Ohhh can't wait for the next video!! Already looks amazing =) Thanks for this one, it was a beautiful video aswell!! Loved the "Hmm" when you were testing those glasses in the store haha
Really hanging for the next episode to see what you came up against. You did the right thing by deciding as a team and weighing up the forecast either side of the window. I think though your real gut feeling was to wait...fingers crossed Drake..
Great video Drake! Thanks for openly sharing with everyone the dilemma that many cruisers often struggle with: A) wait for a better weather window or B) try anyway to bring a crew member who has a return flight to destination on time. Most say they would pick A) but actually we have all been in a B) situation. You do the math! ;-) Fair winds and best regards to Mo. Marco and Desiree
I LOL'd when you said "Let's Go" then we rode the camera with you straight to the head ... which of course leads to the engine room, but for a second I thought the decision actually made you ill!
Hi Bullerias, I can't wait to relive our Greenland adventure when I start editing all of that footage. We spent 2 months there and I absolutely loved it there - the people, the nature, climate, and the remoteness - I want to go back!
A fascinating coverage of your visit to Norfolk. I like the The decision making part. The personal touch gets the viewer involved in your cruising life. It's so natural. Well done!
Thanks Rob, It's hard for me to watch us going over such a bad weather forecast. But I am the wiser for it. We should have stayed in Norfolk and waited for a week for better weather.
Yes, I'v seen the sneak preview Drake, saw what it did to Mo, understand how sorry you feel. She 's tough one and truly committed, A virtue cruisers cant do without. Congratulations!
Another Great Video Drake and Mo like Kamau said just like a cliff hanger can't wait till the next video Love seeing what you guys eat and what you keep on board that will last and all the planning for the trip like watching the weather. You Guys Take Care
Old video for sure but my 2 cents is, if you want a light air boat, you don't get a westsail 42. She should be more than capable of handling 25 plus knots of wind. The real question is... is the crew able to handle it ? Sometimes you have to push, sometimes you wait. If your wanting to go to higher latitudes, you have to be able to handle that kind of wind, and more. Guess I will find out on the next episode.
I hope you enjoy the next episode(s). Let us know what you think. :) We didn't film it, but during the sail that's in the next episode we ended up even getting a little snow storm! At one point while hove to the cockpit enclosure was completely covered with snow and we had 0 visibility.. ╚(•⌂•)╝ - Drake
That's one of the great thing about a Westsail 42... heaves to well and great in a blow. Hope you got the staysail sorted out... that one is important. I'm sure you did.. going thru all your videos now.
Drake, one evening a very fit young french girl (in her twenties) fell in with a pack on her back getting into the dink in Kouroo. Fast running ebb at the dock. She disappeared. Luckily she managed to grab part of the structure, came up under the dock. Barely room to manoeuvre AND breathe but managed to shuck the back pack (with purse, $, ID etc) and get herself out. Anxious 10' for us who witnessed it. Dreadful for her! Ended well, luckily!
That's a tough choice. Thinking of crew vs safety and the risk of your vessel/wear and tear etc. As with other's sentiment, thanks for showing this as it brings to light the real hard choices that go along with sailing with a crew or even a friend. I would think this is something few think about when starting out...
Oh man, you guys are leaving me in a cliff hanger...LOL...looks like pretty rough seas out there, hope you are all ok. See you on Thursday. Love your videos! Thanks for taking me with you... Laurie in FL. :)
Drake, just watched the vid ep. 12. We named Paragon as we felt she was a perfect example. Besides...we really didn't like "wanderlust" to many boats have that name!
Drake, please tell us about your dinghy. Did I hear you mention that it was easier to row than the Walker-Bay? Do you have any type of outboard for it? Have you considered adding a flotation skirt?
