Abandon Comfortvideo
5] Shakedown Cruise, Sail Rip & Splash | Abandon Comfort - Sailing The World
May 25, 2017 · 12 min · 157K views · Okeechobee Waterway
Sailboat glides under looming bridge at dusk
What this video covers
Ryan and Kelsey launch their sailboat for a five-day shakedown cruise on the Okeechobee Waterway, routing from the east coast of Florida through Lake Okeechobee toward Fort Myers and ultimately St. Petersburg. They hire a recently licensed delivery captain at $50 a day plus meals after Ryan's father, a 35-year Coast Guard veteran and master diesel mechanic, cannot make the trip.1:12 The episode catalogs ten numbered mistakes: trusting the fuel gauge (the tanks were not full), unclear command structure with the hired captain, unknown vertical clearance under a railroad bridge, flying full sail in 15–20 knots on Lake Okeechobee, ripping the sacrificial leech on the headsail, destroying all furling line fairleads, heeling hard to port and discovering leaking port lights, ignoring a loud alarm, triggering the high-water alarm below, and Kelsey getting seasick on disorganized lake chop. The boat ran out of fuel approaching the Fort Myers anchorage; a pre-purchased TowboatUS membership covered the tow to a nearby marina.10:31 Their first-ever anchoring went smoothly.10:58 The shakedown confirmed that hiring experienced help does not prevent mistakes — it only changes which ones you make.
More from Abandon Comfort
From Abandon Comfort — see the channel’s boat, crew, and every analyzed video.
The Sailing Directory Newsletter
One email with the fleet's best finds — the moments, boats, and stories worth your watch time. Enter your own address to get your own copy.