Let’s talk about dangerous practices shown in YouTube sailing channels
Posted by inselchen@reddit | sailing | View on Reddit | 184 comments
So YouTube recommended the latest Erik Andreaa (“No bullsh** just sailing”) video and again, after not watching him for years, I am - sorry - shocked by what I see. I realize that he’s popular and this post will probably cost me Reddit karma but whatever. Knock yourselves out downvoting me but the vid goes as follows: dude shown saying goodbye to his girlfriend in home harbor, reciting the weather forecast. Weather forecast says winds of 30 knots, he plans a solo crossing of the North Sea from Norway to Scotland. Dude tells us he’s worried but whatevah. Boat leaves harbor. Dude is seen dancing on the foredeck, clearly not picked in. Dude is shown in the cockpit, clearly not picked in, partly not wearing a safety vest/changing it. Dude continues on the foredeck, in choppy North Sea waves, gets soaked. Not clipped in. Dude tells us he’s soaked aka not wearing appropriate gear. Dude gets changed. I could go on.
Tldr: YouTuber consciously going solo into a predicted storm in the North Sea, rarely clips in, sometimes doesn’t wear safety vest. Often seen with his head in the danger zone of the swinging mast. It’s against everything I was taught in terms of safety. I find this reckless and a bad example to people who watch this.
RonMexico16@reddit
The SV Delos channel has been on an unsafe kick lately while they build their new aluminum boat. In a recent vid, they decided to use big copper busbars laid in a channel and loosely insulated. 1,000+ amps and saltwater. Should be sporty for them. The comments are what you’d expect.
Island_girl28@reddit
That’s crazy. Wonder how that worked for them (probably not so good).
RonMexico16@reddit
It’s still under construction in dry dock, but I really hope nobody gets seriously injured.
Elios000@reddit
reminds me of the guy that was trying to rebuild the Energizer Yacht and was just making all kinds changes to the hull including bolting on an extension the transom... cant wait for the first big wave to snap it in 2
AccomplishedChair918@reddit
The Duracell project?
Wahnsinn_mit_Methode@reddit
probably.
DiabloConLechuga@reddit
matt is doing an awesome job on that project.
he is working with an engineer. has him on semi-frequently to discuss the design changes.
project duracell isnt a hack job.
No-Conference-2502@reddit
Most sailing YouTube is bullcrap in one way or another. I love sailing but one has as much drama as 99% of these channels something is wrong. Either their skills or their equipment are not up to the task, imo.
silentknight295@reddit
It's definitely not to the same scale but this is how I felt about the breakingwaves channel after and unexpected storm hit the harbor they were in and dragged the boat onto a reef. The guy was call and we'll practiced on all their equipment, but had an injury to his ankle that limited his mobility, and the girl was just freaking out and saying she didn't know how to operate some pretty critical equipment. Everyone in the comments was showing support, which was warranted for the unfortunate happenings, but I couldn't help but think that you're really out here sailing the ocean and don't know how to use the gear on your boat??
SVLibertine@reddit
100% in agreement! I (M60) have been sailing since the 70s when I learned in the Bay of Naples after getting a taste of sailing in Iceland (that was insane as a kid).
Erik seems cool and cavalier, but that shit gets you dead on the ocean.
Here in San Francisco, the minute I'm out under the GG bridge heading offshore, no matter the sea state or conditions, I'm CLIPPED IN. Period.
He's a HORRIBLE role model.
I'll be sad when I learn he's died after getting tangled in his own ropes and overboard...not clipped in.
kolnidur@reddit
Good lord, 70s in Iceland must have been hard as f. The seafaring culture up there was/is completely unreal especially before the modern conveniences we have.
pintvricchio@reddit
Italy Naples or Florida?
Patient_Panic_5704@reddit
I said this to a seasoned sailor friend back in 2017 when I first saw one of his vids. He was out in the middle of a very rough North Sea in February, standing out on the bow sprit with a selfie stick talking to the camera clearly no lifeline in sight. Made me feel sick watching him.
dizzymiggy@reddit
Yeah I hated that video too. He had no respect for his own life or his boat.
NaiveChoiceMaker@reddit
Darwin had a theory on people like this.
NYC-Skylines@reddit
Exactly my thought. People have two broad options when doing relatively dangerous activities. The first option is to not get proper training, not care about safety, and just proceed. Will he hurt himself? Will he hurt others? Will he put others' lives in danger trying to rescue him? The odds of all three happening go up exponentially.
Or, he can obtain training through reputable ocean sailing centers. He can wear an inflatable life vest tethered to the boat like every other expert single-handed sailor crossing oceans. He can have the proper safety equipment and knowledge to know what he can (and can't) accomplish given his skillset. He can wear the proper dry and wet gear depending on conditions.
He won't get very far in the sailing community pursuing the first option.
Foolserrand376@reddit
Darwin isn’t trying hard enough now a days. That being said. I’m guilty of not clipping in but when solo. I’ll wear the pfd at least.
One_Detail5601@reddit
Another YouTuber doing solo passages, Christian Williams, said something about this. What I remember is you really really must clip in, because falling overboard, with a PFD or not, is a death sentence either way. Your boat will keep going, so wearing a PFD just means that you get to bob around a little while longer. The outlook is about the same.
lord_de_heer@reddit
There are autopilots that steer your boat into the wind when their remote is further them x meters from the boat.
Foolserrand376@reddit
that was one thing I wish my raymarine had. but then Id have to have the AP remote with me, when I leave the cockpit, which I hardly ever do because I'm afraid of dropping it overboard.
lord_de_heer@reddit
The one ive seen had a lanyard, so you would wear it arround your neck/under your jacket.
Foolserrand376@reddit
Its got a lanyard... and I guess if I fell overboard I could possibly send a command to the AP to steer into the wind if I'm under sail. if im quick enough.
