Sail Vessel Khalifa · video

What this video covers

Khalifa, an MJ 38 crewed by Adriano, Denise, and Alexandre, completes the Atlantic leg of a passage from northeastern Brazil to French Guiana, arriving at Île du Salut after roughly one week at sea.52:26 The crew crosses the equator north of Belém do Pará — missing the exact 00°00' moment while bathing on deck — and rides a 2.5-knot north-setting ocean current that pushes boat speed to 6–7 knots in only 7–9 knots of true wind.1:24 A low-pressure system building over the North Atlantic forces a tactical delay in the doldrums: Adriano deliberately slows the boat to avoid arriving at French Guiana during 2.5-meter, 8-second-period swells on Saturday and Sunday, timing arrival for Monday when seas ease.26:27 The final approach runs overnight with genoa poled to port and a reefed mainsail; Navionics on a phone substitutes for the chartplotter, which lacks charts for French Guiana, Suriname, and neighboring waters.47:47 The crew anchors off Île du Salut — alongside Île Royale and Île du Diable — and plans to depart within the week for Grenada, bypassing Trinidad and Tobago.51:42 Adriano endorses the MJ 38 as genuinely capable offshore after the passage.21:09 Timing arrival to follow a swell event, rather than fighting it, proved the key decision of the final 150 miles.

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