Welcome to the beginning of Season 4! The end of last season saw us pulling into St. John's, Newfoundland (after almost a week at sea!) to whales, sunny skies, and friendly faces. Now it's time to explore our last port of call in North America as we also prepare to push off for Greenland.
We're reminded of the ticking clock of our timeline as another boat departs for distant shores. Still groggy from our voyage, we set out to explore more of St. John's which feels very familiar for one crew member (cue a bit of Irish music!), and then answer the burning question...How do YOU like your poutine?
We take a step back in time and also find out what's for dinner in Newfoundland. (Moose sausage?!?) While some locals soak up the sidewalk others shoot for the stars, and we take some time with The Duke of Duckworth to discuss life aboard Paragon.
It's busy days aboard Paragon as we check out the night life, get some much needed help from a local, and figure out the fuel situation. (Now what about the water?) Our thoughts also turn to the sea of icebergs, just beyond the harbour, and slowly drifting south. How will we deal with these mammoths while at sea? Stay with us
Paragon is bustling with activity. Drake has another go with the SSB with the hope of downloading a weather fax while the question of fresh water continues to loom large. We can't push off until the tanks are filled and just when we think we've solved the problem, disaster strikes. All work and no play is no fun, so the crew splits up and it's date night aboard Paragon! The sun is out until the wee hours, so join us as we blow off a bit of steam in St. John's!
The water tanks aboard Paragon must be filled, come rain or some shine. Of course, as we fix one problem another pops up in the engine room. Good thing we've got full bellies from our world breakfast tour! What will happen next? Stay with us!
A slice of life aboard Paragon. So much of every day life on the boat is interacting...with each other and those around us. We talk and laugh and learn and have a lot of fun as well. A large part of our time is also spent cooking and, whether at sea or on shore, Drake keeps us in good eats. Want to recreate the food in this episode? Check out our Facebook page where I'll post the recipe for Pineapple Orange Ginger Turkey! Bon Appétit!
What to do when a brass band shows up on your doorstep? Why join them, of course! The crew of Paragon is honoured to witness the remembrance speeches and parades on Canada Day in St. John’s. We also get a little help from fellow cruisers who shed light on our upcoming voyages and perhaps even change our plans a bit. What is our iceberg sailing threshold? Stay tuned!
Staying at a public dock can be quite social and a great way to meet people. Craig, a local, stopped by to say hello and invited the crew of Paragon on a whirlwind tour of some of the local sights. From the top of signal hill to a beer that includes a 25,000 year old ingredient...stay with us!
We've explored St. John's so now we're hittin' the road to check out some of what the Avalon Peninsula has to offer. The Pope, wild strawberries, and a sunken whaling ship are just some of the things we encounter while motoring along this stunning coast and the scenic Marine Drive. Join us as our fighter pilot turned tour guide shows us some of the best that Newfoundland has to offer!
Could Paragon take on an extra crew member? She could if Mo had her way. It's a day of visitors for Paragon as Craig stops by with some Bon Voyage gifts and we get some important information on Greenland from a fellow sailor. The weather looks good as we prepare to push off...stay with us!
Sailing offshore to Greenland. Just saying the words make us giddy on this day of lasts...last laundry, last provisioning trip, last weather reports, and last meeting of friends, both new and old. Join us on this last day in Canada (in fact, the whole of North America!) as we prepare to push off for destinations unknown!
We have spent years preparing for this moment...PUSHING OFF FOR GREENLAND! The boat is in better shape than she's ever been and the crew is as prepared as they can be. We begin this offshore sail to one of the harshest places in the world with good spirits. Now if only those weather charts were accurate. Join us as we say goodbye to North America and hello to...fancy porpoises??? Stay tuned!
It's the first day on the water in our journey to Greenland and Paragon has lost sight of shore. The first night is a bit rough as everyone gets used to being on the water with rolling seas. Will the wind pick up? Will we be able to turn off the engine? Will Drake jinx us? Stay tuned!
The best preparation cannot prevent things from breaking at sea. The question is, are you prepared to perform a repair on a boat offshore when help is nowhere near? The crew of Paragon attempts to jury-rig a broken whisker pole and finds the task to be a bit of a puzzle. Every hour brings us closer to iceberg territory...can we get the boat sorted before darkness falls? Stay with us!