If I'm under motor not much you can really do.
Im in the Chesapeake bay so the furthest from land I'd ever be is 4-5 miles. Which with a PFD should be doable, if its not winter.
lord_de_heer@reddit
The AP does that automaticly when he doesnt detect the remote anymore ;) and probarly cuts the engine.
Foolserrand376@reddit
maybe the newer ones with fly by wire technology. not my 35 year old beast...
One_Detail5601@reddit
That would be even better if the pilot could start the motor and come get you. Maybe control it like an RC boat. Doesn't seem crazy in the AI era...
torenvalk@reddit
There is a lot of writing and testing to say that the best set up is centre line rigged jack lines and a short, bungee, three hook tether. It keeps you on the boat, not dragging in the water, pulled by your tether.
We rigged ours like this the last three summers in the North Sea and it felt very secure. Little chance of actually falling overboard and dragging.
vanalden@reddit
There was an incident of a guy falling overboard at night while taking a piss into the South Pacific, on passage, while his wife was sleeping. She motored back along the chartplotter's track for half a day and spotted him in the water. Does our language have a word that describes his degree of good fortune? 'He was lucky,' seems inadequate.
sigedigg@reddit
If you ask me clipping in is more important than the pfd. As long as the teather is quite short so you can't fall overboard.
vanalden@reddit
I heard a solo sailor explain that he never wore a PFD but did use a tether. He knew that if he fell overboard out there he was dead and didn’t want to prolong it.
RegularJoe62@reddit
I'd say it depends on where you are. If you're in coastal waters, there's a good chance of being rescued if anyone knows you're overboard and you have some kind of locator.
If you're in the the middle of the ocean? Well, that's why some sailors never learned to swim. Best to just go down quickly rather than postpone the inevitable.
wanderinggoat@reddit
yes , it seems to be a fashion to have loong tethers. A number have people have shown that if you fall over the side and are dragged along but cant get back into the boat its useless.
topyardman@reddit
Almost no one clips in with tethers short enough to keep you from dragging and being drowned if you fall over the low side. If they are short enough to keep you up out of the water, they are too short for you to actually do anything on deck. So people wear longer ones and then they are a tripping hazard and don't do any good anyway. Clipping in to a central hard point in the cockpit might save your life in rough weather, clipping in to the normal jack line on the side deck is mostly theater.
PeculiarNed@reddit
That's why I have my jack lines in the middle of the deck. Except next to the cockpit where that's not possible. I have a short double leather and wear a climbing harness when solo sailing.
PunfullyObvious@reddit
Not to mention Abraham Lincoln:
"People who do extreme and dangerous on social media get mad up votes ... unfortunately."
vanalden@reddit
I thought that was Churchill.
OhHowIWannaGoHome@reddit
I think Churchill paraphrased it: “fuckers, innit?”
TheAndyGeorge@reddit
"Bet, bet" - Tommy Jefferson
Free_Range_Lobster@reddit
Why can't they just fade into obscurity so we don't have to suffer a hundred stupid reddit threads about how sad it is that they died?
ynu1yh24z219yq5@reddit
Dude smokes while sailing, which in today's terms makes him the wildest man on the internet. Forget boat safety, HE SMOKES CIGARETTES ON VIDEO!
dwkfym@reddit
I don't really watch youtube except some very experienced people. I wish people content curated a bit more. Do you know any influencers? They'll do almost anything to get more engagement. The content that 95% of videos have is engagement driven, not quality driven.
inselchen@reddit (OP)
There are some really high quality sailing YouTubers. I decided against mentioning my personal favorites right here because I feel they might get dragged into controversy in the context of my post, which I don’t want to be the cause of.
dwkfym@reddit
Why not post them and get them vetted? Good content is good content. Though for me, I still haven't found a video that enriched my sailing knowledge more than a book has.
millijuna@reddit
I’ve been watching 4 youtubers over the last year or so. Samson Boat Co, Alluring Arctic, Sailing Uma, and RAN sailing.
inselchen@reddit (OP)
Since it’s gonna be buried so deep now: “Regular” YouTubers: - Alluring Arctic Sailing - Sailing Florence - Wind Hippie sailing - Nomadas Del Mar (in Spanish) - Sailing anixi (German)
More “documentary style” YouTubers: - Tupaia - Seas and Summits
Professionals - Pip Hare Ocean Racing - Team Malizia Boris Herrmann
dwkfym@reddit
very cool! I do like watching some videos with Skip Novak in it - wish they were longer and a bit more detail.
inselchen@reddit (OP)
Thank you! I got into the Spanish channels because I'm trying to improve my Spanish (there is also el viaje de bohemia but I find them less interesting since they got a kid and mostly show their liveaboard lifestyle rather than sailing) and some other Argentinians whose name I honestly forgot and whose accent I had a hard time understanding haha. The Germans, I'm German myself. There are not that many good non-English-language channels, I suppose the market is just bigger if you do it in English (see Juho). Having said that, when you watch "foreign" channels you get some insight into local culture and peculiarities that can be quite interesting. There's "Odd Life Crafting", a Brazilian channel that I found interesting when they sailed the Brazil coast, which is something non-Brazilians seem to rarely do bc of the (perceived?) safety issues. Sailing Florence sailed the Caledonian canal which I found cool.
dwkfym@reddit
Its funny because I'm 'foreign' myself, but lived in the US long enough to be infected by US centric use of language. lol Sorry for assuming.
Conscious-Style-5991@reddit
What are people’s thoughts on Kevin Boothby? His channel is the only one that I have really followed continuously.
