5 Days And 4 Nights Offshore: Catching Mahi & Learning Lessons

Happy Birthday Steve!

First off, Happy Birthday Steve. I had to look up Back Winding... complicated and not quite what I thought. Buy the Sail, the Anchor can wait. Look on the used market eBay has anchors that would be okay for stern mooring. Didn't Victoria have an anchor? Thanks for the cleat tying lesson, duly noted.😀

Maybe do a run of shirts that say "anchors away" to fund the replacement. Try to turn the mishap into something fun.

Raw fish can be amazing until you get one with parasites. Then your perspective changes a mite.

Happy 40, Steve.

Happy birthday, Stephen!

A round turn and two half hitches is very stable and shouldn't let go. In seaman class back in 1976 I remember that for tying a ship to the pier a round turn and two half hitches would hold a ship. I've never had the opportunity to put it to the test.

...........................G'day again.

Fish raw from the ocean. I understand people think this is very healthy. But there's a really great reason why sushi fish is hard frozen. You really don't want the parasites that you can get that way. Liver fluke, tapeworm, and roundworm are all significant risks and can really mess you up. But you eat your healthy food.

Nice adventure! :)

I like your skunkworks cap! :)

Nearly 25 years ago I was a cadet in a merchant ship and we got flying fish on deck. Sheerline was probably 20+feet up.

Man, i hate flying fish, except on my dinner plate. I've been hit twice on watch at night. Once in the Atlantic, once in the Med. Neither one of them were really big enough to eat, and thank heavens because the one in the Med hit me in the temple, and a big one could have knocked me out or even killed me. That said, I learned to love them in Japan, very nice, flaky flesh, not too fishy, great meal.

Older sailors know that CQRs work just fine, since they were slandered can probably get a good price on e-Bay.

Congrats on surviving yet another orbit around Old Sol, and with style! Bummer about your ground tackle. Fair winds.

The problem with a jamcleat for the preventer is that under load I don't think you would be able to pull any slack to release it.

Regarding the lost anchor, you can get a similar weight galvanised Rocna or Lewmar for less than a quarter the price. They might not be as good, but for a second anchor I'm sure it would be good enough. You might even find a second hand one.

Personally, I would rather have the new sail and a cheaper anchor.

I feel a bit sorry for Akiva, a Husky.

Bull Dolphin has to be the most beautiful fish ever ! When you catch Mahi in the Gulf Stream it's a Bull Dolphin.

Sorry about your anchor. You don't need to go buy another $2000 anchor.... for the time being, just go into town and get a cheapo. Don't forget- 2 is 1, 1 is none. Always have a backup. Next time use more safety wire on that shackle and lash your anchors down with lots of rope.. What a bummer.

The toothed moving parts of your jam cleat AKA "running cleat" are called cams. You must have a good strong fair lead before it or your load can pull itself out with a simple jerk upward.

A very happy birthday.
Then there is a congratulations on fast thinking… correct us all, but how many years of sailing do you have?

You have learned fast no matter.

Sorry to hear about the anchor. The term BOAT, break out another thousand came to mind.

Your explanations are always appreciated especially because I don’t sail, but enjoy hearing the problem solving. In my opinion all the experience you have gained in the last couple years since launch is showing valuable.

One other note, at least your knots are tight!!!!

Haha sorry about the anchor dude that is a huge bummer. Sounds like something that would happen to me. I saw it swinging loosely in the beginning of the video and thought "hmm that doesn't look right..."
I'd get a fortress as a backup for now, I have a 23 and it's awesome and easily stowed.

Steve, I've been with you from the first tree and really enjoyed the building process. I also have an Acorn to Arabella T-shirt. That said, you seem miserable now that you're sailing. Seriously. All it seems you do now is fix things that are breaking. And reading you body language, you don't seem happy about it. Also, when you and Robin are together, it seems your happiest times are when you're off the boat. Maybe sell it while it still has cache? Find another project. And for goodness' sake, give Akela to a family member or a friend. Alaskan huskies don't belong on small sailboats. It's not fair to the dog.

My cousin and her husband who live on a 54’ sailboat just did a 72 hour run from Fiji to Vanuatu.

Don't loose the fish, that's supper and maybe breakfast too

Only 40? Did someone give you a towel for the dampness behind your ears

the expectant smile on Akiva's face said it all , I felt the same way. 2 points I would like to make if you are on watch single handed I would recommend NO AUTO HELM having to control the boat by hand helps prevent accidental sleeping. whilst night sailing I would not use preventers they can be dangerous to ship and crew alike, if they can be controlled from the cockpit it will help however single handed at night in the dark maybe wet as well less than really experienced crew a problem waiting to happen.

use a bolt and nut on the next chevis . drill a hole throue the nut and bolt after there are tight and put a rolepin in then safty wirethroue the rolepin back to itself.

Good luck. Sorry I can't help more.

Happy birthday, you're on the top of the slippery slope now. Spare anchor down below every time. Live and learn

I use extra turns on cleats all the time without the line ever coming off

Happy birthday Steve.

Has anyone commented on the fact that Steve looks uncannily like Nat Herreshoff?

Happy Birthday Capt Steve! Sorry about the anchor, but thanks for always candidly sharing the trials and tribulations.

When Jesse popped up on the screen for his interview, I swore you stuck the camera in Gary Oldman's face. Wow. And how serendipitous that you met him and he knew someone who would make the passage with you. Lol.

Happy birthday, Steve!! Sorry about the loss…I learn more of the finer parts of sailing from watching you learn as you go. Im just glad yall are ok!
And my birthday is May 27. Be safe!

Did he work at Skunkworks or just buy the hat?

You've gained good experience! Learn a rolling hitch. You could tie it onto the tensioned preventer and winch it tight to relieve strain on the cleat so you could untie it. It's really useful.

I will look up your old videos but I wanted to find out the source of your stray eletircal current, I have similar problems and I was interested in your thinking that it was down to the alternator, My batteries over heated, and I got a blue sea alternator controler it has stoped the over heating problem but we still have odd eltrical anomiles that show up in mostly things that are sensitive to current windex chart plotter... I am curious about what the end was with that. Thank you for any information you can relay

Happy birthday 🎉 live long and prosper. I’m still only 62, been on the water since 1967 at 4yo. Skål!

Did Akiva get any Mahi?

Vote: New Sail!! Always vote sails 😆

Although pretty new, the boat already looks a bit shabby, old and in bad shape overall.

Take a shackle with a nut and a splitpin for lifting. That will hold next time!

Jessie Jackson is into "double ender" boats the way car enthusiasts are about high performance cars.... Maybe a bit more so.... LOL

People, living their dream lives! What can be more wonderful?

I'd like to see, if it's possible, a graphic that shows a map, showing the path that Arabella took to get from point to point. It would be especially interesting to see when they do long trips like that.

Just a thought....

Have you considered fabricating your own anchor?

Ummmmm.....LANDING NET!

$2000 anchor??????? WOW! Much cheaper options available for sure!!!!!