Mads Bo Falk interviews are a great encouragement to us sailors who hold back and never really do the whole nine yards. I may not ever do the voyages he has done, but I can see myself taking one more step in that direction partly due to his sharing of his experience. well done.
I noticed several people commented the videos with mads were boring. I enjoyed every one and found them helpful and inspiring. It is good to listen to someone who has so much experience and enthusiasm for small boat sailing share it so freely. I also want to thank you for letting Mds talk in the interview. I watch so many interviews where the person talking is constantly interrupted and the interviewer tries to make the interview about themselves. I watched your other interviews with the guy who was a boat rigger and found it very helpful too. Finally, Roger Taylor has a great UA-cam channel, you can see both of his junk rigged small boats in his videos, not just Ming Ming.. I never realized he never went ashore until Mads mentioned it. thanks for making and sharing.
+Robb's Homemade Life Thanks for such a lovely comment Robb. I think we just have to chalk some comments up to 'you can't please all of the people all of the time'...we just try our best to make interesting and informative videos that we like and hope that other people enjoy them as well! I've been watching several of Roger Taylor's videos and I find the sailing he's done extraordinary! I'm also ordering one of his books and can't wait to read more about his adventure! Thanks again and fair winds to you Robb! ⚓-Monique
EXACTLY! Why we bought our Nor'Sea 27 in 1993, moved aboard in 1996, departed in 2004....... GREAT!! Our saying is our boat is our bedroom, the world is now our living room.
I just want to say a big thank you for the interview with Mads. Very inspiring and a huge eye opener for me! I have now bought myself a twister 28, and this boat is the best thing that has happened in my life! And I didn't have a boring life just way different. I'm preparing the boat now for bigger voyages, and prepare to sell everything I have, and go cruising. So again: Thanks!!! And keep up the good series. I enjoy them a lot!
Thank you so much Drake and Monique. for presenting this interview. While I too am missing the videos of your adventures, this type of video is so interesting and inspiring that it helps while you are putting together some more great videos for us. Again, thank you so much for sharing both your lives and what inspires you to do this.
+Gary Kalosky Gary, thanks so much for you kind words. We love sharing our adventures, but are also inspired by the stories of the many amazing people we meet along out travels. We're just happy we're able to share those with you and are glad you're enjoying them. That being said, I also am very much looking forward to season three. Cheers and fair winds to you! ⚓-Monique
+Brad D Thanks Brad, we were so happy to be able to sit down with Mads. I think he's found a wonderful happy medium between his life on land and his love of sailing! We're working hard on Season 3 and look forward to uploading that! Fair winds to you. ⚓-Monique
We're big Roger Tailor fans as well, we have a couple of his books and follow his adventures. As a family that likes to race as well as cruise a junk rig was something to laugh at rather than admire but having seen how Roger can sail his simple boat from inside the cabin by just pulling some string, regardless of the weather is very inspiring, Chris & Jess's adventures in Teleport is another example. We are looking forward to seeing how Mads has his boat set up so thanks once again for sharing this with us
+funNstuff with the Foxwells Ahoy Foxwells! I didn't even know who Roger Taylor was until Mads Bo Falk told me about him. Now I am just so amazed and inspired by his epic voyages to Greenland and Svalbard and by his incredible junk rigged sailboats. I'm also a huge fan of Chris and Jess aboard junk rig Teleport - I think they have made some of the most incredible and inspiring voyaging/documentary videos ever made. I'm also a huge fan of Annie Hill, an English sailor who has voyaged over 165,000 nautical miles and wrote many wonderful and inspiring articles about junk rigs and cruising on a very small amount of money. She received the the Cruising Club of America's Blue Water Medal and has a great blog at annie-hill.blogspot.com The incredible voyages made by Roger Taylor, Chris and Jess, and Annie Hill really make me to want to see what sailing a junk rig boat is like! I wonder what it would be like if we converted our sailboat Paragon, or if you converted your trailer sailer to a junk rig...
These interviews are great. The wealth of knowledge that he is able to share is fantastic! Only one thing missing, some day Drake needs to take his list of questions, sit in front of the camera... and start talking!!! I've said it before and I'll say it again; thanks so much for posting these videos!!!!
Yet another great video, Can't wait to see the tour of Mad's boat. Would be great if you could interview Roger Taylor. i've read all of his books and about the only thing on my youtube channel are playlists of Roger's videos.
+Cawfee Dawg I'm about to order one of Roger Taylor's books and can't wait to read more about his adventures. I'm especially curious about this last voyage to Svalbard since Drake and I have been talking about sailing there for some time. It's such a different way from how we voyage but it sounds amazing. I can't wait to share the tour of Mads' boat...it's a wonderful and thoughtful setup to be sure. Take care Cawfee Dawg! ⚓-Monique
+John Beasley Thanks John! I just finished reading 'Bull Canyon' by Lin Pardey not long ago and the only bad thing about the book was that it ended too quickly! (✿◠‿◠) I think they're marvellous, not just for the sailing they've done, but how they've shared that knowledge with the rest of us. It would be an honour to one day meet them. ⚓-Monique
+S/V Southern Lady I crewed for two months on a friend's Island Packet 29 and it was the most homey boat! I also felt very comfortable at the helm and, though still very new at the time, confident that I would be able to handle it. There is definitely something to be said for smaller boats. ⚓-Monique
Another great addition to your library.I wonder why I dont recieve a video each week from your channel anymore?UA-cam must be controlling the flow for whatever reason.Hmmmm...I so enjoy your perspective on the cruising life.Safe travels Drake.
