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A Day in the Life of Sailing Offshore - Sailing from Spain to Tunisia, Part 3 | DrakeParagon Sailing
13 June 2026 · 23 min · 3K views · Mediterranean Sea
What this video covers
Drake and Monique are sailing the Westsail 42 offshore from Spain to Tunisia, roughly two days and five hours from their destination anchorage at the time of filming.5:53 The passage runs through dense Mediterranean shipping traffic, with vessels moving north and south at 10–15 knots on both sides of the boat.5:23 Drake navigates the northbound lane by turning due south, dropping the main to avoid an accidental jibe, then motoring at 5.5–6 knots to cut behind a ship's stern and clear a pack of six vessels.0:55 He monitors all traffic using AIS, radar, and a seven-minute watch-commander alarm throughout the night.3:35 Sail trim on a broad reach proves difficult: a single-reefed main alongside the full jib causes flogging until a 10-degree starboard course correction settles both sails, lifting speed from 3.3 to around 4.8 knots.9:35 Monique takes a solo afternoon watch, tracking a cargo ship with a 4.5-mile closest point of approach at 21 minutes out.12:36 PredictWind's offshore forecast predicted 1–2 foot seas; the actual motion is rolly enough that both crew agree downwind sailing is rougher than the forecast suggested.21:37 Battery bank holds at 99% despite autopilot, chartplotter, radar, nav lights, refrigeration, and an Instant Pot running simultaneously at 60 amps draw.20:21
Boats in this video
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