2016 | followtheboat

Diesel or hybrid engine on a boat – repowering considerations

July 18, 2016

Esper followtheboat installs a Beta 60 diesel engine in their boat

Welcome to the written version of our FTB Extra repowering video, in which we discuss in more detail Esper’s engine issues. After posting our initial issues up on social media we received an overwhelming level of support from around the world, from advice and ideas to links to spare parts and even a couple of engines. We really appreciate it, thank you to everyone who contributed.

We’ve taken on board all your suggestions and carefully considered each option. In this essay we break them down for you and look at repairing the engine, getting a recon engine, consider an electric/hybrid engine alternative and look at new diesel engines.

Our youtube channel hits 10,000 subscribers

July 18, 2016

We’ve reached a milestone on our youtube channel by hitting 10,000 subscribers over the weekend.

Wanderlust – why a sense of community is vital on a long-term sailing trip

July 10, 2016

wanderlust travel magazine followtheboat emergency vhf mayday

Wanderlust article: A call for help crackling over the Esper’s VHF radio reminds Liz Cleere how dependent round-the-world sailors are on the help of others

Grab yourself a followtheboat t-shirt!

May 16, 2016

In this clip we show you our Patreon 300 t-shirt, which was designed specifically for all our Patreon supporters when we hit $300. We have another, exclusively designed t-shirt when we hit $800. At $500 YOU get to decide on the prize, and when we hit $1000 you’re in with a chance of sailing with us aboard Esper!

Engine seized! Sailing in paradise…

March 24, 2016

Apart from the deep joy of discovering that our engine has seized, it feels like some kind of nautical episode of ‘Back to the Future’ here on SY Esper

Our regular Sailing Log Diary on YouTube–which out of necessity runs a few months behind real time–shows Jamie sailing alone in Thailand with Liz back in the UK looking after her ailing mum. And yet, right now, Liz has just returned from her >second visit home to tend to Dottie while Jamie has been solo-sailing in Thailand.

In the words of Shirley Bassey and the Propellerheads , “…it’s all just a little bit of history repeating…”

Crash repairs, gales, fuel leaks… and some fishing

February 12, 2016

Jamie didn’t like the darkening skies, so he took a look at the forecast to discover some big weather coming in from the west. Fishing vessels, large and small, arrived from deeper water, dropping noisy anchor chain and crowding into the anchorage behind Ko Tarutao’s high hills. He told the others to prepare themselves for some potential big winds.