Ep 36 Crossing the Bay of Biscay - France to Spain

[@glenpeters955]

This is the first video of yours that I have seen and I really enjoyed it. This is what sailing on a passage is really like, thank-you so much for not having very load boring music running non-stop but instead the sound of the boat and the sea. I will now have to look at all your previous videos. Enjoy your travels.

[@SailingTalisman]

So glad to hear it. We never really know if we're showing people what they're looking to see.

[@tinilovin]

Kevin and Wendy - I liked seeing your maps at the beginning of this video. Very exciting to see your voyages!

[@SailingTalisman]

They give a better perspective to be sure. We've traveled a pretty fair distance now (we're in Gibraltar).

[@normanboyes4983]

I enjoyed that. 👍 Well you certainly achieved the aim of beating the weather in the Bay of Biscay - that was a relative millpond crossing (almost). Looking forward to the next video. You clearly prepared the boat well in Scotland and the engine has certainly been proven - must be due a service again now!

[@SailingTalisman]

Hi Norman. Indeed. We were happy just to get across with no issues. The service is due at 300 hr intervals and we're at around 200 since leaving. There's been a lot of motoring, but now that we're at the mouth of the Med our intentions are to start waiting for favorable wind directions and mostly sailing.

[@romanogreminger2875]

Hope you guys do some sailing sometime. Seriously , you'll have to do it sometime :) love your vids though ;)

[@philyaboots1]

really nice video, beautifully captured and no motormouthing, I really like your style.

[@SailingTalisman]

Well thanks for the kind words! I sometimes wish we were doing a more professional job, but the commenters seem to (mostly) like what we're doing. It's really just an honest keyhole into what the cruising life really looks like.

[@bradboe1901]

Looking good, the new electronics seem to work well other then a few clitches hoping everything works well going forward. I just picked up my new sled a Polaris SKS with the PIDD display and Ride Command, built in GPS with all the Snowmobile Trails for US plus roads gas and food stops etc this also can display other people's sleds locations in your group also, best wishes on your adventures

[@SailingTalisman]

Well, coming from Colorado means we appreciate that kind of tech. It's so easy to get lost on a snowmobile as you're blasting past identifiable features all the time and they look different in varying light conditions. Snow can come in very fast too. Just having a "track" that shows how you got there would be amazing. We'll be flying back to get a bit of Colorado skiing around Christmastime, but I can tell you it'll be unlikely that we'll see snow here in Gibraltar (where we are now).

[@allynonderdonk7577]

Those were some big Gulls. I'm glad you made it o Spain without too much of a problem. All the other problems pop up on the first week or two of a passage usually!

[@SailingTalisman]

Yep. Our mainsail furler motor failed under very heavy weather and this caused damage to our sails. Luckily, we're in Gibraltar now, which is a VAT tax haven. This means lots of marine supply and repair businesses. We're probably going to just upgrade the sails rather than do the repairs. The repairs would be minor, but still money down the drain as they're too big and bulky to continue to carry aboard if we have new ones. The motor was expensive and had to be ordered from Holland, but again, about a 20% savings due to being in Gib. I'll be doing that repair myself and there'll be video of it eventually.

[@allynonderdonk7577]

It doesn't have a hand crank on the bottom??? The furler motor that is...

[@francoist2976]

What we almost see on our video is our so nice bimini... Yeessss !! A motorboat whis bimini :)

[@TheMonkeyrock77]

I'm glad you found a Sail Boat. It's a beauty. I have another couple on line that just found their boat. I hope you can avoid the Hurricanes. If you don't have a Heater build one or buy one. There a must.

[@SailingTalisman]

We have a built-in diesel powered Wabasto heating system that is a remarkable piece of kit. It made living aboard in Troon bearable.

[@davidgilbert]

Enjoyed that - thanks!

