Distant Shores Sailing

This time on Distant Shores, we go out sailing in the Strait of Gibraltar and look at some of the unique features of this quirky little country, the gateway to the Mediterranean. Next we sail along the Spanish Mediterranean coast to the Balearic islands, visiting Formentera and Majorca enjoying summer sailing and remote anchorages before returning to Morocco at Tangier. We visit inland to historic Fes before heading off shore for a passage to the Canary islands.

We're doing our first major ocean crossing on the new Southerly 480 and have four enthusiastic crew along on the journey. But before we get underway we get the anchor trapped under a huge boulder and have to dive on it in the dark. We provision in Las Palmas Canary Islands then set off south. We'll stop at the Cape Verde islands, before the big jump, 2200 miles on to Antigua in the Caribbean. It's an exciting crossing with strong winds from the stern. We catch fish and set up the new twin-pole system for downwind sailing. Nights are lovely with phosphorescent plankton in our wake and stars overhead.

This time on Distant Shores, we sail from Antigua to Montserrat, Nevis, Statia and St. Barths. We're invited to a Pirate Party on the beach and talk gadgets with Brian and Karin on SV Delos - well known sailing YouTubers. At St Barts we have an amazing encounter with sea turtles in the anchorage, and sail on to make a night arrival in the British Virgin Islands.

We look at how to plan a comfortable Caribbean cruise explore lovely Saba, investigate hurricane recovery efforts in the British Virgin Islands, and sail four days offshore to the Turks and Caicos.

This time on Distant Shores, we sail from the Turks and Caicos Islands aboard our new Southerly 480 shallow draft sailboat to explore the shoal waters of the Bahamas in some of the most remote parts of this scenic archipelago. A lot of people ask us about cruising with a variable-draft keel, so in this episode about shallow water piloting in the Bahamas, we answer some of these questions.

This time on Distant Shores we take you to shallow anchorages in the Bahamas and dry our Southerly 480 out on the beach. We also visit islands in the northern Exumas that were on the frontline of the war against the illegal drug trade back in the late 1970s and early 80s.

This time on Distant Shores we're leaving the Bahamas using the Gulf Stream to make speed northbound. We look at using radar to avoid the worst winds on a serious storm rounding Cape Hatteras, demonstrate our in-mast furling system, and sail north to Annapolis in the Chesapeake Bay.

This time on Distant Shores we prepare our Southerly 480 for a voyage south and on into the Pacific, show you how to deal with Chesapeake Blue Crabs, lose our engine at the rough start of an offshore passage around Cape Hatteras and run into a gale at Cape Lookout.

This time we're continuing further south sailing offshore from North Carolina towards Florida and on to explore the remote Berry Islands and a Blue Hole. We find the islands virtually unchanged from our first visit 30 years ago. Next its the bright lights of Nassau then across the Yellow Banks on the way to the Exumas as the Christmas season is getting started.

This time on Distant Shores we celebrate New Years on a Bahamian beach - experience the sights and sounds of a Junkanoo Parade in the streets - deal with winter storm cold fronts and see what happens when you're hit with the largest waterspout we've ever seen.

This time on Distant Shores Paul experiences some VERY exciting sailing on a Bahamian sloop, we have an amazing crossing of the Great Bahama Bank and explore Long Island Bahamas.

We’re going to take you on a 7-day offshore passage sailing 1,000 miles non-stop from the Bahamas past Cuba and Haiti before arriving in Panama. You’ll see how we manage night watches, cook in rolly seas, deal with squalls, avoid ships at sea and make a night landfall at one of the busiest harbours in the world.

Previously on Distant Shores we had a lively 7 day passage from the Bahamas and some of the roughest water we've seen in a while. Now we're exploring Panama and the area around Shelter Bay on the Caribbean side, checking out the jungle and getting ready for the transit of the Panama Canal.

Last time on Distant Shores we explored the jungle on the Caribbean side near Colon and Shelter Bay Marina, where we also prepared our boat for the transit of the Panama Canal. This time we're going through the canal to the Pacific side and Panama City.