3] Crossing The English Channel On A Catamaran With NO EXPERIENCE

[@SailingKittiwake]

Hey! This is an old video. Our videos have improved massively since this one. For better quality episodes, skip to season 2 or 3. Season 2 - Sailing Kittiwake around the Mediterranean: kzbin.info/www/bejne/gYDcYXRpq7mnfck Season 3 - Upgrading to a 37ft American design sailboat: kzbin.info/www/bejne/bKTcZodrbLqlr68

[@Mr.Stacey-L-SCC]

I'm committed to watching from the beginning! Seeing how a channel has evolved over time is part of the fun!

[@Oceans_Sail]

Great music choices...loved it!

[@anaggrovator1655]

I love the little details, maps and time scales, great vids, thanks

[@SailingKittiwake]

Thanks so much. We hope you enjoy our latest episodes too 😊

[@grahammewburn]

I Love listening to French music and vocals. Cheers Gray Australia

[@nick.caffrey]

I'm new to your channel. You seem to be the real deal. Good luck.

[@SailingKittiwake]

Thanks a lot Nick!

[@verynearlyaboutsailing8114]

Excellent start to your adventures. I'm not normally a fan of music on sailing videos, but the songs you chose really matched the mood. The places you stopped off at look lovely.

[@SailingKittiwake]

+Just about sailing thanks so much! We love those tunes 😊

[@paulmorris7603]

Really enjoyed your video. Looking forward to the next one. Fair winds!

[@SailingKittiwake]

+Paul Morris thanks a lot Paul! The next video will include the French islands, which are an amazing place - one of the best we've been so far 😊 Stay tuned 🎬

[@vickipearce9332]

Greetings from Oz! I found your video at the time of your purchase ofa new boat (Season 4 I think!). As I don't like to miss out on anything I'm starting at the beginning. Very impressed with your honest "storm" debrief.

[@SailingKittiwake]

Yaaay! Nice to have you on board, Vicki. We really hope you like the channel 🤞

[@unacottrell9145]

Hello! Lovely to "see" you both. So very well done for all your achieving! xx

[@SailingKittiwake]

+Una Cottrell thanks so much! xx

[@tonypryor8870]

Really touched at how you thought about what happened. Please don't for a moment blame yourself for what happened to the lifeboat man - you did absolutely the right thing to call them and you might have saved some lives by doing that. And I think you were unlucky - I have been sailing for many, many years and never had an experience like this. Great video.

[@SailingKittiwake]

Thanks ever so much Tony. This experience taught us a lot and still saddens us when we think of the events, but we now feel we did the right thing. It was certainly all we could do. Thanks for your kind words. Yes, we haven’t had (or seen) anything as bad happening ever since. Hopefully it’ll keep going that way 😁 Fair winds, Elena and Ryan

[@lotophagi711]

Excellent. Shows what you can do with a simple boat. But you need to fiddle with your slots a bit. The staysail was collapsing the genny :-)

[@SailingKittiwake]

+Lotophagi hi, thanks for the comment! Yep, its a storm sail really and it only works as a staysail on a very particular wind direction, and there's not much to sheet it to on the cabin roof. Sometimes adds a little speed despite this but most of the time just blankets the genoa like you say. Some Heavenly Twins are setup as a proper cutter rig, but I think they must have a jib cut for it and better sheeting options.

[@svroysjoy5538]

Just found your channel - hope to follow in your wake once we are ready prepping our boat - great vids and looking forward to the next - thanks

[@SailingKittiwake]

+S/V Roys Joy yay thanks so much 😊

[@MurphysLemonadeStand]

Another great video. Really love the Kittiwake. Interesting graveyard too

[@SailingKittiwake]

Thank you!

[@Bill23799]

I like the soothing music in your videos. It goes well with the moments you realize it was ok to not have to talk through. I crossed the English Channel once on a ferry from Calais to Dover. I was stationed in West Germany in the US Army and I got a 4 day pass and took a long weekend Bus Tour to London. I used to try to buy a hat that was specifically identified to each country I visited back then. When I visited Paris I bought a French Beret. IN Germany I bought a green felt German Hunters hat with the big brush on the side. In Spain I collected a Flamenco Dancer's hat. I visited the Island of Crete and so got a genuine Greek Fisherman's cap. Now guess what type of hat I bought when I visited London. * * * * * go on guess * * * * Yes, as soon as i got settled into my hotel and figured how to use the " Tube " I whisked off to Harrods Department Store and i bought a genuine " Deerstalker Cap ". I am sure Mr Holmes would have considered my choice quite elementary.

[@nmsspacedude1793]

Ooh - got me! - I guessed 'bowler'! Deerstalker would be the only other option... (I lived in Japan for a few years, many years ago, and so often was asked if I wore a cloak when in England!)

