Episode 3 of our podcast out now!
We are really enjoying making these podcasts. As has been said to us, this is the real us. We come across in podcasts as we tend to be in real life. Discover our personalities and how we are with each other on a day to day basis.
In this episode we go to celebrate Burns night in the marina, roll into Carl’s birthday celebration and get down and dirty spillin’ the beans on each other.
Comment below if you’d like to see a video version of future podcasts. Or just topics you want us to talk about!
We’ve got a new Podcast channel
We are always looking to give our followers more content and enjoyment so we have put together something we have been talking about for some time… yes, we now have in addition to all of our other social media stuff, a Podcast!
Now this is something we have been thinking of doing for quite a while now to add a different aspect to our day to day lives, and to record something that might not always come across in videos.
So after much deliberation we have now posted our first podcast.
What’s different from our podcast in comparison to our video productions, is that our podcasts are going to be a bit more diversified in content, They are not going to be just about our sailing experiences, but more about our view and outlook on life in general.
We hope to keep it humorous and fun and hope you will get some joy and laughter from it, and may also pick up a tip or two on how to keep your marriage/relationship on the right lines. We have been married now for almost 28 years and have been together as a couple for almost 36 years, so we think we know a bit about living together as a couple!!
We hope you will enjoy this alternative content. We will still continue to post our videos but hope this is something you can listen to in different environments and still get enjoyment from (car, gym, walking etc).
Anyhow check out our Podcasting hosting channel. You can also find us on iTunes, Spotify and other Podcast outlets.
Let us know what you think, and feel free to send us questions or topics you would like us to cover.
The first episode is just a quick intro to the channel. We are aiming to publish one podcast a week so please subscribe on whatever podcasting platform you use.
Thanks again and we hope you enjoy the show.
Realities of YouTube Production
The truth behind the myth
Sell up, buy a boat, set sail and set up a YouTube channel. Never work again! In this blog post we give you the truth behind the myth.
In the last couple of years sailing channels have flooded the market on YouTube. Probably one of the reasons is that a handful of channels got on the bandwagon really early and got a lot of followers who have remained loyal to them and as a result they make a good living from it. The problem now is that everyone thinks that if they buy a boat and start a YouTube channel they can give up their jobs set sail and they’ll never have to work again! What they don’t realise is that the channels who are making money from YouTube and Patreon are working as full time video producers. Not quite the retirement they are expecting. Editing footage that you have recorded, exporting it, uploading to YouTube, adding text, custom thumbnails etc all takes time, at least 8-16 hrs for a fairly short video.
For people who just want to watch sailing videos, life experiences and adventures then the market is flooded. Some really good productions and some not so good productions. There is something for everyone out there. Unfortunately for the video creators, getting noticed now is getting harder and harder due to the number of creators there are.
Whilst we love creating videos for YouTube it is not a cheap hobby. Yes we do get a small income from Patreon which helps with the costs a little but it doesn’t pay a wage. A lot of people are under the misconception that because adverts are part of YouTube playbacks then the creators must be making lots of money. In reality unless you are getting 100’000’s of views per video then we are looking at cents/pence per thousand views. Hardly worth it because YouTube take their 50% of anything you make. Hence the reason a lot of people now offer a Patreon page.
On our Patreon page we post our normal episodes earlier than they are released on YouTube, but we also produce our Patron only video series which we call our D-Log. There are currently around 40 D-Log videos on our Patron page at the moment. We also offer other perks depending on what tier our Patrons decide to join. All the funds we raise through our Patreon page goes back into video creation, whether it’s updating or replacing equipment or being put towards our ever increasing internet costs.
If you enjoy watching our videos and would like to help support the production of them you can become a Patron by clicking on this LINK. as a Patron you get access to lots of extra videos and other perks depending on what tier you join. There is a tier for everyone.
Fair winds,
Carl and Jenny
If you enjoyed this blog post please check out our Freebies page where you can download other guides, and if you’re feeling really good consider having a look at our Support us page.
