SAILING FOOTLOOSE · video

What this video covers

Footloose, a solo-sailed vessel, departs Cozumel after a six-day isolated layover on a mooring buoy west of the island — no internet, no other people — to cross the Yucatan Channel towards Curaçao.▶ 0:12 The windlass solenoid fires but the motor fails; the skipper bypasses it by rigging a Danforth anchor on 150 feet of hand-deployable line.▶ 1:14 A failed bilge pump and a torn mainsail also get attention: the bilge pump wiring is traced and fixed, and the sail is patched with Dacron cloth rather than tape.▶ 1:48 Rounding the southern tip of Cozumel takes a full day; the skipper deliberately routes 20–30 miles south of the island to gain sea room before crossing the shipping lane, where a 3-knot adverse current makes southing nearly impossible.▶ 12:55 An AIS CPA alarm set to 2 nautical miles fails to trigger when a ship passes within one mile, and the cause remains unresolved — the skipper suspects the engine noise masked the alert but cannot confirm it without seeing another vessel.▶ 10:57 Crossing the Yucatan Channel in rough, confused seas with wind and current opposing, the windvane steers while the skipper runs reduced sleep, distrusting the AIS alarm.▶ 19:11 Staying close inshore on the Cozumel coast significantly reduces wave height and current compared to offshore.▶ 8:02

From SAILING FOOTLOOSE — see the channel’s boat, crew, and every analysed video.