Traffic in Kilstraumen Narrows, Norway (MVDirona channel)

[@theoleduc1004]

Hey Jennifer and James , Your blog is amongst the best of my boating online magazines. The 4 frames-video towards the narrow bridge with a strong ebb current carrying you with a possible close call with the fast ferry was again a good reminder of the rule that the boat with the current has priority over the one fighting the tide when passing a narrow spot. At least that is the ‘rule’ in Belgium and The Netherlands. The reason is simple: controlling the boat against the current is easier than the other way around. Good seamanship: it is always better to check (flashing lights, VHF, …) with the other vessel. Wish both of you cont’d safe and happy cruising. Watersport greetings ex Antwerp - Theo Le Duc / Ritser / Krogen Express

[@MVDirona]

Thanks for the feedback on the video. The navigation rule making the down bound vessel in a strong current the stand on party is a good one since proceeding with current substantially reduces rudder authority. But, I believe this rule is only part of the USA Inland Water Navigation Rules and so doesn't apply in international waters or other countries.

[@deborahwilliams8766]

If you saw a Nor-tech 390 waving wildly at you to in Beaufort, SC… that was me. We’ve been fans of your KZbin channel and immediately recognized Dirona! Hope all is well

[@MVDirona]

Thanks for the support!

[@petegrillo]

Excellent video. I really appreciate videos like this that describe boating challenges and how they were addressed. The 4 cameras are also great. Well done Dirona!

[@MVDirona]

Thanks for the feedback on the videos.

[@scottoconnor3484]

I sure miss your v-logs and hope you two are happy and healthy.

[@MVDirona]

Thanks for the comment and we really should do another video. We have enough material to do several more but just haven't yet found the time. Thanks for the encouragement.

[@scottoconnor3484]

@@MVDirona great to hear. Have a wonderful Christmas today and a fruitful 2022

[@thisisnotanick]

@@MVDirona I would love to see more of your videos! There are many boating channels on youtube but very few that are as interesting as yours :)

[@MVDirona]

Thanks for the feedback on the videos.

[@tingeling953]

Just found your channel. Great video. Guess I have om binging to do :) Last summer I slept over one night at the Kilstraumen marina that you se behind the passenger vessel as it passes you on the lower left image. The top-banner image on my channel is taken from there and you can see the bridge, the boat house and the red house that is visible at the lower right clip at 3:50 .

[@Talldylocks]

Great video as usual, with detailed commentary. Thanks for continuing to create content for us Nordhavn wannabe's!

[@MVDirona]

Thanks for the feedback on the video.

[@hascet]

Would be really interesting to see a walk through of the tech setup on Dirona. Have heard mention of the maintenance tracking database and would love to see the compute/storage/network setup on the vessel. Thanks for all of the interesting content you produce

[@MVDirona]

That's a good suggestion. We really should walk through the systems in more detail. We do cover some aspects of what you are after in this one: kzbin.info/www/bejne/Y5mmZWxmg7l8gK8. And here we show what needs to be done to prepare for a 3000 nautical miles North Atlantic crossing: kzbin.info/www/bejne/mn6Xf3-rg9KNhbM.

[@TheSwampdoggydog]

Never long enough , I could and want to watch hour long videos. Greetings from England

[@MVDirona]

We appreciate the feedback. As we get up this morning, it's 38F and the winds are gusting to 40 kts so, with winter coming on, perhaps we'll have more time for videos.

[@PollardGeorge]

Only 2 boats moving on the water, and of course you meet at the narrow part. Always seems to work that way.

[@MVDirona]

It true! It's not likely we'll meet at the bridge but "unlikely" didn't help :-)

[@roycatojrstad2910]

Just saw you gus from shore! You're anchored in Pervika, Varslagvågen! Great looking boat!🤩

[@MVDirona]

You live in a wonderful area! Thanks for saying hi!

[@paulrise5284]

Just superb, thanks.

[@MVDirona]

Thanks for the feedback.

[@eahfoto]

Hi, amazing to follow your travels. I live in Bud M&R Norway, just south of where you are now in Kristiansund. You are more than welcome her in our little fishing village. I would love to take som images of you passing trew here :) merry christmas!

[@MVDirona]

Thanks for the Invitation to Bud. We ended up heading further south today but we appreciate the offer. We're actually not far south of you at Elnesvagen. Merry Christmas to you as well!

