#25 Strategy, route, decisions, fears - Pacific Ocean - The Vertical Hour
3 June 2026 · 1h 11m · 2K views · Océano Pacífico
Sailboat heeling under red spinnaker in Pacific Ocean
What this video covers
Paula and Pedro are one week and 1,000 miles into a south-to-north Pacific crossing aboard Alegría Marineros, a 68-foot sailboat, bound from Chile to Nome, Alaska — a passage of roughly two months.0:40 Broadcasting live from latitude 24°S, longitude 78°W on May 20, they explain the strategic logic of a vertical circumnavigation: unlike a conventional round-the-world passage that rides trade winds or Southern Ocean lows, this route cuts through successive, conflicting wind systems — the South Pacific high, the ITCZ doldrums, the trade winds, and ultimately the Bering Sea.0:48 A feared ten-day calm compressed to two days; the spinnaker carried them through at 7–8 knots.2:57 Autopilot failures are the most serious recurring problem on the voyage — both pilots have broken at different points, and one remains unrepaired.53:51 Paula describes using pilot charts and routing documents as primary planning tools, and credits meteorologist Gaby Pérez with building her weather-reading skills.4:35 Sleep management on a two-person watch schedule — setting alarms every 30 minutes — is flagged as essential for sound decision-making on a 60-day offshore passage.8:08 The Bering Sea is identified as the most daunting segment ahead.57:41
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