Linus Wilson's Blog, page 13
October 15, 2018
Slats breaks rib in Golden Globe Race. Will the 2nd place skipper be the next to drop out?
A broken rib threatens to knock yet another 2018 Golden Globe Race skipper for small sailboats from the ever dwindling field. Dutchman Mark Slats suffered two knockdowns and informed race headquarters in Hobart, Australia on UTC 14:00 on October 15, 2018, that he broke a rib from a “flying” toolbox. He was caught unawares by 30-35 knot conditions after sailing in light airs.
Mark Slats narrowly avoided the dismastings of the previous 3rd and 4th place boats skippered by Abhilash Tomy and Gregor McGuckin. In that violent storm Slats was knocked down several times and washed overboard. He was saved from being separated from his sailboat by his harness.
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The arrow points to the first-place French skipper Jean-Luc Van Den Heede, but second place Dutch skipper Mark Slats in the back row in black has a broken rib. 2018 Golden Globe Race – GGR skippers congregate in Les Sables d’Olonne. Back row left to right: Uku Randmaa (EST), Jean-Luc Van Den Heede (FRA), Loic Lepage (FRA), Mark Slats (NED), Gregor McGuckin (IRE), Igor Zarertsjiy (RUS), Mark Sinclair (AUS),Tapio Lehtinen (FIN), Ertan Beskardes (GBR), Abhilash Tomy (Ind), Susie Goodall (GBR) Front row: Istvan Kopar (USA), Are Wiig (NOR), Kevin Farebrother (AUS), Antoine Cousot (FRA), Nabil Amra (PAL); Christophe Favreau/PPL/GGR
Slats is in second place and has been slipping thousands of miles behind race leader 73-year old Frenchman Jean-Luc Van Den Heede. The 5-time cirumnavigator Van Den Heede passed north of Stewart Island on the southern tip of New Zealand. The race leader went through the dangerous Fouveaux Straight at night to be the first boat to pass New Zealand.
Of the eighteen skippers starting the solo-nonstop retro race, only eight are still in the field. Three boats have been dismasted. Seven other skippers have made unsactioned stops or retired completely. Only Van Den Heede has reached the half-way point of Hobart, Tasmania.
October 13, 2018
Sailboats WRECKED by Hurricane Michael in Panama City Marinas
Category 4, 155 mph, Hurricane Micheal made landfall on October 10, 2018, in Mexico Beach, Florida. It devastated the marinas, boats, and sailboats in Panama City, Florida. You’ll see the rescue of the crew of the sailing vessel Old School abandoned in 8-foot seas near Boca Grande, Florida.
Photos by Kip and Stacie Snell of Panama City Municipal Marina were reproduced with their permission.
https://www.facebook.com/kipnstacie.snell
Stacie Snell does great portrait and wedding photography at
https://www.facebook.com/staciesnellphotography/
They lost their boat in the Panama City Municipal Marina in Hurricane Michael.
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Sailing La Vagabonde recently asserted boaters have lots of advance warning to get out the way of Hurricane. The experience of Hurricane Michael disputes that claim in
“Why we Chose to Sail during Hurricane Season! (Hurricane Gordon & Florence)” at
US Govt. public domain photo and video credits by USCG & USCBP:
BOCA GRANDE, FL, UNITED STATES
10.09.2018
Audio & photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Andrew Barresi
U.S. Coast Guard District 7 PADET Tampa Bay
Audio of the mayday call received by the Coast Guard from the crew of the sailboat Old School, Tuesday, Oct. 9, 2018. The 50-foot sailboat Old School sits in 8-foot seas after a Coast Guard crew rescued two boaters Wednesday, Oct. 10, 2018, near Boca Grande, Florida. The Coast Guard urges mariners to closely monitor weather reports before venturing out.
FORT MYERS BEACH, FL, UNITED STATES
03.15.2018
KEATON BEACH, FL, UNITED STATES
10.11.2018
Courtesy Photo
U.S. Coast Guard District 7
Coast Guard pollution responders from Sector St. Petersburg, Florida, conduct port assessments, Thursday, Oct. 11, 2018 at Keaton Beach, Florida. Coast Guard crew members are accessing any damage caused by Hurricane Michael, checking for any pollution concerns, and ensuring the safety of maritime traffic along the Gulf Coast.