Great interview. *stares at 46'er todo list ;(* Actually, fascinating discussion on single-handed sleep cycle. I follow exactly the same pattern under way.
Another great interview with him! I'm curious to know what people think in terms of drogues off the stern or sea anchor off the bow for heavy weather. While I've never done an overnight passage I've always had the thought that if it were dangerously strong seas requiring either, I think I'd prefer a sea anchor and bunker down below until it passed. Obviously the con is that you have stopped moving, but always interested to hear others perspectives.
+Sean Hi Sean, thanks! I've never run under bare poles with a drogue off the bow, but I've read that others have done this with success. Just some of my own personal perspectives... I learned about heaving to mostly from reading Lin and Larry Pardey's book on Storm tactics. When you're hove to you have the sails and rudder set so that the boat moves sideways very slowly. This creates a slick of calmed water behind its sideways path. This slick buffets the incoming waves so that they have less impact when they reach the boat. I've heaved to in heavy weather many times, but often found that the boat was still moving forward a little too fast, and moving too far ahead of that slick. So I got a Jordan Series drogue to deploy off the stern, to slow the boat's forward motion while hove to. I think different types of hulls probably heave to differently. Lin and Larry Pardey recommend setting up a parachute drogue off of the side of the boat with a bridal set up between the bow cleat and a winch in the cockpit. This worked well for them while hove to, but it didn't work at all on my boat (a 19+ ton full keel Westsail 42) because we were still moving forward too fast.. Probably the worst storm weather that I ever saw was sustained 40-50 knots for a day, gusting to ~60 knots and it was the scariest time of my life. But we got through unscathed after being hove to for 3 days. This was just before I sailed into St. George's harbor after towing that disabled 52 foot steel sailboat for 150 nautical miles. www.amazon.com/Storm-Tactics-Handbook-Heaving-Conditions/dp/1929214472
Holy crap! 3 days is a long time to go through that out there. I've performed a hove to before, actually I had to do it the first time I took my current boat out solo. Was taking it across the harbor to get the engine looked at, when it died, put the main up and suddenly a squall comes over the horizon about 10 minutes later. Without thinking I hove too, which worked well. The amazing thing was that I hadn't done that maneuver since my sailing lesson days when I was an early teen, but with everything always rely on your training and instinct. Ironically Theresa and Ben over at Sailing Simplicity just posted a blog about how it's a good idea to always learn to sail as there are a new breed of cruisers who just pick up a boat without leaning about sailing first. So where did you guys say you were at the moment? Scotland?
+Sean Hi Sean, Congratulations on heaving to by instinct in St George's harbor when that squall hit! :) When I was anchored there in November - February we got some pretty crazy winds there. During those months I moved several times between anchoring on the north side and the south side of the harbor to be in the lee of the shore when the wind direction changed. While I was anchored on the south side of the harbor the Norwegian Majesty cruise ship came in and tried to dock at the terminal on the north side when a huge squall hit. It was so windy that that enormous cruise ship was overpowered and couldn't pull up to the dock. The Bermuda tugboat Powerful came out and tried to push the cruise ship onto the dock. But that squall was so strong and the cruise ship had so much windage that it just got pushed by the wind onto many boats at anchor. It was a total pandemonium! I was so lucky to be anchored on the southern side of the harbor out of harms way at the time. Miraculously no one was injured, but several boats were totaled. That was another really great article that Teresa Carey wrote about how you have to learn to sail before you go offshore. Have you seen their latest videos on Lionfish Hunting, and the next on how their wind vane works? They've been putting out some really great videos! Yes, we're in Scotland now. :) We spent last winter on the south coast of Ireland, and now this winter on the northern coast of Scotland. We've been having some crazy winds this winter too! But Mo and I are enormously happy with how protected the harbor is here and how great the marina is. Even in 50 knots of wind we have been comfortable enough here. I'm looking forward to the Spring to start our voyaging back to the Faroe Islands! Are the cruise ships still coming into St George's harbor nowadays? I had heard that they were going to start only going to Hamilton..
Unfortunately no ships don't regularly dock in St. Georges on a regular basis. We get the odd one, however with the advent of the Mega ships, town cut is too small and shallow to allow them safe passage. They are working on a decent marina for the cruisers and multi-million $$ yachts that come in, which makes sense. Just watched their passage vid, which was great! Yeah I recall you mentioned Scottland in your last correspondence. I'm heading to the UK in March to visit family, but they are very South (London and Somerset), not sure if I'll be able to make it that far north though....early days yet however. Yeah you guys have been getting pounded (As we have here)....it's been a very windy winter. I can't wait to see all your footage around Northern Scottland, I've only gone as high up as Edinburgh and that was years ago. Take care you two!
