PART 1 of 3 THE WAVE ROVER STORY /Solo Atlantic Circuit in a Contessa 26 /Crossing Atlantic Eastward

Part 1 of 3 : Minimalist solo sailor, Alan Mulholland, crosses the Atlantic from Nova Scotia to the Azores, and then on to the Canaries. After getting underway, Wave Rover, a Contessa 26, encounters all kinds of weather conditions as she crosses the North Atlantic. In Part 2 she will cross the Atlantic again from the Canaries to Martinique and then, in Part 3, Wave Part 2 Rover will sail non stop from Martinique in the Caribbean to the East Coast of Canada. Wave Rover is a 40 year old Contessa 26 modified by Mulholland for this voyage.
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[MK3 Wind Vane Self Steering Plans]
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Thank you and fair winds
The Wave Rover Story Part 2
• PART 2 of 3 THE WAVE ...
The Wave Rover Story Part 3
• PART 3 of 3 THE WAVE... .
Thank you and fair winds

[@waynerobertson7550]

As someone who has completed several South and North Atlantic crossings, mostly the wrong way including being the first person to row unassisted Cape Town to Rio De Janeiro Brazil, it is great to see your accomplishments and watching you fulfill your life's purpose with such aplomb.

[@RoversAdventure]

You have truly lived my friend. What an amazing accomplishment, rowing such a huge distance. I can imagine that it took several months.

[@cindymaynot]

@@RoversAdventure Indeed it took 93 days rowing non stop. My motto "pain is inevitable, suffering is optional" it was a glorious experience. I am humbled to have learned so many things and on such a deep level from having the opportunity to de clutter everything and focus on what is actually important .

[@DespiertaConciencias]

Lovely!!! This is pure inspiration!!!

[@RoversAdventure]

Thank you so much!

[@deepakmramesh2662]

Watching your videos gives me an unexplainable calmness. After a long and tiring day, your videos make my mind calm. It's like a therapy.

[@RoversAdventure]

Happy to hear that! I also watch them for the same reason.

[@Roscoe.P.Coldchain]

I’ve always said solo sailing is the most extreme sport out there and I’d say the most dangerous..Forget BASE jumping..I have nothing but admiration for any man or woman that takes up such a challenge ❤️☮️🥇🏆.....Subbed

[@RoversAdventure]

Welcome aboard!

[@CanadaIRL]

Strong, resilient and respectful. Thanks for representing the maple leaf well. Cheers!

[@RoversAdventure]

Thank you kindly!

[@potatokitty]

I love the cute windows.

[@RoversAdventure]

I know what you are saying. Small and round give it that retro feel and very practical.

[@flyingwithbrian3287]

Wow! Excellent adventure .

[@RoversAdventure]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@normanboyes4983]

Excellent Alan.👍⛵️😀

[@RoversAdventure]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@notthesouthchinamorningpos4301]

So interesting and informative for people like me who have no idea about sailing. Well done!

[@kepala2desa]

Thanks a lot sharing your solo journey here with us..👍👍 Be safe and enjoy your life. Luv from Malaysia💐💐🥰🥰

[@RoversAdventure]

Thank you! Will do!

[@Accoucheur139]

I sailed a Tanzer26 on Lake Simcoe years ago. I can’t imagine sailing a boat that size across the Atlantic 😮

[@nataliemarcella6280]

Beautiful!! Thank you for making these videos. I'm going to show them to my children. My good friend wants to sail around the world, so I searched on KZbin to see what it might be like and found your videos. Thank you!

[@RoversAdventure]

My pleasure, I hope that your children and friend enjoy.

[@shub74]

So humbled and honored to find a fellow solo life celebrator👍🏻✌🏻🎉

[@Relay300]

Great job and the Maple Leaf tops it off nicely

[@RoversAdventure]

Thanks, I will be putting them on the new Wave Rover as well.

[@sleepyretardedbiden604]

You are my favorite you tube sailer i have watched all of your vedios me and my family enjoy watching them together ... Thank you for the vedios God bless and God speed

[@RoversAdventure]

Wow, thank you! I'd say that's quite an accomplishment watching all of them. Fair winds and God bless.

[@drift8021]

Wish I could get a sailor like you to help me get my first sailboat and help me learn all those skills (the fiberglass work, the metal work, the sailing, all of it). Unfortunately, no one in my family sails, and if they did they wouldn't help me with all of that. Looking forward to joining a community of sailors if I can ever get my boat. Lots of cool stuff to learn.

[@RoversAdventure]

I will try to show as much detail in the upcoming build of my Wave Rover 6.50

[@Belphegoresque]

You sir are an absolute legend.

[@RoversAdventure]

Thanks for making my day.

[@colibrisurf1050]

Excellent!

