Be The Captainvideo
Sailing in SEVENTY FOUR Knots
June 1, 2026 · 2h 35m · 39K views · Prickly Bay, Grenada
Sailor navigates 74-knot gale with sextant aboard storm-tossed vessel
What this video covers
Ryan Rayfield, a professional offshore sailing captain running paid crew passages aboard his vessel Libra, describes a 74-knot encounter and a series of mechanical emergencies across Caribbean and Atlantic passages.8:45
The 74-knot incident occurs during a St. Thomas to St. Lucia passage of roughly 400 miles.25:44 Sailing at seven to eight knots, heeled over, the boat takes a violent strike — a loud bang, the stainless steel railing chimes, and 44 tons of boat shifts three feet to port in one second.39:27 The video cuts off before the cause is confirmed.
Rayfield also details two other emergencies in depth. Off Les Saintes, south of Guadeloupe, an anti-siphon valve failure floods the engine cylinders with saltwater, pushing water past the rings into the oil.16:46 He bleeds the injectors, runs five successive oil changes using 15W40 synthetic bought locally, and sails into the anchorage rather than risk the engine — assigning crew specific stations for furling, clutch release, and windlass operation on a 125-lb anchor.17:47 In Bermuda, a prop shaft snaps after incorrectly tightened motor mounts; he sources a metal ingot from a junkyard, has it machined, and reinstalls the shaft in under 48 hours ahead of an incoming storm.25:56 He is still running that shaft.28:59
Knowing your boat's systems and having contingency sail-in procedures prevents a single mechanical failure from becoming a catastrophic one.
More from Be The Captain
From Be The Captain — 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.