Snow Gum - sailing Scotland with dolphins - Garcia Exploration 45
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- Опубліковано 1 вер 2021
- Snow Gum took us from Scotland’s Western Isles south to Bangor in Northern Island. We had a real mix of wind conditions, from comfortable sailing on a reach, a broad reach and close hauled, through to flat calm and motoring. We had lots of dolphins jostling for position in front of the bow, with some turning sideways to look up at us from just below the surface. The sunrise when we were between Rathlin Island, Islay and the Mull of Kintyre was beautiful. We’d planned to wait there for the tide to turn, but the wind picked up and we set sail through the North Channel. It was slow going until the tide turned to our favour and we made it to Bangor earlier than we’d calculated. Bangor is a great town for refilling a boat’s storage compartments with food. 🙂
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Thanks for the video. I enjoy watching snow gum move through the water and listening to the wind and waves. Its lovely.
🙂
Thanks for the view from the helm over the dodger. This has been a concern in many Garcia videos.
Hi nobody. I’ve mentioned elsewhere that the dodger is a fantastic feature and would be even better if it could become invisible when entering marina berths. Actually, I’d be banging my head on it more if it was invisible. Anyway, I think you’ve figured it out - visibility is ok and standing on the seats is easy to do. 🙂Regards, Rick.
Good vid no music sounds of sailing well done
Yes, more sailing is enjoyable
Good memories sailed those waters for over 30 years
Oh, well, you’ll understand how amazing it was to have such a beautiful sunrise in between Islay and Rathlin. We’re looking forward to coming back through here next Spring. I envy your thirty years. 🙂
New video….great surprise! Hard to live vicariously without new material. Be safe……
The dolphins certainly made a beautiful and spectacular sight with the water so clear! And so calm.
Hi Narelle. The dolphins are amazing. They provide us with lots of entertainment, particularly when they leap out of the water. Regards. Carolyn.
Очень красиво
Hi Rick,
The boating live seems to really suite you. You look very relaxed.
Thank you for another great video and for your truly extensive answer to my previous questions about middle cockpits and the HR44.
We’ll soon be able to step onto a Garcia 52 to get a feel for the boat first hand. We might also be able to visit Garcia’s HQ and Sail a 45 sometime later this year or early next year.
I hope you have a lovely weekend and always fair winds.
PS: The little strings were indicating that your sail was to “tight”. If the leeward string are not straight but are moving up and down it means that there is no perfect airflow on the leeward side of the sail. This has the effect that you might “squeeze” too much air between the windward side of the foresail and the mast, which acts as a sort of funnel. If you restrict that funnel (decrease/limit the area between the foresail and the main mast) you nearly stall leeward airflow of the main sail.
The result is a dramatic decrease in boat speed.
If the strings of the foresail move up and down on the windward side, you need to veer so that you restore the airflow on the windward side of the sail again.
If I remember correctly you are an engineer so you probably figured our how these strings work after my first sentence but I wanted to make sure. If you have any more questions maybe I can help you in terms of sail optimization. I have been sailing regattas for about 15 years.
Valentin
That’s a great explanation of how we can read the messages the tell-tales are providing. Thank you Valentin. I will welcome any other suggestions you can offer. I certainly noticed the effect of easing the foresail a bit. The increased curve in the sail caused greater differentiation between windward and leeward air flows and much improved lift.
What advice can you provide on setting the angle of the mainsail? We have tell-tales on the leech only, at the end of each batten. Sure, if they’re streaming aft, the wind is flowing across them. Not much help. I do wonder if Garcia or Incidence forgot to put tell-tales on the surface of the sail?? These would have been helpful. So, what are some rules-of-thumb for starting angles for the main? We look forward to some steady winds for experimenting!
I hope Garcia is compensating you well. You two are awesome brand reps and educators for them!
Hi Billy. I’d like to see how much Garcia paid those dolphins!
Thanks for your kind words. If Garcia’s boss sees them, we might get a croissant! 🥐 They are rather good here in Cherbourg.
Making videos about a good product, a good method or a good experience, to share with others, is very fulfilling and has to be one of the best things about the internet. So much so that I’m planning to make a few videos where I discuss the research I did, including yard visits and test sails, which led to our choice of this yacht. A few people have asked for this and I’ve hesitated; the seven yards we looked at closely all build good yachts. I want to get my words right. The Garcia Exploration 45 was a clear winner, for us and our needs. Other boats have different design parameters and features and might do things better in some respects, to suit other sailors, couples, families. It’s an interesting discussion to have. Or we could just let the dolphins choose. They seem to like our boat. Perhaps it’s the well protected propeller?