[@brianlambert4685]

I'm late to the party on this vlog but caught it as we are planning the same Route in June this year. I found it a good informative account and thank you for it. I can't beleive the negativity on here. We work and so have to sail on pre-planned dates. We planned to cross over june 2017 but instead spent 3 weeks in atrocious weather getting south form Wales to Falmouth (where we had an engine change but that's another story). We crossed from Falmouth to Camaret in Late September - We had a small weather window and it was rough, if running the engine 24 hours a day would have helped it would have been ON! For our planned crossing we have a week assigned to reaching Baiona - if its possible to go our planned week we plan to use all aids available to make our passage!

[@SailingTalisman]

Better late than never, I say. Our viewers know not what they speak of. The Bay of Biscay is probably the fourth or fifth most treacherous passage in the world, behind Cape Horn and a few others. A lot of people have died there, and mostly because the bottom depth changes quickly and the weather changes so unpredictably. Any opportunity to make the passage has to be jumped on. The weather window ends in late August, so crossing after that is dicey. It's dangerous generally, but after August you really have to be careful. This is why we brought Iain along. It was the the smart thing with a new boat and no local knowledge. Bayona rocks. If you want to do it up, stay at the Yacht club. Otherwise do the main public marina as we did. The anchorage is actually one of the best we've seen if you want to save money by anchoring. Contact us offline (via messaging) if you want more info. Thanks for watching.

[@CheersWarren]

Thanks for posting . Honest cruising. I had hoped to see a little more of the entry and exit of harbors and how you make the decision as you maneuver etc. much harder to film of course. You were incredible luck with the weather. "Adventurers of an old sea dog" posted his much slower and tougher trip in a smaller boat , alone. Looking forward to more posts. Cheers Warren.

[@SailingTalisman]

Hi Warren. We like the old sea dog. He's doing it the way a lot of people want to, and he's not shy about featuring his failures, which are pretty much bound to happen. I've been frustrated with my GoPro camera at every turn for harbor entrances and exits. We literally cast the lines and I hear the camera beeping that it just turned itself off. Of course at that point I can't just stop and reboot. We're going to do a passage planning episode coming up in the future, but have a lot of other video to get through first. The lack of a decent microphone is actually keeping me from editing at the moment. You'd be surprised how difficult it is to find stuff when you're on a cruising sailboat, especially in Europe. Thanks for watching.

[@stuartbird8469]

Good job heading south asap. Like your vids.

[@barryrauff225]

Wow! We will be based in Santa Teresa di Gallura for 6 weeks starting on May 2. It's on the northern tip of Sardinia. I don't see you posting new adventures on YT. Why not start again with the strait of Bonifacio and the beautiful Maddalena archipelago!! I can use the video to promote my upcoming adventure. It is supposed to be one of the most exciting and spectacular crossings in the world. Watch out for the rocks! Glad Talisman is ship shape and you guys are having a blast!

[@SailingTalisman]

Thanks for the update Barry. We're in Las Palmas at the moment, getting ready for the ARC. Passed my RYA Yachtmaster Offshore while in Gibraltar, and generally so busy I haven't had time to edit any new videos. Anyway, hope all is well on your end.

[@davidinperris6290]

I love the long shots of being under way. Don’t worry about your shots being to long. If people complain they can fast forward through it. Beautiful content. If you guys use the sails on your sailboat (that’s supposed to be a joke) could you show us the electric furler in action

[@SailingTalisman]

Hi David. I think in a couple of the later videos you can see the furler working. We've had it under heavy use all spring and summer, with well over 2000nm on the boat since we left Gibraltar. We are truly impressed with how well it works in day-to-day service. We've also dedicated at least one full video (Episode 53- Sail P0rn) to great sailing conditions. It kills us when we have to run the engine, and such has been the case so often here along the Ionian coast of Greece where the winds are light to nonexistent in the summer. There's just nothing like running off 30 or 40 miles under full sail (and for free - no diesel).

[@alanjohnson6733]

Marci and I️ took in your video last night. Loved it. Keep them coming. Hope to See you back in Denver. We might have to go to the CC grille and catch up!

[@SailingTalisman]

Indeed! So great to hear from people back home.

[@whitevanman8703]

Do you always run the engine?

