EP 4 - Crossing the Sea of Cortez without a transmission!
2 August 2023 · 20 min · 302 views · Sea of Cortez, Mexico
Sailboat Holoholo glides under full sail on deep blue sea.
What this video covers
Shea and Yona cross the Sea of Cortez aboard their 38-foot sailboat Holo Holo with no working transmission, relying entirely on sail for a 50-plus-hour passage from Punta Chivato to a marina near Guaymas. The forecast called for 7–15 knots and 3–4-foot swells; conditions built overnight to 20-plus knots and 5–6-foot seas, forcing double-reefed main with jib furled and one-hour watch rotations in the dark.7:59 Without an engine, they could not simply motor through the deteriorating conditions or bear away to San Carlos — every course decision had to account for leeway, current, and proximity to shore. A buddy boat, Promise, passed them mid-crossing and relayed that wind was building; skipper Michael later offered a Zodiac tow, which they declined.5:28 Wind died abruptly five miles from shore, leaving them drifting near commercial ship traffic until sunrise.11:50 They anchored in the channel approach, slept four hours, then side-tied to the dock roughly 50 hours after departure.16:51 Sailing off the hook at Punta Chivato without engine power in a current-affected anchorage cost them until 11 a.m. just to clear the island.3:23 No engine forces conservative course-keeping and eliminates the option of powering through a wind hole or a tight marina entrance.
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