Sailing Yabávideo
We Have to Sail Our Rescued Boat Back to the Shipyard! — Sailing Yabá
February 1, 2026 · 50 min · 72K views
Sailing vessel Yabá glides through turquoise waters, solar panels gleaming.
What this video covers
Ben and MP sail their boat, *Yabá*, from Ilhabela, Brazil, to a shipyard in Itajaí for maintenance, including anti-fouling and rudder repairs.9:37 The 250-nautical-mile coastal passage involves two legs: a 50-mile trip to Guarujá and a 200-mile overnight transit to São Francisco do Sul.40:19 The crew manages the voyage without an autopilot, relying on two-person watch shifts that decrease from three hours to 30-minute intervals due to exhaustion.41:29 They navigate heavy shipping traffic near the port of Santos and encounter unlit fishing nets at night.35:31 To maximize wind and avoid an incoming low-pressure front, they bypass a planned stop at Bom Abrigo island.33:48 The crew uses a DIY bamboo spinnaker pole to maintain downwind speed during light-wind conditions.28:04 They consume 545 liters of diesel during the trip, noting that the lack of an autopilot significantly increases fatigue and reliance on the engine.6:30 Installing an autopilot is their primary upgrade priority for future passages.42:02
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