NJ, UNITED STATES
08.02.2016
Courtesy Video
U.S. Coast Guard District 5
A Coast Guard 45-foot Response Boat-Medium crew from Station Townsend Inlet, New Jersey, medevacs a woman from a sailboat about 10 miles east of Townsend Inlet August 2, 2016. The woman was brought back to Station Townsend Inlet and then transported to Cape Regional Medical Center in Cape May, New Jersey. (U.S. Coast Guard video by Coast Guard Seaman Christian Browne/Released)
PANAMA CITY BEACH, FL, UNITED STATES
10.11.2018
Courtesy Video
U.S. Coast Guard District 7
An Air Station Savannah helicopter crew conducts an overflight assessment Oct. 11, 2018, in the Panama City Beach area following Hurricane Michael.
MEXICO BEACH, FL, UNITED STATES
10.11.2018
U.S. Coast Guard District 8
A Coast Guard MH-65 Dolphin aircrew from Air Station Miami assesses the damage of Mexico Beach, Florida, from Hurricane Michael, Oct. 11, 2018. After a storm passes, the Coast Guard focuses on saving lives in the impacted area and responds to hazardous environmental threats. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 1st Class Colin Hunt)
JACKSONVILLE, FL, UNITED STATES
10.11.2018
Photo by Glenn Fawcett
U.S. Customs and Border Protection Office of Public Affairs – Visual Communications Division
A U.S. Customs and Border Protection Air and Marine Operations UH-60 Black Hawk flight crew conduct a flyover of the Florida panhandle in the aftermath of Hurricane Michael as the storm left a swath of destruction across the area near Panama City, Florida, October 11, 2018. The flight originated at Naval Air Station Jacksonville, Florida. U.S. Customs and Border Protection Photo by Glenn Fawcett
The eBook of AROUND THE WORLD SINGLE-HANDED: The Cruise of the Islander is at https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07C3THFZV
Get all your Mantus gear at http://www.mantusanchors.com/?affiliates=15
Mantus Anchors is a title sponsor of this video.Support the videos at
http://www.Patreon.com/slowboatsailing
On the Slow Boat Sailing Podcast Linus Wilson has interviewed the crew of Sailing SV Delos, WhiteSpotPirates (Untie the Lines), Chase the Story Sailing, Gone with the Wynns, MJ Sailing, Sailing Doodles, SV Prism, Sailing Miss Lone Star, and many others.
Get Linus Wilson’s bestselling sailing books:
Slow Boat to the Bahamas
Slow Boat to Cuba
https://gumroad.com/l/cubabook
and How to Sail Around the World-Part Time
https://gumroad.com/l/sailing
have been #1 sailing bestseller on Amazon.
Associate Producers Anders Colbenson, Larry Wilson, Ted Royer, Sam Balatsias, Kevin Yeager, and Rick Moore (SSL).
Sign up for our free newsletter for access to free books and other promotions at http://www.slowboatsailing.com
music by http://www.BenSound.com
Copyright Linus Wilson, Vermilion Advisory Services, LLC, 2018
October 8, 2018
Tomy’s GGR SUHALI Replica Goes Dark Foiling Indian Navy’s Plans to Salvage It
Don McIntyre, 2018 Golden Globe Race founder, in his October 7, 2018, race tracker discussion, said that Indian Naval Commander Abhilash Tomy’s sailboat tracker for his yacht Thuriya had run out of juice and had stopped transmitting the position. Tomy’s boat was 32-foot sailboat, a Suhaili design patterned after the first boat to be sailed solo-nonstop by Sir Robin Knox Johnston in the 1968 Golden Globe Race. Tomy’s boat was dismasted in the southern Ocean. Tomy told the Hindustan Times that he was washed overboard in a knockdown in a violent 70-knot southern ocean storm with 14-meter seas. He only survived by holding onto the top of the mast. When the boat righted itself. He fell onto the boom and suffered a debilitating back injury. After the boat was dismasted his back injury prevented him from moving from his bunk until he was rescued by French fishing patrol vessel Osiris. See the rescue of Tomy and Irish Sailor and fellow Golden Globe Racer Gregor McGuckin below:
Tomy’s manager and the Indian Navy had plans to tow the vessel to a nearby island while its transmitter worked. Now that the boat is no longer transmitting its position it will be hard to salvage. McGuckin was told that his yacht could not be scuttled by FPV Osiris because it was in a protected maritime region. He took precautions before abandoning his yacht so that its AIS would transmit a signal. McGuckin has no plans to salvage his boat. Tomy was too injured to take similar precautions prior to abandoning ship on a stretcher. Tomy recently walked ashore onto his native India with the aid of crutches after being transported by an Indian Navy ship.