[@tomsnow2009]

Another Great video guys! You guys are inspiring me to hurry up and get my Cat finished and get out there.

[@SailingKittiwake]

+Tom Snow thanks Tom! You totally should 😃

[@tomharrell1954]

Very very good. Thanks for posting.

[@CheersWarren]

A nice time of year to cross the ‘Western Approaches”. That area can have some of the nastiest wind and waves anywhere. Lovely video . Cheers warren

[@SailingKittiwake]

Thanks Warren, it's great being able to take our time and choose when to cross - we keep being told about horrible experiences people have had in Biscay or the channel but by waiting for the right weather we found them lovely and enjoyable!

[@CheersWarren]

Sailing Kittiwake Not being in a rush is so important! With only short vacations we had to take our chances sometimes! Thanks for posting. Warren.

[@nheeren1]

Sweet video. Great job. Thanks for sharing!

[@SailingBritaly]

Gret video Elena and Ryan! Good luck on your continuing adventures. Fair winds! Chris & Rossella 👍

[@SailingKittiwake]

+Sailing Britaly Cheers guys! Where are you at the moment? We're in Galicia, close to the Portuguese border.

[@SailingBritaly]

We're currently on board in Liguria but baby is due next month so we'll shortly be having a spell on dry land before doing a refit on Britaly in preparation for our trip from the UK to the Med next year... (with a 6 month old baby girl as crew - YIKES!!!) :-D

[@SailingKittiwake]

Sailing Britaly how exciting!!! And a girl 😍 It's amazing to hear you'll be on our same route next year 😊 who knows, maybe we'll meet in the Med?! Are you doing a boat tour of the new boat soon? We're curious 😃

[@AndyUK-Corrival]

Great video and interests to see some places I have yet to explore. Not being picky but I could not help but notice your shroud bottle screws have no seizing wire or split pins to stop then coming loose. Might be wise to do that as, from experience, under tension they do loosen. Safe passage and look forward to more videos. Andy. Sussex, UK

[@SailingKittiwake]

+FrenchAM100 hi Andy, you're eagle-eyed! We had no split pins in while tweaking the rigging. They're in now.

[@geremychubbuck3730]

Another wonderful video, guys. Keep up the great work!

[@SailingKittiwake]

+Geremy Chubbuck you’ll make us blush 😁

[@SailingMoneypenny]

Great crossing!

[@frankd2301]

You guys say “chill” also? Eg. “it was a chill passage.” Love it

[@SailingKittiwake]

Certainly do! Usually 'chilled' :)

[@JohnnyHallAndFamily]

Great work guys. Careful with Rayban Aviators sunglasses. I lost a few pairs in my first year of sailing. They tend to slip off easily when bending over. Decathalon sell great value elastic strap, high UV wrap arounds. Save the Raybans for land.

[@SailingKittiwake]

+Johnny Hall thanks a lot!

[@rossharrison5981]

Wonderful video, more please, and thank you

[@SailingKittiwake]

Ross Harrison thanks a lot Ross! You're too kind. We try to release 1 video x month - we're rather busy making a living, maintaining the boat and sailing 😉

[@clachanachoin3127]

Gently lovely!

[@scottstevens5628]

Nice music, nice insight into your passage. Did you eat? Ha

[@evanofelipe]

Congratulations to you both on your first safe Channel crossing. Much better sound handling and super views - thanks. English Channel has one the world's busiest Shipping lanes, so good hear you crossed them without incident. Do you have AIS? It's a great safety device and an essential Nav Aid for long distance passages. Safe journey and happy times.

[@SailingKittiwake]

+evanofelipe hi! Thanks for the comment. We were pretty cautious about the shipping but found it to be fine, as in the video there wasn't really anything much until we got near France. We think crossing at its widest point might have helped in that respect. We don't have AIS but keep a keen lookout. If we get together enough money over winter we might buy a new radio with AIS as our current radio isn't that great. Or we've also seen the cheap little Raspberry Pi type ones, so we might get one of them.

[@col2959]

I've just watched your first 3 videos ...?.... in a row. Really really good👍🏻 col west 🇦🇺

[@SailingKittiwake]

Thanks so much! 😊🙏

[@dundeedolphin]

I'm a bit surprised at the lack of boat speed. Also, am feeling your frustration at not being able to sleep at about. Must be tough to deal with.

[@SailingKittiwake]

Heavenly Twins are known for being slow 🤷🏻‍♀️ Thank you! Three years later, I still struggle with it a lot.

[@chaswarren7239]

@@SailingKittiwake Slow maybe, but safe, steady, looking after you as well as her. The LandRover of the sea - go anywhere totally reliably.

