Ep 55 Sailing Solo 1200 NM to Madeira
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- Опубліковано 29 кві 2022
- I cast off my lines for the first leg of my 2022 sailing adventure, with no firm destination in mind. Join me as I learn how to handle the challenges of my new, much less comfortable, performance sailboat.
I cannot explain in words just how happy I am seeing you back on UA-cam posting for all of us. Cannot wait to see your upcoming adventures. Thank you very much for taking us along.
"Youth is wasted on the young" what a wonderful saying 🙂
So is beauty
Nowdays more than ever …
Bernard Shaw I believe
quoteinvestigator.com/2015/09/07/young/
Very enjoyable to watch, it’s refreshing to see something positive at this time. I look forward to the next leg of your adventure thank you for sharing.
Oh man, I enjoy these vlogs so much. The action, the quotes, the pace. It's all perfect. A little mental escape from a busy day. Really appreciate your efforts, Patrick.
Patrick you are a joy to have in my youtube inbox. You are a braver man than me but i can at least live vacariously on your travels from the comfort of my sofa with my welsh collie. Salute squire!
I think if you're worried about the weight of extra fuel, consider how much extra weight a crew member would mean with their weight and extra food and water etc. I would assume the boat would have been designed to carry crew (even for longer distances)so the weight reduction by soloing should offset extra fuel if you wish to carry it. Great to see you out there again and giving us proper sailing videos. Looking forward to the next episode. Cheers.
If you are worried about dismasting, you should consider the Libertykite backup wing. It's a solution in the spirit of the Vendée Globe. ;-)
YES ,AND NO REFRIGERATOR, SO I WOULD KEEP THE FUEL AND GET WATER MAKER. POSSIBLE MORE FUEL LOL
As a pilot you know, with limited exception, you can never have too much fuel. If you have room-take it.
great to see you on the water again, cheered me up while recovering from a triple bypass after suffering a major heart attack, which i only survived because my daughter was with me in the car when i was struck down. She got me to a place of safety which allowed the paramedics to give me the help i needed.
This was a joy to watch, a gentleman sailor and philosopher. You are a much hardier sailor than I am! My opinion (which is only that) is that racing may be an excuse for carrying less fuel, but risking others to rescue you due to lack of fuel or water is not right. You have done the right thing I think. Cheers Patrick!
Pithy pointed sayings, fascinating history trivia mixed with the occasional rhyme or limerick, topped off by a sprinkle of philosophy, and all is filmed on a Sailboat…. Welcome to the Patrick Laine Show
Can not wait for the next episode
Welcome back Patrick another brilliant episode. You are a braver man than me in those seas but it's great to watch 🙂
Patrick, you are the solo sailor that everyone wants to sail with. Much respect!
Great to see you again. Gotta say it again, you are my favorite to watch. I enjoy your thoughtful, cool demeanor and learn a little bit with each episode. Thank you.
I love being with you on your journeys and your references to flying.
I can totally see you doing the North West Passage.
Would love to do that NW Passage adventure, but this boat isn't really suited to that. It's on my bucket list though! Fair winds.
“A sailor’s plans are written in the sand by low tide” that’s true! Translates to me as “prepare for the worst and enjoy the best” or “always have a Plan B (and C)”.
Great to follow you again! As I’m retired early as of now we are making plans for long hauls coming years, this year to the Baltic and 2023 (solo) south again to the Canaries for the winter.
W.r.t. your questions (and some other):
- Diesel: I top of my main tank to the max (100ltr) with a 10ltr emergency Jerrycan. With this I can run the motor for about 50hrs.
- Solar (and batteries): I ditched my AGM’s last year and replaced them by LiFePo4 (400Ah) ( ua-cam.com/video/lLODYteLe0c/v-deo.html ).
Advantages: - lower weight
- they absorb every Amp available
- the can manage about 2500 cycles (80%-10%) thus it will outlive the boat
- combined with an 2.5kW inverter you’ll have plenty of AC power
- only in extreme cases you have to run your motor to top of your batteries
- Radar: I did some MLU projects this winter among which a new plotter, new AIS (SOTDMA) and a new (Doppler) Radar. Turns out that the doppler utility is a great feature as incoming targets are plotted yellow, static targets red and outgoing targets grey, furthermore the radar picture can be propositioned on the chart screen AND IT DRAWS ONLY 2 AMPS. So apart from the AIS (and active Radar reflector) this is an effective extra safety layer.