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Indian Navy photo of Tomy being rescued from SV Thuriya in the Southern Indian Ocean.
GGR Skipper Jean-Luc is 1st in Hobart, sailed half-way around the world
Jean-Luc Van Den Heede of France arrived in Hobart, Tasmania at on October 6, 2018 in first place of the 2018 Golden Globe Race. The 73-year old French Veteran and his Rustler 36 yacht MATMUT has a 1,600 mile lead over 2nd placed Dutchman Mark Slats. He is a 5-time circumnavigator and has placed in the BOC and Vendee Globe round the world races.
His profile on the GGR race site says:
“Jean-Luc van den Heede is the father figure of French solo sailing. The 5-time circumnavigator already holds the record for the fastest solo west-about non-stop circumnavigation against the prevailing winds and currents, and has been a podium finisher in four previous solo round the world races. He finished 2nd in the 1986 BOC Challenge Around Alone Race, 3rd in the 1990 Vendée Globe Race, 2nd in the 1993 Vendée Globe, and 3rd in the 1995 BOC Challenge Around Alone Race. Van den Heede bought a Rustler 36 class yacht in august 2015 and spent the first few months test sailing her out in the Atlantic before commencing a complete refit in his homeport of La Sables d’Olonne.
He has won sponsorship from the French insurance group MATMUT.
Jean-Luc says of the GGR: ‘From all my experiences, I am well aware of the difficulties this race poses. The slow speeds of these classic old boats with their long keels, the absence of weather information, the loss of all electronics and reliance on a sextant to plot positions, the lack of terrestrial contact, and the replacement of an electric pilot with wind vane self steering, will make this test even more random and difficult than the Vendée Globe.
But this is good. I want to re-live the conditions and challenges that my sailing predecessors enjoyed and to this end I have optimised my Rustler 36: New mast, new rigging, new engine, new sails, watertight bulkheads, and new winches. I am very conscious of the problems that are likely to occur during our 8 or 9 months of sea and have done everything to make Matmut safer. I am also trying to get myself in the best physical condition with the assistance of a physio, a coach – and my bicycle!
I have also rediscovered the environment and comradeship I loved so much during the first editions of these races. We are all conscious that this will be a difficult adventure and that engenders a strong bond between us that I have not seen since the first Mini Transat 6.50 and Vendée Globe race back in the early ‘90s.
My goal is to be in good health at the start with a top boat, then, take each day in turn, absorbing the emotions and thoughts of those who preceded us: Slocum, Moitessier, Alain Gerbault, Vito Dumas and of course, my good friend Sir Robin Knox-Johnston who set such an example for us all 50 years ago.'”
No copyright video and pictures courtesy of GGR/PPL/Matmut
Credits:
2018 Golden Globe Race – GGR skippers congregate in Les Sables d’Olonne. Back row left to right: Uku Randmaa (EST), Jean-Luc Van Den Heede (FRA), Loic Lepage (FRA), Mark Slats (NED), Gregor McGuckin (IRE), Igor Zarertsjiy (RUS), Mark Sinclair (AUS),Tapio Lehtinen (FIN), Ertan Beskardes (GBR), Abhilash Tomy (Ind), Susie Goodall (GBR) Front row: Istvan Kopar (USA), Are Wiig (NOR), Kevin Farebrother (AUS), Antoine Cousot (FRA), Nabil Amra (PAL)
Christophe Favreau/PPL/GGR
2018 Golden Globe Race. Les Sables d’Olonne March 2018. French skipper Jean-Luc Van Den Heede sail training on his Rustler 36 MATMUT in preparation for the start of The 2018 Golden Globe Race race from Les Sables d’Olonne on July 1
Christophe Favreau/Matmut/PPL
2018 Golden Globe Race – Mark Slats, (NED) – Rustler 36 Ohpen Maverick – was the second placed GGR skipper to pass through the Marina Rubicon ‘Gate’ off Lanzarote in the Canaries.
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The eBook of AROUND THE WORLD SINGLE-HANDED: The Cruise of the Islander is at https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07C3THFZV
Get all your Mantus gear at http://www.mantusanchors.com/?affiliates=15
Mantus Anchors is a title sponsor of this video.Support the videos at
http://www.Patreon.com/slowboatsailing
On the Slow Boat Sailing Podcast Linus Wilson has interviewed the crew of Sailing SV Delos, WhiteSpotPirates (Untie the Lines), Chase the Story Sailing, Gone with the Wynns, MJ Sailing, Sailing Doodles, SV Prism, Sailing Miss Lone Star, and many others.
