A Sporty 350 Mile Sail from Kona to Hilo 🌊
22 October 2025 · 37 min · 16K views · Big Island, Hawaii
Sailboat heeling hard under full sail on open ocean
What this video covers
A 350-mile beat from Kona to Hilo around the Big Island's south point takes Oliver and crew three-plus days in sustained 30-knot winds, large swells, and a strong adverse current that pushes the boat sideways and prevents progress.13:20 Rounding South Point triggers the worst conditions: waves large enough to flood the cockpit, soak the crew, and slam the hull continuously.3:59 The boat's shallow keel proves a serious liability sailing hard on the wind, contributing to leeway the engine alone can partially counter.15:29 Oliver settles on motor-sailing under third reef and partial jib, making wide arching tacks offshore to gain ground up the island — a strategy that works only after a full day is lost going essentially nowhere.17:29 The autopilot mounts strip loose, a stay support strut screw pops out, every porthole drips salt water, and the hull appears to twist under load.15:58 Fuel runs low enough to require an underway jerry-can transfer.29:46 The crew battles seasickness throughout; ginger candies help.9:37 They anchor in Hilo Bay at 2:30 a.m. on day four.34:41 Mid-passage, Oliver discloses he has placed a second offer on a different boat, citing this passage as evidence his current shallow-keel hull cannot handle sustained upwind offshore work.15:15
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