I only wish you the best and it's great to see your upbeat attitude. Dwelling on the past only makes one upset and it's pointless. My home had devastating flooding from hurricane Helene and now it needs to be torn down. I am selling my small boat and buying a full displacement trawler and will live aboard while traveling the Caribbean. Getting back to my roots and turning a traumatic event into a positive! The definition of life for me is impermanence!
Here's a few more tips on making mooring balls safer: - as the captain, dont be intoxicated. - Set an anchor alarm. They've been around for decades and are cheap. - dive your mooring ball and check the holding. - dont tie to the top of the ball. Tie to the chain that goes to the mushroom anchor. - dont be in a rush. sit for a while after tie up.
I’d add not to tie off to a mooring ball in rough conditions. The stress on the ball is much greater, I think the hillbilly may have some experience with that himself.
Miss your boating content. I try to understand your situation but at the same time would love to see you get another boat and continue where you left off. I loved your BVI videos!!!
Looking forward to seeing you and the crew back in the BVI! Greatly enjoy these videos to learn and imagine what retirement might look like cruising around Florida and the BVI. Hope all works out with future endeavors, you deserve it.
Alan - great job with the new content. This will be very helpful to new and returning captains/charter guests to the BVI. Look forward to more topics. Stay Strong my friend.
Thanks Alan. I am glad to see you getting back. Your great personality and overall happy disposition is appreciated. I can't wait to see your next BVI video.
Great information! So happy to see you heading back down to your happy place. We will be here over Christmas and New Year's as always. That warm sun and salt air is going to be great for you in many respects! Safe travels my Friend, Jay!
Hope you feel better soon! Been dealing with health challenges as well. Enjoyed your Wandering Hillbilly videos and was heartbroken when I heard about and then watched your videos about the mishap with the mooring ball and ending up on the rocks! Hope you are able to get another boat once you are well again!
Thanks for sharing this valuable information with the world! We are heading to the BVI this Thursday for our first BVI charter. Your UA-cam videos were the inspiration! Cheers!
Funny enough Alan… we had a bad ball at White Beach right off of Soggy Dollar…. As we are sipping our Rum Punch what do we see??? Our boat floating away from the ball it was on… so glad Boaty Ball is happening!!! It is a necessity!!! To make sure these balls also don’t float your boat away! This way they may be maintained more efficiently … thanks for posting this info! Happy Sailing ⛵️ a boater from right down the road from your old house at CLU! ❤
thanks for the great info on Boaty Ball. Will be chartering BVI again in a couple months. Appreciate your wisdom about turning your (Wandering Hillbilly) loss into goodness and helping others.
I’ve seen two videos recently, neither of them Alan’s, where a mooring in the BVIs has failed. The latest was a non-charter Leopard 45 left unattended. Luckily ppl from boats around jumped on and saved the boat.
This is the closest I’ll come to being on social media 😬. Thank you for the inspiration sir! LOVE your channel. Shoving off from the Moorings today (Oct 26 ‘24) on a power cat for the first time!!! Cheers and safe journey!
I used BB this past summer and I was shocked and amazed how hard it was to get a ball. I had four people on phones at 7:00 am sharp all trying for a ball and I think I was only successful on one day - maybe two. A third day we got one in little harbor later in the day since it's much less popular. They go instantly. It was never really a problem because there are usually other balls and you can usually just anchor. This is not a criticism of BB, just that it's crazy how popular it is.
I’m not seeing on Boatyball where you can signup to beta test. We are headed down first part of November 2024, and would be willing to test if they need
Hey Alan. I hope you guys are having a great on the flotilla this week. We will be down there Nov 10 thru 18 and would love to support the Beta testing. Can you connect me with the boaty ball team. Regards, Bo
@@scottmichaels12 anchor alarms will work on moorings. You just have to guess at where the sea floor anchor is located and how much scope there is. The BoatyAlarm is set up to try and remove any of that guess work. The big advantage will be the ability to collect data and fine tune the algorithms over time. Once we get that fine tuned we then plan to show you where other boats in the bay are in relation to you. If we can get everyone utilizing the app then you will not only be able to see your boat but you will also be able to see the other boats around you. We believe this will be another advantage over other anchor alarms.
Next step is to have Garmin use its positioning systems to start the engines and use thrusters to return the boat to it's mooring circle once it receives a mooring ball out of position alarm.
