It’s a crazy rush with our projects, and time is at a premium. First up is the Anchoright Chain Marking set. This is a Defender item, and viewers can get 5% off by clicking the link below. It’s good for 30 days after the video drops. Next up, over the off season the coolant reservoir drained pink antifreeze/coolant all over our Fischer Panda 6Kva generator. I’ve never seen anything like it. We also replaced one of our three Vetus analog battery gauges. These are the new and improved version from Vetus that proved successful last year. The final one of the three was decades old and had failed, which was a bummer but wouldn’t have mattered because the bezel had frosted so badly that you couldn’t see the gauge. This was also a Defender purchase, so there’s a link below for Defender’s Vetus gauge collection. Finally, I templated two pieces of interior trim for production and finishing back in Colorado over the off season. This is a complete overview of what we do when we need trim produced by us in our home shop. Defender Website for general shopping: https://defender.pxf.io/GbnA7B Anchoright Chain Marking Set (options at link): https://defender.com/en_us/catalogsearch/result/?q=Anchoright%20Chain%20Marking%20Set Vetus Gauges: https://defender.com/en_us/catalogsearch/result/?q=vetus%20gauges #sailing yacht talisman, #sailing, #sailing YouTube, #boating, #top sailing, #oyster yachts, #oyster sailboats, #oyster 485, #offshore, #bluewater, #blue water, #sailing vlog, #sailing vblog, #sailing videos, #cruising, #monohull, #boat projects, #offshore how to, #boat life, #defender, #anchorite, #vetus gauges, #marine woodwork finishing, #antigua, #jolly harbour

In this episode, we return to Antigua to get our always ongoing projects completed in order to launch the boat. But things get off on the wrong foot when we discover that our huge LifePo4 house battery bank is completely flat; not even enough power to turn on the lights or fans. This sets me off on a mission to determine what happened and whether there’s a fix. We also have a set of corroded seacock levers to replace, and this proves to be another difficult, if not near-impossible task. And while all this is going on, Wendy tackles the rebuilding and re-lubrication of all of our winches. We present a slideshow of our bottom paint removal process and addition of new Sea Hawk Tuff-Stuff barrier coat and Islands 77+ bottom paint. #sailing yacht talisman, #sailing, #sailing YouTube, #boating, #top sailing, #oyster yachts, #oyster sailboats, #oyster 485, #offshore, #bluewater, #blue water, #sailing vlog, #sailing vblog, #sailing videos, #cruising, #monohull, #boat projects, #offshore how to, #boat life, #lifepo4, #lithium, #batteries, #seacock levers, #lewmar, #winch rebuild, #antigua, #jolly harbour, #Sea Hawk, #Islands 77+, #Tuff-Stuff

Here we have a different sort of episode. We’ll be delving into the intricacies of oil analysis reports for marine diesel engines. In fact, this episode will also cover agricultural and heavy equipment as well. This is incredibly important stuff, as increased wear in diesel engines will not get better with time. It’s so important to never miss service intervals and oil changes. We discuss the different types of motor oils, and how additives and blends affect your engine. We also touch on proper engine temperatures, and the causes of blown head gaskets and coolant or water in oil. sailing yacht talisman, sailing, sailing youtube, boating, top sailing, oyster yachts, oyster sailboats, oyster 485, offshore, bluewater, blue water, sailing vlog, sailing vblog, sailing videos, cruising, monohull, boat projects, offshore how to, liveaboard boat life

There are some jobs you just dread. Which ones are the worst for you? sailing yacht talisman, sailing, sailing YouTube, boating, top sailing, oyster yachts, oyster sailboats, oyster 485, offshore, bluewater, blue water, sailing vlog, sailing vblog, sailing videos, cruising, monohull, boat projects, offshore how to, boat life, uric salts, crappy boat jobs, marine toilets, marine heads