Now that I think of it, I haven’t seen him clipped in but he generally doesn’t take chances with the weather or the boat.
inselchen@reddit (OP)
Well as you can see reading the comments this post is somewhat controversial. I don’t want to drag good people into an argument. I’m happy to dm you some channels I personally enjoy.
newnails@reddit
I want the channels too
Huntzor@reddit
I’d like to know the good channels!
MountainDawe@reddit
Erik is making a show for people. It's never "How to do it". Or Sailing academy for beginners, It's a show!!!
If you want something less show and more educational, try Patrick Laine (super inspiring) or John Kretschmer, Tom Cunliffe...
If you like to watch some super cinematic videos you can try Tupaia.
But it's not worth it to complain about Erik Aandera. He likes it, people are watching it, he never said "I'm the biggest boss here and you need to do it by my way", he's just enjoying what he's doing. Complaining about a lot of electronics onboard? Well, the guy was lucky enough to get those sponsors like Raymarine, how many of us are a little bit jealous right? 😁 Who will not take the fancy new chartplotter for free ... You know, there was and still is a lot of car guys out there not using a seatbelt in their videos, drinking, smoking or using arms and people are watching it. Love it or hate it, you still have an option to turn it off.
Trango226@reddit
North Sea sailor here. Year round, but we avoid trouble as much as we can. Lifejackets are mandated outside summer season and/or when wind or waves are too big.
Climber and mountaineer too. A short hard fall with little leech to absorb it transfers all the energy of the fall to the body. Not fun. Why you wanna keep it tight. Basically a half meter fall on a leech has more energy than a 50m fall on a rope.
A friend of mine (I wasn't there) fell overboard and got dragged under. Cut himself free with a knife packed in a pouch against his chest. He wasn't alone and got saved. Still packs that knife in that exact position against his life vest. I always have a one hand opening small knife clipped to pants pocket since.
The lack of safety is shocking. But many here also say, if he does fall overboard he's toast anyway, may as well be quick. There's truth to that. I'd still tether me in, as smart as possible.
No_Childhood446@reddit
People care about reddit karma? Interesting, cause I sure don't. Just speak your mind and who cares how another votes. That said, yeah, don't believe everything you see on YouTube, much less follow it.
TallBoiPlanks@reddit
The lack of clipping in seems standard on these channels and drives me nuts. I’m a risk taker, and don’t always clip in if I sail by myself, but I don’t go upfront and I keep a radio on me… and I’m sailing on the Great Lakes within 1-10 miles of shore, not in an ocean, and I do clip in if I’m solo in a storm. Lack of life jackets… I don’t usually wear one but if I’m in rough conditions alone I choose the clip or a life vest (both very occasionally). It’s an absolutely needless risk.
youbreedlikerats@reddit
ikr this is why I stopped watching la vagabond, when they celebrated hitting 20 knots by jumping up and down on the foredeck in the rain, not clipped or even pfds, the kids too. and they're still at it in the rapido 60, jeseus
Kill3mall668@reddit
If you sail 1-10 miles of the shore alot of safety features make sense because there is a good chance someone rescues you if the worst things happen. If you cross oceans solo and go overboard you better drown yourself quick because a life jacked just extends your suffering.
TallBoiPlanks@reddit
This is why I always opt for clipping in over life jackets.
millijuna@reddit
This is why my PFD has integrated D-Rings. If it’s anything other than a flat summer day, I’ve got jacklines rigged and am clipped on at all times when I leave the cockpit.
But my ‘27 is also rigged such that the only thing I need to leave the cockpit for while underway is to either unfoul something, or to release/flake the main sail. Everything else can be done from the safety of the cockpit.
vanalden@reddit
I watched my wife fall overboard after blacking out. Her life jacket did its job - saved her life. She was out and only came to after it had brought her to the surface. So we're fans of life jackets. We also use tethers once out of harbour.
Kill3mall668@reddit
Yes that is good and the number one thing is to stay on the boat but the clipping in needs to be tight. The vast majority i see ,youtube or real life(it is rare to see the real safety lines of offshore sailors) the lines are not tight enough. And it drives me crazy when people talk about their safety measures and you look at it and think, dude your lines are way to long , you drown on the side of your boat so don´t try to tell me about safety.
I always joke with my friends how much safety stuff i need to carry when they are on board because when i´m alone i don´t need it because there is nobody to use it if i go over board.
TallBoiPlanks@reddit
I make sure it’s into the center of the boat and won’t let my chest oberboarx
Lilstubbin@reddit
If you went overboard while clipped in and underway, do you think you could pull yourself back up onto the boat? I've never tried, seems like it would be pretty difficult.
J4pes@reddit
Uh the point of being clipped in is to not be allowed to go overboard
spinozasrobot@reddit
Could be more subtle than that. You can still get tossed overboard while clipped in, and you'll be against the hull. Not easy to get back in yourself. If someone else is aware, that's probably ok, but if you were alone on watch, it could be pretty tough getting back onboard.
spinozasrobot@reddit
I've stopped watching him. In addition to the safety issues, he has turned his boat into a Rube Goldberg of whatever tech his sponsors give him.
cornsulla64@reddit
Despite the tagging, his channel has more BS than any other. If you define BS as being overly dramatic and creating a narrative for clicks. Vs just trying to tell the story of your real life. That's authenticity, not BS.
asdner@reddit
Disagree with you there. Most sailing channels feature girls in bikinis trying to tell the story of their "real life" rather than sailing.
spinozasrobot@reddit
Thumbnail is always the girl in the bikini and some tagline about a disaster, or was it...
LIKE AND SUBSCRIBE TO FIND OUT!
vanalden@reddit
To be an authentic sailing channel, he needs some girls in bikinis. I have told him this.
