hi this is Craig and welcome back to
another episode of cruising off-duty I
have some exciting exciting news to
share with you today and I kind of put
off making this episode for at least a
couple of weeks until I was a hundred
percent sure that this wasn't gonna fall
through so what I'm gonna announce today
is that I am going to be doing what will
probably be one of the longest passages
I will ever do even when I own my own
catamaran because I've been asked by
exquisite catamarans out of South Africa
and a brand new owner Sean moody who's
just bought whole number seven I believe
it is if I would join him on his first
passage across the South Atlantic well
across the equator as well into the
Caribbean so we're going South Africa up
to Namibia across to st. Helena Island
up to Ascension Island crossed I think
4,000 nautical miles to the most
southern tip of the Caribbean and then
up through the Caribbean islands across
to Florida and then eventually the final
destination where Sean lives is in North
Carolina needless to say that is a
massive massive voyage crazy-big my last
transatlantic last year with Paul and
Cheryl shark from distant shores was a
little slower than expected it took us
22 days it should have taken maybe 14 to
17 but the wind was pretty low it is
what it is 22 days was a long time to be
at sea this is going to dwarf that so
we're thinking it's going to take about
six weeks to get to the Caribbean and
then who knows how much time we want to
stop at each Island along the way I had
to ask permission from work my Police
Service to see if I could take a leave
of absence it took a little while but
eventually I got approval for that that
was one of the hold ups for announcing
it and then once it was all announced
the time that we were gonna leave kept
changing too so I started wondering with
the permission I'd asked for was still
going to be valid as the dude or the
estimated departure date kept changing
later and later later Tomas who you saw
in the episode where I do a walkthrough
of this exquisite x5 last year he did a
great detailed walkthrough of the boat
I didn't read one this year because the
boat they brought to the show was an
older model with less features than the
newer model they showed last year but
this episode is going to be me on this
slightly older model of an exquisite x5
taking it out for a test sail
now we really can't control the wind or
the weather this day which you'll see in
this episode wasn't the windiest day so
it's more of a test of can Academy and
actually tack in low wind if there's
ever a complaint about catamarans is
that they don't tack very well
especially in low wind compared to a
monohull but as you'll see in this
episode it does fine it sails actually
quite well in low wind so check that out
in a second but Tomas who you'll see in
this episode also in the one from a year
ago which is I think by far my highest
viewed video where I do the walkthrough
tour of the exquisite x5 he will be on
the first leg of this trip
from South Africa Cape Town South Africa
where the boat is built up to Namibia
he's gonna join us he's gonna be showing
us everything all the details ins and
out of the boat and of course I'll be
filming that and then he's going to get
off in there maybe and we're gonna do
the rest of the passage just four of us
Sean the owner myself and two other guys
four of us doing this entire trip on our
own so it should be very exciting and I
don't think I'd have to worry with six
weeks that I'm going to get another
passage with almost no wind when you
have such a long passage I'm sure
there's gonna be some times with some
white knuckling high waves high winds
and all that so it should be exciting so
anyways this episode Janice and I are at
the end of the Annapolis sailboat show
we're introducing that we're gonna do
this test sail we don't mention that
this plan of me sailing across the ocean
don't talk about it at all because again
we were afraid it might fall through or
I wouldn't get permission from work for
a leave of absence it's all done now so
I wanted to check out this episode where
I'll show you the exquisite x5 it's a
test sail and light winds but rest
assured there's gonna be a lot of high
wind test sailing in that six weeks
passage so hopefully you enjoy good
morning everyone
we finished the Annapolis sailboat show
yesterday had a great time watch them
tear it down today is a new day it is
going to be our test sale of the
exquisite x5 our favorite catamarans
from last year and this year and this is
a whole number two so we didn't do a
walkthrough of this one because last
season we did a very extensive
walkthrough with Tomas on hull number
three which had some additions and
improvements made every time they're
building new boats are coming up with
little things that they've improved
the way so instead of doing another
walkthrough of a older Hall we were just
gonna refer you back to the Hazzard so
put a little link in the description but
this boat is exactly the same in terms
of sailing so we're gonna test sail it
today now it's not exactly the windiest
of days it's been all weekend yeah it's
a bit of a breeze but nothing's gonna
make this thing really fly but hey we'll
get to test it in relatively low wind
conditions and the Sun is finally coming
out we were a little concerned in my
rain but it's looking like a beautiful
hot day for October which is great so
stay tuned bye this is what the
exquisite x5 looks like from the outside
and we love that modern sleek shape that
hard traveller arch at the back is also
very unique but there's a lot of