Picture this; Waking up at dawn to find the marina about as quiet as it ever gets. Water barely rippling and no wind at all. Dew on the decks and sun brightening the eastern horizon. Then fixing some coffee and taking sips between setting up fenders and trying to find the dockmaster and his helpers. Being first in line to haul at 7:00am is a rude awakening. Hauling is never something we (or any cruisers we know) take lightly. It’s stressful and always looks like the boat could slip out of the slings and crash to the concrete. You keep a close eye on the "lift here" decals along the toe rail, lest we end up with a bent prop shaft or damaged transducers. But none of this has ever happened to us, so we count our blessings. Once on dry land it’s a completely new way of life. We move into a “villa” for a week. These are small townhomes that are for rent, most of the time to British expats or other tourists. For us, it’s an opportunity to relax, get 24/7 air conditioning, and decide what needs to go back to the States. Moving around the marina complex now gets done in a golf cart. We put off most of whatever repairs or upgrades are on the list, and instead focus on hurricane-proofing the boat. This entails pulling off and storing all the canvas, stowing the grill, lifting the outboard to the rail, finding an outdoor home for gasoline fuel tanks. Fenders are stored, along with everything else we can fit below. The summer sun is brutal in the Caribbean, and does a number on anything that's left out. As Wendy does a lot of scrubbing and washing, I take the opportunity to slack off and walk the yard, giving some video commentary on boat hull design, rudder options, thoughts on production vs bluewater sailboats, saildrive systems, rigging, and bottom paint. Fun stuff to be sure. sailing yacht talisman, sailing, sailing YouTube, boating, top sailing, oyster yachts, oyster sailboats, oyster 485, offshore, bluewater, blue water, sailing vlog, sailing vblog, sailing videos, cruising, monohull, boat projects, offshore how to, boat life, antigua, jolly harbour, jolly harbor

As our season begins to wind down, we head for Jolly Harbour Marina and Boatyard, our seasonal layup location. Upon arrival, the first order of business is to drop, flake, and store our sails below. And getting a huge 140% Genoa down and flaked is no small task. Plus, in the past we found ourselves fighting ongoing rain and showers. Such is problematic because if you fold up a wet sail, it will mold for sure over the next several months. So we worked and planned to make sure we picked a good day. But showers tend to arrive almost every afternoon, so when we saw beautiful blue skies, we knew it was time to hustle. sailing yacht talisman, sailing, sailing YouTube, boating, top sailing, oyster yachts, oyster sailboats, oyster 485, offshore, bluewater, blue water, sailing vlog, sailing vblog, sailing videos, cruising, monohull, boat projects, offshore how to, boat life, antigua, jolly harbour, jolly harbor

Just a bit of how-to when working with sealants. Tips & Tricks. Full length version goes public 8.7.25 at noon Mountain Time (USA) https://youtu.be/JPWAdQb3_gA

We complete our loop; Antigua, Sint Maarten, British Virgin Islands, USVI, St Croix, and Guadeloupe. This trip is always bittersweet, given that it marks our return home to Antigua. We love Antigua, and it’s our home base, but it means the adventure sailing is coming to an end. Soon it’ll be summer, with scorching hot temperatures and occasional spells of breathlessness. But for this hop things go oh so well. We take a minor 25nm detour from the small islands of Iles des Saints, Guadeloupe north to Bas du Fort/Pointe-A-Pitre. This allowed us to get fuel, which I should have gotten in Antigua instead. Much of the food and other goods in the French islands are subsidized by the French government, but apparently not fuel. A simple internet search would have saved us some much-needed cash. A few days in the Bas du Fort marina was a nice change of pace, and the marina hosts many bars, restaurants, and small boutiques. Not really cheap, but I have a developing thing for French food and culture, despite not speaking a word of the language. Wendy speaks passable French (and Spanish, German, etc). From there we head back down around the west side of the “butterfly” (Guadeloupe is shaped like a butterfly), and up to Deshaies, the jumping off point for Monserrat and Antigua. I swear we took a fair amount of video footage in Deshaies, but then it never showed up in our computer directories. Leaving Deshaies when we did was an easy choice, given that winds were forecasted to climb into the 30’s in the upcoming days, with no sign of lessening. So we grabbed the last weather window for the 35nm passage across to Antigua. And it was epic! sailing yacht talisman, sailing, sailing YouTube, boating, top sailing, oyster yachts, oyster sailboats, oyster 485, offshore, bluewater, blue water, sailing vlog, sailing vblog, sailing videos, cruising, monohull, boat projects, offshore how to, boat life, Guadeloupe, heavy weather sailing, Antigua, Falmouth Harbour, English Harbour, Nelsons Dockyard, Nelson’s