+W4ABN Hi Daniel, thanks! Have you heard of an Omnia Stove Top Oven? I couldn't believe how awesome the bread was that Mads baked in it on his alcohol stove. And lasagna too! It will be in next week's Cabin Tour episode. theboatgalley.com/using-an-omnia-stove-top-oven/
+astrobola (✿◠‿◠) Thanks astrobola, we don't intend to stop. We've got Season 3 coming up and also some wonderful interviews with a family of six on a sailboat (no engine!) and also Nigel Calder! Can't wait to share those with you! ⚓-Monique
A very interesting and informative interview. It all sounds great, except that bit about waking up every 15 minutes. I couldn't handle that. Isn't there some sort of electronic warning system that could be used?
+Jim H. Radar and AIS can be set to sound an alarm to help avoid collisions, but there is no 100% guarantee that it will always work, and there are a lot of other things than can go wrong and unnoticed if you are asleep underway. International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea state that every vessel shall at all times maintain a proper look-out by sight and hearing as well as by all available means appropriate in the prevailing circumstances and conditions so as to make a full appraisal of the situation and of the risk of collision. Being asleep for extended periods would definitely be considered going against those rules. If there is a possibility of encountering other vessels then it really is necessary to maintain a good watch.
+Rob Searle I have followed Roger Taylor for quite a few years now an think he's just great. He has up graded to a 24 ' sailboat 'cause it was either that or refurbish his smaller boat. He said he had enough room in the 19'er but wanted to go just a little faster.
+captainandthelady I'm rather in awe of the places he goes aboard his boat. His voyage up to Svalbard is something we've been planning for some time, and with a certain amount of trepidation. I'm very much looking forward to reading his books over the coming months. ⚓-Monique
+Norman Boyes Hey Norman, we're working on Season 3, but are also taking advantage of this break between seasons to work on some other projects that will help to 'keep the lights on' aboard Paragon. We've got a couple of great interviews headed your way and then we'll launch into Season 3 before you know it! Fair winds to you! ⚓-Monique
+Norman Boyes At this moment Mads and Eric are searching Lisbon and Cascais, Portugal for a place to buy epoxy to repair some damage Fiona got when crossing the Bay of Biscay. They are just at the beginning of a great adventure!! :)
Greetings. Have watched and enjoyed your videos for years. Remember those in Newport recently cozying up to your stove. Just saw a video regarding burning saltwater soaked wood that I wanted to bring to your attention. Seems it is hazardous to your health to burn wood that was saltwater soaked. To learn more, see Katydid woodstove website. View FAQS for the answer to the saltwater question. Happy and safe travels.
+Marshall Wright Oh no, really? Thanks for the heads up, I'll definitely have to look into that. Someone else brought to our attention the dangers of burning pallet wood because of the chemicals they soak certain pallets in...all I can think is Damn! We're losing all of our free wood sources! ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Cheers and stay cozy there in Newport! ⚓-Monique
Thanks for sharing. So is it true that a safe sailer doesn't get more than 15 minutes of sleep while shorthanded? I need 8 hours. Is there no other way?
Thanks for the comment Abitaskew, The International Maritime Organization (a specialized part of the United Nations) has published a document which states: "Every vessel shall at all times maintain a proper look-out by sight and hearing as well as by all available means appropriate in the prevailing circumstances and conditions so as to make a full appraisal of the situation and of the risk of collision." So really the best situation is to have enough people aboard so that at all times at least one person is awake and maintaining a proper look-out. There are single handed offshore sailors that have slept for longer times, but the longer you are asleep without a proper look-out the greater the chances of a collision or mishap. If there was a collision, then the vessel without the proper look-out would certainly be at fault. -⛵Drake
Thanks for replying. I've seen some people here on youtube who've stayed out for up to 8 weeks shorthanded. Without REM sleep for such a long duration of time I suspect the sailor to go a little crazy. Is it safe to free float instead of sailing while sleeping? How efficient are the radar systems? In one video the sailor was awaken when a boat comes within a couple miles of him. Also, how efficient are the depth finders looking for rocks/ocean trash ahead? Thanks for your patience
Having received an invitation to sail with this guy and then seeing him at the dock, I'd do an about face quick step. This guy looks like a killer. He just hasn't been caught yet. Sue me. I dare you and I will prove my statement true. First thing....send me an invite to sail with you. Otherwise, everything else fails and I win.
I guess it's a very stupid question.. but I watched many videos of sailors telling that about this 15' 20' sleep to watch the horizon to check of boats.. I don't really understand why it's the reason of radars?? radars have an alarm right? they are not very reliable?
not stupid, but crew on some ships and fishing boats set the auto helm and go to sleep, at sea a small wood or GRP sailboat radar signal can be lost in the return clutter caused by the sea,
In addition to that, radars can be expensive and take up additional room that, on a small sailboat, is at a premium. Many budget cruisers simply can't afford one, or when the one they already have (or came with the boat) breaks, can't replace it.
I am sure this guy is super nice and full of information. I get it. But jeez 4 part mini series on how to drag on and on......... Let's do some sailing and exploring. Not droning and snoring.
Drake and Monique, I love your channel and have been a fan since the beginning. These interviews are interesting but also very boring. Bad enough you talked to this guy thru an entire episode but you did 4. If you check your analytics, I will bet you lost subs. For your sake please do more videos about you guys and your adventures. Limit this kind of interview to small sections within your VLOGS . Show more of your day to day stuff. Where your at? What your doing? Think that every video is your first impression to get new viewers. This guy may be interesting but he has all the personality of a dead fish. Monotone, single camera angle, no cuts showing what he is talking about. I really am a Fan and so offer constructive advice with the best intentions for helping you guys. You have been an inspiration for me and have played a small part in my life plan changes. Sail on my friends, but bring us along with you. We will meet up in some anchorage, I look forward to that day!