Reasonable_Simple_32@reddit
Finally someone who agrees with me. Erik is an idiot. His channel is Mostly Bullshit and Clickbait. And he doesn’t care for a second about safety. I live in Norway. And I have met him. And I talk sailors all over Norway, and they all say the same. Cool guy, but couldn’t care less about safety. And he is not a good role model for new sailors. In Norway we take safety seriously. That’s why we rarely loose people or have accidents.
He also leaves his ropes tangled everywhere in the cockpit. And one day he will have an accident. And what about that time he fell asleep, ran aground and almost sank his boat! Reckless behavior. He has more tech on that boat than I will ever have on my 44-foot ocean regatta/cruiser. And still he managed to park the boat on land! And he was sitting in the cockpit. Sleeping. The insurance company wanted to scrap it. But he paid $10.000 out of his own pocket and the insurance company paid the rest.
He tried to go to Greenland 4 times. And made so much drama about it when he had to go turn back. The truth is he never planned to go the first 3 times. A storm came and he went out and made some dramatic video about how bad it was out there. And he had to cancel his trip to Greenland. 3 times he did this. And when he finally got there, he didn’t even make landfall. He turned around and went back to Iceland. Me and my girlfriend went to Greenland. On the first try. It’s not very difficult when you live in Norway. Spent 2 weeks there and had a great time. Erik is fun to watch. But don’t listen to him when it comes to safety. And don’t believe that his videos are real. He found his niche. He is searching for bad weather. And people are buying into it. That’s fine by me. But I wish he would take safety seriously.
inselchen@reddit (OP)
The ropes! I continued watching the video and yeah the total mess on deck. I thought about editing the post actually to mention that. Yeah and the grounding, I remember that. It’s interesting and reassuring to hear that the insurance didn’t pay all and that it cost him good money, honestly why should everybody else pay higher premiums because of this kind of thing?
spinozasrobot@reddit
Didn't he slip and fall once climbing back into the cockpit from the deck by stepping on some wet ropes?
Ok_Lengthiness5926@reddit
It's his second grounding on that boat, both times asleep, 1st time aider by continued exposure & physical exhaustion.
I'd noticed the ropes many times, seldom shipshape in the cockpit. But then again we are only seeing a snapshot in time though.
StickyMcStickface@reddit
youtube can turn reasonable people into click-chasing fools, it's crazy
wanderinggoat@reddit
I'm glad to hear Norwegian people think the same, I was a bit worried if they were all like him.
Forward-Skirt7801@reddit
I think most people who watch those videos watch them for entertainment and will actually stay far the fuck away from those conditions IRL
asdner@reddit
Exactly. It's exciting to sail for me in a light breeze, but for others to watch how I do it would be boring as hell. So he makes it more interesting by getting into all kinds of situations and in a way that allows you to learn from his experiences and also see how he copes with it. I don't see anything wrong with his channel, he is just sailing the way he thinks is right and that's fine. Just because he is a popular youtuber doesn't mean he is the best sailor in the world, and he isn't claiming to be one either.
SecureVillage@reddit
I come from a skydiving background. I survived 20 years and thousands of jumps by being sensible, despite doing some fairly high risk activities.
YouTube and the "call to fame" killed an entire generation of skydivers and base jumpers. Companies like Red Bull are somewhat to blame, as people needed to do more extreme things to capture interest.
The response in the UK was to tighten the rules (in skydiving at least), taking decision making out of the hands of the jumpers, and locking everything behind certifications, courses and rules. (E.g. Want to anchor? You need a certification for that. Want to go out in a >F4, there's a course for that.)
This kind of thing serves to keep the lowest common denominators safe, and does reduce accident statistics but, in my opinion, creates a culture of "I don't need to think, If the dropzone says the weather is OK, it must be OK". People tend to to the bare minimum to get "signed off". Where, otherwise, they'd wait until they were actually ready.
What I love about sailing is that nobody tells me what I can do and when I can do it. The decision making is totally up to me. If I want to go and kill myself in the north sea, I can. Conversely, there's a ton of great information available, and a plethora of role models. The information is available for those that want it, and the community are more than happy to help.
It's big boy rules. If you don't like what Erik is doing, great. Use his example to build your own risk model, processes and systems. But, let's let him live his life.
inselchen@reddit (OP)
Respectfully I disagree.
"YouTube and the "call to fame" killed an entire generation of skydivers and base jumpers. Companies like Red Bull are somewhat to blame, as people needed to do more extreme things to capture interest."
This. Read what you said and think about Youtube sailors like Erik A.
SecureVillage@reddit
As in, the "sponsored athletes" (influencers) compelled themselves to take stupid risks and many of them died.
But, they are big boys. I think they should be allowed to.
Lessons are learnt in blood and, if someone else willingly spills theirs, we get the lesson for free.
I'm not condoning unmitigated risk taking here. Very much the opposite.
But, rather than "he shouldn't be doing that", we should think "ok, he's doing that. That's not for me".
Otherwise, we quickly get to deciding on how other people should live.
Unknowledge99@reddit
Ive spent my career (decades) in both professional and amateur maritime worlds.
The sailing world, both amateur and pro has a profoundly lethal attitude to safety. I grew up in it and didnt realise how fucking stupid it is until I experienced the commercial maritime world.
Now I wince as I witness the sailing world. Certainly its better now than 20 years ago, but holy shit there's a long way to go. Sailing sailors lost at sea simply doen't grab 'official' attention as it should because they invariably fail to adopt the basic best practices. wear a fucking buoyancy aid. wear a harness. clip in. and so on...
an example is wearing a buoyancy aid while working on boat at the wharf or marina. yachties laugh at that: what a pussy! can't you swim?
professional mariners -wear a buoyancy aid if there is potential to fall in water, period.
pintvricchio@reddit
I get your argument, but wearing a floating device while cleaning your boat in the marina is just absurd. There is following rules to ensure safety and we are all guilty of not beying thorough enough sometimes, and there is enforcing rules for the sake of it
Eightstream@reddit
If you slip and knock yourself out you can drown in the pond before anyone realised what happened
pintvricchio@reddit
Yeah, same as if you are taking a bath in your house, actually even more likely
netzure@reddit
Doesn't Erik also work in the maritime world professionally too?
