Sailing Solévideo
NEVER GO TO AVALON WITHOUT DOING THIS!
16 November 2025 · 23 min · 3K views · Avalon
Dolphin glides beside sailboat in turquoise sea
What this video covers
Andy and his wife Misty sail the Catalina 30 *Stoked* from Two Harbors to Avalon, Catalina Island, in late October, picking up Misty at the dock for a visit to Avalon's botanical gardens — the activity the title flags.5:03 The gardens, developed under William Wrigley Jr.'s influence, feature giant yucca, bougainvillea, cactus displays, 90%-copper ironwork, and a visitor note-signing station; Andy describes the experience as unexpectedly impressive.8:34 The return passage to the mainland is expected to take five hours in light wind, with better breeze filling in near the Palos Verdes Peninsula.17:12 On the way home, the chartplotter and autopilot cut out without warning, leaving Andy off course before he noticed.18:53 He traces the fault to undersized 10-gauge wire on the DC-to-DC charger input and output — the correct spec is 6-gauge — and notes the undersized cable could also have been a fire hazard.19:43 A separate safety point: Andy had been pulling the engine panel key while underway to prevent accidental kicks, which disabled all engine warning lights; a fellow sailor pointed out this practice would mask oil pressure or temperature alarms.20:27 Undersized wiring on a DC-to-DC charger can cause voltage surges that kill the chartplotter and autopilot simultaneously.
Boats in this video
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