+Christine LaBranche yes I know its a UA-cam Video. But I also know that Drake and Monique can do so much better and I really want them to succeed and earn enough to continue to cruise and sail forever. That way I can watch their videos and follow them as they enjoy life. I can see you are a fan of sailing/Cruising lifestyle videos as well. You have seen others and what some are doing. As a content provider I want to motivate us all to do better and build a community that will better support the efforts of all content providers. Right now there a huge number of companies who benefit from videos like this. We need to build the market to start attracting them as advertisers. I hate watching a cruising video that have ads from Cruise ship lines. Where are the boat manufacturers? The electronic manufacturers, etc.? All the destinations, marinas, cruiser hangouts? Where are their advertising dollars going? Why not UA-cam? They will get a better bang for their buck with more targeted marketing.
+29200 days Thanks for your comments. Based on your honest appraisal and that the last video I watched like this I skipped much of it because it was boring. With this one then, I don't even have to endure that! All I have to do is wait for more decent content to come up. Many thanks ! :)
+29200 days Hey 29200 days, You say you've been with us since the beginning and we appreciate you being a long time fan...and it's good to see your first comment. We certainly like to hear from our viewers, both praise and the critiques. This interview with Mads, and the others we're working on, are very much a part of the DrakeParagon Channel and something we've done from the beginning, as I'm sure you know. Over the years we've spoken with a range of sailors, from a professional delivery captain, a younger guy just starting out, a professional rigger, and an accomplished veteran of the sea with over 300,000 miles under the keel. These stories, to date, are some of our most popular and most watched videos, and we're delighted to hear that they have inspired quite a few people in their own lives. We were honoured that Mads sat down with us for an interview and feel that he has a compelling story to share. So many people struggle to find a happy medium and we feel that he's done a spectacular job of combining his life on land with his intense love of sailing. Mads shows that, even if you don't circumnavigate the world, you can still have wonderful and fulfilling adventures aboard your boat. This is a story we wanted to share. We love that you've been following along with us and we look forward to releasing Season 3. Thanks for commenting...it's good to hear from you after all this time! Fair winds to you!
Another great addition to your library.I wonder why I dont recieve a video each week from your channel anymore?UA-cam must be controlling the flow for whatever reason.Hmmmm...I so enjoy your perspective on the cruising life.Safe travels Drake.
+Whitey J Hmmmm, I don't know why you wouldn't be receiving notices any longer...I wonder if there's a section where you can control your settings? I'm glad you're enjoying this latest series...Mads really was quite inspiring to us and he's given us a lot to think about for future passages. Cheers and fair winds to you! ⚓-Monique
![Watch THIS before you Sail Away PART 2 [Sabbatical vs Retirement vs Working Aboard]](/img/n.gif)
Mads Bo Falk interviews are a great encouragement to us sailors who hold back and never really do the whole nine yards. I may not ever do the voyages he has done, but I can see myself taking one more step in that direction partly due to his sharing of his experience. well done.
I noticed several people commented the videos with mads were boring. I enjoyed every one and found them helpful and inspiring. It is good to listen to someone who has so much experience and enthusiasm for small boat sailing share it so freely. I also want to thank you for letting Mds talk in the interview. I watch so many interviews where the person talking is constantly interrupted and the interviewer tries to make the interview about themselves. I watched your other interviews with the guy who was a boat rigger and found it very helpful too. Finally, Roger Taylor has a great UA-cam channel, you can see both of his junk rigged small boats in his videos, not just Ming Ming.. I never realized he never went ashore until Mads mentioned it. thanks for making and sharing.
+Robb's Homemade Life Thanks for such a lovely comment Robb. I think we just have to chalk some comments up to 'you can't please all of the people all of the time'...we just try our best to make interesting and informative videos that we like and hope that other people enjoy them as well!
I've been watching several of Roger Taylor's videos and I find the sailing he's done extraordinary! I'm also ordering one of his books and can't wait to read more about his adventure!
Thanks again and fair winds to you Robb! ⚓-Monique
If you find these videos boring you obviously don't dream of sailing around the world by yourself. Sorry for you.
EXACTLY! Why we bought our Nor'Sea 27 in 1993, moved aboard in 1996, departed in 2004....... GREAT!!
Our saying is our boat is our bedroom, the world is now our living room.
+Greg Delezynski Greg I love that! The world is our living room...so true. ⚓-Monique
I was not expecting much when I realized that this was just an interview, but glad I hung around. Great discussion here.
I just want to say a big thank you for the interview with Mads. Very inspiring and a huge eye opener for me! I have now bought myself a twister 28, and this boat is the best thing that has happened in my life! And I didn't have a boring life just way different. I'm preparing the boat now for bigger voyages, and prepare to sell everything I have, and go cruising.
So again: Thanks!!! And keep up the good series. I enjoy them a lot!
Probably my favourite series of sailing interviews! Thank you!