When I worked at sea I saw some unbelievably dangerous stuff. For example I saw a Bosun unclip himself from his safety harness so he could stand atop an open cargo hatch (20 metre drop into the hold) to make it quicker for him to sweep. Seen people try to rig accommodation ladders whilst the ship was moving without wearing a harness. Also seen cadets left solo on the bridge. At the bottom of a freefall lifeboat was a hatchett pointed blade upwards with no protection so if anyone slipped they would likely land on the blade of the hatchett.
ThorsFather@reddit
I completely agree. Before I went into sailing I started out in aviation, which is a field where there's usually a very strong safety culture and there's checklists and very clear best practices. When I went into sailing I was really surprised how ad hoc everything is and how casual everyone is about safety
CornishPaddy@reddit
There was one particular video I watched a while ago. Classic youtuber family on big Cat with zero clue. Delivering the boat from Mexico to Texas. Can't sail, think the boat is a floating house. The video really irked me, it wasn't entertaining it was disgrace really.
Another one is sadly the Outside Your Zone crew. I loved their original journey from Scotland, round land's end and through the French Canals. It was truly such a great diary of a group of young guy's friendship and adventure. The latest videos though.. Where they're setting out on long passages overseas with inadequate propulsion and a lack of fuel or provisions is quite disappointing. (They're currently attempting to get from Northern Sardinia to Tunisia with a Yamaha Malta bolted to the back of a 38fter, and have had to flag down a cargo vessel for petrol and water.)
inselchen@reddit (OP)
Oooh, now I remember, somebody else mentioned that guy here, oh yeah checked him out a long time ago. Bingo another excellent case in point
sailorb@reddit
I think Riley is the worst of all, La Vagabonde, He lost track of that girl and Elana had time to get move the boat turn and recover her before he even though about doing a head count. He's going to get someone killed.
torenvalk@reddit
I can't believe his lackadaisical attitude about safety with two small children.
inselchen@reddit (OP)
Yeah I've been igoring that show for years now but I distantly remember how it seemed all a little exploitative with the woife's boobys and all. Wasn't that the one who stayed in a therapy camp for a while? I don't know about the incident mentioned here but the whole show seemed pretty sus in general.
Edit read up on them again, oh god that was that vietnamese trimaran situation and the boob show. Hey she got BIG BOOBS LOOK! Kinda fitting that they are associated with Greta T as well no. Oh and OUR KIDS LOOK!
netzure@reddit
"Dude is seen dancing on the foredeck, clearly not picked in. Dude is shown in the cockpit, clearly not picked in, partly not wearing a safety vest/changing it. Dude continues on the foredeck, in choppy North Sea waves, gets soaked. Not clipped in. Dude tells us he’s soaked aka not wearing appropriate gear. Dude gets changed. I could go on."
He has addressed this in a video before. He has said he should clipped in but for him he personally finds it easier to move around when not clipped in. People have gone to sea for thousands of years without clipping in. Yes it is safer to clip in but at the end of the day it is his choice. If people want to learn to sail they should learn from a qualified instructor who in theory should teach them how to do it safely by the book and not learn from someone on YouTube.
It is his choice, if you don't like what he does, just don't watch.
InvisibleTextArea@reddit
I remember a video where he shredded a brand new spinnaker because he tried to put it up in high winds then couldn't get it back under control and back down again.
I also remember another video where he ran into a bouy and put a hole in his boat.
Fair enough mistakes can be made but these seem to be avoidable.
permalink_child@reddit
Its like riding a motorcycle without a helmet. You do you.
And “clipping in” is a new thing. Slocum sailed around the world with practically no safety gear relying primarily on his seamanship plus defensive measures against pirates and hostiles.
And - much of what is “taught” is bullshit anyway.
pintvricchio@reddit
Tabarly was a big time advocate for not clipping, and quite possibly the best blue water sailor ever. Do you want to guess how he died?
Christopherfromtheuk@reddit
No one reads the book written by the many sailors who went overboard because they weren't clipped in.
It's survivorship bias.
makatakz@reddit
How was Slocum’s last voyage? Go well?
theplaceoflost@reddit
Lol wanting a single hander to wear a flotation vest in the North sea is laughable. The boat will keep sailing and you will hype out in minutes.
Most of the participants of the original golden globe race didnt "clip in"; If you go over the lines as a single hander and you're teathered, you will just drag alongside your boat. Don't believe me? Try it with crew on board in good conditions going 5kts.
This has been shown time and time again.
This obsession/outrage over the practices of what other sailors do on their own boat is an entirely new phenomenon.
Eyes on your own paper.
Future-Buffalo3297@reddit
I believe that a tether is meant to keep you inside the boat.
theplaceoflost@reddit
The way 99% of people run them, they will not. Same people running them on the sidedecks are the same people mouthing off about how others run their boats.
prestelpirate@reddit
But that's not a problem with the safety gear, that's a problem with people who don't understand its job and aren't using it correctly.
vanalden@reddit
Sorry, but a tether won’t always keep you ‘in’ the boat. Rather it should keep you close to the boat, but quite probably hanging off the side. Not ideal, but maybe better than being washed away, if there are people to rescue you.
55North12East@reddit
All Vendee sailors are always clipped in with proper pad eyes. Of cause you shouldn’t go hanging on the side. But saying no tethering is fine is bullshit.
theplaceoflost@reddit
It's fine because literally the only person dealing with the consequences is the one making the decision.
hulagirl4737@reddit
I don’t think “eyes on your own paper” is applicable when someone is actively working to make you view their paper
theplaceoflost@reddit
That's when it's most applicable.