- Your NKE selfsteering seems one of the best in the market, but you could consider a (DIY) windvane selfsteering system as a backup (
ua-cam.com/video/44dyWwuAYGw/v-deo.html
), this ‘saved’ me in 2017 on my way from Horta to Falmouth when my autopilot started slipping on its overtorque protection.
- Food: the freezedried food is great! For me one of the best brands is Lyo, their Beef Stroganoff ( lyofood.com/products/beef-stroganoff ) is delicious 🤤. Further I always carry enough tins of herring in tomatosauce and mackerel in oil, but hey everybody has his own deficiency😊.
Well I wish you safe and happy sailing and hope we’ll meet somewhere in the south in the coming years!
Best regards, Rob (SY Coriolis)
You sound as Cautious as me. Motorbike Touring Europe, carried 3 months supplies, Green Flag Rescue Service, Tyres with fibre reinforced slime like OKO so no punctures, plus self balancing. Plan B was enough Pounds Sterling to get me home, Plan C was enough Euros, Plan D was enough US Dollars, Plan E was Backpack , tent, sleeping bag, food, Hot drinks, reserve Pre sweetened plus dried milk Drinking Chocolate, and the Kelly Kettle to boil water from 2 x 2 litre water bottles and a hitchhiking Thumb to get back to Calais, and Debit Card to book a ferry Crossing and pay lowest price by booking it online at the Technomatic place close to the Campsite on the Coast SW of Calais. Free to use Saturday am, 10 ends to print out the Ferry ticket. 22 Euros single crossing one way, me and Motorbike, Online booking, 90 euros to pay in person at the Harbour. Weather was so nice in Calais after a trip to Romania in 2009, , I stayed for 2 weeks at Calais and found out about the Technomatic from the Municipal Campsite people. Prices higher today. 👍
Hi Patrick,
So pleased to see you back out at sea on your Pierre Roland Bongo. What a fabulous adventure !
A couple of answers
- Enough diesel to cover 250 nm. My Django- Bongo’s younger sister - sticks with too much weight in the stern.
I use an 8mm Dyneema continuous loop which loops through the foreword pad eye and allows me to clip the second reef of my J3/4. The first reef clips to the deck, but I need 15-20 cms clearance for the reef a) to clear the seas and b) the clip is difficult to put in place without it.
Hope this helps. Happy sailing. Chris
Good to see you back Patrick. Regarding your fuel question I think that you answered it yourself as regards to needing assistance. I think that you have struggled with yourself regarding performance over practicality and this is one of the things that you needed to concede. C'est la vie.
Here is one phantom shipmate from Brazil, happy to enjoy "our" new adventure. Very beautiful and inspiring, as always. Thanks for sharing with us.
Great to see you back at Sea Patrick.
Same here as goodq. Will check your channel Patick, to see what else is new.
Stupid pins falling out - what a nuisance they are.
Fair seas and following winds as we say 👍👊💖
Because of you and Kevin Ive set a goal to take a break digging in 2025 and “race” the solo run to Hawaii. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for sharing and being so humble. What a gift to the world you are!
Hi Patrick, with regards to your jib reef question: consider asking your sailmaker to add a zip. We have that on the Mini 6.50 and that is really easy and the bottom of the sail does not catch the waves. Alternatively use bungee cords (you get them at uship) that have a rope “cleat”, we use these for the main too: no need for a knot.
For putting the reef in the staysail, use a 3rd sheet that you connect to the clew and have it take the load, the go forward and clip a snaphook on the reef clew and add run both regular sheets through it. Then when you want to reef you open the halyard to the mark, you pull the tackline for the staysail and you just pull your regular sheet. Within 10s you have a reef and can clean it up later without the sail flogging.
Great video. Complete with George Bernard Shaw and Elton John references!