[@550siddharth6]

💯Great video... 🙌🏻best wishes from India

[@James-seafan]

interesting video thank you for sharing kind of the ferry to let dirona pass first the channel looks a bit small for a vessel going 32 knots but I guess the captain knows what he's doing

[@MVDirona]

Yes, I appreciate the ferry helmsman electing to give us space to proceed out of the channel.

[@AndyCutright]

Y'all got skills.

[@MVDirona]

Those fast ferry operators, one of which was in that video, has the real skills. 32 kts shooting through tight spots and narrow channels. They throw those big boats around like little sports boats.

[@gjurczyc]

Long time with our a video Hope you both are safe and fine

[@MVDirona]

It's true that it has been a while since we last published a video. We've done enough to justify a video or two but we have been busy. Thanks for the encouragement to get going and get another one published.

[@wlismyid]

Well done!!

[@MVDirona]

Thanks!

[@TomChame]

Great, thanks.

[@MVDirona]

You're welcome!

[@darrenedger4552]

Are you selling Dirona? I saw her on yacht world! So shocked!! Are you upgrading or leaving the cruising lifestyle behind? Cheers!

[@MVDirona]

Temporarily, yes. I've taken a job that is, at least initially, more difficult to do remotely. So, for 12 to 24 months, we're in Seattle and we have sold Dirona. We're enjoying land adventures doing wilderness camping in the Pacific Northwest: mvdirona.com/.

[@omc-will1998]

you need to look in to getting FLIR night vision. so you can see in the night

[@MVDirona]

We do have a FLIR system and find it super useful in spotting dangerous ice in the water. It's also pretty good in close quarters maneuvering situations at night. It's not great for spotting debris in the water. Generally we like the FLIR system and do keep it on at night but we tend to use it as a secondary navigational data source rather than primary. For long range, we find our 25KW 6' open array RADAR out performs infrared and that's our primary source. Not really a surprise since that isn't the design point for IR systems. In close quarters we favor high powered lights to illuminate near by targets. However, this is only acceptable when other boats aren't navigating in the area so it's not a perfect approach either but, when we can use it, we prefer visible light navigation. Our IR system is 10 years old and the FLIR tech has moved forward considerably since that time and newer systems are far better than the 640x320 resolution system we are familiar with. But, even with another decade of manufacturing volumes, the FLIR systems are still quite expensive. My summary is FLIR systems are useful and can help increase safety margins for night navigation but they are expensive.

[@saillaw2]

Could you use the bow thrusters to help hold the bow in position when you are going with the current and lack sufficient rudder authority? Great video, thanks!

[@MVDirona]

Yes, that technique is effective at low speeds and we're rarely moving quickly in tight quarters. It does work but with 6'7" of boat in the water, swirling currents can win against even the thrusters if care isn't maintained..

[@timlucas4014]

Hi Guys Great Videos Is your web site down ?? Cannot login at the moment

[@MVDirona]

Yes, it was under heavy load and memory became tight and it locked up. It's now back up and operating and we'll reduce memory consumption. Thanks for letting us know.

[@captainron3494]

I've been a fan of your channel for years... I have a question. If u had 2 million to spend what trawler would u buy oooooo yea new or no older than 3 years old 1. No crew on board 2. At least 1000 miles range HELP PLEASE OOOOOO AND WHY U PICK THAT TRAWLER PLEASE HELP

[@MVDirona]

Thanks for the feedback on the videos. On your request for trawler recommendations, there are a great many to choose from with only 1,000 nautical mile range. For us the bare minimum would be 2,500 nautical mile range with full ocean capability so we don't really know the larger number of boats with shorter range. But, focusing on ocean going trawlers with 2,500+ nautical mile range at under $2m, I would look a new or brokerage listed Nordhavn 52, brokerage listed Nordhavn 60, and we've not yet seen or read much about the new Nordhavn 51. It's probably worth checking out as well.

[@captainron3494]

@@MVDirona I've been thinking nordhavn or absolute. Your thought on them two

[@MVDirona]

We know Nordhavn well but, unfortunately, I don't know of Absolute. Sorry I can't offer thoughts on that one.

[@doughboi007]

i was told no more videos were coming from you guys. Is this true?

[@MVDirona]

We are taking some time off boating and are now living in downtown Seattle. But, we've been so busy for years that we haven't posted all the videos we intend to make. So, we do have at least a couple more coming.

[@Tnapvrvideo]

Curious, could you operate both the MAIN engine and the WING engine at the same time to gain a little more HP to battle these strong currents?

