SmoCo Sailingvideo
[Ep 37] Climbing the Mast With Power Tools & Hiding From the Northerlies | Sailing to Isla Carmen
19 November 2025 · 19 min · 824 views · Isla del Carmen
What this video covers
A day sail from Agua Verde to Isla Carmen, inside the Loreto National Park, serves as Armand and Liya's fifth and final Sea of Cortez anchorage before a 120-mile crossing to San Carlos for a haulout.1:06 The passage opened with near-calm conditions — 4 knots of wind producing 1.2 knots of boat speed — forcing the engine on, then swung to 28-knot gusts that sent Armand sitting on the jib to keep it on deck.7:50 At anchor they set 175 feet of chain and rode out three days of northerly winds gusting to 40 knots.8:06 Armand climbed the mast with a Dremel to cut away a section of the furling drum track whose sharp edges had been shredding jib halyards — a defect traced back to their San Diego rigger.14:36 He made the cut successfully but dropped the Dremel into the ocean.15:58 Liya sewed a fitted fabric cover over a pool-noodle backstay chafe guard, using a hot knife to cut the material and heavy-duty Velcro to close it.13:25 Indoors, the crew tackled plumbing projects, studied Spanish via a language-exchange tutor, and tested new recipes.9:14 Whether the mast work resolves the furling problem is left for the next episode.
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