08:00 I don't roll my hanked on headsail when reefed, I just gather it up at the bottom and I use reef / square knots on the ties. I also keep the sheet attached to the bottom clue and use a large snap shackle on the sheet and snap it on to the reefed clue! I saw one of the minitransat guys do that and it works like a charm. Makes it easier to change reeling points. I also have 2 reefed tacklines running down the the bow fixture and back to the cockpit. So far no problems.
Hello my friend. Good to have you back!
Right out of the gate an Al Stewart reference.., very good and it’s great to see another video
Thanks again for taking this phantom shipmate and 'fan' along for the ride. Long ago there was a yarn being circulated that France was going to purchase The Rock Of Gibraltar and immediate surroundings - and rename it "De Gaulle Stone".... eesshh. :0/
Hello! Good to see you back on the water. Fair winds🙂
Great to see you back Patrick.
The episode was a joy to watch. I am impressed by your seamanship, bravery and honesty in discussing the not so fun things. Look forward to the adventure.
Hello Patrick, it's always very pleasant to watch your videos! The French word you were struggling to find for the rubber joint below your solar panels is "diabolo" !
And Patrick you've two more that link your tiller to the helm
brillant Patrick great to see you back
Patrick , good to see your back.
Hi Patrick. Sad to hear you had to have an Operation, but Overjoyed to see you making a great recovery, and are back on a Boat, getting Afloat Again in a different Boat. . Keep on Keeping on Patrick. I'm in a sort of similar Situation, thought I'd never be able to manage a Sailboat again, being a peg leg one handed one eyesight Eyeballed Crazy, condemned to a Motor boat (not bad as a final option tbh), but I've found a route back for me, for sails, obviously different to what you are able to do. Formerly, I was never happier than Bouncing around on the Foredeck changing Hanked on ForeSails, and reefing and unreefing Mainsails. Can't do that Aby longer though. So it's going to be a Twin Keeled Hull, able to dry out (saving a lot of haulout costs, and permitting regular inspections, easy anode replacement, etc, plus regular inspections of the protective finish on a Volvo Saildrive - I love Yanmar Diesel engines, their Saildrives not so much. Sails For me - Cutter Rig 2 Furling Forestays for Genoa and Self Tacking Jib, TriRadial Dacron with Reinforcement andcReefing points to protect and extend sail shape life - could last almost as long as Hydra-Net Cloth, lus a Furling Code D with UV protection so it can stay up .Code D having a usefully expanded usable arc. In Mast Durling Main, to get maximum Reliability a Battenless loose footed also Tri Radial Dacron , with a Sail Lube finish, helping to remove wear and tear and friction points. Admittedly ultimate Sail performance will take a hit, but I won't be racing anyway, and Performance should remain more than satisfactory. OK insight on me, over, on to asking you an insight favour. You have used a Methanol Fuel Cell, so would you mind telling me how you got on with it, and how expensive and easy to get was Methanol Fuel for it in Europe please ? In the USA and Canada, I don't think Nethanol price was too bad ? I could ferment for it, and distill it I suppose ( have a - legal - Copper Still ). Best Wishes. Bob. 👍
Thanks for sharing, your channel is a lot of fun to watch. Fair winds and following seas
TX for pragmatic sharing of your experience. Tips are great. wrt to fuel: 1/4 of of distance to travel by motor. Plus fuel for 1hr per day to charge batteries. Water. minimum 3l/day per person/day. Showering not included. Plus two 5l in your grab bag. Cheers
Thank you so much for being back. I really appreciate your videos!
Patrick you have to sign for the Vendee Globe. I am sure you will have a blast !!! You have the mindset and the knowledge. Fair winds and easy waves for you!!
I really love watching your videos. I have no interest in sailing personally. No one in my family lineage were sailors. But I find following along on your adventures very entertaining, educational, and relaxing. Thank you! Be safe and I look forward to the next adventure!
HI Patrick. That is a good solution, to raise the sail up even higher. In higher waves all the water will be on your sail. Dynema will do the job. You need to put more tension on the jib luff until there is no sags. Your had no tension at all. That's why flapping on the sail. That deteriorates the sail more quickly. The same rule on the furling jib. After sailing you can easy the tension to prevent stretching the sail. Have a good winds! Regards from Melbourne, AU
Very impressed with the decision to put up the spinnaker seeing the conditions and the wind angle. Mind you, it ends up flying very well, so definitely the right decision. Great to see you sailing again. Always enjoy your videos.