Hi Christopher. Our dinghy is an antique and unknown brand (or maybe a home made?) fiberglass dinghy that we bought at a consignment shop. It is more difficult to row than our previous 10 foot Walker Bay dinghy, but I think it sails like magic! I love that unlike the Walker Bay's sailing rig tiller, this dinghy's tiller has a hinge so that you can raise it up. You can easily move underneath the tiller when you need to switch sides when tacking or gybing. There's some footage of us sailing the dinghy in our "Happy Thanksgiving from Drake and Mo!" video.
Now you're movie making. Shot: Adam sailing in 25 knot wind Sound only: 25 knot wind Caption: (No Spoiler) Fade to black: Credits Very nice. I can't wait till next Tuesday!
Thanks Drake, I loved the length of this vid. It was such great depth in the decision making process of "should I stay, or should I go". Keep them coming, yours are the best online. Cheers mate
Hi Drake and Mo , I love watching your vids , I am just getting into sailing with a Farr 750, Any plans to maybe sail to Australia and into the heads in sydney, it would make good footage with the Opera house and Sydney harbour bridge
Hi Jadah J., When we got to NYC we took that ferry to Staten Island to visit our friends Jorge and Susan who live there. I think all of our footage of that day will make for a great upcoming episode. I love NY!
Hey Drake & Mo - I've been surviving a long, cold New England winter by making my way through your videos. Thanks! .... If you find yourself in New England this summer and need crew for a week or two, I'm your guy! Or, maybe we'll catch up with you in Vineyard Sound or Casco Bay from my 16-ft, handmade, wooden trailersailor, "Killyrover" (look for white over dark green with a balanced lug). Fair Winds!
Ok Drake and Mo you've turned us all into stalkers, checking your page every 10 mins on Tuesday mornings waiting for the latest cliffhanger installment of "The Real Cruising Life" dun dun duuuun... (for dtamatic effect) :-)
Hi Kamau! We've been working so hard on the editing of this next episode! It's almost done and will be live very soon! Thank you so much for sailing with us! - Drake and Monique
Great video! I am curious about one thing. When you go to shore you carry what seems to be very full (heavy) backpacks. What are you taking with you? When I get the opportunity to go ashore I like to go light. Am I missing something? Can't wait for the next video. Thanks
Hi Karen, Thanks, We often carry lots of camera equipment, and also laptops, food, water and extra clothing. We use our biggest backpacks to carry groceries and other supplies back to the boat.
Hi Imthebeachgirl, We're editing this episode at this very moment and are doing our best to publish a new 'story' episode every Tuesday, an interview/presentation/boat tour video every Thursday, and also ccasionally an aerial tour of places we've sailed to. See you this Tuesday as we sail from Norfolk to Atlantic City, and thank you for sailing with us,
another great episode! very real and very poignant consideration of whether to stay or go. Given what the last few seconds showed, this episode shows the risk/reward of voyaging with a schedule. However, you treated the consideration process wonderfully. Can't wait until episode 13?
I remember that you've anchored next to the Statue of Liberty before. Where dingy dock do you use while staying there? Does Liberty Landing marina have one?
Hi Toosin Beymen, I'm really looking forward to editing the footage of our wonderful time in NYC. We anchored next to the State of Liberty a couple of times, but never went ashore there. We spent most of our time anchored in the Hudson river and rowed our dinghy to get to a marina dock at the West 79th Street Boat Basin marina, often against very strong current. The marina charged us $25/day to anchor anywhere near them, even if we stayed on the boat all day and didn't use their dinghy dock. Their showers and laundry were always broken, and I'm sad to say we had particularly unpleasant experiences with the marina on a couple of occasions, which we filmed. But we loved the convenience of the location and had the most wonderful time in NYC!
DrakeParagon's The Real Cruising Life I have a friend that kept a boat briefly at 79th St. It was quite problematic. There's a newish marina further up the Hudson River at the end of Dyckman St near the northern tip of Mnhtn. It's called La Marina on the map and I think it kept the name. I was at the restaurant there last fall and they were cleaning the marina up getting ready to receive boats. They may have a dingy dock, if that works for you. It's a LOT closer to the subway than 79th St and way closer to the Kennedy or LaGuardia for your crew. BTW - I love following your videos and sea adventures. You seem to enjoy a great life.
