SailingAlonevidéo
Headwinds non-stop: Why this crossing is so dreaded. New Zealand to Australia
2 mai 2026 · 10 min · 27K vues · Tasmanische See
Crew adjusts rigging on sailboat amid open ocean
Ce que couvre cette vidéo
A solo sailor and a last-minute crew member, René, depart Nelson, New Zealand, bound for Australia on a 1,200-mile Tasman Sea crossing aboard a ketch.Watch An ex-cyclone with Force 12 winds and 8-meter waves forces a 10-day delay before departure; the wait is spent transiting Cook Strait, exploring the Marlborough Sounds, and navigating French Pass, a narrow tidal strait with extreme current.0:15 René's return flight from Australia leaves a 26-day window once the cyclone clears.2:45 The crossing runs upwind the entire way — 30 knots on the bow, constant swell, squalls, and lightning fronts — making it slow, rough, and seasickness-prone.3:47 Mid-passage, the Iridium satellite phone loses its data connection to PredictWind; weather forecasts arrive instead via text message relayed through a friend in New Zealand.4:57 A second cyclone veers toward New Zealand rather than the crossing track.5:23 Sydney is abandoned as a destination due to headwinds; Brisbane is next, then Coffs Harbour, chosen simply as the nearest port.4:48 A wind-generator rivet fails twice; a mid-passage calm allows a mast climb to fix it.6:32 The crossing takes exactly 17 days, matching the skipper's pre-departure estimate, with no gales encountered.3:18
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