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The Toughest Sailing Of Our Lives / Sailing To New Zealand Pt 2 Ep 141
10 December 2023 · 25 min · 22K views · North Minerva Reef
What this video covers
A crew departs the Minerva Reefs in the Pacific Ocean for an 810-mile passage to Whangarei, New Zealand, facing a challenging weather window characterized by persistent south-easterly winds.7:58 The vessel, a sailboat named Atlas, encounters 22 to 30 knots of wind and steep, 3.2-meter seas, forcing the crew to beat into the weather.21:57 To mitigate violent slamming and protect the boat, the crew reduces sail, eventually deploying a triple-reefed mainsail and a hank-on storm jib.16:05 During the transit, the boat takes a large wave over the deck that floods the cockpit and chart table.19:50 The crew monitors weather updates via a Garmin inReach and considers heaving to if conditions deteriorate further.17:24 Despite the difficult conditions, the crew marks a milestone of sailing halfway around the world, transitioning from the Western to the Eastern Hemisphere.24:14 The passage highlights the necessity of prioritizing boat preservation over speed when sailing upwind in heavy, beam-on seas.15:57
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