[@MVDirona]

Yes, good suggestion. You could run both engines and I know people that have done this when running upstream in displacement boa when operating in a spring flow in the Columbia River. It's a good suggestion and does work well. In our case, we have plenty of horse power in Dirona with 266hp on the main shaft so we're capable of maintaining position. What's somewhat more challenging is allowing sufficient clearance for the ferry in the narrow channel while staying off the shallows. In strong currents with eddies, it's hard to hold the boat still and not be swinging left and right. With care, it's not a problem but care is required to avoid swinging the bow across the current. Once the bow is allowed to be caught by the current, it's very hard to correct. The thrusters would not be effective in these conditions. Generally, a good operator will not make that mistake but care is required to avoid it.

[@Tnapvrvideo]

There's evidence abound via your many delightful videos demonstrating that you are doing these challenging boat handling maneuvers beautifully. btw, was it just the two of you on board when you made your ocean crossing(s)? That would be some serious shift rotation to keep a 24/7 watch in the wheelhouse. Safe Journeys!

[@MVDirona]

Yes, all of our ocean crossings as we rounded the world were with just the two of us on board. We've played with all sorts of shift schedules starting with 4 hours on and 4 hours off. We ended up liking an unusual approach where Jennifer is on the helm from 10pm to 5am and I take it from 5am to 10pm. Jennifer's shift is a challenging one but we find that we can run like this for weeks and don't fall behind in sleep or arrive tired. After more than a week at sea, we arrive in port fresh and ready to go exploring.

[@Tnapvrvideo]

Those are impressive shifts. I would imagine both to be equally challenging for varying reasons. I am assuming that all dining takes place in the wheelhouse during crossings, and premade meals that are fast to heat up or assemble cold would be the ideal approach. My wife and I are planning on a Nordhavn purchase, and it will be just the two of us as well. Your successes and ongoing video shares have given us confidence, inspiration, and great understanding as to what lies ahead. We are equally impressed with your off-the-boat explorations and those video excerpts are wonderful. As avid hikers, kayakers, and mtn bikers, we are always delighted to see content that offers a first hand look into regions that we have never been to - but may reach with the Nordhavn. Thank you for your reply. Safe Travels!

[@MVDirona]

Yes, if it's really rough, we fall back to premade meals but the majority of the time we just live life as usual on passage and cook normally. We do eat in the pilot house so that's a difference. When it's really nice we sometimes eat on the flybridge on passage but that's not that common.

[@Skysailor1000]

Have You noticed in Norway how the houses are built on bare stone, there are no electricity cables, telephone wires or water or sewerage pipes to be seen 😮

[@MVDirona]

Norway has many above grade electric and communications distribution systems. I've not noticed that Norway has a great proportion of underground power and telco connections but you may be right.

[@10bbremer]

Just goes to show you, it's always something.

[@MVDirona]

Boating is always an adventure but that's part of our interest in it. We've seen some amazing things, been challenged by some difficult to service items, and see a few situations that were challenging. This case was made much easier by the other boat electing to give us space to pass.

[@brianmatthews9969]

Are you still on the boat or has covid landlocked you?

[@MVDirona]

We sailed through Covid and kept cruising until the end of June this year. Since then work has gotten busy so we have an apartment in Seattle and will likely do that for 12 to 24 months before returning to adventuring.

[@56Spookdog]

👍👍

[@johnoneil4688]

Looks stressful!

[@MVDirona]

I wasn't in love with the spot we were tucked into to allow the Ferry to pass. We're glad he made room for us to pass.

[@michaeltca3103]

Such a great trawler and we loved your videos. I know from your posts that you are deep into work and are land based right now. But is there any chance that in the future you will get another trawler and continue the adventure or (as is understandable) have you moved on from that lifestyle?

[@MVDirona]

Very likely we will. We love adventuring so, for sure, as long as health allows it, we'll be out exploring. Boating is one of the few approaches that has that much freedom and flexibility so it's an ideal way to see the world. We really appreciate being in a country for an extended period and really to see it in detail. So much better and more detailed view than a 2 week pass through. So, yes, we'll likely return to boating.

[@steinjohansen3142]

How far north in Norway did you go?

[@MVDirona]

We got as far north at Tromso in the boat and Svalbard by plane. We just love Norway.

[@steinjohansen3142]

@@MVDirona Nice! I hope you will show us more of your Norway- experiences. Also the journey back home.

[@MVDirona]

We have some videos up at kzbin.info but we don't do as many as we should so the rest gets blogged and our world-wide adventure is better documented here: mvdirona.com/.