Great video, as always. I see in other comments that you now realize that waiting for a better window would have been the way to go. But the whole time I was also wondering why you did not discuss the possibility of heading up the Chesapeake, through the C&D, and down the Delaware? Sure, it is not as fast, but it is obviously better protected, provides dozens of good anchorages along the way if things get at all dicey, and offers places to drop your crew off if he needs to hightail it to NYC. Is there something I am missing as to why you did not consider the inside route?
Hi Jeffrey, we did discuss going through the Chesapeake, but decided not to go that route because we knew that it would take much longer than a straight shot offshore to NYC. Overall we were in a hurry to get to Boston to start preparing for sailing to Greenland during the very short sailing window there.
How do you make all your videos with the music and editing onboard your boat? And where's your computer and PC? It does look like lots of fun meeting new people during your travel. Looks like you have a lot of money to spend eating at Boston Market and buying items at other places.
Jay Ritch iMovie on a Macbook Pro is a great place to start. Actually we very very rarely ever go out to eat in restaurants, even in the less expensive restaurants like Boston Market. One of the biggest ways that we spend less is by cooking at home instead of eating out.
making that discussion is all ways hard but remember sailors don't have appointments "EVER" the safety of the boat and crew are the most important thing and if you don't like it don't go.... now that being side on your boat 20 to 25 kt. winds are bumpy but very doable and i would have gone. not to make a appointment but its the right thing to do the next port is calling and that is not enough wind to hold up a boat like yours. we cant all ways have FAR WINDS AND CALM SEAS and that is just enough to test your new rigging and build your confidence for the real off shore sailing you are about to do. so yes i would have gone to.
I was sure you were going to make 2 trips to get everyone ashore in a dinghy that size! And no life jackets, it appeared. Just an observation though, not a criticism, as I've been guilty too often of the same in similar circumstances. The Coast Guard there must be quite tolerant.
I would strongly advise not keeping mayo at room temperature. The lack of oxygen MAY help slow down bacterial growth, but this will catch up to you sooner or later. It's actually used to poison weapons, causing sepsis. Ingesting it may be slightly safer, only because your stomach acid kills some bacteria, but depending on the bacteria, it's the toxin(endotoxin/endotoxin) that kills you, even after the bacteria dies. Also, many bacteria feed on sugar, so I would not suggest this either. However, It's a known fact that salt wards off bacterial growth due to the pH requirement of most bacteria, and it's long been considered good practice to use when preserving food if you're not on a low sodium diet.
Or the elites of the Dwarven society in Dragon Age: dragonage.wikia.com/wiki/Paragon Imagine Dwarven sailors. It is unheard of! Thanks again Drake, Mo, and Adam. :]
Hi spectresqud, I custom built a way to store 12, 130 watt Kyocera solar panels in the inflatable to protect them when we go offshore. When we stay at anchor for weeks or months at a time I set them up on the stainless rails (also custom built) going around the entire boat. We also have 3 more 130 watt panels permanently affixed to the top of the hard top over the cockpit, and two wind generators on the stern. When all of the panels are up Paragon looks like the International Space Station.
Super I did not know you had so many. I was planning on 6 10 amp units myself and 2 1000 watt turbines. I would imagine you make energy to spare with that setup. I have an arch toward the rear of my vessel where there are 3 units there and two turbines. I have 2 on the overhead of the pilot house, and several places to hang off rails in port. I can also charge batteries off of my hybrid propulsion. When I am at anchor in a place with a current I leave the electric motor engaged and it back spins and charges the batteries as well. If I get in a fast moving river tied to a dock , it can really make some power. Have you seen the rool out solar panels that are 12 inches wide and 10 feet long? I am planning on taking a few of those as backup so that if we hit a deserted island we can lay them on the beach and power a campsite or extra charge the vessel. If you do it from a long distance the best thing is to invert the power to 110 first and feed through your shore power. Higher voltage travels further without degradation. I doubt you will be hanging out away from Paragon very far. we are setting up a base in the south pacific on a deserted atol.
