Velero Reginavideo
MASSIVE hull growth
18 July 2025 · 11 min · 2K views
What this video covers
Javi, host of the sailboat Regina, performs an underwater hull cleaning while anchored at Chacachacare, Trinidad, to address severe marine growth that reduced the vessel's speed to three knots under power. The hull and rudder accumulated a three-finger-thick layer of barnacles within 15 days of arriving in the region, a rapid growth rate attributed to the nutrient-rich, sediment-heavy waters of Trinidad and Grenada. Despite the murky conditions and the presence of bull sharks, the cleaning process reveals that the barnacles detach easily with a scraper, requiring less physical force than growth encountered in other regions like Cádiz, Spain. The propeller, which suffered significant performance loss due to fouling, is also cleared. The boat is scheduled for a haul-out in Chaguaramas in approximately 20 days. The cleaning restores the vessel's propulsion efficiency, confirming that even minor fouling on the propeller drastically degrades engine performance.
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