She just put a tack in
Oohhh, OK
In this weeks video, we want to share with you the main steps we took together
to take Zaya from landlubber to ocean sailor.
These clips comprise some of the earliest video we recorded.
Introducing a boat into your relationship can be a risky business.
A simple statement to your partner at the outset that:
If she, or he, do doesn’t like it you will sell the boat,
can be very good insurance.
Hopefully, following the rest of the steps here should ensure it never comes to that.
Zaya was born and raised in Mongolia a landlocked country which does not even have
a proper word for sailboat.
While working in Mongolia, I stumbled on Seth and Elizabeth Hynes Sailing channel
SV Honeymoon
and it got me dreaming about cruising again.
This would be the start of my fourth love affair with sailing.
The first discussion Zaya and I had about cruising together
was early in 2013 during a holiday in Thailand.
We travelled past many anchorages in Thailand where catamarans outnumbered monos
ten to one.
it was obvious that the “age of the cruising multihull” had arrived.
We both saw the freedom the cruisers enjoyed and liked
the idea of living simply, while being able to travel
and be close to nature while relying on renewable energy.
A cat also seemed like the best chance of getting Zaya hooked on cruising,
Our next holiday took us to the Fountaine Pajot factory in France.
Their production line is impressive and turns out an average of one boat every 2 days .
We looked at the Mahe 36 but the price tag of close to $300,000
seemed a lot for us to tie up in a pleasure boat.
That cost would make more sense if negatively geared
and placed in a charter fleet, which is their primary market.
Our intention wasn’t to charter and we were unsure how cruising together would
work out, so we talked more about what our objectives
were and decided to find the smallest,
simplest and highest quality boat that would fit our needs.
We would then have a budget left to equip her with good quality gear.
We began looking for alternatives and stumbled on
James Wharram designs I’d been aware of them for over 40 years
but never looked deeply into them.
They had always seemed fringe.
It was this simple picture that captured my imagination and set us on our journey.
I would read passages of James Wharrams design philosophy to Zaya in the mornings.
It was clear that the Wharram designs fit perfectly
with our principles of simplicity and sustainability.
Through social media, we learned that Neil Hawkesford
was about to launch his Tiki 38, Gleda, in the UK.
I had family nearby so, in mid 2014, we flew over for a visit,
met Neil and Gail who kindly let us try Gleda on for size
with a 2 hour boat tour.
The boat matched our needs perfectly and we could see ourselves living on a Tiki.
The Boat Hunt began
Big thanks Neil and Gail ! – there are links to them in the description below.
Just because we were waiting for a boat didn’t mean
we couldn’t prepare for voyaging.
We began collecting recipes suited to the cruising life
and cooked the meals at home for practice.
We began downsizing our life to fit on the Tiki,
giving away our clutter and feeling a lot better for it.
Zaya had always been very good at sewing so we bought a
Jordan Series Drogue kit and set to work.
Sister Tuya joined in to help.
Next came swimming.
Not a common skill in Mongolia.
We began swimming together at a local pool.
Once Zaya could swim a length we went back to Thailand
where she completed her basic SCUBA certificate.
This boosted her confidence around the sea, untold amounts.
As we both wanted to travel, it didn’t much matter where the boat was located.
I'll send her a little video, just to like...
Just 5 seconds, just to show her what
Cape Town looks like
Luckyfish came on the market in Cape Town and we bought her immediately.
Hello, we are here at last.
Having a good day finally, Our first full day in Cape Town and we are
heading up to Theewater Dam.
First good day?
We have had a lot of problems, but they are all behind us now we hope.
I think that is False Bay there, on the right
That's where the yacht is.
Pull in for a look if you like?
There is our little van.
We hope its got everything.
It seems to have everything, and the kitchen sink.
Filled the fridge with goodies.
How much did it cost?
Only 150 isn’t it?
Yeah, about $150 I suppose for, 4 days of food and 6 litres of wine.
Lets go and have a look.
Lets go and take a look at the view
Its another windy day.
It must be 25, 30 knots.
But the weather is supposed to die off a little tomorrow
and be quite good through to Tuesday or even Wednesday lunchtime.
Lighter winds around 10 knots, which might be perfect for learning to sail.
Before Zaya stepped on board the boat I enrolled her
in a 3 day dinghy sailing course at the Theewater Sailing Academy.
Close to the wind. You are going to have your sail in.
We are going to do it out here. You see where that platform is, with the drums?
Mmmm. That's the pump.
We have a boom, that can move.
OK? Then its on the wind
And, that is controlled by your mainsheet.
Here we met Jon and Neil, the most delightful and efficient instructors
you could ever hope to meet.
By learning the basics in a dinghy she would not
be daunted by the scale and physical forces involved on a bigger boat.
Having her taught by instructors meant she would learn
from people qualified to teach, which is different to being just able to sail.
It also meant the “husband/wife” dynamic was
removed from the equation.
Zaya would hear plenty enough from me on Luckyfish so having the foundations
put in place by a third party would help us both later on.
and, we want to turn the boat into the wind. Through the wind.
I come across, facing forward.
and, I come onto this side.
Now. Notice that I have got everything in the wrong hand.
what you do is, you take the rope, to there
and back to there
I make sure there is nothing in my way
and I push a tack. Back foot forward and across.
Duck
Under
Come across
straighten my rudder
OK? Its important to straighten the rudder, otherwise you are going to turn again.
When the wind is blowing
you are always going to sit on the side where the wind is coming from.
OK? You are always going to have the wind behind you.
You are not going to be sitting with the wind there, because then you are going to be on the wrong side.
Now, what I want you to do is to talk me through it. As you are doing it, tell me what you are doing.
Push the rudder. Back leg
Straighten your rudder.
First, look around.
Then, I am heading to that way. Through the wind.
Push the ruddder
Straighten the rudder.
Very good.
Maybe, get a start across the bay? (The wind fills in)
It's (wind) is just starting I think....
Her instructors had given her a solid understanding of feeling the wind, points of sail, steering,
balance and being master of the boat, man overboard procedure and picking up a mooring.
All this in a dinghy in just three days.
On the third day we took the opportunity to have our first sail together, on a Hobie 16.
I gave her the tiller as quickly as possible.
Plenty of wind, and we have got our hands full
but there is still a cameraman able to do her job
Ok, heres a good gust. And we are off.
Should we tack again?
We have run out of time this week to finish this list of tips.
You can find a link to all the tips in the description box below
including 6 more bonus tips and 10 Great Sailing movies
that proved invaluable in getting Zaya hooked on Cruising.
We hope you enjoyed this episode.
We’d like to give a special thank you to our new Patrons
Randy Mark
Carla and Jorge
Its because of Patrons like you that make
our productions sustainable so please, if you haven’t already,
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Until next time, thank you for watching.