No More SEA WATER In Our BED!! (MJ Sailing – Ep 150)

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Since we can’t sail anywhere, it’s a perfect time to finish some of those NEED TO DO project on our boat. Including keeping water from getting into our bed.

Welcome to lockdown in the UK. On March 23, 2020, we were effectively restricted from leaving our primary residence. For us, that happened to be Sutton Harbour Marina, in Plymouth England. Through the month of April we were content to hang out on the boat, getting some projects done around the ‘house’ and editing videos to catch up to real time.

As part of our restrictions we were allowed one hour of exercise outside per day, and the two of us would occasionally take walks along the harbour of Plymouth Sound and the Plymouth Hoe. Effective May 13th, we moved to phase two of restrictions, which includes as much outdoor activity as you like, as long as you adhere to the social distancing guidelines. Good news for us, this meant sailing was now allowed as a form of outdoor sports!

Getting ready to begin our cruising season, we started to prep the boat for departure, only to find out just a few days before tossing off the lines that we are not yet allowed to anchor out on our boat. Day sailing is permitted, but many harbours are not allowing visiting yachts.

What does this mean for us? We’re still trying to figure out all the rules and regulations, but stay tuned for future episodes when we hope to have more answers

Scouting Performance Catamarans – A Tour of Dazcat Multihull Center (MJ Sailing – Ep 149)

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After arriving back to Elements after being away, it was time to begin thinking more seriously about a catamaran in our future. And not something off a production line, but something a little more on the performance end and tailored to our needs.

While there are unfortunately not any Grainger, Schionning, or Oram boats nearby for us to look at, we had the next best thing…Dazcat Multihull Center! A boatyard in a quiet town in Cornwall, not too far from us, and we were extended an invitation to come visit.

Take a look with us while we explore these catamarans which are built for speed, and even built for special needs!

Enjoy!

Much love from England!
Jessica, Matt & Georgie

Swimming under ORANGE SKIES? – A Sandstorm Hits the Canaries!! (MJ Sailing – Ep 148)

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Activities in the Canary Islands are completely put on hold when a HUGE Sandstorm blows in from the Sahara!!

We have so many plans with our last few days in Tenerife, although they do get shaken up a little bit just before we head back to England.

Taking another trip up to the northern part of the island, we check out it’s famous auditorium, with a roof in the shape of a crashing wave. Although beaches were of course a big reason for coming to this island, so we show you one of our favorite spots, as well as check out the famous Los Gigantes.

But, just as we had beaches out of our system and were ready to head up Mount Teide and take in its great views, a sandstorm hits the Canaries. And not just a light little dusting, but the worst one they’d seen in 40 years!!

Thankfully it only had us stuck inside for one full day, and our very last day on Tenerife we were able to get up the volcanic peak. A very great trip for sure, but it also made us extremely excited to get back to the boat and begin planning out our next season of travel.

Enjoy!

Much love from Tenerife!
Jessica, Matt & Georgie

Escaping to Tenerife for SUN – & CARNIVAL!! (MJ Sailing – Ep 147)

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Since we needed to leave the UK to re-set our Visas, we couldn’t think of a better place to escape to than the Canary Islands!

With round trip flights at only $130, and a very low cost of living, we knew this Spanish territory would be the perfect place to get away for a few weeks in the middle of winter.

Getting ourselves settled on the southern part of the island for our stay, we use our rental car to venture north to the Anaga Rural Park. Filled with the Macizo Mountain Range, this part of the island offers some amazing hikes through laurel forest, and the greenery we were looking for was here in abundance.

Since we were just a short drive from the capital of Santa Cruz at this point, after our hike we ‘popped in’ to attend the opening of their yearly Carnival celebrations. We’d never been to one before and had no idea what to expect…but we were blown away by what we found. We only wish we could have enjoyed it for more than one night!!

Enjoy!

Much love from Tenerife!
Jessica, Matt & Georgie

What is it Going to COST to BUILD a Kit CATAMARAN? – A Comprehensive Guide (MJ Sailing)

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The big question on everyone’s mind is … what is it going to COST us to build this new catamaran?

Matt has spent the past few weeks talking to the designers at Schionning and Oram, as well as professional and ameture builders to gather as much information as possible on the costs that go into building a kit catamaran. Things can obviously vary from builder to builder, but taking a simple and basic approach, we’ve narrowed down the numbers on what we estimate it will cost to build an Oram 45R.

To take a look at the full design specs, take a look here: https://www.boboramdesign.com/45r

For a quick look at the numbers, check our website:
https://www.mjsailing.com/cos/oram-45r…

For a download of the spreadsheet, click here:
https://www.mjsailing.com/wp-content/u…

After discussing previous builds with the many others who’ve come before us, we found out there is one small thing that can skyrocket a budget – and that is making customizations after you’ve started the build. But, if you start with good plans and commit yourself to them, it is very feesable to stick to your original budget.

Sending the above spreadsheet to both designers and builders, and asking if they were realistic figures, they all came back stating that we’ve covered all aspects and should be able to complete the project within the budget we have listed. And that, is music to our ears!!

