baltic Sea.

[@calvingarrett3245]

Hello Thomas I'm glad you made it there safe that's a beautiful Marina they did not spare any expense building that place that is like a five-star hotel anyways Merry Christmas to my house and have a Happy New Year❤❤❤❤❤❤

[@Marcel-J]

Hi Thomas, stay safe. I like the marina, how much did you have to pay to stay there? Wish you also a Happy New Year 🎉 Hope we see many more adventures of you in 2024. Greetings from Holland

[@kerryverity963]

Hey Thomas enjoy your stay in that beautiful marina! Stay safe and have a happy and healthy New Year!!!

[@christip20]

Happy New Year, Thomas! I love the rainy, windy Sails, this one was especially nice…..

[@billhanna8838]

100% agree as a delivery skipper in NZ , Give me an offshore trip any day to a coastal one . Graet looking marina (Put that in the log book ) Have a graet Xmas & a happy New Year = Fair winds .

[@terjed1964]

Great location and the Fiji people seem great. But why is there so few people there at the marina resort?

[@SailingwithThomas]

Thank you for watching 🙏🏻 The reason is first of all in the pacific it’s significant less sailors. And Fiji, Tonga and even Vanuatu along with Indonesia mostly have sailors visiting from NZ and AUS. Being in the cyclone season it’s not that good timing, no insurance would cover you and the risk being in this region is high. All the best

[@mohamdkarem]

🎄🎉 I always learn from you, Captain. Happy New Year and a safe journey, may God protect you

[@stuarthjaltalin6965]

Happy holidays on your epic journey, stay safe and keep sending us your Vlogs, just loving it !

[@bishopkinlyside8477]

Hey Thomas, I agree with you 100%. If I was sailing around the world I would have diesel as my main engine but now you can actually have both with a diesel electric, but I don’t know what the advantage would be of that. Anyway keep up the good work, my friends live in Fiji, I have a lot of friends actually in Fiji. Such a wonderful place. Keep up the good work. Love your videos Cliff from Logan City Queensland, Australia 🇦🇺👨🏻‍🦽👨‍🦼

[@6r4metroman]

Would be interesting to know what sort of cost the marina is?

[@TheDowe]

Her i Sandefjord er det meldt 20 til 50 cm snø over nyttårshelgen og kommende dager. Så skal det bli ned mot -20 grader celsius. Så du er nok på rette plassen. Veldig bra video. Og Godt nytt år til deg :)

[@SailingwithThomas]

Huff det hørtes fryktelig kaldt ut! Godt nytt år

[@AvishayShneor]

Thank you for sharing your knowledge and experience, I have so many technical and other questions I would like to consult - is there a way to write privately?

[@JasonHampel]

Thanks for another great video! I hope you have many more great adventures in 2024. :) Do you think you'll ever take on crew again as you continue your journey?

[@christurbeville7230]

What if you have a diesel genset with a fully electric? Basically a hybrid? You could carry less diesel but still have all the motor range?

[@onsdag2k]

👍👍👍

[@gregeconomeier1476]

You are correct. An engine on a sailboat is a safety item. Sailing without an engine that can handle a wide range of problems such as running from weather or running to port because of an unexpected health issue. These two items are from a list of problems that can occur. Sailing with an engine that is unreliable or limited in range that is less than that needed by your planned course is not a good idea. Electric engines can be dangerous because of this as is limiting your fuel load to sail faster or heading out with an unreliable engine.

[@SailingwithThomas]

Thank you so much for your feedback and for being here. I’m working on a video explaining electric and hybrid in more details and why it’s a terrible idea for long distances sailing. Coming soon here. All the best⛵️

[@EnigmaticRealms1]

It's been 13 days man. Where are you?

[@SailingwithThomas]

Im sorry for the delays, and thank you for being here and waiting for updates. I’m safely anchored in Indonesia at the moment. My epic sail through cyclone season in the South Pacific is coming here soon. All the best

[@EnigmaticRealms1]

@@SailingwithThomas Thanks bud. Good to know you're safe

[@realulli]

I'm a great electric fan. However, I agree with you - if I could afford a boat, I'd be looking at fully electric, but my paranoid gut feeling says, "What if you get dismasted in the middle of the Atlantic and you have to limp to a shore?". Also, the battery banks of all the boats I've seen seem WAY to small for actually good electric propulsion. How much solar generating capacity can you put on a boat? Even one of the larger cats would probably be limited to 3-5 kWp. How fast can your boat go with 5 kW of propulsion? I'm assuming the battery being drained, as that's the situation after you got dismasted and are trying to limp home: you can use only what's coming in. If I won the lottery, I might be building a boat, fully electric, but with a rather beefy genset so I have the fossilized reserves to limp to safety at, say, 5 knots, from the middle of the Atlantic. At that point, the problem turns into "How do I keep my genset alive during long periods of non-use and how do I keep the 900 liters (possibly more) of Diesel from going bad?". (Assumption is, I'll need about 300 hours of operation on the genset to reach safety, giving me a range of 1500 nm with no PV input)

[@bullbutter9699]

Salt and Electronics bad relationship.

[@samustenros2592]

7.

[@robertscranton8293]

Think about Captain Cook..Cannibals.. Yikes

[@SailingwithThomas]

Yeah they had definitely more challenges than I have. Crazy thing that cannibalism still exists. All the best

[@drewsky5577]

You sound like a Newfie some times.