Under way, eventually (a 1200+ Nm cruise around Italy)

[Hurricane]

Re: First (miserable) drone attempt...

Ok, I am skeptic that viewing this video will be enough to cheer up the Brit members of the asylum after yesterday evening...
No, wait. Actually, I'm sure it won't.
But I thought that my very first attempt at a drone video from the boat, ugly as it may be, deserved to be called a success and posted in this thread, if nothing else because the thing landed back safely on board!
So, there's at least a chance to see some other stuff, hopefully a bit better, later on.
For the records, the machine is just a small toy called Wingsland S6, worth a hundred bucks or so, WiFi controlled through a smartphone.
Which you might think is a good idea, but actually it's a proper PITA, in practice.
Having in mind how easily the DJI joystick remote allows to move drones around, using a smartphone is a sort of practical joke in comparison.

Anyway, back to business, here's the thing. Freshly shot in a spot along the SW tip of Brac island, very well organized with aligned buoys and stern lines (as you might notice also in the video) to keep boats parked in their spot.
The flip side is that we are more squeezed than you would usually expect in buoys fields, but the bay itself is very nice indeed, and with turquoise clear waters... And being surrounded by yatties means that we are possibly bothering them with our genset, but they aren't bothering us with theirs!

Excellent
As usual, you have the eye for this kind of thing.
I would love to see more when you get the time/confidence.

 

[Deleted User YDKXO]

Re: First (miserable) drone attempt...

Anyway, back to business, here's the thing. Freshly shot in a spot along the SW tip of Brac island, very well organized with aligned buoys and stern lines (as you might notice also in the video) to keep boats parked in their spot.

That looks familiar. We had an excellent trout for dinner in the restaurant in the vid. There's another restaurant to the north of it isnt there?

 

[oceanfroggie]

Re: First (miserable) drone attempt...

Any water based drone footage that that ends with a dry drone is a 100% success You've taken the plunge, it should be plain sailing from here on.

 

[MapisM]

Re: First (miserable) drone attempt...

That looks familiar. We had an excellent trout for dinner in the restaurant in the vid. There's another restaurant to the north of it isnt there?

We didn't go ashore and try any restaurant actually, because the couple who joined us in Trogir (near Split) are both excellent cooks.
Yesterday morning, before leaving mainland, they went to the local fish and vegetables market, and as a result we now have enough food for several days.
Even S was happy to leave them the galley!
For the records, yesterday night we were treated to this recipe, originally from Sicily, but well known anywhere in IT among fish+pasta lovers, yum!

Anyway, the building in the video is seen with the camera pointing almost exactly to the north, so if there's another further N, it couldn't be along the coast.
Which would be sort of unusual in HR: in these bays perfectly suited for overnighting by boat, they always seem to have restaurants right on the waterfront.
For your further reference, this is the exact spot where we are...

PS: thanks folks for the support on my drone efforts. I'll do my best to improve, but don't hold your breath.
The main problem is that the thing (aside from being in itself much less sophisticated/stable than drones 10+ times more expensive) is inherently difficult to control, due to the laggish and unreliable smartphone/wifi interface. And obviously that can't improve with practice.
The only hope is that whenever we will be in a place with no other wifi networks around - as opposed to here, were several others were active when I flew the thing - the connection will be more stable/smooth. We'll see...

 

[MapisM]

A quick suggestion based on today's experience

So, here's my 2c for today: whenever you wish to find a good spot in one of the most popular (and arguably nicest) islands in HR, do that on Friday.
While moving S from Brac towards Hvar this morning, we came across an overwhelming number of sailboats, obviously heading back to mainland upon completion of their charter week.
And knowing what a popular destination are the Pakleni Islands where we were heading, that boded well for a chance to find a good anchorage, after the hoi polloi left...

In fact, result! We are now anchored exactly in the red circle spot, with nothing but clear water and wild nature surrounding us - bliss.
Wind permitting, later I'll challenge my luck again with the drone, stay tuned...
Oh, and just in case anyone wish to better understand where the location is, just zoom out from this Google Maps webpage.

PS: on the right side of the above pic, you can see Hvar, the capital of the namesake island. Been there in the past, but we'll give it a big miss this time.
Not that it ain't nice, but much more suited to those looking for sex, drug and rock and roll, rather than us old farts...

 

[Deleted User YDKXO]

Re: A quick suggestion based on today's experience

In fact, result! We are now anchored exactly in the red circle spot, with nothing but clear water and wild nature surrounding us - bliss.