Welcome back Patrick to blue waters sailing, i don't have english as my own language so i had to put undertitles to be sure...well, after the surgery table fight, leaving yr harbor without fixed destination is...absolutely brilliant! In my opinion, this is the best true spirit of sailing, go with the wind. Go and live free, at least overthere. You are taking good care of you the best, i can see, so, as ever, simply Fair Winds ⛵
New performance sailing...Rock & Roll !!!
A gentleman arrives on time and at the right location, wherever or whenever that is...... :-) Thanks for sharing.
Patrick, thank you for sharing your adventures. We look forward to every episode and learning as much as possible from you.
Super glad to see you popping in with another adventure!
Congrats and thank you for sharing!!
I quite enjoyed this video . The winds while brisk and the waves appreciable , were not terribly threatening. You sail well enough. When you truly experience severe conditions , selfies will be impossible , working the boat will consume your time and effort. 120 knot winds and enormous seas can sneak up on a man rather quickly. May you enjoy fair winds.
Paul in Canada
Al Stewart, Les Miserables, Elton John, Sara Bareilles, James Taylor...quite the list of references, Patrick. I'm sure I missed others, and maybe I found a few you hadn't intended. What an interesting first big trip in the new boat, watching you learn as you go. Thank you for bringing us along. -- Tim
You’re my hero
And example
Fair winds
Pure solo sailing at it’s best - thank you for posting and looking forward to the direction you sail next !
Enjoying every moment of voyage 🍷
Nice trip Patrick. One tip; when you reef your main, make sure to tighten the reef line so the foot of the main is completely tight. Use a winch if needed. That will depower the main and will make a serious diff difference in heel, especially on this type of boat.
In my youth I was inspired by people sailing in the Junior offshore group JoG. I thought they were mad but as a young person I could afford an 18 footer.
Today young people can buy 50 year old cruisers and fix them up. But I think you might be inspiring another generation of young adventurers.
Nice to have You back Sir!
About the fuel, I don`t think there`s much difference, when in the mid Atlantic, regardless if You have 40 or 120 liters onboard- non of it can bring You ashore anyway…
Fair Winds😊
Great to see you back in regard to fuel and water I believe the military adage of: better to have and not need than need and not have applies
Patrick. Welcome back. Your videos are easily the best of the genre on UA-cam. For my tuppence worth, there are all different ways of reconciling fuel consumption/capacity. Sufficient to say 40 litres is not even close to being enough for that type of situation.
Well done to you Patrick. I think your boat is awesome but I enjoy watching you sail it!!! We enjoy the kind of comfort onboard that you enjoyed on your last boat and I take my hat off to you for sacrificing comfort in the name of adventure and living life now! It’s inspiring! Thank you.
Thanks 👍 I carry a bruise for every wave I crossed in the new boat. But it was fun! I enjoyed your Faroe Island videos, as they brought back a lot of great memories from my short visits there.
Thanks for sharing your sailing experiences with all us phantom shipmates. I found your UA-cam videos when recovering from a cancer operation in 2019 at the age of 50( I'm English my wife french and we live in the Rhone Valley) The videos gave me a big boost in moral and sowed the idea of getting a cruiser. Now the owner of a Dufour 365gl which we keep in the med enjoyed 10 days of cruising last year with numerous day sails ....great for unwinding after a hard week at work!
Thanks again...if I hadn't found your channel a lifelong dream might not have been realized. Bon Vent !
The story about trash in the navy days reminded me of a funny (not so much with respect to what we used to do to the ocean, but) story about some sailors who decided to dump a box of lightbulbs over the fantail! Who knows how long they floated but the Captain was miffed to say the least. I’m happy we now treat the oceans as they deserve!