Get Linus Wilson’s bestselling sailing books:
Slow Boat to the Bahamas
Slow Boat to Cuba
https://gumroad.com/l/cubabook
and How to Sail Around the World-Part Time
https://gumroad.com/l/sailing
have been #1 sailing bestseller on Amazon.
Associate Producers Anders Colbenson, Larry Wilson, Ted Royer, Sam Balatsias, Kevin Yeager, and Rick Moore (SSL).
Sign up for our free newsletter for access to free books and other promotions at http://www.slowboatsailing.com
music by http://www.BenSound.com
Copyright Linus Wilson, Vermilion Advisory Services, LLC, 2018
October 4, 2018
Sailing Scavenger Hunt in Nuku Hiva, Marquesas, S2E15
Linus restocks the sailboat with food, fuel, and water in the cruisers’ Mecca of Taioha’e Bay on the island of Nuku Hiva in the South Pacific Ocean, which is a popular stop on the Pacific Puddle Jump. A rigger fixes the jammed genoa sail atop the mast. Linus discusses the potential sources of potable water in Nuku Hiva in Daniels, Ho’oumi, and Anaho Bay. Linus, Anna, and Daly sail to Ho’oumi to get water before departing for Tahiti by way of Ua Pou. They anchor in Nuku Hiva’s Taioha’e and Controller Bay’s east lobe (Ho’oumi Bay).
The eBook of AROUND THE WORLD SINGLE-HANDED: The Cruise of the Islander is at https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07C3THFZV
We use a Mantus Anchor and swivel on our boat. Get all your Mantus gear at http://www.mantusanchors.com/?affiliates=15
Mantus Anchors is a title sponsor of this video.Support the videos at
http://www.Patreon.com/slowboatsailing
On the Slow Boat Sailing Podcast Linus Wilson has interviewed the crew of Sailing SV Delos, WhiteSpotPirates (Untie the Lines), Chase the Story Sailing, Gone with the Wynns, MJ Sailing, Sailing Doodles, SV Prism, Sailing Miss Lone Star, and many others.
Get Linus Wilson’s bestselling sailing books:
Slow Boat to the Bahamas
Slow Boat to Cuba
https://gumroad.com/l/cubabook
and How to Sail Around the World-Part Time
https://gumroad.com/l/sailing
have been #1 sailing bestseller on Amazon.
Associate Producers Anders Colbenson, Larry Wilson, Ted Royer, Sam Balatsias, Kevin Yeager, and Rick Moore (SSL).
Sign up for our free newsletter for access to free books and other promotions at http://www.slowboatsailing.com
music by http://www.BenSound.com
Copyright Linus Wilson, Vermilion Advisory Services, LLC, 2018
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Sailboat Wrecked on Manitou Island Identified as 41-foot, SOUS LE VENT
Slow Boat Sailing has been able to identify the sailboat in recent helicopter rescue on Lake Superior as Sous Le Vent. On 6:30 AM on September 29, 2018, a 73-year old man called in a “Mayday” after his sailboat hit the rocks near Manitou Island, off the Upper Peninsula of Michigan in Lake Superior in 30 knot winds and snow. He was rescued by the USCG Air Station Traverse City a few hours later who filmed the rescue from their Jayhawk helicopter.
The Sous Le Vent hails out of Knife River, Minnesota, which drains into Lake Superior. It was a 41-foot sailboat with a 15-foot beam and had a volume of 15 gross tons according to Coast Guard Documentation Records. It was owned on “THE DAVID W SHELDON REVOCABLE TRUST DATED 6/26/01.” The sails were up when its owner abandoned it near the lighthouse on Manitou Island. It was hard aground from the USCG video. “Sous le vent” is French for “downwind”.
The man was wearing a survival suit, which protects against freezing waters, when the USCG came to the scene. The boat was intact from the video, but its hull did not seem to be always floating when it was abandoned based on the video of the incident. The skipper swam ashore and was hoisted from the beach at the direction of the USCG rescue swimmer. The dinghy tied to the back of the boat was not used to get ashore.
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Screenshot displaying a fuzzy boat name of Sous Le Vent from Slow Boat Sailing’s video of the incident, Linus Wilson (c) 2018. The original source video was public domain footage taken by USCG Air Station Traverse City.
October 2, 2018
Sailboat on the Rocks! Sailboat Jayhawk Rescue on Lake Superior, Manitou Island
A 73-year old man wrecked his sailboat on the rocks near the Keweenaw Penninsula of Lake Superior on September 29, 2018. The USCG rescued him with a MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter. Why he could not dinghy or swim to the nearby beach is uncertain. It was snowing and blowing 30 knots.