Since this is a very long video because we have tried to keep it as detailed as possible, here is an outline of subjects covered if you’d like to bounce through to the areas that interest you:

0:00:00 – Intro by Jessica
0:03:50 – Intro by Matt
0:15:32 – Intro To Budget
0:16:30 – Costs relating to Kit
0:21:45 – Total cost of Kit shipped to the US
0:24:23 – Costs relating to Building Supplies
0:32:10 – Total costs of Building Supplies
0:32:53 – Total cost of First Year of Build (getting to paint stage)
0:35:41 – Costs relating to Paint
0:39:05 – Costs relating to Sailing (rig, sails and deck hardware)
0:45:17 – Total costs of Sailing
45:38 – Costs relating to Engines
0:50:42 – Costs relating to Steering
0:52:32 – Costs relating to Electrical System
1:00:50 – Total costs of Electrical System
1:01:07 – Costs relating to Achor (anchor, chain/rope, windlass, docking gear)
1:04:05 – Costs relating to Lights
1:07:17 – Costs relating to Galley
1:12:07 – Costs relating to Exterior
1:16:53 – Costs relating to Interior
1:17:45 – Costs relating to Heads
1:19:12 – Costs relating to Electronics
1:22:20 – TOTAL COST OF BUILD
1:26:40 – Closing by Jessica

Enjoy!

Much love from England!
Jessica, Matt & Georgie

50 KNOTS in the Forecast!! You’ll Want to be Behind a Lock for This!! (MJ Sailing – Ep. 146)

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We get ourselves settled into Sutton Harbour just in time for some very bad weather to blow through.

Finishing up our last few miles after having just sailed to Plymouth from Waterford, Ireland – we up anchor at sunrise to pull into our winter home at Sutton Harbour Marina. While checking in at the office we run into Dan of Sailing Uma, and although he invited us over for coffee, by the time we’d taken our showers and walked over they were just heading out to take care of some business.

Luckily we have a few nice and sunny days where I’m able to give a tour of our home for the winter, because just after that, the seasonal storms set in. On a particular day when the winds were forecast to gust to 50 knots, and waves rolling into the harbour were said to be 5 meters, we grabbed our cameras to go check it out. We found the inner harbour wasn’t nearly as bad as the reports said it would be, but after looking at all the bucking boats in Queen Anne’s Battery Marina, we were very happy to be safely tucked behind a lock.

Just after Christmas we met up with the marketing director of Sutton Harbour, Claire, and her partner James. They took the three of us on a wonderful ride out of town where we were able to experience Dartmoor National Park, and then take in a beverage and clotted cream at the Two Bridges Hotel.

A great introduction to the Plymouth and Sutton Harbour area, and we know we could not have chosen a better spot to winter over with Elements.

Enjoy!

Much love from England!
Jessica, Matt & Georgie

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Northern Sailing in DECEMBER!! – Ireland to England (MJ Sailing – Ep 145)

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After waiting weeks for 48 hours of steady weather, we’re now able to make the sail from Ireland to England!

Support production here!! : https://www.patreon.com/mjsailing

After we left the Dublin area, we spent the end of November hanging out in Waterford waiting for just two days of decent weather together for us to make the last leg of our trip to England. And at the very beginning of December, we found it!

It was a compromise though, since to keep ourselves from being in heavy weather, we’d get one good day of sailing in, but the rest would be motoring. Not always a bad thing though, as our arrival to England was met with clear blue skies, flat calm waters, and even dolphins!

Dropping the anchor in Plymouth Harbour just after 1 am on our second night out, we’re now just inches away from our winter berth.

Enjoy!

Much love from England!
Jessica, Matt & Georgie

Submerged in Frigid Waters!! (MJ Sailing – Ep 144)

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We get a fishing pot wrapped around our rudder in the Irish Sea….and Matt has to get in frigid waters to free us!

In this week’s episode we travel from Bangor, Northern Ireland, to Dublin. Along the way, we wrap a fishing pot around our rudder, and Matt has to get in frigid waters to free us. Thankfully it was just a few quick dunks in the Irish Sea and we’re on our way again.

In the Dublin area, we use one of our days to tour the Guinness Storehouse, amazed at how well everything is laid out. We even get the VIP treatment with two round of beer at the end of our tour…and even get our portraits sprayed on the second round with malted barley.

Wrapping things up we take a walk about Dún Laoghaire, where the boat is, and its famous 40 Foot Hole; as well as the historical town of Dalkey, and the castles which used to serve as storage for unloading cargo in the harbour of Dublin.

This was another episode I had so much fun reliving while I edited, and we hope you enjoy it as well!

Enjoy!

Much love from Scotland!
Jessica, Matt & Georgie

Sailing at 11 KNOTS OF SPEED In 4 Knots of Wind! (MJ Sailing – Ep 143)

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Thanks to some hefty currents pushing us along, we catch the ride of a life, sailing along at 11 knots in glass calm conditions. Leaving the Sound of Jura, we tried to make a pass through some tricky areas at slack tide, only to find out we’d timed ourselves wrong. Luckily the current was behind us and in the end we had a wonderful case of being pushed along like a rocket in just a breath of wind.

Our sail leads us to Bangor Marina in Northern Ireland, which we found a beautiful town with great coastal paths for walking. Also wanting to explore Belfast though, we hopped the train into the big city where we spent the day exploring the Titanic Quarter, Botanical Gardens and museum of natural history.

Enjoy!

Much love from Scotland!
Jessica, Matt & Georgie