Hi Patrick. Just found your channel. Very enjoyable for a fellow sailing adventurer. I truly appreciate your skills as a fighter pilot. The Bongo is way more tender than the Bavaria. More acceleration and planes easy as opposed to the weight of the Bavaria. But hey, what do you need? For me, a comfortable bed, galley, head (bucket and chuck it :-)" autopilot, simple reefing, good charging, reliable engine, good dodger/shelter, AIS, Iridium GO, solar shower and the usual spares. You got that. The remote you have for the autopilot is very handy and I love the adjustable solar panels. I am boatless at the moment and don't know if I would go so far as the Bongo. Of the 17 boats I've had I prefer comfort over speed now. But not a wallower either. Being able to ease sheets and plane away from the worst of a bomb is a must. So, a couple of things I noticed. Keep the tack of the gennaker tight on the prod. Not too tight but snug. The halyard the same. I did notice weather helm which means too much main and hard on the pilot. That boat is like one of your jets, a rocket ship. A little less forgiving I would suppose. I would be interested in your rationale in the Bongo pick. Cheers. Roger.
Love your channel Captain Patrick. Great post.
Great to see you back. How are you enjoying the new boat. Certainly less comfortable but a lot of fun. In about another week I will set off for the Azores from Florida with my charity SailForEpilepsy. Might see you in the EU somewhere. Cheers Phil sv INGWE
Great to see you sailing again. On the fuel question, if you are not racing, I would err on the side of caution and fill the tanks. You never know when you will need it.
Now I am happy again....
My most adore captain is back....
I was very worried that something bad happened to you sir...
Great news 👏 👍
Welcome back 🙏
Great to see you back voyaging again. That’s quite the pocket rocket you have moved to. 👍
So nice Patrick!
Dear Patrick,
As a fellow Cold-warrior (Army Missile and Field Artillery) from the 70’s onward I share your concerns about our current geo-political issues and pray rationality and common sense will prevail. I have been sailing solo with occasional crew up and down the East Coast from the mid-Atlantic to Maine and South to Palm Beach and BVIs over the past four years. Mostly on my boat a 42ft Jeanneau in the Northern quadrants and with friend’s Hylas 49 south. I find your videos most refreshing and honest in reflecting the pace, and emotional/mental and physical challenges
of short-handed and solo sailing. I’ve learned a lot from you and wish to thank you for sharing your adventures with old-timers like me (just now turning 68). Coincidentally, I am now four months post open heart surgery and just had my first sail of this year two day past. I am getting my boat, Natty Bloh, prepared for a couple of months to New England and hoping to sail to the Caribbean this Winter. God bless you and your daughter and fair winds! I look forward to following your adventures. Fair winds!
How do you like the new boat Patrick ? I am a person that likes exhilarating sailing , but it is certainly more strenuous . Logically thinking , the trade off is speed for safety to run from dangerous weather v solid built to last the duration . Soft shackles have the advantage of being doable with what is readily on hand so if not the first option , certainly a back up .As far as fuel tankage goes it should always be figured by range and run times (and it should always be figured in 'Range for your particular engine) .Boats that are set up to run their engines a few hours each day for purely energy needs need to count this run time . One way to save fuel if this is your main use of motor at sea is to be sure you have an efficient alternator installed . This can make a huge difference in your run times to charge your batteries. Water can be figured on a scale of usage per day with 3 gallons a person being considered quite conservative for modest usage and 5 gallon a day per person being considered quite luxuriant with frequent showers and such . Deep sea cruising can be kept much more modest to 1.5 to 2 gallons a day .The minimum I would figure is a gallon a day for each member at sea .
Informative Sailing& pleasant conversation, the order of the ocean.
We are all better off as humans work to improve our sanitary systems for the future.
Good health, adventuring&flex well with the new craft!
I just found your older videos and I'm so glad you're still sailing and I love going with you. I've spent some time on the water over the years and miss it terribly. Thank you for your knowledge and taking me sailing.
This is such a great channel. He should record more often during his travels. It’s just so interesting.
Excellent!!! Thanks, Andrew
Nice to see you back in your element-solo sailing at the high seas! As a sailor myself, you are a mentor. I plan to sail a much shorter distance than you, starting May 22nd from Oslo.. my goal is Shetland…however, the mental challenge is there and it is here where you come in as a mentor…how to enter the unknown? Sailing more than 36 hrs..sleeping patterns…how can I master this? I will approach this in steps, get sea legs, try to go through 24 hrs with a plan B… nearby harbours. And as you say… a sailors plan is rightly written in sand ..at low tide! Looking forward to your next tubes. You’re an inspiration for a 64 yr old sailor😊
Great to see you back out there Patrick. Let the wind leed you safe and sound where ever your adventure goes⛵️🙏
Patrick.. Another great episode I cant wait to see where you end up.. Seems we served at the same time I joined the RNZAF in 1979 and got out in 1986.. Cold beers for the cold war.