[@tsenmyata1593]

"It's been really hot...", "well about 24deg"... *died* It's just so relatable. I don't think people from the Med understand!

[@arnelvik9284]

Hi :) I stumbled onto you guys on Insta, so cool and very inspiring! Looking forward to following your adventures. I found a saying on another blogg, "Never buy a sofa !"... that's when you end up in the trap... 'cos then its the TV and the fridge etc etc = Freedom gone and you're just a 9-5 slave... I unfortunately landed myself in this trap but am working hard to escape :) All the best wishes to you both from a weekend sailor stranded in Norway :)

[@SailingKittiwake]

+Arne Løvik hi Arne! Yep, we're lucky that we never got a mortgage and even furniture as that ties you down so much. We just gave our landlord notice and set off :D Keep going at it, it's worth sacrifices for this way of life which is so much more fun!

[@6r4metroman]

Great stuff :-) That really is the trip I'd like to do next year. Looking forward to the next installment. Over & out SV Avalon... Subcribed

[@SailingKittiwake]

+6r4metroman nice! What's your full plan? Head into the Med, like us? Episode 4 is already out btw 😉 The French islands are not to miss! Stunning coastline and waters 👌🏻

[@jspellma1]

Love your music choices! Where can I find a similar playlist?

[@SailingKittiwake]

+josh Spellmann cheers! The tracks we used are in the description of each videos. They’re from Jamendo, a platform for free music. They were quite hard to find 😁 you have to dig around a lot on there to find the good stuff.

[@acedjgaming6779]

love the music

[@SailingKittiwake]

Yay! ☺️

[@acedjgaming6779]

@@SailingKittiwake I also enjoy the video and your story. The music is very relaxing and adds to the enjoyment of the scenery and makes me feel like I'm there with you guys experiencing it.

[@FitOutPost]

Very nice voyage, sailors! I subscribed.

[@SailingKittiwake]

Yay! Thank you 😊

[@patricklaine6958]

Nice video. Did you calculate a course to steer taking into account the tide crossing the Channel, or did you just point at NW France? Good luck for the rest of your voyage.

[@SailingKittiwake]

+Patrick Laine Hi Patrick! Thanks very much. As we thought it would take us 26 hours, so around 2 full tidal cycles, we didn't bother with a course to steer. We did work out roughly what the tide was doing for every hour of the course, so that we could keep an eye on the drift. But as it happened, our autopilot (with magnetic compass) steered a nearly dead straight line all the way and didn't wander at all with the tide! We figured that, as we were right at the widest end of the Channel, and around neaps, the tide didn't have much of an effect. We'd be keen to hear others' experiences though.

[@patricklaine6958]

I just checked the tidal charts --- and you are right that far out to the west. Around neaps, there isn't much in it, especially if you are doing two complete cycles. I probably would have calculated the adjusted course, but had the same result as you. :-)

[@CheersWarren]

Patrick Laine We did fowey to Cherbourg many ( many) years ago and calculated one 12 hour cycle and allowed the boat to drift both ways and end ‘up’ tide of our destination , once we could see it! We had no GPS to check our position just RDF if anybody remembers what that is to get a rough check of our position! And of course ‘dead reckoning’ Cheers warren

[@jeromegoodwin3848]

If you do more films use a wind guard on the mike.

[@timk4944]

Great work! Thanks. I'm curious what is the fastest you have had the Kittiwake going?

[@SailingKittiwake]

+Tim K hey Tim, with a bit of help from the strong tides in the gulf of Morbihan, we saw 9.6 knots SOG 😃 In normal sailing conditions, before we loaded her up, we had her up to 7.5 knots in a stiff reach. Now she's well loaded, we get excited at 5 knots.

[@timothyberg7081]

Keep your potable water fresh with a silver coin into each container to keep it drinkable.

[@rossharrison5981]

Is the month up yet, is there a new video soon, it's great that you are so informative with your sailing and it's techniques, my kids shared some music with me, 'X X I X pillow talk' should find it on you tube its become an ear worm now. Cornwall is wet and autumnal bodmin moor where I live is full of sloes, back berry and nuts. I trust the weather is with you, be safe. Regards Rossington

[@SailingKittiwake]

Ross Harrison thanks so much Ross! We're working on episode 4 😊 give us a week or two 😉 We're working hard on our freelance work and trying to make good progress before the autumn kicks in at the moment. We're currently in Aveiro, Portugal, and hope to move down south, near Faro, for the beginning of October. Enjoy the Cornish autumn 😊

[@gangstagrandma]

Nice Chenal Du Four passage eh! Trying to place your accents. Where are you guys from? Never mind. I just went to your blog and found out! Ciao Elena.