Thank you. Great. Still in dreaming phase to acquire Garcia. In light winds would suggest a Genacker with roling furling control from just next to the dog house. Great sailing for you
Hi Asterix. I looked at a gennaker. Garcia’s sailmaker, Incidence, described it as the best all-round choice if only getting one ‘spinnaker’. My preference was to have a specialist spinnaker for light to moderate upwind sailing and another specialist for light to moderate downwind sailing. They are the Incidence Code-0 and an ISTEC New Generation Parasailor, respectively. We have the former (and love it) but not yet the latter.
Carolyn and I sailed in company across the English Channel with a sister ship, us with a Code-0 and the other with a gennaker. The difference in pointing angle was very clear and the gennaker yacht, which had been way in front of us, was way behind us later on, after hours of us both slipping as tightly into headwinds as we could. We could hold at 36 degrees off the wind (without even using the barber haulers), while they were in the mid 60s. That makes a big difference. But winds change and we both got to England at the same time the next morning. 😄
19:44 So long and thanks for all the fish.😄
Hi Airstripper. Did you hear the dolphins talking? At 21:50 they slide under the bowsprit from starboard side to port and one of them says, ‘Move away’. Sure, it sounds like, ‘Squeakitty squeak squeak,’ to our ears, but the Delphinate dolphin translating app is amazing. It’s only one way so far but the developers are working on two way. Worth every cent. Regards, Rick.
Nice to see you’re back! 😎
Thanks sajko. It’s true that the Outer Hebrides are outer. For the most part, the internet doesn’t get there! We need some billionaire to build an internet provider service that truly works everywhere. Problem is, will it work on a boat that’s sailing the seas?
@@SailingSnowGum If you’re mentioning Starlink, it should work on a boat just fine, but right now there is no marine antenna available. Normal Starlink is GEO locked in a sense that you can’t get very far away from place where you order your equipment :) Future will show if we will see problems with internet on a boats resolved or not :) Enjoy quiet time as it lasts! :D
@@sajkoPL Thanks for this info sajko. I hope the internet for sailors works out as you predict. It’s a very handy service to have and by golly do you notice when it’s not there and you need it. You’re right, it’s restful not having it when you don’t really need it. But when you really need it, it’s a nightmare if you can’t get it. Someone once said, ‘A horse! A horse! My kingdom for a horse.’
Many thx! Really great to see this boat sailing…in my opinion it’s a bout for sailors…sounds stupid but it looks safe, everything made for a purpose and no unnecessary cheeechee⛵️
Hi Jan. It is indeed a great design. It sails well, feels strong and handles heavy weather with aplomb. It's very well thought out. :-)
Nice one.
Thanks Simon. This was a fun video to make. 🙂 Regards, Rick and Carolyn.
Hello. I like your video... with a music it's very beautifull but without music it"s the reality.
Yeah, I agree Nadege. The sound of the wind and water is the best soundtrack. Sometimes I have to add music to replace or cover up crackling of microphones. The GoPro microphone is much better than the iPhone X in this respect.
Thanks…..I think my significant other is slowly warming to this life…..
Great to see an update. Out of interest what do all those lines attached to the granny bars go to?
Hi Charlie. The thin lines are a hoist for small flags. I’ve separated the two lines of the continuous loop so they don’t clap together in the wind. This makes a noise that transmits into the saloon, which is noticeable given how quiet it is inside. You will also have seen the spinnaker halyard parked on the port side granny bar. When we’re not sailing it’s parked on a deck shackle nearer the bow, but it needs to be out of the way of the sails. Sometimes I move it to a coachroof shackle, to minimise chafing in the same place, which can be a problem with halyards when in use or parked.
The dolphins were mesmerising, what a lovely experience. Thanks for sharing. Could you please give an idea of how much time you spend at anchor versus actual sailing time in these beautiful waters around Scotland? All the best.
Hi Jayne. For our time in the Scottish isles we were anchoring about 95% of the time. Our 25kg Spade anchor worked perfectly. The most chain we had out was 60m in 10m average depth, during a three day near-gale. Many talk about the Scottish isles as being the best cruising ground in the world and they might just be right about that. A bit warmer and it would be a mad-house like the Med, but much better. 🙂
@@SailingSnowGum Thanks, that is even more than I thought. Are your solar panels and lithium batteries giving Snow Gum all the juice you need to spend so much time at anchor?