You are missing one of my favourite restaurants again!. 2 bays to the east there is Zori http://www.zori.hr/

PS: on the right side of the above pic, you can see Hvar, the capital of the namesake island. Been there in the past, but we'll give it a big miss this time.
Not that it ain't nice, but much more suited to those looking for sex, drug and rock and roll, rather than us old farts...

Shame on you! Your guests probably want to visit. Hvar may be a party town but its still worth a visit even for us middle aged oldies not least because there are lots of pretty girls there. I assume that you as an Italian stallion would appreciate that

 

[MapisM]

Re: A quick suggestion based on today's experience

You are missing one of my favourite restaurants again!. 2 bays to the east there is Zori

Yup, the bay you mention is called Vinogradisce, and has a wide buoys field.
Btw, just across the island from there, on the N side, there's also the ACI Marina of Palmizana.
TBH, neither impressed us, back in the days, so we preferred to come to the more remote place where we are, and drop the hook.

That restaurant sounds nice, though.
In their (rather appealing, I must say) website, they claim 60 years of activity, but I would have sweared that the last time we've been in that bay - in 2001/2 or thereabout, there was just a smallish konoba, nothing to write home about. I guess we just missed it.
Regardless, in the next days, I don't think we'll try any other restaurant aside from Triton, which not only we liked, but also has a very convenient docking facility, as you know.
Till we'll have a top chef onboard and his lovely sous-chef, there's no reason to move anywhere for eating!

Ref. Hvar, nah, neither myself and S nor my guests are keen on night life.
They used to live aboard in CF on their sailboat well before we went there, till they rebuilt a beautiful house right in front of Guidi beach, which is now their main home.
If this doesn't tell you something about their interest to (not!) stay in crowded party places, I don't know what else does....

 

[MapisM]

Re: First (miserable) drone attempt...

You've taken the plunge, it should be plain sailing from here on.

Not so, I'm afraid. I must sadly report that it's the drone who just took the plunge.

After flying away with no apparent reason, totally ignoring my instructions, I desperately tried pressing the self-return to home.
I'm not even sure if it the thing actually received the command, or just decided to come back home itself due to low battery, but eventually it approached us just close enough to see it gently landing in the water a few meters in front of us, aaarumph!

TBH, I already had a funny feeling that it was just a matter of when, not if.
The most annoying thing is that based on what I was seeing on the smartphone, it took some half decent clips.

But, no way I'm going to try (with no tanks) to go down some 15m or so to recover the corpse and check if the SD card still works.
Oh, well. At least it went down in a nice and very peaceful bay... :ambivalence:

 

[Deleted User YDKXO]

Re: A quick suggestion based on today's experience

Btw, just across the island from there, on the N side, there's also the ACI Marina of Palmizana.
TBH, neither impressed us, back in the days, so we preferred to come to the more remote place where we are, and drop the hook.

Yup agree. We rated Palmizana as the most unfriendly marina in Croatia, the marineros in particular who just dont give a shit. Once one of them even managed to pull the stern of my boat under a concrete quay with the result that the bathing platform was damaged and then had the cheek to deny it was his fault. The electricity is rubbish too. Shame because the island is nice. Like you we favoured anchoring in one of the bays on the south side or between the islands

That restaurant sounds nice, though.

Yes it was one of our favourites. Beautiful setting at night

 

[scubaman]

Re: First (miserable) drone attempt...

Not so, I'm afraid. I must sadly report that it's the drone who just took the plunge.

After flying away with no apparent reason, totally ignoring my instructions, I desperately tried pressing the self-return to home.
I'm not even sure if it the thing actually received the command, or just decided to come back home itself due to low battery, but eventually it approached us just close enough to see it gently landing in the water a few meters in front of us, aaarumph!

TBH, I already had a funny feeling that it was just a matter of when, not if.
The most annoying thing is that based on what I was seeing on the smartphone, it took some half decent clips.

But, no way I'm going to try (with no tanks) to go down some 15m or so to recover the corpse and check if the SD card still works.
Oh, well. At least it went down in a nice and very peaceful bay... :ambivalence:

Sorry to hear that, P, I was just going to comment that based on the vid above, that it seemed a 100 bucks very well spent.

But knowing the sometimes wayward behaviour of even the more expensive drones that wasn't, as you say, a total surprise.