How to service a Lewmar winch
How to service a Lewmar Ocean ST50 winch
All sailboats are fitted with winches, some are self tailing and others are just standard winches. Some boats, generally larger yachts, even have electric winches to make life a bit easier. These are useful if single handing or when handling big sails. Read below on how to service a Lewmar winch.
On our boat we have a total of 5 cockpit winches. We have two Lewmar 42’s for controlling the mainsheet, topping lift, halyards, kicker and main sail furler. We have 2 Lewmar 50’s for the Genoa sheets and lastly a Lewmar 40 electric winch for the headsail fuller.
About winches
Winches are probably one of the most used pieces of equipment on a boat. They are built to sustain quite heavy work and will keep going and going without hardly, if any, maintenance. However, they really should be serviced once a year.
Many sailors don’t bother thinking “If it aint broke, don’t fix it!”
You might get away with it for some time but if it does fail due to lack of care and maintenance then the cost of replacement is massive.
Recommendations
So for us, we service our winches once a year, normally at the end of the season. To do it thoroughly probably takes a couple of hours per winch, but the benefits are well worth it.
If ever you have taken the roller off of a winch “just to have a look” you may feel a bit intimidated seeing all the cogs and gearing, yes it does look complicated but in actual fact they are quite simple and servicing is a job anyone can do.
Below is a list of things to go through when servicing your winch. Take a look, then watch our video where Carl services one of our Lewmar ST50 manual winches and what he found when examining it. Although this refers to a Lewmar ST50 winch, most winches are similar so you should still find this helpful.
Lewmar Winch Service
1. Prepare to service the Lewmar winch. You’ll need a large tray, a plastic sheet to cover your table (we use a bin liner), an old toothbrush, gear or winch grease, and gear oil. Some kitchen roll, a bin liner, protective gloves, flathead screwdriver, a pair of pliers, a solvent, we use petrol but you can use white spirit.
2. First job is to dismantle the winch. It’s quite simple, firstly unscrew the plastic top cap (some winches may have a stainless steel one). Then remove the chrome feeder arm, this just pulls up. Once done you can pull up and remove the drum. Be careful as there are two big sealed bearings inside. Sometimes they will stay on the shaft and other times they will lift out inside the drum. Place the items in the tray. If this is the first time you are doing this it might be beneficial to get someone to film you so if you forget where things go you can watch the video as a reminder. Next remove the pins that hold the gears, insert a screwdriver in the top and carefully prise it upwards, then you can pull them out. Slide out the gearing cogs. There will be a small plastic washer underneath the cogs, be sure to retain it.
3. We soak all the parts in petrol to remove the old grease.. Using a toothbrush and rag get all the old grease and grime off every part – cogs, bearings, rods, washers, winch base, winch cover – everything.
4. Lightly grease everything except the Pawl and Pawl Spring. You’ll want to use gear oil on that instead. Make sure to lightly grease every part – inside, outside, in the corners and grooves. You don’t want blobs of grease anywhere as theses can harden over time. Lightly goes is the key.
5. Put everything back together in the opposite manner than when you took everything off. Double check there’s no bits left in the tray…. If there is re-assemble 😉
Once it’s all back together give the winch a few turns with the winch handle which will ensure all the moving parts will have got grease on.
Thats it, you’re good to go.
Now you’ve read how to do it, click on the video below and watch Carl service one of our winches. how to do it.
If you enjoyed this blog post please check out our Freebies page where you can download other guides, and if you’re feeling really good consider having a look at our Support us page.
DEPKA renewal
Renewing our DEPKA
It’s time for our yearly DEPKA renewal!
One of the things an EU registered boat requires when sailing in Greek waters is a DEPKA. This is basically to show you have registered with the Greek authorities that your boat is in Greek waters. It is renewable every 12 months. The renewing is free.