Glad to see you back!!
Great to see you back, thanks for taking us along and looking forward to following your adventures on your new boat.
Alessia, The Year Of The Cat...Foam bubbling in all our wakes... Wonderful stuff Skipper. If you make it down to Tenerife and fancy some diving, look up Geoff at Atlantic Divers, Tenerife, Costa Del Silencio. Anything from a try dive to world class scuba sites. You can probably moor in Las Galletas marina, loads of good sensible price restaurants along the front too (last time I was there!) Godbless.
Loved it.
Always Like first. Watch later in the morning. Good to see you are back and well.
Great to have a sailing video again!
Glad to see you back on the water.
Really enjoyed this video. Thanks.
Delighted to have you back. An inspiration to all solo short handed sailors. SV Brooklyn
Welcome back! a great passage to watch thank you.
Another fine video! Yes, these boats are fast and you have to keep up, and your spinnaker footage shows that’s what your are doing! Bravo! Based on my experience, and watching your video I see it is similar to yours: 1) I am not convinced that heaving to is such a good option, we almost broached in a storm and found it safer to continue our route with reefs ; 2) I almost use no metal shackles and make my own soft shackles in various sizes. I use them at the foot of the foresail. So far, I have not had one break ; 3) to hold the reef on the foresail, some pros have a zipper. For a normal boat, soft shackles (don’t lose them ovetboard!) or lines with a bowline on one side and tie half hitches into the loop when you come back up ; 4) if I may, your foresail is not hoisted taught enough, this makes a big difference in pointing ability and control ; 5) these boats are meant for sailing (with Nancy Sinatra singing 😉), so the theory is the less weight, the better. My preference for a long cruise would be to carry 24 hours worth of motoring, which I suppose works out to between 80 and 100l of diesel for your boat. If dismasting is the concern, it’s either diverting a cargo or jury rigging the boom... Take care, stay safe, keep sharing your adventures! 😎
Hi, Patrick great to see you out on the sea again , whilst choosing a course as you go along . So glad your in good health and awaiting your next course to ? Stay safe and fair winds .
Great…great to see you back. Thank you
Enjoyed this episode a lot, thank you so much, please continue to post! Wishing you fair winds !
So happy to see you back sailing. I’m excited for the continuing adventures!
Fantastic. Thank you again for sharing your journeys.
Very pleased to see you out on another adventure Patrick. Regarding the staysail tack, a strop to raise the sail is the proper way to prevent water catching in the sail. A soft shackle is fine providing it's made from the right cordage. You are probably carrying too much diesel. One cannot carry enough fuel in a small boat to allow you to motor to a port from mid ocean after a dismasting. I think you need enough for entering and leaving port and emergency battery charging, whatever amount you calculate for that. I agree that nothing is ever thrown overboard. Safe sailing Patrick. Cheers John.
Great stuff from a small boat, I'm impressed by your efforts. Your videos are always a joy to watch. Thanks for shearing Patrick.
Best regards from Jarle
So good to have you back Patrick :) You've been missed.......Brian
Fantastic to see you back out doing what you love ! Thanks for sharing
Another great video Patrick.
It's good to see you back at sea. Do you ever miss the relative comfort of Isabelle? And another question, you've probably been asked many times before: which aircraft did you fly in your days as a fighter pilot (I'm guessing maybe the Crusader entre autres because you mentioned in an earlier episode that you came to France on a military exchange program). Your videos are always an inspiration.
Great to see you back
Fantastic video as always love your story’s . Keep safe and look forward to the next one.
It's always a pleasure watching your videos, hope to see you on the seas!
I really enjoy watching your video recordings. It’s great to see you back on the water. A breath of fresh air.
Thank you for sharing your adventures. Much appreciated.
Glad to see you back on the water again!!