technology built into the inside you can
run this entire boat from an iPad
definitely go back and check out the
episode from last year to have all that
explained to you Tomas did an excellent
job of giving us a guided tour I know
how this goes if I don't tell you the
price and give you some specs I get all
sorts of comments below why didn't I say
something about that so here you go the
price for hole number 8 which I guess is
done and ready for sale is 1.3 million
dollars and all the specs on the water
tanks and the fuel tanks and the engines
are all listed right here on the screen
if you need to freeze it rewind and go
back and check those out for those that
want to know that sort of stuff no I
know what you're thinking
1.3 million dollars can a retired cop
and his wife afford to live on that and
the answer is no not even close now
Janice and I watch a lot of YouTube
where people are traveling the world
with a dog and we always think what
would we do that and then we come up
with a conclusion no way it's way too
much work but this dog would probably
win me over because it is so damn cute
that people likes Craig
your friend so it's not really
so enough about the cute dog let's check
out this protected back cockpit that big
long bench seat at the back is actually
a lounge and the each end can angle up
so you can have a really comfortable
ride checking out exhibit a Sarah Tomas
his wife and the dog just chillin while
we're under motor
can you imagine eating at this table
beautiful lots of areas for your friends
and family to sit and lounge while
you're underway
doing things Oh Duke was there okay so
with Janice having her camera on a
gimbal and me having the bigger camera
on my gimbal was time to push off from
the dock and check out this boat when
it's sailing you might have noticed this
already I have some spots on my lens
that's not permanent I must have gotten
caught in that little light rain we got
before we got on the boat on the lens
didn't notice it and now they're stuck
there forever
note to self when I'm crossing an ocean
and inclement weather always wipe off
your lens luckily we have Janice's
camera as well so we have that footage
which is better
not as spotty and also better audio from
that camera so I'll use that footage
whenever possible
although when you're motoring into the
wind like we are now you're never gonna
get good audio because of the wind noise
and whatnot it gets better when we start
sailing so as you notice exquisite has
hard lifelines firm very secure and
solid
and there's a boarding ladder that I
didn't notice before on the side there
which is awesome
look mom no hands so what Tomas is doing
here is he's raising the sale at the
electric winch by running it with his
toe the button is put down there for a
reason so you don't even need to put
down your drink while raising your sail
fun stuff very simple at the topping
lift
what he's showing us here is after the
sales are up and everything's the right
tension you can get rid of all those
ropes and lines by sticking them in the
floor pretty cool
no more tripping the Salt River so in
the channel so you don't have much space
to maneuver that's I don't have a very
good angle to the wind yet we once we
get a little further out somewhere here
we have enough space that we're gonna
start tacking and I show you different
sails how they work okay yeah I'm just
gonna voiceover a lot of what Tomas said
because the wind noise was out of
control he's showing us that the
instruments that over here on the right
on the new setup is over in the middle
and then he pulls out a photo to show us
what the new setup is as you can see the
screen is bigger and brighter the
throttle moves over to the left side
then all those other instruments that
are sort of behind you are now in front
of you it's just a much better setup I
think we see that in the episode from
last year when he had before us in case
the story gets mad isn't it sometimes
tusky doesn't work very well so a
standard field is back up about choice
the choice equality display 3/4 of
course and the compass and on this side
you have some of the switches that one
digital switching so you can switch
everything from the Garmin you can just
go on the gourmet screener to that
switch admonitory attacks or switches
lights on but some of the switches that
before it's important they put it up
here right they don't need to like
change the screen for it
for example there the current lights on
the deck so when you say anything at
night and changing CNG lights just hit
on each other in and see me and you guys
come up
like I said in last year's detailed
review Tomas is excellent at showing you
all the features and boy they really do
think of everything and they are very
technologically advanced I'm very
impressed
what Tomas is showing us here is that
all the lines lead back to the helm to
electric winches so you don't need to do
anything manually if you don't want to
other than of course led a line out you
are in a protected area you've got a
hard front windshield and you've got a
bimini over top of you so you're very
protected in fact the newer halls have
an even bigger Bimini that sticks out
further to your left so there's no
chance of rain coming in at an angle and
getting you wet they are making
improvements on each haul as they go
they keep finding something they could
make slightly better when I go across
the ocean I'll be on hole number seven
this is hole number two we're on here
hole number Seven's got a big
improvement the hard Bimini that goes
off over top of that covered back salon
