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Sailing 500 Miles to the Tuamotus with Family Aboard | Episode 213

19 July 2023 · 31 min · 24K views · Marquesas Islands

What this video covers

During a 500-mile passage from the Marquesas Islands to Makemo, France, the crew of a cruising sailboat hosts family members for a five-day journey. The trip begins with light winds averaging 4 knots, allowing guests to acclimate to life at sea without seasickness.7:03 While maneuvering in 7–10 knots of wind, a spinnaker snags on a spreader and tears.15:25 The crew performs an underway repair by sewing the sail and hoisting a crew member to the mast to tape the sharp spreader edge.20:48 The final 24 hours of the passage bring consistent winds and speeds reaching 7 knots.22:58 The vessel approaches the Makemo atoll pass at night, relying on previous experience and local knowledge of the channel depth to navigate toward a planned 11:00 p.m. slack tide arrival.27:58 The passage concludes with the crew successfully managing the transition from open-ocean sailing to atoll entry.

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