10] SOLO SAILOR Nearly Collides With BIG SHIP | SCARY Atlantic Crossing Story & Sailing Portugal

[@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

[@SailingKittiwake]

Wow. What a story, hey? We hope you found it as insightful as we did.

[@karitane]

I love your use of music in your vlogs. Great work

[@SailingKittiwake]

Thanks Derek! You’re very kind 😊

[@SVLaViajera]

Great to see another Albin Vega! I'll have to buy his book, thanks for putting me on to him. Great video. Josh

[@SailingKittiwake]

They're really cool little boats! I take it you know of Matt Rutherford and his voyage in a Vega? Inspiring stuff.

[@geremychubbuck3730]

Awesome story by Dennis. Keep up the great work!

[@SailingKittiwake]

Cheers Geremy!

[@davegood1751]

A lesson learnt from a very experienced sailor and well told.

[@SailingKittiwake]

Denis is great at telling stories, isn’t he? We listened to his stories every night while cruising together. It was great.

[@SailingSquib]

On our atlantic crossing we had twice collision cours with big ships, we allways turned away to have things under our control. We had no AIS so one must be on watch, even with AIS a watch is necessary. I couldn't go sleep knowing a big ship is on collision with me, I would go away emeadiatly!

[@SailingKittiwake]

That’s what everyone does 😊 but solo sailors are alone out there and still need an off-watch. No sleep = bad decisions, which is what happened to Denis. He couldn’t sleep for days due to the fog, so he made a bad decision because of how incredibly tired he was.

[@Atr42Greasemonkey]

Excellent video. Thanks for sharing

[@SailingKittiwake]

Cheers!

[@martymorse8967]

Excellent! Thanks! Looking forward to more videos, sailing, and descriptions of the ports you discover.

[@SailingKittiwake]

Cheers Marty! The plan for this season is to include more information on the anchorages we stop at, so hopefully that will be useful 😊

[@normanboyes4983]

good film, good tunes, good interview. Dennis' story is a siren call and a good illustration of a VHF assisted collision (nearly).

[@SailingKittiwake]

Cheers Norman. It certainly shook us when we heard it. It convinced us to save up and buy an AIS. Denis considers it to have saved his life. Thanks a lot for watching and commenting! -Elena

[@niccat7051]

That’s a really scary story!! Just goes to show, you can’t assume anything at sea!! Thanks for sharing! 👍

[@SailingKittiwake]

Yeah, very true. You just have to be on the ball all the time. Thanks for watching!

[@AndyUK-Corrival]

Great episode as usual guys. As for Dennis, what a story and a close call. Tiredness can do strange things to people at sea. Stay safe and look forward to the next one. I have a few friends who have done Jester or OSTAR and it is a serious challenge. Andy UK

[@SailingKittiwake]

Thanks Andy! Appreciate your comment a lot. Tiredness is probably the most dangerous thing at sea - it can make you take bad decisions. Fair winds, Elena & Ryan

[@cousinjack2841]

I had a similar incident when I was a youngster in Cornwall. I was out with my uncle on his 26 foot commercial boat, probably about 20 miles or so off shore. Heavy fog and no wind, just a big rolling glassy swell. We were drifting and had all our lines out when my uncle suddenly shut the engine off and went to the stern. He called out "lines up quick" and ran to the wheelhouse and started the engine again. Shortly after this we could hear the rush of a bow wave and my uncle went hard to port and full ahead. Not long after this move an enormous black bow popped out of the fog and seemed to plough straight through the spot we had just vacated. The side of the ship seemed to go on forever as she passed us and looked close enough to touch; it was like looking up at a black cliff. I'll never forget that as the superstructure of the ship passed us, there was a crewman standing on deck, just staring down at us. I was about ten years old at the time; about 1970, and our boat, like many other small commercial boats at that time, had no radar, but we did have radar reflectors, so they should have seen us. Oh happy days!

[@GaryDean]

cautionary tale indeed. note to self: don't get tired around big ships.

[@timk4944]

I love hearing firsthand the adventures of other sailors! Keep up the good work. I really enjoy your videos. Hope you can make it to the US sometime. Cheers!

[@SailingKittiwake]

Cheers Tim! We enjoy sharing the journey, so it’s great to hear you like the videos. Maybe we will someday, who knows 😉 See you out there.