or cockpit is even longer and has inlaid
solar panels so that's a big improvement
he's gonna tell us why he put 80
horsepower engines in each Hall some
might think that's overkill because it's
much bigger than most boat builders put
in but here's why 80 horsepower you know
more engines and
here they the silent both of all of them
than they measure the sound levels of
the engines you can do at 1800 rpm
you already do 7 knots but when you need
it sometimes you know believe in
channels of the 4 knots of current
against you in any one entrance first
when enough so when your engine now you
can get it over and I have it on one of
my previous board a spoonful of both
engines in the channel to the South
Pacific one of them Ethel's and don't
run or wherever I can do I will wander
because I'm not enough power for that
condition yeah so we rather put the
large engines and even if you don't use
all the time
you just have to burn out some time rev
up the engine out let's just but you can
run the fewer key and sometimes burning
about and then
yeah Janice has found her favorite spot
whenever we're on a catamaran and that's
sitting on the princess seat at the very
back and as you can see there is tons of
lazarette space I'm standing on some
Lazarus there's more Lazarus in front of
that and then even more Lazarus in front
of that the offset is you get a slightly
smaller trampoline but who doesn't want
more storage right here is the view as
you walk along the deck back towards the
cockpit we love the aesthetics of this
rounded arch gives a little support to
the Bimini the hard Bimini and the
traveler area and now that the hall
number seven hasn't even longer Bimini
it's probably great to have that support
also gives you something to hold on to
when you're stepping down we also like
the aesthetics and the feel of this faux
teak decking it's kind of rubberized so
you don't have to stain it or sand it or
do any of that but it's comfortable on
the feet you have your dinghy davits
that's built right into the boat and of
course that big nice area to sit at the
back you can see that black padding in
the roof that's actually the drop-down
enclosure it is included in the price
and that gets you out of the Sun and
maybe it's down in case there's bugs
this is almost a must-have feature if
you're gonna live on your camera and
because one thing that kills you is
being out in the Sun all day and being
able to drop down some curtains for some
shade would be a welcomed benefit you're
about to meet David him and his wife
Peggy own this boat and they've been
sailing it for years we're also gonna
complain a bit about how when we want to
test sail there's absolutely no wind
yeah we saw the forecast this morning
and of course we're we have any metric
because we're Canadian but it's at 9
kilometers an hour which I'm like well
you would know you're probably metric in
your country right yeah it's less than
it even said which was already low so I
know this is the lull before the storm
what's the fastest you've ever had it's
a Lincoln Lake on a consistent speed
Charleston lost a parent was 12 knots
right there was no pressure on the mast
because we were doing 13 knots that's
amazing and we got up on top of waves it
just it was a smooth ride five foot seas
and we were yeah it is not saying that
it wasn't surfing 13 knots it was
sustained yeah we were that wave with
the 30 minute
yeah yeah I'm no pressure on the mass
because it was only a $12 per parent
yeah so you're not over taxing things
that's amazing we did a sea trial in
Cape Town you know like well he'd be
pushed both to limits and see what it
does and I do not recommend no this is a
factory tested both salesguy Zambia are
just when the boat was launched we had
the rigging guys you know a spar craft
on board we got everybody from our team
Islam and we got the boat up to 80 knots
but it was like above where you should
be already reefing and so what they
build it didn't breathe right early we
just said we're seeing do know how the
rig whole dynamics and everything and
she was super comfortable long trips
this same boat two years ago we sold it
to the Peggy and Dave at the Annapolis
Boat Show and then they asked us if we
could deliver it for them to Florida's
it was only my wife and I so we saved on
the boat and we did pretty much
we had good wind it was a nice passage
we did 1112 not most of the way most of
the just really nice really but they're
on long range long distance cruising I
would say can easy to calculate to nine
knots eight nine knots because she sails
you know all surprise I wish I could
yeah you can only do what you can right
no wind but the fact that you're not
stopped in such low wave this is saying
some old that yeah that's we'll see I
mean we're doing now one point nine
knots one point nine I'm not sure if you
can be able to turn but I can't give it
a try because it's I mean it's not
affair yeah none of the production cats
like we're going to be talking in this
slow wind so you can't then four point
nine knots and it's total tech so that's
all right
now you film him off from this coming
about Jeb's getting back winded I'm
still turning
if the jib catches you're going you're
good oh it's coming you're gonna make it
yeah you're still coming across yeah you
didn't stall nope yeah but you didn't
you didn't get stuck in the iron and
right now we went to one not one one out
speed so we slowed down to one not but
we still did you pass through it yeah
that's great so yeah if you really
really don't want to use your engines
you couldn't you could do it even if
