Be The Captain · video

What this video covers

A 20-year-old crew member on his first offshore passage survived a near-fatal encounter with Tropical Storm Alex after his captain attempted to sail directly into the storm toward Bermuda.▶ 0:00 The vessel, poorly maintained and prone to leaking, suffered hatch seal failures that flooded the cabin, forcing the crew to bail with buckets.▶ 2:59 The captain attempted to motor upwind against 80-knot gusts and 30-to-40-foot seas with a single-reefed mainsail, which eventually shredded.▶ 5:18 When the engine overheated and failed due to a blown cooling line, the boat lost steerage and began lying a-hull, leaving the crew vulnerable to capsizing in the storm's dangerous quadrant.▶ 10:02 The vessel eventually drifted into VHF range of Bermuda, where the Coast Guard provided a tow into St. George's.▶ 14:06 The crew member subsequently joined a different vessel for an Atlantic crossing after the original captain’s poor decision-making and lack of weather routing nearly caused the loss of the boat and crew.▶ 14:58

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