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From Windsurfer to Solo Sailor | 50 Miles in 30 Knots Across the Bahamas - Cat Island to Georgetown.
April 1, 2026 · 24 min · 3K views · Cat Island
Sailboat cuts through choppy blue seas under bright sky
What this video covers
Vlad departs Cat Island on his Amel 50 Mirage for a 50-mile solo passage to Georgetown, Exumas, sailing close-hauled in 25–30 knots of true wind at a true wind angle of roughly 70–105 degrees.▶ 0:53 To handle the upwind conditions, he fits running backstays to stiffen the mast and flies the inner staysail rather than the full genoa.▶ 1:18 The passage covers 50 miles in 6 hours 15 minutes, with the hardest 30 miles sailed into building chop after rounding Cat Island's lee.▶ 23:43 He enters the Exumas through a wide, reef-reduced channel north of Conk Cay, which he identifies as less hazardous than his previous entry point.▶ 23:43 An informal race with another 50-foot boat runs most of the crossing; Vlad closes to 0.6 miles at the finish.▶ 23:43 The passage doubles as a backstory: Vlad traces his path from 20 years of windsurfing to a gifted three-day ASA course in Annapolis, two years sailing club Rainbows, a Beneteau Oceanis 41.1 named Melody, a Bermuda offshore passage, four months in the Bahamas, and finally the 2023 purchase of the Amel 50.▶ 5:07 He credits Starlink with making full-time liveaboard work viable.▶ 15:34
Boats in this video
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