Ours was due to be renewed on the 13th November, but as I had a spare hour this morning, I decided to go and get it done today. Jenny was busy doing her keep fit exercises with some of the other liveaboards in the marina, so what better time?
The process
It’s quite a simple process. A trip down to the Port Police office (Coastguard) with the correct documents. It’s then just a formality of them photocopying your documents and stamping the DEPKA with a new date 12 months from now. I had to show the original DEPKA, TEPAI tax payment form (even though that expired at the end of October), the receipt for our SSR (small ships register certificate). We had to surrender ours to register the boat out of use over winter, otherwise we would have to pay the TEPAI for each month. My ICC and passport.
They will check and photocopy all of the documents. Once done they stamp your DEPKA and put a new expiry date which will be 12 months from the day they stamp it.
All in all it took around 10 minutes to get our DEPKA renewal and now we are good for the next 12 months in Greek waters. That is of course when we set off again at the beginning of the season and pay our TEPAI tax for the months we are in Greece.
All sorted!
If you enjoyed this blog post please check out our Freebies page where you can download other guides. If you’re feeling really good consider having a look at our Support us page.
Repair and Improve Your Boat’s Essential Systems
Boatowner’s Mechanical and Electrical Manual:
THE guide to fixing everything on your boat!
Well as you know, one of the things with boats is that because they are constantly moving there is always something going wrong, wearing out or just breaking. As a result a quick and good repair/replacement part is required. This is the guide to fixing everything on your boat.
Now when you’ve been doing it for a long time I suppose it’s like anything else, you get to expect and know what’s what! That’s how we gain experience isn’t it?
Well we have a book onboard that takes away most of the mystery, makes it easy to understand and offers advice etc on what and how to do things, explaining it so that even the first timer can understand. Yes, you do need to be a bit practically minded, but, the way it describes things makes it quite easy to understand.
To quote Amazon’s review : “This manual takes both novice and experienced boatowner through minor to major repairs of electrical systems, engines, electronics, steering systems, generators, pumps, cookers, spars and rigging.
When it was first published in 1990, the Boatowner’s Mechanical & Electrical Manual broke new ground. It was hailed as the first truly DIY manual for boatowners and has sold in its thousands ever since. There have been significant changes in boat systems since then, particularly electrical systems. This fourth edition has been fully updated to reflect these developments and expand its predecessor’s worldwide popularity.
‘Probably the best technical reference and troubleshooting book in the world’ Yachting Monthly
‘It deserves to come standard with every boat’ Yachting World”
This isn’t one of the cheapest books to buy if you are a boat owner, but I think it will be one of the best books you buy. It is available as a hardback or for download to Kindle. In my opinion the hardback book is better as its more practical to use in book format when carrying out repairs, however if you want to read it for reference then the Kindle format would suffice. We have the hardback book.
Should you buy it? Well if you are a boat owner now, or are going to be in the future then YES, without a doubt. You will turn to this book regularly, more than you know.
If you do decide to get a copy, we’d really appreciate it if you could click on the link below, that way we get a small referral commission from Amazon on any sales, which helps to go towards the maintenance of our boat.
Good reading 🙂
Fair winds
Carl & Jenny
If you enjoyed this blog post please check out our Freebies page where you can download other guides. If you’re feeling really good consider having a look at our Support us page.
How we prep for meals in advance
Greek Resident Permits
Well it’s been a very heavy rain day here today, we have had thunderstorms for the last few days but todays has been for most of the day. We had a short spell first thing this morning where the rain eased off so we got on our scooter and headed off to the local Police station. It’s a week since we applied for our Greek residents permit and was told we could pick them up today.
We wasn’t in the Police station for more than 2 minutes and came out with our registration cards. We are now officially residents of Greece. How that will help us post Brexit is yet to be seen but it can’t be a bad thing!
Food Prep for our roadtrip
Our plan for this week was to take our camper van and do a roadtrip of Crete. The terrible freak weather that is hitting Greece and a lot of the Med has put a damper on that plan. We will wait till later in the week and cut it a bit short as it’s supposed to pick up a bit later in the week. We then start our roadtrip back to the UK on Monday so that we can get things like an International driving permit amongst other things that Brexit is causing problems for us!!
