Acorn To Arabellavideo

5 Days And 4 Nights Offshore: Catching Mahi & Learning Lessons

23 May 2025 · 36 min · 35K views · US Southeast Coast

What this video covers

A 600-mile offshore passage from Key Biscayne, Florida, to Beaufort, North Carolina, aboard the custom-built schooner *Arabella* results in the loss of a 45-lb Mantis anchor and a near-disastrous accidental jibe.16:28 During the first night of heavy weather, the anchor shackle works loose despite being lashed to the bowsprit with fire hose and line, causing the anchor to fall overboard.17:27 Later, while running wing-on-wing in light winds, the crew experiences a back-winded sail event when the autopilot fails or the wind shifts.20:33 The preventer lines, secured to cleats without a proper round turn, cinch under extreme tension, preventing the crew from releasing the booms.23:42 The situation stabilizes only after the crew releases the jib sheet to depower the rig and performs a "scandalizing" maneuver on the gaff-rigged main to reduce sail area.25:09 The owner concludes that preventer lines must be secured with a round turn to prevent jamming under load and that secondary anchors require a physical tether to the hull that bypasses shackle connections.28:17

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More from Acorn To Arabella

We Stripped Our Wooden Sailboat Back to Bare Wood... AgainOct 2026Saying Goodbye to Newfoundland—and the Man Who Inspired ArabellaSept 2026Upgrading the Rudder and Another Trek To The CliffAug 2026We're Climbing a Wall No One Has Ever Climbed Before | Rock Climbing on Newfoundland's South CoastJul 2026

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