Sam Holmes Sailingvideo
300 mile solo sail to Torrevieja
26 July 2023 · 27 min · 88K views · Alboran Sea
What this video covers
Sam Holmes sails his 30-foot boat, Pickled, solo from Gibraltar to Torrevieja, Spain, covering approximately 300 nautical miles over three days.0:54 The passage begins with a fouled mainsail halyard, forcing reliance on the jib through heavy shipping traffic.Watch Once clear of the lanes, the boat maintains an average speed of 4 to 6 knots, though variable winds and rolly seas necessitate frequent sail changes, including the use of a spinnaker.4:45 During the transit, the boat encounters dolphins and experiences wind gusts up to 25 knots, requiring hand-steering and reefing.6:33 Upon arrival at Marina Salinas in Torrevieja, the owner troubleshoots a grinding noise in his Simrad tiller pilot, attributing the mechanical stress to heavy steering loads.24:53 He plans to mitigate this by linking the pilot to the boat's wind vane.25:03 The passage concludes with the boat secured in a slip offered by a local contact.21:37
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