I do hope that doesn't mean we aren't going to see any more of those beautiful vids? The Mavic 2 rumoured to be released on July 18th .

An observation from the vid, I couldn't help noticing that the boats were anchored very close one another. Especially the cats behind you on the stb side. Is it just an optical illusion or can it be a problem in reality?

 

[AndieMac]

Re: First (miserable) drone attempt...

An observation from the vid, I couldn't help noticing that the boats were anchored very close one another. Especially the cats behind you on the stb side. Is it just an optical illusion or can it be a problem in reality?

Also noticed this, but I guess it's a combination of facilitating large volume vessel traffic in high season, and the restaurant owners trying to maximise the number of patrons into their venue.

I did wonder what happens if the wind direction changes during the night to on the beam, being moored fore and aft.

 

[MapisM]

Re: A quick suggestion based on today's experience

Yup agree. We rated Palmizana as the most unfriendly marina in Croatia

Precisely what we thought upon the first and only time we went there, many years ago.
And if you google around a bit, you'll find that such attitude is still fully confirmed, on top of prices which are among the highest of ACI marinas. I always thought that the place must deal with some side business like cocaine or whatever, because that's the only reason I can think of why people would go there. :ambivalence:

Oh, and talking of expensive places, your post made us curious to have a look at that restaurant round the corner, so yesterday we deployed Amanda (ain't it a nice name for a tender...? ) and off we went.
Btw, we already knew from a brand new app developed by the Croatian that there's a buoys field in that bay, and that it's the most expensive we came across so far, at 30 Kuna/meter (i.e. about €70, for us), so we expected to find a great place.
Alas, not so: the bay was awfully crowded, with ribs and jetskis all over the place, and boats (also some pretty big ones, like a 38m Sanlorenzo, no less!) tightly squeezed along the coast, with stern lines ashore.
The pic below gives an idea, though it doesn't do justice to the proper mess we found. Not to mention one thing that the pic is completely missing, i.e. the fact that every other boat seemed engaged in a contest about who had the most powerful stereo equipment onboard.
I don't dare thinking what sort of psychedelic U/W lights they were going to fire at night...

And just to put the above in perspective, below is the bay where we are anchored, just round the corner from there.
Bottom line, when you say that the restaurant is good, I take your word for it. It has to be, considering how many boats it seems to attract - unless they teamed up with the marina (which is at walking distance from there) for the side business I previously envisaged...
Regardless, all considered, none of us onboard would have swapped the dinner we had yesterday night on the f/b with a table at that restaurant if they were giving it away FoC! :encouragement:

 

[MapisM]

Re: First (miserable) drone attempt...

An observation from the vid, I couldn't help noticing that the boats were anchored very close one another.

Yup, your and AndieMac impression is correct.
Weather forecast was fine, and we had zero problems, but in hairy conditions I'm not sure I would have trusted that mooring arrangement.
Which btw is very similar to the one in the bay I was commenting about in the previous post.
It's a pity that the drone is now peacefully laying on the seabed, because I'm pretty sure that an aerial view of it would have been shocking!

Btw, I can't remember to have ever found such "constrained" fore and aft buoys arrangement anywhere in HR, back in the days.
But obviously that is now driven by the wish to park as many boats as possible in popular spots...
Not really my cuppa, but hey-ho!

 

[oceanfroggie]

Re: First (miserable) drone attempt...

Fascinating thread. Very enjoyable read.

 

[AndieMac]

Re: First (miserable) drone attempt...

, I can't remember to have ever found such "constrained" fore and aft buoys arrangement anywhere in HR, back in the days.
But obviously that is now driven by the wish to park as many boats as possible in popular spots...
Not really my cuppa, but hey-ho!

Apparently, according to my young person's source of happening Euro destinations, the HR coast is the new Ibiza. I reckon the demand will stay high for a while yet.

 

[MapisM]

Re: First (miserable) drone attempt...

the HR coast is the new Ibiza.

Judging from Trogir/Split, and also Hvar area, together with the Pakleni Islands nearby, I would definitely agree.
Funnily, we had an almost opposite impression during the days spent together with Jrudge, from Zadar to Trogir, mostly around the Kornati Archipelago - which seemed way less crowded than it used to be in our old memories.
I suppose that the reason (on top of the most obvious one which we identified, i.e. silly park entrance fees and even more silly rules behind them) has something to see with the fact that if parties and night life is what folks are after, the Kornati simply don't deliver.
In fact, they are stunning islands in many ways, with a somewhat lunar/desert landscape which is pretty unique, but I can see why teenagers (and/or teenagers at heart! ) may be disappointed by the fact that the peak of civilization in that archipelago are just some konobas like the one in my post #117...