[@steinjohansen3142]

@@MVDirona Thank you for the links. I love reading travel-stories.

[@MVDirona]

We have lots of those :-).

[@circumnavigation9386]

How are you guys? Hope you are well.

[@MVDirona]

We're currently on the boat in Charleston South Carolina and doing well. Getting some work done during the day and enjoying Charleston in the evenings. Thanks for asking.

[@circumnavigation9386]

@@MVDirona good to hear! So you made a northern passage back last autumn?

[@MVDirona]

No, we stayed in Norway over the winter but needed to get back to North America before summer so we had to take the southern route (Azores to Charleston South Carolina). More detail up here: mvdirona.com.

[@circumnavigation9386]

@@MVDirona ah thx ;-)

[@Grimberian72]

where have you gone? hope all is well

[@MVDirona]

We are doing well. I'm in a new job easier done spending more time in Seattle so we're planning to be in Seattle for the next 12 to 24 months before returning to adventuring. We do still have several videos that we have never had a chance to complete but we have the raw footage. So there will be some more Dirona videos in the future and there is lots more content on our web site mvdirona.com.

[@Grimberian72]

@@MVDironaAm glad you are both well, i look forward to seeing future updates, stay blessed :)

[@Grimberian72]

@@MVDirona now watching you go thru the Scotish lochs, not sure i would do that but well done ;0

[@MVDirona]

Thanks for the feedback. We will eventually post our Caledonian canal passage. It was fun as well but bigger and easier than the Crinan Canal.

[@bobbuilder5362]

Another good reason for twin engine setup.

[@MVDirona]

There are good argument for twin engine boats but there also strong arguments against twin engine configurations in small boat. For us, we prefer twin engines but chose to go single engine on Dirona. In boats up around 60' and above, we think the advantages of twin engines starts to make them attractive but, on small boats, going twin engines gives up fuel which reduces range. Further reducing range, twin engines are slight bit less efficient. Using the Nordhavn 46 as an example and combining these two factors, the twin engine version has 18% less fuel which means it has 18% less range and once the inefficiencies of having more machinery in the water and the parasitic drag of two engines, transmissions, and prop systems has the twin engine configuration almost 20% shorter. That's a lot to give up on a small ocean crossing boat. For the reasons above, we went with a single engine configuration on Dirona but, on a larger boat like a Nordhavn 60, we would go with a dual engine configuration. Where efficiency is the primary influencer of the engine configuration, fleet operators often chose single engine layouts on container ships and fishing vessels.

[@bobbuilder5362]

@@MVDirona Thanks for your reply. Fuel capacity was something I hadn't even thought about on a single verse twin. What you outlined makes a lot of sense and answers my query on why you went with a single engine. Interestingly I was looking at the fuel stats on the Bering 65' and total burn is slightly better on the twin engine verse single engine. Exception was at very slow speeds just above idle.

[@MVDirona]

That doesn't seem likely due to 2x the parasitic frictional losses and 2x the prop, rudder, and other mechanical gear drag but I suppose it's possible. I don't know Bering in much detail but most manufacturers are a bit optimistic on expected fuel economy. Real mileage in the ocean with a swell are usually much worse. Typically these data are computed by a two way run in flat water but that doesn't explain why twin might be better than single. It might be the case the two engine configurations are very close and the difference is more or less lost in the measurement error.

[@bobbuilder5362]

@@MVDirona Looks like I skimmed over the fuel stats a bit quickly. The fuel burn on the twin cummins were slighly better than the single at 1300 rpm for 8.2 knots and 34.5 lph. The single cummins needed 1600 rpm and 36.5 lph to reach the same speed. The twins were also slightly more efficient at 6 knots needing only 800 rpm verse 1000 rpm for the twins. Looks like they have their sweet spots. But what would happen in the real world as you say may be a lot different. Reference :beringyachts.com/model/bering-65/

[@MVDirona]

My general thinking is that having enough fuel to be able to make long crossings is absolutely vital. Ocean crossing boats need the range to make the trips you want to make. But, after that, the efficiency of the hull is useful but not vital. We all enjoy lower fuel costs but, in boating, other costs tend to dominate. The Bering 65 carries 4,500 gallons which is a lot for a 65' vessel so it's good on the range requirement. I'm always a bit skeptical on manufacturer range claims but, with 4,500 gallons, it'll do fine.

[@frankkreyssig7626]

👍🙂