Wind Hippie Sailing · video

What this video covers

A Grinde 27 named Gekko spends four days trapped by a volcano-induced windstorm in Indonesia, unable to exit a pass between two islands.Watch The skipper finally departs at 2:30 a.m. on a full-moon tide, targeting a 25–30-mile passage with favorable current, but the plan unravels twice.11:00 On the first attempt, the engine — nicknamed the Red Bastard — refuses to run unless the boat is flat, and with no wind and 4-knot opposing current, Gekko is swept backward through breaking standing waves for two hours in a tidal rip.0:26 The skipper lashes the tiller and leaves the mainsail up for stability, steering alternately forward and backward as wave direction and current conflict.15:52 On the second attempt, the same scenario repeats: wind dies, current runs 4–5 knots against them, and the engine can't run in the resulting roll.14:30 After roughly 15–20 minutes of motoring once conditions flatten slightly, enough wind fills to carry full sail at motoring speed.21:41 The boat anchors at a surf-break anchorage in 50–55 feet with strong cross-current, swell, and wind from three different directions.23:26 The engine's sensitivity to boat motion in a seaway is the central limiting factor throughout.

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