+John Schofield Is that because if you fall overboard it could get tangled and keep you under water, or the weight of it could drag you down? I often wear it so it doesn't end up sitting in water that splashes into the bottom of the dinghy, but you bring up a good point. There are many things we *should be doing, and it's always good to be reminded of safety. Thanks John! (✿◠‿◠) ⚓-Monique
OKay I'll say it! Wearing heavy backpacks AND no lifevests in a dinghy? And having the lifevests in the backpack doesnt count! Thats only when you get ashore! Stay Safe!
I think it would be safer to wear the lifevest and carry the bags. If you go IN with the backpack on..your finished ! We alway do that. Then leave room in or on the bags for the 'vests! Or make two trips so not to overload the dinghy! But you know is! :0) Enjoying your videos by-the-way! :0)
Kamau, thank you so much, and thank you for the suggestion. We really could use any help. We have been thinking about asking for donations to help with our expenses. Most of our cockpit enclosure was destroyed when we got hit by a wave during our sail from Greenland to Iceland. Now we're sadly planning to sail without it because I can't justify the expense to repair it. I shudder to think of sailing to Norway and Svalbard without an enclosure. Donations would help us enormously to continue to voyage and to spend most of our time and energy working on filming and editing. I will look into paypal after we finish editing and uploading today's video (42 minutes long! And it's a good one! :) Thank you for sailing with us Kamau! - Drake and Monique
We appreciate the helping hand and thank you for sailing with us! Here's our paypal donation link. www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_donations&business=DrakeParagon%40gmail%2ecom&lc=US&item_name=DrakeParagon%27s%20The%20Real%20Cruising%20Life%20Videos¤cy_code=USD&bn=PP%2dDonationsBF%3abtn_donateCC_LG%2egif%3aNonHosted
Kamau Iandiataiyero Many thanks Kamau!!! :) These donations will go towards fixing our cockpit enclosure so we don't freeze our butts off when we sail to Svalabard. We really appreciate the help!
I love it when you involve us in thr decision making and showing us the nav equip
Cant wait for the next episode!
Hi Barry, we can't wait to sail to Plymouth someday! Looking forward to that beer!
love this and all your video's,Safe Sailing to all!
Great stuff Drake and crew. Stay sharp
As always, love these vids!
Ohhh can't wait for the next video!! Already looks amazing =) Thanks for this one, it was a beautiful video aswell!! Loved the "Hmm" when you were testing those glasses in the store haha
Very well planned out, and bravery!
Really hanging for the next episode to see what you came up against. You did the right thing by deciding as a team and weighing up the forecast either side of the window. I think though your real gut feeling was to wait...fingers crossed Drake..
Great video Drake! Thanks for openly sharing with everyone the dilemma that many cruisers often struggle with: A) wait for a better weather window or B) try anyway to bring a crew member who has a return flight to destination on time. Most say they would pick A) but actually we have all been in a B) situation. You do the math! ;-) Fair winds and best regards to Mo. Marco and Desiree
Thank you so much Marco and Desiree! Fair winds, happy sailing and best regards from Drake and Mo.
Great episode looking like an interesting trip thank you
Oh man! The fateful decision. Love the storytelling - building up the anticipation for the next episode... Nice work!
Looks like the 3 of you work well together as well as obviously being good friends. What a fun trip!
I love this episode, the dramatic build up at the end. Its like a soap opera cliff hanger. Excellent!
video: Anchoring in Norfolk, VA - We anchored just outside of Tidewater marina for 2 nights to rest and provision before continuing north.
I LOL'd when you said "Let's Go" then we rode the camera with you straight to the head ... which of course leads to the engine room, but for a second I thought the decision actually made you ill!