@@jayneroberts919 Yep. 🙂 And we only use gas for cooking if it’s cloudy for several days. Other than that we are cooking with solar powered electricity. The lowest state of charge we saw was in the high 60s percentage and that is during two months of anchoring in highly variable weather. For the two nights we spent in the marina we did not plug-in to shore power. Please note that we do not yet have a water maker or a washing machine. So far we haven’t needed them, but they would add somewhat to our electricity consumption. Conclusion - our solar and lithium system is working brilliantly. 😁
good video - moved around the boat making the sailing more interesting
I like the sailing and talk about the functionality of various bits of the boat.
It's good to break up the sailing part a bit with different shots
eg shot of people cooking underway and what it is like down below underway
Makes the video more like a story.
Thank you for putting the videos up for all to see on a great yacht.
Hi awb. Re the aft part of your name, I wish we had a Sky-Mac. One with built in satellite internet! Thanks for your comment. It was fun making each one of the clips in this video, without a plan for what it would include. You’ll see us showing the inside in other videos. Let us know if there’s something in particular you’d like to see. Or measure! 🙂
From the 18th minute, you should be selling that dolphin splash soundtrack on Spotify to all the stressed people of the world.
Good idea! But I’ve had some music on Spotify before. I think our little band made 7 cents.
Great sailing footage, loved it.
Thanks Greg. It was fun to make, especially making eye contact with some dolphins. 🙂
На 6:36 из воды выпрыгнул дельфин !!!!!!!!!!
In one of your videos could you go into more detail on how the heating system works, and if there is any cooling system for tropical climates?
That’s a good suggestion Charlie. Stand by.
Do you have any special lightning protection? How does Garcia, or you, address lightning? Curious about aluminum boat and grounding. Really love the sound of this video……couch sailors dream.
Hi Mike. Re lightning, I should try to find real evidence from sailors with aluminium boats, but the concept is that this design has lightning protection built in as a fundamental element. We have no special lightning protection. As you know, electricity (and in theory, lightning) always takes the easiest path to where it wants to go - the point of lowest potential, via the path of least resistance. Boats made with a conductive metal hull and rig will allow lightning to travel conveniently around the perimeter of the vessel. There should be no need for significant arcing, which happens when lightning can’t find a good, conductive path. The boat should behave like a Faraday cage, with occupants and equipment inside protected by the conductive shell. Snow Gum has told us that we, our systems and devices are safe and that she is not interested in proving it. Chicken! 🐓
Было бы интересно посмотреть как вы поднимаете лодку (тузик) в сзади И куда вешаете мотор?
Thanks 👌🏻
The "track" on the roof of the dodger from port to starboard, are they for mounting a canvas tent ?
Bang on Mike. :-)
Dolphins, encountering a Garcia...said this, in local Dolphin gurgle patois: 'Larry, the Garcia 45!...I told Myrtle that when we and the kinder...when we landlub later this year we only sail in the 45...whattaya' think, Larry?'
Ha! That’s a lovely way to look at it. Sometimes it really does look like they’re looking at us. They must enjoy the clear water as much as we do.
Nice looking! -- QUESTION -- There is something going on with these Garcia sailboats. From my research 100% of people who purchased them, have sold them or are trying to sell them. But no one wants to talk about why that is happening. Some think there is a corrosion issue that is worse on these 45s or that the interior insullation may be faulty in some way. Could you PLEASE tell us why this is happening? The prior version, the 43/46 Passoa, seems to be a well loved sailboat and in high demand (if you can find one for sale). What gives? (If you have not yet sold yours, then I can understand if you don't want to say).
Hi Coleen. Geepers I don't know where you get your 100% figure from but that's just not accurate. I'm in touch with lots of owners (as at Oct 23+) and there's many who are still originals. Sure, a few of the higher profile owners have sold (Jimmy Cornell on Aventura IV, Pete and Tracey on Pearl of Penzance, Peter and Dawn on Chloe and Carolyn and me on Snow Gum), but each described their personal circumstances at the time. These particular boats all sold quickly, as have the others that have been offered. Pete says he sold his boat in six hours after listing it. Carolyn and I say we sold Snow Gum in 0 seconds, as we hadn't even named a price yet!