[@allgrainbrewer10]

Love this series, my only request would be a quick map reference. But an absolutely amazing story!

[@RoversAdventure]

Great suggestion!

[@dozer1642]

Amazing video. Thank you for making it.

[@RoversAdventure]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@nathanbronstein5901]

Man I love these kinds of videos, love the editing on this as well!

[@RoversAdventure]

Glad you enjoyed!

[@Dmhlcmb]

I find great satisfaction in being self reliant, this would be an amazing adventure. I’m jealous 😂

[@robertlee8042]

You have done a magnificent job on that boat. Congratulations. I live like that on a motorcycle but on a boat I live a very different existence. Nothing smaller than 40 feet and the thousand amp hours a battery! But on a motorcycle I travel very very light. Even the bike is light. The mic does not pick up the wind. But then again my mike in my motorcycle helmet doesn’t pick up wind. But much more impressive than that is that your boat motion is spectacular considering you have 40 knot winds. That is a testimony not only to the boat but to your sailing ability.

[@RoversAdventure]

Adventures like riding a motorbike across country and living out of a back pack appeal to my nature as well.

[@Mykl225]

Just subsribed to your channel, can’t wait to binge some videos. Love it!

[@johnnymac244]

Did you see it on unilad or ladbible?

[@RoversAdventure]

Welcome aboard!

[@johnnymac244]

@@RoversAdventure I really enjoyed watching

[@hrmacdonald4471]

Thoroughly enjoyed every video in the Sailing Wave Rover series and this recap. Looking forward to part 2 and i'm also enjoying the Rovers Rest series. Thank you for sharing & bringing us along with you .

[@RoversAdventure]

Awesome, thank you!

[@svlamancha9877]

Great recap. Looking forward to the next one. 👍

[@RoversAdventure]

Thanks! 👍

[@ofield6561]

Incredible! Love your journey and your channel.

[@RoversAdventure]

Glad you enjoy it!

[@mbhull27]

Wonderful Presentation - Hope 2021 brings more of your videos for us to enjoy!! Thank you and Happy New Year!!

[@RoversAdventure]

Thank you! You too!

[@johngungortekin453]

Happy new year thank you for everything sharing🇹🇷🇺🇸👍

[@RoversAdventure]

Happy new year John!

[@gabrielpanczuk7369]

How are you not more popular?

[@RoversAdventure]

I wish I could give your comment more thumbs up.

[@mikec8679]

@@cheapcigs9772 Its probably because its not that accessible. I know nothing about sailing never thought about it until I watched a video... its interesting and i subbed so I can see more. I was suprised that you could get into a boat for such an attainable price... obviously thats the easy part the hard part is the years of knowledge this man has but im grateful for the glimpse im getting. Who knows, maybe its something I could get into. Definitely cool. Hello from BC!

[@davidbroman8391]

Thank you Alan. A great retrospective with beautiful scenery. Loved seeing you smiling all the time. Happy New Year to you and Mrs. Wave Rover. 🍾🥂🇨🇦

[@RoversAdventure]

Glad you enjoyed it and a very Happy New Year to you also.

[@Wv8675]

That be so cool to see those whales like that

[@rickhalstead8990]

Thanks Alan. I can't be sure but it seemed like you included some new snippets. Most enjoyable. Wishing you the best in 2021 and beyond.

[@RoversAdventure]

Happy new year! I'm making these 2 videos mostly as a more concise record that I can look back on as time marches on.

[@beaconbus]

If the cheesy music was eliminated and just left with the natural sounds, these would be some of the best sailing videos on KZbin.

[@RoversAdventure]

It has been a learning curve and I assure you that the next voyage will have better audio.

[@joshmo4321]

Love the videos! thanks for letting us take part in your journey. Do you do a bit of fishing while you're out? I dont know much about sailing so not sure if it's possible with all the things that you have to do!

[@RoversAdventure]

Sometimes I try fishing but seem to have the worst results of most sailors

[@flattty]

Great Video, thank you for sharing your adventure. Looking forward to watching part 2. Your Summerside fan.

[@RoversAdventure]

Thanks for watching! And nice to know that there is a Wave Rover fan in Summerside

[@ltinfamusify]

Caught your vid on Unilad, looks so cool to do what you do, but man it sounds terrifying lol. Hope you are doing well.

[@RoversAdventure]

I can't wait to get back out there.

[@thepacotheas]

Hello...congratulations for your trip i really enjoy watching the way you sail...great ....did you get inspired by Roger Taylor and Mingming cause i saw many common points....thank you :)

[@RoversAdventure]

Yes, I was inspired to make the doghouse after seeing his story.

[@LosAngelesCycleVideo]

I can live vicariously through your sailing. Extremely humbling to see someone who can accomplish something like this. Much respect to you, sir. One question I have is: are you ever worried about the boat tipping over because of high wind or waves?