John Lampe HA!! :)
Another good video! Did anyone else notice when you stowed the dingy you covered up the solar panel?
12 solar panels stacked on top of each other using a custom starboard frame to hold them in place.
You freaked me out when you said "what would you do Kevin ?". My name is Kevin. Lol. This is the best thing on UA-cam.
HA! DrakeParagon has entered the Twilight Zone. Lol. Thanks Kevin. Happy Sailing, Drake and Mo
I can't wait for the Greenland videos
Hi Bullerias, I can't wait to relive our Greenland adventure when I start editing all of that footage. We spent 2 months there and I absolutely loved it there - the people, the nature, climate, and the remoteness - I want to go back!
Navy Pride!
A fascinating coverage of your visit to Norfolk. I like the The decision making part. The personal touch gets the viewer involved in your cruising life. It's so natural. Well done!
Thanks Rob, It's hard for me to watch us going over such a bad weather forecast. But I am the wiser for it. We should have stayed in Norfolk and waited for a week for better weather.
Yes, I'v seen the sneak preview Drake, saw what it did to Mo, understand how sorry you feel. She 's tough one and truly committed, A virtue cruisers cant do without. Congratulations!
Another Great Video Drake and Mo like Kamau said just like a cliff hanger can't wait till the next video Love seeing what you guys eat and what you keep on board that will last and all the planning for the trip like watching the weather. You Guys Take Care
Old video for sure but my 2 cents is, if you want a light air boat, you don't get a westsail 42. She should be more than capable of handling 25 plus knots of wind. The real question is... is the crew able to handle it ? Sometimes you have to push, sometimes you wait. If your wanting to go to higher latitudes, you have to be able to handle that kind of wind, and more. Guess I will find out on the next episode.
I hope you enjoy the next episode(s). Let us know what you think. :) We didn't film it, but during the sail that's in the next episode we ended up even getting a little snow storm! At one point while hove to the cockpit enclosure was completely covered with snow and we had 0 visibility.. ╚(•⌂•)╝
- Drake
That's one of the great thing about a Westsail 42... heaves to well and great in a blow. Hope you got the staysail sorted out... that one is important. I'm sure you did.. going thru all your videos now.
As so many have already said, another great video, thanks. I also enjoyed being there during your discussion to push on or to stay.
Drake, one evening a very fit young french girl (in her twenties) fell in with a pack on her back getting into the dink in Kouroo. Fast running ebb at the dock. She disappeared. Luckily she managed to grab part of the structure, came up under the dock. Barely room to manoeuvre AND breathe but managed to shuck the back pack (with purse, $, ID etc) and get herself out. Anxious 10' for us who witnessed it. Dreadful for her! Ended well, luckily!
i want to see more!! :)
That's a tough choice. Thinking of crew vs safety and the risk of your vessel/wear and tear etc. As with other's sentiment, thanks for showing this as it brings to light the real hard choices that go along with sailing with a crew or even a friend. I would think this is something few think about when starting out...
Oh man, you guys are leaving me in a cliff hanger...LOL...looks like pretty rough seas out there, hope you are all ok. See you on Thursday. Love your videos! Thanks for taking me with you... Laurie in FL. :)
Drake, just watched the vid ep. 12. We named Paragon as we felt she was a perfect example. Besides...we really didn't like "wanderlust" to many boats have that name!
Great Video as always, love watching these and wishing I was living the cursing life. No Cabs in Norfolk? lol
Drake, please tell us about your dinghy. Did I hear you mention that it was easier to row than the Walker-Bay? Do you have any type of outboard for it? Have you considered adding a flotation skirt?
Hi Christopher. Our dinghy is an antique and unknown brand (or maybe a home made?) fiberglass dinghy that we bought at a consignment shop. It is more difficult to row than our previous 10 foot Walker Bay dinghy, but I think it sails like magic! I love that unlike the Walker Bay's sailing rig tiller, this dinghy's tiller has a hinge so that you can raise it up. You can easily move underneath the tiller when you need to switch sides when tacking or gybing. There's some footage of us sailing the dinghy in our "Happy Thanksgiving from Drake and Mo!" video.