[@SailingTalisman]

Not any more, now that we've gotten far enough south to not have to race from potentially dangerous waters weather-wise. Specifically, the Bay of Biscay and the Atlantic coast along Spain and Portugal get more and more dicey as you get into winter, with huge storms lasting for weeks at a time. We've now made it to Gibraltar, and along the way we tried as much as possible to use sail power. That said it seemed that we had a lot of wind on the nose. Moving to sail power is important to us for two reasons: it saves on fuel, which is expensive, and it also keeps us from running up engine hours.

[@markgotham5372]

Love your new boat...!!!....Hull appears to run heavy, ( that's a Good Thing....)

[@SailingTalisman]

Hi Mark. The Oyster 485 displaces 37,500 lbs, which is about halfway down my boat list. Admittedly, there are only a few production boats on the list, but the Hanse 505 comes in at 30,900 while the Hallberg Rassy 54 lists at 57,981. To compare correctly, you need to do displacement to length, or D/L. As you are surely aware, displacement equals dry weight out of the water, and is calculated with no stores or fluids added. Thanks so much for watching.

[@markgotham5372]

A very happy medium....A Comfortable Cruiser, which makes for a Happy Wife = A Happy Man......LOL....Looking forward to Your Journeys..... ;-)

[@SailingTalisman]

Thanks again. Good words.

[@SailingTalisman]

BTW, it's not so much heavy as seakindly. The speed is greater than the calculated hull speed we've found (over 9 knots while we were trying to reduce sail and de-power), and she's like a tree trunk in the water when things get crazy. AVS=136, which means 136+136-360=88 degrees of negative stability. If the boat ever goes over she'll want to right almost immediately.

[@markgotham5372]

Kevin, That's exactly what I was referring to. You can see in vid that it's not bow light, ( "bouncy") and has a very good balance. Light bow or racing, (which I'm used to...) are not very comfortable beyond a couple hours. A lot of cruising designs are "pregnant" beams, which tend to roll if you really sail, ( which most cruiser's don't.....). Your vid shows a very well balanced hull that will hold heeling well and and holds the Bow well...only down-side is a lil more attention to top-side and jack-lines....Bottom line....I'm Jealous...... ;-)

[@johnrichard6802]

Talisman's wheel needs a new cover. I remember Oysters get wet up on the bow in rough seas. Love the sound of that engine. Is it turbo charged?

[@SailingTalisman]

Wendy installed a new wheel cover while we were in Gibraltar and it was such a great improvement. Visually it's better to be sure, but also nice in terms of touch. The engine is a Yanmar 4JH2 88hp turbo diesel, and so far it's been great. Relatively low engine hours (3500) considering the age of the boat.

[@barryrauff225]

Hi Kev and Wendy! How are you and your yacht doing this time around? Spain was great, Ceuta very interesting. Where are you? Next spring I'll be heading to Sardinia and Corsica for 6 weeks. Hope to see you back in Denver.

[@SailingTalisman]

Hi Barry. Ceuta can certainly be interesting. We're in Turkey now, headed for Rhodes, Greece next week. Turkey has been awesome. Hope all is well.

[@barryrauff225]

@@SailingTalisman Old town Rhodes is one of my favorite places in the world. Enjoy. I will be in Sardinia from May 2 - June 13. Maybe we can meet on the Med! Smooth sailing.

[@redroofretriever]

Great to see your shake down sail and crossing. Did you need to clear customs as you entered Spain? Keep living my dream. Thanks for sharing.

[@SailingTalisman]

We actually cleared in while we were in Cameret Sur Mer, France, so technically already cleared in. Iain is an EU citizen/resident and therefore wouldn't need clearance for himself. The funny part was, the guy at the gas dock almost saw the whole thing coming (based on my American accent) and was ready with nozzle in hand, along with the handheld credit card machine they use everywhere in Europe. Apparently, the Customs office overlooks the gas dock, but we're also discovering that there's a fair amount of leniency now that Schengen is in place. About 90-95% of the arrivals are from fellow EU countries and don't need to clear in. That has led to major reductions in staff and a smaller enforcement footprint in the marinas and towns we've visited. At each marina we've been asked for our passports, boat registration, and insurance. These are photocopied and sent off, and that's the last we hear of it. Technically, we're now cleared out of the Schengen zone as we're in Gibraltar, and this is important because a standard EU/Schengen tourist visa allows 90 days out of a rolling 180 days (the UK, Ireland, and Gibraltar are EU but non-Schengen). We were down to 35 days when we arrived here and were keen to visit the Gibraltar "frontier" office at the Spanish border which about a ten minute walk from our slip and have our passports stamped so we could prove exit from the Schengen zone.