[@RoversAdventure]

Thank you so much for the kind words. Almost all ocean going sailboats are designed to self right.

[@cryptoscalpers9603]

I notice you don't wear a harness when getting around the deck. What happens if you go overboard?

[@RoversAdventure]

As great as the MK3 wind vane is, it won't turn around and come back for you if you fall over board. I usually wear (almost always) my harness when going forward. I hardly ever (but sometimes do) wear a harness when I am in the cockpit area.

[@viking8889]

I know from my experience on a 27 ft that the camera does not do justice to the size if the waves.

[@RoversAdventure]

You are so right my friend! But the motion of the boat doesn't lie.

[@bernardszirth9665]

Happy New Year to you and Mrs Rover :) This was as with all other videos very useful and educational. You did a great job showing us how you stocked up with food, previously you spoke of how much water you had on board! The questions that remains in my mind is did you collect rain water at anytime? I don’t remember seeing you fish (although you did not have a cooler) or was Mrs Wave Rover’s stew all you needed (lucky you to have the “comfort” of home cooked meals). Two last questions are; will you give us an update if you hear back from the “messages in the bottles “ you set off for the students. Finally, would you consider giving us a general tally of the cost of the year long voyage for additional provisioning, port costs, visas etc. On coastal sailing I calculate about $40 a day (US$) but my sails are generally never over 10 days. Many thanks as always!

[@RoversAdventure]

I will let everyone know if any of the 4 bottles are recovered. I didn't feel as if I needed to capture rain water but I was ready to do so if required. I briefly tried fishing but unsuccessful. I was looking forward to fishing when at anchor but covid put the brakes on that. I intend to do an accurate accounting of my costs and present it on the upcoming Lessons Learned video. As always, thanks for the thoughtful comment.

[@bernardszirth9665]

Thank you for taking the time to reply :) very informative.

[@Hindukushsailing]

Thank you for posting. Would you happen to have any videos about the refit projects you completed? I like the idea of your DIY hand holds. The low maintenance painted surface and how I think you put them together. I priced out premade teak ones and to buy 10, 4 just single hand holds get pricey quick. Also I noticed on this video how you attached the Pintels and Grudgeons on the rudder and hull. The stand off blocks glasses in. You stated that you where on a strict budget on this refit. Any tips and thoughts on that subject would be interesting to hear. Happy New Year on the new Homestead.

[@RoversAdventure]

Thanks for a very helpful and thoughtful comment. Sadly I lost most of the refit video in a defective hard drive. I may have dropped it too many times on Wave Rover. I do have some photos and was hoping to put something together for the MK3. I'll see what else I have. What kind of boat do you have?

[@Hindukushsailing]

@@RoversAdventure Oh to bad for us but unfortunately things happen. I have a Pearson Triton. Cheers

[@tomwaite4594]

Alan, Happy New Year...great compilation of your fantastic trip. May I ask you what drouge you used on the trip and how hard was it to retrieve? Thanks for taking the time to provide great content and high production value with out the typical drama and cheese cake that is so pervasive in our sport today. Work continues on my efforts to solos sail To NL and Greenland next Summer. Rovers Rest is coming together nicely I see from the photos. Thanks Again for your efforts in keeping it real " BEYOND ALL THINGS IS THE SEA" SENECA

[@RoversAdventure]

I used my homemade series drogue (Jordan Series Drogue). It was easy to deploy as I had it bent on before departure. Recovering was not so easy and I used the sheet winch to assist. I still had considerable wind and sea when recovering.

[@tomwaite4594]

@@RoversAdventure Thanks Alan. May I ask how many cones you worked into the warp and would you add more or less based on your experience.

[@RoversAdventure]

@@tomwaite4594 I used 100 cones. It was probably more than I needed, but I sized it for extreme weather.

[@tomwaite4594]

@@RoversAdventure thanks Alan...no need to short on this important piece of kit. I hope that this new year finds you both enjoying Rovers Rest on the most beautiful place in the Maritimes. "The Garden Island" is without a doubt the best place for a sailor to gaze opon the water with on need to reef, take a watch, or steer a steady course.

[@JamesSmith-fl2ky]

Certainly more of an achievement than climbing Everest, in my book.

[@davewestner]

equally terrifying if you ask me!

[@Masonwmasters]

Word

[@corvettecat3673]

Inspiring stuff. Did you have any issues with motion sickness on such a small vessel?

[@RoversAdventure]

I'm very lucky not to have any issues with sea sickness.

[@Bigsmokeandthebandit]

Hi do you have an on board freezer to keep all those stews the wife made and were the solar panels enough to keep them cold if so?

[@RoversAdventure]

The stews were pressure canned. No refrigeration required.

