Sailing Big Lost · video

What this video covers

A family aboard Big Lost navigates the Tuamotus, covering the practical and logistical realities of cruising one of the Pacific's most remote atoll chains.Watch Food scarcity is a constant pressure: fresh provisions are scarce, small island stores carry little, and the crew inventories canned goods and plans meals weeks ahead, deliberately avoiding buying out local supplies.0:39 Coral bommies dominate every anchorage, requiring chain-floating with pearl floats salvaged from an abandoned pearl farm — a technique new to the crew, who found the first attempt at Tahaneha stressful enough to leave one crew member shaking.1:58 Atoll pass timing matters: departing Rauruia roughly 145 nautical miles to Tahaneha, they transited a cut with six knots of current running with them, motoring at five knots and keeping RPM under 1,300.3:48 Anchoring in cloudy, sun-glared water with heavy bommie coverage made finding sand difficult.6:45 Wildlife highlights include a grouper spawning aggregation at Tahaneha — part of the June–July event that peaks at Fakarava, where thousands of groupers and sharks gather in the pass.11:47 The crew contrasts Pacific cruising with the Caribbean: longer overnight passages, greater distances between islands, harder resupply, and higher self-reliance demands.5:35 Chain-floating over coral bommies and careful pass timing are non-negotiable skills in the Tuamotus.

More from Sailing Big Lost

We Swam With Humpback Whales… Then Left Our Boat BehindOct 2026We Finally Stopped Rushing… Life Aboard Got QuietSept 2026We Almost Left Tahiti… I’m Glad We StayedSept 2026We Wanted a Different Life… This Is Where It Took UsSept 2026

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