Sailing Songbirdvideo
Broken Comms and a Blown Out Sail | Alone Across the Pacific | Day 6-25 Ep. 2
22 October 2024 · 32 min · 40K views · Pacific Ocean
What this video covers
During a solo Pacific passage on the 30-ft sailboat Songbird, the skipper manages equipment failures, sail damage, and persistent squalls between day 6 and day 25. While sailing wing-on-wing, the headsail suffers a tear, requiring an improvised repair using cross-stitch techniques.18:26 The vessel encounters a series of tropical squalls that submerge the Starlink terminal, rendering it inoperable and cutting off satellite communications.26:11 Heavy cloud cover over five days limits solar charging, causing the flooded wet-cell battery bank to drop to 55% capacity, forcing the skipper to restrict fridge operation to daylight hours.27:11 The skipper utilizes a wind vane for self-steering to conserve electricity and employs a bucket-and-sail collection system to harvest rainwater.29:46 Despite the mental strain of isolation and volatile mood swings, the skipper maintains the vessel through lumpy seas and variable wind conditions.5:23 The experience highlights the critical role of comfort meals and manual sail repair skills during extended offshore passages.9:38
Boats in this video
More from Sailing Songbird
From Sailing Songbird — see the channel’s boat, crew, and every analysed video.
The Sailing Directory Newsletter
One email with the fleet's best finds — the moments, boats, and stories worth your watch time. Enter your own address to get your own copy.