Here is what we have been doing in Australia. Public mooring buoys are maintained by the government. They are professionally installed and clearly marked for size and tonnage of boat, most have a time limit from hours to days. Private moorings are licensed and as part of that license but be built to the size of the vessel. As a condition of that license the mooring "must" be professionally maintained and checked every year. Unfortunately you cant legislate against idiots.
Moor secure maintains almost all the public overnight moorings in the BVI. There is no difference between those overnight balls and boaty balls. BEYC balls and some balls at Anegada are not moor secure. The BEYC balls are however maintained by the local scuba shop.
Great Ideas for Videos ! 💪❤.... All these boat-makers-seller companies who make a fortune off of boaters should have been doing this stuff years ago 😡 Disgraceful ❗
So, what if someone ties up to the "Boaty Ball" that you have reserved and they refuse to get off of it when you arrive? Who enforces this, especially if you arrive late at night? I know that most boaters are respectful but there are still some pirates out there. Will someone show up and make them leave the mooring ball? Because frankly without enforcement, laws or rules are nothing more than suggestions. Just curious, thanks for the info! Glad to see the Hillbilly making boating content again.👍
It is frustrating when this happens. There are bay managers in each bay that help out when we have an issue. In rare cases the police get involved. If Marine Patrol has to come out they will charge the captain with a criminal offense. No different than eating dinner and running. It is basically stealing from the locals who own and maintain the moorings.
NEVER trust a mooring ball - too many blindly trust. Trust your own gear more and know how to use it! There is zero guarantee that the mooring ball will break at anytime.
Comment for Boaty Ball, you’ve installed them so close to each other that is not safe anymore, our last two visits to Cooper Island, when the wind dies at night, you suddenly have your neighbor banging against your boat, you should keep enough distance for peace of mind and safety, particularly after paying $55 a night!
Thanks for the feedback. Many of the mooring ball coordinates were set 20-30 years ago when boats were smaller and most monohulls. Each mooring location has to be approved by the government which can take years. Cooper and several other bays are very tight. We recommend that everyone tie up as close as possible at places like cooper. We do keep track of the moorings we get reports on and we do pass that information on to the mooring ball owners and have been successful in getting some of them relocated. It just takes time.
THE ULTIMATE RESPONSIBILITY RESTS WITH THE CAPTAIN TO CHECK ON THE MOORING CONDITION OR ANCHORING CONDITION. IT IS ADVISABLE, ESPECIALLY IS THE WATERS OF THE BVI TO DIVE ON THE MOORING/ANCHOR WHEN AT ALL POSSIBLE. ALWAYS CHECK YOUR DECK LINES. SET A MOVEMENT ALARM. UNFORTUNATE SITUATION FOR SURE THAT MOST LIKELY COULD HAVE BEEN AVOIDED.
I only wish you the best and it's great to see your upbeat attitude. Dwelling on the past only makes one upset and it's pointless. My home had devastating flooding from hurricane Helene and now it needs to be torn down. I am selling my small boat and buying a full displacement trawler and will live aboard while traveling the Caribbean. Getting back to my roots and turning a traumatic event into a positive! The definition of life for me is impermanence!
Happy to see new content from you about sailing/boating in the BVI again! Thanks, Alan!
Here's a few more tips on making mooring balls safer:
- as the captain, dont be intoxicated.
- Set an anchor alarm. They've been around for decades and are cheap.
- dive your mooring ball and check the holding.
- dont tie to the top of the ball. Tie to the chain that goes to the mushroom anchor.
- dont be in a rush. sit for a while after tie up.
I’d add not to tie off to a mooring ball in rough conditions. The stress on the ball is much greater, I think the hillbilly may have some experience with that himself.
Great idea to do this series. I am looking forward to learning from these conversations.
Great start!
Miss your boating content. I try to understand your situation but at the same time would love to see you get another boat and continue where you left off. I loved your BVI videos!!!
BRILLIANT business concept ❗
Great Job Alan. Keep on; keepin on.
Alan great work helping us and so many others after you 🛟 be SAFER ❗✝🙏
Miss your content!! So glad to see you!!
Looking forward to seeing you and the crew back in the BVI! Greatly enjoy these videos to learn and imagine what retirement might look like cruising around Florida and the BVI. Hope all works out with future endeavors, you deserve it.
This is super valuable content! Thanks for doing this Alan. 👏🏻
So glad to see you back. Would love to hear you thoughts on the new Aquila 50.
It’s nice to see you back!!!!!!
This app sounds phenomenal! Thank you for creating it!
Glad you like it!
Keep up the great content. Get your health back up to where you want it. Lots of memories still to be made!