[@clayfarnet970]

What an incredible journey. Just wondering if you felt seasick at any point on your trip? I may have missed an episode along the way. Thanks

[@RoversAdventure]

Fortunately I don't seem to get sea sick, Mrs. Wave Rover however said that she feels sea sick sometimes just watching the sailing sequences.

[@jsEMCsquared]

question, does it make sense to use a forward/aft hammock for sleeping? there are some nice hammock's out there

[@RoversAdventure]

Perhaps, I contacted a hammock maker and asked them if they would like me to test their product at sea but they didn't bite. I think that it would only be practical in harbor or at anchor though.

[@jsEMCsquared]

@@RoversAdventure or maybe a waterbed? no, just kidding thanks and looking towards the bow for new adventures!

[@yuccaken]

Krykie !

[@mattg7660]

Excellent recap video. I loved the series too. At 4.49 mins you talk about hoving to as the wind was on your nose. Can I ask why you don't beat upwind and did you always hove to instead of beating? Thanks

[@RoversAdventure]

Very well said!

[@mattg7660]

Errrm. Thanks but that's not what I asked. Please check my question

[@mattg7660]

I don't think that the other guy answered my question. He seemed to think I asked what heaving to means - not sure why he thought it asked that. Could you say why you chose to heave to rather than best.

[@mattg7660]

Beat not best

[@RoversAdventure]

@@mattg7660 The wind at these latitudes can come from any direction, as such I knew it would not be too long before I had a wind shift. With the large seas I chose to wait it out by heaving to as opposed to putting stress on the Wave Rover and me. Later in the video, between the Azores and the Canaries, I go to windward but the seas are not so great.

[@robertcarducci3807]

Would have really liked to see the drogue being retrieved. What model is it and how many cones and size?

[@RoversAdventure]

I built it using the USCG specs. It has 100 cones. All the specs are free for download.

[@robertcarducci3807]

@@RoversAdventure I am familiar with that spec. It calls for 5 inch cones.

[@RoversAdventure]

@@robertcarducci3807 correct. This is the third one that I built.

[@lordtudraska1796]

Wave Rover is right... dodged a hurricane without a scratch, water ninja is more like it.

[@ve3xyd]

Would love to know the song title which starts at 17:42. Thank you, love your video keep on sailing!

[@RoversAdventure]

It's called: Land of my Fathers. This version is by an unknown artist. I got it from the KZbin library.

[@sailnice]

Is there any reason why you do not go directly from the Azores to Canada?

[@RoversAdventure]

Although possible, you would be fighting the westerlies.

[@GodOfReality]

Do you have an engine on this boat? You never make any mention of using it.

[@RoversAdventure]

I carry a 6hp outboard motor that I put on the transom when entering or leaving harbor.

[@GodOfReality]

@@RoversAdventure Just around harbours? So otherwise your travel on the Atlantic is 100% wind powered? I didn't know that was possible. I'm glad I found your videos because I have a dream of living in the Netherlands, and now I'm wondering if I could expand that dream to sailing there first :D

[@RoversAdventure]

@@GodOfReality absolutely!

[@SOTAmaster777]

🕊💙💛

[@josvandamne8903]

🌎👍✌🇧🇪🌏

[@josematos1695]

You are the salt of the Earth.

[@RoversAdventure]

Thanks for the compliment my friend

[@Tapo3x]

Hey. Love from India ❤️🔥 . Visit once

[@RoversAdventure]

It would be an amazing place to visit for sure.

[@jurgenblick5491]

Would love to know more about your vane?

[@RoversAdventure]

I talk about it throughout the series but in short, it steered a total of 7800 nautical miles including two North Atlantic crossings. It only cost about $100 to make (I can't say for sure because I used scrap material for the most part). Check out this link to see it in action kzbin.info/www/bejne/jZTHaoxrdrhpp6c

[@1g4u]

Do you ever run into great white sharks? Whales or dolphins?

[@ADOTlied]

Why do folks always add music? Thus depriving the viewer of what sailing is truly like? Great video otherwise.

[@RoversAdventure]

A lot of the time the sound is so distorted by wind that it isn't presentable. When possible I leave in natural sound, as can be seen in a lot of my videos

[@ADOTlied]

@@RoversAdventure good point my apologies

[@srw3642]

Remember to social distance.

[@RoversAdventure]

lol

[@2dasea]

What a goose. You're in a cult silly.

[@2dasea]

That was intended for the pro trump ad that showed while I was watching your video.

[@RoversAdventure]

lol

[@mikeeast887]

Totally NUTS

[@paxtongriffin7214]

Oh yeah. Do you love me? 😍💋 💝💖❤️

[@RoversAdventure]

Not sure if I understand your banter Paxton.