Now you're movie making.
Shot: Adam sailing in 25 knot wind
Sound only: 25 knot wind
Caption: (No Spoiler)
Fade to black: Credits
Very nice. I can't wait till next Tuesday!
Thanks Drake, I loved the length of this vid. It was such great depth in the decision making process of "should I stay, or should I go".
Keep them coming, yours are the best online. Cheers mate
Hi Drake and Mo , I love watching your vids , I am just getting into sailing with a Farr 750, Any plans to maybe sail to Australia and into the heads in sydney, it would make good footage with the Opera house and Sydney harbour bridge
Way different ferry that the Staten Island Ferry that I take is see my sis, they also come in to dock at a pretty fast speed.
Hi Jadah J., When we got to NYC we took that ferry to Staten Island to visit our friends Jorge and Susan who live there. I think all of our footage of that day will make for a great upcoming episode. I love NY!
Hey Drake & Mo -
I've been surviving a long, cold New England winter by making my way through your videos. Thanks! .... If you find yourself in New England this summer and need crew for a week or two, I'm your guy!
Or, maybe we'll catch up with you in Vineyard Sound or Casco Bay from my 16-ft, handmade, wooden trailersailor, "Killyrover" (look for white over dark green with a balanced lug). Fair Winds!
Ok Drake and Mo you've turned us all into stalkers, checking your page every 10 mins on Tuesday mornings waiting for the latest cliffhanger installment of "The Real Cruising Life" dun dun duuuun... (for dtamatic effect) :-)
Hi Kamau! We've been working so hard on the editing of this next episode! It's almost done and will be live very soon! Thank you so much for sailing with us! - Drake and Monique
Great video! I am curious about one thing. When you go to shore you carry what seems to be very full (heavy) backpacks. What are you taking with you? When I get the opportunity to go ashore I like to go light. Am I missing something? Can't wait for the next video. Thanks
Hi Karen, Thanks, We often carry lots of camera equipment, and also laptops, food, water and extra clothing. We use our biggest backpacks to carry groceries and other supplies back to the boat.
Hi there, I was hoping that you would put up the second part of this video. Hope you are all safe and sound. take care, Laurie in FL.
Hi Imthebeachgirl, We're editing this episode at this very moment and are doing our best to publish a new 'story' episode every Tuesday, an interview/presentation/boat tour video every Thursday, and also ccasionally an aerial tour of places we've sailed to. See you this Tuesday as we sail from Norfolk to Atlantic City, and thank you for sailing with us,
Really nice video. Very interesting.
Drake, can you please put the weather app in the description box and maybe give your opinion on it? Thank ya
another great episode! very real and very poignant consideration of whether to stay or go. Given what the last few seconds showed, this episode shows the risk/reward of voyaging with a schedule. However, you treated the consideration process wonderfully. Can't wait until episode 13?
I remember that you've anchored next to the Statue of Liberty before. Where dingy dock do you use while staying there? Does Liberty Landing marina have one?
Hi Toosin Beymen, I'm really looking forward to editing the footage of our wonderful time in NYC. We anchored next to the State of Liberty a couple of times, but never went ashore there. We spent most of our time anchored in the Hudson river and rowed our dinghy to get to a marina dock at the West 79th Street Boat Basin marina, often against very strong current.
The marina charged us $25/day to anchor anywhere near them, even if we stayed on the boat all day and didn't use their dinghy dock. Their showers and laundry were always broken, and I'm sad to say we had particularly unpleasant experiences with the marina on a couple of occasions, which we filmed.
But we loved the convenience of the location and had the most wonderful time in NYC!
DrakeParagon's The Real Cruising Life I have a friend that kept a boat briefly at 79th St. It was quite problematic.