Drake is cooking up a great chicken caesar wrap for lunch. Now should he use romaine or...ICEBERG! Our entire sail to Greenland we have been anticipating seeing our first iceberg. Well captain, iceberg dead ahead! Is this the first of many? Stay with us!
Can you do an oil change on your boat? How about an oil change underway, offshore with the possibility of a storm looming? A line of foreboding clouds spurs us to perform some preventative maintenance aboard Paragon as Drake reminisces about previous mishaps at sea. The crew begins showing signs of fatigue...perhaps an unexpected guest can give us a buzz. Stay with us!
Sailing offshore is a mixed bag...crazy activity followed by extreme calm and everything in-between. A Canadian fisheries plane buzzes by to check us out as we battle with light and varied winds. Perhaps a look at the weather fax will show wind in our future. Until then, Drake jumps in the galley to create a favourite of the crew. What's for dinner? Stay with us!
Day five of sailing offshore to Greenland and everyone has settled into a rhythm. Like a pendulum, Paragon rolls from side to side as she moves forward in variable wind and we struggle to find a balance with our sails. The droning of the engine wears on the crew at the best of times...can a burst of wind save us from the constant noise? Stay with us!
What happens when the navigational maps and charts and cruising guides do not match? Which one is right? Which one is wrong? And, most importantly, which one do you follow? Paragon sails through rolling seas while the crew has just a few days to make some important decisions. Stay with us!
When is the right time to reef a sail offshore? Some say once you realise it's time to reef, it's already too late. The winds are increasing and the waves are building as heavy weather approaches. Can our cautious captain keep us comfortable and on course? Stay with us!
The winds are increasing, the waves are building, and the gusts are getting stronger. What do you do? Do you run with it? Do you heave to? A lot of decisions are going to be made as we continue our sail to Greenland in the North Atlantic. Stay with us!
What to do, what to do. The winds are increasing and we weigh our options. Stay the course? Tack or Gybe? Should we avoid the stormy waters south of Greenland or oncoming winds.
With just 2 to 3 days until we make landfall, the winds increase in speed and intensity. To ease pressure on the boat and, more importantly, the crew, a decision is made to heave to. How long will we drift off the coast of Greenland? Stay with us!
8 days at sea in the North Atlantic and now, after weathering high winds, no wind, equipment failures, and fatigue, we are so close to arriving at our destination on the west coast of Greenland. The crew is positively giddy with excitement as we begin the final approach.
This is it! After years of preparation, thousands of miles sailed, stormy weather, breakdowns, spectacular sights, brilliant weather, and old and new friends we are about to set foot upon the land we yearned to explore...Greenland! Of course, even in these final moments of our epic sail, landfall does not come easy as we dodge and weave through perilous bergy bits and icebergs. A land and sea that is both beautiful and treacherous has lured us with its call, and we have answered.
After years of preparation and months of sailing we have arrived in Greenland! It's all new as we take our very first steps in this unknown land and explore the town of Paamiut. Of course, just when we're settling in for the night we get a knock on the hull. Join us to see what happens next!
After sailing through the North Atlantic, we've made landfall in Greenland and now it's time to explore. It's our first full day in Paamiut, a town unknown to us, and everything is different and new...luckily we get a little help from a new friend to show us the ropes. Join us as we check out the town and possibly find the most expensive box of wine yet!
We had been in Paamiut for a couple of days and still had yet to meet anyone from the town. That would all change with a knock on Paragon's hull.
The crew of Paragon gets a Greenlandic language lesson from a local fisherman, and then meets up with a Swedish research sailing vessel on a mission to find the first boat to sail the Northeast Passage.
What do you do if you're hiking in the wilds of Greenland by yourself and something goes wrong? Éanna knows and is prepared, but the big question is...SHOULD HE FIGHT A RAVEN??? And Drake and Mo meet some locals with the help of our Phantom drone Harry.
With no roads connecting towns, airports can be the blood line of Greenland by helping to connect different areas and allowing people to travel. We met Niels, one of the managers of the airport, and he offered to give us a tour of this remote, but highly efficient, airport. Join us as we look a bit deeper in to the infrastructure of Paamiut, Greenland.
When we sailed to Greenland we knew very little about the country despite doing much research. However, our new friends at the airport in Paamiut sat down with us and took the time to talk about their experiences growing up in this remote Arctic county.
A typical day in Paamiut is anything but when everything is new. Eanna and Drake meet up with a local resident and we get some answers to the question: what can you buy at the local shop in town? More than you might think!