before not to wind I mean that's amazing
that's quite amazing and that's very
that's the best thing I can show really
because that speaks for the boats
agility to to maneuver and turn and that
kind of already tells you yeah of course
we have to ask Dave what he loves about
having a catamaran over a mono Hall and
it's something we already knew but
always good to hear the best part is you
can drink drink yeah turn around I know
I said that so many times during my
transatlantic passage there I go I just
can't believe how comfortable this is
we're looking we're doing ten and a half
11 knots and they're inside talking and
drink in and putting their coffee cups
down and walking away go on the washing
come back everything's still there and
we're like moving like on them on a
monohull if you're doing 1112 not the
problem is the reaches for not civilian
on hold because it needs at least 60
degrees apparent wind and the problem is
the wind is so little in the moment
we're gonna start to move or a parent
winds gonna go towards your front yeah
and then and then it will store the
sails
we didn't really think there'd be enough
wind to have this creature really work
but you know what what does it cost to
try right so we put it out just to see
what happened and boy are we impressed
that we did because the boat started
sailing really quick in this tiny bit
there you go let's see the best you know
what though I mean we have a we have a
model home we have a bento and in five
not to win we don't want to be standing
still because our boat our boat is got
in mass yeah the Selma big so in five
knots
we barely like we're lucky if we get one
night so you're doing well it's a big
boat I mean that's it now look at it now
we got sixty six knots to win
we already over three and we're gonna do
better we always do better with seven
knots to win if we got up to 500 so but
if you start just at five knots where we
have to limit here we start me now it's
six knots to be already three and a half
so we start getting speed you feel it
right this is what we need you need at
least six seven knots to move the both
let's now you can hear the water going
by what I okay we almost seeing the four
knots now so made it through win six
point five and we're doing four knots
pretty pretty impressed I can feel my
briefs and all the members we did we
never stole I think that's I really like
not having engines on yeah we're not in
a rush my wife lives for no no engine
yeah this is where I'm at peace and
quiet
okay you can film these guys because
this is it speaks for itself
okay so you hear hear hear the true wind
speed five knots
okay from ninety degrees we have the
apparent wind at five six from from
seventy degrees and with five knots
we're doing almost four you see it GPS
speed here if you will see your apparent
means is sex and gps p38 but a true wind
is lower a little bit through in this
five point five only when 5.5 through in
between four knots
very good so it shows an efficient hull
shape and thereby I said the fact that
you were able to attack and John that
one downside that a lot of people say
about catamarans is that you can't tack
them in the wind right now between four
knots I've been doing four knots in this
in a normal sinus - yeah I'll just spin
around to show you there's no there's no
no white caps no waves nothing so we are
definitely on I'm very very confident in
fact every other fail Bowl has gone by
is just motoring yeah yeah you can see
the rake is starting to build a little
so we're doing again four knots in in
only five and a half knots to win you do
fully loaded boat so it has the whole
thing thanks to testing stuff in it the
water tanks are almost full we have the
tank fuels pretty much a big dengue of
hanging on the dates and all they're
cruising here on board a full-time
believable little you have all their
stuff the water toys the inflatable
kayaks paddle board and and bicycles
whatever small stored up front in the
storages so it's a fully cruising very
loaded boat and still doing this because
we would definitely have a lot of stuff
yeah we're gonna be like bicycles now
you were talking earlier and it was
off-camera that your plan in the future
before an instant to just make the boats
with all the options that everybody
seems to ask for anyway just include
that as part of it you're trying to I
don't like that when people come to us
how much the boat cost and then and then
you started a little base price and then
you pay for it generator water made air
conditioning not just air conditioning
even a cabin fan or shade in the window
is an option I just don't like that
that's that's setup so 30 years ago or
20 years ago an electric car window was
an option in a car now you can buy one
modality
so who would buy a 50-foot boat without
like air conditioning washer/dryer a
water maker an electric solar panel
extra toilet like like who would do that
so you would need all that stuff on
board so my plan is really just even
more than what we do you already do that
now
you already do but but we still have
some options so a couple of things like
scuba compress or satellite
communication could be on but but like
why fight and Gia salmon and like a new
idiom system should be standard because
everybody who buys a boat like this will
be cruising yeah so they will need all
those systems I'm trying to integrate
even more and more style everything to
reduce the optional equipment to the
minimum right so guys getting the shadow
and time so my thinking is that we just
get the sails down and then water back