We complete the final portion of our 200nm offshore passage from St Croix to Iles des Saintes, Guadeloupe, and find things exactly as we left them last year. Paradise on earth, honestly. Iles des Saintes is a collection of small islands south of the main butterfly island of Guadeloupe, and the location never fails to leave you searching for words. It’s French in a way that other French locations fail to live up to. From the food to the wonderful French population, it continually exceeds everything you wished for. Anyway, we have a great cross-section of footage, covering the offshore passage-making, arrival at the anchorage, drone footage of Fort Napoleon and aerial views of the harbor, and wandering the picturesque town. sailing yacht talisman, sailing, sailing YouTube, boating, top sailing, oyster yachts, oyster sailboats, oyster 485, offshore, bluewater, blue water, sailing vlog, sailing vblog, sailing videos, cruising, monohull, boat projects, offshore how to, boat life, Guadeloupe, heavy weather sailing, Iles des Saintes, Fort Napoleon

In certain months of the Caribbean sailing season you can almost be assured of getting hit by squalls. As I mention in this episode, when doing short island-to-island hops, you can sometimes adjust your departure in such a way as to avoid them. But if you’re forced to sail between noon and three o’clock in the morning (I know, 0300), then you’re likely to be hit. This is because the power of the sun is so great in the tropics that it forms thunderheads as water evaporates off the sea surface. These cells get very heavy, and rain squalls follow. The formation of a cell and the rain that follows can happen within the hour, so they often appear out of nowhere. During the height of squall activity, a near constant pattern of formation, accompanied by violent wind and rain, becomes the norm. Once a squall dissipates, another takes its place. With practice and experience, a sailor can see the activity in advance, but is unlikely to be able to avoid it. It should be noted that furling the sails completely will allow a mid-sized sailboat to weather these squalls easily under power, but reefing and furling in advance is the key. As you’ll see in the video, at one point I mention that I can see the wind-line approaching. At that point I had about one to two minutes to “do something” if I wasn’t already prepared. And once a squall hits, making sail adjustments becomes much harder. A blown out sail often happens this way. Squalls, like other storms, are small low-pressure systems, and low-pressure systems rotate counterclockwise (high-pressure systems are the opposite, spinning clockwise). This is why a high-pressure system and a low-pressure system in close proximity can create very high winds. It becomes like a baseball pitching machine, with two opposing wheels that launch the ball. But knowing how the winds are drawn into the cell and which direction they will take is a real skill that can help you sail smarter and get to where you’re going faster. sailing yacht talisman, sailing, sailing YouTube, boating, top sailing, oyster yachts, oyster sailboats, oyster 485, offshore, bluewater, blue water, sailing vlog, sailing vblog, sailing videos, cruising, monohull, boat projects, offshore how to, boat life, Guadeloupe, heavy weather sailing

Kevin & Wendy Rough Sail to St Croix In this episode we make the hop from St Thomas, USVI to St Croix, a passage of about 34nm due south. As has happened previously, the wind speeds turn to sustained 30 knots. We end up with at least two failures, which seems par for the course. But overall, a good trip. sailing yacht talisman, sailing, sailing YouTube, boating, top sailing, oyster yachts, oyster sailboats, oyster 485, offshore, bluewater, blue water, sailing vlog, sailing vblog, sailing videos, cruising, monohull, boat projects, offshore how to, boat life, St Thomas, Charlotte Amalie, St Croix, Christiansted

More Sailing Adventures in the BVIs: Please forgive us if the dates are a bit disjointed. We were using 3x Apple iPhone 14 Pro phones and 5x GoPro action cameras (luckily no drone footage added to the mix), and this meant that this episode is the cleanup of our BVI stint. But to be honest, although editing was a drag, the footage contained in this episode is fantastic. Locations include, Bitter End Yacht Club, Saba Rock Resort, White Bay, Jost Van Dyke Island, Foxy’s New Year’s Eve party, Norman Island, Norman Island Caves, The Baths, Trellis Bay Guana Island, catching edible fish, lots of great sailing, discussions on rigging and anchoring, untangling a fouled anchor chain, and much more! sailing yacht talisman, sailing, sailing youtube, boating, top sailing, oyster yachts, oyster sailboats, oyster 485, offshore, bluewater, blue water, sailing vlog, sailing vblog, sailing videos, cruising, monohull, boat projects, offshore how to, boat life, tortola, BVIs, british virgin islands, beyc, norman, trellis bay, spanishtown, guana