USCG Air Station Traverse City wrote on their Facebook Page that “We responded to an uncorrelated ‘Mayday’ call in the vicinity of the Keweenaw Peninsula on Saturday morning at around 6:30am. After fighting through low visibility, 30kt winds, and snow (yes, snow!) our crew found a sailboat hard aground on the rocks of Manitou Island in Lake Superior. Our Rescue swimmer was able to safely evacuate the man and swim him to shore where our Flight Mechanic hoisted him into the helicopter! He was then transported to Houghton, MI for medical evaluation and treatment.
The fact that this gentleman was wearing a lifejacket plus a cold water survival suit, helped ensure that his story had a happy ending.”
Public domain USCG video from Air Station Traverse City’s Facebook Page:
https://www.facebook.com/USCGTraverseCity/
A news report based on a press release from the USCG is below:
https://www.mlive.com/news/index.ssf/2018/09/coast_guard_rescues_73-year-ol.html
That story said:
“Coast Guard Sector Sault Ste. Marie staff received a mayday distress radio call around 5:30 a.m. from the vessel, which reportedly had run hard aground on the island’s rocky coast.
An MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter launched from Air Station Traverse City. By 8:35 a.m., the copter’s crew was communicating with the stranded boater and soon located the boat.”
A rescue swimmer assisted the distressed mariner and hoisted him to the chopper.
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They wrote the following on their Facebook page:
“Coast Guard Air Station Traverse City was established in 1946 and is a part of the United States Coast Guard’s Ninth District. We are situated on the southern end of Grand Traverse Bay in northern Michigan. Since 1995, Air Station Traverse City has controlled and manned Air Facilities throughout southern Lake Michigan. Our area of operations includes all of Lake Michigan and a greater part of Lake Superior and Lake Huron.”
The eBook of AROUND THE WORLD SINGLE-HANDED: The Cruise of the Islander is at https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07C3THFZV
We use a Mantus Anchor and swivel on our boat. Get all your Mantus gear at http://www.mantusanchors.com/?affiliates=15
Mantus Anchors is a title sponsor of this video.Support the videos at
http://www.Patreon.com/slowboatsailing
On the Slow Boat Sailing Podcast Linus Wilson has interviewed the crew of Sailing SV Delos, WhiteSpotPirates (Untie the Lines), Chase the Story Sailing, Gone with the Wynns, MJ Sailing, Sailing Doodles, SV Prism, Sailing Miss Lone Star, and many others.
Get Linus Wilson’s bestselling sailing books:
Slow Boat to the Bahamas
Slow Boat to Cuba
https://gumroad.com/l/cubabook
and How to Sail Around the World-Part Time
https://gumroad.com/l/sailing
have been #1 sailing bestseller on Amazon.
Associate Producers Anders Colbenson, Larry Wilson, Ted Royer, Sam Balatsias, Kevin Yeager, and Rick Moore (SSL).
Sign up for our free newsletter for access to free books and other promotions at http://www.slowboatsailing.com
music by http://www.BenSound.com
Copyright Linus Wilson, Vermilion Advisory Services, LLC, 2018
October 1, 2018
GGR Solo-Sailor Gregor McGuckin Arrives in Perth and Reflects on the Loss of His Boat
Irish Sailor Gregor McGuckin arrived in Perth, Australia onboard the an Australian Navy frigate after being plucked from his dismasted sailboat in the Southern Indian Ocean after a 70-knot storm. McGuckin was taken by French fishing patrol vessel Osiris to the remote Amsterdam Island prior to being picked up by the Australian Navy’s HMAS Ballarat. Below McGuckin’s statement upon arrival in Australia:
“It’s fantastic to be here in Perth. While Australia was never my intended final port, I couldn’t be happier and more grateful right now. My journey started some 92 days ago, when I departed France on Hanley Energy Endurance in an attempt to sail alone non-stop around the world.
In a horrendous storm, my yacht was capsized and dismasted, as was my competitor Abhilash Tomy’s yacht. I was uninjured and was planning to sail to safety. However, Abhilash was not so lucky. He suffered a back injury and was in immediate danger, so I built a jury rig and set a course for his location. Thankfully, we were both picked up and Abhilash is now recovering.