[@thomaskloack7188]

Hey Kevin, I love the Oyster and Zingaro just acquired one as well of the same size. I would like to hear your views on the Mono hull verses the Catamaran, and the reason I ask is that I would love to do this with my wife some day as we are getting older and I am 61 and she is 53. So in your opinion which is is safer, It looks like you are having a great time and enjoying life on the water. God Speed Wendy and Kevin! love the videos and have learned alot from you both while I am here in Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan.

[@SailingTalisman]

Hi Thomas. We get a lot of comments along these lines, and I love answering them. We're monohull sailors by having grown up sailing them almost exclusively. At root, the answer to your question is that cruising monohulls generally point closer to the wind and are faster (than cruising cats). There are exceptions, but that's what I see generally speaking. The cats are built to be floating apartments, and have a lot of entertaining space. This is what the owners love about them, and why cats are gaining in popularity. Charter companies love them because they draw very little water (low draft), and therefore charterers don't run them aground as often. Cruising sailboats can be broken out into two broad categories. The first are "production" boats such as Jeanneau, Beneteau, Dufour, Hanse, Bavaria, etc., while the second are semi-custom bluewater specific offshore cruisers, which are what Oyster, Amel, Hallberg Rassy, Swan, Contest, Discovery, Malo, Nijad, etc. build. The bluewater boats will be heavier and much more strongly built, which translates to safer at sea in general terms, but will also be much more expensive to buy. Maintenance costs are probably similar between the two, and the scales are possibly tipped against the production boats since they start out with minimal specs to begin with. And thank you for your service, whatever capacity it's in.

[@jamestown8088]

I have to agree with others. You have a sailing boat so why is the engine on so much?

[@SailingTalisman]

Because we're absolutely required to get to a safer place for the winter. Had the sale of the boat happened in a more timely manner and a big electronics refit not been required we could have had a leisurely trip down out of Scotland and into the Med with following winds and favorable currents. That didn't happen, so we had to motor. Now that we're here in Gibraltar things are going to change. Using the engine is expensive in terms of fuel and there's only so many engine hours in the life of one. Believe me when I say that using it is a last resort for us.

[@RichardEricCollins]

Great video thanks for sharing. :)

[@SailingTalisman]

You bet.

[@evanofelipe]

Nice introduction with your planned route clearly set out, Thanks. Long grey passages don’t actually make for entertaining vlogs, so no point in complaining cos’ unfortunately that’s the reality of them. The wheel’s currently looking the worse for wear. No is doubt due for a new chamois wheel glove when you reach warmer climes. You didn’t mention any sea sickness being experienced, is that because there wasn’t any or just not news worthy enough? Cheers

[@SailingTalisman]

Hi there. Good questions all. We've already gotten a few complaints about a boring video, but a lot of our viewers have dreams of doing the cruising life and this is what it really is. Sailing for days on end and being on a 3 on 3 off watch system gets really old after a while. But that's what it is. As for seasickness, Wendy and I don't seem to be prone to it (thank God). We've had a few bouts of bad-food-itis, but otherwise no issues. The wheel cover is on its last legs to be sure and I have not seen one for sale anywhere we've been. Ordering online is probably the answer, but you have to be somewhere long enough to get it shipped. I did tape it up with brown electrical tape just to keep something separating our hands from the cold stainless steel. Thanks for watching.

[@chuckleber3484]

Do you know the fuel burn rate of your Oyster? What RPM are you cruising at?

[@SailingTalisman]

Our Yanmar 4JH2 88hp turbo diesel burns about 4.75lph at 1900rpms. This gets us about 6.5 knots. We can go up to 2200rpms or so and get 7+ knots, but our fuel economy really suffers.

