No battery and no engine in the middle of the Pacific Ocean! - Ep.35
January 16, 2025 · 22 min · 67K views · South Pacific Ocean
What this video covers
During a solo non-stop circumnavigation, Andre M Homem de Mello faces a cascade of equipment failures while sailing in the South Pacific, approximately four days past Cape Horn.8:41 At 140 days into the voyage, the boat suffers from a dead engine, depleted batteries, and a non-functional wind generator, leaving the vessel without navigation lights, radar, or electrical power.12:15 The sailor relies on a flashlight for night operations and maintains limited communication via a single phone battery.12:47 Severe weather conditions, including winds reaching 55 knots and confused seas, have shredded the mainsail, the original genoa, and the staysail.5:53 The sailor successfully replaced the staysail with a reserve but struggles to remove the remnants of the damaged genoa from the mast, a task complicated by high seas and a previous hand injury sustained while working aloft.10:22 The boat’s 12-year-old sails show significant material fatigue, and the manual bilge pump required repair after the diaphragm tore.8:29 Despite these challenges, the boat continues to make progress under a staysail in 10-to-15-knot winds at 56°S, 86°W.13:25
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