Sailing Big Lost · video

What this video covers

A last-minute helm plotter failure cost $6,700 and consumed the day before departure from Panama, forcing the crew to replace the Garmin unit entirely.▶ 0:56 Chart updates on the new plotter failed after three hours on the phone with Garmin support, so the crew departed relying on a portable Navionics chart instead.▶ 1:34 The pre-departure scramble also included racing to collect children's visas before a holiday closure shut down Casco Viejo, retrieving old passports for checkout, and grabbing a propane fill on the run.▶ 0:17 The boat left Panama late, in rain, bound for the Galapagos.▶ 1:16 Conditions on passage were unusually smooth: true wind around 11–11.5 knots, spinnaker up on a 165–173-degree true wind angle, boat speed 6.2–6.7 knots over ground, autopilot on wind hold.▶ 3:08 The crew caught and released a sailfish on a trolling line, dousing the spinnaker to slow the boat enough to work the fish.▶ 6:07 By the second morning, 281 nautical miles covered, wind died completely and the boat motored on current at 6.5 knots.▶ 10:03 A chart plotter that fails on departure day cannot be deferred — carry a backup navigation solution before leaving port.

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