The Thorny Path to Windward: BVIs to Antigua [🎥15🇻🇬-🇦🇬]
Sailing East in the Caribbean has always been called the "Thorny Path" because it's not all that easy to do. Ideally you wait for an unusual break in the highly consistent trade winds, or pray for the angle to shift just enough to the north that you can eek out a ESE voyage. But more typically you find yourself motoring into the wind and waves as that window just doesn't seem to come. This was the case we found ourselves in after waiting for the ideal window that never developed. And if you watched our Salty Dawg video, you'll know we were really looking forward to some calm sailing after our passage south. Here's how it all went!
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ABOUT US: WE ARE THE SAILING FAMILY!
Welcome aboard. We are a family of five sailing around the world on our "dream boat," a performance catamaran named "Archer."
Ten years ago, before kids, we sailed a Lagoon 380 named "Honeymoon" halfway around the world from the East Coast of the US to Sydney, Australia. Along the way we shared our experiences with family and friends via KZread, and by happenstance created the first "sailing channel." But more than anything, we realized what an incredible experience that first trip was and that someday we wanted to do it again, only this time with our kids.
We want to share with them the importance of taking time to be with family. To show them a world outside of the one they grew up in. We want them to appreciate how lucky we are to experience (and to care for) the natural beauty of this world. But mostly we want to spend time with our kids during these formative years and create lasting memories as a family. That's why we are "The Sailing Family."
OUR ROUTE has taken us from the Boston/Cape Cod area of the United States down to the Caribbean and then on to the Panama Canal. At the time of posting this we are dealing with a repair in the South Pacific, and in 2020 we hope to be in New Zealand and Southeast Asia. By 2021 we will be in the Med and close to completing our circumnavigation.
THANKS for watching all. Please leave a comment to tell us what you think and let us know if you have questions. And Subscribe!
![#BoatLife - Christmas on a boat! [🎥16🇦🇬]](/img/d.gif)
Пікірлер: 42
Thank you so much for sharing your family and your adventures with us.
Quick thinking on the tiller steer, love the videos!
@TheSailingFamily
4 жыл бұрын
Thanks Steven. Yes, we were VERY glad to have that option so easily available to us. And thankfully there wasn't anything to hit when we had the problem arise (we started turning in a tight circle). Thanks for watching!
I liked the all electric Cat like your Cat. Just add wind gens for cloudy weather. Usually when cloudy it’s windy.
Breaking the autopilot is one of my biggest fears, especially over a passage. Glad that you were able to fix it. Also surprised that it was such a small fitting that broke. Thanks for the lesson.
I love seeing this because it gives me great reminders of my experience as a kid sailing the whole Caribbean chain down to Grenada with just my family on a monohull 👏🙌 my fav. Was passing nectar island onward to anegada!
a small thing steering cable, can create a large situation. Always best to have a "back up" tiller available to overide any steering failure. Love Anitgua Barbuda. Lived at the windward end of the island next to Pineapple resort against Devils Bridge. Opposite side of English Bay. Wonderful people wonderful island many great old time cricketing friends . Viv Richards etc Such a fabulous feeling you give me being and old sailor who now for the first time is land living and in my 60's but just started my first family nad have 3 little ones 10yrs boy, 6 yrs girl Brook and 3yrs girl River. Your life experience is making me make the leap to take my family sailing for their first time
That was awesome! What a great family and what a great video. Thank you!
@TheSailingFamily
4 жыл бұрын
Aww. Thank you!
Smoking a joint and watching this channel is the best thing since sliced bread
Nice sail!
Great family I like your video 👌
@TheSailingFamily
4 жыл бұрын
Thanks mate!
You could have just used the twin engines to navigate too I suppose, amazing what happens when one little pin fails! One time (while waiting for a bridge opening and a little closer than I would normally be we lost a transmission cable and to my horror as we drifted towards the bridge - when I went full reverse on the throttle the port engine went full forward.....that was scary and we COULD have hit Hollywood Blvd bridge which would not have been a good thing haha....took a second to figure out what was happening too......oh well the joys of boating! :)
@TheSailingFamily
4 жыл бұрын
I tried that, actually. Turns out you need a rudder, at least on this boat. We can use the two engines to pivot the boat at low speeds, but it's not enough to effectively steer the boat while moving forward. We could also have just turned back on the auto pilot as the rods for that are connected to the rudder post directly (why it worked overnight), but using the tiller did the same thing and was a bit easier (although not near the throttle controls!). Surprising to say the least!
