“You both seem like a couple of hoity-toity rich people who, if given a million dollars in cash, would complain they weren’t new bills…” Ah the joy of having a sailing channel, it’s money for old rope, isn’t it? And people appreciate all that hard work, don’t they? We explain what it is really like to have a YouTube sailing channel.

So while we sat in the heat awaiting delivery of a new alternator to battery charger, we got to grips with a few jobs like tackling that diesel leak and picking up a new solar panel. The wait wasn’t too long, and we got on our way within a week. Only to be thwarted by the furling gear for our genoa which chose this moment to get stuck. 

We’re putting a hard dodger on Esper because we need to stay dry and warm during our easterly trip across the Pacific to Alaska and Canada. It will spoil her lines, but comfort wins out over beauty every time on a sailboat!

Krabi Boat Lagoon in Thailand, all shot from a bicycle! It’s a lovely spot to work on the boat… Shot at 60fps in the EM5’s ‘flat’ picture profile with minor adjustments, continual AF, auto white balance using the Zhiyun Crane (Mk2). 

Do You Drink And Sail? Eight Essential Cheap Items For Your Boat! Sailing With Pets! When Should You Quit The Liveaboard Cruising Life? The Truth About Boat Refits! Are Liveaboard Cruisers Tourists?

Every April, Thailand celebrates its new year by descending into a watery chaos with a water carnival known as สงกรานต์ (Songkran). From the smallest child to the oldest inhabitant, irrespective of religious or cultural background, everyone takes to the street.

We crossed everything as John began checking for osmosis, and tapped his way round the hull. The engine had all its boxes ticked and our safety equipment was given the thumbs up. So far, so good. But when he reached the shaft, the surveyor found something we weren’t expecting…

We took leisurely day-hops along the coast, and anchored when the sea-state allowed us. All went pretty smoothly until we dropped the hook just before Pangkor in the open water. A local fishing boat released his floats and disappeared back to land, leaving the long line and net to drift straight onto SY Esper!

We will be heading into a colder climate, so this means making some big purchases and implementing some structural changes aboard Esper. The additional work and new gear is going to cost thousands of dollars, so you are probably wondering how we are going to afford to do all this…

At times we were barely making 1kt. With no bolt holes along the coast of Malaysia, and a hostile shore along Sumatra, it wasn’t safe to drop the anchor to wait out the weather. Although that area is pretty shallow, the swell was too dangerous and the waves might have pulled the windlass off and certainly would have broken the snubbers.

Monsoons, typhoons, pirates, currents and fog are all going to conspire to make this a difficult passage, so it’s up to us to work out the best way to get from Malaysia to the PNW via Japan!

The really exciting thing has been to watch our sailing channel grow, and to read the increasingly informed and entertaining comments. We have a fantastic community of subscribers and followers on Youtube and social media, and the most generous group of individuals who support us on PATREON and through the RUM FUND.

The dodger will be made from stainless steel plate overlaid with honeycomb and fiberglass. We will use hard strataglass in the front and as a frame around the softer vinyl side windows. Both sides will roll right up, and the front will have a central zipped window flap.

While we lingered in the tranquil peace of Tioman the storms clouds gathered. And continued to grow as we made our way to the safe haven of Johor. In this episode we show you what it’s like sailing through squalls and anchoring in lightning storms. Hey ho, that’s the end of the beautiful weather then for a while!

Eagles circled over anchorages while beneath us the clearest water imaginable revealed tropical, cartoon colours. We were overwhelmed by the hospitality the local people offered us each time we set foot in a community.

Thinking of buying a boat, or becoming a liveaboard cruiser? Here we take you through the 5 reasons why you SHOULD buy a boat. There are lots of videos telling us how wonderful and liberating the liveaboard cruising life is. AND IT IS! But we also know that it has its downsides…

We learned how best to tackle reef and bommie-strewn shallow waters in the Red Sea, then again in the Maldives and more recently in SE Asia. Charts just won’t hack it in this kind of scenario, you need all your wits about you and senses on full alert to avoid a disaster…

Wow, can’t believe that last December our friends and supporters began to suggest Pacific Northwest via Japan as a destination, and now we’re going there. We looked into it, did some research and a bit more research, and realised it could be quite an adventure… So it’s goodbye to shorts, t-shirts and flip-flops, and hello to foul weather gear, jumpers and boots!

Reefs, rocks, shelves, shallows! Anambas doesn’t make it easy…and we wonder if we can get through this crazy area!