Thank you so much Drake and Monique. for presenting this interview. While I too am missing the videos of your adventures, this type of video is so interesting and inspiring that it helps while you are putting together some more great videos for us. Again, thank you so much for sharing both your lives and what inspires you to do this.
+Gary Kalosky Gary, thanks so much for you kind words. We love sharing our adventures, but are also inspired by the stories of the many amazing people we meet along out travels. We're just happy we're able to share those with you and are glad you're enjoying them. That being said, I also am very much looking forward to season three. Cheers and fair winds to you! ⚓-Monique
Interesting guy with subtle yet deep insights. Easy to miss if you don't pay attention.
love the interviews with Madds. what a wonderful life. sailing for life!!!!!
+steve mooreweathers Thanks so much Steve! And I agree...it IS a wonderful life! Cheers and have fun on that Hobie Cat! ⚓-Monique
Fantastic interview Drake... very inspiring! Thanks! Looking forward to Season 3!
+Brad D Thanks Brad, we were so happy to be able to sit down with Mads. I think he's found a wonderful happy medium between his life on land and his love of sailing! We're working hard on Season 3 and look forward to uploading that! Fair winds to you. ⚓-Monique
We're big Roger Tailor fans as well, we have a couple of his books and follow his adventures. As a family that likes to race as well as cruise a junk rig was something to laugh at rather than admire but having seen how Roger can sail his simple boat from inside the cabin by just pulling some string, regardless of the weather is very inspiring, Chris & Jess's adventures in Teleport is another example. We are looking forward to seeing how Mads has his boat set up so thanks once again for sharing this with us
+funNstuff with the Foxwells Ahoy Foxwells! I didn't even know who Roger Taylor was until Mads Bo Falk told me about him. Now I am just so amazed and inspired by his epic voyages to Greenland and Svalbard and by his incredible junk rigged sailboats. I'm also a huge fan of Chris and Jess aboard junk rig Teleport - I think they have made some of the most incredible and inspiring voyaging/documentary videos ever made. I'm also a huge fan of Annie Hill, an English sailor who has voyaged over 165,000 nautical miles and wrote many wonderful and inspiring articles about junk rigs and cruising on a very small amount of money. She received the the Cruising Club of America's Blue Water Medal and has a great blog at annie-hill.blogspot.com The incredible voyages made by Roger Taylor, Chris and Jess, and Annie Hill really make me to want to see what sailing a junk rig boat is like! I wonder what it would be like if we converted our sailboat Paragon, or if you converted your trailer sailer to a junk rig...
These interviews are great. The wealth of knowledge that he is able to share is fantastic!
Only one thing missing, some day Drake needs to take his list of questions, sit in front of the camera... and start talking!!!
I've said it before and I'll say it again; thanks so much for posting these videos!!!!
+Jimmy D Ha! One day Jimmy, one day.... (✿◠‿◠) ⚓-Monique
Thanks for sharing this great interview. Well done!
+Two aboard Tuuli Thanks guys and we're glad you enjoyed the interview! ⚓-Monique
Yet another great video, Can't wait to see the tour of Mad's boat.
Would be great if you could interview Roger Taylor.
i've read all of his books and about the only thing on my youtube channel are playlists of Roger's videos.
+Cawfee Dawg I'm about to order one of Roger Taylor's books and can't wait to read more about his adventures. I'm especially curious about this last voyage to Svalbard since Drake and I have been talking about sailing there for some time. It's such a different way from how we voyage but it sounds amazing.
I can't wait to share the tour of Mads' boat...it's a wonderful and thoughtful setup to be sure. Take care Cawfee Dawg! ⚓-Monique
good that you mentioned Lin and Larry when promoting go small, go simple, go now. nice video.
+John Beasley Thanks John! I just finished reading 'Bull Canyon' by Lin Pardey not long ago and the only bad thing about the book was that it ended too quickly! (✿◠‿◠) I think they're marvellous, not just for the sailing they've done, but how they've shared that knowledge with the rest of us. It would be an honour to one day meet them. ⚓-Monique
Same here excellent excellent excellent interview I learned a lot from this particular interview fabulous.
Lovely interview, watched it with great interest.
+Kelkschiz Thank you! We found Mads rather inspiring as well and are definitely keeping some of his great ideas in mind for future passages! ⚓-Monique
Great interview
Great dane ..all i can say ..and thanks for a nice interview..:)
+Wannabe Liveaboard Cruisers Thanks so much and we're glad you enjoyed it! ⚓-Monique
Great interview. So interesting, thanks so much.
+doug Thanks Doug, glad you enjoyed it. Mads certainly has a lot great ideas to share. Take care! ⚓-Monique
thanks guys. looking forward to season 3...
+S/V Phantom Thanks for watching and hope you enjoyed! ⚓-Monique
Best so far!
+Tommy Jinks Thanks Tommy, glad you enjoyed it! ⚓-Monique
Great interview!
+Anthony Paun Thanks Anthony! ⚓-Monique
Our Island Packet 27 is all we need. Easy to manage and maintain.
+S/V Southern Lady I crewed for two months on a friend's Island Packet 29 and it was the most homey boat! I also felt very comfortable at the helm and, though still very new at the time, confident that I would be able to handle it. There is definitely something to be said for smaller boats. ⚓-Monique
@@drakeParagon would that boat be sufficient for crossing oceans?