not much more like sounds excellent
yeah so now we're just gonna curl in the
sail now that we are into the wind we
drop the main right here dropping the
mainsail again very simple what you do
is autopilot you put it on which hold so
it's going zero degrees to the wind okay
you can slow down a little bit
and then now we have to take out all the
line that it would weigh remain
healthier just put it around a couple
times
we love sitting open the occurred you
put your travel the back in the center
because we let out the topic so
obviously now you want to tighten the
topic good song and you drop your sale
and now we can go I like to give a
little speed now because that makes sure
that the autopilot has good control to
keep it straight into the wind and
meaning that is going to drop straight
into the bag right and then you don't
have to go up there you don't have to do
it so there we go
you just control it there's no strength
there you go here we go straight into
the bag yeah
don't touch anything so I mean you guys
say there's you realize thanks a lot as
you can see this is one beautiful boat
these sugar scoops are nice and wide to
get in and out of the water that's great
that dingy davits that's built right in
is an awesome feature and I wanted to
mention you've seen quite a bit of the
outside of the boat during this kind of
test trial and you might wonder why we
never went in and checked out the galley
or any of that stuff well a it's an
older model so last year's episode was
probably better because it had a few
more features be Peggy who you don't
really see in this episode was working
from the boat these this couple actually
they're not retired they both kind of
work from the boat and be great to have
a job that you could do that go anywhere
in the world as long as you have
internet access you can keep working so
she was inside working and I really
didn't want to disturb her by walking
around with my camera a filmer while
she's at work so I did not go inside the
boat if you want to see a model with a
few more features check out last year's
episode or wait till I do my big long
six-week passage on the hull number
seven you're gonna see one with even
more features so stay tuned for that as
you can see Janice has found her
favorite perch when we're underway on a
catamaran she calls it the princess
before their big custom shape that
colors of this desire of our area the
for that when you learn it when you
encourage and then we put out beanbags
and have the speakers up on the mast as
we here
yeah so this creates a menu when you
arrive to an acreage but because this is
a real blue little teaser the whole plan
is when we're gonna make in capacity
also message you just take it out and
put it away without storage world the
beanbags all the chance
all this shade of everything every
nuclear hides away and you can safely do
a process from all clear day before that
but when you arrive to remain region
want to be there like the Reapers today
whatever just for the whole thing back
up
well that was kind of your flow the Sun
is finally decided to join us
dog is in the lap of luxury
unfortunately our beautiful day out on
the water had to come to an end the
couple that actually owns it wanted to
get the hell out of Dodge before that
hurricane started hitting the area so
there was a bit of a time crunch but
yeah I can't wait to spend six weeks on
a boat just as nice as this now in order
to do this long voyage I needed to ask
for time off work which is I believe of
absence no pay it yeah kind of hurt a
little bit but to cover some of the
costs of this trip for me I have a my
patrons that have been around and that
is like crowdfunding sort of people that
just say I like what you do and every
time you do a video I want to give you
coffee money or for your money or
whatever you want to call it if you're
interested in doing that to help support
the channel
that'd be great go to
patreon.com/scishow or go into every one
of his boats he talked to them and some
of them want to get on board and also
support this voyage for me he's to cover
the cost and that's great so I want to
thank them as well
as a special thanks to the patrons
who've been supporting the channel I
want to give them a little extra so
every time I'm anywhere whether it's
South Africa or any of the islands where
I can get some Wi-Fi I'm gonna do a
little video update about how the
passage is going so far these won't be
fully edited episodes those will happen
when that passage is finally done and I
have time to edit all this footage but
these little updates will be like one
shot just turn on the camera tell
everybody how things are going and then
send it on through Wi-Fi so yeah patrons
will be able to get that extra footage
so yeah one more reason to become a
patron and lastly I want to mention that
we're planning to do a live episode this
live episode is gonna be where you guys
can ask us me and Janice questions about
this planned trip I'm going on and what
Janice thinks of all of us and also
we're going to talk about all the boats
at the Annapolis sailboat show and what
we liked at the top of our list you know
we kind of put them in order based on
category so if you're interested in that
look forward to an upcoming episode
that'll be live but also once it's done
it'll be recorded for anybody who wants
to watch it in the future if you found
this episode entertaining or informative
show the channel some love and give it a
thumbs up that always helps us out so
until next time this is Craig wishing
you safe cruising
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