The real heroes today are the professionals that coordinate and execute such missions. All services were tested to their limits and excelled. The international cooperation between Australia, France, and India has proven that no matter how remote, there is always cover, and the investment in naval assets and training paid off. I understand the Ballarat crew had returned early from leave and I pass on my deep gratitude to them and their families for their dedication to duty.
Of course, the Golden Globe Race continues and my thoughts are very much with my fellow competitors. My incident merely underpins the challenges they face and I am sure we would all wish the remaining boats a safe passage until the race completes next year. I would also like to thank Don McIntyre and his team for their support.
Right now I want to spend time with my family. I will reflect on my experience and address all matters and questions at great length in due course. Thanks again to all involved. I will forever be indebted for your efforts”
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Gregor McGuckin and his partner Barbara O’ Kelly meet for the first time in Perth since he left France on the Golden Globe Race on July 1, 2018. Photo credit: GGR/PPL
September 30, 2018
GGR’s Tomy Fell From the Top of the Mast in the 150 kmph Cyclone
Abhalish Tomy, in one of the first extended interviews since he was rescued from his boat via stretcher in the southern Indian Ocean, said that he fell from atop the mast after he nearly was washed overboard in a 110 degree knockdown in a violent storm. Tomy was unable to move after his boat Thuriya a replica of Robin Knox-Johnston’s 1968 Golden Globe Race winning boat was dismasted. Tomy is the first Indian man to sail solo-nonstop around the world and was competing in the solo-sailing around the world 2018 Golden Globe Race.
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Photo by Abhilash Tomy/GGR/PPL; Tomy climbs the mast in preparation for the 2018 Golden Globe Race.
Here is a quote from Indian Navy Commander Abhilash Tomy:
“It was scary as hell. When the first knockdown happened, I was swept off my feet. I fell down to the mast and put my hands around it. I got swept outward to the tip of the mast. And then a few seconds later when the boat straightened, I found myself hanging from the top of the mast. The hiccups haven’t stopped since the mishap. I have some problem in speaking because of that, My watch got entangled in it. I was hanging by one hand. I felt my wrist would crack. Then the watch strap snapped and I came crashing down to the boom attached to the mast on the deck.”
He went on to describe 150 kmph winds and 14-meter seas. His boat suffered from gas and diesel leaks that he could not stop, and his boat was uncontrollable in chaotic seas.
Unable to move after the storm, Tomy said he awaited rescue by meditating. “There were no thoughts in my mind during those 70 hours. That is something I have taught myself over the years. Thinking can lead to problems,” he told the Hindustan Times.
September 29, 2018
The 5-year plan for the Slow Boat Sailing’s round the world vlog
In YouTube time, the Slow Boat and its crew Linus and Daly, our beloved salty dog (RIP), are still in the Marquesas with two more episodes in that remote archipelago. There will likely be twelve total vlog episodes in the Marquesas in season 2, which I believe is a record for any sailing channel. That puts our backlog at about 1.5 years and climbing. S2E15 in Nuka Hiva is due out next week. Anna should be aboard for two to three more episodes before Janna and Sophie join the boat in Tahiti and Moorea.
Season 3 has been already filmed and is likely to have over a dozen episodes similar to season 1. (The 3,500 nautical mile offshore passage meant season 2 was longer than seasons 1 and 3). We have a sneak peak of season 3 in Tonga out, but the first episode likely won’t be released until we start filming season 4 in May through August 2019.
Because of the relative success of the channel’s coverage of the most interesting sailors in the world (who are not on the Slow Boat) and sailboat cruising news, I have no plans to go to two vlogs a month to clear up the backlog. The vlogs are actually some of the most difficult videos that I edit. They typically have 100 to 200 clips. While we aim to put out high quality videos, success in the very crowded market for sailing vlogs is based not just on great editing and exotic locations, but also on escapism and dreams of young women attired in swimwear. In that market, we will never compete. Instead, you’ll see a middle aged skipper struggling to get his boat to the next port west about the world.
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If it were easy everybody, would go long distance cruising. A lot of channels pay lip service that they are sailing around the world but few actually do it. We make westward progress every season, but it looks like we will not be getting back to our home port of New Orleans over a decade from departing in 2016. Since I estimated in my book the typical successful circumnavigator (most of whom are not skipping half the cruising season) take about 6 years to go around the world, twelve years seems a good guess for the Slow Boat crew sailing part-time.
The season 4 plan is to sail from Tonga to Fiji, Vanuatu, and New Caledonia. We plan to haul out in New Caledonia. The plans for seasons 5 and 6 is to sail to Australia and cruise its north coast and pass through Torres Strait to the Indian Ocean.