There's a newish marina further up the Hudson River at the end of Dyckman St near the northern tip of Mnhtn. It's called La Marina on the map and I think it kept the name. I was at the restaurant there last fall and they were cleaning the marina up getting ready to receive boats.
They may have a dingy dock, if that works for you. It's a LOT closer to the subway than 79th St and way closer to the Kennedy or LaGuardia for your crew.
BTW - I love following your videos and sea adventures. You seem to enjoy a great life.
at 20:30 Im like YES OR NO! lol sorry i have a love hate relationship with suspense :)
It's like San Diego.
Great video, as always. I see in other comments that you now realize that waiting for a better window would have been the way to go. But the whole time I was also wondering why you did not discuss the possibility of heading up the Chesapeake, through the C&D, and down the Delaware? Sure, it is not as fast, but it is obviously better protected, provides dozens of good anchorages along the way if things get at all dicey, and offers places to drop your crew off if he needs to hightail it to NYC. Is there something I am missing as to why you did not consider the inside route?
Hi Jeffrey, we did discuss going through the Chesapeake, but decided not to go that route because we knew that it would take much longer than a straight shot offshore to NYC. Overall we were in a hurry to get to Boston to start preparing for sailing to Greenland during the very short sailing window there.
LOL, never approach a dock faster than you want to hit it! Do you mind if I steal that saying?
How do you make all your videos with the music and editing onboard your boat? And where's your computer and PC? It does look like lots of fun meeting new people during your travel. Looks like you have a lot of money to spend eating at Boston Market and buying items at other places.
Jay Ritch iMovie on a Macbook Pro is a great place to start. Actually we very very rarely ever go out to eat in restaurants, even in the less expensive restaurants like Boston Market. One of the biggest ways that we spend less is by cooking at home instead of eating out.
I have Cyberlink Media on my Windows 8.1. But I have to pay %79.00 online to upgrade it in order to have all the features work for me.
Jay Ritch www.apple.com/mac/imovie/
Thanks for the link, but I don't have apple. Plus, I'd feel safer using the software which came with my Windows 8.1 oce I update it for $75.00
making that discussion is all ways hard but remember sailors don't have appointments "EVER" the safety of the boat and crew are the most important thing and if you don't like it don't go.... now that being side on your boat 20 to 25 kt. winds are bumpy but very doable and i would have gone. not to make a appointment but its the right thing to do the next port is calling and that is not enough wind to hold up a boat like yours. we cant all ways have FAR WINDS AND CALM SEAS and that is just enough to test your new rigging and build your confidence for the real off shore sailing you are about to do. so yes i would have gone to.
I was sure you were going to make 2 trips to get everyone ashore in a dinghy that size! And no life jackets, it appeared. Just an observation though, not a criticism, as I've been guilty too often of the same in similar circumstances. The Coast Guard there must be quite tolerant.
I would strongly advise not keeping mayo at room temperature. The lack of oxygen MAY help slow down bacterial growth, but this will catch up to you sooner or later. It's actually used to poison weapons, causing sepsis. Ingesting it may be slightly safer, only because your stomach acid kills some bacteria, but depending on the bacteria, it's the toxin(endotoxin/endotoxin) that kills you, even after the bacteria dies. Also, many bacteria feed on sugar, so I would not suggest this either. However, It's a known fact that salt wards off bacterial growth due to the pH requirement of most bacteria, and it's long been considered good practice to use when preserving food if you're not on a low sodium diet.
I always assumed that Paragon was from the Robin Hobb Liveship Traders Trilogy. :)
robinhobbelderlings.wikia.com/wiki/Paragon
Or the elites of the Dwarven society in Dragon Age: dragonage.wikia.com/wiki/Paragon
Imagine Dwarven sailors. It is unheard of!
Thanks again Drake, Mo, and Adam. :]
Did the marina manager say it costs $12.60/day to anchor?
Lefty's rule!
First time I ever heard that you and Mo are dating…lol…..Great video
What is the big box holding down your deflated inflatable?
