Hugh Robertson Sailing · video

What this video covers

The solo sailor aboard the Pacific Seacraft 34 *Sea Change* departs Christmas Island for a four-day, 600-mile passage to the Cocos (Keeling) Islands.0:04 After motoring through the island's wind shadow, the vessel maintains a beam reach in trade winds, averaging 6–7 knots.2:22 The transit includes a mahi-mahi catch and a final approach into the Direction Island anchorage, which requires navigating around coral heads using satellite imagery.3:26 Upon arrival, the sailor encounters eight other cruising boats, including the Beneteau 44 *Z*, the Westerly Ocean Lord 41 *Caramore*, and the Gunfleet 43 *Skyfall*.5:32 While anchored, the sailor experiences sudden eye floaters and flashes of light, prompting the use of a fellow cruiser's Starlink connection to research symptoms.9:51 Following remote consultation with an ophthalmologist, the sailor flies to Perth for an urgent medical evaluation, which confirms the symptoms are age-related rather than a retinal detachment.10:11 The trip concludes with a return flight to the atoll and preparations for a 2,000-mile Indian Ocean crossing.11:59

Boats in this video

More from Hugh Robertson Sailing

26 differences from most other cruisers, part 2 of 2Apr 202626 differences from most other cruisers, part 1of 2.Apr 202630 stories of sailors less fortunate than me during my ocean-sailing years on Sea ChangeJan 202630 mistakes I made and things that broke on my solo circumnavigation on Sea Change, Part 3 of 3Dec 2025

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