So to save time and make it easier for cooking when we are on our roadtrip, I have spent the day today in the galley on the boat making up various meals that we can then put into bags that are vacuum sealed and frozen. That way we can put the frozen bags into the fridge in the van, and then each night take out one of the bags that has two portions in and just heat up the contents. The easiest way is to put the bag into a pan of boiling water and heat it through. Less washing up and a nice meal at the same time!
The meals I have made today:
Chilli con Carne – 6 portions
Lentil Dal curry – 4 portions
Corned beef hash – 4 portions
Thai vegetable curry – 4 portions
Boiled rice – 10 portions
That gives us 9 days of evening meals of really good food. Even though we only have a fridge in the van the food will still stay fresh with it being vacuum sealed 🙂
We bought the vacuum sealer a few weeks ago and have been really pleased with it. It was recommended to us and we have already recommended it to quite a few other people.
The one we have was from Amazon, it’s and Andrew James make. Below is a link to our Amazon affiliate page and you will find the vacuum sealer on there along with some accessories. They make a great accessory to any boat, or in fact any kitchen!
Our Amazon storefront. Please visit and take a look.
We hope you enjoy the tips here what we are using.
What do you do to save time? If your a full time sailor what do you do to prepare food in advance? Please leave a comment and let us know.
Carl
A Voyage For Madmen
A Voyage For Madmen
A Voyage For Madmen
One of the things we do onboard Dream is read books. Lots of books. All genres, all authors, but I (Carl) in particular love to read sailing related books, mmm! wonder why that is?
I have been reading sailing related books since I was a kid, I think I still have the Robinson Crusoe and Treasure Island books in my parents attic. They used to take pride of place on my bedroom bookshelf as a kid. In fact I think the Treasure Island copy was one my Dad had as a kid! The Robinson Crusoe book was my “best book”. I can still remember the smell of it. A5 in size but approx three inches thick, red simulated leather cover with gold embossed binding and lettering. I can still remember the day my Dad bought it me. I daren’t bend back the pages for fear of spoiling it. But eventually I plucked up courage to read it. The most pages in a book I had ever read, back then.
Current Times
Nowadays, with space at a premium we restrict ourselves to actual paper books and instead opt for Kindle versions, apart from books such as pilotage and planning etc.
Now if you have never used a Kindle before, the first time you use one you will find it a bit strange, almost as if it’s not really a book. Well luckily it doesn’t last, and I can say now that I now find it strange to read a real paper book. The beauty of the Kindle, or any e-reader for that matter, is that you can always have it with you, the battery lasts for weeks, you can read it in the dark, ie, when you’re in bed and the other half wants to go to sleep, and now with the latest release you can read it in the bath, swimming pool etc as its now waterproof! Not forgetting to mention that you can have hundreds if not thousands of books all in that one device. You can even download the Kindle app to your iPad, iPhone, Android phone and tablets etc and read them there.
Anyway, back on topic, we thought because we read a lot of books that are sailing related, we would start and do a bit of a review of the books we read on our blog and let you know what we thought of them.
So we’ll kick it off with this first book;
A VOYAGE FOR MADMEN by Peter Nichols
So what’s the story? To quote Amazon:
In 1968, nine sailors set off on the most daring race ever held: to single-handedly circumnavigate the globe nonstop. It was a feat that had never been accomplished and one that would forever change the face of sailing. Ten months later, only one of the nine men would cross the finish line and earn fame, wealth, and glory. For the others, the reward was madness, failure, and death.
In this extraordinary book, Peter Nichols chronicles a contest of the individual against the sea, waged at a time before cell phones, satellite dishes, and electronic positioning systems. A Voyage for Madmen is a tale of sailors driven by their own dreams and demons, of horrific storms in the Southern Ocean, and of those riveting moments when a split-second decision means the difference between life and death.
