Sailing Nova Vitavideo
SAILING OFFSHORE - Isles of Scilly to the AZORES (2/2)
19 January 2025 · 38 min · 7K views · Atlantic Ocean
Sailboat at dawn, orcas swimming alongside in open ocean
What this video covers
Nova Vita, a Bavaria Yachts 36, completes the second half of a 922-mile offshore passage from the Isles of Scilly to Ponta Delgada, São Miguel, Azores, taking 14 days in total. The crew — Alison and John — run downwind for most of the passage under a poled-out headsail, deliberately avoiding the asymmetric spinnaker at night to prevent wrap emergencies in the dark.0:25 Daily runs drop as low as 75–83 miles in 8–10 knot winds; the engine runs for roughly 24 hours on day 13 after a complete wind failure leaves the boat drifting in the Azorean Current and making negative progress toward the destination.28:55 A pod of three to five orcas swims alongside for about 10 minutes on day four without incident.2:56 Watch rotation is four hours on, four hours off.20:56 Temperatures climb to 26–28°C by the final days, making sleep difficult after weeks in northern waters.32:01 On arrival, the crew flies the Q flag and clears in the following morning at the Polícia Marítima and Customs and Immigration in Ponta Delgada, where an English-speaking officer checks ship's papers and passports.36:39 Light, unfavorable winds from the direction of the Azores force repeated tacking south of the islands before a wind acceleration around São Miguel's eastern end allows a final sail in under headsail alone.31:07
Boats in this video
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