Marquesas to Tuamotus | Sailing South Pacific | Ep 110
31 July 2023 · 25 min · 4K views · Archipel des Tuamotu
What this video covers
A 45-ft catamaran completes a 530-nautical-mile passage from the Marquesas to Fakarava, French Polynesia, in four days.0:49 The crew maintains an average speed of eight knots, setting a new 24-hour distance record of 169 nautical miles.2:32 They time their arrival at the Fakarava North Pass to coincide with slack tide, navigating the entrance at 1,800 RPM to manage the outgoing current.9:49 Upon entering the atoll, the crew anchors in the main village before motoring 30 miles south to the South Pass.15:06 To protect the coral in the shallow, reef-heavy anchorage, they employ a "floating chain" technique, attaching fenders to the anchor rode to keep the chain suspended off the seabed.21:16 The crew sources fresh produce from a local store and observes significant shark activity near the pass.19:25 Navigating atoll entrances requires precise timing with slack tide tables to avoid dangerous currents, while anchoring in coral-rich lagoons necessitates visual navigation to avoid bommies and specialised chain management to prevent reef damage.
Boats in this video
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