Sailing SV Delosvideo
Avoiding Bad weather! How do we sail in the southern Indian Ocean? Sailing Vessel Delos
1 March 2017 · 23 min · 178K views · South Africa & Cape of Good Hope
What this video covers
SV Delos navigates the Agulhas Current off the South African coast while planning a passage to Reunion.1:26 The crew analyzes weather patterns to avoid the dangerous sea states created when gale-force winds oppose the 2-to-5-knot current, which can produce 20-meter standing waves.1:50 They use PredictWind software and an Iridium Go satellite hotspot to download GRIB files and weather routing data.9:10 To improve satellite reception, they mount an external antenna on the solar arch, allowing for reliable data downloads via a laptop.9:32 The crew evaluates four different forecast models to identify potential coastal lows and high-pressure systems.12:35 They decide to turn offshore immediately rather than motoring to East London, concluding that the risk of encountering a short-lived coastal low is manageable compared to the potential for larger, more dangerous systems.20:51 They prioritize crossing the current during light northerly winds to avoid the hazardous wave conditions associated with southerly winds.4:58
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