[@bobaquaplane1679]

Where is your AIS aerial? I'm surprised that you can see further with radar than AIS. I have never had either and was thinking about AIS for sailing in reduced visibility. I want an emergency VHF aerial on the pushpit in case I lose the mast so probably wouldn't go for a splitter and sharing the mast head aerial. I don't think I would have it on if sailing in the visibility you had but when motoring why not?

[@SailingTalisman]

Our AIS shares the VHF antenna on the top of our mast by way of Raymarine's AIS100 splitter. This spring I'm installing a new VHF antenna and cable if I have enough time. Our Raymarine Quantum radar goes out to 24nm, but only in calm water so the dome stays relatively stable, and will only pick up large ships and land masses at that range. We generally have it set to 8nm, which gives plenty of time to make course adjustments. We generally leave AIS on all the time, as the bigger boats do, unless there's some reason not to. AIS is awesome because it calculates intercepts with other vessels very accurately. Also, AIS slaves nicely into the Ray chartplotters for both charts and radar, so you see the AIS icons/readings on both.

[@Anglosaxon69]

Curious why you bought a sailboat?😂

[@andresvensson7507]

You have a sailingboat not motorboat!

[@SailingTalisman]

We know, and we love sailing. However, when you're paying a transfer skipper by the day and he has other clients waiting you go as fast as you can to get where you're going. Also, during the September and later months in the Bay of Biscay you get only two types of weather; moderate with wind blowing against you, and gale force and above systems that can leave you with days of bad weather and minimal progress. We sail as much as we can now that we're on our own, but the Spanish and Portuguese west coasts are not a place you want to be in winter.

[@johnturner2175]

From where did Columbus leave.

[@darrylbeattie737]

Hi Wendy and Kevin... I've been watching you guys right from the beginning and I can't tell you how much I've enjoyed your videos. With the exception of a little audio problem here and there which you were aware of and took care of like you said you would, you have done a fantastic job. Just wanted to make a little comment regarding what some of your subscribers are saying about your journey. It's easy to sit at home and tell you what you should and shouldn't be doing, but at the end of the day, you have to do what's right. Most of those subscribers probably haven't even looked at a weather map of the northern part of the Atlantic to see just how much bad weather travels across especially at that time of year. There's also your weather window heading west across into the Caribbean that needs consideration. I know you know all this but come the time I start tell you what to do out there, might be the time you tell me to unsubscribe!!!! Follow your weather windows, time your journeys, sail safe, and most importantly enjoy yourselves. I'm going along with ya if that's ok with you :)

[@SailingTalisman]

Hi Darryl. Thanks so much for the kind words. Yes, we do get some criticism, but often it's the other commenters who straighten them out. I've only (permanently) blocked someone once, and that was for over-the-top, probably drunken, abuse. Otherwise I try to keep an open mind. Sometimes the commenters are right, and should that be the case it might be the one piece of information that saves the boat or us. Just yesterday a viewer who owns Oyster 485 hull number 25 wrote to tell me of the issues he had with a seized upper mainsail furler bearing. He even sent links to pics of the issue and his solution. I know this isn't really what you're talking about, but still. Very cool. More in line with your thoughts are the forum people that reply to technical questions with obviously wrong advice. I've developed a keen eye for spotting these sorts, and typically look for concurring opinions. The no-actual-experience folks do write well, often. But I'll tell you this: The thing that really chaffs me is when people give a "thumbs down" on a video. I don't care about it for myself, but invariably on big channels like Delos or RAN Sailing you'll see 5 or 6 thumbs down reviews for a free video made at great effort and with thousands of dollars in equipment. If you don't think it's the best video they ever made, keep it to yourself and go back to your video games. We're heading back to Gibraltar tomorrow morning to get back on the boat and can't wait. Should have some new videos soon.

