XTRIP SAILINGvideo
That could have gone wrong - engine out and no Plan B😳Xtrip-Sailing Ep.235
June 5, 2026 · 25 min · 12K views · Orkney Islands
Sailboat glides past Orkney islands under bright sky
What this video covers
A rope from a lobster pot buoy fouled Micha's saildrive in a 6.5–7-knot tidal current while transiting the narrow sound at Stromness, Orkney Islands, instantly killing the engine.12:48 With no propulsion and full sails still set, the boat swung broadside to the current, and the stern took breaking waves as the vessel was dragged backward at 0.8 knots despite the engine running at full throttle.12:21 Micha could not engage neutral because the gear lever mechanism — a ball-and-spring detent corroded by saltwater ingress — had seized and then broke when he forced it.13:35 The rope freed itself by chance while he was below inspecting the saildrive; he restarted the engine and motored into shallow water where the current was weaker, taking an hour to clear the area.14:52 He anchored in the Bay of Ireland, Orkney, in 7 m of water on 40 m of chain ahead of forecast 30–35-knot northerly winds.16:17 The gear lever assembly required full removal, cleaning, and regreasing; Micha concluded the lever itself needed replacement.22:47 The passage from Scotland to Stromness covered roughly 50 miles in ideal sailing conditions under windvane steering before the incident.17:30 Regular disassembly and greasing of the gear lever's ball-detent mechanism prevents saltwater corrosion from seizing it at a critical moment.20:53
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