Another great addition to your library.I wonder why I dont recieve a video each week from your channel anymore?UA-cam must be controlling the flow for whatever reason.Hmmmm...I so enjoy your perspective on the cruising life.Safe travels Drake.
This was very informative on solo sailing.
According with this, in France we use to say : "small boat, small trouble"
Some good tips there. I know what he means about the sleep thing. Thats the way I did it at 15 mins a time. I'll checkout that drogue
+barryperrins I'm really looking forward to watching your upcoming UA-cam episodes showing that!!!! :)
jordanseriesdrogue.com
Great interview. *stares at 46'er todo list ;(*
Actually, fascinating discussion on single-handed sleep cycle. I follow exactly the same pattern under way.
Another great interview with him!
I'm curious to know what people think in terms of drogues off the stern or sea anchor off the bow for heavy weather. While I've never done an overnight passage I've always had the thought that if it were dangerously strong seas requiring either, I think I'd prefer a sea anchor and bunker down below until it passed. Obviously the con is that you have stopped moving, but always interested to hear others perspectives.
+Sean Hi Sean, thanks! I've never run under bare poles with a drogue off the bow, but I've read that others have done this with success. Just some of my own personal perspectives... I learned about heaving to mostly from reading Lin and Larry Pardey's book on Storm tactics. When you're hove to you have the sails and rudder set so that the boat moves sideways very slowly. This creates a slick of calmed water behind its sideways path. This slick buffets the incoming waves so that they have less impact when they reach the boat. I've heaved to in heavy weather many times, but often found that the boat was still moving forward a little too fast, and moving too far ahead of that slick. So I got a Jordan Series drogue to deploy off the stern, to slow the boat's forward motion while hove to. I think different types of hulls probably heave to differently. Lin and Larry Pardey recommend setting up a parachute drogue off of the side of the boat with a bridal set up between the bow cleat and a winch in the cockpit. This worked well for them while hove to, but it didn't work at all on my boat (a 19+ ton full keel Westsail 42) because we were still moving forward too fast.. Probably the worst storm weather that I ever saw was sustained 40-50 knots for a day, gusting to ~60 knots and it was the scariest time of my life. But we got through unscathed after being hove to for 3 days. This was just before I sailed into St. George's harbor after towing that disabled 52 foot steel sailboat for 150 nautical miles. www.amazon.com/Storm-Tactics-Handbook-Heaving-Conditions/dp/1929214472
Holy crap! 3 days is a long time to go through that out there. I've performed a hove to before, actually I had to do it the first time I took my current boat out solo. Was taking it across the harbor to get the engine looked at, when it died, put the main up and suddenly a squall comes over the horizon about 10 minutes later. Without thinking I hove too, which worked well. The amazing thing was that I hadn't done that maneuver since my sailing lesson days when I was an early teen, but with everything always rely on your training and instinct. Ironically Theresa and Ben over at Sailing Simplicity just posted a blog about how it's a good idea to always learn to sail as there are a new breed of cruisers who just pick up a boat without leaning about sailing first. So where did you guys say you were at the moment? Scotland?
+Sean Hi Sean, Congratulations on heaving to by instinct in St George's harbor when that squall hit! :) When I was anchored there in November - February we got some pretty crazy winds there. During those months I moved several times between anchoring on the north side and the south side of the harbor to be in the lee of the shore when the wind direction changed.
While I was anchored on the south side of the harbor the Norwegian Majesty cruise ship came in and tried to dock at the terminal on the north side when a huge squall hit. It was so windy that that enormous cruise ship was overpowered and couldn't pull up to the dock. The Bermuda tugboat Powerful came out and tried to push the cruise ship onto the dock. But that squall was so strong and the cruise ship had so much windage that it just got pushed by the wind onto many boats at anchor. It was a total pandemonium! I was so lucky to be anchored on the southern side of the harbor out of harms way at the time. Miraculously no one was injured, but several boats were totaled.
That was another really great article that Teresa Carey wrote about how you have to learn to sail before you go offshore. Have you seen their latest videos on Lionfish Hunting, and the next on how their wind vane works? They've been putting out some really great videos!
Yes, we're in Scotland now. :) We spent last winter on the south coast of Ireland, and now this winter on the northern coast of Scotland. We've been having some crazy winds this winter too! But Mo and I are enormously happy with how protected the harbor is here and how great the marina is. Even in 50 knots of wind we have been comfortable enough here. I'm looking forward to the Spring to start our voyaging back to the Faroe Islands!
Are the cruise ships still coming into St George's harbor nowadays? I had heard that they were going to start only going to Hamilton..
Unfortunately no ships don't regularly dock in St. Georges on a regular basis. We get the odd one, however with the advent of the Mega ships, town cut is too small and shallow to allow them safe passage. They are working on a decent marina for the cruisers and multi-million $$ yachts that come in, which makes sense. Just watched their passage vid, which was great! Yeah I recall you mentioned Scottland in your last correspondence. I'm heading to the UK in March to visit family, but they are very South (London and Somerset), not sure if I'll be able to make it that far north though....early days yet however. Yeah you guys have been getting pounded (As we have here)....it's been a very windy winter. I can't wait to see all your footage around Northern Scottland, I've only gone as high up as Edinburgh and that was years ago. Take care you two!
FAA says that the optimum nap is 45 minutes. This is used on long flights with multiple pilots.