So if motoring wasn't an option, would you just have to tack back and forth to get east? Just finished my first day of sailing classes-so much to learn!
@TheSailingFamily
4 жыл бұрын
Yes, you could indeed tack back and forth into the wind, but that would take twice as long. Seth is a bit of a sailing purist, but sometimes keeping the family happy and, pardon the pun, "on-board" with the adventure, takes priority! :) Great job on the sailing classes - welcome to a whole new world of adventure!!!
Such a simple thing can be very dangerous at sea. Glad you guys ad the manual stuff on board. The kids looked happy to reach destination. Was it hard to manually operate?
@TheSailingFamily
4 жыл бұрын
No, very easy. The boat is designed to have both a wheel (connected via cables) and a tiller (mechanically connected) that control the rudders. The brake cable allows us to completely remove the cable system for direct feedback when racing, so when it disconnected itself we just had the tiller, which was fine. But not ideal! :)
Was wondering with the fully automated electronics on your boat - if they break down ......... are you able to sai the boat manually???
@TheSailingFamily
4 жыл бұрын
Oh yes. Everything on a sailboat has a redundant system that can be done manually. It’s a problem with larger boats though. As the equipment gets heavier you rely more on your electric windlass and winches. It wouldn’t be easy, but it can be done.
Would like to know if with the , seemingly, fully automated sailing of this boat.............. what happens if the electronics/automatics break down........... do you have the ability to sail this boat manually???
@Ladybirdsin16mm
4 жыл бұрын
yes u do, its the same as any modern yacht. Navigation would of corse would be the hardest
Im from Puerto Rico, have you guys been in pr?
#SAILINGFAMILYAWESOME
Seth when do you sleep when you have to stay up to steer all night long?
@TheSailingFamily
3 жыл бұрын
It depends. On a night with consistent wind and no obstacles, I will sleep with an alarm. With shifty conditions or squalls, or objects nearby (islands or boats), then I will stay up and hold a proper watch, trading with Elizabeth every 2-3 hours. It all depends!
@cherit34638
3 жыл бұрын
You and Elizabeth are amazing and wonderful parents for doing this with your boys. They are so sweet.
VERY dangerous to arrive at night in an island where you have never navigated. Look at what happened two years ago to the family navigating on the Tanda Malaika catamaran.
@TheSailingFamily
4 жыл бұрын
We’ve been here before and knew we could come in at night, so it was very safe. There are no reefs to navigate and we dropped in a wide open area in only 20 feet on the western shore near Jolly Harbor. The Tanda Malaika story is very different (we’ve also been there). They were quite negligent to hit a well charted reef and had no business being that close to Huahine’s southern shore. That was a captain who fell asleep and didn’t look at his charts.
im confused, arent you in sth pacific with boat on hard after damage?
@TheSailingFamily
4 жыл бұрын
Yes, you are correct. These videos are not current and we are a couple months behind (catching up while we have time)!
@TheSailingFamily
4 жыл бұрын
Watch this one for that update... kzread.info/dash/bejne/fqd6z9V8qtWWeag.html
@simonhantler8062
4 жыл бұрын
@@TheSailingFamily keep in touch, i live on waiheke island nz. you can use a spare car i have on island to get around when you get here, its my payment for watching your vids. simon.
@TheSailingFamily
4 жыл бұрын
Thanks Simon, that's very kind! Hope to see you in NZ soon!
@simonhantler8062
4 жыл бұрын
The Sailing Family my local number 0274 976599
How much is insurance on your boat?
@TheSailingFamily
2 жыл бұрын
1% of boat value in Australia. 2% when in remote islands.
Twin engine ...you always have steering if they're on....
@TheSailingFamily
4 жыл бұрын
We tried that right away, but it didn’t work.
Why don’t you sail and tack your way there, enjoy the sail. Sure it’ll take longer but maybe there’s a good lesson there.
@TheSailingFamily
4 жыл бұрын
After our last passage to windward, which was VERY rough and multiple family members became ill, we decided to motor into calm winds this time.