A blue sky day takes a turn, or should I say takes a dive, and leaves the crew scrambling to find Harry, and an unexpected visitor leaves Èanna and Mo on edge.
For us, cruising is not just about the sailing or the places we visit, but very much about the people we meet along the way. Jan was one of the first people we met in Paamiut and was a great help during our first days in Greenland. Little did we know of the great adventure he had been on...
We continue our talk with Jan about his extensive sailing and some of his favourite things to keep aboard, and end with a quick tour of his Hallberg-Rassy 39.
Knock knock! Who's there? Amos. Amos who? Amos-quito! And so this is how it goes in Greenland. Blue skies, striking landscapes, friendly people, and friendlier mosquitos! They. are. everywhere! And Erik introduces us to his good friends where Eanna gets a chance to check out the national dress of Greenland. If he's not careful he might just end up at a church dressed like that!
Our Interview with Helga from Paamiut, Greenland.
Being exposed to new cultures makes us think about our own experiences growing up and how we live...both what is similar and what is different. It makes us think, and grow, and often change our perspective as we're introduced to new ideas. Another day in Paamiut brings new friends and more illuminating conversations.
The longer we stay in Paamiut the harder it is to leave, especially as we meet more and more people in town. What a change from the first day we arrived! Walking down the street we're greeted by people and, thanks to Éanna and his new friends, we starting to learn a bit of Greenlandic. We've settled down, but it's almost time to go...just one more night and then we leave in the morning.
Why did we sail all the way to Greenland? Was it to see an iceberg? Grab a cool photo of a whale or maybe a musk ox? How about filming some striking landscapes? Nope. For us, it's all about the people. Meeting people, connecting with them and, hopefully, becoming friends. Letting them in to our lives and taking the time to find out about their world. We love exploring the wilds that nature has to offer, but the people of Paamiut touched our hearts. To us...that is everything.
We had no idea that when we sailed in to Paamiut, Greenland that we would be welcomed so warmly, however the time has come to continue our journey south. With blue skies and calm conditions it looks as though we'll have a relaxing day...or will we? A couple of icebergs might beg to differ!
It's our first sail since arriving in Greenland and it's a challenge right from the start. Rolly conditions coupled with Ice Of Unusual Size or IOUS (Princess Bride anyone...anyone?) keep us on edge. Then comes the fog. Now we just need to keep clear of that island coming up except...wait! There's no island on the chart!
You're sailing along and suddenly there's a dot on the radar. Then another and another...and suddenly the screen is filled. You look around and all you see if fog. And suddenly you know the ice is coming.
Sailing off the coat of Greenland is no joke and it's tense aboard Paragon as we sail through an iceberg field. There's ice off the bow, ice on either side, ice off the stern, ice in...OUR GLASSES?!? What do you do when you reach your first anchorage? Why, celebrate in true Greenlandic style! Cheers!
We've experienced a lot of firsts while sailing in Greenland. First cocktail with ice from a glacier, first anchorage, first iceberg...wait, what? We've seen icebergs before, you say? We've never seen an iceberg like this one...wait until you see what happens!
An unknown harbour, metal buoys floating at sharp angles, rocks on one side and a cliff on the other...what did we get ourselves in to?
A remote fjord, a gusting wind, and no way to leave...what to do?
It is a town on the edge of the world...what will we find? If you enjoyed this video, then give it a thumbs up, make a comment, share it, or support this documentary on Patreon or via Paypal with the links below.
If you're sailing to Greenland, don't forget to take this one thing! If you enjoyed this video, then give it a thumbs up, make a comment, share it, or support this documentary on Patreon or via Paypal with the links below.
Sailing the fjords of Greenland has a lot more in common with the US east coast than we thought...well, except for those pointy bits of ice! If you enjoyed this video, then give it a thumbs up, make a comment, share it, or support this documentary on Patreon or via Paypal with the links below.
What would you do if your ship went down in such a remote place. We explore our new surroundings on this isolated island. If you enjoyed this video, then give it a thumbs up, make a comment, share it, or support this documentary on Patreon or via Paypal with the links below.
Full speed ahead into the murky grey...what it's like to sail around icebergs in the fog in Greenland! If you enjoyed this video, then give it a thumbs up, make a comment, share it, or support this documentary on Patreon or via Paypal with the links below.