[@darrylbeattie737]

Want to run something by you. I know things in your world probably are a little crazy right now with the new boat and getting it into the Mediterranean but when things settle down and you are thinking of something to post, how about doing a comparison on mainsail furlers. I would love to hear what you think about traditional mainsail hauling, in mast furling and boom furling. Is one better then another in bad weather. Is reefing better with one over another. Vertical battens vs. horizontal battens. I've always wandered then working a main sail in heavy winds with in mast furling and something jambs with full sail up, what the hell do you do now???? With inboom at least it can be dropped. Cost I guess comes into it as well. I don't even know whether an inboom system can be attached to just any mast. Anyway, keep doing what you're doing cause it is interesting and informative.

[@SailingTalisman]

I'd be reluctant to take a stand on one vs. the other, but my observation is that the bigger the boat the more likely it is that they have in-mast furling. The sail area just becomes massive after a point. In-boom is popular too, but from what we've heard it's very sensitive to boom angle. Now when you're sailing boom angle might not be an issue, but prior to furling you have to get the angle adjusted just right. In-boom theoretically has the advantage of horizontal battens, but the new sails have the draft sewn into them with very low stretch materials laminated into the fabric. I swear the super yachts that have in-boom systems have a program that automatically adjusts boom angle before the furler activates. All of this said, you'll see our issues with our furler coming up. I think it's a superior system, especially compared to slab reefing, but ours was old and neglected and we're paying the price to bring it back up to spec. The more complicated the system, the more likely it is to break. Better bring tools!

[@robertw.1499]

Are you constantly running the generator or engine. Even when you said you were under sail, there‘s this persistent wine in the background. Love your yacht guys 👍

[@SailingTalisman]

Hi Robert. Great questions. When at a marina we're usually on shore power, which runs our refrigeration, hot water, battery charger and 220vac outlets (we have Euro power on the boat). At sea, we have to run the genset for about 2-3 hours a day to keep the fridge cold and to keep our 24vdc house battery bank charged. The 24 volt system will last us for 8-10 days with no recharging, even under heavy use from the autopilot and radar, so the fridge becomes the driver. The engine has a 24vdc alternator that will recharge the batteries but does not produce the heavy duty 220vac power needed by the refrigerator. If the fridge ever dies, we'll replace w/ a 12 or 24 volt version. Also, the genset consumes about 1 liter of diesel per hour whereas the engine takes about 7, so much better to run the genset. Finally, and this might be the nub of your question, we do motor sail sometimes, but make a point of keeping that to a minimum. Also, the boat makes a deep hum, like our Catalina did, when fully powered under sail. All in all, I can't say exactly which noise you were hearing, but thanks so much for watching.

[@Valden23]

Kevin, Wendy - I'm curious about your fuel usage. I'll assume you started out from Brest with full tanks. How much did you put in at A Coruna? Approx 345 nm distance. Consumption per nm? Also, do you have the standard 550 litre tank?

[@SailingTalisman]

We have a 400 liter diesel tank and we get around 7.5 liters per hour. We ran the engine and even the generator too for 2 hours a day all the way across the Bay of Biscay for 3 days straight. We used up most of the fuel doing so. We also have a 150 liter gray water tank that we feel is useless and we'd like to convert it to diesel in the future. Our powerplant is an 88hp Yanmar 4 cylinder turbo diesel.

[@Valden23]

Thanks for this data. I'll be doing some maths. :-) Thumbs up on the tank conversion; the extra diesel will be very handy. Re generator and charging - have you had a look at the EFOY fuel cell chargers? Very interesting. I'll be looking at adding one of these. www.efoy-comfort.com . Then there's the Hydromax 150 fuel cell; not so neat but just as effective. www.dynad-hydromax.com/en/hydromax-150-fuel-cell-charger/

[@Valden23]

Hi Kevin, Wendy. I'm guessing you're pretty happy with how Talisman is performing when motoring or motor-sailing. Calcs suggest you're getting overall fuel consumption of around 1 litre per nm, perhaps a bit better, which is pretty impressive for a 48.5 footer, being pushed along at 7+ kts by motor alone ( 8:04 ) and 9-11 kts with some help from the wind ( 4:57 ). My calibrated ear tells me revs were around 2300 (??). Fuel consumption appears to be bang on the Yanmar curve for what you were doing. Fuel cost to move you and your home from Brest to A Coruña looks to be about 500 Euro. Same trip by train for two (with a couple of bags but no boat) comes up at 496 Euro. Interesting. :-)