"Look at me, look at me!"
"No."
It may shock you to find out that people actually living and traveling on sailboats don't watch people do it on youtube.
hulagirl4737@reddit
Right, which is why OPs point is applicable. Someone advertising to people being introduced to sailing shouldn’t be flagrantly dangerous.
And maybe be a little less cocky about what other people do and don’t do. I actively live and travel on my sailboat AND enjoy watching sailing youtubes
Lordy2001@reddit
Not if you actually place the jack lines and padeyes appropriately.
Too many people myself included run a jackline down each side. If you are actually wanting safety for single handing, you have a jack running the centerline of the boat and a central padeyes. That way if you fall your tether only allows you as far as the lifelines.
theplaceoflost@reddit
This is exactly what I do. Gallows, through the granny bars by the mast to the bowcleats.
The fact is that the large majority do not run them this way, as you said. They also have a 6ft tether. In all of these cases it is strictly a placebo, yet people guilty of this are the same ones screaming when other people don't tie in.
Perfect-Advice001@reddit
Have you found any quality, educational sailing "influencers"?
prestelpirate@reddit
Tom Cunliffe is not even remotely an influencer but he is a hugely experienced sailor who has written a number of books for the RYA Yatchmaster qualification. His channel is excellent and full of tips and guidance.
Angry_Sparrow@reddit
Every man I met when I was sailing around the world didn’t clip in except for the rare few. People that want to sail the world aren’t the type to want to do it safely generally speaking.
I had to tell nah my partner all the time to clip in and explain to him I was terrified that he would go overboard during his watch and I’d be asleep and left alone on the open ocean, not even aware that he’d gone overboard during card or when or where. We were doing 12-15 knots most of the time too.
Ego is a hell of a drug.
ghettoskier@reddit
What/where do you sail?
10kts under bare poles is crazy.
Angry_Sparrow@reddit
40 foot trimaran. She moves around like a bar of soap. Only had a 10 HP outboard.
Sailed the Pacific.
Tikka2023@reddit
Some sort of performance cat by the sounds of it
Eddie_shoes@reddit
Ballsy, that’s this subs favorite channel! As an aside, I haven’t seen his stuff in a while because I don’t find him entertaining, so I went back to check in and he has definitely become what so many people on this sub hate in a channel! Now if he starts sailing with his GF and their kid, the transformation will be complete!
MikeHeu@reddit
The gf tried, didn’t like it. He went back to purposely solo sailing into bad weather.
torenvalk@reddit
As an aside, I find it quite strange that he would have a girlfriend who didn't like sailing. Like that's your entire shtick and your livelihood. Gone for months. Maybe she will marina hop, but I find it strange, unless he actually dislikes sailing with others or sees solo sailing as his niche.
vanalden@reddit
If you’re talking about the charter sail they did in Greece (?), that was so funny. ‘Erik! Do you know what you’re doing?!’ LOL!
She has sailed with him in the North Sea/Norwegian Sea since then. All the best to them.
Njyyrikki@reddit
I have a nagging feeling that some day his videos will just stop coming and we will all know why.
full_metal_codpiece@reddit
Happened to an ice climber I stumbled upon on insta. Lots of flippant replies to comments about his unsafe practices, a month later his page stopped dead.
inselchen@reddit (OP)
The guy is absolutely a case of “when, not if”.
Final_Alps@reddit
Yup
CocoLamela@reddit
He's explained before that he finds the harness a greater risk to tripping/put off balance than having one. When sailing solo, the harness may keep you tethered to the boat, but you may not be able to get back on board anyway. You could be better off going in the water with a PLB and waiting it out, rather than being dragged and drowned.
It's definitely an individual call. But the dude was literally an offshore oil rig safety instructor, has thousands of solo miles in the North Sea under his belt, and does have a ton of safety kit on his boat to enhance his solo sailing. Beyond what pretty much anyone else alive can claim. Who are you to call him out?? An armchair YouTube sailor??
inselchen@reddit (OP)
No.
Baalphire81@reddit
Just to clarify, what are you saying no to? The poster above is correct regarding the harness. Even with full crew, someone died from drowning with a tether on a clipper ship a few years back after he fell in and was dragged under due to speed of the vessel.
inselchen@reddit (OP)
This is misinformation. Of course you still can be injured/die being clipped in but obviously the risk is lower. It’s fascinating that this is a point of discussion. And the other argument, “I’d rather die quickly rather than have the chance of being rescued”, are you for real?
Baalphire81@reddit
Again, to clarify. What in my post is misinformation? Here is an article speaking to the most famous drowning by tether, however I have heard of a great many more.
https://www.theguardian.com/news/2023/may/11/clipper-round-the-world-yacht-race-adventure-lifetime-tragedy-simon-speirs
I’m not giving misinformation, I am merely pointing out that there is an alternative view that there are times when tethers can be dangerous. As with all things sailing it is really up to the captain to do their own risk assessment and do what they are comfortable with safety wise.
Christopherfromtheuk@reddit
The thing is, you don't read about the many lives saved by tethers because there's nothing to report.
inselchen@reddit (OP)
No. Reread my comment.
Baalphire81@reddit
So please kind OP, reread mine. What is misinformation in my post?
sigedigg@reddit
There is also special harnesses/lifevests which will turn you around if you fall overboard and are attached to the teather. Take a look at the TeamO Backtow system. That will make sure you don't drown. But anyway, with a proper set up jackline setup you can't fall overboard. You need to have the jackline along the centerline of the boat, and then the teathers need to be so short that you can't fall overboard.
Final_Alps@reddit
He also fell asleep while motoring and grounded his ship hard on granite.