It's the beginning of August and time for bikinis, um, I mean down jackets? If you enjoyed this video, then give it a thumbs up, make a comment, share it, or support this documentary on Patreon or via Paypal with the links below.
A long day sailing around icebergs in the fjords of Greenland ending in an unknown harbour where we are unsure if we will even find a place to dock calls for...some FRESHLY MADE BREAD! If you enjoyed this video, then give it a thumbs up, make a comment, share it, or support this documentary on Patreon or via Paypal with the links below.
A Storm, a blowout, and suddenly a key piece of our sailboat is compromised. Now comes the hard part...finding a place to fix the boat in Greenland when we don't speak the language! If you enjoyed this video, then give it a thumbs up, make a comment, share it, or support this documentary on Patreon or via Paypal with the links below.
Sometimes all it takes for a rig to come down is just one little cotter pin. If you enjoyed this video, then give it a thumbs up, make a comment, share it, or support this documentary on Patreon or via Paypal with the links below.
How much does coffee cost in Qaqortoq, Greenland? How about vegetables? We spend the day exploring before meeting an unexpected visitor. Will Éanna jump ship?
Part 1 of a boat tour and interview with John Barry III of s/v Avalanche, a Hammerhead 54 racing and cruising trimaran.
We see more of this amazing trimaran and get some insight in to why Avalanche was towed into port.
Our interview with John Barry continues as we learn about his early sailing, why he stopped racing, and why he loves multi-hulled boats.
We tour the outside of the Hammerhead 54 and hear about some incredible speeds. *Hint - it's not what you think!
The last in our series with John Barry aboard s/v Avalanche where we hear what he thinks makes good crew and his future plans!
Exploring an underground Peat Hut in Qaqortoq, Greenland.
We meet Paul (and his fabulous dog!) who, along with his wife, moved to Greenland. We join him on a trip to his home to get a peek into the life of an American immigrant in Greenland.
Need a place to write the next great novel? Check out Paul's tiny house that is available to rent. He takes us on a tour of the town and gives insight into the Greenlandic language before taking us on a tour of his home, office, and tiny rental house. The view alone will inspire you!
A friend from Paamiut comes through with a special delivery...all the way from America!
Every day chores (groceries, laundry, and water!) become an adventure when living on a sailboat in unknown places. Today we're running dangerously low on propane for the remainder of our sail through Greenland, and filling it is more difficult than we first imagined!
Paragon, our full keel cruising sailboat, helps us to explore the world in the most amazing ways, but she also requires a lot of attention. Today we turn our attention from Greenland to the boat...and also keep an eye on our crew and those that might lure him away. Ha, just kidding...maybe. ಠ_ಠ
A friend comes aboard to help us get fuel, gives us a tour of Qaqortoq and a peak into the history of his ancestors, and shares a very special part of Greenlandic life
Our sailboat is fueled, watered, and repaired, so it's time to go...or is it!? Our friend Lars convinces us to spend one more day in Qaqortoq to attend the Greenlandic Football Championship! (Soccer for some; you know who you are!) It's such an exciting day that some of our four legged friends want to join in!
It was an amazing visit, but our time in Qaqortoq, Greenland has come to an end. We push off with the intent to sail to some natural hot springs for the night, but some icebergs may have a different plan for us...
We have favourite movies, but the Titanic isn't one of them! With just a few miles to go to our hot springs anchorage in Greenland, we encounter a monster of an iceberg and it's directly in our path. What to do...
It's time for some Hot Springs in Greenland! Then later one careless decision can lead to disaster...or not.
What would you choose...a summer in Greenland or a winter in the Caribbean?
Knock knock. Who's there? Iceberg. Iceberg who? Nope...just an iceberg.
Ola and Caroline have spent years circumnavigating the North Atlantic aboard their homemade Linjett 35. We meet up in Greenland for an interview (and boat tour) to hear about the experiences of this amazing boat building couple.
Ola and Caroline, Swedish sailors who built 100% of their Linjett 35 sailboat, talk more about their voyage around the Northern Atlantic and weather routing, fishing, the question of crew, and so much more!
What advice would you give for someone just starting to cruise? What are your future plans? What sort of food do you eat aboard. (I'll give you a hint...some pretty spectacular fishing photos are coming up!) Ola and Caroline answer some final question about life aboard their sail boat before we jump to the boat tour.