Well my thoughts on the book were quite good. I have read all the books based around the Golden Globe race. This one is a bit of a compilation of all the individual books. Whilst it lacks a little in in depth detail, as an all round book it covers the story quite well. If you haven’t got time to read all the different books by different sailors involved in the original Golden Globe race then this is the one for you. It gives accounts from each of the sailors, and covers the unfortunate story also of Donald Crowhurst, who’s story has been made into two or three films so far.
Would I recommend this book? Yes I would. The book discusses the fate of each sailor in turn. Using well described words, Nichols describes how the nine sailors fought through storms and collisions, through the roaring 40s and the furious 50s, and how each man experienced those moments of solitary despair, lonely disappointment and occasional mystical elation that are unique to long-haul solo sailing. One of the most commendable features of the book is the way Nichols discusses the technical side of yachtsmanship with verve and passion without ever turning into an anorak. This is a fine and absorbing true-life tragicomedy, suitable for landlubbers and sea dogs alike.
Should you buy it? Well yes you should. Order it as a Kindle book, sit down with a hot mug of tea, or whatever else you fancy and settle down for a good read. I finished the book in three sessions I was that engrossed by the writing style and the actual storyline. It’s just a shame the final ending couldn’t have been a little bit different and happier.
If you want to get a copy of the book you can click on the link below. This will take you straight to the page on Amazon. I’ve also added a link where you can buy the latest waterproof edition of the Kindle.
Leave a comment below and let us know what you think of the book and please let us know of your favourite sailing related book(s).
Have you watched our latest video yet? If not you can see it here.
Psst!! It’s Valentines Day today
Valentines Day
Did you miss the calendar this morning?
How many of you are reading this whilst you’re at work and thinking, “Oh no, she’ll kill me!” Or for you ladies, “Oh no, he’ll be disappointed!”
Well just a reminder IT”S VALENTINES DAY! Lol!
We’ll be celebrating this evening with an intimate meal, a bottle of champagne and then maybe a movie.
The weather has been quite stormy here today so we’ll be tucked up on the boat.
So if you are one of the people listed above who has forgotten, or just need an excuse to treat yourself or your loved one a bit more then why not have a look at our Amazon page?
We have listed loads of items that we have on board or similar, and also items we think would make ideal gifts.
Click on this link to have a look: www.amazon.co.uk/shop/carlandjennysailingadventures
So what are your plans for tonight? Comment below and let us know how you are celebrating Valentines day.
We have recently uploaded our latest video to Youtube. Episode 45.
If you haven’t watched it yet you can view it on YouTube or via the page on this site
As always our Patrons got early access to view. It is now available to everyone else If you would like early access and a host of other rewards and Patron only videos then why not become a Patron. You can sign up for as little as $2.00 per month, and end it at any time. http://www.patreon.com/carlandjenny
Well thats it for now. Have a great Valentines Day
Love & Peace,
Carl & Jenny
5 Amazing gadgets to make your life easier on board
5 Amazing gadgets to make your life easier on board
We have done quite a bit of travelling around the world so have got pretty good at knowing what travel gear works and what doesn’t. Now a lot of our travelling has been done by airplane, ship, boat and road and over that time have found our favourite bits of stuff that in our opinion and travels have become invaluable.
Can our favourite travel items turn into must have boat gadgets for our sailing adventures? We think so.
Travel gadgets now sailing gadgets
So as you know we have started our new adventure. Last November we sold up in England and moved to Crete for the winter, where we now live aboard our sailboat, Dream. We soon realised that some of our favourite gadgets became useful items on board our boat, especially for when we start cruising in a few weeks.
Storage on a sailboat is a premium, one of the hardest things for us was weeding out what we were keeping and what had to go. It was tempting to try and take as much as we could and cram it all in using every nook and cranny. However, we have had to stick to must haves.
Here’s our take on some of the gadgets we think are invaluable for not only travellers but for a life on board.
