We Had 373 Miles to Sail… Before Our Riggers Left.
March 1, 2026 · 23 min · 1K views · St. Malo
MV Atlantic Orchard sails forward with three tall white suction sails
What this video covers
A 42-foot sailboat completes a 373-mile transit from St. Malo, France, to Breskins, Netherlands, to replace 40-year-old standing rigging before the hired riggers depart the country.▶ 22:18 The crew navigates the English Channel, stopping in Guernsey, Alderney, the Solent, Southampton, Eastbourne, Dover, Dunkirk, and Zeebrugge. During the passage, the crew manages heavy shipping traffic, ferry wakes, and dense fog near Dover, where they coordinate 180-degree turns with other vessels via VHF channel 6 to drop sails safely.▶ 14:22 The vessel encounters a 35-knot squall near Eastbourne and experiences significant discrepancies between forecasted conditions and actual sea states, including a 20-to-25-knot beat that forced an unscheduled stop in Zeebrugge.▶ 18:52 The crew utilizes AIS to track nearby traffic in low visibility and monitors weather models via PredictWind, Windfinder, and Windy.▶ 17:55 Upon arrival in Breskins, the mast is pulled for a full rigging replacement.▶ 22:59 The experience confirms that while the original rig withstood the final transit, aging standing rigging requires proactive replacement rather than reliance on past performance.
Boats in this video
More from Sailing Northern Brees
From Sailing Northern Brees — see the channel’s boat, crew, and every analyzed video.