Let me move on to your specific questions. I don't know who thinks there are corrosion issues but I can tell you that it's not a topic that owners have been chatting to each other about. We had no concerns on Snow Gum and other owners have not mentioned concerns. We talk about all sorts of other problems and concerns like any other group of boat owners; corrosion has not been a topic. Only the anodes corrode and they do so beautifully, which is what you want. 🙂
One of the problems I've discussed with a couple of owners has been some incidents of condensation, which aluminium boats can be especially sensitive to. Keep in mind though - any boat can and will have condensation in the right (wrong?) conditions, although aluminium is a touch better at making water out of thin air than other materials. But there's not that much in it you know; non-aluminium boats will still have condensation. With Garcias or similarly built boats, if the foam insulation in overhead areas has gaps between sections, then warm, moisture laden air can make contact with cold aluminium and in certain climatic conditions can create water droplets. These can wet the upper surfaces of overhead panels and in time can support growth of mould. Again, keep in mind, this can and will happen in any boat, particularly if they're lived-in through the cold, damp months. Serious effort is needed to counteract condensation and mould in all live-aboard boats. With aluminium boats the trick is to inspect the foam panels in the overhead areas and use Sikaflex or expanding foam to seal any air gaps. We did this with our boat and it was very effective at stopping condensation from forming. There's a key point here: condensation happens in boats - it's a fact. The challenge is to minimise the extent to which it happens in areas where it could be a problem, for which I've provided an example - the overhead areas. If condensation occurs on hull plates below the sole, it's not a problem. It will evaporate as daily air temperatures rise and ventilation is provided. You always lift your mattresses don't you, to make sure the under-berth areas get lots of ventilation? 🙂 Some people avoid any noticeable condensation problems by blasting away with their heater. That'll help, until you turn it off and things cool down, when the moisture suspended in the warm air falls out as it cools, forming droplets on the nearest cold surface. The best aids for dealing with condensation are dehumidification, or ventilation, or vacation. Re the last one, leave your boat in a nice, secure yard over winter and go skiing instead of living aboard when the weather is miserable.
I'm actually going to offer a contrary view and point out that many owners are holding on to their Garcias even when the usual and inevitable 'welcome to boat-life' problems start to emerge, such as toilet hoses needing periodic replacement, toilet pumps needing periodic rebuilding (let me give you some tips on that!), black water tanks leaking from the level sensor hole (there's been four I know of, all fixed), a fridge wore out, some centreboard bearings needing a refresh after several years, ... . The owners out there are taking these things in their stride, as boat owners do.
So Coleen, in response to your request to PLEASE tell us why this is happening, 🙂 there isn't an answer to match your question. Perhaps a different question is needed, such as, 'If I find, after careful analysis of my needs, that a Garcia is the best fit for who I will sail with and where we will sail to, is there a reason why I shouldn't order one or buy one?' From me (and most or all other owners I believe) the answer is, 'No, there's no reason you shouldn't order one, assuming you know what's involved with owning and cruising in sail boats, being all the usual joys and hassles.' These are very safe boats with an extraordinary set of wonderful features and good sea-keeping qualities. There are other boats that play in the same space with varying features (which in some specific instances might appeal to me or you) but when I did my analysis, the Garcia was the easiest one to choose.
If you want to dive down into particular technical features, feel free to point at those here in the comments under respective videos. Or, if you want to look at a more personalised comparison, with your needs in mind, feel free to contact me via the About page on our Sailing Snow Gum channel. Regards, Rick.
p.s. Carolyn and I just proof read this. We talked about how these are good, strong, safe boats. For a second I pretended I was talking to you and I said, 'Are you sure you want a boat? They're all nothing but trouble you know. Apart from when it's lovely. Then they're great. A bit like kids.' Ha! 🙂
Thanks for the video. This is my dream boat. I have a mate who values speed over safety. He tells me that Alu boats in direct sun (med, tropics etc.) become really hot. GRP boats too I guess. I know Scotland and Wales are not the sunniest but do you have any thoughts or experience on this?
They’re an interesting couple, speed and safety. It’s like they’re married - sometimes good together and sometimes at odds. Safety can come from speed - getting out of the way of bad weather or conflicting ships. But what happens when the bad weather catches you out? And it will! Sooner rather than later for folk who actually go places while the weather doesn’t behave as perfectly as predicted. Then you’ve got nothing. Out of ammo in a gun fight. We were caught by a gale that arrived early and an engine that failed unexpectedly (though Volvo said later, ‘Oh yeah. We know about that. Easy to fix with a new black box.’). This strong, heavy-ish boat handled itself magnificently in really awful conditions and kept us safe. A boat built for speed? In those conditions? No thanks.
People who’ve owned fibreglass boats and now have well insulated aluminium boats tell me the latter are more comfortable in the Med in summer. The insulation certainly helps in cold climates; it slows the inevitable victory that the cold will have if you don’t add heat. The aluminium hull that is not insulated below the waterline works well to transfer heat, better than fibreglass, noting that in hot places the water is cooler than the air and in cold places the water is warmer than the air. It’s best to tap into the thermal mass of the ocean as a temperature moderator. Aluminium does this well, which is why it’s used as a heat sink for circuit boards.