[@manfredschmalbach9023]

A few feet ... now that's a close call in deed. Perks of smallboat sailing. The maiming sound of cargoship propellors shoveling about through the night under twenty-plus knots might belong to the most nightmarish parts of smallboat singlehanding - for me personally more challenging than a robust leeward surf audible in pitch black night. It gives us smallboaters goosebumps the moment we once more have to realize our position in the maritime food chain. AIS and its alarm functions on both sides definitely was a huge progress. Having a fellow sailor closely nearby makes it difficult for the cargo crew, though ... what a luck they were unexpectedly alert and capable. And the engine issue, well ... I know of a couple singlehanders going any fathom through the dark only with an idling engine exactly for that reason. Not at all what sailing is meant to be for me, but I still do it sometimes when going through heavy traffic in close quarters alone by night. The rest of the time I try to love my engine-divas plenty enough, hoping they will love me back a bit when I need it.

[@justbanter8727]

I just found your Channel (subscribed) - I absolutely love that Boat btw. very informative/entertaining uploads - I'm about to get up to speed and watch 'em all. Superb stuff :)

[@SailingKittiwake]

Thanks ever so much for the compliments JustBanter! We hope we’ve improved from the very first episodes hehe, but we hope you enjoy them all the same. Fair winds.

[@brianpetersen3429]

Interesting interview, some good lessons.

[@SailingKittiwake]

Cheers Brian! Yes, we'll never forget or underestimate Denis' story and lesson. The first time we heard it, we were in shock. We started saving up for an AIS right away. Hehe!

[@951porsche951]

I can listen to them stories all day. It is so humbling. One day you can be the ones in the hot chair.

[@SailingKittiwake]

If that ever happens, we hope we’ll have less scary stories to tell 😁

[@svsabreon3334]

I must confess, as novice sailors, I had not heard of this gentleman, but I am definately going to invest in his book & like you, I think I will be investing in a AIS for our little Sabreon

[@SailingKittiwake]

That’s an excellent idea Paul. We followed Denis’ advice and saved up for a basic one ourselves. It’s definitely worth the money.

[@MurphysLemonadeStand]

Listening to the noise of the waves hitting Kittiwake makes us feel better because our little Cat SV Kakamora is loud like that too. Nice to know its just a small Cat thing. Ohh oh we keep wanting to ask. How and where do you get your music. Is it free?

[@tomsnow2009]

Great Story

[@SailingKittiwake]

Thanks Tom. We think there's a lot to learn from it. Glad you enjoyed it.

[@andyxeno]

great vid

[@stevetilborghs1159]

nice vlogs !

[@SailingKittiwake]

Thanks Steve. Nice to hear you enjoy them.

[@almath9987]

Thanks enjoyed that video sure Denis is from my home town of Glasgow, guy in my club also has a Albin Vega raves about her apart from going in astern and in marinas.

[@SailingKittiwake]

It’s a great little seaworthy boat 😊

[@kz4506]

You can usually hear ships even in your bunk , with head down as we have , the drone of the big engines travels for miles as we have encountered , recient case was a ship was parallel to us a mile apart , could not see him but could hear the drone , enough to be on guard as we were on collision corse then up from a trough we saw him then down again so we altered corse to be safe.

[@SailingKittiwake]

Hi Gess, yep we've heard cruise ships coming into port when we're anchored. I don't think I'd want to rely on it though as if they're heading straight for you at 20 knots then you're probably going to hear them way to late. All the best.

[@Andre-os7kj]

Also one can find waves with more than 40 meters of height !! it is not by chance that the merchant ships of Europe-North America, they deviate by the Azores.

[@dmain6735]

Wow

[@andrewbough7926]

Great story!When will you two be crossing the North Atlantic then?

[@SailingKittiwake]

😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@leeharmston1512]

Great video as always, would you be able to tell me the name of the song playing 7:50 - 10:00? Happy sailing!!!

[@edwardwerthner7717]

Are you sailing west north of the canaries

[@SailingKittiwake]

We aren't, but Denis may well be ;) (He won't see the comment in the middle of the ocean ;) )

[@chasemixon6327]

Scary Stuff! Can you just imagine? I would assume if he told him hard to starboard, he swang his hard to port?

[@SailingKittiwake]

Scary indeed! From what he told us, he was dead in the water, so there was nothing he could do, but he could tell the ship to go to starboard based on what he saw on his AIS.