I like my alcohol stove top and wouldn't want propane for the same reasons he mentions.
I like his thoughts on sailing and his inspiration.
+W4ABN Hi Daniel, thanks! Have you heard of an Omnia Stove Top Oven? I couldn't believe how awesome the bread was that Mads baked in it on his alcohol stove. And lasagna too! It will be in next week's Cabin Tour episode. theboatgalley.com/using-an-omnia-stove-top-oven/
+DrakeParagon Thanks Drake, Look forward to seeing the next video. I saw it on the boat galley site, so it'll be good to see the results of using one.
good stuff as always
+Jeffrey VanderHorst Thanks Jeffrey, glad you enjoyed it! ⚓-Monique
i have a midship 25 ,i wouldnt hesitate to sail around the world with it .
Oh! what a beautiful person.
BTW: Please don't stop, don't change and don't censor yourself.
+astrobola (✿◠‿◠) Thanks astrobola, we don't intend to stop. We've got Season 3 coming up and also some wonderful interviews with a family of six on a sailboat (no engine!) and also Nigel Calder! Can't wait to share those with you! ⚓-Monique
A very interesting and informative interview. It all sounds great, except that bit about waking up every 15 minutes. I couldn't handle that. Isn't there some sort of electronic warning system that could be used?
+Jim H. Radar and AIS can be set to sound an alarm to help avoid collisions, but there is no 100% guarantee that it will always work, and there are a lot of other things than can go wrong and unnoticed if you are asleep underway. International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea state that every vessel shall at all times maintain a proper look-out by sight and hearing as well as by all available means appropriate in the prevailing circumstances and conditions so as to make a full appraisal of the situation and of the risk of collision. Being asleep for extended periods would definitely be considered going against those rules. If there is a possibility of encountering other vessels then it really is necessary to maintain a good watch.
Roger Taylor is the man! Love his books, videos and ethos. Check out his you tube series on the purchase and uber budget refit of ming ming 2 :)
+Rob Searle I have followed Roger Taylor for quite a few years now an think he's just great. He has up graded to a 24 ' sailboat 'cause it was either that or refurbish his smaller boat. He said he had enough room in the 19'er but wanted to go just a little faster.
+Rob Searle I've been slowly watching his videos and they're fantastic. His love of sailing come through strong and clear! ⚓-Monique
+captainandthelady I'm rather in awe of the places he goes aboard his boat. His voyage up to Svalbard is something we've been planning for some time, and with a certain amount of trepidation. I'm very much looking forward to reading his books over the coming months. ⚓-Monique
I purchased an 18ft hobie cat 3 months ago to get my sea legs back. woohooo. uber Paragon!!!!!
+steve mooreweathers I bet you're going to have so much fun!! Ha! Fair winds out there! ⚓-Monique
It's an American tendency is to want larger and larger boats.
Frank S
not all Americans, most want to leave a small footprint, especially the younger generation (:
Thanks Drake great interview. But what about your other vids - ain't seen a any for a while.
+Norman Boyes Hey Norman, we're working on Season 3, but are also taking advantage of this break between seasons to work on some other projects that will help to 'keep the lights on' aboard Paragon. We've got a couple of great interviews headed your way and then we'll launch into Season 3 before you know it! Fair winds to you! ⚓-Monique
+DrakeParagon Thanks for that.😀👍Now don't forget you have another Mads to interview after his 'Epic with Erick' which is just about to start.⛵️
+Norman Boyes At this moment Mads and Eric are searching Lisbon and Cascais, Portugal for a place to buy epoxy to repair some damage Fiona got when crossing the Bay of Biscay. They are just at the beginning of a great adventure!! :)
Greetings. Have watched and enjoyed your videos for years. Remember those in Newport recently cozying up to your stove. Just saw a video regarding burning saltwater soaked wood that I wanted to bring to your attention. Seems it is hazardous to your health to burn wood that was saltwater soaked. To learn more, see Katydid woodstove website. View FAQS for the answer to the saltwater question. Happy and safe travels.
+Marshall Wright Oh no, really? Thanks for the heads up, I'll definitely have to look into that. Someone else brought to our attention the dangers of burning pallet wood because of the chemicals they soak certain pallets in...all I can think is Damn! We're losing all of our free wood sources! ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Cheers and stay cozy there in Newport! ⚓-Monique
Thanks for sharing.
So is it true that a safe sailer doesn't get more than 15 minutes of sleep while shorthanded? I need 8 hours. Is there no other way?
Thanks for the comment Abitaskew, The International Maritime Organization (a specialized part of the United Nations) has published a document which states: "Every vessel shall at all times maintain a proper look-out by sight and hearing as well as by all available means appropriate in the prevailing circumstances and conditions so as to make a full appraisal of the situation and of the risk of collision." So really the best situation is to have enough people aboard so that at all times at least one person is awake and maintaining a proper look-out. There are single handed offshore sailors that have slept for longer times, but the longer you are asleep without a proper look-out the greater the chances of a collision or mishap. If there was a collision, then the vessel without the proper look-out would certainly be at fault.
-⛵Drake
Thanks for replying.
I've seen some people here on youtube who've stayed out for up to 8 weeks shorthanded.
Without REM sleep for such a long duration of time I suspect the sailor to go a little crazy.
