Sailing Mirage · video

What this video covers

Vlad departs Long Island, Bahamas at 0700 after a sleepless night on a rolly anchorage, targeting a 20-mile downwind run to the Exumas aboard his Amel 50, Mirage.2:25 Winds forecast at 13–14 knots on Windy instead build to a sustained 30–37 knots with large ocean swell, making the passage significantly more demanding than predicted.8:42 Sailing deep downwind with full genoa and reefed mainsail, Mirage holds 8–8.5 knots; Vlad drops the mainsail mid-passage when conditions steepen, finding the boat smoother under headsail alone.11:58 A Leopard 45 catamaran makes the same crossing at roughly the same speed.6:27 The most challenging section is the final approach through the Exumas cut — shallow water, 34–36 knots of wind, and an outgoing tide opposing the ocean swell create steep, breaking chop at the entrance.15:49 Once inside the island chain, conditions flatten immediately.16:50 Vlad anchors at Sand Dollar Beach, George Town, Exumas — a protected anchorage he first visited four to five years earlier aboard his previous boat, a Beneteau Oceanis 41.1 named Melody.18:42 Windy's forecast significantly underestimated actual wind strength on this passage.8:42

Boats in this video

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