That was great. Thank uou for showing the ups and downs in an honest way. Its very helpful and reassuring for the rest of us!

Ooomph, you had me scared on that one! Going sideways faster than you can go forwards is something that only happens in small vessels and it lingers in the memory. Engine failure at that stage can be disastrous. Glad to see you got through it Ian.

I've been in those conditions and you know if anything breaks you are doomed. Very exciting and a huge learning curve. Phew , well done.

Wow Ian incredible solo sailing and filming too…. Seems it’s a bit like an ultra running adventure…Never know what’s going to happen until you are in the moment…. Well done, it looked scary in places ….. lots of learning curves! 😅Happy sailing ⛵️

Hey. I love your series of adventures. I've followed you round the coast of Wales. That's been my sailing ground for the past few years and i know it all well. But Holyhead is as far north as i have been. You're sailing in to uncharted waters now as far as I'm concerned! 🤣🤣 I think this year I'll get up there.. To Scotland even😊 I think I'm on much the same kind of level as you. Still Making mistakes but with a great deal of enthusiasm and humour. Good luck. Can't wait for the next installment.

"Never count your eggs 'til they're in the pudding!" _Lucky Jack._

"The Isle of Man is calling" What's it saying? - "Nutter inbound!"

You're right to be chuffed - you're doing it!

Cool. can’t wait till chapter 24 🚣🏼

I respect your taking on that short voyage. You admit to being a tad inexperienced and that is a good thing. You should have let out enough jib to act as a number 3 along with more main. Your sails were luffing because you did not fall far enough off wind. There was no need for your engine. Plan your tacking in advance. You were no where near dangerous conditions but rather a good brisk sail. Paul

Another great one Ian.

Looks like you handled that alright by yourself. good to watch:))

Interesting. I was always taught to go with a small jib so you have more driving force

Assume you set off before LW to get the tide, mind you it woyldve been WoT then...need to watch the Platters to East of the Skerries there. Can get very lively off there.

great job filming under those conditions!

Occasional watery over the foredeck is to be expected. But water in the V berth isn't. Where is the water getting in?? Poorly sealed forehatch or anchor locker leak or is it a hull/deck sealing problem? It's something that to me would require further investigation

Kept your cool in a bit of hoot through a treacherous area. Good thing because it gets very much worse. Looks like a good protected anchorage. Enough of a passage to make that first tea or single malt all the better. Good for you. What is the boat?

a touch more main would have stopped the roll!

So…did you read the bit about the "vicious patch of water” afterwards? It does look a bit hairy. I'm curious to know why you didn't head west for a while with the wind on the beam, and then tack back east, to sail the whole way and not use the engine.

What do you use to shoot your footage? Whatever it is, your videos would be much easier to watch if you put a wind cheater on the microphone or failing that just turn the volume down when you're editing. Good luck with your travels