#11 Cyclones - Weather Strategy - Kerguelen - Vertical Time
April 12, 2026 · 22 min · 2K views · Océano Índico
Sailboat heeling hard in rough Indian Ocean seas
What this video covers
Paula and Pedro are sailing toward the Kerguelen Islands in the Indian Ocean, roughly 1,000 miles out, as part of the Vuelta Vertical circumnavigation that departed Castellón de la Plana, Spain, in November 2025.▶ 0:33 The passage follows an emergency stop in South Africa after a 10-meter wave swept the deck at latitude 52°S, destroying the satellite antenna and leaving the boat without weather data or communications for nearly 2,000 miles.▶ 0:56 Now sailing at 8–9 knots in 30 knots of wind under staysail and reefed mainsail, they are holding latitude 45°S to stay in the favorable northeast quadrant of Southern Ocean low-pressure systems, which rotate clockwise in the southern hemisphere.▶ 2:43 Three wave-generating fronts surround them: 6–8-meter seas to the northwest on day 8, 10-meter seas to the southwest on day 10, and 10-meter seas ahead on day 13.▶ 3:25 Cyclone Horacio, which diverted south toward Kerguelen, adds further complexity.▶ 6:34 The diesel cabin heater, an Evercatcher unit, failed after an electrical fault during battery work; without it, the crew must rely on engine-cooling-circuit heat at 4–5 liters per hour versus 1.5 for the dedicated heater.▶ 14:36 A webinar on rogue waves with meteorologist Gabi Pérez is scheduled for Sunday at 18:00 UTC.▶ 1:52 Staying north of 45°S keeps a boat in the manageable sector of Southern Ocean lows, but wave state — not wind speed — is the dominant hazard in this region.▶ 9:18
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