Agreed
Thanks for providing the background - and a face - for BoatyBall. Glad to see folks making BVI cruising more safe and reliable for all of us.
Our pleasure!
I'm taking my first charter next week because of you, sir!!! Here we come, BVI's!!!
Good tech! We’ll test it out in Feb2025👍🏼
so glad to hear you are getting back to the BVI
ThNk you
Alan - great job with the new content. This will be very helpful to new and returning captains/charter guests to the BVI. Look forward to more topics. Stay Strong my friend.
Thanks Alan. I am glad to see you getting back. Your great personality and overall happy disposition is appreciated. I can't wait to see your next BVI video.
It’s great to hear you laughing again ❤ wish nothing but the best in your future and hope to run into you one day!
I hope so too!
Great information! So happy to see you heading back down to your happy place. We will be here over Christmas and New Year's as always. That warm sun and salt air is going to be great for you in many respects! Safe travels my Friend, Jay!
Thanks Jay!
Best content out there. Thanks Alan. Love the idea of a series. Thanks for all that you do!
Very welcome
Hope you feel better soon! Been dealing with health challenges as well. Enjoyed your Wandering Hillbilly videos and was heartbroken when I heard about and then watched your videos about the mishap with the mooring ball and ending up on the rocks! Hope you are able to get another boat once you are well again!
Thank you!
Thanks for sharing this valuable information with the world! We are heading to the BVI this Thursday for our first BVI charter. Your UA-cam videos were the inspiration! Cheers!
Thanks so much
@ it was a spectacular vacation BTW. We missed your flotilla by a day or two.
‘’Salvage pirates’’, sooooo well said😂😂👍👍
Correct!
Glad your back!
Thank you
Funny enough Alan… we had a bad ball at White Beach right off of Soggy Dollar…. As we are sipping our Rum Punch what do we see??? Our boat floating away from the ball it was on… so glad Boaty Ball is happening!!! It is a necessity!!! To make sure these balls also don’t float your boat away! This way they may be maintained more efficiently … thanks for posting this info! Happy Sailing ⛵️ a boater from right down the road from your old house at CLU! ❤
CLU!! Great place. Balls are balls. Stay sfae
Great info to know.
Great to see your smiling face and a really awesome jacket - you’re the best mate, Good Luck, Cheers Swanny
Thank you kindly. Miss you
@@thewanderinghillbilly check your email mate - sent you some pictures
thanks for the great info on Boaty Ball. Will be chartering BVI again in a couple months. Appreciate your wisdom about turning your (Wandering Hillbilly) loss into goodness and helping others.
Glad it was helpful!
Excellent info and a great attitude toward life and what it deals you.
I appreciate that!
Looking forward to when you take delivery of your new 54, better yet the 70!
Glad to hear you're going back there to Paradise !
Thanks
Great to see you!!
You too!
thank you
I’ve seen two videos recently, neither of them Alan’s, where a mooring in the BVIs has failed. The latest was a non-charter Leopard 45 left unattended. Luckily ppl from boats around jumped on and saved the boat.
What a great video! I love the new interview concept. Please bring hull shield in at some point.
We will!
Well done
Great Idea.. Hope to try it out soon!
Please do!
This is the closest I’ll come to being on social media 😬. Thank you for the inspiration sir! LOVE your channel. Shoving off from the Moorings today (Oct 26 ‘24) on a power cat for the first time!!!
Cheers and safe journey!
Safe journeys!
What a great idea for the restaurants
Thank you
Eric😂
Our pleasure!
Hats off to you and your wife for all
the boating disappointments you have been through. Let's make it better for cruisers, thanks to you.
Well said!
Absolutely amazing, will definitely use it at some point!! Will they be trying this out in other locations?
I hope so!
Will you be getting a new aquila ? We missed seeing you on your boat . All the best
Soon
I would love to beta test this for the week of 11.10 thru 11.15. How do we sign up to test it while we are there?
Me too!
11/11-11/19 willing to beta test!
Is this app live yet?
I used BB this past summer and I was shocked and amazed how hard it was to get a ball. I had four people on phones at 7:00 am sharp all trying for a ball and I think I was only successful on one day - maybe two. A third day we got one in little harbor later in the day since it's much less popular. They go instantly. It was never really a problem because there are usually other balls and you can usually just anchor.
This is not a criticism of BB, just that it's crazy how popular it is.