Caroline and Ola spent years sailing their first Linjett 35, so when the time came to build the second one they had a lot of great ideas about how to improve the design...both inside and out. Best of all, many of the fixes are super simple and user friendly. KISS: Keep It Simple Sailor!
Go Small. Go Simple. Go Now. Bigger is not always better, especially when it comes to a sailboat. While rafted up to a Swedish boat, Relax, in Nanortalik we meet some sailors from Catalonia and Spain aboard a boat that partly inspired Drake's cruising dreams. Plus we give a peek into some of Paragon's design updates!
It's time for some voyage planning now that the summer is coming to a close. There's just one question...do we go with Plan A or Plan B?
Sailing to unknown places is always made easier with one precious, but hard to come by, thing...local knowledge. Some Faroese mariners take the time to talk with us, and we start voyage planning for our departure from Greenland.Which way should we sail and what's up with the weather?
There are times that we encounter such magnificent places that words simply cannot describe the experience. This is such a place. If you enjoyed this video, then give it a thumbs up, make a comment, share it, or support this documentary on Patreon or via Paypal with the links below.
A beautiful fjord, a calving glacier, and a difficult decision that could affect our entire trip!
A postcard from our time thus far in Svalbard aboard Paragon with Drake, Mo, and Éanna reunited! I used to love 'Where the Sidewalk Ends' by Shel Silverstein when I was a child for all its wonder and absurdity and pure fun. And what a question...what lies beyond the end of the sidewalk, or road, or horizon. What lies beyond? I suppose I can answer that with one word. Svalbard. This land is unlike anything that we have encountered on our travels, both for it's untamed spirit and its fragility. It is a challenging place on the top of the world that demands much, but also rewards greatly. A punishing day at sea, with winds that whip your breath away with a gasp, is rewarded later with the most spectacular glacier that seems to change colour before your eyes. This is a slice of some of the places we've seen thus far on our journey into the arctic and we hope you enjoy! Fair winds, Monique & Drake
Our unboxing of the Eclectic Energy D400 Wind generator.
Our installation of the D400 Wind generator aboard our Westsail 42 sailboat Paragon.
It's been several months since we've installed the Eclectic Energy D400 Wind Generator and it's time to give you some of our thoughts about it, plus a look under the hood to see how we ran the wiring aboard Paragon.
Watch the new trailer for DrakeParagon: Season 5. Weekly episodes starting in December.
Three years in the making and all of our preparation led to this moment...pushing off for Svalbard! 1100 nautical miles held more than a few surprises as the weather window we had hoped for evaporated. Join us on the beginning of this epic journey! We have been working very hard on our next Greenland episode, but it's not ready yet. So we interrupt our regularly scheduled broadcast to bring you this more recent recording.
Hi everyone, For the past few days Drake has been resting and recuperating after extensive dental surgery. He hasn't been able to edit this week's episode about our voyaging in Greenland. Instead of going for another week without publishing a new video, here's one of our many real time updates that we posted on our Patreon page just a week after we filmed it. This was originally a BONUS real time video for our Patrons. To see more videos like this join our Patreon community at https://www.patreon.com/DrakeParagon When we pushed off from Stornoway to sail to Faroe everything was going well, that is until we started using the jib. As you saw in the last video, the port side jib winch seized within the first hour or two of our sail making it impossible to use. We were close enough that turning around would have been simple, but that was something that neither of us really wanted to do. The weather had not been cooperating and our intended push off date of 1 May had come and gone and now, nearly two weeks later (with some very expensive transient rates) we were eager to leave. Drake ended up running the port side jib sheet across the cockpit and over to the starboard side winch which worked well enough for our 285 nautical mile sail to Faroe, but was definitely not a long term solution. The winch needed to be serviced and we were crossing our fingers that there was no irreparable damage. Therefore, on a sunny day in Faroe Drake, with a little help from our friends, serviced our Barient winch and filmed the whole process for you guys. A big thank you to Alfy from the YouTube channel Life is Like Sailing for his great video about winch maintenance. If you haven't seen his videos then you're in for a treat. Check out his channel at https://www.youtube.com/user/bcsailor... Without further ado, let's jump in to the video!
Where are we? What are we doing? What are our plans for the future...and the channel?
Some places stop us in our tracks and leave us speechless. Ikerasasuaq, or Prince Christian Sound, on the southern tip of Greenland is such a place. This is a postcard video of our sail through this magnificent fjord. To see the full episode click on the link: https://youtu.be/ltV9RALsFK0