59° North Sailingvideo
Ben Shaw // Out the Gate & Across the Pacific
May 22, 2025 · 1h 17m · 181 views
What this video covers
Ben Shaw, host of the Out the Gate Sailing Podcast and former 59 North crew, describes sailing his family's 1985 Halberg Rassy 352, Dovka, 2,989 miles from La Cruz on Banderas Bay, Mexico, to the Marquesas in 23.5 days — his longest passage by far.12:52 Andy Schell records the conversation in person aboard Dovka at Hiva Oa.7:19 Shaw recounts acquiring Dovka from his parents, trucking it from Annapolis to San Francisco, and spending two years on a COVID-era refit before departing.24:19 The route continued from Nuku Hiva through the Tuamotus — where the first calm anchorage in six and a half weeks came as a relief after constant rolling — to Tahiti.2:48 Shaw describes Nuku Hiva as strikingly remote: near-vertical terrain, plankton-clouded water, minimal provisioning options, and no beach-bar cruiser infrastructure.1:38 He discusses the challenge of a 23-day offshore passage with two non-watch-standing children, no room for a fifth crew member, and an unequal division of labor that nearly ended the Pacific plan.21:50 Schell adds context on 59 North's Pacific logistics: longer passages reduce per-day revenue while fixed daily costs remain constant, making the Atlantic more profitable but less compelling.53:06 A diesel solenoid failure on Falcon and a Furuno multifunction display at each helm are mentioned in passing.51:17
Boats in this video
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