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Solo Sailing the Atlantic: Africa to Caribbean
28 May 2026 · 31 min · 3K views · Departing Cape Verde, near São Vicente
Solo sailor braces against Atlantic squall on Swan
What this video covers
Mark, a solo sailor making his first Atlantic crossing, departs Cape Verde aboard his Cape Dory 36 Swan on Christmas Day, bound for Dominica — roughly 2,200 nautical miles west across the trade wind belt.▶ 1:31 Pre-departure repairs at Mindelo consumed significant time: a cracked stainless steel wind vane component required re-welding, a furler that had failed two hours out of Mindelo on the inbound passage was rebuilt, and a chafed wind vane control line was re-run.▶ 3:51 Clearing out of Cape Verde required two separate customs visits to obtain a passport stamp.▶ 5:02 At sea, Mark sails double-reefed main and staysail for the first days, then transitions to wing-on-wing with a whisker pole as conditions moderate to 10–12 knots of steady trade wind and flat seas.▶ 2:34 Managing the wing-on-wing setup — deploying, stowing, and switching the pole daily — dominates the routine.▶ 17:09 An involuntary jibe in light air stalls the boat perpendicular to course; a wind vane rudder latch failure on departure day is fixed with a jury-rigged latch.▶ 5:50 At 1,350 miles out, roughly 850 remain.▶ 20:05 The final day brings squalls, complete wind loss, and only 15 miles made good, delaying arrival.▶ 26:32 Sun sights taken daily produce fixes within three to four nautical miles of GPS position.▶ 7:26 A flying fish strikes Mark in the face at night, leaving scales on his ear.▶ 13:42
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