Hi spectresqud, I custom built a way to store 12, 130 watt Kyocera solar panels in the inflatable to protect them when we go offshore. When we stay at anchor for weeks or months at a time I set them up on the stainless rails (also custom built) going around the entire boat. We also have 3 more 130 watt panels permanently affixed to the top of the hard top over the cockpit, and two wind generators on the stern. When all of the panels are up Paragon looks like the International Space Station.
Super I did not know you had so many. I was planning on 6 10 amp units myself and 2 1000 watt turbines. I would imagine you make energy to spare with that setup. I have an arch toward the rear of my vessel where there are 3 units there and two turbines. I have 2 on the overhead of the pilot house, and several places to hang off rails in port. I can also charge batteries off of my hybrid propulsion. When I am at anchor in a place with a current I leave the electric motor engaged and it back spins and charges the batteries as well. If I get in a fast moving river tied to a dock , it can really make some power. Have you seen the rool out solar panels that are 12 inches wide and 10 feet long? I am planning on taking a few of those as backup so that if we hit a deserted island we can lay them on the beach and power a campsite or extra charge the vessel. If you do it from a long distance the best thing is to invert the power to 110 first and feed through your shore power. Higher voltage travels further without degradation. I doubt you will be hanging out away from Paragon very far. we are setting up a base in the south pacific on a deserted atol.
For what it's worth, NOT keeping your pack on your back whilst in the dink, could save your life.
+John Schofield Is that because if you fall overboard it could get tangled and keep you under water, or the weight of it could drag you down? I often wear it so it doesn't end up sitting in water that splashes into the bottom of the dinghy, but you bring up a good point. There are many things we *should be doing, and it's always good to be reminded of safety. Thanks John! (✿◠‿◠) ⚓-Monique
OKay I'll say it! Wearing heavy backpacks AND no lifevests in a dinghy?
And having the lifevests in the backpack doesnt count! Thats only when you get ashore!
Stay Safe!
Hi Frank, we try to always have life vests and other floatation in the dinghy.
I think it would be safer to wear the lifevest and carry the bags. If you go IN with the backpack on..your finished !
We alway do that. Then leave room in or on the bags for the 'vests! Or make two trips so not to overload the dinghy! But you know is! :0)
Enjoying your videos by-the-way! :0)
that chili sauce is awesome!!! i prefer the garlic version of it tho. you can buy it directly off there site too!
www.huyfong.com/frames/index.htm
Do you guys have a donation pay pal account. I would like to contribute to your effort.
Kamau, thank you so much, and thank you for the suggestion. We really could use any help. We have been thinking about asking for donations to help with our expenses. Most of our cockpit enclosure was destroyed when we got hit by a wave during our sail from Greenland to Iceland. Now we're sadly planning to sail without it because I can't justify the expense to repair it. I shudder to think of sailing to Norway and Svalbard without an enclosure. Donations would help us enormously to continue to voyage and to spend most of our time and energy working on filming and editing. I will look into paypal after we finish editing and uploading today's video (42 minutes long! And it's a good one! :) Thank you for sailing with us Kamau! - Drake and Monique
DrakeParagon's The Real Cruising Life
www.wikihow.com/Set-up-a-PayPal-Button-for-Donations
We appreciate the helping hand and thank you for sailing with us!
Here's our paypal donation link.
www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_donations&business=DrakeParagon%40gmail%2ecom&lc=US&item_name=DrakeParagon%27s%20The%20Real%20Cruising%20Life%20Videos¤cy_code=USD&bn=PP%2dDonationsBF%3abtn_donateCC_LG%2egif%3aNonHosted
DrakeParagon's The Real Cruising Life Drake I just made a $50 paypal donation. should come through as K White. Good work, glad I could help.
Kamau Iandiataiyero Many thanks Kamau!!! :) These donations will go towards fixing our cockpit enclosure so we don't freeze our butts off when we sail to Svalabard. We really appreciate the help!