[@SailingTalisman]

Wow. Those are interesting ways of looking at things. BTW, it appears our diesel tank is actually 500 liters, so I misreported that. It's also interesting that you estimated 2300 RPMs. We lost the tachometer early on the trip, somewhere in the Irish Sea, and afterward I was constantly trying to estimate RPMs by ear. I was convinced Iain was running the engine hard and kept a keen eye on the temperature gauge as it shows the truth pretty reliably. That said, you have to consider that Iain was quite concerned about an approaching weather front that we barely kept in front of. Getting the tach diagnosed was a bear as most Yanmars pull tach pulses off the alternator but ours actually has a tach sender which is tucked in behind the exhaust manifold and is all but impossible to see. Oyster also used a unique non-Yanmar wiring harness, or at least a modified version, so the wiring diagrams from Yanmar are not always accurate. Oyster produced the revised diagrams for the clients but a previous owner appears to have misplaced them. A very cool marine electrician in Lagos, Portugal found the problem (failed spade connectors) and repaired for about 40 Euros. I now realize that while we were close, I'd estimate 2500 RPMs out of about 3000 max. They tell me that overworking the engine doesn't damage it as long as temp stays cool, and I find that keeping the engine room fan on is key to that. It's interesting that I don't see any indication of carbon buildup. They say to run the engine at max for a minute or so after use to blow it out and you'll see black smoke and maybe even oil smoke for a moment, which I've never seen. I think we cleaned it out pretty good. Fuel consumption seems best at around 2200, and that's what I've been targeting, even if passage speed is a bit slower (7-7.5 kntos).

[@Valden23]

Ah, a 500 litre tank. Could even be 550, as listed in a spec for your boat I found on the interweb. Must be true! Given that your engine was probably running faster than I'd guessed, your fuel economy still looks right as per the Yanmar graph. Sure, a yacht uses more fuel than a Winnebago, but it also weighs 18 tonnes and is being pushed through water. I still think it's remarkable that you can motor across the Bay of Biscay for about the same money it would cost to have yourselves moved by public transport. :-) Re blowing out the engine - yep, you gotta burn out the gunk. Works best when ambient humidity is high, which in most crowded marinas is at 3am.

[@robertomarinho1278]

Bienvenidos a Galicia....

[@patthompson2810]

The sailing will come, when you have a weather window, especially crossing the Bay of Biscay, you have to take it, motoring, motor sailing, what ever, sailing is a bonus. Great vid but it would have been nice to say good morning to the Swedes lol they are nice people and probably have info on local drinking holes and eatery's. Keep up the good work.

[@SailingTalisman]

Thanks Pat. It's been a while. Did we forget to say hello to Swedes? Probably in Camerey Sur Mer. That's about the only place we stopped long enough to look at other boats. Anyway, brings back memories.

[@patthompson2810]

@@SailingTalisman no it was in Portugal, you had just arrived and were walking up the pontoon 😊

[@SailingTalisman]

Yep. Wendy watched the episode and we saw it was the Grand Soleil 50 with the nice Swedish family. We did talk to them but didn't video the conversation. They had a leaky dinghy and were a bit stressed about it.

[@carolinewilliams1356]

It's a yacht. Sail it.

[@SailingTalisman]

Hi Caroline. We do. Over 12,000nm so far, and coming up on 4 years since we started.

[@robrijkmans]

Hey guys Treat us a bit, buy a Gimbal for the camera, and we'll all get to see the world better…

[@SailingTalisman]

Thanks Rob. We're working on it.

[@brokerhc]

I see from the boat's flag that Talisman is an american boat and I assume you are also Americans. From that perspective, can you offer some information as to the check in procedures in foreign ports for american boats? I noticed that you stopped in La Coruña for refueling and then entered the port of Bayona where I assume, you contacted at least the marina. However, did not see the quarantine yellow flag nor the Spain's national flag in your rigging. Neither you mentioned checking in at immigration with your passports before going for the wonderful beer and sandwiches. You were right about motoring the Bay of Byscay in gloomy sunless weather with the meter running on your transfer skipper. I would also be in a hurry to get rid of him. I kind started late following you but I will eventually catch up. Don't pay attention to the negatives, just take some of them as advice if reasonable and as ignorant comments if not. I was born an American citizen in Puerto Rico where I sailed for more than 30 years in my own boat. It was my boat and my decisions were law, good or bad. Now, while retired in Florida I follow young guys like you to keep me informed.

