Offshore Recordings March 2026, EP#415
29 March 2026 · 30 min · 46 views
Sailboat cuts waves at golden hour, crew triumphant
What this video covers
A Westsail 32 sailing from Fort Pierce, Florida, toward the Abacos in the Bahamas experiences erratic performance from its windvane, identified as "Mongo."▶ 19:52 The owner reports that the windvane requires a full strip-down and cleaning of its bearings and bushings, noting that the unit has never functioned so poorly.▶ 19:43 He suspects the wooden wind blade may be out of balance.▶ 20:24 During the transit, the vessel encounters light winds and heavy northerly swells, forcing the crew to repeatedly jibe while sailing wing-on-wing to maintain a course through current-heavy waters near the Abacos.▶ 16:53 The boat’s house battery bank, consisting of aging lead-acid batteries, fails to reach a full charge from a 220-watt solar panel alone, requiring engine assistance to reach optimal voltage.▶ 12:17 Despite these mechanical and electrical issues, the vessel maintains a steady pace using a mainsail, staysail, and number one jib, with Navionics used for navigation and course verification.▶ 21:45
Boats in this video
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