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Do WE Really Have to Leave? | Episode 263

July 24, 2024 · 29 min · 34K views · French Polynesia

What this video covers

The crew of a cruising sailboat anchors at the remote atoll of Maupiha, French Polynesia, while waiting for a favorable weather window to transit the South Pacific Convergence Zone (SPCZ). They use OpenCPN to navigate within the atoll to find better protection from the wind.7:04 To prepare for the upcoming 600-to-700-mile passage, the crew performs meal prep and monitors weather patterns to avoid the intense rainfall and convection associated with the SPCZ, which they note is a potential birthplace for cyclones.4:48 During their stay, the crew explores the wreck of the SMS Seeadler, a 245-foot World War I German merchant raider that ran aground on the reef in 1917.16:02 The remains, including boilers and shafts, lie in 15 feet of water outside the pass.18:28 The crew also observes a large colony of sooty terns on the island and practices wing foiling in the protected waters of the atoll.24:46

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