Wicked Saltyvideo
Offshore on a Catalina 30 Sailboat
April 9, 2019 · 14 min · 47K views · Spanish Wells, North Eleuthera
Catalina 30 sailing into sunset on open water
What this video covers
A Catalina 30 runs an offshore passage from Cape Fear, North Carolina to Charleston, South Carolina — roughly 10 nautical miles offshore — in 3-to-4-foot following seas that occasionally build to 5 feet.▶ 7:05 The autopilot fails to hold in the following sea conditions, forcing Wes to hand-steer most of the passage.▶ 9:38 To avoid repeated jibes while running dead downwind without a preventer rigged on the main, the crew sails jib-only and takes an inshore routing, reasoning that seas would be smaller closer to the coast.▶ 7:47 Speed holds above 6 knots.▶ 10:15 Kate uses acupressure Sea-Bands for seasickness.▶ 10:40 The passage finishes as their worst yet: no sleep, barely able to eat, hand-steering the entire run.▶ 13:06 The update also covers ICW stress between Beaufort and Carolina Beach, where shoaling in Snow's Cut drops depths to 9 feet, prompting a preference for offshore jumps over shallow ICW sections.▶ 4:02 The crew is currently anchored in Spanish Wells, North Eleuthera, Bahamas, waiting on a weather window to the Abacos.▶ 1:30 Autopilots struggle in following seas on a Catalina 30, and sailing jib-only without a preventer is a workable but demanding downwind strategy.
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