I’ll edit this reply in two years when we’re in the tropics. I expect the boat will be good. 🙂
@@SailingSnowGum Thanks. I appreciate your thoughts and experiences. I also prefer the "slow and certain" approach over "fast and probable". You might get a few minutes of smugness overtaking someone with upwind speed, but I prefer the hours of smugness in a safe, comfortable boat when conditions get bad.
@@SailingSnowGum on the thermal side of things I agree with you. I have a passive house and insulation, green energy generation and storage and things like heat recovery ventilation are key. The Garcia is getting close to being a "passive boat" which is why I like it. The one difference is the number of thermal bridges you inevitably have in the boat - very conductive aluminium stringers going through the insulation to connect the outer hull to the internal structure. I don't see an easy way around that. The critical temperature difference then becomes the difference between your desired cabin temperature (maybe 19 to 24) and the sea (much lower in high latitudes and higher in the tropics). But with good insulation you need less heat input or cooling input to get back to your desired cabin temp. I'd like to see heat pumps used on cruising boats using the sea as a source of either heat or cooling. That would be... cool. 🤣
@@SailingSnowGum My dream trip would be circumnavigation of Australia. Tropical plus temperate, remote plus built up, no pirates, good rescue helicopter coverage. You could spend 1 year or 5 years working your way around. Are you planning it? You have the right boat for it. For WA you just need enough food, water generation and some green energy sources and off you go. Terrific.
@@ecoworrier The trip you describe would be wonderful but for us it would involve a big tax bill. Hmmmm?🧐🤨
Do you rely solely on the boom brake or do you rig a preventer as well?
Hi Ben. We use only the Walder Boom brake. It’s very effective at absorbing the energy of a gibe. I worry about preventers. If they let go after a significant load has built up, duck for cover!
How was Bangor? In the style of the old joke, somehow I hope you visited Oldham recently... "First I'm going to Oldham, then I'm going to..." 🙄
This joke only works if you use the local pronunciation of Bangor, which is an acquired art. 😆
@@SailingSnowGum Another best man joke is "The groom tells me that after the wedding he's going to Bangor for a fortnight".
@@ecoworrier I guess that joke would work in the eighties, but welcome to the twenties Mr Worry! Now, the best-shiela would smile at the brides and point out that she and both brides were heading off to a certain sea-side town, et cetera, et cetera.
What is the Scottish equivalent of "champagne sailing"? Irn Bru sailing?
Ah, that would have to be ‘Single Malt Sailing,’ I guess. I’m happy to go with that!
Irn Bru?? Urn Brew? Home made beer! If that floats your boat, enjoy! 🙂
Made in scotland from giiiirders
@@benh9928 You’re gonna have to explain that one Ben. We need audio comments.
@@SailingSnowGum it’s the Irn Bru advert: made in scotland from girders, but obviously with a heavy accent and rolled r😀
No Norway plan?
The headlines say ‘Covid Causes Complete Clusterfuck for Keen Cruisers, but Norway’s Not Known for Nicking-Off.’
I guess we’ll have to try again later, if the Norsk gods don’t laugh too loudly at our plans. 🤣🇳🇴
@@SailingSnowGum
Norway implementing strict policy to discourage yachties?
Not recognising covid passes etc?
@@Timothy_Pitt For this summer gone Norway was not allowing entry of sailors coming from the UK; a dark red country on their map of Covid status. I did hear that if a boat turned up in a remote town they’d let you in, but also heard the opposite. It’s a long way to sail to find out. Next time. 🙂
@@SailingSnowGum
Interesting
Thanks
Good luck with your revised plans
Excuse me I would like know if ou
You go fastly like thé other boat or its. A boat heavy in aluminium and you go more slowly than thé other boat
Thanks
@@jokkwet689 Hi Cliff. Have a look at this. 🙂 ua-cam.com/video/8zpXWhD_0_0/v-deo.html
your microphone is crap and you need to get it fixed to get e better sound quality.
Hi Roald. We started this channel to show this great design to the small number of people who might actually order one. There’s five or six orders placed per year, which means 10 or so people or couples are our audience. These people are hungry for information and views of the boat. They don’t care about audio quality, fancy editing or music. Some appreciate the wind noise, as it gives a sense of wind speed. Are you a serious, prospective Garcia customer? Can I help you with any questions? Apart from that, if the wind crackle from my GoPro’s microphone is the worst thing to happen to you this week, month or year, you’re having a very good life. 🙂 Notwithstanding, we offer a no-hassle money back guarantee to any unsatisfied viewers. Just let me know where I can send all of the money you’ve paid us. 🙂Regards, Rick.