[@SailingKittiwake]

+Wanda Kaleka cheers! Haha ciao Wanda 😊

[@Laberding]

Nice Video! I like your idea of doing it the cheap way instead of working for 10 more years to buy yourself a bigger boat. What sailing experience did you have before buying the boat?

[@SailingKittiwake]

Hey, thanks very much! Ryan had sailed a bit in the UK but Elena was new to it. Most of what we’ve learnt has been along the way.

[@clarisd]

May I ask as to why the storm jib was not full during filming, was that intentional or were you staying that close to zero? Also do you have a spinnaker? I will go back and have another look at you boat tour! I subed and shared, great vids! Also winter in Sicily,

[@normanboyes4983]

Good vid and Good crossing tactics. Do you pull up or rotate your outboard so your prop is out of the water while sailing?

[@SailingKittiwake]

+Norman Boyes we do pull it up, yes. We like to think it gives us extra speed (0.1 knots 😂).

[@OutdoorFreedomDk]

Nice video and nice music ! My brother just bought a Catamaran which is li located in Chichester, U.K. And we are gonna sail it to Copenhagen, in start of July. And it's 1. time crossing the Channel for all of us 4 in the crew... Exciting !

[@SailingKittiwake]

How exciting! You will have a great time. Have a blast 😊

[@yalebrozen1349]

Nice videos. Keep up the good work!

[@SailingKittiwake]

+Yale Brozen thanks a lot Yale!

[@acedjgaming6779]

Do you have any advice for someone looking to do what you did. I.e how to buy a boat, training needed etc,

[@SailingKittiwake]

Start from here: kzbin.info/aero/PLo-hiEBzhuYJO8bpKpy2i8e0Hvg6ebLc5 Tons of info on our blog too: sailingkittiwake.com

[@zurrojilful]

hi great videos love to see a cat like that in action some audio issues where recordings are much louder than the edited audio also throw that dinghy on deck, you go faster

[@SailingKittiwake]

+Anchovy hi Anchovy, thanks for the comment. We normally do stick her on deck, except for short hops when we don't worry too much about speed :)

[@zerofox7347]

hi guys I’m glad I found your channel I’m lovin your videos. What a cool little boat you have! I was wondering if you plan on adding some kind of Bimini for shelter as you get to the hotter climates?

[@SailingKittiwake]

+Zero Fox thanks so much! :) Yes, we are trying to figure out a solution for a shelter - at the moment we have a shade that we string to our boom and rigging. We need to come up with something better 😉

[@damienlery7550]

how much did you pay for music copyrights ? it must have cost you a fortune ? and what did you use as editing program? damo

[@SailingKittiwake]

Damien Lery we now use Epidemic Sound, which is a tenner a month. Back when we filmed these old videos, we used copyright free music. A lot of the music we used isn’t copyright free anymore, so now the music owners make money off our old videos.

[@SailingKittiwake]

Damien Lery we use DaVinci Resolve for editing.

[@damienlery7550]

@@SailingKittiwake i thought at one point you had special price working in "copyright sector " now it may not be that copyright work you doing ... i have watch the latest video on the monohull so just try to catch up with channel ... thanks .. hope you are well and not locked in the caraibian with covid ..

[@scottpowell6145]

I hope you have noticed you need cotter rings on your turnbuckles. Plus shroud guards, and turnbuckle guards. I know my advise is 2 yrs. Late. Sorry

[@SailingKittiwake]

Haha i think if something was going to happen then it would have happened in the nearly 3 years since?

[@SailingKittiwake]

Also, cotter pins are recommended for turnbuckles, not rings.

[@iank2196]

First comes the music, next comes the bikinis heheheheh...🤣😆 You're going well you two ejoying the vids.

[@SailingKittiwake]

+awaiting sailing don't worry, it'll be ages before we get somewhere warm enough for bikinis! Even in Spain it's a bit chilly at the moment!

[@iank2196]

Lovely here in South UK right now, sunny and hot 😆

[@haccuk]

Some of your videos I like but if I watch a boating video I really want to know about the boat and sailing and the places you visit. If I want to listen to music I will find a music channel. Spoilt your videos for me

[@SailingKittiwake]

You can skip ahead to season 3, where we speak more to the camera, or don’t watch our channel 😊

[@barbara20871]

smackkkkk

[@rubysadventures5954]

I like these vids only down side is elena saying "erm" before anything she says every episode.

[@SailingKittiwake]

+1finger reactions I’m working on it!

[@ThePorridgeGobbler]

They are not called the Scilly Isles !.

[@SailingKittiwake]

Ah sorry, we meant Silly Isles :)