- iBeani iPad and Tablet stand
The iBeani was actually designed by a friend of ours so we have been using one of these for quite a while. They are so comfortable and make reading a Kindle, using an iPad so much easier. They are great to use anywhere.iBeani is a UK Made, Gift of The Year award winning tablet stand – Well known for its style, comfort, versatility and premium quality; the must have lifestyle tablet accessory for every home.
This iBeani tablet bean bag securely holds all iPad, tablet and eReader devices currently on the market, from the smallest Kindle to the largest iPad Pro. Prefer a book? iBeani will hold that too!
Thanks to its unique design, your iBeani tablet cushion will hold your device securely on any surface, at any viewing angle, portrait or landscape, with or without a tablet case. The perfect tablet accessory to use on your lap whilst relaxing & browsing on the sofa. It’s also a great iPad stand for your bed when catching up on the latest box set or movie. If you’re looking for an excellent iPad and tablet or book stand for the kitchen, iBeani is also fully washable allowing you to follow recipes hands free… It really can be used anywhere!
iBeani tablet bean bag cushions are also multi-functional and can double up as a book stand, steady camera mount or a travel pillow / camping pillow.
Want to get your hands on one of these? Follow this link to GET YOURS!
- 12 Volt Mac charger
We use our MacBook Pro for all of our social media stuff. The battery life on the Mac is quite good and whilst we are in a marina we are hooked up to the mains so there’s no issue recharging. However, when we are on the road or sailing 12 volt power, courtesy of our solar panels and wind generator becomes our main power source. That is where this piece of kit comes into its own. Simply plug into a 12 volt outlet and you can charge up your Mac. There is a choice depending on which model you have. Even if you don’t need one for sailing, its ideal to keep in your bag so you can use it in a car/van etc.Want to add one to your bag? Get yours HERE!
- Kindle
Where would we be without our Kindles? We absolutely can’t be without ours. Ours get used everyday!
Originally, we started reading e-books using the iPad but once we used a Kindle there was no going back. These come into their own for travellers, sailors etc. We had literally over a thousand books when we sold up so obviously we weren’t going to be able to take all of those with us. Enter the Kindle. Now we can carry all of those books in our pocket. We even have on the computer on the boat a piece of software that has a collection of 12000 books which we can just download to our Kindle to read.We have Kindle Paperwhites. In our opinion, these are so much better than the Kindle Fire if you want an e-reader. The light-up screen allows you to read both in the dark and in glaring sunlight, so they are awesome for overnight travel, lounging on the beach, or swinging in a hammock on the foredeck. And the battery lasts for weeks on one charge.
If you like reading and want to have books at your fingertips get one HERE! - Canon Powershot G7X mark 11
We have a few cameras in our arsenal of photography equipment but this is our go-to camera for everyday stuff. This is one of the most popular vlogging cameras used by thousands of You-Tubers all over the world so you can be assured when buying one of these that you are getting a proven camera. The video footage is really good and not forgetting it also takes great pictures. We have had ours now for around a year and still love it as much today as the day we bought it, it comes with us everywhere.Want a good camera for photos and/or video? Get it HERE! - Waterproof dry bag
We love a good waterproof dry bag. We carry small dry-bags with important documents and money safely tucked away in them. And even better, we have a couple of 10 litre waterproof dry-bags with shoulder straps. They roll up neatly when not being used. If we take a trip to the beach or in the dinghy we pull it out. Great for diving and snorkelling trips, boat trips, or just when we you are somewhere wet or raining and need to keep stuff dry.Keep your gear dry by getting yours HERE!
So that’s our list of must have travel gadgets….
These are the things we know and love for travelling and now sailing, but we’re sure you know of more. If you can think of anything that you think should be essential for every traveller, add it to the comments below, and we’ll add it to the list.
We hope you have found our list useful and find time to visit the links and hopefully grab yourself something useful.
Have a great day.
Carl & Jenny