[@SailingTalisman]

Hi there. Great questions and a future topic for a full episode (clearance and other related issues). So, to start, non-EU citizens are covered by what's known as the Schengen Agreement. This is the EU legislation that not only allows EU nationals to move between EU countries without border checks, but also allows visitors to do so as well. We started in Scotland, which is part of the United Kingdom. Now ... perhaps surprisingly, the UK, although part of the EU, is not a formal signatory to Schengen. Under Schengen, visiting foreign nationals get 90 days in the EU out of a rolling 180 days. The UK does the same, but their "clock" is not connected to the rest of the EU. Therefore, you can stay 90 days in the UK and then head to France and get another 90 days. These 90 days can be broken up within the 180 day rolling period but cannot exceed the larger number. With that as background, we left Scotland with not many days left on the UK Schengen clock, and at first touch in France, we cleared in formally at Camerey Sur Mer (outside of Brest). Although we were formally cleared in and out of the UK on our passports, it was important to get a French stamp (proof of entry) on our passports in order to start the new EU Schengen clock. However, being legally in the EU, either in the UK or the continental EU countries, meant that we really didn't have to do much in the way of clearing in (no yellow Q flag required). We do fly the host country courtesy flag on our starboard signal halyard, as is customary. As a side note, you do not fly the Spanish national flag as they have a marine ensign instead. The difference is that the Spanish national flag shows a crown in the center of the yellow and red field, while the nautical ensign does not. Getting to the core of your question, at each marina or port/harbor in the EU (inclusive of the UK), you bring passports, boat registration, and insurance docs to the port captain's office. They sign you in and take payment (for marina berthing-no charge for arriving), and then things are good to go. We are also always ready to show VAT tax payment receipt (for the boat) if requested, RYA skipper licenses if needed, and VHF radio license. I'll add that here in Greece, they have a totally different way of doing things (despite being EU Schengen) and that is a whole new area of crazy.

[@brokerhc]

Thanks for the great explanation.

[@PaleBlueDotCitizen]

I hear engine. Please delete this video immediately!!!!

[@SailingTalisman]

You'll be sitting in port a lot if you're holding out for wind in the Med during summer. We do motorsail when we have to, and I haven't gone back into the vid to see for sure, but I find that sometimes it's our genset that's running in the background. We have to run the generator 2 hours each morning and afternoon/evening to keep the fridge cold. Anyway, thanks for watching.

[@tip00former1]

f motoring again

[@SailingTalisman]

Sorry you're disappointed. For this late crossing of the Bay of Biscay, probably the 5th or 6th most dangerous places to be in a storm, we were threading the needle between two major systems and were glad for being able to cross at all. It was our second open water leg after buying the boat and we were in no hurry to screw the pooch that fast. But to your point, we do sail whenever we can. We found the Med to be very light winds in the summer, and often light on the nose or light on the stern. As Americans with 90 days on the Schengen clock, sitting in port waiting for a windy day wasn't going to do it. But if you want heavy weather sailing, check out episode 99 forward.

[@zootsootful]

Clickbait scam. This isn't a sailing video.

[@SailingTalisman]

Who raised you?

[@barryrauff225]

Hi Kev and Wendy! How are you and your yacht doing this time around? Spain was great, Ceuta very interesting. Where are you? Next spring I'll be heading to Sardinia and Corsica for 6 weeks. Hope to see you back in Denver.

[@SailingTalisman]

Hi Barry. YT just introduced a feature that allows you to see comments that haven't been viewed/responded to, and guess what. This is one of them. We're having a great time. Just did a 550nm non-stop passage from Mykonos, Greece to Malta over 4 days. Malta is amazing, but next week it's off to Sardinia. Hope all is well on your end.