The BVIs Never Disappoint Cooper, Norman, Jost Van Dyke In this episode we’re still kicking around the British Virgin Island chain. Not much to say other than what's in the title; Cooper Island, Norman Island, Jost Van Dyke. Tons of fun as always. sailing yacht talisman, sailing, sailing youtube, boating, top sailing, oyster yachts, oyster sailboats, oyster 485, offshore, bluewater, blue water, sailing vlog, sailing vblog, sailing videos, cruising, monohull, boat projects, offshore how to, boat life, tortola, BVIs, british virgin islands, norman, cooper, spanishtown, guana

Is This the Most Popular Cruising Ground in the World?: I did some internet searching and the results were inconclusive. Google’s AI reported Croatia as being the most popular, but the source was a single Croatian charter company. And while we sailed the Mediterranean (Adriatic Sea included) for three years, we only made it as far as Albania, stopping short of Montenegro and Croatia. However, I do know that the big three are the British Virgin Islands, Croatia, and Phuket, Thailand. Were I a betting man, the BVIs would be where I threw down my money. And there’s a reason why this is the case. Watch and see. sailing yacht talisman, sailing, sailing youtube, boating, top sailing, oyster yachts, oyster sailboats, oyster 485, offshore, bluewater, blue water, sailing vlog, sailing vblog, sailing videos, cruising, monohull, boat projects, offshore how to, boat life, tortola, BVIs, british virgin islands, norman, cooper, spanishtown, guana

Midnight Express: I actually hate night passages, especially when there’s no moon. This is because in the Caribbean at night, and the warm-water Atlantic Ocean south of Bermuda, squalls tend to form with a particular regularity. Absent moonlight and modern doppler radar, these often-violent squalls have and will destroy sails and even dismast boats. So why do we do it? Well, it has to do with passage length. If you have near 100nm to go, and you leave in the morning, even early morning, like dawn, you will not arrive in daylight. This means you’ll be anchoring or trying to pick up a mooring ball in the dark. These tasks can be done as we demonstrated a couple of years back when we arrived in the middle of the night in Grenada, but it’s not fun or advisable. That same season, we left from Bequia at 0400 hours on a passage that would skip the main island of Saint Vincent on the way to St Lucia. There was no moon and the anchorage was pitch dark. We literally crept out, knowing that an unlit, anchored boat could appear out of nowhere. Wendy stood on the bow with a powerful flood light, keeping an eye out, but the night plays tricks with the eye. Absent the kind of plotter-based GPS enabled charts that we use today, I would never attempt anything like that. In this case, we did have a bright, full moon that wasn’t scheduled to set halfway through the evening, and that changed everything. A night passage under a full moon with minimal squall activity can be marvelous, especially if you have good wind, which this we did. It was a mad rush at near max boat speed the whole way. sailing yacht talisman, sailing, sailing youtube, boating, top sailing, oyster yachts, oyster sailboats, oyster 485, offshore, bluewater, blue water, sailing vlog, sailing vblog, sailing videos, cruising, monohull, boat projects, offshore how to, sint maarten, saint martin, grand case, boat life, tortola, BVIs, british virgin islands