What I want to say is - one is knowing risks. The other is normalizing or even glorifying this behavior for the uninitiated.
Embarrassed_Can6796@reddit
“glorifying this behavior for the uninitiated.” Nailed it right there
carchadon@reddit
I mean, Francis Joyon has done this too, but you won’t catch me calling him incompetent.
inselchen@reddit (OP)
Exactly.
ArtVandelayII@reddit
James from Sailing Triteia has a similar philosophy on wearing a PFD on his offshore passages. He made a video a few years ago. His take is he would rather drown quickly than float around for an hour or two in the middle of the pacific before deciding to cut free of the PFD and sink to the bottom.
Honestly, I get it. I also don’t think anyone should be taking their advice from YouTube sailors. Take classes, find mentors, and decide for yourself. I think I’ve yet to hear two experienced sailors agree on appropriate safety measures…
Jewnadian@reddit
This is kind of my take, armchair sailing is it's own unique hobby entirely separate from actual sailing. And plenty of people do both and would never admit they don't actually follow every single rule they opine about endlessly on Reddit. Most of the Internet based sailing advice is worth exactly what your paid for it, YouTube or Reddit
Competitive-Army2872@reddit
You’re supposed to design your jack & tether system so that it is impossible to fall off the boat.
It’s not hard to do.
inselchen@reddit (OP)
Exactly. Thank you.
vulkoriscoming@reddit
Yeah, falling overboard in the North Atlantic in any kind of seas, alone or with crew, is a very likely death sentence. I can see not tethering in good weather in the cockpit. But going forward untethered in bad weather? Darwin will eventually get you.
Eddie_shoes@reddit
The tether is meant to keep you in the boat, so for anyone using it properly, your point is moot.
TrueDirt13@reddit
I'm glad you went and did it and called out the people that you " Should not follow" ... Thank you for this! I feel like you of us on reddit don't follow your lead because of negativity! Oh my.. someone didn't agree with my train of thought.. oh my.. kudos to you OP! I'm here for the positive and the helpful insights.... Thank you
drood420@reddit
Does Lady K Sailing know what he’s talking about? I’ve only been lurking in the sub for a few months and I’m a complete novice.
Christopherfromtheuk@reddit
He has opinions and lots of them.
I would take what he says with a bucket of salt, but he doesn't seem to be saying it in bad faith.
doyu@reddit
Lady K is decent and so is Practical Sailor. (Same guy)
JuggernautMean4086@reddit
His videos are great for novice cruisers and people entering the field. He has his opinions, as all do, but he’s fair about it and corrects himself when he’s wrong. He very rarely makes statements as ultimatums (this is best, this is worst) because the reality is everything is grey.
Keep watching lady k. It’s a good resource.
drood420@reddit
Thank you for the quick response.
farmerjimbob67@reddit
I have to agree with the OP and other on Erik, I stopped watching him about a year ago. His repeated attempts to get to Greenland, when many others got there easily- with proper planning, his reliance on all the tech in the world- over proper planning, and making himself extremely ill but not addressing his health condition and continuing to each crap food. Basically I did want to watch a man kill himself- the videos just stop.
hellowiththepudding@reddit
I assumed this would be about sam holmes.
inselchen@reddit (OP)
Hahaha yeah. That is another one definitely. I found his vídeos from Gambia interesting I reluctantly watched that because I’d never seen footage from there but yeah he makes your toes curl.
jawisi@reddit
Take my upvote. It’s an interesting channel to watch, but he’s dangerous.
Zesty-B230F@reddit
Lots of keyboard warriors complaining about people who are actually out on the water.
CyberBorder@reddit
I don't know that channel, but generally speaking, all the people who have sailing YouTube channels are people who didn't sail since they were children and are more likely to buy a boat and enjoy sailing. I've been sailing since I was born and competed in several international classes. I've also competed in many ocean races. And I'm truly surprised by the huge number of mistakes they make. They all use the excuse that they're sharing their sailing experience with you; they don't teach. But there are people who take them as an example, and it's truly disastrous. From not knowing how to apply force or use windlasses safely, to very serious things like sailing with rigging in poor condition or going solo without being hooked up. I understand that competition is very different from cruising, but safety should always be a priority.
madworld@reddit
Yes! Totally agree! I feel the same way Adam Holmes. Dangerous to himself and the cruisers around him.
Rusted_atlas@reddit
I can't remember the guys name, but this youtuber pulled a stunt that always comes to mind. The kid on a paddle board in the ITCZ filming himself with his boat hundreds of feet away in the background with the main all the way up and jib poled out. I have never sailed anything bigger than inland lakes, but holy hell even I know better! Kid gets tons of views. I think about it more than I probably should.
Wolfinthesno@reddit
I feel like that's a common click bait tactic for many boating YouTubers. Seen at least two videos where people claim to be alone, set the boat up for a surf wake, set the cruise, and then step off and surf behind the boat... One even wound up falling... But the video cut short long before the boat ever piled itself up....because there is another person hidden in the boat.
It is still just as dumb as if they didn't have a second person onboard...the fact they're broadcasting this stupidity to the world is just sad.
I love adrenaline chasing, and had i had access to that kind of boat at a certain age, I may have been dumb enough to attempt this once. And in that one time that adrenaline would have 1. Been enough to make me never attempt something so stupid again, and 2. Probably cause me to wipe out, and subsequently wreck a boat.
These videos should be treated as evidence even if they can produce evidence that they werent actually doing anything illegal they should get a fine or something for promoting illegal activities. Idk I'm getting old 😂 I'm only 34 but that statement just made me feel old.
bestywesty@reddit
Sv Songbird is the channel. He also took his boom to the face a few months later and gave himself a major concussion
hunt_dougie@reddit
Was this the middle school teacher turned sailor? He’s cool to keep up with and if this is him, I didn’t realize he had sails up in that video. Wild enough as is but crazy if that’s the case
Tikka2023@reddit
Sailing Haldis. Not his fault per se but he’s on board with famed sailor John Kretchsmer. They’re dismasted. People rushing around, no one in control, not a life jacket or tether in sight. Commented on the YouTube and the author confirmed that somebody actually went overboard post dismasting.
