Having recently described a channel as ‘the antithesis of Sailing La Vagabonde’, it got me musing, which channel comes closest to being the British ‘Vagabonde’?
I’m not just talking in terms of popularity. The UK is certainly well represented among the most popular sailing vlogs (Sailing Ruby Rose, Adventures of an old Seadog, and Sailing Yacht Florence, to name just a few), but none of these has that magic combination of elements that makes SLV so compelling, namely: attractive and entertaining protagonists, new to sailing and learning as they travel from one stunning anchorage (or boatyard) to the next (and filming it beautifully).
I think Wildlings Sailing does a good job of this, but another, slightly less known channel worth following is Sailing Cadoha, named after the channel’s stars: captain Carly, deckhand Dom and Hank the majestic Hungarian Vizla.
Their boat, a 1985 Trident Warrior 38, was previously featured on the now inactive channel Sailing Creo. Cadoha’s YouTube story started three years ago when they spent a few days in a B&B that happened to be a Sparkman & Stephens 34 based in a Hamble marina.
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Although not part of the original plan, they convinced the owner to take them out for daysail, and were immediately hooked.
They decided to find their own floating home, and in the meantime set out to gain sailing experience by crewing on a number of challenging deliveries with the B&B owner, who also happened to be a qualified yachting instructor.
It’s astonishing to see the progress they have made both as sailors and content creators since they started the channel.
Their videos strike a good balance between boat fixing and (mis)adventures under sail.
Although they have yet to sail their own boat beyond Britain and Ireland, one is almost left wondering why, with such stunning cruising grounds on your doorstep, you would bother (and then you remember the British winter).
Their recent videos on last summer’s idyllic cruise to the Isles of Scilly illustrate this perfectly.
I especially appreciate their humility and candidness about their cockups and relative lack of knowledge, as it provides a learning experience and encouragement to many.
They say their mission is to show that, despite its shortcomings, social media can be an excellent teacher and force for good. I hope Sailing Cadoha succeeds.