This is the Cruising Life! In Episode 168, We finally get prepared enough to begin our cruising season. The shakedown portion was a simple motor-sail from Jolly Harbour to Falmouth harbour, both in Antigua, followed by a couple of weeks at anchor and quick stop at the Catamaran Marina (also in Falmouth). Such was not ideal, as it’s a full 98 nautical miles from Antigua to Sint Maarten, and boats have gone missing never to be seen again on this passage. Yes, there are other islands nearby, namely Barbuda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, St Barts, and Saba, but it’s amazing how far off they really are if you get in trouble. And as for sailing at night with no moon, you’d better have working, modern radar or you’ll never see squalls forming until it's too late. Luckily, we had no drama, and even less footage of the actual passage, which is typical for night crossings, since the cameras don’t work so well. But it does carry the advantage of arriving during the day when we can get a bridge opening into the lagoon and don’t have to navigate near land in the dark. We also do a boat tour, now that Talisman is somewhat presentable. There’s probably a decent amount of interest here for future cruisers looking to find out what makes a great cruising boat. Projects highlighted in this episode: Replacing generator exhaust gas separator sailing yacht talisman, sailing, sailing youtube, boating, top sailing, oyster yachts, oyster sailboats, oyster 485, offshore, bluewater, blue water, sailing vlog, sailing vblog, sailing videos, cruising, monohull, boat projects, offshore how to, antigua; jolly harbour, sint maarten, saint martin, grand case, boat life, exhaust gas separator, Oyster 485 interior boat tour

Boat Projects in Paradise Part II: In Episode 167, we continue to crank through the various boat projects. We’re in the water now, but that just means a different sort of prep. Projects highlighted in this episode: Bad battery Getting hoisted to the masthead New Elvstrom sails Upper mainsail in-mast furling swivel Upper mainsail in-mast furling main halyard whipping and shackle suggestions Adjusting Hood in-mast furler foil tension Fischer Panda generator 6Kva failed impeller and repercussions Fischer Panda generator heat exchanger Fischer Panda generator exhaust mixing elbow Fischer Panda generator anti-siphon sailing yacht talisman, sailing, sailing youtube, boating, top sailing, oyster yachts, oyster sailboats, oyster 485, offshore, bluewater, blue water, sailing vlog, sailing vblog, sailing videos, cruising, monohull, boat projects, offshore how to; Antigua; Jolly Harbour

2025 Season Opener: In Episode 166, our 2025 season opener, we cover just a small sample of the various projects required to get the boat on the water. This follows from breaking a lot of stuff the previous season, and needing parts and research to get them sorted. Projects highlighted in this episode: Boat polishing Bottom paint selection Propglide Propspeed Bimini install Fuel filler replacement Mastervolt Chargemaster 110A Anchor chain servicing Bilge high water alarm Launch #sailing yacht talisman, #sailing, #sailing #youtube, #boating, #top sailing, #oyster yachts, #oyster sailboats, #oyster 485, #offshore, #bluewater, #blue water, #sailing vlog, #sailing vblog, #sailing videos, #cruising, #monohull, #boat projects, #offshore how to

Antigua by Drone: In Episode 165, our season finale, we go for something completely new. It’s a whirlwind of nothing but aerial footage (with all new music) of Falmouth Harbour and English Harbour, two of the preeminent cruiser-friendly anchorages in the Caribbean. Superyachts and high-end recreational craft abound, as befits such a stunning location. For sailors in the USA or Med, the idea of a "finale" episode in the middle of summer sailing season might seem a bit off. But remember, in the Caribbean it's the middle of hurricane season (remember Beryl). For this period, July 31st to October 15th, or thereabouts, the boats need to be out of the water and strapped down. Either that or get yourself out of "the box", which is the trapezoidal series of long and lat coordinates that dictate the higher probability tropical storm and hurricane zone. This episode is in my opinion one of the best, if not the best, we’ve ever produced. Shot entirely in 4K / 30fps with our DJI Mini 3, you really are immersed and get a wonderful taste of how Antigua is experienced from the sailor’s point of view. For sure there are other great spots along Antigua’s extensive coastline, including Green Island, Saint James (Marora) Bay, Indian Creek, Carlisle Bay, Jolly Beach, Jolly Harbour, Five Islands, Deep Bay, North Sound, and Bird Island. But we only had so much footage to work with, so those will be left for further exploration in the future. sailing yacht talisman, sailing, sailing youtube, boating, top sailing, oyster yachts, oyster sailboats, oyster 485, offshore, bluewater, blue water, sailing vlog, sailing vblog, sailing channels, sailing videos, cruising, monohull, Antigua, screen saver, screensaver

Kevin and Wendy Sailing: It seems like there's always drama in Simpson Bay Lagoon. Between the high (often katabatic) winds, generally poor anchor holding, crazy boaters, and hurricane debris under the water, there's always something interesting to going on. You hope that it won't involve you or your boat, but you never know.