Just goes to show that even the ‘experts’ get it wrong.
Complacency is a killer
frozenhawaiian@reddit
The majority of the YouTube sailors are idiots.
Kill3mall668@reddit
Clipping in is a complete false sense of security for the most part . 99% of people would die anyway because there lines are to long and they would just drown dragged on the side of the boat. If you sail solo and go over the side of the boat you´re dead. Thats the risk you take. Nobody that crosses oceans is safe clipped in all the time. Even the professional Vendee Globe skippers work on the foredeck all the time without safety lines. The armchair sailors will probably disagree but they never are out on a ocean for days on end anyways.
JankyTime1@reddit
Bunch of hall monitor crap. You can't enjoy videos of sailing because they're not following every single safety procedure that you demand? Worry less about what others do.
wanderinggoat@reddit
absolutely, I wondered if he has a deathwish because of his illness. The Mariner (youtube and podcast) did a review of his videos and came to a similar conclusion but said the guys photography and editing was first class.
and I guess thats whats important for youtube.
EllieVader@reddit
I stopped watching Zatara when I saw their teenagers using their trampolines like trampolines in a storm in the South Pacific, not clipped in, not wearing PFDs. Not a fan of watching other people take stupid risks for funsies.
Turbulent_War4067@reddit
The "Rigging Doctor" with a toggle connecting his chain plates to the thimbles of his "dyneema deadeyes". Always makes me smile how he uses the name "rigging doctor" and is completely oblivious to point loading on 2 critical pieces of his standing rigging.
jibstay77@reddit
I agree about the rigging dentist. Everything from replacing his perfectly good diesel engine with an electric motor, then having to run a gas generator all day to travel the ICW, to falling asleep and sailing the boat onto the beach in Florida. And my favorite, sailing to the Azores and not knowing about Schengen.
I almost forgot about replacing his standing rigging with dyneema and not lashing his anchor down properly so it comes loose during a storm and saws through his dyneema forestay.
Turbulent_War4067@reddit
Hey, I have an electric auxiliary and dyneema rigging. But I ain't planning to do the ICW.
Never heard about him grounding his boat because he fell asleep.
I did see him do one last year on replacing his chain plates and explain how many bolts he was going to install such that the friction took up the load and there was no sheer stress on the bolts. Reasonable goal, until he was going to put in umpteen bolts in each chainplate.
I also saw how he was building his own lithium battery banks out of cells and a controller. I have literally built my own sailboat, but there are jobs that should be left to professionals.
jibstay77@reddit
He never admitted that he fell asleep. The wind vane was steering while heading south close to the Florida coast. He claimed he went below for a few minutes and the wind shifted. They had to pay around $10,000 to get dragged back into the water.
yelruh00@reddit
Id say most sailing channels are people who have no idea how to sail and sail safely.
IntoTheWildBlue@reddit
You're not wrong.
Aggravating_You4411@reddit
I have a suggestion...don't watch the video..there is a lifetime of brainless content...or better yet go make a video showing all of the correct safe ways to sail.
vaxination@reddit
this is how the boat and the dog make it but not the sailor. be safe out there guys, its a dangerous hobby
JuggernautMean4086@reddit
His safety methodologies leave quite a bit to be desired, but his videos are great background noise for falling asleep
ccorbydog31@reddit
How about we don't watch them
J4pes@reddit
Boohoo a youtuber is doing something you dislike? Come on dude this comes off super childish and kinda envious.
Anyone informing opinions on safety from youtubers alone kinda deserve to find out.
If you want to call him out for being Mr. Safety every video and then not practicing it, that’s one thing.
But you’re just whining that he doesn’t follow your version of safety at sea.
Do you also protest the videos of people driving recklessly? The base jumpers? Free climbers? Free divers?
Come on. Grow up.
MisterGerry@reddit
All I read was "Dude... Dude... Dude..."
Own-Organization-532@reddit
David Shih, guy taught his eight year daughter to buddy breathe to help him clean his hull. David's scuba training is getting certified in Cancun. He is going to kill a kid, where is CPS in Houston. TX?
DarkVoid42@reddit
ive done the north sea crossing.
there were 25-30 foot waves. rolling swells. and 7 foot chop on top. entire front deck was a washing machine. water went in thru the small anchor opening, went 20 feet down the anchor chain raceway, went into the anchor locker, flooded up vertically from the anchor locker (which is self draining), went into another locker (also self draining) and finally ended up in the third locker which is connected to an electrical conduit which was 16 ft long. it ended up in the electrical conduit and sprayed into the cabin. it had to climb vertically 3ft twice, have enough force to get into a 3 inch electrical conduit and still be able to flow 16 ft uphill.
anyone in that would be washed overboard no question. i seriously doubt he actually films himself dancing on the foredeck. maybe when the north sea is calm or he is simply faking the whole thing.
ValiXX79@reddit
You got my upvote, thank you for the warning.
frak357@reddit
I haven’t seen the specific video you mentioned but, I would be surprised. I have seen past videos when in stormy weather and he was always suited up with the safety gear and foul weather gear.. I will check it out. Nevertheless, there are a lot of “popular” sailing channels that routinely don’t adhere to the safety guidelines.. Thinking that “staying in the cockpit” will always protect them.
inselchen@reddit (OP)
No I stopped watching him and made YouTube not show me his videos because he was Asians like that.
worktogethernow@reddit
nah