CoopSkipper

03/06/2026

I should be well on my way towards the equator by now. Over on my YouTube channel (link in bio) I've got a new video up looking at how I manage sleep while sailing solo over four weeks. Go check it out! Thanks :)

If you want to see where I am at sea right now... https://share.garmin.com/pelangi

If you like my content why not... https://buymeacoffee.com/coopskipper

Check out my website for 1-2-1 support... https://www.coopskipper.org/

27/05/2026

I've set sail from Brazil! But over on my YouTube channel (link in bio) there's a new video outling my passage planning for the 4,000 nautical mile trip to the Azores

If you want to see where I am at sea right now... https://share.garmin.com/pelangi

If you like my content why not... https://buymeacoffee.com/coopskipper

Check out my website for 1-2-1 support... https://www.coopskipper.org/

20/05/2026

My latest video is out on my YouTube channel, looking at the essentials that any offshore sailing vessel needs to have covered.

www.youtube.com/coopskipper

Don't get distracted down rabbit holes in the run up to heading offshore. There are certain essentials that any offshore sailing vessel must take into account for a safe passage. Anything else is extra. In this video I'll cover these essentials as I make my own preparations for a 4,000 nautical mile passage from Brazil to the Azores. It's time to transition from coastal/holiday mode back to an offshore headspace. Having these essentials in mind helps keep me on track and knowing they are covered helps me relax and rest in the run up to heading back out to sea.

Last week I looked at solo safety preparation, next week I'll cover the navigation, routing and weather aspects of this Atlantic passage, south to north.

Check it out!

If you like my content why not... https://buymeacoffee.com/coopskipper

See where I am at sea right now...​https://share.garmin.com/pelangi

Check out my website for 1-2-1 support... https://www.coopskipper.org

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12/05/2026

New video out on my YouTube channel about my preparations for sailing solo from Brazil to the Azores. In this video I'm looking at different safety aspects of sailing solo, making it comfortable, some first aid and how I'm feeling in the run up to leaving Brazil on 25th May. Go to YouTube to check it out, links in bio, thanks!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E4t-2AS0HL4&t=41s

06/05/2026

https://youtu.be/V-kP16eRxHU?si=ruPDPXhTtJoi4xSt

I've decided to focus mainly on my YouTube channel and away from the shorts format, to kind of 10 minute videos that allow me to go into a bit more depth on a subject - without being a crushing bore! Still with a focus on sailing and boat maintenance tips and advice. So most stuff now on this page will be referring to my YT channel, so ideally you could skip straight to YT and subscribe to my channel there!

This video is a short trailer for my first three 10 minute videos, focusing on my plan to sail solo back from Brazil to the Azores, leaving in about three weeks. I'm aiming for 25 May to set off, Azores Day, which feels auspicous!

So the next three videos on YT will look at:

* overall preparation, mental attitude to sailing solo offshore and things I'm doing for extra safety solo, but also for comfort and enjoying the passage

* boat preparation to make it as uneventful a passage as possible! So a focus on boat jobs to get ahead of the curve before a month+ offshore

* then a third one about all the navigation, weather and routing aspects of the trip

So yeah, if you can check out the YouTube channel and engage with it, especially comments would be cool, that would be amazing. And share away. Thanks!

This is a bit of a trailer for three short (10 min) videos I'm going to upload as I get ready to sail solo from Brazil to the Azores, aiming for 25th May as ...

12/04/2026

The service schedule says to clean and lubricate the anchor windlass clutches every 3-6 months depending on the use the windlass gets. I'm on and off anchor a lot and after getting pounded by salt water on the foredeck across the Atlantic the whole windlass needed a checkup. The motor casing was a bit corroded, so a new gasket seal around the cover. Checked the motor brushes, some contact spray, cleaned and regreased the clutches and of course it all works much better!

Still loving my markers

09/04/2026

Regular rig checks are important for any sailing yacht, but especially after a long passage

After crossing from Cape Verde to Brasil I found a broken strand at the top of one of the lower stays or D1 (deck level to the armpit of the first spreader) so I've replaced both here in Salvador. With the help of a local (and only!) rigger Ar**ha we were able to come up with an affordable solution. A 14 metre secondhand cable (5 years old) with pressed terminals at each end, cut in half and norseman type terminals for the other end with secondhand bottlescrews, the brand in Brasil is Nautos.

Speaking with a friend on the final leg of his solo circumnavigation he has replaced his D1s TWICE! I guess when the mainsail is reefed there is more stress lower down the mast and the D1s work harder?

07/04/2026

Lightening wasn't much fun in and around the doldrums and further south. Especially in the middle of a squall. We had our Faraday's cage for all our electrical items, basically shove them in the oven. Then I got thinking about my insulated backstay for the HF radio and added some wire trailing in the water, instead of going to the radio itself.

I'd love to know if anyone thinks this might work! My thinking is a lightening strike at the top of the mast would be earthed via the backstay??

We were stuck in one fizzing cloud of lightening for hours, and it got very close. New pants please 😆

05/04/2026

Regular rig checks are essential after any passage offshore, and that involves going aloft. With some dismay in Recife I discovered a broken strand at the top of one of the D1s. That is one of the lower bits of standing rigging from the deck to the armpit of the first spreaders. I am carrying a spare cap shroud and backstay, but no D1!! Fortunately I'm in touch with a rigger in Salvador, Brazil, with norseman fittings and I'll replace both D1s - who knows what else is going on with the hidden strands in the wire, and I have an Atlantic crossing north to come. The standing rigging was replaced only three and half years ago, but also 12,000 nautical miles have passed under the keel since then. The joys of boat ownership! But better to have checked and know and do something about it in calm inshore waters :)

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03/04/2026

Safety lines offshore are the offshore sailing version of wearing a seatbelt. But some design is involved. Jackstays (lines along the deck you clip on to move around) were traditionally laid on the outside edge of the deck, keeping you attached to the boat, but not necessarily keeping you out of the water, so you just get dragged along at the waterline. At even two knots speed it's impossible to pull yourself back onboard against the force of the water. I've laid my jackstays as far into the centre of the deck as possible, tacking into account other deck fittings. I'm quite happy with the current system, which is easy to use and therefore harder not to use. Design a system that works for your boat, that keeps you onboard, and use it!

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