my sailboat took on water underway! terrified I wouldn’t make it… [Ep 178]
2 October 2025 · 10 min · 148K views · Moorea
What this video covers
Lauren Landers discovers significant water in the bilge of her Beneteau Oceanis 510 while underway to Moorea.2:26 She identifies the source as a leaking shaft seal, which began taking on water while the engine was running.2:47 After manually bailing the bilge and tightening the seal, she switches to sailing under spinnaker to avoid further engine use.3:08 The vessel covers the remaining 60 miles to Moorea, where she successfully drops anchor in 50 feet of water.4:10 During the passage, a spinnaker halyard chafes at the masthead, causing the sail to jam.4:19 Upon arrival, she also reports a recurring failure of the freezer compressor, which she plans to troubleshoot alongside other maintenance projects in Tahiti.4:57 The passage highlights the risks of shaft seal failure during solo operation and the necessity of manual bilge management when mechanical systems are compromised.
Boats in this video
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