VOILIER ODINvideo

MADEIRA: SAILING FROM 0 TO 35 KNOTS

23 November 2025 · 39 min · 5K views · Madeira

What this video covers

A solo passage from the Azores to Madeira aboard the ETAC 38 Odin takes ten days and covers the full wind spectrum, from flat calms to an unforecast 35-knot squall lasting five hours. For most of the passage the wind blows from the southeast — the destination's direction — forcing constant upwind work and tacking through repeated calms. The crew runs the engine multiple times to charge a 400-watt solar system with only three days of battery autonomy, shared between an autopilot and two refrigerators.6:00 During the squall, the staysail head tears off completely and 20 centimeters of genoa rip; the cockpit floods with 10 centimeters of water over the coaming.26:19 Windy forecasts the wind as northeast 10 knots but delivers nothing, then 35 knots unannounced.24:53 On arrival at Madeira, the crew bypasses Machico and Caniçal — both partly full with 50–60 cm of swell entering — and anchors in a horseshoe-shaped bay near Funchal for better swell protection.30:49 Sail repairs and provisioning at Funchal port are planned before a forecast gale on the 17th–18th.33:56 The Canary Islands — Tenerife or La Gomera — are the next destination.34:16 Windy's offshore forecasts proved unreliable for both wind direction and squall timing on this route.

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Boats in this video

Etap 38iTheir boat

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