Sailing Nahoavideo
The Scariest Moments in 10 Years at Sea
September 21, 2025 · 30 min · 92K views · Tahiti
Catamaran surfs massive wave off St Helena to Brazil
What this video covers
Ben and Ashley, sailing Nahoa on their second circumnavigation with two children aboard, make an overnight passage from Tahiti to Bora Bora while recounting ten years of serious incidents at sea. The worst storm hit off Brazil in the Atlantic: 30–40 knot winds drove uncontrolled surfing at 20–25 knots down massive waves, with following seas filling the cockpit.2:59 A second heavy-weather episode in the Caribbean Sea off Colombia at 3 a.m. produced knockdowns, a washing machine torn off its mount, and soaked interiors.6:08 Their storm management lesson: deploy drogues to control surfing speed, close and dog all hatches, and maintain maximum sea room downwind — it is a lee shore, not open water, that sinks boats.6:44 On piracy, aggressive Sri Lankan fishing fleets intercepted them by day, steering across their bow to demand cigarettes and beer; nighttime encounters in the Seychelles included the only boarding they have experienced in ten years, prompting a standing rule to always retrieve the dinghy at night.13:09 En route to Bora Bora they nearly struck a floating fish aggregation device (FAD) within two feet of the hull.23:39 At Bora Bora, anchoring is no longer permitted; mooring balls run roughly $30–40 per night.25:09 The crew then redirects to Fiji, recalling a prior visit where village children swam out to the boat.27:32
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