[@kendorsey4320]

Another great video. Of all the things on the wish list for the boat what is on the top? Just curious because the way you are managing Kitty is much more doable for someone like me than some of the bigger budget efforts. I was wondering if your "necessary to have items" have changed with experience?

[@SailingKittiwake]

Cheers Ken! On our list of indespensable things there are: solar panels, a shade, an AIS, multiple GPS backups for navigation, a carbon monoxide detector, a good data package for our phones so we can work, powerful bilge pumps, a big radar relector, a reliable depth sounder, cheap 12v fans for the heat, 12v chargers for EVERYTHING, and a good galley so we aren’t tempted to eat out. This is our very subjective opinion - there’ll be a million sailors who will suggest many more things. Of course there’s all sorts of safety gear you can get, but we won’t get into that.

[@kendorsey4320]

Well from what I have seen of videos from the Med I might prioritize the AIS and Navigation backups. I guess that then leads to the increased solar requirement. viscous circle there. Are you having an battery capacity issues to date?

[@SailingKittiwake]

Not so far, but if we use the tiller pilot all night, we switch off the fridge for a few hours.

[@jameswilliamson6021]

What was the music at 9.45 please. Great vids.

[@phantomshipmate1497]

Really enjoying your spirit & mettle Kittiwake! Hey quick question ... do you or did Dennis have a radar reflector on the boat? ... seems like a smart thing to do... also why don't you guys take 4 hour watches (or longer) when you encounter long periods of fog? ... 1 hour of sleep at a time is of dubious physiological usefulness. All the best to you!

[@SailingKittiwake]

Thanks so much 😊 Yes, we both have radar reflectors. Ours is fairly big, so we should come up on radar at least as double the size 😁 We normally do 4 hour watches but when trapped in fog being on watch is much more ‘strenuous’ as we handsteer, look around us at all times (rather than popping our head up every 10mins), and blow the fog horn. The person who’s off doesn’t get a chance to sleep because of the constant noise of the horn.

[@stevelawrie9115]

Bloody scary story

[@SailingKittiwake]

Indeed ☹️

[@pwijland]

Thanks for the interview with Dennis

[@SailingKittiwake]

Thanks for watching Patrick 😊

[@pwijland]

Sailing Kittiwake you're welcome. Your video's are fun to watch. Sailing on a shoestring and not a fancy yacht and blue waters, sandy beaches etc. So will keep following your journey.

[@aaronchristensen796]

I have a question, my wife and I and our three kids (age 12, 14 & 16) are working on leaving the land and start cruising. My question is when cruising do you keep your cell phone carrier plan although it wouldn't work most of the places we would be or did you purchase sim cards for your phone at every location? How does that work, I would love to not have to pay the cell phone bill every month. Also if you could tell me how you check weather when you don't have Wi-Fi available? Enjoy watching your videos, keep up the good work! Thanks in advance for taking the time to answer my questions Kind regards Aaron

[@SailingKittiwake]

Hi Aaron, thanks a lot for your comment and compliments. We’re in a different position - our data plans do work everywhere we go for now, as the UK is still in the EU. Having to work for a living using the internet and uploading big videos to KZbin, we spend a lot on data and currently use 4 SIM cards (3 British and 1 Italian). If any of these failed, we’d buy a local one. Some people buy wi-fi boosters to put on their masts to receive shore wi-fis in anchorages and marinas, then go to shore to find out the passwords. We have access to the internet 90% of the time, as mobile networks are very powerful and extend for miles at sea. When we’re on an offshore passage, we download the weather forecast files beforehand and use them combined with VHF radio and a book about interpreting the weather. The forecast is usually good and having done only short passages (2/3 days) so far, we’ve been fine so far. If we were to do bigger bluwater passages, we’d need to look into the many options available for offshore communication. We hope this helps. Best of luck with your own adventure. Fair winds, Elena & Ryan

[@SailingSquib]

Before we went cruising we bought an alpha network adapter, you can find it on ebay, With this adapter you can reach wifi spot over more than a kilometer, some wifis are open, but mostly you need the password. When we stay longer than we go for a coffee to get the password to use it the following days. To get the weathergrib files and for text email we use ham radio and pactor. You need the LRC to use it an the equipment to buy new its about 2500€, but you get used, for about 1000- 1200 €. The advantige of Ham radio is that you can connections all over the world and in the middle of the ocean, without further costs.