I’m not seeing on Boatyball where you can signup to beta test. We are headed down first part of November 2024, and would be willing to test if they need
Boaty Alarm
Hey Alan. I hope you guys are having a great on the flotilla this week. We will be down there Nov 10 thru 18 and would love to support the Beta testing. Can you connect me with the boaty ball team.
Regards, Bo
I wonder if they have thought of putting a puck or something in the mooring ball instead of pairing to the boat.
Anchor watch apps do the same thing
When I saw this video I thought the same thing. I didn't known why an anchor alarm wouldn't work with a mooring ball as well, but wasn't sure.
@@scottmichaels12 anchor alarms will work on moorings. You just have to guess at where the sea floor anchor is located and how much scope there is. The BoatyAlarm is set up to try and remove any of that guess work. The big advantage will be the ability to collect data and fine tune the algorithms over time. Once we get that fine tuned we then plan to show you where other boats in the bay are in relation to you. If we can get everyone utilizing the app then you will not only be able to see your boat but you will also be able to see the other boats around you. We believe this will be another advantage over other anchor alarms.
Next step is to have Garmin use its positioning systems to start the engines and use thrusters to return the boat to it's mooring circle once it receives a mooring ball out of position alarm.
Great idea
Omaha? 311 fan? New album out today! Hope you're doing well man!
Apologies, but looked up app and it has a few, don’t want to pick wrong one, I’m on your team and his brother!!
Boaty Alarm
Here is what we have been doing in Australia. Public mooring buoys are maintained by the government. They are professionally installed and clearly marked for size and tonnage of boat, most have a time limit from hours to days. Private moorings are licensed and as part of that license but be built to the size of the vessel. As a condition of that license the mooring "must" be professionally maintained and checked every year. Unfortunately you cant legislate against idiots.
Thanks!
Moor secure maintains almost all the public overnight moorings in the BVI. There is no difference between those overnight balls and boaty balls. BEYC balls and some balls at Anegada are not moor secure. The BEYC balls are however maintained by the local scuba shop.
Good to know
I looked up the app and I didn't find with my android phone
It’s there. Boaty Alarm!
Great Ideas for Videos ! 💪❤.... All these boat-makers-seller companies who make a fortune off of boaters should have been doing this stuff years ago 😡 Disgraceful ❗
I guess I missed the name of the app.
Boaty Warning
Why can't you anchor in sand?
You absolutely can, of course.
So, what if someone ties up to the "Boaty Ball" that you have reserved and they refuse to get off of it when you arrive? Who enforces this, especially if you arrive late at night? I know that most boaters are respectful but there are still some pirates out there. Will someone show up and make them leave the mooring ball? Because frankly without enforcement, laws or rules are nothing more than suggestions. Just curious, thanks for the info! Glad to see the Hillbilly making boating content again.👍
It is frustrating when this happens. There are bay managers in each bay that help out when we have an issue. In rare cases the police get involved. If Marine Patrol has to come out they will charge the captain with a criminal offense. No different than eating dinner and running. It is basically stealing from the locals who own and maintain the moorings.
NEVER trust a mooring ball - too many blindly trust. Trust your own gear more and know how to use it! There is zero guarantee that the mooring ball will break at anytime.
Don’t attach to a mooring ball in 6+ foot seas is the easy lesson.
Thanks
Comment for Boaty Ball, you’ve installed them so close to each other that is not safe anymore, our last two visits to Cooper Island, when the wind dies at night, you suddenly have your neighbor banging against your boat, you should keep enough distance for peace of mind and safety, particularly after paying $55 a night!
Thanks for the feedback. Many of the mooring ball coordinates were set 20-30 years ago when boats were smaller and most monohulls. Each mooring location has to be approved by the government which can take years. Cooper and several other bays are very tight. We recommend that everyone tie up as close as possible at places like cooper. We do keep track of the moorings we get reports on and we do pass that information on to the mooring ball owners and have been successful in getting some of them relocated. It just takes time.
i offered him dinner and a beer! foolish
THE ULTIMATE RESPONSIBILITY RESTS WITH THE CAPTAIN TO CHECK ON THE MOORING CONDITION OR ANCHORING CONDITION. IT IS ADVISABLE, ESPECIALLY IS THE WATERS OF THE BVI TO DIVE ON THE MOORING/ANCHOR WHEN AT ALL POSSIBLE. ALWAYS CHECK YOUR DECK LINES. SET A MOVEMENT ALARM. UNFORTUNATE SITUATION FOR SURE THAT MOST LIKELY COULD HAVE BEEN AVOIDED.
THANK YOU CAPS