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LAND HO ENGLAND! After 7 YEARS AT SEA | Sailing Florence Ep.169
24 November 2023 · 22 min · 91K views
What this video covers
The 37-foot sailboat Florence completes a seven-year circumnavigation, making landfall in the Isles of Scilly, England, after a final 400-mile leg from the Azores. Throughout the passage, the crew maintains a consistent speed of 4 to 6 knots, intentionally reefing the mainsail and genoa to time their arrival for dawn and avoid entering the anchorage in darkness. Despite the North Atlantic’s reputation for severe weather, the crew experiences unusually calm seas and light, variable winds, requiring frequent sail changes and jibes to maintain progress. Navigation in the final approach involves dodging heavy fishing traffic in low-visibility mist, complicated by a non-functional radar. Upon arrival at St Agnes, the crew notes the return of significant tidal ranges, reaching up to 5 meters on spring tides, a contrast to the minimal tides encountered in the tropics. The passage concludes with the boat anchored in a cove on St Agnes, marking the crew's return to British waters. Prioritizing safety and vessel integrity over speed remains the primary lesson of long-distance cruising.
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