[@SailingSquib]

He recognized the problem, but he didn't solved it by going away. Only making a call on VHF is not solving the problem. Sorry that's my opinion, technical a sailboat under sails has wayright, but who is dead after a collision? It's always better to move away and stay alive, otherwise you get a tombstone with "He was right"

[@SailingKittiwake]

Hi Peter, from talking to Denis (and this might not have been clear in the video), he called the ship because he was in very light winds, and his engine woudn't start. So he couldn't move out of their way. Regardless of that, there seem to be two schools of thought about avoiding collisions. One is to obey the collision regulations, which to my mind is perfectly clear. The other is a kind of 'might is right' approach. To my mind, that is riddled with difficulties. For example how much might is enough to deviate from the usual rules? Is a 50ft fishing vessel enough might? Is a 30ft pleasure cruiser? And if a smaller sailboat is sailing towards me, but I am motoring, am I to assume that my might means he must give way? It's frought with grey areas to the point that it's a complete guess as to who is to give way to who. And if you are to disobey the collision regulations, and attempt to sail out of the way of another vessel because you've judged that they're big enough that the rules don't apply, then how do they know they're not to try to manoeuvre out of the way? If they then alter as you do, and a collision happens, as has nearly happened to a couple we met, then you've inflicted your death on the conscience of a captain who was trying to do the right thing. It seems that it's far better that everyone knows the rules, and everyone obeys the rules. This only really applies to collision sitiatuons though, if you can identify from miles away that you're on a collision course, and alter slightly so that you avoid the situation where someone has to take evasive action, then that's all to the good. Especially if it leaves you time to radio them if they alter back onto your course. AIS makes the whole thing easier, as you can radio them and ascertain early on whether they've seen you and intend to give way. But even then, humans make mistakes, and collisions or near misses occur, as in Denis's case.

[@SailingSquib]

You are right, everyone should obey the rules, but Denis didn't obey the rule that there must be a watch. Anyway he riskd his own life, I would never sail singlehanded more than one or two nights, I tested it, but it was horrible to me to stay awake in the second night, the 10 min Sleeps are to short. Now I try to get a friend on longer trips or somebody from "Find a crew" or the german "Hand gegen Koje". This persons mustn'd be very experienced, they only have to wake me up in some situations. Fair Winds Peter

[@TheDrloboski]

Have you ever received a ticket or been fine for something you broke law in such as anchored in the wrong place?

[@SailingKittiwake]

Nope, we were moved once - I think it's not uncommon to be moved on but it's rare to get fined, I think you'd have to do something silly or be very persistent in your wrongdoing.

[@feshfeshsailing]

Sailing Kittiwake. As long as you haven't dropped the hook in a sensitive area! Make sure you stay clear of natural reserves and fish havens (especially in French waters), because the fines are painful.

[@captainlee1]

Please buy a small radar even used if you must, you run it only when you need it but need it you will to b safe...old sea dog.:O)

[@bestwishes5060]

Your dates and time stamps don't match up... my apologies if I'm in error.. otherwise nice sailing... you can handle a boat well!

[@SailingKittiwake]

Thank you. We don’t understand what you mean. We write the dates on the videos based on our logbook records.

[@blugrasssful]

Much rather hear the wind and water then music. Great job though. Be safe.

[@SailingKittiwake]

Cheers! Fair winds.

[@kz4506]

You won’t hear one coming straight toward you only side on and going away

[@MjrTraumaVictim]

Did you happen to get Denis Gormans contact details, email address? This is my Uncle whom i havent seen since i was a boy, he taught me to sail, i would really like, if possible to obtain his email to contact him, sounds creepy but true! his first Yacht was a CORRIBEE 21.

[@SailingKittiwake]

Hi, send us an email at [e-mail].

[@MjrTraumaVictim]

@@SailingKittiwakethanl you very much, by the powers of the internet i have located him and we are in contact, i plan to meet at some point during December, lockdown permitted🙄 appreciate the reply though😁

[@SailingKittiwake]

@@MjrTraumaVictim oh fantastic! Say hi to him for us 🙂 happy ending.

[@cigarmann]

Every sailor will have their own stories eventually......hopefully not as harrowing.....

[@SailingKittiwake]

True, but we do hope to have less freightening stories 😁

[@michaelturner2686]

I am so broken hearted that you sold kittiwake.

[@SailingKittiwake]

It was a tough decision but our necks and backs thank us every day for it 😁No more stooping everywhere 🎉

[@jasoncox-rogers4842]

More sailing less talking

[@paulmorris7603]

Great story.