Sailing Sweet Rucavideo
Sailing DOUBLE-HANDED Across the ATLANTIC With a Dog [Ep. 50]
21 November 2021 · 18 min · 10K views · Atlantic Ocean
What this video covers
During an Atlantic Ocean crossing, the crew of the 40-ft sailboat Sweet Ruca manages upwind sailing conditions over an 11-day period. To improve performance in light air, the crew hoists a staysail by rigging a secondary sheet to a removable block on the toe rail, creating an outside lead to optimize the slot between the jib and the main.15:00 The crew also performs a mid-ocean drone flight under full canvas, noting the difficulty of landing the aircraft on a moving boat in a seaway.3:20 Navigation involves monitoring weather models for routing decisions while maintaining a watch for commercial traffic, including a sighting of the 1,000-ft tanker Wafra.5:39 The vessel maintains an average speed of six to seven knots using a J2 genoa and full main, occasionally supplementing with the engine during periods of three-knot winds.9:14 The crew reports that the staysail provides a marginal increase in boat speed while preparing for a forecast of 20- to 25-knot upwind conditions.17:37
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