Is it safe to free float instead of sailing while sleeping?
How efficient are the radar systems? In one video the sailor was awaken when a boat comes within a couple miles of him.
Also, how efficient are the depth finders looking for rocks/ocean trash ahead?
Thanks for your patience
Jak nazywa sięmateriałz którego uszyłeś żagiel?
Dacron.
Sir Francis Chichester, the father of modern blue water sailing,.
they make propain outboard motors, you
could kill 2 birds with one stone,gasoline is way more volatile, but thats just me.
Having received an invitation to sail with this guy and then seeing him at the dock, I'd do an about face quick step. This guy looks like a killer. He just hasn't been caught yet.
Sue me. I dare you and I will prove my statement true.
First thing....send me an invite to sail with you. Otherwise, everything else fails and I win.
This guy looks like how Mark Hamill should've aged, ya know, had he put down the twinkies around 38.
Good vid. Looks like 88 lubbers w thumb down from the couch.
I guess it's a very stupid question.. but I watched many videos of sailors telling that about this 15' 20' sleep to watch the horizon to check of boats.. I don't really understand why it's the reason of radars?? radars have an alarm right? they are not very reliable?
not stupid, but crew on some ships and fishing boats
set the auto helm and go to sleep,
at sea a small wood or GRP sailboat radar signal can be lost in the return clutter caused by the sea,
In addition to that, radars can be expensive and take up additional room that, on a small sailboat, is at a premium. Many budget cruisers simply can't afford one, or when the one they already have (or came with the boat) breaks, can't replace it.
I am sure this guy is super nice and full of information. I get it. But jeez 4 part mini series on how to drag on and on......... Let's do some sailing and exploring. Not droning and snoring.
Drake and Monique, I love your channel and have been a fan since the beginning. These interviews are interesting but also very boring. Bad enough you talked to this guy thru an entire episode but you did 4. If you check your analytics, I will bet you lost subs. For your sake please do more videos about you guys and your adventures. Limit this kind of interview to small sections within your VLOGS . Show more of your day to day stuff. Where your at? What your doing? Think that every video is your first impression to get new viewers. This guy may be interesting but he has all the personality of a dead fish. Monotone, single camera angle, no cuts showing what he is talking about. I really am a Fan and so offer constructive advice with the best intentions for helping you guys. You have been an inspiration for me and have played a small part in my life plan changes. Sail on my friends, but bring us along with you. We will meet up in some anchorage, I look forward to that day!
it's a UA-cam video and I enjoyed hearing his story. relax and sail on 😉
+Christine LaBranche yes I know its a UA-cam Video. But I also know that Drake and Monique can do so much better and I really want them to succeed and earn enough to continue to cruise and sail forever. That way I can watch their videos and follow them as they enjoy life.
I can see you are a fan of sailing/Cruising lifestyle videos as well. You have seen others and what some are doing. As a content provider I want to motivate us all to do better and build a community that will better support the efforts of all content providers.
Right now there a huge number of companies who benefit from videos like this. We need to build the market to start attracting them as advertisers. I hate watching a cruising video that have ads from Cruise ship lines. Where are the boat manufacturers? The electronic manufacturers, etc.? All the destinations, marinas, cruiser hangouts? Where are their advertising dollars going? Why not UA-cam? They will get a better bang for their buck with more targeted marketing.
I reckon we all see the world a little differently. I personally love both types of videos and find Mads engaging and intelligent.
+29200 days Thanks for your comments. Based on your honest appraisal and that the last video I watched like this I skipped much of it because it was boring. With this one then, I don't even have to endure that! All I have to do is wait for more decent content to come up. Many thanks ! :)
+29200 days Hey 29200 days, You say you've been with us since the beginning and we appreciate you being a long time fan...and it's good to see your first comment. We certainly like to hear from our viewers, both praise and the critiques. This interview with Mads, and the others we're working on, are very much a part of the DrakeParagon Channel and something we've done from the beginning, as I'm sure you know. Over the years we've spoken with a range of sailors, from a professional delivery captain, a younger guy just starting out, a professional rigger, and an accomplished veteran of the sea with over 300,000 miles under the keel. These stories, to date, are some of our most popular and most watched videos, and we're delighted to hear that they have inspired quite a few people in their own lives.
We were honoured that Mads sat down with us for an interview and feel that he has a compelling story to share. So many people struggle to find a happy medium and we feel that he's done a spectacular job of combining his life on land with his intense love of sailing. Mads shows that, even if you don't circumnavigate the world, you can still have wonderful and fulfilling adventures aboard your boat. This is a story we wanted to share.
We love that you've been following along with us and we look forward to releasing Season 3. Thanks for commenting...it's good to hear from you after all this time!
Fair winds to you!
Wake me up when this guy stops talking.
Another great addition to your library.I wonder why I dont recieve a video each week from your channel anymore?UA-cam must be controlling the flow for whatever reason.Hmmmm...I so enjoy your perspective on the cruising life.Safe travels Drake.
+Whitey J Hmmmm, I don't know why you wouldn't be receiving notices any longer...I wonder if there's a section where you can control your settings? I'm glad you're enjoying this latest series...Mads really was quite inspiring to us and he's given us a lot to think about for future passages. Cheers and fair winds to you! ⚓-Monique