Anyway, moving on again.
We are now in a very enclosed bay called Ulava Gradina, in the W tip of Korcula island.
18Nm from where we woke up this morning, with a slightly choppy sea which the DP took in her stride.
3/4 of an hour or so, aren't P boats beautiful...?

Just had a somewhat disappointing swim, in spite of the warm and clear water, 'cause I noticed that the props a/f is continuing to wear out - hey-ho!
Oh, well. At least the CC is working just perfectly, so far.
See U later folks, they are now calling me for lunch....! :encouragement:

 

[Portofino]

Re: First (miserable) drone attempt...

18Nm from where we woke up this morning, with a slightly choppy sea which the DP took in her stride.
3/4 of an hour or so, aren't P boats beautiful...?

Just had a somewhat disappointing swim, in spite of the warm and clear water, 'cause I noticed that the props a/f is continuing to wear out - hey-ho!
:encouragement:

I was wondering how you are adapting to the different mindset .
Planing for speed and stability shorter running times etc

With the props ,well let’s call it sterngear inc shafts and rudder I gave up .
Tried most things I think it’s right of passage most owners go through but when you look around the yard in the SoF 90 % just leave bare metal .

I,am just resigned to regular scrapes - having the gear near the stern / transome means I can snorkel it or if feeling lazy use my mini bottle dive kit .
About 30 mins to do rudders and props .
I leave the SS shafts a bit of optimism painting - AF in May is usually spun off by the end of June .

It’s when you leave the boat for 2/3 weeks and return they need cleaning .
I,ll cruise a bit lower rpm until I,ve cleaned them as can see inc “ load “ and “ EGT.s “

As you know I follow the guide on American forums and set cruise at around 80 % load —— in the interests of longevity.
If the boats a keeper with lets face it aged engines , they not fresh out the box warranty newbies so imho a bit of love and care is needed .
I,ve spoken to a MAN engineer in the SoF too about cruise rpm with old “ MAN “ s and he pretty much confirmed the 80 % load / longevity practice.

They are not to be treated like a 3 month old Hyundai hire car at an airport.

 

[MapisM]

Re: First (miserable) drone attempt...

As you know I follow the guide on American forums and set cruise at around 80 % load —— in the interests of longevity.

Well, as you also know, I was never sold on that principle.
The Cat 3116 in my old lady spent 99.9% of their 22 years life spinning at around 15/16 hundreds out of 28 rated, with the turbos barely spinning and ZERO problems of any kind.
My bet is that this will still be true in another20 years or so. But each to their own on that.
Just curious, how do all those Americans follow that "rule", when they don't have electronically controlled engines?
I've seen plenty of mechanical stuff still around, over the Pond...

Anyhow, fwiw my personal reason for using the DP mostly if not only in the 20 to 26 kts range is that she runs so much better, nothing else.
I tried cruising at D speed with her, as well as with quite a few other P boats, anywhere from 30 to 80 feet (including several forum boats, btw), and in my view it's a usage which is only acceptable well north of 70 feet, and with fins stabilized boats.
And mind, I'm saying acceptable, not great.
True trawlers and sailboats are great for cruising at D speed - with any other vessels, that's just a compromise.

 

[Portofino]

Re: First (miserable) drone attempt...

Just to clarify not to intentionally exceed 80 % load in day to day running in a planing hull .

Although your CAT was not a planing eg falls into that criteria if I understood your post above ^^^ correctly ?
Namely running 1500/1600 rpm out of possible max 2800.
Those without E engines just back down like you did .
There’s a lot of E engines from circa 2000/2002 onwards about to gather enough info Regards hrs / rpm / loads / EGT,s / Kg,s of the boat + more such like and formulate a longevity strategy.
Time between rebuilds .
Sport fishing community in particular rack up hrs in the 1000 ,s

 

[PowerYachtBlog]

Re: First (miserable) drone attempt...

I am sold with the 70-80% load principle.
The principle does not stand when an engine does not have any whistles, starting from turbos and going on to more modern magic as 4 vales per head, common rail etc etc

In my experience when an owner runs always under that principle year in year out, someone in the long run will pay a price, and the more modern and more gizmos the engines have the higher the price to pay.